Mistrust
M
ISTRUST
Copyright © 2016 Margaret McHeyzer
All rights reserved.
ISBN ebook: 978–0-9943547–9-2
ISBN paperback: 978–0-9946460–0-2
This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review permitted under the
Copyright Act 1968
, no part may be stored or reproduced by any process without prior written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.
Interior Formatting by Tami Norman, Integrity Formatting
Trust is something that has to be earned. It’s not freely given.
There are some people in our lives we automatically trust. We believe everything our parents say and do. We know their actions and instincts are always to protect and teach us.
We learn to trust those with whom we develop a bond of friendship.
Strangers don’t have our trust. We’re wary of them; we keep them at arm’s length until they prove themselves to us.
Trust, once earned, can also be ripped away. That can happen over a period of time or in an instant.
Tonight I’ll discover how cruel the world can be when trust is brutally torn away…
Standing in front of the full length mirror, I look myself over. My emerald green gown sweeps the floor while my long, dark brown hair is twisted back into a simple, yet elegant chignon.
“You look beautiful, darling,” Mom murmurs, leaning against the door frame.
Looking to her, I see tears glimmering in her eyes. “Mom,” I say walking toward her.
Her arms open and she folds me into a warm ‘mom’ hug. “Oh look at me! I’m being so silly, Dakota. It feels like it was only yesterday I was watching you crawl around the house in diapers and today, you’re the most beautiful sixteen-year-old young lady my eyes have ever seen.”
Smiling broadly at her, I can’t stem the wetness beginning to well up in my own eyes. “Mom,” I whisper as I blink crazily, trying to hold back the tears.
Mom steps back and holds me at arm’s length. “Let me look at my gorgeous daughter all ready for her junior prom.” She looks me over as I do a small spin for her, showing off my dress and my hairstyle. “Oh darling,” she whispers while shaking her head. “I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you.”
“You have to say that; you’re my mom.”
“No, I don’t.” She’s shakes her head. “I’m so blessed to have you as my daughter.” Suddenly the few tears Mom’s let escape have escalated to more and before I know it, her whole face is drenched in salt water. I move to hug her again, but Mom pushes me away. “Don’t, I’ll ruin your dress,” she says wiping her tears from her face. “I’m just being a silly old lady.”
“You’re not silly, and it doesn’t matter about my dress.” I hug Mom, and she holds me close to her body.
“Thank you, sweetheart. It means so much to me to be able to hug you today.” Mom’s body relaxes and she takes a deep breath. “You have to finish getting ready before Levi arrives to take you to prom.”
“I need to touch up my makeup and I’ll be out.”
“Okay, I’ll go get the camera ready. Dad said he wants heaps of photos, because he won’t be home from work in time to see you leave.”
“It’s okay, I understand,” I tell her. Truthfully, I’m a little hurt Dad can’t be here, but I know he wants to be and he can’t get any time off from work because he’s taking two weeks’ vacation over the summer break so we can go to Canada to visit Mom’s sister and our cousins.
“You look so beautiful.” Mom lovingly smiles at me before turning to leave my room.
I sit back down in front of my dressing table, and carefully touch up my hair and make-up. When I’m finally ready, I pick up my small clutch and head out to wait for Levi.
My heels make a clicking sound as I make my way down the hall and into the family room where Mom is already waiting with the camera. My younger sister, Sam, is standing beside her, eagerly watching me walk toward them.
“Dakota,” she gasps as her eyes follow my dress up and down. “You look so . . . wow!”
Sam has recently turned fourteen and I know she idolizes me. It’s obvious in the way she tries to style her hair like mine and copies what I wear. It used to bother me when I was younger, but it doesn’t anymore because I know she loves me and wants to be exactly like her big sister.
I’m considered to be one of the ‘popular’ girls at school. I’m on the cheerleading squad, have great grades, and I’m dating Levi Matthews, who’s on the basketball team. We’re the couple everyone wants to be.
“Let me take some photos out back by the pool,” Mom says.
“You look so pretty, Dakota,” Sammy says again. “I can’t wait for my prom, but you have to promise you’ll help me look like a princess, too.”
“Of course I will. Come on, let’s go,” I call to Sam, who’s sitting on the sofa watching me and Mom.
“You want me to come too?” Her eyes light up as if I’ve given her the best news of her life.
“Well, you
are
my little sister, and I can’t exactly be in these photos all by myself.”
Sam’s face brightens with joy at being included. She leaps off the sofa and runs straight at me, just stopping before she falls into my arms. “I don’t want to ruin your dress so I’ll just stand beside you,” she says, excitedly bouncing on the spot.