Josie was leaning against me, holding each toy up for me to see. I refused to argue in front of him. Truthfully, I was afraid of how Miguel would respond to me if I voiced my opinion. I had never had that fear before, but it was alive and growing now.
Deciding against upsetting Josie, I nodded my head and began playing with my son.
After putting his shoes on, and grabbing his wallet, Miguel walked over to the bed and kissed my head.
“I love you, Mel.” Not giving me time to respond, most likely knowing that it wouldn’t be very nice, he reached over and ruffled Josie’s hair while our little boy giggled and ducked his head.
“Take care of your mommy today, little guy.”
Standing, he gave me a sad smile, then turned and walked away.
It was four in the afternoon and I was ready to go crazy. With no TV, Internet, phone, or anything remotely entertaining, I had to sit and wait until Josie woke up from his nap. With Miguel gone, Josie was my only source of entertainment.
I didn’t know what this meeting was that Miguel was going to with Osan. Heck, I didn’t know much of anything that was going on right now. But I did know he was gone all day, and that was more like a business conference than a meeting.
I did my “duties” though. Dinner was in the oven, and I made sure our mess was cleaned up. Even though we were provided with toys and books, I hated being stuck inside the house all day. I knew Miguel asked me not to leave without him, but after we went on a walk last night with Osan, and I now knew where the property ended, it wasn’t like I didn’t know my way around already. Plus, I wasn’t leaving, simply getting some fresh air.
After a quick mental debate, one that took all of three seconds, I decided to take Josie outside when he woke up and let him run in the sunlight to get some fresh air. Honestly, I needed the fresh air more than he did.
An hour later, we were on our way down the stairs, eagerly making our way to the back door. Walking across a concrete patio that was adorned with tropical plants and cacti, I went to a patch of grass and spread a blanket that I’d brought outside with us. It was a perfect place for Josie and me to relax, but he had other plans.
As soon as I spread the blanket out and lay down, he saw the freedom to run and took off. Laughing at his cute, energetic spirit, I hurried and caught up to him, grabbing him from behind. I was rewarded with a giggling and squirming two year old.
Tangled in each other’s arms, we fell to the ground together where the tickling monster took over. He repeated his bold run and escape routine a few times, before I noticed we had come to the base of a small hill. Glancing back toward the house, I saw that we had traveled a good distance. We hadn’t gone this way last night and I wondered if the hill was part of Osan’s property or not, but the curiosity of what was at the top convinced me that I didn’t care.
Holding Josie’s hand, we pretended to be mountain climbers scaling an unknown territory, and started climbing the hill. It took about ten minutes to climb since it was steep, and Josie’s legs were little, but once we reached the top, the view was astonishing.
I could see at least a couple miles in every direction. There were fields and trees scattered along three sides of the property and directly in front of the hill, about two or three miles away, was a small town. I couldn’t make out anything specific, but I could see people, small cars, and motorbikes moving around everywhere. We must not have come through that way when we arrived, because I never noticed any buildings during our drive here. But there were a good number of them down there and plenty of areas that looked like farmer’s markets set up.
I stood there imaging what kind of things they sold, wondering about getting Joan something to take home with us, and even considered what kind of flowers they might have. Looking past the marketplace, I could see the top of a huge temple dome in the distance. The sunlight glistened off the top of it, making it appear like it was made of gold and diamonds. I was so engrossed in explaining what I saw to Josie, that I didn’t notice Miguel had run up behind us until he was yelling at me.
“What are you doing out here?” His voice boomed out from behind me. He sounded so angry that I nearly dropped Josie.
I turned around and saw him trying to catch his breath, his eyes staring daggers at me. His run didn’t keep him from continuing his reprimand of my activities at all.
“I told you not to leave the house without me, Mel. I specifically asked you to do one thing. One thing!” He yelled even louder, causing Josie to hide his head in my shoulder again.
