We were at Margaret’s diner by Saturday noon. The huge backyard had been transformed to hold the charity event. There were several booths set up and each one offers a different type of food or service. There were face paint and temporary tattoo stations, popcorn and snow cones, and craft tables. There was also a huge bouncing castle for the children.
The people from the city barely knew about this place before. But today, a lot of people and families have come down to check out the place and I was extremely happy for Margaret.
Brett and the band were already setting up on stage for their free concert. I think Rhythemes would be dry tonight but that was all right. Margaret would need the funds more than they do. And it was time the people discover this little diner for a cause that sits just outside the city.
Nick wore a plain white shirt, denim pants, and white rubber shoes. I was wearing a pair of short denim jumpers, with a white sleeveless cropped top under it, and white sneakers. Yeah, eighty percent of the time, our outfits match even if we don’t plan on it.
The jumper revealed my long slender legs and the cropped top gave a view of my narrow waist and flat abdomen. My hair was now a long bob cut, with the front a bit longer than the back, and the highlights were mixing with my natural blond shade. No one would mistake me for being androgynous anymore. I definitely looked like a girl and I must admit I liked that, too.
Margaret was ecstatic to see us, never missing to tell us what a beautiful couple we made. I also saw Terry, who introduced me as Mackenzie to a couple of her female friends. I miss the name Ken Clarke sometimes. But right now, it didn’t suit my outfit.
Nick and I visited the face paint booth and decided to have some art drawn to our arms. We laughed because we were actually lining up with a couple of kids and even the artist raised a brow at us when we came to his table.
“Can we do it ourselves?” Nick asked the guy.
“Sure, dude, help yourself. I gotta attend to the real kids,” he said.
I sat on one of the chairs and waited for Nick to bring us a bunch of face paint tubes and brushes.
“I want mine on the arm,” I said.
Nick picked up a brush and started drawing on my arm.
“Have you done this before?” I asked.
“On a white wall, yes. But I reckon the concept should be the same, right?”
I laughed. “Right, because real paint and face paint are made exactly of the same chemicals. Just make sure I can wash that off, okay?”
“To be honest, I wouldn’t mind if this one doesn’t wash off,” he said.
“Why? What are you painting?”
“Just wait and see.”
When he was done, I looked at his artwork in the mirror. I was amazed when I saw a swirl of flowers and vines in purple and pink and the words “Nick’s girl” written in the middle.
I stared back at him, raising a brow. He shrugged and smiled at me innocently. “Well, the guys have to know you’re taken.”
I laughed. Then I tiptoed and kissed him on the lips. “I’m not going anywhere, cowboy. Now, your turn.”
I drew a tribal art work and then I wrote “Ken’s” in the center, giving him a dose of his own medicine.
When he looked at my art in the mirror, he smiled. “Touché,” he said.
“Except that Ken is a boy’s name,” I said, wriggling an eyebrow at him.
He laughed. “Don’t care! If they knew that Ken is actually a gorgeous girl, they’re going to die of jealousy.” He handed cash to the artist in the booth for our body art, then he put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him as we looked around the other stalls.
We walked around in each other’s arms, occasionally kissing. I no longer cared if there were people here who knew me. I am proud. I’m Nicholas Atkins’ girl. He looked so happy and proud to be seen with me, too.
Before sunset, Brett asked me to sit in for him so he could spend some time with Terry to go around the booths. Nick was in the audience cheering for me as if he was my biggest fan. And I really thought he was.
After eight songs, the band took a short break. Nick met me at the side of the stage.
“Amazing! You’re the most amazing creature I’ve ever known!” He lifted me off my feet and gave me a kiss on the lips. “I love you.”
“Love you, too,” I said, kissing him back. “Babe, I need to go to the ladies’ room.”
“I’ll take you there.”
I laughed. “No need, silly. I can find my way. But I’m starving. Maybe you can get us some barbeque.”
He leaned forward to kiss me on the lips. “All right. I’ll meet you inside the diner in a couple of minutes.”
I went inside the diner and to the bathroom full of fresh t-shirts, toothbrush and other emergency overnight stuff. I remembered the first time I was in this bathroom. It was after the first night I spent in Nick’s house. So much had happened after that. And now, I officially live there with him and I’ve never been happier.
On my way out from the bathroom, I ran into an unexpected person. A person I would be glad not to see for the rest of my life, to be honest.
“So the rumors are true.”
I blinked back nervously. For the first time, I didn’t know what I would say to this girl. I stared back at her. She looked as though she lost a lot of weight. She had circles under her eyes. And right now, seeing that she could barely keep her balance while standing up, I could assume that she had a tad too many bottles of beer already and it was only after sunset.
“What rumors?”
“That Ken Clarke is now a girl. And she’s…” She looked at the artwork on my arm. “She’s Nicholas Atkins’ girlfriend.” Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked at me as if I was the vilest person she’d ever known. “I couldn’t believe it when a couple of my friends told me about it. I thought you would never do this to me. I was wrong. You’re a snake!”
“Wait, what?”
“You stole him from me, you slut!” she shouted and at least half a dozen people in the diner turned their heads to look at us.
“Wait a minute, Jen. Nick was never yours!”
“But he could have been,” she argued. “You knew! You knew how in love I was with him! And you did all you could to make him stay away from me! I thought it was because you were in love with me! Now I know you wanted him for yourself! You had to keep us apart first so you could stand a chance with him!”
“Oh my god, Jen! Not everything is about you, you know. Did it ever occur to you that maybe he wasn’t interested in you?”
“Compared to you back then? You have got to be kidding yourself! You looked like a boy! Girls were screaming for your attention because you were prettier and snobbier than the guys at the club! How could Nick be possibly attracted to you?”
