The only thing going through my mind was that he had no problem living without me. Me he had walked away from, as far as I knew without looking back.
“No, I'm going to kill her and you are going to watch.”
“What will it help if you kill her?” My mother asked. She couldn't breathe and she could barely talk.
“I'll feel better. Me. Once in my life it would be about me.”
“No it wouldn't. We would have to bury her. Please, don't start our reunion like this. You used to love her so much.” My dad was stepping closer again. He was almost at her side.
The gun was still poking into my head. I was getting a feeling that she was really going to kill me. I had had a lonely childhood, always at my grandmother's. I had missed out on having a sister and now that I found her she wanted to kill me.
I couldn't help but sniffle. I was so confused.
“I'll kill her, and then myself. This way we can both forget everything that happened to us.” Kelly finally sounded happy.
I squinted my eyes shut, expecting the shot any moment now.
I heard the clicking of the gun. My father was jumping towards me. I heard a dog snarl and growl. My hand went to my shoulder. It felt so warm and wet. I looked around trying to understand what had happened in that minute.
“Sandra, are you alright?” Tata was turning my face towards his.
“Tata, you're alive.”
“Yes, I'm here. Can you stand up?” He was holding a pillow against my arm where the bullet had gone through. His hand was covering the other side.
I looked around the room. My mother was trying to get at me and my father had taken Kelly's gun away from her. She was screaming my name over and over as she bawled.
My father was holding her and talking to her so nicely. “It's okay. You didn't kill her. Sandra is going to be alright.” I listened to him apologize to her while she bawled in his arms.
The door was opening and Ivan and three other men came in.
“Kelly is my sister,” I whispered in Tata's ear.
Tata looked over at her and back at me a couple of times. “I knew she had a little sister. She told me that she loved you very much.”
“She loves you more.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. “Sandra, you need to go to the hospital. Stand up with me.”
I obeyed him and he walked me towards the door. My mother was standing in the middle of the room. She would take a step towards me and then one towards Kelly.
“Where are you taking her,” she asked Tata.
“To the hospital,” he replied.
“Will I ever see her again?”
Tata paused for a moment before he sadly nodded. He was walking me past the guards and down the stairs. When I noticed that my dog was at my side.
“My dog is here. You said he couldn't come along.”
“I knew that he would lead me right to you. I went home and got him. Then I drove back to where you were kidnapped away from him. I was surprised when he brought me here but if Kelly is really your sister it makes sense. A woman scorn.”
“I don't think that I can walk anymore.” Everything was getting dark.
Chapter 16
I could feel someone holding my hand. I peeked over to see who it was. I tried to smile when I saw Tata's concerned face. I wanted him to smile too.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” He faked a smile for me.
“Better.” My mouth was really dry. I needed something to drink. “Kelly shot me.”
“I know but she is really sorry about that. She's here. Do you want to talk to her?”
I looked around and saw that we were alone. “She doesn't have her gun anymore, does she?”
“No, your father took it away from her.” His jaw clenched up at the word father.
“Alright then.”
He squeezed my hand tight for a moment and then he got up. My eyes stayed on him as he went to open the door to my hospital room. “She's awake.”
Kelly charged into the room and came over to my side. Her right arm was all bandaged up. “Are you alright?” She moved the blankets so I was covered up perfectly.
“I'm fine. Thank you for asking.”
She looked pained. “I didn't mean it.”
“I know. You were hurting and you wanted to share that.”
“Stop it, Sandra. I don't want you to be so understanding. I don't deserve that.”
“Yes, you do. Someone should start being fair to you.” I tried to sit up a little. “What happened to your arm?”
“Your dog bit me.”
“Wolf? Really? He is normally so nice.”
“I would have killed you if he hadn't. He stopped me from making the biggest mistake in my life.” She sounded so regretful.
I looked at her surprised. She had really pulled the trigger. “I always wanted a sister.” Tears were running down her face.
“I'll be a better sister. I promise. We are all going to go home together. Mom and Dad are going to get us help. We will live together, one happy family. We will stand behind you, no matter what you decide about the baby.”
“Baby?” I looked over at Tata. He was smiling.
“The doctor said you passed out because of the baby and not from being shot.” Kelly was shaking her head. “He was really clear that that wasn't my fault.”
I moved my hand over my tummy. I wanted the baby to be warm. “Is everything alright with the baby?”
“Yes, everything looks just fine,” Tata answered me.
“We have everything under control here. You can leave.” My father was taller than Tata. He had blond brown hair and a fine face but he was mad. His hatred was plain to see.
“I'll leave if Sandra tells me to.” Tata stood his ground and stared back at my father.
“I don't believe this country. How can a person not be arrested for the things you did?”
“He bribed the cops and they left,” Kelly explained to us. “That's normal here, Dad.”
“Well, it shouldn't be. Sandra, tell him to go.”
