Authors: Kelly Clark
The way she said it struck him. He knew something was not right.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“I-I don’t know if I can –“ She turned away as she embraced herself, trying to comfort her
own
sadness.
“Trust me. I’ll never judge you.”
“Anton. I-I….. I’m pregnant.”
Chapter Eight
Java
had known
it before Anton did.
He and his henchmen were out to hunt them down.
They would track every corner of the globe just to kill them.
Anton knew it.
For that reason, he decided to fly her back to America. But not to Chicago, but Pennsylvania where no one knew who she was.
“Time is running out! It’s almost daylight. Sooner or later he’ll be here to shoot us all down. Hurry up!” The pilot shouted in anxiousness.
Anton managed to convince his pilot friend to return her to where she
came from
. It was a costly move. Millions were spent just to keep her and their baby safe. He must have used a quarter of his fortune to ensure his family was taken
care of
.
Rain of tears kept on pouring down her face as he wiped her cheeks in shared agony with her.
“Why? Why does it need to end like this? Anton…. Please, please
…
come with me.”
As she let her words fall, his heart was being torn in half. No one foresaw this coming. Neither him nor her. As in no one. Everything could happen in a blink of an eye.
“I-I can’t….” He sobbed.
“But why? We can live far away from here. In Alaska? Or even…..” She paused thinking of a place they could hide.
“Antarctica? What? Say something!” She cried out.
“No matter how hard we try you know he’ll track us down. You don’t know him, Tasia. He’s a nefarious man.”
“I don’t care. If you’re
gonna
stay here, I’m
gonna
stay too. We’ll die together.”
“Are you insane? What about the child in your womb? Our child. Don’t you care about it? Your mom? Please, don’t make it hard for yourself and me. Go now. I beg you!”
As soon as he dropped the last word, a tumultuous sound of roaring cars dominated the quiet atmosphere in the private airport’s runway where the airplane was waiting. Her tears dried up as her heart quickened beating. She was alarmed.
What would she do now?
“Go now….” He pushed her toward his friend.
She screamed and screamed. The veins in her neck almost ripped out of her skin.
His pilot friend seized her as he pulled her into the airplane.
“Let
go of
me! Anton….” She squealed.
The plug door slammed. She could not see him anymore.
Whirling in a circle
, the propeller whistled
loudly
as it was about to take off. Gun shots fired in the mid-air, aiming at the airplane for it to stop. Bullets made out of bronze were no match against the steeled surface of the flying fish, specifically designed for heavy duty.
“You betrayed us! How dare you –“ Java’s fist crashed against Anton’s jaw.
He blocked out.
****
Damped. Cold. Filthy.
Anton’s hands
were tied
on a thick plumbing steel pipe under the
warehouse
. Mice were licking his wounds as they squeaked and squealed in delight. He was still unconscious.
“What are we gonna with this mongrel? He’s a traitor. He deserves to
be killed
. He breached the rules and regulations of
Sekret
rynka
.” One of the
brothers
said.
“Just wait. We need to find out where she’s gone first.” Java spoke.
Cold and dirty water from the drainage splattered all over Anton’s face, forcing him to wake up.
“Hey, traitor. Wake up!”
“Ha?” Anton weakly replied.
“Where is she?” Java yelled.
A sudden worry crept into Anton.
Tasia
?
“Hey, I’m talking to you. Answer me!”
A horse’s riding crop whipped against his face, head, neck, chest – anywhere it hit. It was painful like his father’s beating when he was just a kid. His most feared nightmare came to
life
. He hated pain. He’d had his fair of it since he was a boy. But, would he give in?
“I-I don’t
know,
” He replied weakly.
“Liar!” Another whip struck his face.
Flesh split in half, his wound kept oozing blood. He was determined to keep his family safe. Although he never wished to leave his unborn child fatherless, he could not afford to lose them either. One way or the other, someone had to make a sacrifice.
He already made a decision. And he was adamant to stick with it. Death’s grip had no power over him.
“Tell me, or else I’m gonna tear you and your slut girl into pieces.”
Slut? How dare you
! Fury boiled in Anton’s blood. “Be careful with your mouth, you fat cunt!”
Java stepped back slightly, frightened to see him turned red in wrath.
“What would you do now? You’re bound and helpless. No one can help you. She’s not
here,
and she’ll be gone forever when I find the cave she’s hiding in.”
“Don’t you dare lay your hands on her. I have many tentacles, Java. I could easily kill you in this instance.”
“Oh, really
? What about if I cut one off?”
He whipped his left leg repeatedly to the point where Anton could no longer bear the pain in silence. He screamed in an agonizing cry, calling Tasia’s name for help. He kept on struggling, and at one point the rusty plumbing pipe broke where he was tied on.
Java fell over by the pipe’s impact. It hit his right thigh, pushing him away.
Realizing luck was on his side for the first
time,
he stood up in relief. A shadow in the drainage caught his attention.
Papa
? He thought as he saw his father’s reflection
in
the dirty water.
It must have been his
own
hallucination created by his initial insensibility during the time he was unconscious.
