The evening visit - Marcus White
Visitors did troop in that evening as I had told. I found it hard to name and remember all the families in the parish; the Lucas', the Wilsons, the Tomwoodsts, and of course the whites. Lily had come with her family who were her parents and only brother Marcus White.
Everyone was either sitting or standing In conversations with one another in the drawing room. Mother decided to play the host of today letting off the housekeeper who I hadn't seen since we returned. All she knew was the job she did and once she was done she disappeared into her room.
It didn't help that her room was beside mine, I still had doubts about her overall nature. Last night I had kept awake to know when she would go to bed so I would be sure I was not hallucinating the last two nights. At last, her door opened and closed around midnight.
From the few facts I had gotten from my mother, Lily, and my observations so far I thought it safe to just say she was anti-social, and I was sure this gathering which was the biggest that had been done for years in the house would make her uncomfortable. I was sure of it.
But enough of troubling my head about the woman, time to return to the present.
The Lucas had two daughters,(Alice and Juliet) the latter of which I heard would soon be married to a wealthy tradesman in town. Then there were the Wilsons who had only two daughters (Mary and Anna Wilson) and a son who had been out of the state for five years and had recently returned. Daniel Wilson looked amiable now, I guess life had cut some of his wings because then he was the devil along with the Levi Tomwoods and especially Marcus White. (The real devil).
It was funny how much of a fear the older boys in the parish had instilled in us the smaller ones then, and I was the target of all being bullied every day that I was afraid to leave home. Dennis ended up being my defense pillar, but it was only when he was around. Looking back to it all and now, we were all the same.
Levi Tomswoods was away so, only the old Mr. and Mrs Tomwoods came. Then the Carters had three sons(two of which was away) and an only daughter who was here yet married. It turns out that none of the girls in the parish were wedded except Miss Lucas who was yet to be.
The four families above were the ones I remember we had a close relationship with in the past and so was all I could talk about. The rest I was still getting to remember and know.
Marcus white was a lanky and dry young man, in his approach to life and everything around him. And it didn't help that we were never on good terms. He always had this malice and resentment against me since childhood even though we were twelve when he was like seventeen, then. He was not much older but he loved to act way more mature than his age and infused fear in the younger ones, which automatically made him bully. That was then, I don't think he would still be his malicious self, just that… does bullying change with age? Because as we stood face to face with each other now, it was confirmed he was still his tyrant self. There was no change in his slanted brown eyes, crooked nose, and stupid thin lips in a smirk as we spoke.
"I must say you have grown to a point of being unrecognizable," he said sarcastically.
"Indeed, and you have grown much older and hideous to the extent of being unrecognizable" I replied.
He frowned while I took a sip from the glass of wine watching his reaction under my hoods with a smile.
He chose to dismiss it feigned not being offended and went on.
"How did life at Pelinburst University treat you?"
"Exceedingly well."
We stood near the windows because I had left the circle where I was seated earlier as I was suffocating being in the middle of all those people and couldn't wait for it to come to an end. It was still around 5 o'clock and I was not sure they would leave until nighttime.
When I stood to get some air from the window he followed me.
"So, any lady we would be hearing about soon?"
Where was this going?
"Why do you ask? What's your concern?"
"Well," he walked closer to point at the set of girls seated around each other and chatting. Was it Miss Lucas he was pointing at?
"My sister, she seems enamored with you,"
I chuckled. "So?"
"Won't you like to take responsibility for it?"
"Why would I?"
"Oh come on, Eugene," He tried to touch my shoulders and I stepped back. "It would help both families and besides it's unlikely that my sister would betray you like your brother's runaway wife."
I wanted to punch him right there in his face but seeing me riled up would only satisfy the smug smile on his face.
"Wasn't that a shameless way to make known your intentions of pushing your footloose and fancy-free sister to me, but, unfortunately, I have to decline Mr. Marcus, I'm not and would never be interested."
"Don't be so bold in front of me and calling my sister names to my face!" He shrieked when I turned to leave.
"Did I? Well, you started it first, today is ugly enough Marcus White don't make it uglier."
He bit back his tongue as I turned to go.
What nonsense!
"You can't possibly be running away, are you still afraid little gene?"
I stopped and turned. "Isn't that a ridiculous way to say my handsome name? I reckon you drop it. It's gone too far old or….you can continue," I smirked. "It's not like you've grown anyways."
His face darkened and the smile he was trying to keep was fading gradually.
What a fool.
"It was a lovely name then, though, wasn't it? Little gene, I see you're still offended," he touched his beard insulted but was relentless not to back down.
Only a fool would stay to argue with a fool. I turned and left.