Fatefully Yours

by Misha Anderson

  Many guests have arrived and made themselves comfortable on their seats, an elegant brunette, around 70 years old, walks up to Klaus and smiles.

  "Klaus, my darling," she says happily. "How good to see you tonight."

  Her gray hair secured in a refined bun hardly moves when she leans over to kiss Klaus's cheeks. He greets her happily too, then pulls me by my hand and introduces me proudly.

  "Gisela, this is Anahí Saraíba. Anahí, this gorgeous lady is Gisela Porto, Felipe's grandma."

  Gisela smiles at Klaus's flattery, greets me with awe in her eyes and shakes my hand gently, sincerely. She walks us to an empty table and before we're too close, she turns to Klaus and explains, "We thought we better put you in a table with your friends, Mark and Steve."

  "Of course. That's very thoughtful of you Gisela. Thank you."

  Gisela takes her leave from us, greeting another couple that just arrived and we walk up to Klaus's friend's table. A tall, dark-skinned, dark-haired man who was about to sit down straightens back up looking at us surprised. His looks are distinctive, with intense green eyes that scan Klaus up and down then he gives him an open smile. Klaus moves in to shake his hand, greeting him like an old friend.

  "Steve, I almost didn't recognize you in a suit! Your look great, my friend." The man pulls on the suit, laughing.

  "Only Felipe to make me wear this shit, you know I'm more of a jeans and t-shirt guy. And during time off, long shorts, a surf board under my arms and nothing more. You look good too, Klaus."

  "I'm much better now." Klaus nods then looks at me, waving me forward. "Anahí come here. This is Steve, a FIA doctor, a great friend. Steve, this is Anahí, my..."

  I squeeze Klaus's hand firmly and finish for him, "Physical therapist."

  "And my girlfriend." Klaus looks at me silently challenging me to deny it. I smile and instinctively put my hands on his cheek in a slight caress. Klaus turns to me and smiles cheekily. We talked so much about keeping our relationship discreet, but it seems this stubborn Viking will do whatever he wants. The complicated man. A group of a man and two women come closer to the table, the man a platinum blond, tall and athletic in a well-cut black tux, looks at Klaus and his mouth open in a silent perfect "O", a look between stunned and ashamed. He gives our group a fake smile, coming towards us. Klaus sits up straighter in his chair, shaken by seeing the man, he extends his hand, saying seriously, "Mark. It took Felipe's wedding for me to see my best friend?"

  Mike bites his lip, looking sad, and mumbles.

  "I, I don't know what to say man. I missed you, brother."

  Klaus hugs Mark hard and says in a low voice, "I missed you too, my old friend."

  I greet Mark and the two women sitting on the table, and as soon as I sit down I'm introduced by Klaus to Kelly Pessoa, a stunning brunette, wife of Steve, and Fernanda Schultz, a platinum blonde that looks like a model, Mark's fiancée. I'm feeling more and more relaxed around Kelly and Fernanda, both of whom are very nice and easily keep the mood in our table pleasant. Kelly is a doctor like Steve and, surprisingly, confirming the maxim that looks deceive, even though Fernanda looks like a top model, with long legs and a fat-free body, she's a journalist. Klaus entertains himself talking with Steve, and even though Mark participates in the conversation he looks tense, disturbed by Klaus's presence. I watch his eyes glancing at Klaus's wheelchair every once in a while, and he suddenly gets up saying he needs to get some air when he hears Klaus tell Steve, "Today I can say I'm better, but when I first heard the news, it was very hard not to give up and do something irreversible, man."

  Kelly sees Mark leaving the table and her worried expression intrigues me, what has him so bothered, to the point where he's almost running away from Klaus's and Steve's company?

  After dinner I excuse myself and go to the bathroom, and as soon as I set foot outside the bathroom I bump into Débora, Klaus's mother, arguing angrily with a tall blonde.

  "You couldn't have been nice and made up some kind of excuse not to come to this wedding? No, you had to expose us. Specially bringing that bitch with you."

  The blonde raises a finger in the air and growls at Débora, outraged.

