"It's Mr Nacel" my dad answered while swiping the phone's screen to answer. "Hello, sir," he said, putting it on the speaker and placing it on the table for us to hear.
"Yes, Mr. Kash. Have you forgotten the agreement you signed?" Mr. Nacel asked sternly on the other line
"No, sir. I've not forgotten" My dad answered, shaking his head gently
"So why are you keeping me so long, huh? What the hell is holding you, huh?" he yelled.
" It has been one year now since your wife was healed, and you have not fulfilled the agreement we made. Is that how things should be done?
Why are you keeping my wife away from me, huh? Look, I need my wife tomorrow, or else you face the consequences of breaking the agreement. Already, you knew the consequences of the agreement we signed.
Listen, I will be at the court with my priest tomorrow waiting for you guys. If you fail to provide my wife tomorrow, you'll have yourself to blame," he yelled angrily and hung off the call.
My dad shook his head gently after the call and exhaled heavily in frustration while palm-rubbing his forehead. " You guys have heard that too. There's nothing else we can do about it than to go there. Please, Reana make sure you've prepared yourself for it and I promise you that we will be by your side every time"
I shook my head hard and stood up after hearing what he said. " Dad, I'm not a part of this. I'm not a part of this," I yelped and shrugged my shoulders.
" No. No. No. I'm not" I screamed, picking up my work bag and running out to my room while gasping softly in tears.
When I got to my room, I broke down on my bed and covered my face with a pillow, crying out all the cries that were burning in my throat. "No, No, No. I can never be a part of it." I screamed, sobbing. " I can not be, I can not be a part of it," I screamed, rolling on the bed and crying loudly, and my voice echoed on the town wall of my room.
Immediately, I heard my room's door creaking open, causing me to stop rolling, but I kept grunting and crying. I tilted my face up and stared at the door as my father came in and stood there, staring at me with a sad face.
"Reana?" He called me, but I ignored him and covered my face back on the pillow, crying. He walked closer to me and patted my back. " Reana? Reana? Reana?" He called again calmly, rubbing my back soothingly.
I tilted up my face slowly and stared at him. "Yes, D-Dad" I answered, stuttering with teary eyes and sniffing. My lips are shaking.
He sighed heavily and looked down at me. "Reana, do you want our family to perish? Do you want us to die, Reana? Already, you know how wicked and heartless Mr. Nacel is, and there's nobody in this whole America who does not know who Nacel is.
The moment you enter his track he can kill you."
" Dad, since you knew all of these about him, why did you still go ahead to accept his fucking help. Why?" I screamed, cutting in.
He sighed heavily and looked down for some time after hearing my screaming. Guilt filled every corner of his face. After a while, he exhaled frustratingly with his two hands on his waist, shook his head, tilted up his face, and stared at me.
"Reana, I already told you that there was no one that agreed to help me that day except him.
And I was desperately looking for help at that moment, so there was nothing else I could do about it. I had to accept it to save your mother, uh. Consider all these and think about us, okay? Don't be mad at me, okay?
Though I know that it's my fault, I did not have any choice, Reana. I did not. Imagine I had let your mom die that day, how would you have gotten the job you're doing today?
Was it not through her help you got the job?" he asked and I nodded gently in response without a word. " Then think about it and consider our life, okay?
Already, I'm scared about him. I was supposed to do this last year after we came back from the hospital, but I lingered on, thinking of how I could run away from him and take you guys beside me.
But now, it has turned to fall on me severely. We can't escape his wickedness again. Please Reana, accept it and belt us out of his furiousness." He finished explaining and sighed exhaustively.
I shook my head and let out a sigh of frustration after listening to his explanation. Biting my bottom lip, I sniffed and cleaned my eyes and my nose before I sat up on the bed as the room ran into awkward silence.
After a while, my mind began to imagine my life with that evil man, causing my nerves to ache and my body to quake in fear. "Dad, I'm scared of him, I'm scared of him," I said in a tiny voice but a bit audible for him to hear, sobbing.
"I know. I know. I'm sorry, okay? I understand how you feel. Even me too, I'm scared of him" he sighed frustratingly and shook his head. " But don't worry. Everything will be fine," he said, placing his right hand on my left shoulder and staring down at me as we stayed there silently.
But my mind drew me back to the previous call he and my Dad made as his words began to play in my brain. " Why did you keep my wife away from me? If you fail to provide me my wife tomorrow, you'll have yourself to blame." These words kept bouncing in my head over and over.
Causing weariness to overshadow my body, my brain almost swelled inside and my mind went blank. I couldn't help myself anymore but slid down backward on the bed as my eyes became heavy.
I sluggishly lifted my hand and checked my wristwatch; it was already 8: 30pm. I weakly dropped it on the bed and rolled my head randomly while sniffling and crying.
Tears kept running down from the corners of my eyes. But my dad stood, staring at me emotionlessly with his two arms, folding and curving on his chest.
After a while, he let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head.
"He even called me his wife. He even called me his wife" I mumbled, turning and covering my face with a pillow a bit to mop some tears.
"He called me his wife." I sniffed. "That means everything had already been done in my head without my notice. It was waiting for a day to show out. Oh my gosh, I'm dead. I wish I could die off as I'm about to close my eyes,
I wish it would happen. I wish death could happen to me tonight, I would have been much happier that I'm free from this stupid marriage agreement," I mumbled and let out an exhausting sigh, sobbing