No Ordinary Love, Part 3, chapter 208
208
It’s strange how man just gets used to something, gets this feeling he knows someone, like some poem by heart and then bam! Surprise! Shock, everything you know starts crumbling like under the great violent waves of flood and hurricane.
“Darling, you know what Kai’s reading at the moment?” I asked my lovely careless wife who was playing with our beautiful daughter.
“Mhmm, and?” she charmingly replied.
“You said it’s ok to read it at that age?” I asked as I sat in big comfy armchair and lit myself a cigarette.
“Sure,” she confirmed. “I’d rather have him read about explicit meaningless sex and alcoholism in books than listening about it only one side of the story from real people,” she pointed out. “and who’s better than good old Charles to explain how vain and pointless such behaviour is?” she simply concluded.
“That makes sense,” I agreed after giving it some thought.
“Have Nik, Ana and little Ema arrived yet?” she returned.
“Yeah, they’re unpacking upstairs,” I confirmed taking a long drag.
I watched her carefully as she seemed so wrapped in Ari, oblivious to anything around her. It seemed like there’s nothing in this world to worry about. Like we’re alone, like two bodyguards haven’t just passed by the window walking rounds outside our house. If I wouldn’t know better, I’d thought this day like any other perfect calm one.
“Love?”
She tilted her head to me as she heard me calling her.
“How come you know so much about things like this?” I asked. Surely she had read millions of books but… “I mean about this legal/police/crime things?” That always made me wonder. Ever since the first day she displayed that side of her.
“You forgot I had a cop in my family?” she returned then turned her head away and looked at Ari. “Not to mention that I grew up in a country where you’re everything but safe. Dog eat dogs kind of thing.”
“No, I haven’t,” I returned then I leaned over and pushed her arms chair to turn around so I’d look her in the face. “But all this? This is from all the detective novels you read, and it’s not from some ancient corrupted little cop’s life either. This is bigger. This is like national security or FBI, CIA kind of thing.”
She bit her lower lip then sat Ari in her lap, readjusting her shirt. “You wouldn’t believe if I told you I learned it on the net, would you?” she grinned for a brief moment and I chuckled a little no shaking my head.
“Come on, that would make me like a real dumbass,” I joked as she put Ari down on the floor so she could practice crawling or walking whatever she preferred.
Sweetie leaned and took the cigarette from between my fingers and inhaled the smoke. Ok, the breast feeding is over, I figured so I lit myself another one.
“How much has Eli told you about her life before Bam?” she asked exhaling the smoke.
“Not much,” I shrugged. I remembered she was sold by her father to some guy who abused her for years until she met Sweetie who saved her. “Just the things she told to all of us that day she ran away.”
“Well,” she sighed. “that means you don’t know even half of it,” she said leaning back in her armchair.
“Let me guess, it’s not your story to tell, right?” I wasn’t angry. I knew very well how Sweetie felt about keeping her word to her best friend and respecting her privacy. “Ok, I won’t push.”
“Actually, I can tell you,” she pointed out. “Technically, that part is my own story as well so I’m free to share.”
“And I have to promise never to even think of mentioning it in front of Eli,” I peacefully made my own conclusion.
“Or anyone for that matter,” she added. “Seriouslly.”
“Ok,” I nodded reading on her face that I’m just about to hear something very dark and hard for her to talk about and that it’s not a joke.
“Remember Switzerland? Those two guys we met there?”
“Vaguely,” I still was able to make the siluethes of two guys who openly threatened to kills us both. But I remembered seeing Sweetie for the first time in her fierless mode, dealing with it like it’s nothing and winning it.
“Remember how I told you I made some friends there at the police?”
I nodded again as she leaned forward and pulled another drag of her cigarette.
“Shit, I’m probably just confusing you,” she shook her head. “Eli missed out the very big part of her life but she had a good reason for it,” she began. “I don’t think she’ll ever tell it to anyone. George doesn’t even know about it. Anyway, at some point in her life, Eli met this guy, Mark. She fell for him, thought he’s really in love with her. He took her in and was a real prince charming, so Eli never really noticed what was going on around her. She thought that Mark had this big happy hippie community or something of that kind. Until one day Mark thought it’s time for Eli to give something back for house and hold services he was providing for her. he knew she’s naïve but that she won’t be easy so he tied her and drugged her for days, just until the addiction developed,” she paused a little put out her cigarette and lit another one. “He brought few of his ‘friends’ and they… you know…”
I nodded, as I swallowed big lump feeling the anger built inside of me.
“Over night everything changed for her. Mark was her pimp, and if she refused to do as he says he’d beat her up. Whenever she tried to escaped he’d caught her and be even more cruel. She was lucky he was somehow weak on her. Eli saw him killing two girls that tried to ran away,” she paused again. “I met her during that period. Anyway, I did all I could to help her get out of it, but the more I tried the more people died.”
