Mr. Gabriel had been married for one week now, but it all still felt like yesterday. As he walked into the kitchen, he gazed at his wife, Christiana, setting the table for breakfast. "Good morning, my love," he said, his eyes lighting up.
Christiana, busy cooking, responded with a warm smile, "Good morning, baby." Mr. Gabriel walked over to assist her, taking the plates and pancakes from her hands. "Let me help you," he said, placing them on the table. Christiana gave him a bright smile as he helped himself to a pancake. "You're assisting by eating it before it's even on your plate," she teased.
"I couldn't resist," he replied, "it smells so good." Just then, Angel walked into the kitchen, already dressed for school. "Good morning, Mom, Dad," she said, having started calling Christiana "Mom" since their wedding celebration. Mr. Gabriel was delighted with the new addition to their family dynamics.
As they prepared to leave for the day, Christiana suggested, "We're going on a date this Saturday, baby. Our first Saturday together since we didn't go on a honeymoon." Mr. Gabriel looked at Angel with mixed feelings. "Sure, Dad, enjoy your weekend with your wife," Angel replied with a smile.
"I know I have to let you be with your wife now, and besides, Mom always gets something for me when you're out with her." Angel started as she and her dad were on their way. "You don't have to worry dad"
Mr. Gabriel felt proud of his daughter's understanding nature. "Thanks, baby," he said, but Angel quickly interjected, "Dad, don't call me baby anymore. You can call me something else." Her father looked surprised. "Why stop?" he asked.
"I know that Mom calls you baby also," Angel said, laughing. " And I am no longer a baby. Just call me something else dad." Mr. Gabriel chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'll try to think of something else," he said as he stopped the car in front of Angel's school gate. Angel hopped out, waving goodbye to her father before joining Mira, who was already waiting by the gate.
As they walked into school, Vicky, Mira, and Angel began discussing how the best day of school had been and were excitedly reminiscing about Angel's parents' wedding. As they continued walking, they passed by Isabel, who was standing beside Dan as usual.
"Hey, shabby, after you learned to show your ugly smile when close to me," Isabel called out to Angel, her tone dripping with malice. The girls frowned before passing by her, heading to class.
"I don't know why she still calls you shabby," Mira said, looking at Angel with concern. "Maybe because you look better than her even when she's wearing luxurious brands," Vicky replied, looking angry.
"Let's just go about our day and forget about her," Angel said, smiling once again. "Yes, and I thank God she hasn't been bullying you much. She's usually worse than this. Name-calling? That's just the latest we've seen her do. When we were in high school, she would even beat up those who offended her and show them in dumpsters," Mira said with a thoughtful look.
"Maybe because she's too busy leaning on her boyfriend Dan," Vicky said, looking disgusted. "I don't know why she's always clinging to him." "There's only one reason – because she's afraid some other girl might steal him from her. I think she's just marking her territory," Mira said.
"Let's forget about them and head to class. They're in the 10th grade, and we shouldn't bother with them," Angel finally said, heading into the class.
It's another Saturday, and Angel woke up with high expectations for her day with her dad and mom. After three weeks of spending her Saturdays alone at home, she was finally going out, and she was filled with joy.
"Good morning, Dad, Mom," she said, walking into the kitchen where her parents were having a conversation. "Good morning, Angel," they chorused, looking up at her happy face.
"Angel, can you wait in the sitting room? I need to talk to your mom," Gabriel said to Angel, and she hopped onto the sofa, focusing on the TV.
"You see how excited she looks," Gabriel said to Christiana. "I already told her we'll all be going out together this time. We've been going on dates every Saturday and leaving her home. Why don't we go on a date on Friday, and then either one of us can take her out on Saturday?"
Christiana frowned, and Gabriel continued, "Okay, not every Saturday. She needs to stay home and study some Saturdays too." "Can we go now? We'll have breakfast on the way," Gabriel said, and Christiana nodded with a smile.
"Angel, let's get going," Gabriel called out.
Christiana sat on a bench in the park, watching Gabriel and Angel play different games and have fun. She didn't want to come to the park because she didn't like it; she usually preferred going to the movies or visiting new restaurants for fun. However, Angel had insisted on coming to the park, and her dad had agreed.
"I'll make it up to you on Friday," Gabriel had said to her after accepting Angel's plea to visit the park instead of the movies.
"My love, come join us," Gabriel called out to her. "I promise it's going to be fun." Christiana gave a faint smile before standing up to join them.
"I hope I didn't make a mistake marrying a man who already has a child and loves her so much," Christiana whispered, the corners of her smile faltering as she watched them play. A shadow of doubt flickered across her heart, quickly hidden behind a practiced smile as she rose to join them.