The wind blew with great velocity outside, but not a single blow seemed to affect Gian's house. Apparently, all houses are tightly insulated in Canada. Which is unsurprising because I used to live in one of these years ago. but it came as a strong surprise to Kyo, who complimented the warmth of the inside as soon as she entered through the front door.
After our reunion, Gian turned around and met the company. She immediately recognized Trigman. And he continued to introduce his husband, who was les that enthusiastic with his greeting. Kyo on the other hand was hesitant. When all was said and done, Gian offered us a bed and warm dinner at her place. We all hopped in our car and followed her through the downtown on this small town to a closed alley. There were nine houses and a cul-de-sac. Gian's was fourth, on the right side of the street. We parked our cars in her driveway and followed her in her dimly lit house.
She gave us a change of footwear and guided us to our rooms. One room, next to the washroom was for me and Kyo. The other one, down the hall with a bunker bed and a futon, was for Trigman and Mappa. She said she would be upstairs in the kitchen setting the table while we slipped into something comfortable. We nodded and retreated to our respective rooms.
Kyo turned the lights on to our room. it was a king sized bed with floral sheets and two pillows. On right wall was a closet, and on the right side was a dressing table. In front of the bed rested a 50-inch LED. Kyo helped me to the bed and closed the door behind. She put our bag on the floor and proceeded to unzip it when she said," She seems nice."
"Yeah she is, isn't she?"
I saw Kyo putting her hands on her knees and standing up slowly. I also heard her sighing as she did so.
"But, I am nicer."
"What?" I said, surprised.
"Look, Mad," Kyo said she turned to face me," I have received big chunks of your past recently. And it was full of… emotions. I just don't want to lose the present. There are a lot of things I am feeling. And I have said some things, did some things. Things, that may not seem important or appropriate. But I don't want to lose what we have. I don't want to lose you to your past. I know this is your redemption. All because of me. But these people have peered in your much deeper than me. I feel like we are going deep and deep into an abyss, from which I may not come back. I just want to know that you will be there for me to pull me back."
There were a lot happening in our lives right now. And in the meantime, I had realized that it was not easy for Kiyomi. Yes, she was my present, and she will be my future. I just have to reassure that it was her alone that I loved and trusted right now.
"Come here." I opened my arms for her.
Kyo stumbled and took soft, short steps and fell into my arms. I hugged her tightly, reassuring what she meant for me. She rested her tired head against my chest. I could feel her heavy breath through my clothes. I stroked her hair softly, letting my love flow from my heart to my fingertips. I questioned myself how long had it been that we had touched this lovingly.
I questioned myself if…
Kyo took a deep breath and separated from me. her eyes were heavy. she softly touched the locks of hair on her face and carefully tucked them behind her ears.
That little, intricate movement bumped in my heart.
Kyo took out some clothes for me and did the same for herself. She turned around and opened the door to face the dark hallway.
Then, she spoke carefully," We… will find peace, right?"
I relaxed my body. Let her words absorb under my skin.
I responded with a small nod. I made sure she couldn't see me. after feeling my agreement to her statement, she left the room, locking the wooden door behind her. I was left all by myself. The ticking of the clock offsetting the pace of my thoughts.
I questioned myself if all this was worth it.
Kyo and I changed into our night clothes and made way upstairs. We entered the kitchen and saw a table adjacent to it full of food.
"Oh, you have freshened up. Come. take a seat. Make sure to eat to your content. You ladies need to keep your health up," Gian said.
"What's for dinner Gian?"
"I made pasta, rotisserie chicken, I have juice for you guys and some green tea for the bedtime."
"Mmm, sounds delicious."
"Well, what are you waiting for then?" Gian said smilingly.
I gleefully picked up the ladle and scooped myself some pasta, but Kyo slapped it out of my hands and softly said," Let Trigman and Mapalla come too. We will have dinner together."
"Don't count on Mapalla, but I am here." We all turned towards Trigman who was walked into the kitchen. His hair was dripping, his eyes looking sharp through the drooping locks, he made way towards the table. He was bare feet, dressed only in his black pyjamas. His detailed body shone brightly in the rays of the dim bulb over the table. As he closed the distance, more and more of his body became visible, and all the women were more excited about his diet over his chiselled chest.
He pulled the chair and sat down, before standing up again. With an almost blush in his cheeks, he secretly asked Gian for a pillow. when it came, he put it on the chair and slowly lowered his butt until he found a spot and sat down with a wide smile.
"Too much love?" I said as I slapped the side of his butt. He looked at my coy smile and couldn't help but crack a smile back at me.
"Rage sex. The best there is. I don't know how your sex goes, but the gentle giant wants to control to world once he is that mental state. In stead I control him by being the bottom for the night."
I could feel the heat rising in the room due to this intimate conversation between me and Trigger. To break the silence Gian put some food on his plate. The rest of the evening became a blur of conversations and discussions. While filling our bellies with homemade food we discovered what we were up to and to what degree we were enjoying it. Apparently Trigger really enjoyed being the gynecologist. We shared a hearty laugh about his dislike and our love for vaginas. To no surprise, quite the amount of his sexual fantasies involved his stirrup table. The conversation moved from one topic to another, covering our recent interest, sex positions, and the saving on condoms that me and Kyo do. As the food disappeared from the table, so did the fluffy conversation.
