Chapter 159: I like Jordan 1

Paige ate her food quietly in front of her father whose penetrating gaze was becoming too much for her to ignore. Deciding to ask him right away, she placed her cutlery on top of her bowl and looked up, meeting his gaze.

''Dad, do you have a question for me? Why are you looking at me like that?''

''Nothing, much. Eat your food before it gets cold'' Thomas Payin said. Paige nodded her head and picked up her cutlery and started to eat again. half way into her food, she heard her father voice out a question which made her choke on her food.

'Do you have a boyfriend at school?''

Paige took a glass of water beside her and sipped before she looked at her father flushed.

''Dad, you know I don't have a boyfriend. Why are you suddenly asking me anyway?'' Paige looked at her father.

''Is it because you still have feelings for Joel? Do you like him that much?''

''Dad!! You knew?'' Paige said quite surprised that her father would know about something she thought she did well to hide.

''Do you think I'm a stupid father? I have known it since but, I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable so I kept quiet about it'' Thomas Payin told Paige and chuckled, looking at her flustered face.

''I see, nothing really escapes your eyes''

''But, he seems to be warming up to you these days. He even asked about you last night when I went over to visit his father''

''He did? Dad, can I ask you something?''

''Go ahead, dad is always here to listen to you''

''Have you ever being in a situation where all of a sudden, you're afraid to hear what someone you care about would say to you? Is more like, you wanted something, or at least you thought you wanted it so bad, but then again, when it started to become yours, you suddenly have doubts about if you really want it or not? You know that feeling of suddenly not expecting something from someone you used to revere so much''

''Could it be that you have a sudden change of heart? Paige, do you have a change of heart about this person?'' Thomas Payin asked her curiously with an amusing smile.

''I don't know'' Paige said absentmindedly and frowned. Why was it so hard for her to come up with a concrete answer? Why was it so hard to tell her own feelings? She was confused.

'''Dad, why is it so hard to even tell my own feelings? I suddenly feel lost. There is someone at school who really confuses me a lot. Sometimes I feel he cares about me and other times I feel that he doesn't. He just acts unpredictable. Dad, do you think that he has feelings for me?'' Paige asked her father expectantly.

''Could it be the boy who poured the coffee on you?'' Thomas Payin asked and Paige looked away, feeling shy as she muttered under her breath.

''No''

''I think I know who he is now. Tell him I hate him already. I will never accept him'' Thomas Payin said, testing Paige's reaction which was cute to him.

''What? Why!! Why do you hate him?'' Paige asked almost immediately.

''Because he poured coffee on my girl'' Thomas Payin added as he watched his daughter's exaggerated reaction.

''Is that even a reason? I mean I was the one the coffee poured on, not you? Also, he has apologised. What happened that day was all a misunderstanding. A mistake. Dad, you know people make mistakes all the time, right? that's why we have to be forgiving of one another'' Paige said trying to sound nonchalant and flushed.

''I got you, Paige Payin. You must really like him to take his side'' Thomas Payin said and Paige bit her lips and looked down not having the courage to look her father in the eye.

''The food is getting cold, I should eat now'' she said shyly and picked up her cutlery and started eating. Thomas Payin looked at her and chuckled, shaking his head. It seemed he was right all along. His daughter liked that boy.

A few minutes later, Paige and her father finished their meal and she cleared the table. She was about to wash her dishes when her phone buzzed on the table.

''Is my boss'' Paige said looking at the incoming call.

''Answer it then'' Thomas Payin said and stood up from the dining table.

''Hello, sir. Yes, I'm fine now. Alright, send me the address, I will go there soon. En, bye'' Paige hung up and looked at her father saying ''he said someone wants me to go over and do their laundry for them''

''But, are they not supposed to send it to the shop?''

''Yes, but, she seems to be an old customer. He said they have a washing machine so, it won't be that hard''

''If they have a washing machine, then they should just do it themselves. Why are they calling my girl to do it? I wanted to spend some time with you'' Thomas Payin whined and Paige laughed.

''Dad, stop whining, it doesn't fit you'' Paige said with a chuckle.

''I'm just worried about your hand''

"Don't worry, my hand is fully healed now. I can do it. It will be fine. Plus, this person seems to be rich from the way my boss spoke about her. Who knows, she might pay me a lot for home services'' Paige said enthusiastically.

''Make sure you wear thick clothes; the weather is bad these days. We don't know when it might rain''

''I will, don't worry. I will go in and change before I go. Dad, I will go to Carly's place from there. Don't wait up for me, I might be late'' Paige said and kissed her father's cheek before running off to her room.

...…..

Carlien's mother's store was not exactly a big one but it was also the only grocery store in their neighbourhood and had a lot of customers. Carlien's mother was a single woman who devoted herself to taking care of her daughter. Through the income from the store, she was able to see Carlien through school.

Carlien was extremely grateful to her mother because, even though she didn't have a father, her mother's love made up for all of that. She received twice as much love from her and didn't mind about not having a father. She has never asked her mother about her father because she knew it would break her heart. Since, her mother never spoke about her father, she wasn't going to ask her about him either. She was satisfied with her current life right now.

After opening the store, Carlien restocked the items that were running out. She was the one who always did the inventory and handled the accounts for her mother, so having taken over the store for today, she was supposed to work out the accounts of the store which was not an easy job.

She finished restocking the items and went to sit behind the counter. Pulling the chair closer to the desktop on the counter, she opened the excel spread sheet that contained all the items that they had in the store. She picked a big book from under the counter and started correlating the figures with a calculator by her side.

A group of four popular delinquents from the neighbourhood that everyone was frightful of entered the store. These four teenagers were high school dropouts that only knew how to make trouble. Carlien was very familiar with them because they always gave her mother hard time.

''A pack of cigarette'' one of the boys in a blue shirt threw a few cents across the table as he spoke. Carlien closed the book and stood up from her chair.

''No cigarette for underage. Take your money and leave'' Carlien said to them impatiently.

''What? No cigarette for underage. Take your money and leave'' the boy repeated what Carlien said and they all laughed.

''Are you looking down on us because you are in the University? Do you know our age? Who said we are not above 18?'' another one in a yellow checked shirt added.

''If you are selling, just sell, take your money and scram. What's with the attitude? Even your mother doesn't speak this way to us'' the boy in blue said and used his finger to push Carlien's shoulder.

''Guys, do you remember, one time she was begging us to take whatever we wanted to leave? She looked so pitiful'' the one in yellow said and they all laughed.

Carlien culled her fists under the table and looked at them coldly and asked ''is this what you always do to my mother, when I am away?''

''Why? Do you find it unfair? Then, close the store and go back home and watch TV. Why are you operating a store with such attitude?''

''So, this is what my mother goes through while trying to make me have a nice life? She has to face trash like you every day just so I could get food and money for my books and fees? You boys are really… cute'' Carlien said and chuckled with a chilling gaze.