Amy walked beside her mother into one of the halls at the club house where the gathering was to hold. Her eyes wandered around the room, with a smile plastered on her face, as she gawped at the bunch of ambitious women who were gorgeously and extravagantly dressed in various designers wear and a cloak of pride hanging over their shoulders.This wasn’t the usual social gathering or tea partys held by the stay-in wives of highly successful men in their society. But this was one held by the overpowering, ambitious and narcisstic women who had successful careers and who felt like they were domineering figures both in their homes and in society. Women like her mother.Amy has never accompanied her mother to any of these parties. She has always wondered what they’d talk about. Maybe how to successfully overthrow their husbands and completely wrap their fingers around them. As if her mother wasn’t doing that already. Amy rolled her eyes inwardly at that thought.Sitting inside the room were CEO’s, government officials, highly positioned staff like her mother’s best friend, Mellisa, who was the vice president of the country’s largest bank. This women even at their advanced age were still career freaks.Amy politely greeted every one that came to her mother with a sweet smile on her face. The number of people who had told her how big and beautiful she had become were too many to count. That she was beginning to think if she has only become pretty now and has been ugly all her life, until now.Well, we all can attest to how annoying it could be sometimes when people resound that line to us over and over again.”Amy you don’t have to tag along with me all night. Go tangle with your mates okay and also be nice” Mrs Walker said. Amy took another look around the place to see who this mates her mother was referring to, because she could swear she had barely seen anyone her age since she stepped inside this room, except from few high handed ladies Amy was sure she had crossed part with. And knowing them as high handed, spoilt and highly conceited little brats, she was sure she’d never whisper a word to them.”Amy hope you haven’t forgotten your promise of bringing home a man on your birthday right?” Mrs Walker asked, making a scowl on Amy’s face.”Mum why are you bringing that up again? I never made any such promise. You only spoke and I listened” Amy defended herself.”Because you were silent?” Mrs Walker asked, while Amy nodded. Indeed she had decided to be nonresponsive, that was the only way to get her mother off her case.”My sweet darling daughter let me share some good knowledge from my court room with you” Mrs Walker took a step closer to Amy.”In international law, inactions, non-responses, omissions, or other “silences” are capable of producing legal effects. The failure to object to a reservation functioning is a form of acceptance of that reservation” Mrs Walker said with a corny smile.Amy flashed her mother a knowing smile. In this little lecture class of theirs she wasn’t going to lose to her mother. Amy wrapped her hand over her mothers shoulders.”Then mother you seem to have forgotten one important detail” Her smile not leaving her face.”Which is?” Her mother indulged her.”That it’s my mother who owns the court and my Dad makes the law in the country. So I’ll also share you some knowledge from both of them””The challenge of understanding silence lies in the polysemous nature of the word. It is necessary to discern which of silence’s multiple possible meanings operates in respect of a particular situation, which may include, tacit agreement, implied objection, absence of view, or lack of interest ecetera.” Amy said, her smile broaden at the feel of victory.”Then Amy you must have heard of the term, acquiescence. It is said to denote consent conferred from a juridically relevant silence. Acquiescence cuts a middle path between two dueling maxims and one of then is: qui tacit consentire videtur (he who keeps silent is held to consent)” Mrs Walker lectured. She wasn’t going to lose to her daughter who knew nothing about law. This was her jurisdiction, so she’s bound to have the last laugh.”Oh mother I know that one” Amy chirped. “I also know ‘Silence’ may also relate to protest. The primary function of a protest is the preservation of rights, or of making it known that the protestor does not acquiesce in certain acts. Let’s put it this way, a protest aims at rebutting any presumption of acquiescence in a particular claim or conduct” Mrs Walker was stunned by Amy’s argument. She didn’t expect that push back from Amy at all.She sighed,”I’ve always known you’ll make a good legal practictioner. It’s such a shame.” Amy could see the proud