CHAPTER 15
He stood in front of her bedroom door with his close up hand ready to knock.
"Harit, it's about time you come clean with yourself... It will make your heart feel a whole lot better. Then tell her how you feel."
His brother words haunting him.. the same night he went to pick up his daughter. The same night with soriya on his bed… Harit had return back to the house to find Soriya eagerly waiting for Emmy's return. Once inside, she took Emmy and quickly returned to her room with the door shut tightly. He went back to his room and dumped himself on the bed pondering how could he be biggest fool. The biggest idiot to not realize his actions had hurt her deeply.
But now, he's ready. He was going to do this…
*knock*
"Soriya, please open the door." He whisper… "I just want to talk."
He knock again, and again..and again… nothing… he sigh deeply. She must be ignoring him or sleeping… but it's too early though. So he tried once more before realizing there was no light coming from her room. No light through the tiny gap between the floor and the door. Weird, she always have a lamp on when Emmy sleeps with her. He knock again, this time a little louder then before but still nothing. Are you even in there? he mutters before going off to find the extra set of keys. Damn Annie… it was her weekend off too.
He return quickly and unlocks the door to find the room dark and empty. His heart racing… while he rush to open her closet. Full. Her clothes were still there. He then proceed to Emmy's room. His daughter stuff was there also except her pink elephant stuff animal. Gone. A million thoughts race through his head… did she pack up with their daughter and leave him for good??
The week was over and the weekend arrived. Soriya felt relieve. She needed space…. lots of it.
"$5.50 miss." said the cab man.
She digs her purse for 6 bucks and asks him to keep the change. With the car seat in one hand and the book bag on her back, she walks up to her mother's house.
*door bell ring*
Mrs. S opens the doors and reaches for the car seat. "Hi mom."
"Hi. What's wrong?" She asks her daughter as soon they settled in the living room.
"Uh, nothing…" Soriya force a smile. "Why would you think something's wrong?"
"I'm your mother…. not a tree."
She let out a soft giggle. "No one said you were a tree mom."
"So are you going to tell me or not?"
"There's nothing to tell…" Soriya walk to the kitchen to get a bottle of water with her mom on her heels.
"Then why are you staying over? Did you and harit got into an argument?"
"ugh… no!" she quickly said. "Harit's on a business trip this weekend and I didn't want to stay at the house alone." She lied. Sigh. She hates lying to her mother but telling her truth would hurt too much. To admit the marriage was nothing but a lie to cover up her reckless behavior. Soriya could feel her body and heart tremble with guilt. Since that agonizing night, she and harit had kept their distance. She was never afraid to be near him until that night….. "I'm going to show you who I want…" Those words didn't sound so deadly until it was coming out from Harit, it made her bones shiver.
"Soriya… soriya…" Mrs. S called out.
"Yes?" she snapped out.
Mrs. S stare at her daughter peculiarly who appeared to be in such deep thought? "Are you alright? You seem to space out there for a minute."
She shakes her head and softly smiles. "It's nothing..."
"So how come you're not driving today?"
"The car needs some maintenance done so I just left it at the house." Actually, she intended to leave the car at the house so harit doesn't suspect she's not home. He would just think Emmy's sleeping with her and wouldn't dare to disturb. Besides, he normally leaves early the next morning for work. Lately, he's been working a lot.
"Sure…" Mrs. S replied, not so sure of Soriya answers. It just seem abnormal and her face, it was filled with confusion and pain. This was a different soriya who use to be happy and cheerful… "Let's go to your room and settle in. I'm sure Emmy could use a warm bath."
Harit drove for endless hours through the night searching for them. Her phone had been shut off. Finally, after being exhausted.. he pull to the shoulder and sit there feeling helpless whose heart had just been ripped out. He lean his head against the headrest not knowing what to do next. He should call Ken but it's only been a few hours. No, calling his brother would mean calling his parents and the rest of the world. Think! Harit.. where would she go?
Soriya cradle emmy against her while her mom and her watch a funny show on tv when the door bell rang.
Mrs S rise and open the door with a stun face. "Harit." What is he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be on a business trip?
"Is Soriya here?" he ask politely with a deep smile.
Her mom was taking an awfully long time coming back to the living room so she got up and walk half way over only to see the man walking through the door. The man was harit.
As soon as her daughter saw her daddy, she starts wailing…. gosh….
He walk over to his daughter. "There's my munchkin princess.. ready to go home yet?" he ask while his eyes stuck to her mother face.
"So, why don't you go back home since Harit business meeting got cancelled." Mrs. S sweetly smile. Maybe nothing is wrong with them after all. "Let me go pack your things."
"No mom.. I say I was going to stay over and spend the night with you…." She turn her eyes toward her mom then back to Harit. "You should go back home."
Harit put on a sweet smile. "I miss my daughter.. why don't I just spend the night too?"
Mrs. S respond before Soriya…. "Sure harit, let me bring more blankets and pillow to the room." She then hurryingly went up the stairs.
"Why can't you just go home?" she ask irritably.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming here… making me look for you and our daughter like crazy man?" he respond roughly. "Either you go back home tonight or we spend the night here." He took his daughter out of her hand and Emmy instantly stops whining. "Your choice." He walk over and sat down on the couch.
Errr! She felt hot air blowing out of her lungs through her nose. She walk up the stairs and told her mother they were going home.
--
The car ride was tense. "I can't believe you lied your mother I was away on a business trip."
"And your point is?"
"If you wanted to spend the night, you could just say so…"
"And would you have let me if I ask without you following me?"
Harit stay quiet. He would have spend the night just like tonight…no doubt.
"Exactly."
"Married women don't spend nights at their mother house… isn't that a bit strange?"
Soriya bit her lips… true, her mother was questioning like crazy earlier.
"Exactly."
Once inside the house, she tuck her daughter with her pink elephant to the side then kiss her good night. She leaves the room only to be pull into harit arms with his mouth kissing her deeply.
God, he needed to kiss her, to hold her.. to feel her warm body against him…
Losing her would be his worst nightmare.. ever….
He pull away from the kiss and stare at her daze face. "I'm going to make love to you tonight… and every night after that….."