As I make an ungrudgingly attempt to move myself towards their direction, which clearly isn't going well or even being slightly executed considering that I'm only three steps away from my initial spot, my unwilling pursuit in socialising with other human beings is suddenly and thankfully interrupted by Candace who by my luck, blocks me in the way. Her manicured hands are laid right upon my exposed shoulders and she sends me a warm, genial smile. She has such a comforting smile, like that of my mother's. Her eyes then trails up and down my dress in a snarky but subtle way, and I'm not quite sure how to go about that precise look she just gave me.

"So, how's your birthday been sweety" she beams. Her face appears to be much redder than usual. A light flush is present on her blushed cheeks.

I have this urge to tell and confess to her how strange and a bit odd it is, not knowing most of the people here who has probably already forgot who this birthday party was intended for. But yet again, I don't want to sound rude and ungrateful. I'm highly certain, she must've put a lot of effort and time into this whole thing and I really do appreciate that. Plus, I really want to get to know her considering the fact I've never met anyone from my mom's family, something I shouldn't have to be worrying about still.

"It's pretty nice. I've never had a big, no, humongous party like this thrown for me. Thanks."

Her smile becomes deeper and the more her smiles deepens, the more I see my mother. The crinkles form under her eyes follow by the slight dimple indented on her left cheek. "I'm very glad to hear that," she responds. "follow me upstairs, there's something I really want to show you."

I follow her path and wind up at the second floor again, exactly where I met the strange man. The countless number of doors on each side of the copper bricked hallways overwhelms me. The curiosity in knowing what may be behind each door I've passed along the way takes over me. I'm astounded that she doesn't get lost in this vast mansion and it's plenty rows of hallways. We come forth to a very narrow hallway, probably the narrowest I've encountered and we come up against a very tall door. Bunch of beautifully carved butterflies are furrowed into the dusted edges of the fresh wooden door. She gets a grasp of her silvered keys out of her very expensive looking purse and then proceeds to unlock the door. When she pushes the door open, I'm flabbergasted with how beautifully designed the bedroom I've come across is. The luminous bay window stands opposite to the checked queen sized bed covered with a bronze shaded vintage blanket. The room is sky blue compatible with the bright pastel blue sky outside which I haven't admire until now. I could spot the crystal clear windows hiding under the teal polka-dotted floral curtains adding a pleasant sophisticated taste to the room.

"Enjoying the sight?" Candace breaks the unaware silence which I've been inattentive of during my admiring process.

I giggle but continue admiring the room. "Sorry. This room is so beautiful. This room is better and way more livable than my whole entire house. If you can even call it that."

She giggles and slides the doors open of what I suppose to be a closet. I didn't notice this when I entered but when the slides are completely apart. I'm amazed by the crazy amount of beautiful sown dresses in the closet. She selects and withdraws one of...no...the most beautiful dress I've ever laid my eyes upon. The eccentric designs highlighted by the dazzling sparkles over the lilac fabric had my mouth completely dropped to the floor. The bottom is made with luxurious silk which makes a thin flare trailing down along with the richly decorated silver gemstones scattered intelligently on the underlying borders of the dress. The dress was shinier than Candace's eyes right now as she gleamed waiting for me to make words.

I gulped. "It's...it's beautiful. It's so...wow."

I can't even form a proper sentence. I've never been so close to something so fabulous. Well except of course my..."

"Your mother wouldn't mind. Would she?"

The thought didn't come to mind until now. I looked at my dress and looked at the one being held tightly in her hands. My mom worked really hard sowing the dress and the materials she used must've been so expensive. She also looked ever so gratified and proud when she saw me in the dress.

"I mean... I don't know." I affirm. My eyes refuse to leave the masterpiece I've been beheld astoundingly. The thought of how expensive this dress blows my mind. Surely I'm not worthy enough of having even a fragmented piece of that silk grazed over my futile skin.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind. I'm her dear lovely sister. She'll understand."

"Oh yeah and umm speaking of which..." I suppose this would be the appropriate time to open up about mother and her stinginess in touching upon her family now that she brought up my mom and she being my mom's sister.

"Yes?" she responds signaling that I'm about to go on a serious topic.

"My mom has never actually told me about you," I assert, "You know about you being my aunt."

"Is that so?" she responds. I can't really depict her feelings or emotions at the moment. I guess it runs in the family.

"Yeah and she never tells me about my grandmother or grandfather. Well your parents. I don't even know if they're dead or not. How they are or what they are. How they look like or where they live. Nothing." I say in just one breath.

She seems all lost in space and my first instinct is to fake cough to get her attention and she looks my direction in an instant.

"Oh sorry," she laughs at an unsteady pace. "I just... I'll say your mother is just not an open person like you said and maybe it's the fact I'm very rich and she's you know not in the best condition."

