Class Trip (20 page)

“Let's wait in
the living room.” Tata looked so unsure too.

He carried out
our luggage while I made the bed. Tata came back and went through all
of his drawers and looked under the bed. This room was never much to
begin with but it had been his all his life. It was so void of
personality. It just suited the most basic needs and said nothing
about the person who lived in it.

Tata held his
hand out to me. I took it and he left closing the door. He paused a
moment like he had a feeling that something was missing, like he
excepted something to happen.

We sat down on
the sofa and waited. My eyes pretty much stayed on the clock. I could
hear Thomas and his wife. They were arguing about a suitcase. He
wanted her to sit on it and she told him it would be more effective
if he sat on it. I peeked over at Tata. He grinned a little too but
he looked really worried. He was constantly looking over at his other
brother's door.

Maria came out
and looked at us for a moment. She had a suitcase in each hand. “My
car is almost here.” She set down her suitcases and stared at Tata
for a moment. “I figured that you can buy yourself whatever you
want now.” She motioned towards the tree and then picked up her
suitcases, making it clear that she wasn't going to cry or give any
hugs.

Thomas came out
of his room with his wife. She gave him a nod and then looked at the
other door.

Thomas knocked on
it. “Mom wants to leave now. Come out and say goodbye.”

There was no
answer. Thomas opened the door and peeked in. “They're already
gone.” He looked over at his mother, wanting her to tell him how to
proceed.

“Then we should
follow his good example.” She went to the door of the apartment.

Tata jumped up to
open it for her. “Farewell, mother.”

She glanced at
him for a split second and bobbed her head once and walked down the
stairs. My heart broke watching her. It hadn't been his fault that he
was born to her. She was rejecting him.

A man was holding
the door for his mother but I saw a little boy who just wanted to be
loved and told that he was okay the way he was.

I waited for him
to turn to me and look at me. But when our eyes met I wasn't prepared
for the sorrow I saw in them.

I had to look
away. I looked over at Thomas. “We will be leaving too. Grab a bag
and make yourself useful,” he said to his wife.” He was hurt and
taking it out on her. I was glad that Tata wouldn't do that.

We were left
standing all by ourselves. Tata was still holding the door as his
brother and his wife went through.

I could see
something wash over his face. He was smiling and pretending that his
feelings weren't hurt. It would be my job to see to it that life
never disappointed him again.

“I got you a
few gifts.” He went to the tree and pulled the presents towards
him. Three of the presents he quickly tucked behind himself. He
didn't want me to notice that he was the only one who had gotten
something for everyone. I knelt down next to him and smiled brightly.

“This is for
you. It isn't much but you will be getting lots more when we get
home. I am going to shower you with gifts.” He looked me in the
eyes. I could see a little boy begging someone to like him. He was
willing to buy my love if need be.

“Tata, you
shouldn't spoil me. I want to stay nice.”

He smiled at my
words. They had been the right ones. “I'm not worried about that.
You are such an angel.” He held out a wrapped package.

I took it and
opened it up. It was a very beautiful book with empty pages. “This
way you can write down all of our adventures. This will help you
remember them. We are going to have lots.”

“It's so
beautiful.”

“I saw it and I
had to get it for you. I'm glad you like it. Grab Carrots, our
adventure is starting now.” He picked up the presents behind him
and shoved them into one of the suitcases. We went down to his car.
He piled in the suitcases and then he helped me into the passenger's
side, like I was a princess. He set me down and gave me a kiss. “You
have Carrots and we are all set. Anything else would be replaceable.”

That was when it
hit me. I was his Carrots, the thing that he couldn't sleep without.
The one thing that made him feel safe in the night and not so alone.

I started to cry.
My heart was breaking because he had had to wait so many years for me
to come along and make his life tolerable.

“Hey, you don't
need to cry.”

I took hold of
his hand and smiled at him. “I'm not all that brave, I guess.”

“You don't have
to worry. I'll take good care of you.”

“I know, Tata.”

He closed the car
door and went over to his side. He got in and we drove off. It felt
wrong to leave the property, especially because I was leaving Wolf
behind. Would he ever learn to trust another human?

I wouldn't if I
were him.

Tata drove for a
long time. We were moving quickly because there wasn't much going on.
Everyone was with their families. I wondered about my mom and
grandmother. I was sure that they were together, better said that
they would be tomorrow. In Europe they celebrated on Christmas Eve
and not on Christmas Day.

Tata was being
very quiet. He kept his eyes on the road as we drove south. I looked
out the window at the landscape. This really was a beautiful country.

“We'll be there
in a couple of hours. If you want to nap you can.”

“I want to look
out of the window. Is that alright?” I peeked over at him. “If I
need my strength for later than let me know.”

“You can look
out of the window.” He was smirking a little. Traffic was starting
to pick up. We were getting closer to Bucharest. We drove around the
outskirts of town. Tata was still heading south.

I was being very
quiet, but I was asking myself if I should be saying more. This was
such a big day for him and thus also for me. He was no longer the bad
guy. He was turning over a new leaf. The fact that his freedom was
paid with hundreds of slaves couldn't be sitting well with him.

“Why would they
have a road block set up on Christmas?”

I looked to see
what he was talking about. Several policemen were waving people left
and right on the road. The ones that went to the left were allowed to
continue but the ones to the right had to stop and open up their
trunks. Everyone had to get out of the car.

Sure enough the
cars in front of us all got to turn to the left. I wasn't surprised
when we had to go to the right.

“Sandra, are
you going to be good for me?” Tata peeked over at me. His greatest
fear must be losing me.

“Yes, Tata.”
It hadn't even crossed my mind to say anything. I hadn't had the best
experience with the police in this country.