I took a deep breath. I clenched my fist, struggling to keep myself calm. “Did you tell Nick I was sleeping around with men but I found the idea of sex with guys so revolting I even vomited in bed?”
Her eyes widened. Clearly, she didn’t expect that would reach my ears.
“Well, did you?”
She shrugged. “What difference did it make? Didn’t stop him from chasing you, did it? And you know why?”
Because he fell in love with me regardless of how I dressed up and regardless of what you said to him. I wanted to scream that to her, but that would provoke her even more. And I still remembered that Jen was a nutcase. So I decided to stay quiet.
“You were a challenge, Ken,” she said. “You were a game. You were exactly the challenge that Nicholas Atkins could not resist!”
“Nick is nothing like that!”
“You didn’t know him before he left town. He was a thrill seeker, that was why he painted those walls, broke the law, and got a juvie record even though his academic grades and aptitude tests were enough to land him a scholarship to any Ivy League school of his choosing. He’s a gambler! I wouldn’t be surprised if he placed a bet with one of his friends that he could turn you into the sort of girl you are now! And now, he’s flaunting you around as if you were some sort of… of trophy! Nick’s girl, when no other boy in this town had ever gotten close to you!
I shook my head. I didn’t know how long I should be listening to the ramblings of Jen’s unstable mind. She didn’t know Nick the way I do now. She didn’t know Nick at all!
She knew Nick when he was young, reckless, and living in a troubled home. The Nick that came back to town was one who was sensitive, committed, and compassionate. He would never engage in a silly bet that would hurt another person’s feelings just to feed his ego.
“You’re drunk. Perhaps we should continue this conversation when you’re sober and in a proper frame of mind. Although I prefer that we do not continue this conversation at all, or that I never speak to you ever again. Good night!”
I turned away from her.
“Ken!” she shouted. I pretended not to hear her. “You’re making the mistake of your life, Ken Clarke! This will not end well for you!”
People were looking at me and at her. I quickly dashed to the exit, trying to find Nick.
I found Margaret in a booth near the back entrance.
“Margaret, have you seen Nick?”
“Oh, he went to get some barbecue. He said you might be starving. You can wait here with me. I’ll introduce you to our guest of honor.”
I was so shaken up by Jen and our confrontation that I did not notice that Margaret was talking to somebody. I must have sounded very rude. I looked at her guest and in an instant, blood drained from my face.
The man looked at me from head to toe, and then he smiled thoughtfully. Pride and satisfaction written all over his face.
“Hello, Mackenzie,” he said.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” I asked, raising an antagonizing brow at him.
“Wait, you know each other?” Margaret asked in surprise.
“Of course. Didn’t Mr. Atkins mention it to you? Mackenzie is my daughter.”
Margaret’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, I swear I didn’t know.” I saw panic cross her face. She looked thoughtful for a while, and then her face turned red and she looked angry.
Before I could ask her anything, I heard Nick’s angry voice behind me.
“Stay away from her!”
Then I felt him pull me so I could stand behind him as he planted himself between me and my father.
“You lay one finger on her, I swear to god…” Nick was shaking in anger.
To our surprise, my father chuckled. “Oh please, Mr. Atkins, there is no need for that. I’m here to deliver the deed of sale and title to Mrs. Matthews. You have delivered your end of the bargain.” He looked at me and then at Nicholas again. And he added, “Exceptionally well, I must add. You live up to your reputation, Mr. Atkins.”
“We do not have an arrangement of any sort!” Nicholas snarled at my father. I stood there completely confused. How the hell did Nick know my father?
“Of course, we do. Once you agreed to the deal, there was no turning back. I do not like quitters. And you, Mr. Atkins, are not a quitter at all. That’s why I like you.”
“Nick…” I asked nervously. “How did you know my father?”
Nick turned to me. I could not read the expression on his face. He looked like an entire mess of mixed emotions. He opened his mouth to reply but my father beat him to it.
“I first met your boyfriend when he was negotiating for this diner. Apparently, he won enough money to buy it back from me. Such a noble thing to do. But there was something I needed more than money and I was helpless. Mr. Atkins was willing to do anything to save this diner from being broken down to pieces. So, I told him about my predicament. And if he could successfully help me, I would return this diner to Mrs. Matthews, completely free of charge.”
I stared back at Nick, unable to believe what my father was saying. My father was known to say a lot of bullshit, and I refused to believe him. Nick, on the other hand… There was no one I trusted more than Nick.
To my despair, Nick was looking back at me, with shame written all over his face.
“W-what did you ask him to do?” I asked my father.
“I had told him that I have a daughter who is useless to me as an heiress because I think she’s a lesbian. She could not give me a granddaughter to dote on and a grandson to train as my heir to continue the legacy of Clarke Hoteliers. Mr. Atkins’ challenge was to turn you into a woman.” My father looked at me from head to toe again. “The woman that you are now. And they could have their diner back.”
What. The. Fuck?
I stared back at Nick. Tears were rolling down my cheeks. “Is it true?”
He could say no. He could say that my father was a raging lunatic and I would believe him. I wanted to believe him. I hated my father. But I loved Nick. My father would always be wrong; Nick would always be right.
He could deny it. I wanted him to. He could lie and I would still believe him.
But instead of responding, Nick stepped forward and grabbed me into his arms, hugging me to him. He was trembling, as if he was so scared of what would happen next. Then in a shaky voice, I heard him whisper, “I love you, kitten. I love you so much. That’s what matters now.”
At that very moment, my heart fell to the ground and shattered into a million pieces.