  "Take care how you talk about Luiza, I won't admit you taking about my partner like that, Débora, as if you had any moral ground to stand on, which you don't. You're pretending to be some pristine lady, defender of morals and good behavior for whom, exactly? I know very well how you feel about young men."

  "Shut your mouth, girly, you're an embarrassment to your family. Why don't you do us all a favor and take your dyke and go away. You're lucky we didn't take care of her."

  I try to shrink against the booth's door, begging God that no one notices I'm here, but Débora sees me, narrowing her eyes, frantic.

  "Now look who's here. This wedding is turning into a circus, I thought the guests in this party had been screened. That's a very expensive dress for my son's simple physical therapist, no Ceci?” She shouts, voice poisonous.

  I raise my chin and move to wash my hands, answering between my teeth, "My name's Anahí, Anahí Saraíba. And what I wear or don't wear is none of your business, ma'am."

  Débora stops by the door and answers twisting her lips in anger, "Well, well, just because my son, in a delusional moment of need decided to make a game out of you, you think you can stand up to me, girl? I don't care if you're Peri, Ceci, Anahí, all of them savages' names."

  The tall blonde cuts in and defends me, protesting, "Why don't you leave the girl alone. Set that ridiculous part of wicked witch aside and go have something done. Huh, Mom? Fill those empty hours with something constructive, try to be happy. How long are you and Dad going to keep living these shallow pathetic little lives? Move on, Mrs. Débora, old Chico Schneider has already found a new model to enjoy, why don't you do the same?" Débora advances on the tall blonde and the woman growls coldly, "Don't even think about it. The time when you beat the crap out of me for no reason is long gone. By the way, in three months you'll be receiving mine and Luiza's wedding invitation. Have a good life, Mrs. Débora Schneider."

  Débora leaves outraged and the blonde leans against the bathroom's sink as if all strength has left her. She cries quietly, not making a sound, and I don't know what to say. It's so sad to see a mother and daughter as strangers, enemies. She takes a deep breath, washes her face and I hand her some paper towels.

  "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, sorry. Thank you for standing up for me." I mumble shyly.

  "This moment was bound to happen, there's no need to be grateful. I know how hard my mom can be. This is not how I wanted to meet you, but, oh well, life. Nice to meet you, my name's Úrsula Schneider."

  "The pleasure is all mine. Anahí Saraíba. So does that mean you're Klaus's..."

  "That's right. Even though we've grown distant he's still my little brother. I'm Klaus's big sister."

  She looks at me in awe and finally says, "You have a good energy, and seem to be a good person. I'm glad you're looking after him. How..."

  "He's okay, getting better every day. Why don't you swing by our table and talk with him?"

  Úrsula shakes her head, gives me a fake smile, regret on her voice.

  "I better not, the last time we spoke things didn't go so well. Maybe another time. Besides, I'm leaving right now, I lost all will to party. Take care, Anahí. And look after him for me."

  We leave the bathroom and I bump into Klaus coming our way, he faces Úrsula looking shocked but pleased.

  "Úrsula, I had no idea you were here."

  She shrugs looking annoyed.

  "I don't think it was my best idea." She looks at me with a little smile. "She seems like a cool girl, Kau. Take care of her."

  Úrsula walks away from us heading to a tiny dark-skinned woman that walks her way, looking worried.

  Klaus and I go to an area close to the garden, where we can watch the party but still be alone. A sweet ballad starts to play and Klaus looks at me rueful.

  "If I was walking, I'd take you
out to the dance floor and dance with you. All guys would be green with envy that I had the most beautiful girl in the party in my arms."

  "And when my body moves on yours every night, it's that not dancing? Your tongue licking my skin, creating shivers all over, is that not dancing? Your rough voice growling, and my moans in your ear when you pleasure me, is that not music?"

  Klaus pulls me onto his lap, buries his fingers on my hair and kisses me with a mix of sweetness, lust, and commitment. His warm hand trails over every inch of bare skin he can find, making me shiver, filling my body with life and warmth... I close my eyes and let myself drown in the indescribable feeling of our bodies perfectly connected, our lips as one, traveling over the song's melody.

  I slowly come down from the cloud when the music finishes, but the sweet taste of welcoming Klaus's arms give me is still on my lips, under my skin. He smiles with his eyes and mouth, the best of his smiles, kind of crooked, cheeky, like a misbehaving little boy.