She closed her eyes to fight back the tears and I took her left hand between my palms and gently squeezed trying to say that I’m here for her.
“I’m sorry, love.”
“I’m not,” she opened her eyes and shook her head. “They all sold her out for a fix or something like that so I guess they got what they deserved,” she wipped her eyes and continued. “by that time I learned all I could about police and laws there. I got in contact with any service that could give me any kind of info of how to get her out of there. I got in touch with this cop, a senior inspector for prostitution. He saw a good chance in my contact with Eli to nail Mark. Turned out he was trying to get to him for a long time but always end up with nothing. I told him about Eli’s good heart and her sad story, only those parts that I knew would make him feel sorry for her so she wouldn’t end up in jail. I sent him her photo I knew he’ll instantly get attatched to her. See, Eli’s face, that innocent, childlike, angelic face was her best asset as well as the cause of her misfortune. In Mark’s world that was a sure sign sick people will pay any money you want to get her, they all wanted her. In that cop’s world, Eli’s kind of face was something you’d do anything to protect,” she paused again.
I could related and understand that desire to protect Eli once you lay your eyes on her. she seemed like a big innocent child. I never heard her say anything like an adult people can. She was one big bundle of joy, full of energy. I never saw her angry, bitchy anything like that. That childish face fit perfectly to her tiny frame. She seemed like frozen in time, in best years of her childhood.
“That inspector Theodor, he helped me a great deal. Thanks to him I managed to fly over and get Eli out of that brothel, take her to this place on the other side of the town that I thought is safe. Right after I got Eli out, the police broke in and all hell broke lose. They arrested lot of people but Mark was nowhere to be found. I made mistake, leaving Eli alone at that shitty apartment and went out to get her something to eat. I stepped out for fucking fifteen minutes and he found her. when I got back, he was lying motionless on the floor, blood everywhere, gun just few inches away from him. Eli was coruched in the corner, arms wrapped around her, rocking herself, eyes staring at nothing, she was so out of it. I didn’t even ask her what happened it was obvious. He broke in, they fought she somehow got the gun from him and shot,” she was back in that time, back in that apartment, witnessing that scene all over again. Tears that came this time from her eyes, came silently unnoticed and I moved over to wrap my arms around her. “I made her calm down,” she continued, “all I could think of is to call Theodor. I was ready to tell him it was me who killed him. I just couldn’t let her spend the rest of her life in jail over such bastard like Mark. For me it was like he won again and I was ready to do anything not to give him that satisfaction. Luckily, Theodor thought the same. He came alone as I asked him to, listened my version of me killing Mark and he knew I was lying. I tried to convince him but he said he won’t let me do that. He took the gun, put it in the plastic bag and in his pocket. He told me to take Eli and leave and he’ll take care of everything else. I asked him what he’ll do and he told me not to worry that police will look for us. ‘Guys like Mark get killed every day. And we never find the murderer to thank him.’ That’s what he said precisely. He said that, we shouldn’t leave town just lay low. He said how Mark had both rivals and followers. Once they learn of his death and if Eli as his most precious assent is gone missing, they’ll hunt her. That’s how Eli ended up in that shitty ghetto. It was the most suitable thing to do according to Theodor.”
The best way to hide is in the open, I thought to myself.
“He had it watched, expecting people to come looking for Eli. And he was right. He got six more big pimps arrested. His career never flourished like that,” she smiled. “I read in papers the morning after Mark was shoot how police found no evidence at the crime scene that might give them any lead to finding his killer. Allegidly, they suspected some of the rival gangs. Of course, no one was ever arrested for that case made no progress beyond that article in the paper.”
“That’s not so surprising,” I said more to myself.
“Anyway, Eli felt somehow safe there and refused to leave,” she continued. “Even when a ghost resurfaced she still stayed there.”
“What ghost?” I asked then it downed on me. “That guy that we ran into there? The one that threatened us?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “He was released from jail a year later. Eli called Theodor as soon as she saw him there so she got protection again.”
“So, Theodor is your main source of info?” I asked more like I concluded.
“Well, since we’re being open about it, for the most part yeah,” she nodded.
“So there’s more?”
“You know, when you have friends that used to get in lot of trouble, drugs, even crime, the only way to keep them safe is to learn how to play that game, learn all the rules,” she said. “I’m a quick learner, you know.”
“Yeah, that you surely are,” I agreed then kissed her forehead pulling her closer to me. She rest her head on my chest. I told her more than hundred times how amazing she was, and even more times I wondered will I ever get to the end of her story, finally learn all the details, put all pieces of puzzle called Sweetheart together? So I kept that thought for myself. However, I was slowly making peace with myself that maybe that’s the best part of our relationship. I could never take her for granted, never get too relaxed and think I can pdo whatever for I can predict each of her reaction.
“You scared?” she asked.
