Apologize

The two stood in the circle, two dates for one lady, one for her by her and another for her but by her mother, David glared at his competitor and seemingly rated him on equal levels as he. Mary wished the gala could just collapse and bury her with the ruins, or maybe the kitchen cylinders leak and she burns with the steak on the grill, five minutes had passed and the five were silent. “Mother meet my date, Ricky.”, Mary introduced, she questioned herself and made her call based on her feelings which her mother had completely ignored, her relationship wasn’t forged on financial dependency or business-like gains but emotional support and the nametag, spouse. “Pleasure to meet you.”, Ricky greeted reaching his hand out, disgusted by her daughter’s poor choice Elizabeth glared at the date and tucked her hands to her husband leaving the lad clothed in embarrassment. Mary certain her mother was going to make this night a disaster, she reached out her waist and wrapped it around Ricky’s arm reeling herself in and unexpectedly planted a peck on his left cheek.

“Sorry young man but whatever witchcraft you used on my daughter I will break it.” Elizabeth hissed harshly, “Mother for once accept what I want.”, Mary clapped back, her hands tangled around Ricky’s left arm she showed her ownership of him. “Accept what? This mediocre of a man!”, she sparked, Elizabeth had enough of her daughter, she spattered mud over her name, she was in no position to bargain because frankly this sibling war was from before her time, Elizabeth had one shot at making her place cemented and her daughter will not ruin that. “This is what a real gentleman looks like.”, Elizabeth praised David the addressed likening, she pulled herself from Sam and raising and held his hand to make her own introduction.

“Do you know who this is? This is David Taa.”, she introduced, her utterances made Ricky’s eyes pop, of all his magazines he would steal there was never a cover that lacked Taa’s name whether he invented a belt of gold or made a car fly, whatever the reason, the topic, David was always a part of it. “Daughter, I assume you already know his reputation even before I begin, don’t you?” Elizabeth rhetorically questioned; Mary looked aside avoiding contact because she knew who David was but she was not ready to make her mother make her admit it.

“What’s your point mother?”, Mary asked, sick of the boasting of this billionaire she wanted to rush this failed circus, “My point is David is a billionaire…”, she paused, “… who is this, Ricky?”, she finished after pathetically gazing the lad. He was face to face with his greatest fear, he was torn would he accept his true self, will her mother choose a mechanic over a billionaire for her daughter, would Elizabeth tolerate a man of his stature. He gathered his shell, the words arranged in his mind, he looked at the woman beside him, the only woman who stood by him till this moment and against the odds she proclaimed her stand by him, its better he confessed his truth than cloud a lie for the rest of his life. “I am a mechanic.”, he muttered, he knew his words would prove the man he was, whether he was fit for their daughter or David was the right candidate, “A mechanic! Really Mary!”, Elizabeth cursed. This was it; her own daughter was now teaming up with her sister to nail her down, her own daughter was to sire her grandkids with a man whose livelihood could afford one meal a day, from grace to grass her daughter would stand, “I doubt that.”, the voice condemned.

“Leave this gala at once.”, Elizabeth warned Ricky, if Mary would decline David she would live with that, but if her daughter was settling for this peasant that she would not, “I said leave don’t make me call security!”, she warned again. Affirmed, Elizabeth pulled herself from David and walked a step forward to her daughter and her date, rudely as usual she ripped the grip her daughter tied around him and invoking chaos, she began shoving Ricky pointing at the door. This commotion escalated and other guests paused their discussions, froze their champagne consumption midway to have the front row seat, chefs paused their cooking at the raised commands that echoed down their hallway and rushed to witness, “Go! Leave!”, she would order.

Elsewhere the Masons were nearing the gala, their Mercedes S class guaranteed a smooth luxurious ride while Tony enjoyed his newspaper and his brother calmly drew his portrait. “How does it look?”, his brother asked, Tony paused his newspaper reading and turned to his brother, there his eyes met the spider like legs, a bee like body, a beetle like head, and dragon fly wings. He studied closely padding the newspaper on his lap, “Shade the legs.” He commented, his brother had a weird word for art but still he portrayed it in the best way he could. Michael his brother, took note and returned back to his art and began the adjustments while Tony went back to his newspaper, Tony flipped the pages to the business section, there he read the top headline in a font size 20 he assumed, “TOP BUSINNESS COMPANIES”, down he saw the companies classified as the best in order of their success. Their company was number three and the number one in the technological aspect, the two on top were both agrovet companies the only branch that could beat technology, Tony was proud of their position and was even much impressed by the highlighted achievements. However, at number seven was the Kangs Enterprise, it was the first time he saw this company within this category and he acknowledged his investment was worth it, it was about ten years since they helped raise this company and by the looks, they were growing fast and so were their shares.

“How about now?”, Michael asked, he turned the portrait facing Tony comfortable he had perfected his art, Tony done with the business section rolled the paper and tucked it inside the bag like cloth on the front seat and reached for the art. On his lap, Tony glared at the picture, he studied the legs they were much darker than the other parts, on the body he noticed despite the small size Michael had managed to somehow connect the legs with equal spacing and bringing that insect like picture, the head was perfected the antennas, oval like eyes, pincers as a mouth, “Its perfect.”, he said. Handing Michael back his art he wondered again, what has spider legs, a body of a bee, and a head of a beetle, this riddle had now answer and he asked the Riddler, “Michael what is it?” he questioned. Michael glad he was asked chuckled and turned, “What do you get when you breed a female spider with a male bee and a male beetle?”, he asked with mischief written all over him, “What you just drew.”, he answered both chuckling.

