Little Angel
Marissa
"Ciao, Marissa, see you next fall."
Surprised, I looked up from my bag and looked at my roommate.
"Oh, at the beginning of the school year, Lyse." I replied, smiling.
When the other person closed the door, I started to mutter.
"Well, she managed a ciao. While all year long, she acted as if I were transparent. But, well, everyone acts the same way with me, I should be used to it. Pff, call me the invisible woman, that must be the reason for my nickname, “Little Angel.” Because she lives among them, but they don’t suspect it." I say dramatically.
Then, I started to chuckle, I really needed to stop talking to myself.
Hands on my hips, I assessed my travel bag, which was finally packed. Now, I had to take it to my car. With all the will I had in me, I slid him to the stairs and brought him down in the same way. Then I carried it to the car park to heave it into the boot. Leaning against my Mini Austin, completely out of breath, I wondered why I had bought a bag of this size when I was only five foot three. Not only was I short, but I was also far from being an athlete. Fortunately, my determination surpassed everything else. The day before, I had the chance to see a student who was parked near the university dorms getting ready to leave. Before he left, I ran over to ask him if he would mind waiting two minutes, so that I could take his place. Which he readily agreed to and allowed me to get significantly closer.
I went back to the room to get my other bag, smaller this time, and my teddy bear. Yes, I had a teddy bear, so what!
One last time, I checked the room before leaving it to finish this year at university.
As I got into my car, I looked up the address of the Dornwell ranch on his phone, where I was supposed to go to work this summer. I wasn’t picky about work and I applied for all the offers to increase my chances. The first one to respond favourably was the one where I would go and give my best. The rest of the year, I took whatever came my way, saleswoman, waitress, dishwasher, and even janitor. Sometimes, it was very difficult for me to juggle my work hours and my classes. But, it would be impossible for me to continue my studies if I didn’t do it. It allows me to have a social life, because no student, whether girl or boy, has ever tried to approach me, and me, too shy to make the first move, I didn’t dare go to them. However, there is an exception to the rule, Derreck Dornwell, who always stops to say a few friendly words to me when we cross paths. We met at the library. He sat across from me, greeted me, and started a conversation. The last time we spoke, he invited me to a pool party he was hosting at his place today to end the year. His classmates, the football team he was part of, and the cheerleaders were also invited. Derreck will certainly be surprised to learn that I will be working on his family’s ranch all summer.
It was ten fifteen. The university being in Austin, it was almost a three-hour drive to get to Houston. I should arrive around two o’clock.
Since the traffic was smooth, I took the time to stop for a little snack and rest, as my little Austin wasn’t the most comfortable for a long drive. When I finally passed under a large portico where it said Ranch Dornwell’s, I felt moved to tears, for no reason. So, I pulled myself together and blamed it on fatigue. Following a wide path, I arrived in front of a huge two-story building, whose white facade featured numerous windows. The roof was grey and had two large chimneys.
"Wow!" I exclaimed.
A sign quickly written with a marker indicated the parking lot. I went to park and stretched as I got out of my car. The music showed me the way to go, so I put my keys in my purse and headed towards it.
The crowd in the pool made my eyes widen.
"Hey, Little Angel." Called a voice that I immediately recognised.
Derreck pulled himself out of the pool with the strength of his arms and came over to greet me, all smiles.
"You’re coming to swim with us, aren’t you ?"
Looking at the world, I chuckled.
"No, thank you. But, I would like a drink."
Derreck took my hand and led me inside to show me where the kitchen was. He opened a large refrigerator.
"Just help yourself, and if you change your mind, let me know, I’ll show you where you can change."
"Okay, that’s nice."
