A CONTRACT OF NEMESIS Camilla was a bundle of nerves when the restaurant manager told her that someone wanted to have a word with her. "Who." She asked, grossly aware that she knew no one in New York. She had not been able to make friends due to her work schedule and communication problems. The little time she had was spent on herself. "Mr. Ethan. He is in my office now.” the manager replied "Mr. Ethan! I have not done anything wrong. Have I?" Camilla replied, astounded. "Why does he want to speak to me?" she asked. "I have no clue." The manager screeched. "But you better behave yourself. Or else your job is gone. He is one of our best customers and I don't want you screwing that up." Always threatening me with this godforsaken job. Camilla mumbled under her breath. "What did you say?" "Nothing sir." She grinned. "Good. you better tame that mouth of yours when we get to the office. Get rid of the apron and tidy up your hair." Camilla did as she was asked, and when the manager
MEETING THE FAMILY It took Ethan over twenty minutes to arrive at Camilla's home. It was all shabby: the building, the parking lot- in fact, the entire street. It looked to him as if the entire apartment building itself had not been painted for years. The windows, if they depicted the interior of this place, showed a lack of care as well, since many sported no drapes. The curtains Ethan did see were torn and stained. Camilla had been waiting for him beside the grocery store on the down floor of her apartment building. When she saw him she hesitated, unable to decide whether to walk towards him or wait till he noticed her. Luckily for her, he noticed her almost immediately and signaled her to come to meet him. "Get into the car." He did not bother opening her door for her. "This place is a dump." "Yes, l know. No need to rub it in" Camilla replied with a straight face. "Why do you stay here, considering how dangerous the environment is?" Ethan marveled, he would not be caught
YES; I DO. MAYBE NOT Camilla Could feel the beads of sweat break in her forehead and her palms felt cold and wet. She tightened her hands around the bouquet that she was holding. If circumstances were different she would have taken time to inhale the lovely scent that rose from the petals in her hands. From where she was standing at the center of the door to the cathedral, she could see her soon-to-be husband Standing tall in all his 6-foot frame at the altar waiting for her; she had to admit that he was a sight for sore eyes. The melodious sounds from the piano keys rang inside the church signaling that it was time for Camilla to march forward towards the altar and her groom. As soon as she started the long walk down the aisle alone as she had insisted on, she felt her heart pound faster with each step she took. She began to perspire, her mind racing back to her past. The betrayal felt so recent even though it happened five years ago. She felt faint and her heart started to
TRAPPED "Take it easy on the drink." Gaius chided his wife. "You don't want to do something you would later regret." He said through gritted teeth. "You are such a joy killer, today is our wedding day, so we are supposed to be merry and have fun." Fiona laughed and gulped down another glass of campaign. Gaius shook his head "Just drink with caution okay." "Oh! Please stop, will you? Look at your friend and his bride, I wonder what he saw in her." Fiona smirked "It's his choice, mind your business." "I want to dance, let's dance Gaius." "We just finished dancing our first couple dance," Gaius replied getting irritated "Well, I want to dance again." Fiona was already getting out of her chair, she walked past Gaius and went to meet Ethan.``Care to dance." She held him by his hands and started leading the way to the dance floor. Ethan looked at his friend as he was taken by surprise, Gaius only grinned and shrugged. "It's just a dance." he mouthed to his friend "Spanish Guita
A CALL HOME On the first ring, her mother answered and it took all of Camilla's willpower not to start crying even though tears filled her eyes. "Hello, mother." "Oh, my darling, hope you are well?" The voice was breathless with worry. "I am fine, mama. I wanted to hear your voice and also to tell you that I…that I wedded today." "Yes, I remembered. I believe it all went well." "Yes, it did." "Are you happy?" Camilla was not expecting the question and for an instant, she did not know what to say. She heard her mother crying and fought back her own emotions. She waited, knowing that her mother would need a few minutes. "I'm sorry." Camilla's mother gasped "I have missed you so much, sometimes…sometimes I wish I had insisted you stay here with me." "I miss you mum and your earlier question. Yes, I am happy." Knowing it wasn't true, her mother wiped her tears. It was a strange land and since she could do nothing, it was easier not to know. Still, it made her want to weep. S
MORE RULES Ethan started walking toward Camilla, she retreated backward as he drew closer to her. When her body hit the wall she knew there was no escaping him. Ethan trapped her in by resting his palm on the wall, leaving no space between them. "And who said you can make rules in my house, Camilla." He gave her a hard stare, he could feel the warmth of her breath on his face. Camilla's lashes flickered, and she could feel her skin cover up with goosebumps. "No touching." She blurted out. "Please." She added. "And if I refuse." Ethan sneered, he bent his head and sniffed the nape of her neck. She smelled good, too good. He acknowledged to himself. Camilla swallowed hard, she felt her head spin, however, she could not tell whether it was from lack of food or was it her body reacting to his closeness to her. "Cat got your tongue," Ethan asked and at the same time, he trailed his tongue along her long neck. Camilla opened her mouth to speak but no words came out and she shut it
It was just a few days after their wedding and Camilla was already bored. Ethan had forbidden her from resuming her work at the restaurant, "everything you need is in the house." He told her when she complained. "What if I get bored, I am not used to staying idle." "Watch N*****x or any other show on tv. What is that popular soap opera common with Brazilians?" Ethan appeared to be thinking "yes. Watch Telenovela." Ethan replied and walked out on her. Camilla was frustrated by his behavior, even though she enjoyed Theresa's company it was still not who she was, she had worked almost all her life since becoming an adult. Camilla was an early morning person, she was usually awake as early as five in the morning. But since she married Ethan and started sharing his room with him, she had no choice but to sleep in. And would wait till he leaves the bed for the bathroom before she gets up herself. Camilla would then go to the kitchen for some coffee, she loved adding cinnamon to her c
Camilla was restless after Theresa's comment about having a child someday. She knew in America, children could tell their parents to mind their business, but that was not the way she was raised, her mother would smack her if she did something like that, especially to her mother-in-law notwithstanding the circumstances behind the relationship. The only time she forgot to think about the conversation was when the kids came back from school and she told Sophie that she watched Barney and friends with grandma. The little child squealed her heart and Sophie forgot about her problems for the time being. The rest of the day was spent in her bedroom and she only came down for dinner before retiring for the night. She was still awake when Ethan came in, showered, and slid inside the duvet. She was torn between telling him about his mother's hope and whether not to. At last, she decided to totally forget about it. It was normal for mothers to start thinking about grandkids, especially after