by Emma Easter
He immediately recalled that the men at the camp did not want female visitors and said quickly, “Well, none of your wives will be able to visit you, but I guess you can visit them here. You just can’t stay. I’ll have to find some excuse to tell the women here about where you guys will be staying.”
“Okay. It’s not a perfect situation, but it is good news,” Ken said. “Our plans to all travel to see you had already begun to disintegrate. Audrey and Sienna had said they could not come if I and Bryan were not going to go. They will be really happy to hear that we can come after all.”
“I can’t wait for all of you to come here. I have missed you all so much. You’ll have a great time here.”
“I know we will.” Ken chuckled.
“Where is Audrey?” Faizan asked.
“She and Sienna went to see Trisha. Trisha called them this morning about something very important she wanted to tell them. I don’t know what it is, but I guess Audrey will tell me when she gets back.”
“Okay,” Faizan said. Once again, his heart soared with excitement and anticipation. “There are just a few days left for you all to come here.”
“Yes,” Ken said.
“Well, I better start making preparations for your arrival. I have to set up new tents for the girls.”
“So, our plane will land in that town. Blima, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Faizan answered. “I’ve made arrangements with the driver who takes Miriam to town to come here on the day before you arrive. We will leave very early the next day to pick you up and bring you here.”
“I will see you in a couple of days, then,” Ken said.
“Yes, you will,” Faizan said gleefully. “Greet my precious sisters when they come back and tell them I can’t wait for them to come.”
“I will, Faizan.”
After the call ended, Faizan took a deep breath and then looked back at Miriam’s tent. It was time to tell Miriam about the men’s camp. As much as he trusted her levelheadedness and her ability to keep a secret, there was always a chance that she might want to investigate the men’s camp for herself and even take a few of the women there with her. If that happened, Ishaq and the other men would feel that he’d betrayed them by bringing women to their camp.
He sighed. “Lord, please don’t let that happen.” He walked toward Miriam’s tent. Before he entered, he took another deep breath and prayed once more that Miriam would keep his secret.
Chapter Eight
Trisha exhaled and looked at Sienna and Audrey, who were sitting beside her on the couch. She sighed heavily. Since Stan had come and threatened her with that lawsuit, her mind had been going around and around the conversation. She’d asked the Lord over and over again why Stan had come back now.
Sienna reached out and touched Trisha’s shoulder. She said, “What is it, Trisha? You look awful and you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”
Audrey searched Trisha’s eyes and said, “Please, Trisha, tell us. What’s the matter?” Her forehead furrowed. “Please tell me nothing has happened to Frank or the kids.” Audrey looked around the living room and said, “Where are they, anyway?”
Trisha shook her head. “Frank and the kids are okay. He took the girls to see his mom and dad.”
“Then what’s the matter?” Audrey asked.
“Stan came here yesterday.”
“What?” Audrey exclaimed and leaned forward to gaze at Trisha. “Stan, your slimy ex-husband, came here? What did he want?”
Trisha put her hand on her forehead as details of her angry conversation with Stan came rushing back to her. She said, “He came to tell me he was suing for custody of Ruby. Full custody.”
Sienna’s mouth dropped open and Audrey gave a short laugh.
“He has gone mad, that Stan!” Audrey said. “He’s not been around for years and he thinks he can just waltz in and get full custody of Ruby?”
Sienna said, “I don’t really think he has a case, Trish. I know it’s hard, but I don’t think the court will grant him shared custody, not to talk of full custody.”
“I am pretty sure the case will be thrown out,” Audrey said. “He’s never really been in that child’s life. Not when she was born, and not for all these years. You and Frank are the only parents Ruby has and Frank has been her father for years.”
Trisha listened to her sisters tell her that Stan had no case. It was the same thing Frank had been telling her throughout yesterday and even today, but it still hadn’t stopped her from worrying continuously. Trisha finally said, “Unfortunately, because of all this, I won’t be able to go and see Faizan anymore.”
Audrey sighed and Sienna nodded, looking sad.
“That’s understandable,” Audrey said. “But that means none of us will be going. Faizan will be so disappointed. Who knows when we will be allowed to go and see him next?”
Sienna shook her head. “If only they would let him back into the country, it would solve everything.”
“That will probably never happen,” Audrey said. She looked at Trisha and put her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Trish. We will be here for you. Stan is not going to take Ruby away and when that custody case is over, if it even begins at all, I think you should file a restraining order against him. He shouldn’t be allowed to come near you or your kids anymore.”
In spite of herself, Trisha smiled, albeit sadly. “What will I give as a reason for filing the restraining order? It’s not like he is dangerous or has threatened me, Frank, or any of the kids physically.”
“He is a rogue, that Stan,” Audrey said. “Even if he hasn’t threatened any of you physically, he has been threatening your well-being ever since he came back into the picture a few years ago, and then now.”
Trisha smiled sadly. “Our plan to mark Mom and Dad’s anniversary by taking that trip to North Africa has disintegrated before our eyes.”
“Well, we can still throw a party here, even if it’s a small one,” Sienna said.