He winked at me and ran off to jump into the middle of the pool, shouting “Watch out,” which made me burst out laughing. I headed towards the refrigerator and grabbed a can of soda. Fortunately for me, a bottle opener was placed on the central island, allowing me to open my drink, otherwise I would have had to ask someone, so let’s just say I wouldn’t have had a drink. Then, I went outside and leaned against a wall, in the shade, and watched the others having fun in the pool. I didn’t envy them at all, because being modest, I wouldn’t feel comfortable in a swimsuit, in the middle of all these people.
It was hot, but a pleasant little breeze made my floral cotton dress flutter and kept me cool. I had a lot of fun with the boys’ antics. The girls, around their captain, were all wearing two-piece swimsuits and, apparently, there was a contest for the most revealing swimsuit.
Their leader shouted.
"As usual, Miss Little Angel doesn’t mix. The poor girl thinks she’s so much better than us."
The others started to mock or look at me with a smirk. My shyness was often misinterpreted by others. Some accused me of thinking I was superior to them, which was not at all the case. I came from a more than modest background and had no pretensions. My personality simply didn’t suit them. Maybe it was the fact that I was raised by my grandmother, who had taught me to always behave impeccably. In no way would she have accepted that I adopt the dress style of her daughters. Moreover, I didn’t wear makeup or very little. All of this made me a unique person, I suppose.
Mark
The week’s schedule is finalised, so I left my office to inform my assistant that I no longer needed her services, that she could go home. A few minutes later, I grabbed my briefcase and headed towards the lift. My parents had taken a few days of vacation and knew they could leave without worry, leaving me alone at the head of Dornwell’s company. It had been created by my grandfather and when my father joined him in the business, the two of them made one of the most profitable businesses in the United States market. Our name was known in various markets in the agricultural sector of our country.
For my part, working alone in my office suited me very well. I was more of the introverted type, a bit of the lone cowboy of the family, whom I loved more than anything in the world, but I also enjoyed going out on horseback all alone for hours.
The women I had dated were rare and it hadn’t lasted long between them and me. The three sons of Maxwell and Elise Dornwell were highly sought after. They all wanted to marry a Dornwell, not for us personally, but for our name and the prestige that comes with it. All overly sophisticated, putting on airs and disparaging other women in order to appear perfect in our eyes. Some families even came to offer their daughters to our parents as merchandise under the pretext of making our families stronger. There was no way I would unite with a woman out of interest, well, especially theirs, because we didn’t need that kind of transaction for the Dornwell’s to be strengthened. At twenty-five, I still had time to find the one who would love me for me. Well, one can always hope.
What surprised those who approached us was our simplicity. Our fortune didn’t go to our heads. What made us strong was our family unity and the affection we had for each other. In our social stratum, people were rarely sincere, and it was in our family cocoon that we recharged our batteries.
When the driver parked in front of our family residence and I opened the car. The music immediately reminded me that my younger brother was throwing a party to mark the end of the academic year. Derreck was eighteen years old, he was a funny guy, but also a very appreciated friend. I went to put my briefcase in the family office and, rolling up the sleeves of my shirt, I headed towards the living room. My eyes widened at the mess that reigned there. How many were they to have put the place in this state?
Some young people in swim trunks who came in laughing and greeted me, I smiled back at them. Then, I went to the refrigerator to grab a nice cold beer. The month of June was already well underway and the heat was becoming overwhelming, so a refreshing drink was welcome. I headed towards the sliding glass doors that overlooked the pool and took a sip from my can, pushing the sliding doors open as far as they would go. From the threshold of the house, I observed the crazy world in the pool and raised my eyebrows. They seemed to be having fun, while I couldn’t even imagine swimming among that crowd.
Derreck came towards me to greet me. He was a tall, muscular young man with short, curly brown hair. His brown eyes were laughing: what was he up to?
"Hey, man, how’s it going ?" He inquired, giving me a punch on the shoulder.
As I rubbed my shoulder, I frowned, to show my pain.
"Mmm, do you need to be so rude?" I asked him, after swallowing the drink I had in my mouth.
"The office is softening you, my brother." Derreck chuckled.
