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MidReal Story
Tempted by My Mom’s Friend
Scenario:I stared at the clock, counting down the seconds until Veronica knocked on the door. She’s my mom’s friend and was tasked with house-sitting while my parents are away on vacation. Apparently, they didn’t trust me to be alone at the house.
Finally, I heard the knock. Opening the door, I was greeted by Veronica—blue hair tied in a bun, wearing a black tank top and leggings that perhaps showed to much.
"Heyyyy! Long time no see, honey," she said, stepping inside with her suitcase and a bright, teasing smile.
She set her suitcase down and stretched, revealing smooth skin under her tank top. "Looks like we’ll be alone together for a while," she added with a wink.
Her gaze shifted toward the backyard. "I heard you have a pool... Maybe I'll let you watch as I swim with my bikini on."
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Christine Windsor
young adult, relationship with Veronica and parents, petite with curly brown hair, curious and naive
Mateo Windsor
Christine's father and Veronica's friend, relationship with Christine and his wife Nicolette, tall with greying hair, protective and trusting
Veronica Carter
house sitter and friend of Christine's mom, relationship with Christine and her parents, striking blue hair in a bun, seductive and manipulative
My parents are going out of town for a few weeks and they're leaving me in the care of their friend Veronica.
I don't really know her, but my mom seems to trust her.
I can't help but notice how striking her blue hair is, piled into a bun on top of her head.
"See you later girls," my dad, Mateo, kisses us both before he and my mom, Nicolette, get in their car and drive off.
I linger in the driveway, watching their car disappear around the corner.
The late afternoon sun beats down on me, making my skin feel hot and sticky.
Veronica places her hand on my shoulder, her fingers lingering a little longer than necessary.
"Come on, honey. Let's get you back inside."
She guides me back into the house, her suitcase wheels clicking against the concrete.
Once we're inside, she heads to the kitchen and pulls out a bottle of wine from her bag.
"Let's get to know each other better," she suggests, holding up the bottle.
I hesitate for a moment, remembering my mom's strict rules about alcohol.
But Veronica just laughs and pours two glasses anyway.
She slides one across the counter toward me.
"I don't know if I should..."
I start to say, but Veronica cuts me off with another laugh.
"Oh honey, it's fine. I'm here to take care of you, and that includes making sure you have a good time. Now come on, let's sit down and talk."
I take small sips of the wine while Veronica tells me stories about my parents back in college.
She sits next to me on the couch, her leg brushing against mine.
The wine makes my head feel light and dizzy.
Veronica pulls out her phone and starts showing me photos from her vacation last year.
She leans in close to me, so our shoulders are touching.
I try to move away a little bit, but she pulls me back.
"I can't hear you," she says, her voice low and husky.
Her perfume fills my nose - it's sweet and heavy, almost overpowering.
As we continue to look at photos, Veronica starts telling me more personal stories about my parents.
She asks me about my dating life and what I like to do for fun.
"Actually, there's something I've been meaning to tell you about your parents," Veronica says, her tone shifting to something more serious.
I look at her, curiosity piqued despite the fog in my head.
"They didn't just ask me to watch over you; they asked me to protect you from someone."
I lean back into the couch cushions, trying to focus.
The wine has made everything feel fuzzy and far away.
Veronica reaches into her purse and pulls out a thick manila envelope.
It's sealed with packing tape, but she runs her fingers along the edge, testing the strength of the seal.
"My parents?"
I ask, reaching for the envelope.
Veronica holds it just out of my reach, studying my face carefully.
"There's something you need to know first."
Her other hand stays on my knee, thumb moving in small circles.
The envelope trembles slightly in her grip as she continues to speak.
"You know how rich your parents are, right? But what you don't know is that they're not supposed to be. Your mom's family was supposed to inherit all of their money, but your parents took it from them."
Veronica's eyes glint with something like mischief as she says this, but I can't quite make out what it is.
"They've been hiding from your mom's family ever since," Veronica continues, her voice barely above a whisper.
