5 The New Home

“This is beautiful!” Emmy muttered. Marty was leading her into her new home and she was already in love with the place. It was beyond her expectations! “This is beautiful!” she thought to herself. Marty kept walking, leading her to the premises. Moments later, he turned and smiled softly, then asked her the same thing she was thinking about. It was like he was in her mind. “Do you like your new home?” He asked and the word “home” struck her. Indeed she felt at ease; she was at home! “Yes, I do. It looks awesome!” She said. They walked to the house and got settled as Marty looked for ways to impress his guest. Deep in his mind, he could not forget the beautiful voice he had heard from Emmy. He wondered just how talented she was. “Wait here,” he said as he called one of the maids to bring her something to drink. It was cold and coincidentally, the maid brought her a glass of warm milk and some bread. It was like she had read her mind because she brought exactly what she wanted. “Thank you, ma'am,” she said and the maid smiled at her. “You can call me Lucy,” she said and walked away. “Must be nice working here,” another thought crossed her mind. She admired the lady who had just attended her and she felt wanted. Emmy held her glass firmly so as not to break it and drank her milk in a flash. She remained with a piece of bread in one hand untouched. Emmy had even forgotten that she was in the royal presence. “Do you need more milk, Emmy? I can ask Lucy to bring another glass or even some juice. I want to feel at home because like I promised you earlier, this is your new home from tonight. You can have anything you desire anytime,” he said. “Thank you for everything! You are so kind. The milk was enough; I couldn’t even finish the bread. I am full!” She said and Lucy came to take the bread back. “You just described yourself ha-ha. You should have said, ‘I am so kind’. I am nothing close to that or have you forgotten what Jamie told you?” he said and the words sent chills to Emmy. “No, I know what I see. I have seen kindness written all over your face. You may not understand where I am coming from but trust me; you are the kindest person I have seen in my life. You know, I have been around people who never saw anything good in me. They despised me yet I was their blood. Tell me, how I can fail to acknowledge the good you are doing to me while I have never experienced it. You are an angel sent from heaven!” she spilled it out but Marty didn’t get it. He was just helping her because it was the right thing to do. “I am looking at an angel now, and she has the best voice on the planet.” He said and looked at Emmy deep in her eyes but she was too shy and looked away. She could not let him see how breathless the words made her feel. Moments later, Marty moved closer to her and asked her about the night she was in the woods. He had always wanted to ask her what she was doing back there but he hadn't had time to. Now that a chance had presented itself, he grabbed it and spoke. “I have been meaning to ask you; is that how you sing or I was just dreaming? Or maybe it was all in my mind and that it never really happened?” He asked and Emmy smiled. She didn’t think he had heard her singing that night. “I have been singing my whole life only that I only sang in closed doors but that day, I sang out there and maybe that's why the feeling was different!” Her explanation was filled with innocence. “Who taught you how to sing? You did it so perfectly, like a professional!” Marty was pushing harder but Emmy was okay with that. She could talk to him all day and night. He had saved her and talking to him was the least she could do. “My mum did, I mean when she was still alive. She used to sing for me and I learned a few words from her. Music can soothe even the most heartbroken. She made me realize that because ever since she left, that’s all that has been keeping me alive. I was hopeless in that cage and I needed music to keep me going. It made me feel like she was there with me,” she said and the words hit Marty. Emmy was reading his mind. The music was still lingering in his mind and he wondered just how she had known the impact her voice had on him; it had healed his broken heart and prevented his dangerous claws from attacking her! “Would you sing for me, please,” he begged her. Emmy didn’t expect that from him but she agreed. It was not too much to ask as she loved singing. Emmy started to sing but before long Marty fell asleep. She wasn't sure whether she had impressed him or not as he lay there sleeping like a baby. Moments later Marty woke up confused. He thought he was enjoying the song but he wasn't. There was something off about her voice and he was disappointed. “Just what had happened to her voice after that night? Had she been crying in that she couldn’t soothe anyone like she did back then or did I have high expectations?” He wondered and since he didn’t want to worry her, he changed the topic. “Have you had anything else apart from the milk that Lucy brought you? It’s been one or two hours already, you should eat something before