yet dissappointed look in her mother’s eyes.”Still know you live under my roof. So bring me your boyfriend before your birthday” Mrs Walker said before walking away. Even if she lost to Amy on the legal aspect, she still had her ‘mothership card’. Her lips curled up victoriously when Amy’s face turned crestfallen.The scowl remained on Amy’s face as she watched her mother walk away to join her friends. Amy was really regretting allowing her mother to trick her into coming for such a gathering. She should have known better.She looked around to find somewhere quiet to sit. She rolled her eyes at the few pairs of her ‘so called mate’, talking and giggling to whatever they found amusing.Amy also noticed how some mothers were introducing their daughters to the sons of their friends and vice versa.Amy finally got the gist of why they were gathered here. It seems the motheres were doing some sort of match making with their kids. ‘How vicious’ Amy screamed in her heart. If only she could get out of here.”How lame” Amy cussed in her heart before grabbing a glass of juice. She gazed at her mother with a deadly glare in her eyes, who in turn was flashing her a sweet smile. She should have known better than to take her mothers word as they were. That woman was always upto something.Amy had a feeling that something was going to happen. Her mother must have prepared something for her, something like a random stranger in the form of a man. She’ll just have to wait for that to happen. Whoever it was must be prepared to be soiled with her juice.Amy strolled to a corner of the room where she took a seat and kept herself busy with her phone. She sent a message to Jade, it’s been days since she last heard from that girl.Usually they both spend their weekends together, but lately she hasn’t been able to get a hold of Jade. The last time they had gone out was because they had to get Jade some new clothes, but even then, she surprisingly came late and they couldn’t spend enough time together.Amy was still in focused on her phone when she felt a presence in front of her.”Hey beautiful” A voice came.”I’ll advice you scram before I smash this glass over your head.”You wouldn’t do that” The voice sounded confident and Amy could here the smile in it and she already hated whoever it was. ‘Hehehe…this will teach him a lesson'”True, but I can do this” A wicked smirk appeared on her face as she stood up from her seat. Amy angled her body towards the man and pushed herself towards him like she had misplaced her footing, as she spilled her drink on the man.”Oops” She said her eyes fixed on the good mess she has made.”Amy!!” The voice roared suddenly sounding familiar to her. She snapped her neck and looked at his face. Her eyes bulged out in surprise when she saw who it was.”Oh my God, Ethan??”Amy’s mouth hung open, with her eyes staring at the man before her unblinkingly. She was beyond shocked seeing it was truly Ethan standing there.Ethan was amused seeing Amy staring at him like he was some sort of god who accidentally dropped from the sky. He was also happy to see her.”Ethan it’s really you” Amy squealed as she jumped him for a hug, but Ethan held her at bay.”Hey, do you want to get stained too” Ethan smiled.”ooh” Amy realized what he was talking about. She pouted in embarrassment.”I’m sorry” She said with a small voice.”You’re still as troublesome as ever. Will you ever change?” Ethan couldn’t believe Amy was still as mischievious as she was when they were kids. She always did things like that.”I’m sorry okay. It wasn’t intentional” Amy apologized.”Yeah right” Ethan was being sarcastic. If he’d didn’t know Amy better, he’d believe it was a mistake.”Don’t be that way. I was in a bad mood, my mother dragged me here just to spite me” Amy looked behind Ethan to spot her mother. She heaved a sigh when she saw she was busying chatting.”Ha…i see things haven’t changed at all. She still has you wrapped around her fingers after all this years” Ethan said as he reached out for a napkin to try fix whatever he could from the mess Amy has created with the shirt.”I’m truly sorry about this” Amy apologized sincerely.”Enough with the apology. I didn’t plan our first meeting after so many years to be filled with apology. Here hold this for me” He passed over a small gift bag to her, which Amy received.”Why don’t you over to the bathroom instead” Amy suggested.”Okay I’ll be back”Amy sat quietly as she prayed for her mother or Ethan’s mother not to walk over. She was probably going to get another legal lecture from her mother in front of Mellisa, and that would be very embarrassing, most especially when it was her son she had just sailed with her drink.”I’m back” Ethan