Lavender

Chapter 12 - Trapped

LAVENDER'S POV

Packed and ready, Dad continues to act silly, sniffling as if he's crying while he puts two suitcases on the back of the cab he called to take me today in Sunny Isles Beach, where Damon Ellington owns a mansion.

I admit I am really nervous. Today is the day where I'm going to meet Damon's sister who I'm going to attend to for having early-onset dementia. I'm still in cloud nine for successfully having my first highest paying job but knowing that this job requires professionalism because of the amount of salary, I must do my best to achieve what's Damon really wanted for hiring me.

He said that he wanted to form a connection with his sister but in order to do that, I wish that he would sacrifice once I told him to do so. I can not be the only one who's going to work things out for him to have the connection he had lost with his sister. His sister must feel that she can trust him in order to start having communication.

"Are you sure you want to go, Lavender? You know you can back out..." Dad said, as if crying which made me roll my eyes.

"Dad... I have already signed the contract. I need to be there full-time with my boss' sister. I thought you were okay, about this? You even said I must venture forth?" I said but Dad continued to sniff after putting the last suitcase in the trunk of the cab he hailed.

And at last, he was done as he closed the trunk before facing me now, with his teary eyes.

Oh, god. Why does my Dad need to be dramatic than me?

I mean, actually, I never thought that Dad could be this soft. As he was always serious back then when Mom was around, but I guess. It's just my Mom why he's acting manly like that back then. And yeah, of course, mature acting mature. But after Mom left us, Dad started acting soft around me when Mom left us behind.

And the more day that I have lived together with Dad, the more that I notice what character Dad has. Dad is actually a man who always likes to communicate. He enjoys expressing his thoughts and he was more smiley than the times he was serious when Mom was still with us back then. Dad loves to cook, which I never really knew as Mom was always the Queen of our kitchen back then. Dad also likes to go fishing, one of the perks being near St. Johns River.

"So..." Dad sniffs again as he brushes off the tears forming in his eyes. "This is it, then... You are going to leave me?" he said, dramatically.

Damn! If Dad keeps doing this, I swear to God. I'm going to end up crying too. Even if I'm showing Dad bravery for the fact that I'm going to be far away from DeBary, I have been thinking too. As this is the first time that I'm going to be far away from Dad. Before the interview, I don't want to leave Dad. We talked and I said that I wanted to take the job as part-time but Dad being persistent, he has convinced me to take the job full-time. That's when he said that I must venture forth and I understand what's Dad talking about.

He wants me to grow from being far from him. He wants me to learn and meet new people. He wants me to discover and I understand that but knowing Dad is going to be alone, he has a reason that Aunt Nina is with him but still. Just thinking that Dad is going to be alone in our house here in DeBary, it still makes me want to consider things though already Dad said that Marco and Michael will move in into our house to accompany him. It kind of comforts me now that he has my cousins to be with him.

"Dad, why do you have to cry when I'm about to leave?" I said then smiled. Trying to reign the tears that I feel forming in my eyes. "Dad, I swear. I will be just in Miami. You know where Sunny Isles Beach, right?" I said as I keep my smile that I feel fading for I want to cry. "I assume that I wouldn't be stressed there too, you know? Because of the beach?" I said, trying to strike a joke but nothing could stop Dad from being dramatic.

Dad sniffs again which makes me want to move my body and cross the distance between us. I instantly hug Dad as I let go of the tears I'm trying not to fall. Now that I'm hugging Dad, I realize how much I'm going to miss Dad and his antics. Of how I'm going to miss the good mornings where Dad always cooks my favorite waffles and coffee. Of how much I'm going to miss the Dad and daughter talks that we have started to have.

"Dad, I'm going to miss you, so much," I said while my tears continued to fall from my eyes to my cheeks. "Don't do anything stupid here, okay? I don't want you getting into an accident again because of Mom." That, I need to warn him about as this is one of the reasons why I don't want to leave Dad alone at first.

Dad tends to be reckless sometimes. Being drunk because he missed Mom back then. And because of that, he has put himself in danger where a car hit him, causes for him to be paralyzed and diagnosed with paraplegia.

Dad chuckles as he brushes my hair with his hand in the back of my head. "Oh, I will not, Lavender. I promise I will not do anything stupid."