“But we wanted to do something more meaningful than just throwing a party,” Audrey said.
Trisha nodded. They had briefly talked about using a part of their inheritance to do something tangible for the women at the camp where Zainah and Faizan lived. They hadn’t yet discussed what exactly they would do, but they had already started to make a budget for whatever it was. Now that would not happen.
“We could just donate the money even if we can’t go,” Sienna said.
“I guess that could work.” Audrey sat back on her seat. “I would have loved to go, but unfortunately this is the time when Ken and I have to double down on trying to have a baby. It’s become so tiring and I’m about to give up.”
“Don’t, Audrey,” Trisha said. She took Audrey’s hand. “It will soon happen for you. Don’t worry about it. The doctor told you there’s nothing wrong with you or Ken so it will happen soon.”
Sienna sighed. “So no one is going to see Faizan. He will be pretty hurt by that.”
“I know,” Audrey said. “Ken told me the last time he called, Faizan was really excited about our upcoming visit. And so was Zainah. If only just one of us could go.” Audrey stared quizzically at Sienna. “You haven’t told us why you decided not to go, Sienna.”
Sienna shrugged. “I just decided that if Bryan can’t go, then neither will I.”
Trisha shook her head and said, “That might be true, but I know you, Sienna. There’s something else bothering you. That day… when you told us you and Bryan were going to move back to the United States soon, there was something about the way you looked. I knew that day that something was wrong. I planned on asking you what it was later on, but I guess I forgot. Please tell us what it is.”
Audrey shifted closer to Sienna and put her arm around her shoulder. “What is wrong, Sienna? I’m so sorry I haven’t noticed like Trisha has. I’ve been so preoccupied with trying to have a baby that I haven’t bothered to really see what is going on around me.”
Sienna bit her lip and looke
d away.
Audrey kept rubbing Sienna’s back while Trisha waited patiently for her to turn around and tell them what was wrong. After a while, when Sienna still did not speak, Trisha said, “Please, Sienna, tell us what is bothering you. We can’t help you in any way if you don’t, and we are terribly worried about you.”
Sienna finally turned to look at Trisha and Audrey again and said in a small voice, “The panic attacks and crippling fear are back.” She shut her eyes and a look of dread appeared on her face.
Trisha’s heart sank and fear gripped her. She remembered the last time Sienna had those panic attacks and crippling fear. She and Audrey had not known how bad it was until Sienna had attempted to take her life. Thankfully, she had not succeeded. Trisha and Audrey had gone to stay with her in her New York apartment for some time, and even Bryan had stayed with them as well. That was before he and Sienna got married. It had been a dreadful time and Trisha had breathed a huge sigh of relief when, months later, Sienna seemed totally okay and married Bryan. As far as she knew, the fear and anxiety had not returned. But maybe she was wrong. Maybe Sienna had been living in fear for a long time without telling anyone about it, just like she had years ago.
At last, Sienna turned around again. Worry was etched on her face.
Audrey took Sienna’s hands and looked into her eyes. “When did it all start again?” she asked, her voice tinged with worry.
“It began some months ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Trisha said, unable to hold back her tears.
“It started gradually and so I did not really pay attention to it until just about a month ago, when it became serious.”
Trisha’s hand flew to her mouth. “Please tell me you didn’t try to...” She couldn’t bring herself to complete her sentence, but clearly Sienna knew exactly what she meant because she shook her head.
“No, I didn’t try to take my life again. Thankfully Bryan is helping me through it, and I have the word of God to battle it. But still, there are days when the fearful thoughts swamp me and I feel like I’m being suffocated. If Bryan is not around when I have a panic attack, I almost feel as though I’m about to lose my mind. I am grateful that I have Ethan to think about. Whenever I begin to fall apart, I think about him, that I have to take care of him, and then I gather myself together as best as I can. I have done what I did in the past to try to get rid of it, but it’s just not going away this time. I am so tired.”
“But if Bryan is helping you through it like he did years ago, why is it not going away?” Audrey asked.
“I don’t know,” Sienna said. “Unlike all those years ago, when the fear and attacks caused me to run away from God and try to kill myself, this time I have no such thoughts. However, deliverance seems so far away and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten so used to the word from the scriptures that delivered me the last time. I just don’t know.”
“Are you under more stress than usual?” Trisha asked, and then shook her head. “What am I saying? Of course you are. You’re a wife and mother now. Plus, you’ve been running that orphanage. I’m so glad you and Bryan are coming back so I can keep an eye on you.”
“We will help you through it, Sienna. I promise you that.”
Sienna smiled, and Trisha reached out and gave her a hug. “I love you, little sister,” she said.
“I love you too, Trisha,” Sienna said. “Thank you so much.” She held out her hands and hugged Trisha and Audrey, and they stayed that way for about a full minute.
Audrey was the first to draw back. She said, “I have to go, you guys. Let’s make some kind of plan to speak to Faizan together. Even if we all can’t go, we should at least talk to him and maybe give him some kind of explanation as to why we can’t make the trip.”