It as it gave him the strength to face Java.
“I told you I have many tentacles.
Bad
grass is hard to die. Say your last prayer.”
No one
was left
in the underground, except Anton alone.
It was now Java’s turn to taste the dose of his own medicine.
Chapter Nine
Sitting by the window, Tasia’s mother, Tonya, was thinking about her daughter. She was regretful of gambling their house for the sake of her entertainment. Tasia had not come back home for over a year now. She spent Christmas alone. No gifts. No Christmas trees. Just a simple meal.
Knock. Knock. Knock
. Someone was outside the entrance door.
“Who’s that?” Tonya yelled.
No one answered. Instead, the knock kept on going, louder and louder.
For goodness’ sake. Who’s that?
“I’ll be right there. Hang on minute….”
As she opened the door, a slim black woman stood before her with a baby girl clutched in her arm. She did not recognize her. She had changed so much. That little girl she had once taken care of was now a full grown woman.
“Tasia? Is that you?” Tears welled up in Tonya’s eyes. Disbelief clouded her mind.
“Mama?” Tasia began to cry.
“It’s you. Thank goodness, you’re alive. Oh, my daughter…”
Lifting her arms up, Tonya let them rest
on
her daughter’s shoulders as she pulled her in closer, savoring the moment. Every second of it was more precious than diamonds. It was
a gold
that can never
be purchased
, its value beyond a price one could afford.
The baby smiled at her grandmother sweetly, entertained by her reaction.
“Is that my granddaughter, Tasia?”
“Yes, Mama. Her name is Alexis.”
“Oh, sweet heaven. She’s beautiful!”
“Like mother, like daughter.” She laughed.
“Where’s your husband?”
“Ummm… Let’s talk about that inside Mama. I don’t think this is a good place for that topic.”
“Yes, of course. Sorry, darling. Come on in.” Tonya shut the door.
****
It had been days since Tasia had arrived back in Chicago. Since then, she had been praying that her mother would not ask about Alexis’ father. She thought Anton was already dead, and she did not want to keep her hope up, afraid to
be hurt
again.
Since he was gone, Alexis had been her source of strength. She was the
reason
she found the courage to visit her mother again. Without her child, she would have gone insane by now.
“Alright, Alexis, mommy and grandma will take you to the park. You like that, don’t
yah
?”
Alexis giggled, exposing her toothless gums.
“Mama…”
“Yes, Tasia?”
“Are you ready? I’m
gonna
take Alexis to the car, alright?”
“Yes, darling. Just make sure you put her in the car-seat. She’s not allowed in the front passenger seat.”
“Cool. Thanks!” Tasia made her way down the stairs to the carport where the car
was parked
.
Driving to the park, Anton came to her remembrance as she noticed Alexis was sleeping.
She
really
looks like her dad when she’s asleep
.
As they came to stop
at
the intersection, Tonya noticed her agitated face. “Is there something bothering you?”
“Ha? Ah, no
…
I’m alright, Mama. I’m just thinking of what we should feed Alexis when she wakes up.” She lied.
Truth
be told
. She was thinking of Anton.
Sitting on a red picnic mantle, she watched her baby crawl around. How she
wished
Anton was there to see their daughter’s growth. But he was not. He was dead. As least that was what she thought.
Not far off, Anton stood under a tree, trying to find the courage to approach his family.
Papa, if you ever hear me, please help me be a father that I should be to my daughter
.
Since the time Anton saw his father’s reflection during the fight with Java, he was convinced his father had long desired his forgiveness. As Anton allowed himself to forgive, a sense of relief followed him all the time. It was the power of forgiveness that had taught him healing.
A cold breeze hissed at him. Goosebumps stood up on his skin. Was it his father’s spirit who was helping him out?
“Alexis, don’t go that far,” Tasia told her daughter.
Oblivious to who was behind her, a hand grabbed Tasia’s shoulder. She recognized his smell and the texture of his palm.
Don’t tell me his ghost is haunting me
?
Every doubt
was abolished
when she heard him speak.
“Tasia?”
She could not get it wrong. His strong, but soft Russian accent was remarkable.
“Anton?” She excitedly turned.
Gems of precious tears began to
roll down
involuntarily from their eyes. They were both speechless – tamed with surprise and gladness that miracles
really
do happen. And a happy ending was possible.
“How did you find us?” She asked with thankfulness in her voice.
“I’d do everything to find you and our daughter.”
He shifted his gaze at Alexis while she was crawling around, exploring her skills. She got her golden brown hair from her father. Her eyes were Hazel, a little bit lighter than her mother’s eyes. But her skin tone was mixed. A little lighter than Tasia’s. And a little darker than Anton’s.
“She’s beautiful. She looks just like you, Tasia. Can I hold her?”
“Yes, of course. She’s your daughter, you know. Our child.” Tasia blushed.
Taking her up from the ground, she wiggled her hands as she played with her father’s nose and eyes. Her smile was priceless. Suddenly Anton felt that same sensation of love that his father must have felt when he had held Anton for the first time.