by S. S. Sahoo
“Sit here and no drama” he told me and went away with one of the bodyguard leaving one behind with me. I sat on the chair in the waiting room and waited for him to come back.
After few minutes, he came back and we boarded the plane. I guess we were going in a normal plane this time.
I never tried to escape but now I am thinking to change the fact.
While entering the airport I saw many police officers. I could easily get help from them or maybe if I get to inform one of the air attendants then I think they might help me by informing the police. But for that I need to remain extra cautious. Because I was dealing with a Mafia man.
I was wary all the time when we were boarding and when we reached the plane. I tried to get some attention from the officers but when they looked at me they smiled at me like I was a normal passenger. I huffed at them and even was ready to run to them but if it wasn’t for Zachary holding my wrist all the time.
When we entered the plane, it was my time. I thought maybe I could inform the air hostess but Zachary didn’t forget to pull me with him by my waist.
“Jerk!”
He made me sit on the window side and I clenched my jaw removing the sunglasses and scarf.
Now there was no way for me to escape.
“If you don’t know then let me tell you this is my Plane” I heard his voice and I stiffened hearing it.
“I see your every chance to escape went in vain for you” He said in a calm tone but a hint of tease was evident which made my blood boil.
I balled my palms into a fist and clenched my jaw.
“Useless” I muttered but this time it was meant for me not for him.
After sitting for two and half an hour we landed.
I came to know that we were going to Romania.
Avram Iancu Cluj International Airport.
It was a surprise for me to know that Cluj was his hometown in Romania. I knew about Cluj. Cluj was relatively less than any other place in level of crime and a man like Zachary lived here. I thought maybe he belonged from England or maybe USA but I guess you can never judge anyone just from their name.
We were immediately circled by reporters as soon as we reached the airport.
“Mr. Sullivan who is she?” one of them asked.
“Mr. Sullivan is the rumor true that you got married secretly to your childhood sweetheart?” another one asked to which I scoffed at them.
“What is going on? Isn’t he a criminal? Then why is he surrounded by reporters like he is a celebrity?” I thought to myself.
“Is she the girl Mr. Sullivan?”
“What was the reason for you get married secretly?”
They kept on shooting our pictures and bombarded us with questions which were utterly nuisance for me. Soon some guards encircled us and they pushed stubborn reporters out of the way.
“Mr. Sullivan! Mr. Sullivan please answer to us” The reporters shouted trying to get to us only to be blocked by the guards.
Somehow we managed to get out of the airport and we got into our car to which the reporters ran after us when the car began to move. As we left those people behind I looked back at Zachary thinking he might answer what was going on there but as usually I found him busy typing something on his phone. I crossed my arms across my chest and kept my mouth shut and waited patiently to wherever he was taking me.
I have learnt one thing from the day I met him that he is the worst husband in this world.
12
“Okay so here goes nothing” I mustered up the courage within me as we came to a halt before a huge mansion.
“Damn! They are rich” I thought as I looked towards the white mansion when we passed the main gate. The guards bowing in respect to Zachary who just raise his hand and gave a curt nod in response.
I began to fidget with my fingers as I felt the bile rising inside me.
“What now?” I thought.
Maybe as he said earlier his parents live here. That means they too have an idea about his business. More precisely underworld business.
I gulped at the thought that maybe they are too connected with the sinful business as he is and possibly the huge mansion before me is the result of their not so hardworking. My eyelashes began to flutter and shockingly every time they fluttered the white paint of the mansion looked red to my eyes. Probably my thoughts of thinking them as criminal.
I wonder what his parents really look like.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I find a dangerous looking man with few scar marks on his face and a cold personality standing next to him as Zachary’s parents.
The more we got closer towards the mansion the more wildly my heart beat began to rise and certainly it raise so much that I was able to hear my own heart beat. Anxiety was piling up inside me with full force. The only I wanted was a...
The car stopped before the entrance of the mansion and a man came to open the door of our car for us. Zachary was first to get out.
I kept sitting not moving. It wasn’t as if I could move or something because I was frozen. My legs and hands were cold and shaking due to anxiety building inside me. The soles of my shoes suddenly felt wet due to sweating.