“Guess what I call it?”, Michael asked eager to let the secret out, “What?”, Tony asked aware the bombshell to drop, “The beetle.”, Michael answered. For a brief two minutes both brothers broke into a laughing frenzy, till their ribs ached, till they had trouble breathing, “A beetler.”, Tony remarked having collected himself, he repeated the joke inside, a beetler because it’s a beetle, a spider and a bee at the same time. “We have arrived sir.”, the driver alerted halting the car to a stop, Tony gathered himself rubbing his tears from the laughter breakdown, Michael tucked his picture in a similar bag pocket on the front seat, they were ten minutes early so it was likely the guests were settled and their VIP seats were reserved.

Swaying their doors open the two brothers walked out, Tony from the left and Michael from the right, as usual reporters hovered close to interview the brothers and the mischievous Angela managed to slyly move past the security and yet again reach the guests. “Michael how do you feel to be in such an occasion?” Angela asked avoiding confrontation with Tony, “I am glad I came with my brother and have high hopes it will be a success.” He remarked. “Leave! Get out!”, shrieks were heard from inside the gala venue, Angela always after the juice was certain this was it and determined enough, she rushed moving hurriedly on the red carpet, her nametag swayed clipped on her pocket. Security guards were reeled in by the cries and left their posts, Angela thus had an easy way in and pulling out her phone she clicked the camera icon and raised it high enough to get a clear view, zooming in she could observe a woman yelling at a man shoving him vigorously. She zoomed in closely and gasped when she saw who the man was, it was Ricky and who is the woman, she wondered, she gasped again, it was Mary’s mother. Could this be family issues, did she contradict what could be a marriage proposal, as she thought over and again the possible cause of the feud, she was glad because this was the juice she needed.

The Mason brothers too overheard the cries and wondered, could it be inconsideration of personal space for the lady, could it be she was addressed inappropriately, whatever it was the lady was clearly hurt because it was only her cries that echoed not the other. “What did you do to Angela?”, Michael asked, it was clear that Angela avoided Tony’s confrontations because Michael was rarely interviewed when he was around, also Tony avoided Angela and was happy he wasn’t interviewed. “We dated and ended things.” Tony answered, relationship problems Michael noted and attempted to mock him, “You into reporters.”, Michael jokingly commented. Knocking his head with his knuckles he hushed his brother’s attempts to joke about his relationship past, “Lets go.”, he said and the two walked on the red carpet and inside the gala.

Something was odd, despite Tony’s inability to clearly see the two participants he could figure the male being addressed, he noted the height, skin complexion and reactions, though he wasn’t sure he needed a way to clearly affirm his suspicions. “Can I see that?”, he asked Angela, though he was uncomfortable with the idea of confronting his ex this was the easiest way, Angela also insecure agreed nevertheless to help him because despite their breakup she still had her crush intact. He gasped, his suspicions were correct their disgrace was mistreated and insulted consistently while he hurdled in fear, handing the video to Michael he gasped like his brother did. Glaring at each other the two brothers had the same idea, Tony handed Angel her phone thanking her for the help, shoving those crowding Tony ahead his brother behind they eventually managed to reach at the end of the crowd and witness Ricky’s embarrassment.

“What seems to be the problem?”, Tony asked, cutting the drama short he pulled Ricky and tucked him behind him, “Mr. Tony my apologies this man had bewitched my daughter.”, Elizabeth retorted humbled by Tony’s presence. “My brother bewitched your daughter?”, Ricky asked, “His brother?” She gasped, at that moment Elizabeth faced the end of the road, at the edge of the cliff below the abyss of misery, she rued everything. “I’m sorry Mr. Tony sir.”, Elizabeth apologized, she was humbled and she had to, Tony could send them to the gutter and into the abyss, they would be nothing just because of her rude behavior and inhumane mistreatment.

“Ricky did you bewitch her daughter?”, Tony turned and asked, Ricky shook his head disagreeing to the allegations and he turned to Eliz, “You accused my brother Madam Elizabeth.”, he hissed harshly, it was clear he was angered by his brother’s mistreatment. “He said he was a mechanic and I could not allow him to come close to my daughter.”, Elizabeth defended her actions, “Yes he is a mechanic and he is responsible for the cars we buy and the various mechanical industries we have invested in.”, Ricky clapped back. “You judged and disgraced my brother without giving him a chance to defend himself. Maybe I should withdraw my shareholdings.”, Ricky threatened.

The Kangs enterprise was built on mostly investments and majority of this came from the Masons, as a result if Tony does withdraw his shares their company will be equal to a fish shop with a thatched roof and mud walls, their capital and all funds that remained would be used to pay off workers, clear stock and clear debts. “I am sorry sir please don’t. I was stupid and it will be an honor if your brother married my daughter.”, Elizabeth begged, it was clear the tables had turned and if not careful the Kangs will be going home with a bank account with two figures. “First apologize to my brother.”, Ricky ordered, the conditions were clear if the Kangs were to remain prosperous Elizabeth had to go on her knees and apologize, poverty wasn’t a good look on anyone, an under fed body with hand blisters was no paradise dream, Elizabeth took that bitter gulp of regret, the acid burned her ego till the goo of humility and forgiveness remained.

“I am sorry Ricky. I should have not judged you and I was stupid and foolish. It will be an honor when you marry my daughter.”, Elizabeth apologized, all witnessed, the tale to tell their generations how the lioness that roared was humbled and tied to its leash, its tail between its legs begging.