He may have asked me not to go anywhere without him, but I didn’t think that included the grounds outside. And I knew I asked him not to yell in front of Josie again and here he was, doing it.
I took one look at him and started walking back down the hill toward the house. I refused to argue like this in front of our son who was going to have surgery in a few days. He didn’t deserve to be scared of anything else.
Going downhill was much easier and faster. I almost felt like I was sprinting away due to the momentum I was getting. Miguel must have thought so too, because he jogged down to catch up with us and grabbed my arm to pull me to a stop.
I was going so fast, that when he jerked on my arm, I lost my balance and tripped over a rock. My foot slipped and I began to fall with Josie in my arms. I cradled his head to my chest, trying to protect him, and fell hard on my side. I heard a loud crack, felt the pain in my temple, and saw the sky, then the bushes, the sky again, the dirt, and then the sky when I came to a stop. I must have rolled. The pain was excruciating and I could hardly keep my eyes open, but I had to know if Josie was okay.
Slowly lifting my head, I looked down at the boy in my arms. Somehow, my hands that wrapped around his head at last minute and my arms keeping him close to my body protected him, because other than a few smudges of dirt he looked fine. His eyes wide, he looked at me fearfully, as he reached his hand out and touched my forehead. I winced from the pain it caused, then noticed his hand pull back, blood covering his fingertips.
“Uuud.” He looked inquisitively at the red fluid that coated his fingers.
“Yes, blood honey. Mommy has a boo-boo.” His fingers were dripping with the red stuff and I wondered how bad it was.
“Damn it Mel, what have you done?” Miguel came roaring down the hill, yelling at me again.
What did I do? I had news for him, I didn’t do anything, he did this!
As much as I wanted to respond and tell him what a total asshole he was becoming, I couldn’t. The pain started throbbing and I felt like I was going to be sick. I laid my head back and closed my eyes. I kept a good hold of Josie with my arms, but had to rest a little.
“Oh my God, Mel.” Was that compassion I heard?
I didn’t open my eyes to find out, I could’ve cared less. I felt him reach down and lift Josie from my arms, then crouch beside me, putting his fingertips to my neck. Obviously he thought I might have died. Good, served him right to worry.
“Mel! Can you hear me?” His voice demanded I answer.
I didn’t care. The pain was so bad I didn’t want to utter a single sound or make any movements.
“Oh God…oh my God.” Was the last thing I heard before the light that shone through my closed eyelids disappeared and blackness swallowed me.
When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that I was in our bed, and it was dark outside. I was really making a habit out of this passing out during daylight and waking up after dark. Then I felt the pain, the intense shooting pain from one temple to the other.
Slamming my eyelids closed again, I grabbed my forehead, trying to squeeze the pain away. I rolled onto my side, bringing my knees up to my chest, as I curled into a fetal position. I could hear some kind of movement behind me, but even that sound made it hurt worse.
“Mel?” Miguel was here. His voice was a complete contrast to earlier today, he sounded soft and loving. I felt the bed dip as he sat on the edge and his hand came over to touch my shoulder.
&nb
sp; “Don’t touch me,” I whispered. Even that made me want to throw up from the sudden increase in pain it caused.
“Okay, sorry.” He replied and took his hand away.
I couldn’t think about anything except the pain. I started rocking back and forth, moaning, as the tears began sliding down my cheeks. The pressure was horrible. I thought my head might explode any minute.
“Please let me help you, Mel.”
Help me? Did he want to throw me down the hill again? Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew he didn’t actually throw me earlier, but his anger is what caused this, and I couldn’t help but blame him.
“It… hurts… so… bad.” I said between sobs.
I felt the bed lift as Miguel got up, then heard our door open and close. He came back a few minutes later with a cold washcloth, some ice, a glass of water, and medicine.
“Can you try to sit up and take this? I know it’ll hurt, but the medicine is strong and will help with the pain.”