I chuckle as tears continue to flow and soak my cheeks. "You better be, Dad," I said before removing my arms around him and taking a step back. "And I promise, Dad. I will stay safe, too."

Dad smiles at me, still teary eyes. "You better be, Lavender Miller," Dad said that I answered with a nod.

I turned around and held the door pulls of the passenger seat. This is it. I'm going to leave Dad and start the job that makes me happy. Being far from home, it really feels scary but it's also a challenge that I will face head-on.

"Bye, Dad," I said before pulling the door pull and opening the door for the passenger seat. "Take care," I said before entering the passenger seat as I kept my eyes on Dad, who was also still looking at me.

As the driver starts the car engine, I watch Dad wave his hand as he also watches me becoming far away from home. I feel sad about being far from Dad but he was right. He's right when he said that I should go places that I have never set foot on.

Now that I'm inside the cab, as it brings me to Sunny Isles Beach that is almost four hours drive, I continue to keep silent. Wearing my airpods and listening to Sleeping With Sirens' song, Low. Thinking of what will happen now that I'm like living alone, being far away from the comfort zone that I have stayed in for years.

Jada was also happy to know that I got the job but she was busy when I was trying to tell to her that Damon is my boss so I never had the chance to say that Damon, is my boss. I take it that she's busy with her business and Larry Jones who's I'm wishing to see so I can still get back at him for not informing him that Damon Ellington is his friend.

It's obvious that somehow Larry planned this especially since Damon is his friend, where he knows that back then, Damon made a move way back to high school that also scared me away. I don't know what with Larry Jones but that guy seems to play with me. From the start where he suddenly appears to the part that we have met again to the day where he was grilling at my house's backyard.

It's impossible that Jada also has something to do with Larry's plan as Jada likes Damon Ellington, big time. I have seen Jada Fraser fall in love many times and when Jada loves, she gives her all to show how much she likes a person. Anyway, I plan to call her again tonight because I really want to tell her about Damon.

Now that Damon is officially my employer, Jada will really be jealous and that is what I'm trying not to happen. I know what Jada can do when she's jealous and once she finds out to others that Damon is my boss, she will become upset with me, even if I did try to tell her.

I sighed as I watched cars moving together with the cab I was in. I don't know how many minutes already passed but now that we are on the toll road called Florida's Turnpike, I feel hungry. So I took my bag in the passenger seat next to me, taking the bread I stored as I knew that I would be hungry for this drive to last for four hours.

I already had the bread in my hand and was about to bite when suddenly, my phone rang. My brows knotted as I saw the call was coming from an unregistered number. Who the heck is calling me? Did Dad get into an accident again? Oh, god! I hope this call doesn't bring bad news. I will instantly stop this car and go back home again.

With shaking hands, I answered the phone. "H-hello?"

"Hmm, you okay, Lavender?"

That manly voice instantly made me raise my brows. Gone the nervousness in my system. "Who's this?"

I hear the man laughs at the line, making me a bit confused. I don't know what he is laughing at but I believe, there's nothing funny about what I asked. "Who the heck is this?" I asked, my raising my voice a bit even if I didn't want to sound rude.

"You know, you should start controlling your temper. My friend wouldn't like that kind of attitude," he said before I came down to realize what he was talking about.

His friend? It's no other than Damon Ellington. And the man I'm talking to right now, Larry Jones, this dickhead. I blow a breath to calm my nerves as I don't want to shock the drive if I suddenly start shouting inside his car.

"Why the hell you didn't tell me that your friend is Damon Ellington?!" I said, half-shouting and half-screaming. "You could have told me earlier so I can still---"

"Still what, Miss Miller?" Larry cut me off. "So you can decline this only hundred dollars paying job? You will decline this large amount?" he asked as if teasing me about the money.

He has a point. The fact that being a caregiver to Damon's sister will sustain me a large salary, this job might even give me enough amount of money to start a business where I can have an income of my own.

I sigh before talking again. "Fine, you are right that I will not decline this job but really, you should have informed me that your friend and my employer to-be is Damon. Damon Ellington who now owns a big company, you jerk! You don't know how nervous I am when I find out that a CEO is your friend who needs my help for her sister but after finding out that it was Damon Ellington?!"

I can feel my nerves shaking again as I remember my interview with Damon Ellington. The feeling when I was sitting there on his visitor's chair, it was like I was trapped.

Trapped under his presence.