“But where would he go? He promised to love me forever. He has to stay here to do that.”
“Honey, he kidnapped you. If you get a little distance you'll see that he isn't good for you or for your child.”
“We both wanted this child. We made it with lots of love.”
“If you want to keep it you may but you can't stay with him.”
“But – we belong together.” I couldn't understand what he meant. I looked at Tata. He needed to take control.
“Okay, this is what we are going to do. Both girls are going home with us. They will get help. Sandra is barely pregnant. She doesn't have to make a decision today. Once the doctor gets her head straightened out she will see this all differently.”
“Who are you?” I asked him. I couldn't remember him. He had dropped me like a hot stone. Just like he had Kelly and now he wanted to tell me what to do.
“I'm your father. Your mother and I went through a rough patch there for a while but I'm here now.”
“A rough patch. I haven't seen or heard from you in years. You don't need to show up and pretend to be interested in me now. It's too late.”
“I'm sorry mom but I'm going with him.” I looked at Tata. He looked so relieved. “I know that you will be there for me in future. I want to leave now.”
“I'll call the doctor.” Tata was beaming at me.
“No, that isn't how this works.” My father was turning beet red. If I had ever gotten Tata that mad I would be afraid that he would spank me.
“Yes, it is. She chose me.” Tata wasn't going to back down.
“Listen,” my mother moved in between them. “I think the best thing would be for our family, to take a moment and get to know each other. We have so much to catch up on. Sandra, will be going home with us.”
“But she wants to be with me. I already see us as being married. If it will make you feel better than we will get married in a church. But we have to stay t
ogether. We are a family too.” Tata was trying so hard to sound like he was convinced about what he was saying but I could see that he expected rejection. I wouldn't do that to him.
“Over my dead body will she leave this hospital with you. You are just a criminal. The things Kelly has already told us broke my heart. You are scum. Get away from my family.”
I was about to tell my mom that she couldn't talk to him that way when Tata bowed and turned away and left.
The last thing I saw of him was the heel of his shoe as the door swung closed.
“Why did you do that? I love him.”
My mother wrapped her arms around me and let me cry on her shoulder.
I expected Tata to come back but he never did. My parents got Kelly and I out of the country as quickly as they could. That was magically made easier when my passport turned up at the nurse's station.
I was constantly looking over my shoulder, trying to see if he was anywhere. I didn't spot him. He wasn't at the airport and he wasn't in my hometown either.
Every time the phone rang or the doorbell I hurried to get it. I was afraid that if it was him and I didn't answer that he would hang up and never call back.
Chapter 17
Seven months later I was outside walking around the lake that was behind our house. When I took off like that someone always followed. I was pretending not to see Kelly behind me. We now got along really well. She felt really bad about the scar on my shoulder.
Her therapy was going well the doctor said, but mine wasn't. He told my parents that he feared that I would run away from home. He asked me if I had contact to Daniel, as I was supposed to call him. I told him no. Everyone had wanted me to get rid of the baby. They weren't warming up to it at all. The baby was going to be a boy. I wanted to name him Daniel. Everyone said that that was a very bad idea.
I stopped on the path and looked back to the area where I guessed Kelly was hiding. “Just walk with me. I promise I won't run away.” I was so large that I couldn't walk at all anymore. I was waddling like a penguin.
“Hi, I wanted to go for a walk and I saw you and I didn't want you to think that I was following you so I hid.”
“If that's the version you want to go with, then by all means.” I smiled at her. She was babbling away and lying so badly.
Kelly smiled at me and laid her arm around me. “So how is my little sister feeling today?”
“I'm fine. Everything is going well.”
“Due date is in two weeks. That is so exciting. You are going to be a mom. Unless you change your mind and give the baby up for adoption. No matter what you want we'll stand behind you.”
This whole we talk had started a month after we got home. Kelly was now happy and glad to be home. She was even dating a guy. He would come over to our house and want to talk to her, breaking things as he followed her around the house. He just couldn't watch where he was going when he looked at her.
She looked at him the same way, but she was a lot more classy. I was so happy for her. I had gotten to know her and grown to love her. It often felt like we hadn't been apart at all. She was my best friend. That one person who knew the whole truth and still loved me anyway.
She was so glad that she called my father often and made our parents get back together to get us. My dad had moved back in with us and he was trying to bring the family together. That wasn't a problem for Kelly, she remembered them together but I didn't remember him at all.
At first I avoided him but then I started to give him a chance, like my therapist wanted. He seemed nice enough but he was disappointed that I wanted to keep the baby. He wanted me to go to college and put my past behind me.
I wasn't interested in anything like that. I wanted to have my baby and hold him. I decided that I could figure things out from there. But giving him up for adoption wasn't an option. I would keep him and love him and be there for him. I would never turn my back on him.