you sleep,” He suggested but Emmy shook her head. She was still full and didn’t want to eat anything else. “I'm okay. The milk was enough.” Emmy said shyly. She was trying to look away as she felt that she had disappointed Marty with her singing, the man who had saved her from her mean parents. Emmy felt that he was only pretending so as not to show the disappointment he had deep in his heart. Emmy wanted to just move on but then she just couldn’t. “Did you not like the song? I can sing for you again if you like,” she suggested and as if that was not enough, she was ready to do just anything to impress him. “No, forget about it. You already sang the beautiful song and I am impressed. Now, someone will come and show you your room where you will sleep tonight and every other night,” he said calmly. Even though Marty wasn't impressed he didn't want to disappoint her and so he lied. Marty added, “You will be okay here and if there is anything you may need, I am here and I will be glad to assist. So please don't hesitate.” He assured her. “Thank you, Marty. You are so good to me. I will never forget this,” she said shyly while trying to look away. There was just so much she needed to say but she couldn't find the courage to. To her, he was still handsome just like he was when they met in the woods. “No problem. You are so good too. Don't forget that!” He said and just then someone called him. Marty was needed by his father. “Have a good night and we will catch up tomorrow,” he said as he locked the door behind him. Lucy then came in and escorted Emmy to her room upstairs. It was a quiet room and she felt good being there. There was peace and from up there, she could see the outside. She pulled the curtains on one side and admired the outside. The place looked beautiful. “If you need anything just let me know. Marty has asked me to take good care of you and I will do just that, Emmy,” Lucy said with a broad smile. It made everything easy around the premises as Emmy hadn't met anyone yet. “Thank you, Lucy. And by the way, is it just you or everyone here is friendly just like you?” She asked after admiring the way Lucy went on with her job. It was awesome. For the first time in her life, Emmy felt valued all thanks to Marty. She only wished she made him feel the same way; valued and adored. She would be the luckiest person in the world. The bed was comfy and the sheets were spotlessly clean. When she covered herself, she slept like a baby and only woke up when the sun was up. Emmy felt embarrassed to have slept like that in a new place. Emmy was about to leave her room when someone opened the door. It was Esther, one of the servants. She was in charge of housekeeping and laundry and had come to change her bedding. “Good Morning, beautiful,” she said and just like Lucy, she was so friendly; something very common with the workers there. Though it was a big place for the wealthy, those who worked there were treated fairly and Emmy enjoyed the company and their hospitality. “I came to check on you earlier but you were still sleeping so I decided to give you some more time to sleep.” She explained. “Oh sorry about that, I overslept!” She explained but there was nothing wrong with her sleeping. “No, don't apologize for getting a well-deserved rest. There is nothing wrong with that.” She said and then asked her whether she wanted her breakfast served in her room or on the balcony. She didn't know where to choose. Back home, she didn't have many options and her food was normally placed on the floor for her to decide whether she would eat or not. “I can have it here, and by the way, has Marty woken up yet?” She asked innocently. “Oh that, he left. He still has a lot of work waiting for him but it doesn't take long, he will be back before you know it. But not to worry, Lucy and I will make your stay here the most comfortable. Anything you want you just tell us.” She explained. Moments later the breakfast was served and she ate. Esther then changed the bedding and cleaned her room but that was not what she would have preferred. Emmy could do that by herself and they didn’t have to stress over it but she let them because they insisted. “I can clean my room, Esther. You don't have to do all this,” she argued but Esther had her opinion. “Marty would not want you to work. Just enjoy yourself. Have your breakfast and bask in the sun. You are his guest,” She told her. Emmy couldn't stay in her room the whole day so she tried to look for something she could do to pass the time as the person who brought her had long gone and was taking forever to return. She attended to the flowers and helped with cleaning until the day came and Marty returned. “Whoa, tell me how did you convince Lucy to tend the flowers? The last I checked they were dying!” Marty was surprised. “I tend to like flowers. They were dying and I could not watch them go like that. I had to revive them and so I did my little magic and they came back to life!” Emmy said. Though they looked beautiful, Marty didn't like the fact that she had gone out of her way to do all that. She was a guest; his guest.