Chapter Forty-seven
Hazel
Hi, I’m dead.
I’m dead because I made my sister so worried that she had to travel down to Florida.
I was in my room when I heard some noises from the kitchen and I thought Angela was arguing with the other staff, but it got so loud that I had to check. So I went downstairs, to meet a different scene—Ysabelle arguing with the staff, ordering to see me.
“Mi nuh have time fi unuh right now, weh mi sista deh or mi a call police.”
I should signify, but I’m still frozen on the stairs. Angela sees me first and shakes her head with a disapproving look. She warned me several times to call Ysabelle, but I kept stalling.
Ysabelle follows Angela’s eyes, and as soon as she sees me, her jaw drops. She rushes and envelopes me in a bone-crushing hug, before releasing me with a sniff and repeatedly smacking me all over my body like a mother would a disobedient child. I don’t fight her, I stand there and let her hit me.
“How dare you?” my sister chants like a mantra, still hitting me. Tears fall from my eyes, but I can’t tell if it’s because she’s crying too, or if it’s because I feel so much relief inside me seeing her here with me. When she stops hitting me, she pulls me in a hug again. And this time, I hug her back, both of us crying like kids.
“How could you get involved in a scandal? How could you act as a live-in escort for someone you don’t know?”
“I didn’t… I wasn’t a live-in escort, Ysa. We got married. You saw the news, right?”
“Don’t piss me off,” Ysabelle says angrily as she pulls me off her. “Suh yuh yaa mi fi believe seh yuh find and deh wid man fi just 4 month and a guh get married. Yaa yam head?”
“Ysa, mi swear seh a dat happen.”
She wipes her tears and throws her purse on the couch. “I believe you. But you also have to believe me when I say, this marriage is over today. Where is your room? I’m packing your bags and we’re going back home.”
“What? Girl, you’re not listening to me. I love this man.”
“Shut yuh mout mi nuh waa hear nuh ting till wi reach Jamaica.”
In the next few minutes, Ysabelle makes me take her to my room. She picks a few essentials in my closet into my traveling bag, scoffing about how she can’t believe I married a man because he has an unnecessarily huge house.
We return downstairs, my pleas falling on Ysabelle’s deaf ears. Rain won’t be home until later in the night. I don’t want to imagine how he’ll feel if he finds me gone.
“Ysa, please. At least let’s wait until my husband gets home. How would Marlon feel if someone came and took you away from him?”
“Oh don’t you dare compare Marlon and I with you and that man. Nobody can take me away from him. Yuh waa know wa mek? Caaz everybady know wen mi and him married.”
Touché!
We’re soon interrupted by the sound of the door, and as Rain walks in, I hold my breath. This is a clash I won’t recommend without prior preparation.
Rain’s confused gaze tours the living room, before realization dawns on him. A raised eyebrow is all he does, and I nod in confirmation.
“I presume this is your sister,” he voices out loud anyway. There he goes with his outer calm demeanor that contrasts his inner turmoil.
“Yes, I am. And you are? Let me guess, her contract husband.”
“Husband, yes. Contract, no. At least it won’t be in a few months to come.”
I widen my eyes in horror. Is he planning to tell her we’re in a mutually-benefit marriage?
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ysabelle asks. I clear my throat to get Rain’s attention, but I choke on my spit, erupting into a coughing fits. Angela brings me water, and I slowly return to normal.
“Did you eat something yet? My wife is a great cook. Why don’t we talk over dinner?” Rain suggests, and I catch him wink at Angela who nods.
What game is he planning?
I don’t even care. As long as he gets my sister to forgive us and accept our marriage.
Angela gently collects my traveling bag from Ysabelle. “I’ll set the table. Your sister makes meals for us in the house. She’s a great chef.”
Despite the visible annoyance still in her eyes, Ysabelle follows Angela’s lead to the dining table, and the latter sets the table table with the dinner I’d prepared. I walk to join them, but Rain pulls me back.
“No matter what happens, don’t say anything and let me handle it.”
I whisper back. “Do you have a plan in mind?” I whisper back. “My sister is a witch, she can tell when someone’s lying.”
“Or you’re a bad liar? Just do as I say. Hm?”
I think for a nanosecond before I nod. “Okay. But easy on the lies if you’re planning to tell one. I’m serious, she can tell when someone’s lying.”
“Okay.” We pull in for a quick kiss, before joining Ysabelle around the table.
Oh Santa Maria, please help me with this one.
I was wrong. My sister believed every lie Rain spewed.
How does a person even think of a story like that on the spot?
According to Rain, when he saw me at the immigration office on the day I landed ( thank you for that one truth, Rain ), he knew I was the one for him, and he spent weeks trying to convince me to date him. He even admitted to stalking me and knowing about Ysabelle before I told him. Anyways, back to the story. After realizing that he wasn’t able to convince me, he proposed a contract called: ‘Marry me for six months and I’ll make you fall in love with me . ’
It’ll benefit him because I get to stay with him forever, and it’ll benefit me because if I don’t fall in love with him, I get a certain amount of money. Wow!
When I say Ysabelle has hearts in her eyes, I mean it. It takes a special level of talent to turn an angry woman (Ysabelle precisely) to an awwing one.
Rain proceeds to say he won the contract, because we confessed our love to each other last night and we plan to have a real wedding, winning Ysabelle over even more by adding that we plan to bring her, her husband and her kids to Florida so we can get married in their presence. Another truth. I think he took the ‘two truth and a lie’ game seriously.
“I knew she would.” Ysabelle laughs. “Hazel is very innocent, almost stupid. One act of kindness and she’ll fall in love. Since you’re on a mission to get her to fall, I can’t imagine how much kindness and gentleness you must have shown her.” Well, I won’t be the one to tell her it was very much the opposite. “Also, you basically got her into Henri Leclair Foodcademy. Forget it, she’ll never fall out of love with you. That’s been her dream since forever.”
“I know,” Rain chuckles. They continue laughing and talking, leaving me out of it like I’m a stranger. At least, I get to stay with my husband now.
“So when is the wedding?” Ysabelle asks, and even I find myself edging closer to get answers.
“We were thinking of having it in a year, but since you’re here now. I can have your husband and kids join you in a few weeks, and we’ll have the wedding in a month.”
“In a month?” Ysabelle and I chorus.
“How’s it possible to plan a wedding in a month?”
“I’ll ask for help from my parents and friends. Everyone wants to plan a Dacosta wedding, so finding a planner isn’t a hassle at all. If that’s what you want. Otherwise, we can just wait until after a year.”
I can’t wait for a year. No matter how sweet the lies he told are, it isn’t true. The truth is that I’m still a woman he married to save his company. And I know he loves me now, I just can’t wait to be a real wife to him and not someone he married because it’s beneficial.
Ysabelle also looks like she can’t wait either, because she shakes her head. “If you think you’re capable of planning a wedding in a month, then go for it. I want my sister to be a real wife. Not one based on contracts and bets.”
I love you, Ysabelle. I’m sorry for not calling you. I want to kiss her cheeks and say to her, but I refrain from looking too desperate.
“I’ll do my best.” Rain locks eyes with me and winks.
I contain my excitement by clenching my fists until it hurts.
I’m getting married again. This time, with my sister. My life is finally complete.