Chapter 2 II

As they all sat down for dinner at the Bishop's residence everyone was complimenting how wonderful Ava's cooking was. In fact, the smile on her face was enough for her to be filled without eating anything more on her plate.

"We have great news," Ethan Sterling said. Ethan was the father of the Sterling family and he was quite reserved and spoke only when necessary.

"Must be great news" Seraphina murmured.

Like her younger sister, she was also uninterested in the going on at the table. She always wondered why she had to eat with the old people and that included Kieran who was five years older than her.

"Drop the book, Ara," Ava said with a stern voice.

Arabella had been indifferent to the happenings at the table and had her nose buried in the book she brought from the library. She slowly put her bookmark into the pages and dropped the book on the floor beside her. She would rather read those books than listen to the boring adult conversation.

If the Sterlings had a child their age maybe dinner would have been fun as they would have someone to chat with but the only son of the Sterling family was Kieran and he was twenty years. A whole ten years older than her. There mo a conversation they would have that could benefit both parties.

Kieran like his father barely spoke. Seraphina had said it was because he was not around those his age. She said that when he was still in high school he was part of the popular jocks and that he spoke with them.

"Your good news," Ava said excitedly her eyes shining.

"Kieran would finally be going to college this year," Everly said smiling. She was the mother to Kieran.

She had wanted her son to go to college immediately after he graduated high school but he had taken two years off to purchase his dream in photography. He had never considered it what he wanted to do but he decided to give a trial and work on it before going back to school to study business administration.

"Oh my" Ava said her hands going over her mouth.

The adults were glad that Kieran was going after his photography dream but could not help but worry about him. They wanted him to go to college. The joy Ava felt for her friend was radiating through.

She opened and closed her mouth multiple times like a gasping fish. She wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words for expressions.

"This calls for a celebration," Richard said. He too was genuinely happy for his wife's friends.

"Has he gotten into any schools?" Richard added.

"We had no idea he was applying but he applied to four Ivy's and got accepted into all" Everly bragged.

It was a good thing to brag about and feel proud of. After all her git into Ivy's.

"Congratulations," Ava said happy for them.

Being a competitive person maybe the only reason she felt happy for them was because none of her daughters were yet up to the task of getting into Ivy's. She was going to make her children get accepted into Six Ivy's to beat her friend.

"Girls congratulate your friend," Richard said. He knew quite well that his girls and the next-door boy were not friends and did not get along. He knew the hated the weekly dinners and that his eldest daughter wanted to watch her favorite show while the other read her book all night.

"Congratulations Kieran" they chorused together with a fake smiles on their face.

"Thanks," Kieran said taking a sip of the water.

After dinner, the adults stayed back to celebrate while the kids left. Seraphina went back to watch her late-night shows on the television in her parent's room. Arabella went back to read her book in her room and Kieran went to pack his bags for school because since he got in through early admissions he was going for an early quick start program and was leaving in two days.

As Arabella opened up her book to read her mind wandered to the blue-eyed boy who always sat opposite her at dinner and she thought of how she would not see him again. It was not like she was going to miss him or anything but the fact that she was probably not going to see him again. The adults had some wine before they all retired to bed.

Ava made her daughters escort her with Everly to see off Kieran at the airport. The girls uninterested watched as the lanky blue-eyed boy went into the departure hall.

The girls were taken for ice cream by Everly while Ava had to rush to get groceries for her household. Schools were resuming Monday which was the very from the summer break and bother girls were happy to be back to school but for entirely different reasons.

Arabella was happy to be back with the school library while Seraphina was glad to be back for the cheer practice and football games.

"Hello, Ava," Everly said putting the phone to her ear.

"Calm down Ava, I can't get a word of what you just said," Everly said. Ava was on the other side of the line and her words were half and not making any sense.

"Seraphina takes to talk to your mom, I'm driving," Everly said handing the phone over to the girl who was seated composed licking her ice cream cone beside her.

Arabella was at the back sitting licking her ice cream while her face was embedded in another book. She had finished the previous one and was now intensely immersed in this new one.

"Hello Mom," Seraphina said on the call. She put the phone on loudspeaker so that Everly could hear too.

"Sera, is that you?" Ava managed to say. Her chest constricted as she spoke.

While she was grocery shopping she received a call from the emergency ward that her husband was brought in from a traffic accident and that he was on the brink of death.

Leaving her cart on the shopping complex aisle she ran to the hospital to see him laying lifelessly. She spent some time with the nurse before the doctor came later to pronounce him dead.

Internally Ava died multiple times. She kissed and bid her husband goodbye this morning. She was supposed to meet up with him after grocery shopping which was why she sent the girls with Everly.

After grocery shopping, she was to buy school supplies and then have a date night with her husband. One they would not be able to have now ever again.

"Come to the general hospital," Ava said in one breath. She composed herself to say the sentence. She has to bear it. She needed to be strong but she did not want to be. She wanted her husband alive and well. She did not want to raise those girls all by herself.

"Mom, are you okay?" Seraphina asked her mother alarmed when she heard the word hospital.

"Just tell Everly to bring you here," Ava said again.

"Mrs. Sterling..." Seraphina started.

"I heard her Sera and I'm going over right now," Everly said stepping on the accelerator and driving towards the hospital silently praying that all was good and well.

The gut feeling in her stomach told her very well that all was not well and the most scary thing was that her gut feeling was almost always correct.

She wished it was one of those times when it was wrong.