The last clatter of spatula in the empty dish signalled the end of the meal. So did the empty glasses, bones of chicken and sauce laden forks. Chopsticks in Gian's case. Everybody picked up his and her share of dishes and cleaned them, with me taking the first turn, then Kyo, Trigger and Gian at last. While she was busy scrubbing her dishes, Trigger whispered in my ear about something obvious.
Of couse I will talk to her about our… MY recent endeavours. Should I be doing this in Kyo's absence or while she is present? That question weighed heavy on me. The relationship I shared with Gian was not easy, and not the easiest one to explain.
I was consumed with the thought and Trigman took the chance to escape the obvious dilemma. He knew better to get involved in this familiar crisis. I saw him slipping out of the kitchen from the corner of my eye and let a small grown from under my breath. I closed my eyes to concentrate if this was a colossal problem or only, I was making it a big deal.
The water running out of the faucet washed the last batch of utensils. it wouldn't be long for Gian to take a seat and I would have to explain everything. May as well rename it to 'uprooting the peace that was in Kyo's mind'. Gian dried off her hands with a had towel and picked up the kettle with boiling water in it. She picked up three glasses on the way and walked over towards us. Over at the table, I committed myself to deal with the uproar once again.
Gian sat across me and handed Kyo two glasses to pass around for herself and me. I held on to the glass while I saw both my aunt and my wife poured themselves a glass full of hot water. Next was the green tea pouches. I imitated the process.
We sat in silence with a beverage each in our hands. I prayed to god for my phone to go off. Or for Mapalla to enter. Or for an asteroid to crash!
"..ny! ..unny!! Bunny!!!"
I looked up to see at Gian softly smiling at me.
"Yeah? Sorry. I am a little tired. Maybe we should catch some sleep."
"Uh, before that. If you don't mind, can I talk to you? More specifically to pretty Kiyomi here. This is her first time coming to the family house. I want to know all about her."
Kyo smiled at Gian, and turned her head towards me, as if asking for permission.
I sighed softly and replied," Yeah sure. Talk among you guys all you want. Now if you don't mind, I would much rather go to bed than crash and burn at the dinner table.
As I stood up once again, Gian put up her hand. Her hand was old and veins were visible even in the dim light.
"If-if you don't mind. Can I fill my darling with some details about you? Like, how I see my Bunny to her?"
I rubbed my eyes before I said," I have told her everything-"
"-But, you never know when you are missing some details." Kyo interjected. "Tell me everything about her." I could see her eyes glimmer even though I didn't look at them.
I made my way towards my bedroom for the third time before I heard Gian say," I will tell you how we found our little girl in that hell."
I stopped in my tracks. The worst nightmare just knocked on my door. And I'm not even present to knock it down.
Giving it a second thought, maybe it was the perfect scenario. She could tell Kyo the first part of the story. And I could give a smoother explanation over the rest of the details.
Without turning around I said,"Yeah. Do that. But please stay in Nepal, Gian. I want to tell the other half of my life myself."
Both the ladies sitting at the table gave a silent nod at my statement. Not that I could see their agreement.
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We gave a nod to Bunny's statement and watched her leave the room. once we heard her footsteps fading away from us, I turned my attention back to Madonna's wife.
I took her hands into mine. The soft bright skin felt cute in my aged palms. Her long nails pricked my skin as I continued to rub her hands. She really was pretty.
"You are not sleepy, are you, darling?" I asked.
She gave me a soft nod.
I made myself comfortable on the chair and lost myself in the land of reminiscence.
I could still remember the day we came to Nepal.
That day.
Coming from bustling, clean and skyscraper laden New York to the dusty, uneven road and busy market of Kathmandu. I was accompanied with my husband, dressed in gray three-piece. His alligator shoes were getting covered with dust with every step he took in the street. Me, on the other hand, wore a black jumpsuit. The big glasses on my face protected my eyes from the flying dirt. The motorbikes buzzing past us was not making any easier for us. My husband had a hat on his head. Typical. He would much rather protect his hair than his face.
Two burly local men followed us in all black. The two individuals in light blue walking in front of us were our escorts. In formal uniform, with a firearm at their waist. They were talking to their office, the police station, where my niece was locked up.
Locked up for an accessory for murder.
After a couple of turns we saw the small police station. My heart started thumping as we limited the distance between us and the building. Right before I took steps that would lead us into the station, I grabbed my husband's arm and stopped in the way.
"I-I'm not ready, Shin."
"What are you talking about, Gian. You want to wait another seven years to meet Maddy?"
"No," I said with a heavy breath. I grabbed Shin's arm strongly and made my way into the station.
The first thing we saw were the tables and officers sitting across them. On the right were offices for more senior officers. On the right was the jail cell. And in the cell were seven individuals.
A drunk. A thief. A runaway boy. And in the corner were two other boys. In the middle of them sat a girl. With her face in her knees, she seemed unharmed. The boys around her had visible bruises of a beatdown. Something told me the perpetrators of that were sitting in the uniform in front of us.
One of the cops took his wooden stick and rattled over the iron bars to awaken the company of three.
"Hey, hoodrats. Your bail is done. Get up."
The three young individuals stood up in front of him. The boys continued to look in the cop's eyes, who was snarking at them. The girl in the middle had her eyes down. But I saw her lifting her eyes and looking around. Once she noticed me and my husband, she seemed shocked. Enamoured. She looked at the two individuals clearly out of their environment. I looked at the young girl in the place she didn't belong.
I had found her.
After seven long years. I had found her.