  "Ha, my little cabocla. Keep looking at me like that and I'll forget we're in public and give you what you want."

  "And how do you know what I want if I haven't said anything?"

  "Because I know your body like the palm of my hand... The way you squeeze your eyes shut, lick or bite your lips, the shivering of your skin when I touch you like this," Klaus says, petting my hair. "I know you're turned on and it's makes me horny as hell. The way you react to every look, every touch, every kiss. It's delicious to know you're mine, my little cabocla."

  "My hot, stubborn Viking."

  We go back to the table as Felipe and Sara are getting ready for the first dance and speeches. It’s touching how Sara talks about the love they feel for each other, the crazy way they met, through an interview for her college paper. There's was so much talk of feeling and so openly, that the time passes without any of us realizing it.

  Fernanda, Mark's fiancée, asks Steve if he has seen Mark, and he looks at her tense and mournful. Klaus doesn't notice it, but I can see the tension in Steve and Fernanda's looks, when he tells her in a low voice.

  "Last I saw him, he was near the bathroom, drinking his weight in alcohol, Nanda. Maybe you should take him home, before he embarrasses himself... It's the first time he's seen Klaus since the accident and seeing him like that it's hard on him."

  Before rising Fernanda glances around the ballroom trying to find Mark.

  "I'm going to go look for him. As soon as I find him, I'm talking him home, before he does something he regrets," she tells Steve.

  She passes by me, a little embarrassed and goes to look for Mark. Klaus talks with Kelly about the most interesting touristic sights in Berlin and where the best bars are, while I think to myself: after all, why is Mark so bothered about Klaus's accident?

  Less than fifteen minutes later, Mark walks over to us, stumbling drunk next to Fernanda that holds him trying to disguise the fact that he's blackout drunk. Klaus smiles seeing his friend so drunk and Mark falls into the chair next to him, against his fiancée's objection, that insists on leaving the party.

  "Mark, please, let's go?"

  Mark shakes his head hard, with an exaggerated pout, then leans over Klaus and with unsteady voice he tells Fernanda, not looking at her, "I need to talk with Klaus before we leave. I'm tired of being a coward, Fernanda."

  "What do you want to talk about, Mark? Did you decide to give in to the romance in the air, leave Fernanda and ask me to marry you, my friend?" Klaus says jokingly, laughing.

  "I feel guilty every time you call me friend."

  Klaus arches his eyebrow and a silence falls on the table, the mood tense while Steve and Fernanda try again.

  "Mark, stop this. Today is not the day for this conversation, you've had too much to drink."

  "I'm a coward, Klaus. Ever since your accident I couldn't fucking look at you, because I felt so guilty."

  Fernanda starts trying to get Mark off the table but Klaus stops her with a tense and grave voice.

  "Let him speak, Fernanda. Now I'm curious. Why do you feel guilty, Mark?"

  Mark starts crying heavily, his face redder and redder because of the alcohol excess.

  "The rescue team took time to get you out of the car, there was so much fire and you were inside, passed out. And Steve told me not to pull you out, that it could worsen your spinal injury. But you weren't breathing and the fire had taken over a good chunk of the car and if I didn't take you out you would've burned to death. So I took a risk, and didn't wait for anything, no stretcher, no cervical necklace, nothing... I pulled you out of that car and into my arms, even knowing that what I was doing could condemn you to this damned wheelchair. I made a choice, and I chose the risk of you becoming paraplegic over the chance of the car exploding."

  "You were the one that pulled me out of the car?" Klaus asks, confused.

  Mark nods then continues, "I was the one that took you out of that car, the whole rescue team told me about the risk, but the immobilization tools were in the other car. I pulled you out without thinking of the consequences, and now I see what a mess I made. You lived, but your injury certainly worsened with my messy rescue and now you're stuck in that chair. And it's all my fault. I wish I have done things differently, that none of this had happened. I feel like shit that I never told you, I feel like..."

  Klaus gesticulates angrily, eyes blood red.

