Chapter 23
Chapter 23
“ W hich are you the most excited about, graduation, going home, or James Jr.’s proposal?”
Princess ZsaZsa, in all of her wisdom, exhaled as she looked up at her friend Phire, who was now married to the mayor, then replied, “To speak with honesty, I am not excited about any one of them. Each brings a bit of sadness to my present life.”
“Sadness, why?” Phire sat on the balcony of ZsaZsa’s room on the Ashro estate of Prince LaVeré, her friend’s youngest brother, and expressed her thoughts. “You are a freakin’ princess, a gorgeous one at that. You are about to graduate with two degrees with honors. One in International Public Relations and another in International Affairs, which you have worked intensively to obtain for five years. You are going back home to your country, which you have missed, to implement changes you have been developing for years. And you are about to get a proposal from one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. Notice, I did not say Commonwealth of Virginia, I said in the country! A man you have been in love with since the day you met him. Pray tell, what on earth do you have to be sad about?”
ZsaZsa smiled. “I do love James.”
“I know you do,” Phire replied as she stood to lean against the iron balcony railing to look directly at her friend. “So, let it out. What’s going on in that befuddled mind of yours.”
“Why do you say my mind is befuddled? It is the same as saying I am one layer of skin from a sheep’s behind.”
Phire stared at her. “Spare me on how you came up with that analogy.”
“It is just a saying from my country,” ZsaZsa explained.
“Okay, without the saying that makes no sense at all, tell me what’s on your mind.”
“While I am very pleased to receive my degree, it will be bittersweet. For one, my countrymen have no use for a woman with an education. They believe it is a waste of time, money, and energy for something that will never be used. Women in my country are there to procreate, care for their man, children, and household, in that order. Therefore, the accomplishment of completing my education is for me only.”
“I don’t think that is true. LaVeré is very proud of you.”
“He is a very forward-thinking man who was educated in the Americas. Just as with your husband LT, he believes his wife’s worth is equal to his own. The men in my country do not believe such. In fact, they would consider it blasphemous to say such a thing. If a woman dared to suggest it, or in some extreme cases, dare to look into the eyes of her husband she would be physically punished and shunned by her family.”
“Yes, I can see me cutting off the hands of a few men in your country,” Phire exhaled. “Apparently, somewhere in your life you were taught differently. From the day that I met you, you never appeared to bow down to any man. You did have those moments when you allowed a roommate to belittle you, however, we learned very quickly that you were not one to be pushed but so far. Somewhere along the line, you learned all women were to be valued.”
“Indeed, I was taught differently. You would be surprised to know that it was actually my father who taught me that. The same King who ruled over our country, where he allowed women to be treated in such a manner.”
“How did he teach you, if he does not believe that to be true?” Phire asked.
“He taught me through his actions. There were many days when my father would converse with my mother on issues regarding the country. Many times, it was my mother's wisdom that assisted him in curing whatever was happening at that time. He constantly turned to my mother for her advice showing me that he valued her counsel, even though she was a woman. Watching them, during my formative years, showed me that I, as a female had worth. What I could not understand was if he valued my mother in the way he did, why that did not convey to the women of his country?” She exhaled a bit conflicted. “Those old ways were one of the reasons we had unrest in our country. When my father stepped down as King, my brother Aswan took the throne. LaVeré did all he could to sway King Aswan to change some of the old ways. He did change some things, however, not in two crucial areas. We still have two distinct classes of people, the royals, and the peasants. There is no in-between. The middle class in our country are those who serve the royals. They are considered to be above the peasants. The other area is our devaluing of women. The women of Emure are not allowed to have an education. If they are caught reading or writing, they are punished.”
“All of that sounds crazy to me,” Phire stated. “In our family, my mother and sisters are all valued. In fact, I think my brothers are a little afraid of my sisters.”
“I can understand why. You and your sisters are a little intimidating.” ZsaZsa commented.
“What? All of us are loving and kind.” Phire hissed.
“Yes, you are indeed all of those things, however, you are also scary.”
“Okay…okay, we are not talking about my sisters.”
“And you,” ZsaZsa stopped her. “You are very scary. Do you remember LT’s friend? He still watches you from the corner of his eye.”
Phire smiled. “Good, I want Mint to be very afraid of me.”
“Mission accomplished.”
“Okay, okay, okay, we are not talking about me. This is about you. The reason you came to the United States was to get an education so you could help both of the situations you mentioned. That should be exciting…right?”
“I did not come to the Americas to further my education. That is the reason LaVeré used to convince my parents to allow me to come here. I came here because one of my brothers treated me in a way that all the men in my country treat women, as property. It was my choice to use my education to help the women in my country to avoid such turmoil.”
Phire took a seat next to her. “I know a little about that situation, but you never brought it up, so I never asked. Are you ready to tell me about it now?”
“It is one of the reasons, I’m a little afraid to return home. I know I must, however that incident is what caused heartache for your brother Joshua. That is one of the reasons I never spoke of it to you. I knew you held President Harrison responsible for what happened, and I guess, I did not want you to put me in that category as your enemy.”