“You’re right,” Trisha said.
Audrey got up and looked down at Sienna. “Are you staying here with Trisha today, Sienna, or are you coming with me?”
“No, I’ll stay here with Trisha.” Sienna wiped the tears from her eyes. “Before Bryan took Ethan to the park, he said we would be staying here today. They will probably come back soon.” She smiled through her tears. “Besides, you and Ken need your privacy. You know… to make a baby.”
Audrey groaned and then laughed. “Stop it, Sienna! You know our house is huge. Ken and I have all the privacy we need.”
Sienna chuckled and Trisha shook her head in amusement.
They waved to Audrey as she left, and then Trisha hugged Sienna again. “I’m always here for you,” Trisha said to her. “Remember that. Remember that you can always talk to me.”
“Thank you, Trish,” Sienna said. “But soon Bryan and I will have to go back to Peru. During the day I’m mostly at the orphanage while Bryan is at the church or off on one of his mission trips. When I get home whenever Bryan is away on a mission trip, I get lonely. That is when the panic and anxiety start. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have Ethan.”
Fear knocked on Trisha’s heart, but she refused to pay any attention to it. She focused fully on Sienna. “I’ll be praying for you, Sienna. The Lord is your strength and He will bring you out of all this.”
Sienna gave Trisha a weary smile. “I hope so.” She sighed and stood up. “I think I will go and take a short nap. Once all the kids return, this place will be in complete chaos again.”
Trisha watched her go with a heavy heart and then shut her eyes. She began to pray and ask the Lord to deliver her sister from all her fears and the root cause of the attacks. He had done it before and He could do it again. She was rounding off her prayers when the doorbell rang.
Must be Bryan and Ethan, or maybe Lauren, she thought. Lauren had promised to come by this afternoon to talk about how her blind date went.
Trisha stood up and went to the door. She opened it and scowled. “Stan!” She glared at him and made no attempt to hide her disdain.
He did not wear the sneer or smug smile he had when he’d come by yesterday. Instead, he had a subdued expression on his face. “Can I come in?” he asked her.
“No! No, you can’t!” she said to him.
“Please.”
“I’m sorry, Stan, but I am not letting you into my house.”
“It was once my house as well.”
“Well, it’s not anymore.”
“Your husband is in, isn’t he? That’s why you won’t let me in.”
“No, that’s not why. It’s because you’re threatening to take my daughter away from me, and that is just wrong.”
“Ruby is my daughter as well.”
“She hasn’t been for years.”
He sighed loudly and Trisha was surprised when he nodded. “Well, if you will not let me in, I guess I will have to tell you why I came out here.”
“I guess you will,” she said.
“I’ve come to make a deal with you.”
She gazed suspiciously at him. “I’m not interested in making any deal with you,” she said.
“You will be when you hear what I have to say.” Before she could say anything, he continued, “I will not pursue the custody case anymore on one condition.”
Her eyes widened and then suspicion once again replaced her surprise. She said slowly, “And what is that condition?”
He looked down for a few seconds and then looked up at her once more. The smug smile had returned.
She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. “Well, are you going to tell me what it is?”
“I won’t file for custody anymore if you will make it worth my while.”
She frowned. “And what do you mean by that?”
“I mean I want money from your inheritance, Trisha. You inherited a lot of money from your father and I want some of it.”
Trisha’s mouth fell open and then she began to laugh.
“What is so funny?” he growled.
“Stan, you want some of my inheritance. Wow! That is what you always wanted, wasn’t it? That was why you came back t
he last time. When I broke off our engagement, you went away, sulking. It wasn’t me you wanted. It was the money.”
“So?” Stan growled. “Are you going to accept the deal or not?”
She looked at him with burning hatred in her heart and then asked the Lord to forgive her for how much she hated him. She took a deep breath to try to let go of her angry feelings and said, “Fine! How much do you want?”
Stan smiled again and said, “I want a large sum. Fifty million dollars.”
“That is impossible!” Trisha said. “Why would I give you 90 percent of my money?”
Stan shrugged. “Well, it’s your decision. It’s either that or we go to court to fight for custody of Ruby, but just know that I am also hiring the best lawyers. I will not make it easy for you.”
“You have no case, Stan.”
“You wait and see,” he said. “I want that money and I will do whatever it takes to get it.” He began to back away and she stopped him.
“Wait!” she said. She glowered at him. “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? You want money in exchange for your daughter. You are truly a terrible person.”
Stan shrugged. “I have been told that before. Are you going to give me the money or not?”
“I don’t even have that kind of money to give you.”
“You’re a liar, Trisha!”
Trisha sighed loudly and silently asked the Lord for help. “Okay, Stan, I will give you the money, but you have to be patient. It will take some time for me to get it for you.”
“How much time are you talking about?”
“About a year,” she said, hoping to buy some time while she decided on how to proceed. She would contact her lawyers and see if she could call Stan’s bluff. She would get advice and know if she should go to court to battle Stan for Ruby or if it was better to just give him the money.
“No can do,” he said.