  "That's enough Mark. I have no idea what to think. You keep talking about how you feel, what about how I feel? How I felt these last months without one visit from you, not even a fucking phone call. How can you call yourself my friend and do what you did? The worst thing it's not you pulling me out of the car like that, but that you left me alone the moment I needed you the most. Why haven't you ever said anything? You were just gone, puff, vanished, as if I had never existed in your life. We'd been friends for years. That's what's cowardly, man. Do you want to know something? I don't know if it would've been better if you hadn't taken me out of the car, because it's fucked up that I'm never going to be able to do the things I loved again. I used to love to race, racing was my life and what if I never walk again? What am I going to do? Play checkers in the park like some invalid?"

  "Klaus, that's enough," I say, trying to smooth things over. "We're leaving. Don't you think you guys have said enough nonsense for one day?"

  "Stay out of it, Anahí," Klaus yells at me harshly.

  "This is why I didn't want to tell you," Mark moans trying to hug Klaus, but he shoves his arm away angrily. "I didn't want to see that angry look on your face. I wish everything was different, my friend."

  "Don't call me that anymore. Friends don't abandon each other. Where were you when I woke up every day trying to figure a way to die? Tell me, Mark! And you, Steve. You also claimed to be my friend, where the fuck where both of you when I woke up in the hospital with no feelings in my legs? Playing beach footvolley, partying, crazily enjoying life?"

  Mark tries to reach out to Klaus, mumbling about how he feels like a worm because of everything and, in a moment of anger, Klaus throws the rest of the wine in his glass in Mark's face, saying sarcastically, "A toast to our friendship. You don't ever need to come looking for me again, I've survived without you. I don't need your guilt, and especially not your pity."

  Klaus leaves the table under the shocked wary look of some of the guests in nearby tables that saw the mess that happened.

  "I'm sorry, I got to go. I'm so sorry about all of this. Excuse me." I get up quickly and apologize to Kelly and Fernanda.

  Klaus rolls his chair fast across the ballroom and when I finally reach him he's almost at the exit with Renato next to him, arguing with his dad is insisting in talking with him.

  "Klaus, I had no idea you were going to be here. I need to talk with you."

  "If your talk ends in real signs, Mr. Chico Schneider, I’ve already given you my answer. Stop gambling on those piece of shit casinos, or the tracks, and there will be enough money left over to invest in whatever scheme you're trying to pull
me into to. I don't want to go into business with you. And to tell you the truth, I just wanted some peace and quiet. Can you help me with that, Dad?"

  "Don't be sarcastic with me, Klaus. I just wanted to have a conversation with you. After all we're father and son, and you're the only child I have."

  "You mean son, right?" Klaus says angrily confronting his father. "Because as far as I know, Úrsula is very much alive and she's your daughter. Or am I mistaken? When you kicked her out of the house I should've taken a stand. I should've stood next to her, I was silent when I should've supported my sister when she needed it. Aren't you ashamed with what you're doing with her? Poisoning your friends so they don't hire her. Sabotaging your own daughter. Úrsula is an amazing lawyer, she shouldn't have been fired from Gouveia's firm like that. I know you’re closing doors for her. Don't you feel any remorse?" Klaus asks, incensed.

  "Me? Playing dirty? Dirty is what she did, dragging our name through the mud by cozying up to that cheap dyke. She should've thought of the consequences when she humiliated us in front of all our friends. Your mom was never invited for anything after what Úrsula did. People talk, they're cruel, and Débora didn't deserve it."

  "The one that didn't deserve it was Úrsula. I'm not going to stay here discussing character with you. Now, if you excuse me, this night has been hard enough. Leave me alone, Dad, please. Just leave me alone."

  Chico Schneider sees me approaching and starts yelling at Klaus, "You're treating us like that because of this girl, aren't you? Well, I want to see you being so flippant when you're all alone. Don't fool yourself, Klaus. Sooner or later she's going to get tired of playing nurse and leave you high and dry. When she takes all your money, she'll dump you, just like Cláudia and all the others did. And all you'll have left is you family. Nothing else."

  "Don't talk about me, sir, because you don't know me." I raise my voice, defending myself from the Klaus's father's attacks. "I don't live for money, like you do. Don't insult me with hurtful comparisons."