“Come out” Zachary said as he looked inside the car towards me.
I shifted on my position and crawled towards the opened door to get out. As soon as my feet touched the ground I shivered due to chilled air. My legs wobbled and I held onto the car’s door to lift myself up.
“What’s wrong with you now?” Zachary asked and somewhat for a mere second I thought that perhaps he was being worried about me but immediately I was proven wrong.
“Don’t think that I’m going to carry you. You are heavy” he said and I swear to God in that moment the only think I wanted was to punch him hard on his face.
“Go to hell” I enunciated each word clearly and filled with venom.
The only think he did was to roll his eyes and he tugged his jacket and walked towards the door.
With utter difficulty I tried to stand straight and walked towards the entrance.
“So annoying” I heard him whisper and he even huffed at me.
“Moron” I cursed him in my mind. I made my way and stood next to him not knowing what to do.
“Ah! So you are my daughter-in-law, so pretty” I heard a feminine voice and turned towards the source to find a woman wearing a beige colored plain gown with braided hair coming towards me. But what shocked me was the man coming after her. The man had black hair with pale skin tone. He had this smile plastered on his face as he joined his wife and together with linking arms both of them walked towards us or more precisely me.
“Oh dear look she has so pretty eyes” she said as she glanced at me from top to bottom and smiled warmly in admiration.
“Indeed” the man spoke.
“Mom” Zachary spoke from beside me and walked towards the woman who was his mother engulfing her in a hug.
“Oh dear! You look so thinner. Have you not taking care of your health lately?” his mother spoke worriedly as she roamed her palms on his face.
“Just work tension” he said as he kissed her hand which made her giggle.
“I see you didn’t even invite your parents let alone inform us about the wedding, son?” the man spoke rather more in a cold tone.
Now that made me shiver in fear. The vibe of standing in the humongous mansion filled with dangerous people suddenly strikes me hard on my face like a slap.
“I already told you. It was the situation” Zachary spoke through gritted teeth.
I wonder what’s the deal between them. Zachary seemed warmer towards his mother than his father.
“Oh now stop it you two. Let’s just forget what happened okay. It’s the first day of our daughter-in-law in our house and she has to see this?” his mother interfered and sighed pushing them aside.
“Now, never in my dreams have I thought that my son loved a woman so much that he chose to marry her not wanting to waste any time” she came towards me and in my
mind I screamed “Love? What?”
“At first I was suspicious at the thought that Zachary married out of love. But now when I see this beautiful woman all my doubts are cleared. No wonder he chose to marry so suddenly” she grinned as she touched my face.
“But I don’t care whatever the situation they got married. I Julia Sullivan accept you my dear as my daughter-in-law. And”
her eyes twinkled with happiness “we are going to have a reception party tomorrow. So it doesn’t matter that we couldn’t attend the wedding but the reception will be more wonderful you both can ever think of” she laughed as she looked towards her husband who nodded in apprehenciation.
“What?” Zachary and I spoke more like screamed at the same time.
“Reception party? But why Mom?” Zachary asked as he came near us.
“Why not? Aren’t you married? And I know you both never had the reception party. So I thought it would be good if we do it here. Our family will be here. We all can make merry. I am so happy that my son has found his other half” she said dreamingly as she smiled probably thinking ahead.
“But Mom-” he was cut off his father.
“Yes that will be good. I will just inform my friends” he took out his phone and began to scroll through his phone.
“Mom-” Zachary was again cut off but this time by his mother.
“I will hear nothing. I don’t understand why are you arguing so much. Do you not want people to know about your marriage? Do you not love your wife?” She asked looking dissapointed all of a sudden.
Zachary stopped what he was going to speak and his father looked up at him curiously eyeing him.
Then Zachary walked towards me and surprised me by wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me tightly to him making me gasp in shock.
“Of course. I love her” he said and my eyes widen in shock. But none of them could see my shocked expression as I was looking at his hand which was wrapped around my waist like a python.