"And now, they're worried that someone might come after you to get back at them."
I stare at her, the weight of her words sinking in, making my heart pound in my chest.
The room seems to tilt slightly, the wine making my head spin.
Veronica slides closer to me on the couch, her hand still resting on my knee.
She takes a deep breath before continuing.
"I have a cabin in the mountains," she says, her voice steady and serious now.
"It's completely secluded. No one would ever think to look for you there."
I frown, trying to make sense of what she's saying.
"Why would I need to leave home? I don't understand."
Veronica squeezes my knee, her grip tightening.
"You don't understand because you don't know the whole story. But trust me, honey. If you stay here, you're going to be in danger."
She leans forward, her blue hair falling around her face like a curtain.
She pulls out her phone and starts scrolling through photos of the cabin.
"It's beautiful up there," she says, showing me pictures of a secluded cabin surrounded by dense forest.
"There's only one road in and out, so it's easy to defend. And the cabin itself has security cameras and alarms all around it."
My stomach twists as Veronica starts packing a bag for me without even waiting for my answer.
I lean back against the couch cushions, my head swimming from the wine.
Through the fog, I watch Veronica methodically selecting clothes from my dresser.
She folds each item with precise movements before placing it in the bag.
When she holds up my swimsuit with a knowing smile, I feel my cheeks flush.
Veronica zips the bag closed and helps me stand, steadying me with a firm grip on my waist.
We make our way out to the garage, where her sleek black car waits.
She loads my bag into the trunk while I fumble with the seatbelt.
The garage door opens and Veronica slides into the driver's seat.
I squint through the wine-induced haze and see my neighbor's silver Lexus in their driveway.
"Look," I say to Veronica, pointing to the car.
"They always leave their spare key in the garage."
Veronica's eyes light up as she looks at me.
"You're a genius, honey," she says, getting out of her own car and helping me stumble across our lawn to the neighbor's house.
We slip into their garage through the side door.
Veronica's nimble fingers move quickly, locating the spare key behind a paint can on a high shelf.
She helps me into the passenger seat and closes the door behind me.
The leather seats are cool against my skin as Veronica gets in and starts the engine.
I lean against the window as Veronica speeds down the residential streets, the wine making everything blur together.
She turns on the radio and starts singing along to pop songs, glancing in the rearview mirror every so often.
I try to focus on her words, but they're muffled by the wine.
"Veronica," I say, my voice slurred.
"The cabin. You said you have a cabin."
She waves her hand dismissively.
"The cabin is too far. The beach is safer."
The sun is setting over the ocean as we drive along the coast.
Veronica's blue hair glows in the fading light as she talks about a beachfront cottage she knows.
I try to focus on her words, but they're slipping away from me.
She reaches over and squeezes my thigh.
"You can rest now, honey. I'll drive."
The ocean stretches out before us, a vast expanse of blue meeting the sky at the horizon.
I drift in and out of consciousness as Veronica steers the Lexus down a narrow dirt road.
The car's tires crunch on the gravel, sending up small clouds of dust.
The air is filled with the salty scent of the ocean, and I can hear the sound of waves crashing against rocks below.
The sun dips lower in the sky, casting a golden glow over everything.
As we round a bend, I see a small weathered cottage perched on the edge of a cliff.
The windows are dark and shuttered, and the door looks like it hasn't been opened in years.
Veronica parks beside the cottage, and I stumble out of the car, my head still spinning from the wine.
She takes my hand and leads me inside, through musty rooms that smell like saltwater and decay.
We move through the dimly lit hallway to a back office, where Veronica pulls up floorboards to reveal a metal lockbox hidden beneath.
She opens it with a key she finds hidden in a book on the desk, revealing a stack of yellowed papers inside. She pulls out birth certificates, photos I've never seen before, and other documents that blur together as I try to focus on them.
When I reach for them, Veronica holds them away from me.
"Not yet," she says with a smile.
"You're still too drunk to understand."
Instead, she leads me to a bedroom off the back of the house, helping me lie down on the creaky bed.