Seconds ago, Jessica Bolton had begun insisting her parents were going the wrong destination on their choice for the location of her marriage with Nicholas Wild. Her explanation—something about the environment and the way the people acted—made no sense to her father, nor, apparently, to her mother who considered the moment one of the heights of motherhood that shouldn't be ignored. At least, even for a while. Now, however, her mother seemed to have grasped her meaning, but through a different light.
"Why didn't I see it?" She yelled with a mixture of excitement and horror.
"The location is not good," Jessica continued with her fear. "I have been trying to inform both of you."
"My God, you are right!" Mrs. Bolton blurted as she tried to remember the events in the past that had made their choice of location a bad idea. "I didn’t see it earlier because I wasn't thinking about it, honey. Everything that is going on my mind is about you. I want to make you happy."
"I know, mum," Jessica smiled. "I really appreciate the fact that you want to make me happy, but you must consider Nicholas family's feelings too. For decades now, they have avoided that place as if they are at war with it."
Suddenly, Mr. Bolton could remember an event that happened some years ago. During the event, he was fortunate to come in contact with a high ranking officer who was quick to indulge him into a conversation about war, famine and fame. Mr. Bolton could remember the big man's gait as he moved around from one table to another, shaking hands with people who mattered in New York City.
"Do you know all of them?" He had asked out of curious when the man had finally decided to settle in a particular spot where he stood.
"I know some of them," the man had responded, smiling. "It is not compulsory to know everyone in a party before you can get the opportunity to feel their palms. All you have to do is to introduce yourself, tell them what you do for a living, tell them a few things about yourself that you feel might interest them and then, finally, you can lie about coming in contact with a large picture of them on your way to the party. Even though they are aware you are lying, they would still find your words charming because they are all attention seekers who are basically looking for people around them to admire them."
"Wise words," Mr. Bolton had said in amazement as he wondered if what the man had said to him was a set of procedures he employed in his line of work. "Why are you here?"
The man had frowned as he wondered why Mr. Bolton was asking him that kind of personal question. "Of course, I am here for the party like every man and woman in this place," the man had laughed out loudly.
"No, I want to know why you are really here," Mr. Bolton had tried his best to know what was really going on in the mind of the man.
"Ah!" The man had raised his glass of wine towards his direction as he understood where he was heading to. "I am here to look for Patrick Wild. I heard he is in town and he is going to be visiting here soon. He loves big parties a lot, and this party is a big one. He wouldn't miss it for anything in the world."
Mr. Bolton had squeezed his face in a shameful manner as he realized the man was well prepared for whatever he had to say next. "Why is he here when there is a better party going on somewhere else that is bigger than this one?" He had asked.
The man had frowned a bit as he tried to remember the reason why Patrick Wild was coming to this party and missing the other one. "He has a problem with them," he had said. "And, the problem he has with them forbids him from going there for the rest of his life. It is as simple as that."
Jessica wondered why her father was silent while she was calling his name. She had called him several times now and he had not even answered her once. She turned to her mother to know if she understood the reason why her father was quiet. Her mother had no answer. All she could do was to squeeze her face and to tell her to leave him alone.
"Dad!" Jessica called her father's name for the umpteenth time as she hoped he would listen to her and stop focusing on whatever that was bothering him on his mind.
"Sorry," Mr. Bolton said as if he had woken up from a trance." I was trying to remember the reason why the location we choose was not suitable for the family of the husband you are about to marry. So, as I was trying to think of an event that happened some years ago, I finally remembered coming in contact with a big man who was a high-ranking officer at that time who was meeting different people, shaking their hands and trying his best to introduce himself to them. The man said something about Patrick Wild having a problem with the people who lived in the location your mother and I picked for you for your marriage. Then, there was a party going on and Patrick Wild decided to come to the party instead of going to a bigger party in the same location that we choose. I know it sounds difficult to understand because I was even confused on the day the big man was trying to explain to me. Now, even though I really don't understand the reason why Patrick Wild choose to not to go to that place, I still believe there must be a certain reason why he is avoiding that location."
"Maybe he is in danger and he is trying his best to stay safe," Mrs. Bolton suggested. "Maybe he had a bad encounter with one of them and he is trying his best not to relive the experience."
Mr. Bolton shook his head. "There is a lot of reasons why he is trying to avoid the place, the best we can do is to think and not assume," he said.
Mrs. Bolton quickly admitted her husband was right as she touched her daughter gently on the face.
"There is nothing difficult to understand here," Jessica said much to her father's surprise. "The last time I spoke with Nicholas concerning our marriage and I told him about you guys decision to fix it at that location, he told me plainly that his parents had issues with the people who were residing in that location and it was best for us not to fix our marriage in that location if we didn't want to offend them," she relaxed. "This is what I have been trying to tell both of you for almost an hour now, but you guys are not listening to me. Both of you are just concerned about seeing me get married to this guy without actually knowing if this guy is comfortable with the location that is in both of your heads."
"Forgive us for our lack of understanding, lack of patience and lack of reasoning," Mr. Bolton was the first to apologize. "The thing is, your mother and I just want to see you happy and that is the reason why we are trying our best to make sure that this day you are going to actually be one with Nicholas Wild will go as smooth as possible. I hope you understand that your happiness is our major concern and we will do anything in this world to ensure that you become happy in your marriage life."
Jessica understood what her father was saying. She understood that her father loved her. She understood that her mother loved her too. She rushed towards her father first and hugged him. It was a tight hug that lasted for thirty seconds. She rushed towards her mother and hugged her. It was a brief hug that lasted for ten seconds. Someone banging on the door made her to act as if she wanted to jump up as her eyes were suddenly alert.
"We will leave you now to deal with your visitor," Mr. Bolton said. "When you are done, and you are free, you can call your mother to take you to the boutique we discussed about earlier. I have something special for you when you come. I know you will like it."
Jessica smiled as she thanked her parents for spending time with her. The two of them were her world. They were the main reason why she had become the woman she was today. She averted her gaze from the back door that her parents had taken and faced the front door where she had heard the sound of the knock. She wondered who wanted to see her at this period of the day when the time was yet to reach 6 PM. She opened the door and saw a beautiful tired woman standing.
"Who are you?" She asked.
The woman managed to form a weak smile on her face as she cleared her throat. "I am Christabel Bloom," she said. "I have something to tell you about Nicholas Wild."