“No,” I didn’t lie, I felt that way with her in that moment. She raised her eyes at me. “I’m never scared with you around.”
She remained silent and kept her gaze like he needed more than what I’ve just said to be fully convinced.
“I trust you,” I began slowly running my fingers through her hair, combing it. “I surrended my life into your hands the moment we kissed. You never gave me any reason to want it back ever since. I know you thought it all through. You always do.”
“I love you,” she gasped and pulled me into deep kiss. She kissed me like this is supposed to be our last one we’ll ever share. She shuddered and shivered, her limps trembled as her fingers shakingly tugged the back of my head. My arms wrapped around her, the world stopped moving, I wanted her, wanted to take her right there. I picked her up holding her around her waist, crouched my legs and let my knees connect with the floor. Carefully, so I wouldn’t break the kiss, I pushed her and lowered her on her back, feeling her legs instantly lock around my waist. My heart was beating so hard I felt it in my temples, my head was going dizzy, frantic with desire, as her cold fingers pushed under my shirt and trailed over my back.
“Oh, shit.”
The kiss broke abruptly as both Sweetie and I spun our heads at the direction of where the voice came from. Nik stood there frozen, embarrassed, his eyes wondering somewhere between floor and Ari.
Ari! My eyes darted at little child who stared at us very interested. My eyes looked back at Sweetie, scanned her to check if she was maybe inappropriately half undressed, she wasn’t so I rolled off of her, fixing my shirt. That was all I could do, the problem in my pants wasn’t so mendable.
“Oh, fuck, I’m sorry,” Nik mumbled and rushed out, closing the door behind him.
I looked at Sweetie whose eyes still held that lustful look, her face was flushed with red, her lips lightly swollen. I reached out my hand for her to take so I can help her get up. She took it but pulled me down, throwing me off my balance but I managed to pushed my hands on both sides of her and prevent myself from hitting her. We both began to laugh, then shared a few short innocent kisses.
“You naughty woman,” I teased. “You made me forgot our daughter’s here.”
“Yeah? I thought you did that to me,” she returned then lightly pushed me off. Her eyes fell on my crouch. “How you’re doing?” she asked moving over to Ari who still stared.
“I’ll be fine in few minutes,” I said putting my hands on my knees trying the exercise of taking deep breaths, that sometimes helps with getting the boner down. It was slowly working so I continued.
“Sorry, love, mom and dad were a little… bad,” she talked to Ari, picking her up in her arms. “You’ll get used to it, I promise.”
“No, she won’t,” I chuckled shaking my head. I was almost good as new again so I straightened up and walked over to them. “When around her you and I are going to sit on the far ends. The farthest. Deal?”
“No, no way,” Sweetie instantly shook her head.
“Gosh, you’re not helping, you know,” I frowned.
“I don’t want to,” she grinned. “You should go find Nik,” she said as we walked out of office.
Without a word, I started towards his room. I knocked on his door and I could swear I heard him jump behind them and he definitively seemed startled when I entered. He was uncomfortable. It seemed all turned upside down. I should feel like he was not the other way round. Yet I was perfectly calm.
“Um… I’m sorry, man,” he said scratching his head nervously, playing with cigarette between his fingers.
“I should actually, thank you for that,” I said walking over to his bed and sat down.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” he returned with a chuckle.
“Serioussly, we totally forgot Ari was there. If you didn’t come in… well, we’d probably fuck there in front of her and realized it only later when it’s too late,” I honestly said.
“You forgot she was there?” Nik laughed.
“Yeah, we talked, she was behind our back not making a single sound… you know how it goes,” I shrugged.
“Umm, no I don’t,” he assured me. “I never had a girl in the same room with my girlfriend so…”
“You’ll see one day you have your own.”
“Just one thing,” he said then he looked me in the eyes. “How do you guys do it? After all these years and two kids, you’re still…”
“Having sex?” I giggled. “It’s not that complicated, you know. Guy’s thing goes into girl’s thing, they move against each other…”
“Really? Wow, I had no idea,” he played like he’s really just had some kind of epiphany. “fuck you, that’s not what I meant.”
“I know, I couldn’t resist,” I returned.
“Seriously, man,” he turned back to his original interest. “How do you keep it going?”
“We’re in love, that’s how,” I shrugged.
“Yeah, but for ten years? How do you keep yourself in love with someone that way and that long?”
“Wow, ten years?” I asked myself and did some basic math in my head. From one point of view it seemed like we’re together for eternity, from the other like it’s been just a year or two. But actually, Nik was right. It was ten years. Well actually nine.
“So?”
“I don’t do anything,” I defended myself. “She’s the one who keeps me falling for her over and over.”
“And what do you do to keep her in that state?”
“Nothing. Apparently, she thinks I’m the hottest guy she’s ever met,” I grinned.
“Oh, fuck you, I’ll find the answer elsewhere,” he shook his head and turned his back on me returning to his cigarette.