294 Along memory lane (4)
“Now you have her confused.” Theodore laughed as he joined them in the living room, having heard part of their conversation.
“Dad, do you know any of this?” She asked, hoping there was something that would make more sense than the insanity that was going on. “Did you know Natalie was my cousin?”
He took a breath and glanced at Lucy for permission to talk about it. When she nodded, he turned back to Zaria. “I did know Lucy had a long-lost sister called Ava. I only joined the dots when I met Natalie for the first time and realized how similar she looked to you. Even then, I wasn’t certain of anything. There are many brunettes in Imperium, after all. But when I started investigating Nathaniel…”
“Wait. You were investigating him?” She was puzzled.
“I knew you were doing it in secret. I wanted to find something you could use against him. I didn’t want you to continue to endanger yourself digging dirt on a man like him.” He explained.
She was still confused, but she nodded. “So how did you find out about Natalie?”
“On the day Ava tried to kill your mother, she said she was going to name her child Nathaniel or Natalie Sparks. It finally made sense.”
She nodded, but that was not the main point. Ava had tried to kill Lucy. Lucy had not tried to kill Ava out of hate, it was only retaliation to what the latter had done to her.
But when she met her mother’s gaze, she thought of another possibility. Did Lucy really intend for Ava and Owen to die? If that were the case, the couple would be long dead. Why were they still alive?
.....
“Zaria, honey, our family is too complicated.” Lucy held her hands helplessly. “I know Natalie is mad at me but she will never understand what really happened in the past.”
“Do you want me to talk to her?” She offered.
“Not about why I hid the truth from her, no. Give her time to process it and she can talk to me when she is ready.”
“Okay.” Zaria wondered whether dinner was ruined now and was relieved when Lucy suggested they set the table. Even then, it was the most awkward meal they had ever had since Lucy’s return. When it was finally done, she checked the time and decided it would not be too late if she went to her favorite diner now.
…
“Zaria, it’s nice to finally see you. It’s been a while since you and Theodore came here. How is he?” Norman asked when he finally got to her table. He fastened the belt around his apron and took a seat opposite her for a chat.
“We are fine, just busier than usual now.” She checked the man’s expression for any telltale sign that he knew what was going on.
“Is that guy from the Fort family overworking you?” He asked worriedly.
That would have been her sign if she didn’t know that Norman treated most of his customers the same way—as friends. Frequent customers like her and Theodore were like family to him.
“He is a good fiancé.” She broke the news, making Norman’s eyes go wide.
“Fiancé? You got engaged?”
“We did. We are also counting the days until the arrival of your grandnephew or grandniece.”
“You are also pregnant? How could you let me miss out on such great news? You are a little traitor, you know that?” He stopped speaking on the spot when her words sunk in. She had called her child his grandnephew or grandniece, and something told him she was not referring to the close relationship they had had for all these years.
His lips pursed into a line.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
He didn’t deny it. “I know Lucy. Although it did take me a while to know she is Lucinda Su, you look like a carbon copy of her. Yes, I knew for all these years that you are my niece.”
She didn’t know what she was expecting to hear but it was not this. Her lips parted a few times and she was unable to say a word. When she finally did, it was a question she had asked herself a dozen times on her way here. “Is that why you were so kind to me?”
“Of course not.” He defended himself. “Zaria, you are a kind young woman. When I first got to know you, I thought you were the sweetest little girl on earth. Even if I didn’t find out you were my niece, I would still treasure you.”
That was not the main point at the moment, she thought. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“The truth?” He probed.
She nodded. The last thing she wanted now was half-truths and sugarcoated lies. She was beginning to doubt her existence and it would be best if she didn’t have more reason to do so.
Norman considered her for a while before he nodded and decided to spill everything he knew. “You know everything that is said about Nathaniel Su, don’t you? About his promiscuity.”
She didn’t, but she nodded in agreement.
A waitress came over and they stopped talking.
“Would you like to take a look at the wine menu?” She asked Zaria, who shook her head.
“I already had dinner. I would like to sit here for a moment and have a chat with Norm, if you don’t mind.” She smiled at the waitress, who nodded and mirrored her smile before leaving.
“Or should I call you Uncle Norm?” She teased when the waitress was out of earshot.
“The jury is still out on that.” He smiled and waited until she was ready for them to resume before he spoke up. “Our father, Nathaniel Su, was a real life Prince Charming in his time. I hate to admit that the man is my father but it’s not like I have a choice. Anyway, he lured my mother with his charm, so to speak, and I was the result of that. Although she tried her best to convince me otherwise, I believe he only married her to avoid being the subject of gossip about not taking responsibility for his actions.”
“Yikes.” She frowned in disgust.
“Yeah, yikes. He did fall in love with her, though. At least that was what my mother wanted me to believe. But merely a month after Ava was born, he went out to buy some milk.”
He was making a joke out of it but Zaria didn’t want to imagine how painful it must have been for Norman and his mother, and Ava who didn’t get to stay with her father.
“He did buy milk—for his other family. Your mother’s family.”
She was momentarily confused. “He was married to my grandmother at the same time as he lived with your mother?”
“No idea. Lucy is three months younger than Ava but it only proves which woman he got pregnant first. It says nothing about which one he loved or which one he was cheating on.”
It would have been slightly better if Nathaniel treated one of those women well but with Lucy’s personality, there was no way anything good came out of her family. She must have grown up on her own despite having a family. Besides, Nathaniel had grandchildren that were neither related to Lucy nor Ava. How promiscuous could one man possibly be?
“So, you hated my mother, and that was why you didn’t acknowledge me as your niece?” She asked, returning to their previous discussion.
“I did blame Lucy’s existence for my father’s disappearance, yes. But when I was old enough, I realized it was neither her fault nor her mother’s. She was as much of a victim as I was.”
She nodded. It didn’t explain much but she was relieved that Norman wasn’t a secret enemy of her mother’s that could potentially try to destroy her out of wrath.
“I didn’t hate Lucy. I just didn’t want you to know I was her half brother. I was afraid you would want to take revenge for what Ava did on a whim.”
She frowned. The number of people who knew everything about the past but who had kept it from her was baffling.
She was about to ask if he would ever tell her about it if she had not found out from Lucy when she noticed Norman’s pale expression. He looked like he had seen a ghost, and when she turned, she realized why. Natalie had just entered the diner and was headed towards their table.
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