held a smile on his face as he took a seat opposite Amy.”Thank God, that looks better” Amy sighed in relief.”You can give that hug now” Ethan said spreading his arms for Amy.”You wish..you missed it, too bad””And I wonder if that was anybody’s fault” Ethan was being sarcastic again.”Hold on what are you doing here? Don’t tell me your mom got you too? And what’s with all the AWOL thing you did. You didn’t call, text or reply the thousands of messages I left on your inbox. What’s with all that?” Amy asked with a frown the moment those questions formed in her head.”Yeah I’m sorry about that” Ethan apologized, but Amy didn’t look she was buying it. She leaned her back on her seat, and folded her hands across her chest as she stared at him with angry eyes.”Sorry? You just up and left with no trace. Sincerely that was not fair. I thought you were better than that” Amy declared.”Come on, let’s not have this conversation here.” Ethan looked around them and his eyes paused on the two women who were approaching them.”They are coming” He whispered as he turned back to Amy.”Our mothers?” Amy asked turning to take a look herself. She rolled her eyes when she saw the look on her mother’s face.”Look who we have here?” Mrs Walker flashed a sweet smile at Ethan.”Good evening Aunt” Ethan greeted with a smile of his own. While Amy greeted Melissa as well.”Amy you don’t bother to ask about your Aunt anymore right?” Melissa complained.”Aunty pardon me. I’m just trying to work hard so I can be like you””Sweet girl” Melissa smiled fondly. That was one of Amy’s many talents.”Ethan what happened to your shirt?” Mellissa asked.”Errmm…it’s nothing. I was just a little clumsy with the glass” He tried covering up for Amy.”You should be more careful. You’re a mess” Melissa said giving him a good look. The stain was not that noticeable. If not for the fact that it was wet, Melissa wouldn’t have noticed. But Mrs Walker didn’t buy Ethan’s explanation. She noticed there was just one glass on the table and given the time Ethan had arrived, she was sure the young man has not been able to get himself a drink. That only leaves behind one suspect, Amy.She surrepitiously cast an accusing look at Amy, but Amy replied with a questioning look of her own. The mother and daughter duo were having an eye talk unknowing to Ethan and his mother.”We thought it’s best to come say hi, since we were sure the both of you wouldn’t care to do that. We know you have a lot to talk about so we’ll be out of your hair” Melissa said.”I’m sorry Aunt” Amy apologized again. When she had arrived with her mother, Melissa has not arrived. And by the time she saw her talking with her mother, Amy was too busy being stressed and angry.”It’s no problem” She turned to her son and winked at him. Ethan was lost for a moment, he didn’t seem to get the secret message until his mother pointed to the bag on the table.”Oh” He quickly grabbed the bag from the table gaining Amy’s attention. Ethan did not understand why his mother had specifically asked him to get this for Amy. If he wanted to get Amy anything, he’ll probably take her shopping or something. He didn’t know what was behind this.”Yeah, I wanted to ask what’s in there” Amy was curious. The incident earlier had taken her mind from it.”Uhm, it’s for you” He said looking at his mother before gazing at Amy.”For me? You think you can bribe me into looking past what you’ve done?” Amy asked defaintly. Mrs Walker was stunned when she observed what was in Ethan’s hands. She recognized the bag at first glance.’This was going to be trouble. Melissa should have spoken to her first. They were about to get busted'”Amy just take it okay” Ethan pressed. Amy felt Melissa’s gaze on her, and she reluntanctly took the bag. She took a look at it and her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.She raised her head up to look at him, a deep frown forming on her face and her brows tightly creased together.”It was you?” She asked in an angry tone.’E.H….Ethan Hills. How did she not think of this?'”What did I do?” Ethan asked in confusion.”Deny that you’re not the one who has been sending me this” She said waving the box of chocolates at him.”Sending it to you….?” Ethan was more confused.”Yes, I dare you to deny it.” Amy dared. Her anger evident in her eyes.”I swear it wasn’t me. This is the first time….” Ethan’s words trailed off as he turned to his mother when something finally occurred to him.”Unless it was you” He asked giving her a knowing look. It must be her.”It was her idea” Melissa quickly pushed the blame off to her friend.”Mom?? You??” Amy was dumbstruck by this revelation. Good heavens!!
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 63
