Sofia wheeled herself over to her mother, thankful for the first time in her life for her mother opulent taste, the marble floors were easier to move on then the shag carpet she had had a few years ago when it had been in.

Sofia's mother was beautiful, no one would dare say otherwise, the stunning forty-year-old had just started greying – hidden by hair dye, of course – and wrinkles marked her face but she carried the aura of prestige, she was a blue blood and wasn't afraid to remind others of her status.

"Darling," her mother smiled, leaning down to kiss Sofia's cheek softly. "You make it."

"You asked me to come mum." Sofia remind her.

"Oh, none of the mum stuff, you'll make me feel old – well older," she laughed. "Come dear, meet some of my friends."

Martha guide her daughter over to the group she had left when Sofia had arrived, standing in a circle was five women, three of the women we older, like her mother and the other two were around her age.

The one that caught her eye was a stunning blonde woman, tall and striking. she had thick brown lashes and a cupid's bow lips. She wore slim fitting jeans and a form fitting leather jacket that had quarter length sleeves. Her feet her encased in four inch black wedges, she tapped them anxiously like she'd wanted to be anywhere else but in this luxurious lavish house. Well that made two of them.

"These are my friends dear. This is Betty and her sister Hellen, and Gabriella and her niece and daughter Skye and Norma. And of course, you'd remember Ronda."

"Yes, I do," she smiled.

Skye, her name was Skye. It fit her like Cinderella's glasses slipper had been the perfect match. Sofia found her attention captivated by the beauty, the room washes away like a tidal wave had ripped through the coast and taken everything but Sofia and Skye.

Ronda was a small Chinese woman that had lived next door to the Havens for as long as Sofia could remember. She often babysat for her mother and father when they had gone out when she was younger.

"You looking good honey," Ronda exclaimed when she took Sofia in.

"I'm feeling it too," she smiled back. "you look good yourself."

Martha start steering the conversation back to the others in attendance, "Betty and Hellen are friends with Ronda and moved into the area a few months back and we become fast friends. Gabriella and the girls are from Brisbane down on an extended holiday."

"Nice to meet you all," Sofia smiled in the way she practised when she was younger, like she was pleased just to be meeting them when she was only thinking of going home and sleeping. Yeah sleep sounded nice.

A round of 'you too's' was chorused and with a promise to come back and talk to them Sofia dismissed herself with one last glance at Skye in search of her father, the reason she'd even bothered to come all the way from her home to here. He invited her, telling her there was something he needed to tell her as soon as possible.

He'd sent a driver to pick her up as soon as she got off work, the man had ushered her into the car telling her 'the boss' didn't want them to be late. If she had known it would be another socialite dinner she wouldn't have come, she'd have hidden out at a friend's or maybe pigged out at the Macca's before return in time to miss the beginning of the party. Tardiness was a pet peeve of Martha, should couldn't stand someone being late, often ranting about how disrespectful it was to the host – and in this case, it would have been her. But unfortunately, she hadn't known and now she was rubbing elbows with the finest.

Through the next room and out onto the terrace, she saw her father mingling with a group of men in suits. Henry had just finished telling a joke that had all the men attention riveted on him, his heavyset shoulders shaking in mirth.

"He's always been a man of laughter, even when we first met." Martha suddenly said from beside her appear from within the house. "He told a joke, I can't even remember it now but I laughed so hard that the Coke I was drink came out my nose." She shook her head smiling, the twinkle in her eye that she had whenever she reminisced. "I never did forgive him for making me ruin my favourite yellow jacket."

The man in question, as if feeling the gaze of the two women turned from the group and waved, he quickly pardoned himself from the group making his way through the crowd toward his most beloved people in the world.

"Sofia, you made it," Henry smiled lending down and pulling her up out of her chair and into a bear hug. Sofia felt her back twinge and felt her legs rush and feel with pins and needles but she didn't say a word against his hug, it was nice not getting treated like she'd break any second even if she felt like it.

"Of course I made it Dad, you sent a car to pick me up so I'd be here." Sofia laughed as her returned her to her chair. "What was so urgent that I had to come today when your having this big party?"

"I was hoping you could do me a favour," he said placing his hands in a praying position.

Suspiciously Sofia perked an ear at him, "what do you want?"

"I was hoping you'd take out my business partner's daughter, show her around."

"I don't even know who this person is and you want me to show her around, I don't know if I'm the best tour guide Sydney has to offer."

"You do know her, dear." Martha interrupted, "you met her just a second ago. It was Skye, Gabriella's daughter.

---- 

What do you think?

1108 words.

Wed 12th July 2017. 

Time: 23:27.