Selene stared at the phone, her eyes fixed on the last message she had sent Sandy. What friend did she bring along? she wandered.
As she raked her fingers through her hair. As if she wasn't already stressed enough about tomorrow evening,now this? Sandy had a lot of explaining to do.
The sound of the doorbell rang indicating that someone had just entered the shop. Selene stood up, her gaze landing on Sandy, who walked in with someone trailing behind her.
Tilting her head to get a good look at the lady,she looked older but still very beautiful, she was definitely way out of Sandy's age group, but something about her seemed familiar.
Selene peeled through her memory, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen that face before.
Her gaze shifted between the woman, who had a nervous smile,on her face to Sandy, who looked like she had done something she wasn't supposed to do.
"Hey, sis," Sandy greeted, moving closer. Her voice wavered.
"You're late," Selene said, her gaze drifting back to the woman now standing face-to-face with her. That feeling of familiarity intensified, but Selene struggled to place her face and it was tearing her mind apart.
"Do I know you?" Selene asked, tilting her head. When the lady didn't respond, she quickly added.
"Oh, I'm really sorry, I don't mean to be so rude. It's just that…..you look like someone I know, but I doubt if we have ever met." She tried to smile, but the air between them thickened with tension.
Who the hell is this woman, and why did Sandy decide to bring her here today of all days?
"Hi, Selene, I'm Mariam," the woman finally spoke, her soft voice drilling a very familiar hole inside Selene's head.
"I'm your stepmother."
Selene's breath hitched.
"What?" she whispered, her eyes widening in shock,her pulse racing as realization slapped her in the face .No wonder she had looked so familiar.
Mariam was her father's wife. The woman bore similar resemblance with her late mother, and now that Selene had seen just how similar they look, she couldn't unsee it.
Mariam extended her hand, but Selene ignored it. Instead, she snapped her head toward Sandy, who had quietly taken a seat, looking like she was about to burst into tears but saying nothing.
"Please don't be mad at Sandy," Mariam said gently. "I know I'm the last person you want to see right now."
Her calm voice slicing through the ranging anger that had just burst inside Selene. She turned her attention back to Mariam, taking in every detail, the way her expression softened, the warmth look in her eyes, the way she carried herself.
She did look like her mother. Now it made sense why her father had remarried her. Now she saw why her father had remarried,he replaced her mother with someone who almost looked like her.
A lump formed in Selene's throat. A film of unexpected tears clouding her vision. Why did she suddenly feel this way?
"Are you okay?" Mariam asked.
That only made it worse.
"I… I'm sorry. Please excuse me," Selene muttered as she dashed into the changing room, closing the curtain shut behind her like a shield.
She stared at her trembling hands pressing them against her face, the tears now flowing freely. Why was she feeling this way?
Her father hadn't just moved on. He had replaced her mother. Why? Of all the women in the world, instead he had gone for the one who looked so much like the woman he had lost.
Now,he had succeeded in making her break down in tears in front of a stranger just because she could see her mother's face in hers.
Selene let her mind back to when Sandy had sent her photos from their father's wedding two years ago.
At the time, Sandy had mentioned a resemblance but admitted she wasn't sure. Selene, however, had known the moment she saw the pictures. Sandy doesn't remember their mother as well as she does.
Selene had been there longer. She had seen every smile, heard every soft laugh, memorized the gentle way her mother would calm their father down when his temper flared.
And it flared a lot.
Selene let out a small, tearful chuckle. Her father's hot-headedness was legendary,a trait she had unfortunately inherited. Sandy, on the other hand, had taken after their mother, always softer, gentler.
When she was young, Selene always wondered how her parents had even ended up together. They both had two very opposite personalities. But as she got older, she understood, their mother's patience had balanced out their father's temper. They had worked.
And now, here was this woman. Her replacement.
"Do you think I should go in there?" Selene heard Sandy whisper from outside the curtain.
"No, don't," Mariam replied softly. "I think she just needs some time."
Typical motherly behavior.
Selene sniffled her running nose, as she used the back of her hands to wipe her face.
She couldn't hide in here forever. She needed to go out there and face this woman,besides her beef wasn't with Mariam. It was with her father.
Straightening her shoulders she stood up,as long as Mariam promise not to say a word to her father. Selene was prepared to listen to what she had to say.she pulled the curtain aside and stepped out.
Her eyes immediately locked with Sandy's. Her sister's face was full of guilt, her eyes clouded with tears as she braced herself for a scolding.
But Selene had no words for her. She had decided to disregard her feelings but Selene was not going to make Mariam feel bad for the mistakes her family had committed.
Instead, she turned to Mariam, forcing a small smile.
"Hi." She made her voice lighter than she felt. "I'm very sorry for running off like that. I didn't mean to be rude. It's just that…you caught me off guard. I wasn't really expecting you."
"It's okay, I understand completely," Mariam said, her voice as gentle as ever. "I just really hope you're not too mad at Sandy. I practically forced her to bring me here. I desperately wanted to meet you, Selene."
Something in Selene's chest clenched. Maybe… just maybe it wouldn't be so bad to give this woman a chance.
"I will deal with Sandy later," Selene said stiffly. "But before we do this, you have to please promise me one thing."
Mariam's expression turned serious. "Anything."
"You cannot tell your husband,my father, that we ever met." Selene's voice wavered slightly.
Mariam didn't hesitate. "I promise you, Selene. I won't tell him."
She sounded genuine.
Selene studied her for a brief second before exhaling deeply. Then, slowly,she took Mariam's soft hands in for a handshake.
But Mariam had other plans.
She pulled Selene into a warm embrace.
Selene froze at first, the unfamiliar comfort catching her off guard. But rather than pull away, like she wanted to. She felt every muscle in her body relax into the hug.It had been so long since she had felt anything close to a mother's embrace.
Maybe… maybe she did miss having a mother figure.
Maybe Mariam deserved a chance.
As the hug broke, Selene noticed Mariam quickly wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. She decided to say nothing.
"Now," Selene said, spreading her lips in a wide smile, "let's go shopping ladies!"
Her tone a little too high, but Sandy and Mariam both cheered along with her in union, changing the mood completely.
For now, she would focus on finding a smoking-hot outfit.
As for everything else?
She would have to deal with it later.