“Just let me do
the talking. I don't want you to say anything.” He rolled the
window and talked with the police.

They wanted of to
get out of the car. Tata talked to them. He opened the trunk for them
as well as our suitcases.

I noticed that
they were allowing all the cars to pass by now. I wanted to go to
Tata and point that out. He was surrounded by police officers.

I stepped towards
Tata and the officer nearest to me said
no.
He said it in English. Tata had fake papers for me. There was no way
that they would think that I couldn't understand them.

I met Tata's eyes. Something was wrong here.

I saw his shoulders slump. He was giving up. One of the officers got
in his car and pulled it off to the side of the road and down a
gravel side road.

We followed the
car. I tried to get over to Tata a couple of times but I was told no.
I left my eyes on his. He was talking to the officers, probably
promising them anything he could think of to get us out of this
situation.

I saw a limousine
parked by a patch of woods. We were heading that way. We were
following the officer driving Tata's car. I said nothing. I had a
feeling that my life was going through another bend. I was about to
be on a path that I couldn't have seen coming. They were going to
hurt me. Whoever was in that car was going to lay claim on me and
take me with them. Was it that man who had waved to me back when I
first moved in with Tata? He had been so upset that I couldn't go
with him. Or was it the slave man who wanted to buy me?

Whoever was in
the car would take me away. I would have to go without Tata. Why did
everyone just take what they wanted here? That wasn't how I was
raised.

One of the
officers took his stick and clubbed Tata behind his knees with it,
making him fall to the ground.

“Sandra,” he
called out.

All the men were
going at Tata now, kicking him with their feet.

I was screaming
as I tried to force my way between the men to get to my Tata. A
couple of men took hold of me and pulled me over to the limousine.
They opened the door and threw me in. It took off right away. I
pounded on the window, screaming for my Tata. They were killing him.
He was on the ground with his arms wrapped over his head while the
officer circled him in.

Then he was out
of my sight. I would probably never see him again.

“Sit down and
shut up.”

I turned to see
who was behind me.

It was Kelly.

“Why?”

She sighed
loudly. “The why is so long and complicated. You are too small and
too dumb to understand.”

“But he quit.
He is out of this business now.”

“What do I
care?”

“Enough to do
this. Please, go back and help him. They are going to kill him.”

“Perhaps, but
I'm not worried about that.”

“But you should
be. His blood will be on your hands.”

“Knock it off,
Sandra. Just sit down and be quiet.”

I sat and stared
at her, surprised that I had gotten her to lose her cool. That just
wasn't the woman I had seen and met back at the house.

“Stop staring
at me.”

“You are
staring at me too,” I told her.

She looked away
from me then. I looked out of the window, thinking that I should be
trying to get my bearings. The limousine pulled into an underground
parking lot. It remained underground and drove to a private parking
area.

“I can't be
this interesting. I'm not worth you kidnapping me. I won't sleep with
any of the men.”

“You aren't
going to have a choice. Why should you? I never did.”

“I'm really
sorry about that but please don't do anything mean to me. Just let me
go and check on him.”

“Just sit there
and be quiet. This cost me too much money to back out.”

“Maybe he could
reimburse you.”

“I said shut up
Sandra, and I meant it.”

“But you don't
understand,” I pleaded with her.

“I do. Now be
quiet.”

“I don't want
to work for you.”

“I'm warning
you. Be quiet. Not another word.”

I curled up and
cried to myself. I wanted my Tata but he was probably dead.

“No need to get
comfortable, we're home.” She got out of the car and looked back at
me.

“Please take me
back to him.”

“No. He doesn't
love you anyway. You are just a younger version of me. One that isn't
as used up but still we're the same.”

“No, we
aren't,” I whispered, but hadn't I thought the same thing a few
months ago.

“Yes, we are.
It was even the same guy who took our virginity.” She grabbed onto
my hair and pulled me towards her. “Behave. I don't want to even
hear a peep out of you.”

“I'll runaway
first chance I get,” I told her. I didn't want to be a whore.

“And where
would you go?” She looked amused.

“Away.”

“Send me a
postcard when you get there. I've never been away to figure out where
away is.” She looked at me so meanly.

“We could go
look for it together. I know that circumstances got you into this
mess but you can get out now. You could start a new life. Just like
Tata wanted to. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

“Seriously?
What part of shut up don't you understand?” She shoved me away from
her, releasing my hair from her fingers. “Besides, I am a very
successful business woman. I have lots of money and I can sleep with
whomever I choose. This is my new start and it is very triumphant. I
am even stronger than your Tatis. He left himself open for an attack.
I was just the first one to get to him. Others would have followed.”

I couldn't help
myself then. I broke down and cried. The last wall of restraint had
fallen. My poor Tata was dead. He just wanted someone to love him who
wasn't using him too. That had been his one goal in life and now his
life was over. He was dead somewhere along the side of the road, all
alone.

Kelly walked into
an elevator and I followed her, because she was right, I had nowhere
else to go.

The elevator
brought us up to a room that fit most of my clichés about a
whorehouse. It was down up in red, with lots of red velvet curtains
and furniture. There was a huge Christmas tree with red velvet
ribbons on it.

Several women
were talking to men. The men must be customers. The girls even had to
work on Christmas.

I wiped my tears
away as I looked around. I needed to appear to be tough. If the girls
hated me than things would get a lot more difficult. I needed to be
popular and find a way to escape.

I recognized a
girl from back at the house. She was grinning over at me.

“Get back to
work. She is none of your concern. Your job is to make him feel
special.” Kelly looked at the customer. The girl went right back to
work. She was afraid of Kelly.

I peeked at
Kelly. She looked satisfied now. I figured that she liked being the
one to dish out things now.