Being seven years older than him, I was stronger than him and pushed him hard with my shoulder.
"Mark." Called a voice I recognised.
I turned to see my other brother, William, coming out of the water. He was the spitting image of Derreck, four years older and more muscular. In reality, we all looked incredibly alike.
Surprised, I stared at him.
"But, didn’t you have a meeting at two o’clock?"
"Yes, I had an appointment with my little brother for the start of his party."
I shook my head, smiling.
"You are unbearable."
"Oh, come on, go put on your swimsuit and join us."
"No, thank you, too many people for me."
Derreck and Will looked at each other and jumped on me to rough me up a bit.
As I tried to push them away like a footballer, a small, adorable laugh could be heard.
Quickly, I defied my brothers and turned towards the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. It was a young girl with angelic features who couldn’t have been more than five feet three inches tall. Her long, wheat-blond hair reached down to her waist and floated with the breeze. But, nothing was comparable to the innocence in his magnificent blue eyes. What’s happening, my heart is beating so fast ? Completely hypnotised by her sight, I stared at her and must have looked like an idiot. Then, a little voice told me that if she was there, she must know our social standing, and all my excitement vanished. What a fool! She’s just like any other girl, certainly interested in what our name represents.
"So, Little Angel, you still don’t want to come for a swim?"
She timidly shook her head, that nickname suited her well.
"Little angel, huh? "Asked Will, giving him a charming smile.
I was happy that Derreck gave him one of his famous shoulder bumps before I had to.
"Stop it. A little respect." My younger brother told him. You have before you Marissa Johnson, nicknamed Little Angel by the entire campus.
"Ah yes, I’ve heard about you. But, it’s the first time I’ve met you. Otherwise, I would remember." He declared.
Derreck looked up at the sky.
"You’ve never seen her because she doesn’t frequent the same places as you, like the library. Do you know that word? L.i.b.r.a.r.y." He spelled.
William grabbed his neck under his arm to rub his head. Derreck stood up laughing and quickly fixed his hair.
"Marissa, this idiot is my brother William, and the big mute over there is called Mark." He said, nudging me in the ribs.
Marissa
Laughing at their joyful scuffles, I noted with astonishment how much they resembled each other. Their features were similar, and their muscular bodies seemed sculpted from marble. Mark was always dressed, but you could tell by his build that he was the eldest, as he was a bit taller and a bit broader in the shoulders than his brothers.
"Pleased to meet you." I say to them, approaching them and extending my hand.
All of a sudden, I burst out laughing.
"I feel like I’m getting closer to Mount Rushmore. You are all like carved in stone."
Mark smiled for the first time, without taking his eyes off me. Which made me blush.
"Do you like what you see?" Derreck teased me.
I felt my face flush and lowered my eyes, embarrassed.
"Oh, no, excuse me. That’s not what I meant."
He took my hands and smiled at me.
"It was just to tease you, I know you’re not that kind of girl."
Then, he hugged me before heading back to the pool, pulling Will along with him. I smiled, hearing them shout as they dove in, and glanced out of the corner of my eye at their older brother, who intimidated me. Since he didn’t seem very talkative, I went back to stand in the shade against the wall. As soon as I started to walk away, he cleared his throat and asked me in a serious voice.
"I’m going to get a drink, do you want me to bring you something?"
Surprise, I smile at him.
"Yes, I would like a soda, please."
He quickly returned with two bottles of soda and handed me one, with a half-smile.
"Why, don’t you go swimming with the others?" He asked me, showing me the pool with the neck of his can.
'Thank you for the drink." I said to him first before answering him. "There are way too many people, I wouldn’t feel comfortable. Moreover, in an hour, I have to go to your stage manager to join the team for this summer."
Then, he almost choked on his drink. Before looking at me with wide, surprised eyes and asking me.
"Are you going to work for the ranch?"
"Yes, I applied and a few days later, I received a letter asking me to come in today. I should start working tomorrow."