"So is my dad and I and Christopher." I added.

"Yes."

"May I ask why you're so rich, compared to my mother?" I know I sound a bit brutish right now but I have so many unanswered questions in my life. It's really hard to explain and probably doesn't make sense to an average person but I feel like there's a big part of my life that's missing. A big part of my life that I don't know and should know. It's something that's been trapped in my mind, heart and soul for a long time. It's like the only thing I'm aware of in life is that I have two parents and a dog who lives in a poor house. And that's it. I feel secluded from an unknown "thing" and I don't even know how to go about it. It's like working with a 1000 piece puzzle, grouping the puzzle pieces in accordance to the similarity of the colors and then not knowing where to start from there. You know that the puzzles belong together but you just don't exactly know how to go about it and exactly how to put them together. Just knowing there's a function but not knowing exactly what the function is or how it works doesn't get you anywhere. I think just being aware of a presence of something because of the emptiness you perceive from the lack of knowledge and experience of it is the most strangest and desperate feeling ever.

"Do you really want to know the truth?" she asked while she sits me down on her well-made and exquisitely composed bed.

I nod awaiting for the beans to be spilled.

"A few years ago just after my wonderful husband and I got married, I fortunately won the five hundred million dollar lottery which of course my family and husband were extensively elated about, especially since we weren't in the greatest conditions back then."

"Wow." I uttered. I wasn't aware you could win that much from a lottery ticket.

"Yeah I know." She bobbed her head faintly making her blonde curls fall to her side. "I used the money to buy my parents a huge mansion and also bought one for me and my husband of course.  I was going to the same for your mother but our mother didn't exactly agree on that."

I looked out in the distance through the window trying to register the information I have been given so far. "Why wouldn't she?"

"Your grandmother and Melinda didn't have the best relationship."

"Why not?"

"No offense...but...it may put you to an incredible shock to know that well, your mother was excessively stubborn and nastily foul to our mother back in the days. And their relationship have drifted apart since ever. So you could say that they never necessarily...you know...have any sort of good liking for each other."

A confused expression is precisely displayed on my now heated face. I can't decipher whether the warmth abruptly running through my blood is driven from my impulsive defensive mode being activated when signaling an offense towards my mother or just simply from the pure confusion and shock I'm feeling from the unbelievable information I have just been given. My mother is the sweetest person I know. And I'm not just saying that because she's my mother but to consider that all she does is fulfill everyone's happiness even if it means withdrawing hers. But even just the idea of making someone happy seems to elevate her state of joy and she always go out of her way to lessen and diminish any sort of trouble in any circumstances. I know my mother more than anybody else. I deeply find it hard to believe that my mother would enact to that type of way Candace claimed her to be in the past without any broad reason to. There's always a reason behind every move, action and judgement she makes. A good one.

"What?"

"Yes, I know it's hard to believe but your mother was a very troublesome person back in the days and my mother as you may predict saw respect and character as a significant priority and requirement to have. "

"But my mom is your sister? Why didn't you help her anyway? Why didn't you try to resolve or at least ameliorate the issue? And why would she do that? It just doesn't sound like her at all?" I ask now full with...anger? I don't think I'm angry with Candace. I'm just confused and gone. I just want to know what the heck is going in my life and why things are the way they are.

"It's not as easy as you think it is. And yes maybe I should've just helped out your mom. But I was really afraid and vulnerable at that time. I had an excessive amount of respect for my mother. It's something I will regret forever. At that moment it was like a mother versus sister thing. And I chose my mother. It's why Melinda and I are not in good terms today. And I'm sorry you and your parents are going through this because of me it ha.."

"...and Christopher, my dog." I don't mean to sound rude but I always get my nerve struck when Chris isn't involved when it comes to family matters. I'm very and obviously sensitive when it comes to my little lad.

"And Christopher," she gives in, "I really do regret it even if it would've worth losing my bond with my mom."

She sighs making me feel bad. "You don't have to apologize. I mean choosing between your mother and sister must've been the most difficult choice you had to make. "

"You don't have to tell me twice." she exclaimed while laughing.

"And I guess in most circumstances, particularly in a situation where you have to choose between your parents and some other option, culturally it seems that your parents always has to be the answer. Even if that other option is your sister, plus the pressure you surely gained through that dilemma must've triggered you to go against my mother and fulfill your mother's desire?"

"I mean yeah, that's genuinely hard to swallow and an unfortunate burden to carry but thanks for understanding!" she stands up to her feet, with a reoccurring disposition of glee mounted on her face, and goes forward to embrace me slinging her slender arms firmly around my back. I hug back though not as gleefully as she does it. I'm not much of a hugger unless it's with my mother and only my mother. Plus, hugging back while sitting down doesn't go as easily and smoothly than when standing.

