Oblivious to her sentiments, the boy excitedly tugged at her as he wanted her to admire the fish alongside him. Out of nowhere, a mermaid dove from above and waved at them through the glass.
Wide-eyed, the boys asked Roxanne, “Is this real, Mommy?”
Amused by their innocence, Roxanne patted them on the head. “Of course not, but she does look pretty, though.”
“Could you dress up like a mermaid too, Mommy?” Benny looked at Roxanne in anticipation
Taken by surprise at first, Roxanne then went on to explain smilingly, “Well, I could, but I think that’d be a paid program.”
When the children heard her saying that she could, they stared at her with wide eyes as though that would make her agree to get into the water.
Meeting their eyes, Roxanne kicked herself for having said that. Had she been alone with them, she certainly would not have minded going in for the children’s amusement.
The issue for her was that Lucian was also around.
Although Lucian had not spoken much along the way, she still could not overlook the fact of his presence, and the notion of having to masquerade as a mermaid in front of him made her feel quite conflicted inside.
“Ms. Jarvis.” Estella cautiously tugged at her sleeve with a hopeful look on her own face,
Considering how good that mermaid she just saw looked despite not being as pretty as Roxanne, she was convinced that Roxanne would surely look even more beautiful in the same getup.
Roxanne’s dilemma was palpable on her face.
Oblivious to her reservations, Archie and Benny, too, looked at their own mother expectantly.
Just as Roxanne was hesitating, one of the crew members approached them.
“We’re running an event that offers our visitors the experience of dressing up in our mermaid costume for free. Might you be interested to participate? I think you’d look absolutely smashing in it.”
The children’s eyes lit up when they heard that.
Sensing their eyes on her, Roxanne found it hard to say no.
Lucian came up to them. “Go on ahead. I’ll watch over them.”
He spoke as though she had already agreed to do it.
Seeing how Roxanne remained unresponsive to Lucian’s words for some time, the crew member took her silence for consent and went on to half-nudge her toward the changing room.
Thinking that since she had already stuck one foot in, Roxanne decided to work with the crew member despite her own continued hesitance. She went on and got changed and, with the crew’s guidance, slowly went down into the water.
The children sat docilely beside Lucian with their heads raised to watch the space above them.
It did not take long before Roxanne showed up donning a slivery blue fishtail. A brilliant gleam of light was reflected off her body as she swam steadily toward them, making her appear as though she was really some mysterious mermaid that hailed from the bottom of the sea.
Her appearance had the children rushing forward elatedly to the front of the glass.
There Roxanne was, smiling and waving at them.
Lucian stood behind the children and regarded the swimming woman on the opposite side with an unfathomable gaze.
All around them, tourists marveled at the sight of such a lovely mermaid as they thought Roxanne was one of the staff who worked there.
Not exactly a strong swimmer, Roxanne did just enough for the children’s entertainment. Then, under the guidance of the crew, she returned to the surface to take a quick shower. Subsequently, she changed back into her own clothes before she made her way out.
Led by Lucian, the children were already waiting for her outside the changing room. Once they caught sight of her, they eagerly jumped at her, exclaiming, “You looked so nice just now, Mommy!”
Mesmerized, Estella looked fixedly at Roxanne. A genial Roxanne patted her children’s heads. “Thank you for your compliments, Darlings.”
“You looked very lovely indeed.” Lucian’s low voice rang out next to her ear.
Roxanne was taken by surprise as she had nearly forgotten about him, and for a moment, she was at a loss for how to react.
It was fortunate then that Lucian was not expecting a response from her. “Take care of the kids. I have to step away for a bit.”
Regaining her composure, Roxanne nodded in acknowledgment.
Upon gaining her consent, Lucian turned around and left.
There was a hint of suspicion in Roxanne’s eyes as she watched him depart, and she wondered what he was leaving to do.
Lucian only returned after she took the children for a second go around at the marine park.
By that time, the sky had darkened, and the children were all hungry.
Recalling the mention of a restaurant in the vicinity in the booklet, Roxanne proceeded to take them there.
A waiter approached to serve them the moment they stepped through the doors.
Seeing that they had arrived together, he naturally assumed that they were a family. “Welcome. We have a family suite available, so please follow me.”
Roxanne was rightly astounded when she heard that.
A family suite… Apparently, he’s mistaken.
As they had already arrived outside the suite, it occurred to Roxanne that it might come across as a little rude to abruptly attempt to explain her way out of it. Hence, she held her silence.
The elegant interiors of the suite were also done up in the same style as the rest of the marine park, and the room itself was furnished with some toys that were suitable for the children to play with.
Once inside, the children made a dash for the toys, leaving the two grownups behind.
After she took a quick look over to ascertain the safety of the space, Roxanne left the children to play on their own while she went on to order food alongside Lucian.
Shortly after, their orders were tabled, and the children were obediently back in their seats.
“You guys must be here on a family vacation, yes?” The waiter did not leave immediately, and instead, enthusiastically forwarded some recommendations. “A fireworks show is going to be staged here tonight, so be sure to go and check it out if you guys are interested.”
Roxanne was about to explain that they were not a family when the rapturous cheers from the young ones cut her off.
“Fireworks, Mommy! We have to go and see it!” Benny grabbed her sleeve with eyes aglow.
Upon hearing that, Roxanne had no choice but to choke back the words she had back down her own throat.
“Your kids are so adorable. That fireworks display tonight will be perfect for you and your kids!” The waiter beamed in a way that was almost emotional.
Estella, too, regarded her own father imploringly, to which Lucian responded with a slight nod. “Thank you. We’ll consider it.”
His demeanor was almost tantamount to an admission that they belonged to the same family
Roxanne frowned. She was about to say something in reply, but the friendly waiter had already stepped away.
“Come on, Mommy! Let’s go see it!” Archie begged.
Roxanne had only kept quiet because the waiter had mistaken them for a family. With the departure of the latter went any chance for clarification, her silence evolved
into consent toward her children’s request.
After dinner, the lot of them headed directly to the beach to await the commencement of the fireworks display. Illuminated by the light of the moon, the ripples upon the surface of the sea sparkled like glitter-a picture of perfect tranquility.
Although the beach was quite packed, there was not much noise. Immersed in such a setting, the masses sat around and indulged themselves in infrequent bits of quiet conversations.
With one hand holding Estella and the other on Benny, Roxanne weaved her way through the crowd while Lucian followed behind them.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.