Chapter 3

The distance between our home and that of Cate's was not that long. I had notified my father to pick her up on the way to the school which he had gladly accepted. We drove in silence throughout the journey. My father would glance at me through the rear mirror several times and chuckle lightly. I really wanted to talk with him but looking at the situation we were in currently, I gave up the idea.

The car came to a halt at a somewhat old mansion. A young lady was standing outside waiting for us patiently. I got out of the car to get out of my father's sight and greet my friend at the same time. Cate smiled at me admiringly while looking at my dress the whole time. Maybe she wondered how my mother let me wear it.

"I guess we didn't keep you waiting for long?''I asked trying to catch her attention. "No.Not at all. In fact, I just got outside a few minutes ago," she replied. I hugged her as fast as I could. She seemed to be caught off guard because she didn't hug me back immediately. I pulled off and looked her in the eyes."Maybe we shouldn't keep your father waiting with our emotional breakdown here Isa,'' she suggested.

We entered the car and took the back seats. Father looked at Cate through the rear mirror and greeted her. She nodded lightly at him and we took off. Maybe Cate was also weary of my father. Well, that's what I thought. We chatted happily with Cate on the way to school. She at least gave me the confidence to find my tongue while my father was still around, something I was very grateful to. I owed a "thank you" to her, maybe later.

We didn't realize the car had stopped until father turned around, giving us a stunning look."I guess you two are going to talk the whole day, uh?"He asked anger evident in his voice. Cate looked around and realized that we were in some place that looked like sort of a learning institution."Are we already at Oxford University?"She asked directing the question to no one in particular. When no reply came, she sighed and looked away a little frustrated."Well, that was fast."I said to relieve her anger.

We stepped out of the car and I was greeted by the beautiful scenery of a garden with beautiful flowers of different colors and good scents. Gardenia, Rose, Lily, Magnolia, Jasmine, and many others that I could not tell were all lined up in the beautiful garden. From afar, Large fountains were lined jetting water out in beautiful waves that formed different shapes. Cate was also left dumbfounded. She had told me that she had visited the university before but judging from what I was seeing, she was completely a stranger to the place. I planned on asking her later but for now, I decided to enjoy the beautiful scenery.