I hoist myself up the delicate mattress, discreetly, and notice my legs feeling uncontrollably shaky and unsteady for whatever reason that may be. She dangles the dress still cautiously clasped in her hands in the air anticipating for a desired approval. I submit to defeat after feeling her anxious eyes pull me into a pity zone. Her face puts my no in halt and I reach my hand out making her smile grow deeper.

She leaves me with the remarkable sheen dress and steps out the door. "I'll be waiting out here." I smile back which now seems to be a natural tendency for me when responding to her through those constant smiles of hers.
 
After roughly 15 minutes of struggling to get into this costly dress and being excessively cautious to maintain the good condition of it, I finally get a hold of this odd frustrating situation and then proceed to watch myself in the standing mirror situated towards the wall in a slanted position, I suppose deliberately in the corner of the room. I've never settled myself in something so beautiful and appealing in my entire emptied life. I intensify an effort in throwing away and putting in shade the afflicting thoughts of mother's pure disappointment and instead shine a light on my happiness and confidence that only comes once in a blue moon. Or ever.

I suddenly hear a soft knock presumably from Candace. I took one more heavy glance at myself through the mirror admiring how I look. "Come in!"

The door opens almost immediately and reveals an instant presence of astonishment and pure awe delineated on her face. She's so full of radiance and jubilance. I wish I could obtain that kind of temperament. She lies her hands upon my shoulders once again seemingly proud. I smile. A genuine one. I see my mother in her and I genuinely feel a release of motherly love penetrating into me. However the essence of guilt also penetrates into my heart in regards to the profound dent pressed in their obvious dwarfed relationship.

"You look ever so beautiful!" She elatedly affirms.

"Hehe thanks."

She arranges her fixed straps of her dark crimson purse precisely on her acute shoulder and heads back towards the door. "Are you up for some delicious ice cream. The nearest ice cream place is actually the best ice cream factory out there."

I don't think twice about it and agree. "Ice cream sounds great right now!" The thought of a sweet cold delicious treat tenderly engulfing my taste buds entices me.

"Great!"

We exit the room and pass the endless amount of doors, hallways, staircases and whatnot. I reflect back on the unnerving conversation about my unknown grandmother who I still don't know much about. I could've pushed Candace to tell me more about her but I didn't want to. A customary thing I do that always leaves me with more unanswered questions. As I think deep about it, a triggering question pops up.

"Why don't you help my mother now?" I blabbered out of my own conscious. Her eyebrows raised and I could tell she's just as startled by the sudden unforeseen question as I am.

"What?"

"Ummm yeah, sorry to bring it up now but if you do regret not helping my mom you know financially and emotionally and all, why don't you do that now that you have the chance to?"

"Like I said, your mother and I are not in the best terms and I have in the past tried to assist her but she refuses to accept my offer. She feels like taking money from me is like taking money from the devil and... " She tightens her fist and her eyes trembles and oscillate frantically. She seems to be holding her tears.

"Oh." That's all I can say right now. Her depiction of my mother honestly sounds like a completely different person. The guilt bites me again and I feel really conflicted.

"Don't get me wrong. Your mother is a completely sweet person. She's very generous and hardworking. All she cares about is making sure everyone's is as happy and satisfied as they can be. "

For once, a description of my mother that actually describes my mother.

"But she doesn't take betrayal well. And it's all my fault. I honestly can't blame her for despising me even though I put my very best effort into showing her that I'm really sorry about the whole mess I created."

"So basically my mother is holding grudges for years because you didn't share the fortunes and money in favor of your mother's will. "

"Well yes."

"Oh."

We make our entrance downstairs and I try to pick out my mother from the huge crowd. Candace is unaware of my desperate lookout. I haven't seen her since I met the strange man.

We reach the main front door that lead the entrance outside. Just as Candace clasps her hand around the doorknob, a very familiar voice carrying along a tone of confusion blares out.

"Izabella?"

I think I see Candace roll her eyes which I'm not putting too much in my head right now. The only thing I'm concern about now is my mother who's staring deep into my soul clearly waiting for me to spill out the answers to the questions I could already see swarming around her head. Before I could even enunciate a sound, it seems so she decided to voice out the question instead.

"Where do you think you're going? Where have you been? And where did you get that dress? I've been looking all around for you and I was getting worried. Why are you following her outside? Would you please care to explain?"

She throws all these questions at me and I don't even know where to begin on answering them. I turn to Candace and she stands by door motioning me to go outside. I turn back to my mom and she's completely expressionless. Her face is as blank as paper. There's many moments where mother posed an expression that wasn't meant to be comprehended but this is different. It didn't feel like her mind was at process. It felt like her state of mind was at a different zone and place. I don't respond and just walk outside, Candace informs me that she'll take care of it and explain to my mother for me and the door is slammed on my face.

Well that was unusual.

...