I struggled. The room spun when I finally got to an upright position and I had to sit there for a moment before swallowing the pills. I didn’t ask what they were. If they’d help with the pain, I would’ve taken tranquilizers.
I drank most of the water and slowly laid myself back down. Miguel reached his hand behind my head and helped ease me back to the pillow. Placing the ice inside washcloth, he held it to my temple. The pressure hurt, but I knew it would help with the pain and swelling, so I let him hold it there and closed my eyes.
“Where’s Josiah, Miguel? I want my son.”
I didn’t want that idiot, cruel monster spending so much time with him. Who knew what he might try to teach him if we weren’t nearby. I didn’t trust him at all.
“Osan has him. He turned one of the empty bedrooms into a playroom and filled it with toys today.”
Well, wasn’t he mother-fucking Mary Poppins now!
Oh God, the pain shot through my head as my anger grew. It was like a bulldozer plowing into me.
“Shhh, don’t worry. I’ll go get him in a minute when the medicine starts working. Just let me hold this on here a little longer.”
I couldn’t say no. I couldn’t do anything. I felt a few more tears fall down my cheeks, followed by Miguel’s finger wiping them off, as I lay there helplessly.
“I’m sorry, Mel. You have no idea how sorry I am.”
He certainly was apologizing a lot, lately. That was my last thought before I passed out again.
CHAPTER 19
When I woke again, the sun was shining outside. Miguel must have closed the drapes, because I only saw slivers of the sun’s rays shining through, but even that small amount made my head hurt again. It wasn’t as intense as yesterday, but it still hurt extremely badly.
Regardless, I hadn’t woken up all night and really needed to use the bathroom. Making my way off the bed and hurrying across the room, I noticed how eerily silent everything was, the only sound my shuffling feet.
Walking into the bathroom, my attention was caught by the image in the mirror. Leaner over the sink, I looked closer and couldn’t believe how awful I appeared. There wasn’t any swelling, but the entire left side of my face was bruised and I had a lovely gash on my temple. I tried to touch it, but that hurt too much. I doubted make-up would help much at this point, so I finished in the bathroom and decided to go find Josie. I may have been in pain, but he was the only thing I wanted.
Nobody was in our room, so I opened the door and walked down the hall. I could hear chattering and giggles echoing from the next room, filling me with a peace only my son could give me.
Still in pain, I slowly made my way to the doorway, and noticed a safety gate set up in the doorframe. I was thankful for that, it was one thing less I’d have to worry about. I climbed over, careful not to jostle my head, and went inside.
I expected to find Miguel playing with Josie like he always did if I felt ill, but that’s not what I found. The room was filled with toys. There was a large plastic house that was big enough for Josie and I to go inside, a racetrack on one side of the room, and endless amounts of smaller toys scattered everywhere.
I wanted to be happy for Josie, but I knew where it all came from. That alone, made me want to burn everything. But what surprised me was seeing the young man who had been our chauffeur when we arrived. He was hanging upside down, halfway off the bed, while Josie was tickling him.
“Excuse me, where’s my husband?” I tried to sound as friendly as I could, knowing that whatever reason my husband wasn’t here was not his fault, but between the pain in my head and the anger over Miguel, it didn’t come out very nice.
The young man jumped off the bed and hurried over to me.
“I’m sorry, Miss, I didn’t see you there. We were just playing zoo animals in here. Your son is amazing.”
I knew that. What I didn’t know was where his father was and why a stranger was watching him.
“Where is Miguel, please?”
“Oh yes, sorry. He and Mr. Osan went to town.”
“Town?”
“Yes, Miss. They left about an hour ago and should be back soon. They said they had to get some medicine and a few other things.”
Medicine I could understand since I could feel the pain radiating through my head, but did they need to hold hands while they went? I needed my husband and my son needed his dad!
“Okay, well, if you don’t mind, I’ll take over in here with Josiah and you can go,” I paused, trying to figure out what to tell him, “You can go do whatever you do.”