“Oh then the party is final. And look at us we haven’t even introduced ourselves. I’m sure that Zachary must have told you about us but still out of courtesy I am his mother Julia Sullivan” she said and smiled at me which I returned with a polite one of mine.
“And I am Gale Sullivan. His father” he came and stood beside his wife with a small smile on his face.
“Hello, nice to meet you two” I said politely and they smiled nodding at each other.
“Okay I know you two must be tired so go to your room. I have already set it for you two. From today your life begins” she looked dreamingly at me and I tensed up hearing that I will be sharing the same room with Zachary.
“Oh no!” I thought.
My throat felt dry and I began to fidget with my fingers.
“Anxiety! Anxiety! Anxiety” my brain screamed at me.
“Unn Excuse me?” I said with a trembling voice which got their attention. All of them looked at me with questioning eyes because of my trembling voice.
“Can I.. Can I..” my voice trembled even more.
“Dear are you alright?” Zachary’s mom looked worried.
I felt Zachary tightening his grip around me probably warning me not to do anything stupid.
Anxiety was building up inside me. I felt the bile rising. Sweats formed on my palms. My legs wobbled. And to ease that the only thing I wanted from the starting when I came here was “Can I get an Ice cream? Please?” I asked with shaky voice while all the three of them looked at me with a baffled expression.
13
“Do you like it?” Mrs. Julia asked me while I licked the Vanilla ice cream from my spoon.
“Yes ma’am Thank you,” I said and took another spoon of ice cream into my mouth.
“Ma’am?” she asked puzzled and laughed “oh dear!”
“Call me mom. I’m like your mother” she said in a soothing voice that almost made me cry. I missed my mom so badly. I wished to hear her voice for at least once.
Nevertheless, I smiled at the kind woman at me and said in a low voice as it felt strange for me to call another woman as a mom “Thank you, mom”.
She chuckled and held my left hand into her warm ones “Why is your hand so cold?” she asked looking worried.
I stayed quiet biting my tongue and stared at the cup of ice cream before me.
“Should I tell her that her son is the reason of my condition?” I wondered.
“Oh I get it!” suddenly she said in a high tone as if it strike her. I looked at her in confusion.
“You are nervous, right? Because you are meeting your in-laws for the first time” she said and looked as if she solved the hardest puzzle by herself.
“I think I should not,” I thought
I gave her a small smile and merely nodded my head.
“Oh don’t be nervous my dear. I do accept that I was little mad beforehand for Zachary not telling me anything about you and let alone getting married but the moment I saw you there standing with my son looking at him so lovingly all my thoughts and doubts went out of the window” she said making me cringe inwardly.
“Lovingly?” I thought.
“I always wanted a woman who would take care of my son and would love him. I wanted a woman who would give him love which we couldn’t give him when he was young” she paused for a moment making me confused.
“What does she mean?” I wondered.
“Oh,” she exhaled a breath.
“Please ease my heart by promising me that you would take care of my son” suddenly she said making my heart beat vigorously against my chest.
“Please promise me no matter what you will always love him and have trust upon him” she urged and looked at me with pleading eyes.
“Love? Care? Trust?” I thought.
“What am I supposed to do now? Where is that Zachary when he is needed?” I thought.
“I-I” I began to stutter.
“I promise,” I said and in the moment I hated Zachary even more for making me do so.
“Thank you dear” she exhaled a breath and left my hand keeping it on her forehead.
“I am so glad that he found a woman like you” I heard her whisper and my heart clenched “See what you are making me do and look how you are giving fake hopes to your own mother Zachary,” I thought.
I took the spoon and scooped up a spoonful of cold ice cream which was now beginning to melt and put it inside my mouth.
“I have found a weakness of yours” suddenly she said and I turned towards her to find her looking smugly at me.
“You eat ice cream when you are filled with anxiety or when you are nervous right?” she said and I sighed in relief.
“Yes, mom” I smiled nodding at her and she smiled back at me “Just like I like to eat pizza” she whispered but I heard it.
“I guess I found your weakness too,” I said and she looked at me startled and the next moment we both burst out laughing.