Kelly was talking about her boyfriend. She figured that he was going to ask her to marry him soon. They had gone to meet his parents. They of course lied to them about her past. The story was that she had lived with my father and that my parents were now getting back together.
Her boyfriend knew the truth but he didn't mind. He was kind of a nerd. It was clear that a guy like him would have never gotten her under normal circumstances. She wanted him because he was sweet and innocent.
Kelly's cellphone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and smiled. It was clear who it was but she mouthed it's him to me all the same.
He told her that he was at the house. She excused herself and hurried off to see him. I smiled at her as she took off. Once she was gone I continued my walk. It was a nice day. It was warm and there was a nice breeze coming off the lake.
I was half way around the lake when someone called my name. I turned to see who it was. I was surprised to see my dog running towards me. I bent down and hugged him. “Wolf, how did you get here?” I looked around to see if Tata was with him.
Tata was walking towards me. I start to bawl, happy tears. I hurried to him and threw my arms around his neck. “Oh, Tata.”
“Sandra, you are finally alone. I watch you walking every day.” He was crying too.
“Really? You didn't forget me.”
His forehead wrinkled up surprised. “No, I could never forget you. I'm here to take you home. That is if you still want to go with me?”
“Yes, let's go right now. Can we?”
“Yes, I have a car parked at the country club.”
“Okay, but I have to warn you. I'm not very fast.”
“That's fine. He was steering me off with him.”
“You aren't mad at me, are you?”
“No. Are you mad at me?” he asked.
“Sort off. Why did you just leave like that?” That had hurt me so much.
He was quiet for a moment. “I did it for Kelly. She needed you at home so she could get better. She is better now, isn't she?”
“Yes, she had found someone.”
“I guess I was right not to want to marry her.” He helped me move along the gravel path that led to the country club.
“The baby is going to be a boy.”
He paused for a moment. “I had hoped for a girl. One that looked just like you. I just need to readjust my thinking. Do you think I could be a good father to a son?”
“I'm sure you can.”
My words were relaxing him. He just wanted a lot of praise and approval. When we reached his car he opened the door for me and carefully helped me in before he ran to his side and got in.
“We need to hurry. In this country they won't hesitate to arrest me.” He drove off and I wondered at the direction that he was taking. “You're going to the beach. That's a dead end.”
“Not for us.”
He parked the car, leaving the keys in the ignition. He walked me along the dock to the boats. I got a little nervous when I saw that he wanted me to get into a speedboat. That seemed a little risky in my condition.
He helped me get on board and sat down. “We will be home very soon.”
He turned away from me and started the boat. “Hold tight. I don't want to lose you.”
I grabbed onto the railing next to me and held on tight. The boat took off. I wasn't sure where we were going but he looked like he knew what he was doing.
Fifteen minutes later I could see a large boat ahead of us. He was heading that way, steering in that direction. He slowed the boat down when we approached the big ship. Was he going to ask if we could board?
He didn't ask. The back opened up and he drove into the cargo bay like he owned the ship.
“We're home. Let me help you out.” His hands took hold of me gently and he helped me out of the boat. Three men were taking care of the speedboat that we had arrived on. The men all greeted him.
“Do you like your new home?”
“You live here on this ship?”
“This is our ship. I have everything here that you could need
. There is even a doctor on board. I'll take care of you and our baby.” He looked at my huge tummy.
I looked around taking in so many new things. It was a bit much for me. “Could I have a glass of water? I'm feeling a little dizzy.”
“Of course, Sandra. I'm bring you to our room.”
“I need to call my parents. I have to let them know that I am okay.”
“Fine, you can call as soon as we are in international waters. For now you should lie down.” He took hold of my arm and helped me waddle up a flight of stairs. My dog was trying to push his way past us. He obviously knew the way.
“Wow.” The view from the top was amazing. “Look Tata, I can see really far.”
He beamed at me. “Yes, you can, angel.”
We were now on a deck that looked like an office working area. “This is where our staff meets. I'll show you our private quarters.”
“Tata, can you afford this,” I whispered in his ear.
“Yes, this is what I saved up for. I don't think a person can feel any freer than on a ship.”
I nodded at him even though I was a little water shy. It was first then that I realized that Tata had been a prisoner too, held captive and forced to do things by his father. Later, after his father's death he had stayed to help his family. I saw him for what he was. He was a great man despite what had been forced upon his shoulders. Of course, the girls he kidnapped would never see it that way, but beneath the surface he was a husband that I could be proud of.
Tata was watching my reactions as he showed me our private rooms. He wanted my approval. We had a whole house of rooms for us to use. They were all very lavish. The difference to how he had lived before of striking. He was rich now and able to enjoy what was here.
Tata proudly showed me a nursery for the baby. He had thought of everything. Diapers were piled up and waiting. The closet was filled with clothes for both boys and girls, all the clothes were adorable and tiny.
Class Trip Page 17