“Miss? I’m sorry, but Mr. Osan told me that under no circumstances was I to leave the boy. No matter what.”
He was lucky I was in so much pain and had to use the wall for support. Otherwise, I would’ve been throwing his ass down the stairs right now. I gritted my teeth and stared directly at his eyes.
“Well, Mr. Osan is not his mother, I am. I will take care of my own child!”
There was no more being nice. I’m sure I never succeeded in the first place, but now it was clear that I wasn’t even trying.
“Well, Miss…”
I cut him off and moved toward Josie.
“Miss nothing. Leave us now!”
I knew I shouldn’t raise my voice. The pain instantly increased, but this little scrawny punk was not telling me I couldn’t have my son.
Yet, he just stood there, staring at me in confusion. Yes, I was a woman and I was telling him what to do. I wasn’t from his country and I had every right to. Still, somewhere inside my heart, I felt bad for what Osan might say to him for disobeying his orders. I took a deep breath and calmed my voice.
“I’ll tell Osan that I forced you to leave. I’ll make it clear that you tried everything not to. So don’t worry.”
“Oh, thank you, Miss. I couldn’t handle it if…well, I’m thankful. I do hope your head feels better today. If you need anything, I will be downstairs.”
“Actually, would you mind bringing me some water and see if there is any pain medicine?” I hated to ask after yelling at him.
“Yes, Miss. I’ll be right back.”
********
About hour later, I heard Miguel and Osan come in. Josie and I were back in our room and I was getting him ready for a nap. The door was open to the hall and I could faintly hear the men’s voices. They were speaking in a different language, but it was obvious that they were light-hearted words. The two men getting along oddly well. What was I missing? How did that happen?
I decided then, that, no matter what happened, Miguel was talking to me today. Too much time was passing and I was still clueless. Pain or not, we were having this discussion.
I was walking back and forth in Josie’s room, his little body tucked in my arms as I sang a lullaby to him, when I heard Miguel enter. He didn’t come near us, he leaned against the doorframe and watched. I sang a few more verses then laid our sleeping boy in his bed.
After placing pillows around him again, I brushed past Miguel and went directl
y to the sofa. Reading my nonverbal cues, Miguel followed and after I sat, he came around and crouched in front of me. Raising his hand to touch my injury, I turned my face away. I didn’t want him touching me. It hurt, but I also wasn’t ready to accept his compassion.
“Does it hurt bad?” he asked softly as he moved to sit beside me.
“Yes.”
“Do you want some medicine?”
“No.”
He sighed. “Mel, I’m sorry.”
I turned my head to look at him. Sorry for what exactly? That’s what I’d like to know.
“Well, Dr. Sandviel, what exactly are you apologizing for?” My voice had a sharp edge to it, but considering some of the things I’d thought of saying to him, that was actually quite nice.
He looked away from me and stared down at his feet. “I didn’t try to make you fall, Mel. I just wanted you to stop when you were running away from me. I was so angry with you for disobeying. I shouldn’t have grabbed your arm like that. I’m sorry.”
All I heard was the word “disobey.” Really? Now I was like a child to him?
Miguel turned back toward me and I knew it was now or never. Josie was asleep and I wanted to get all of this out and over with.
“First of all, I’m not a child and I don’t obey or disobey. I never knew you were that kind of man to expect me to be obedient.” He opened his mouth to speak, but I kept going. “Second, I want to know what’s going on. Ever since your brother arrived, you’ve been completely different. You’ve never told me what was said when the two of you were in the kitchen, you never told me why you’re going to these meetings now, or why you’re spending so much time with Osan. I need to know what’s happening in our lives. Even if you think that I’m only a woman and don’t deserve to know, I want to know now! I don’t even know exactly what day our son’s surgery is on. Do you think you could be kind enough to share some of your information with me? And last, don’t you ever leave our son with a stranger again!”
Twisted Truths & Leveled Lies Page 18