“President Harrison is not my enemy,” Phire advised.
“He was when I first came to this country,” ZsaZsa stated. “You were very angry with him for interfering in your brother’s life.”
“True, I was very upset. We lost Joshua for almost an entire year because of that situation. However, I never held you responsible for that.”
“Your brother came to my country to rescue me after my brother used me to prove a point to our King. It was during that time Joshua met Akande. He brought her back with us because I begged him to. He did not want to, but I refused to leave without her. So, you see, I am the reason Joshua met her, fell in love with her and then was heartbroken because she had to marry my brother to save her country and mine.”
“Those were things that were not under your control. You were only sixteen at the time when all of that happened. You did not make Joshua fall in love with Akande. Besides, if he had not met her, we would not have Teddi, nor would we now have Roc, Lil Joe or baby Shelly in our lives. Nor would I have you as my best friend.”
“Thank you for saying that.” ZsaZsa smiled. “I truly treasure your friendship.”
“And I yours,” Phire smiled. “So, what did your brother do?”
“He had me kidnapped from my home. From the one place that I thought I would always be safe. His reason for doing such was to prove to King Aswan that more security was needed at the palace. He felt it was reasonable to use me in that way, because in my country women are expendable.”
“In return for his actions, he received a queen and a country of his own.” Phire shook her head. “I find it very troublesome for him to be rewarded for such a devious deed.”
“To this day I have not spoken to him since that incident. I know it was almost ten years ago. However, I have not faced him, and I have to admit, I fear him.”
“You should never fear your brother. They are placed on this earth to protect us from all harm.”
ZsaZsa looked directly into Phire’s eyes. “My brother did not protect me. He put me in danger. Even now, I often wonder how many things could have gone very wrong with his actions. The man who took me is now dead. The King and Queen who assisted him are both now dead. Yet, my brother is not only alive, but he is also now more powerful as the King of Asmere, than he was as Prince of Emure. When I return to my country, my brother Aswan will control my future. I fear he can be easily swayed by my brother Raheem. At home, I will not be in a position to fight either of their rulings.”
“Yes, you can,” Phire stated. “They may not like it when you do, but you still have a voice. You still have the means to escape their reign. I know you are intent on going back there to help others. That is commendable of you. I applaud your resolve to go back and help others. As you do, I want you to know this. You have a base here in the United States. All you have to do is make one call, send one message, or pull a bird from the sky, put a note on his little beak, and send him my way and you will have the full force of my wrath to protect you. Tell me you understand and believe me.”
ZsaZsa nodded. “I do,” she replied. “I have one question. Will my country still be standing when you finish?”
Phire shrugged. “Probably not. But we will worry about that when and if it happens. Now,” she sat back, “Tell me your sadness about a proposal from James.”
ZsaZsa sat back then looked out over the estate. “It is not sadness about the proposal. It is sadness because I will have to say no.”
“Why?” Phire frowned.
“My duty is to my countrymen first. I have no idea where King Aswan stands on the freedom I plan to bring to the women of Emure. If he is resistant to my plans, then I will have to remain until changes are forthcoming. There is no telling how long that will take. I do not want James putting his life on hold for me. Although my heart breaks every time I think of leaving, but leaving is what I must do.”
“Has it ever occurred to you that James could assist you in your quest? Has it occurred to you that no matter where you go or how long you stay away, his love for you will not diminish? Has it occurred to you that he may be more than willing to help and wait for you to complete your mission for your country? Never underestimate the love of a man. LT waited for me, and I believe James’ love for you is just as strong. He will move heaven and earth to be with his ZsaZsa.”
“I do not want him to have to move the heavens. My love for him wants the heavens to open its doors and grant him every happiness. We have learned that tomorrow is not promised to us. We have to live every day to its fullest. I do not want James to suffer for a moment. I want him to be happy.”
“He is going to suffer the moment you say no,” Phire remarked. “May I suggest you simply say, let’s wait a while. Go home, get a feel for the situation with your King, then decide on what you will do. I know you love James, and he loves you. It is that love you need to believe in as you move forward with your plans.”
“If he loves me so much, why hasn’t he made love to me?” ZsaZsa whispered softly.
“Well,” Phire cleared her throat. “It could be that he loves you so much, he does not want to compromise you.”
“Is that why LT waited for you?”
Phire shook her head. “No, I think LT was afraid of my father.”
“Oh,” ZsaZsa exhaled.
“However, James Jr. is a very conscientious person. When he met you, he knew you were still a virgin. There was no way he was going to take that precious gift from you until you were ready to commit one hundred percent to him. Are you ready for that?”
“When we first met, I told him I did not want to have sex until I was married. Now I want to amend that to add the phrase, or to the man I plan to marry . However, James has chosen to honor my declaration. But I’m ready for him to make love to me now. I get so hot when we are together that I have considered stripping him down and riding him like I would a wild stallion.”
Phire laughed. “A wild stallion…huh?”
“Yes,” ZsaZsa replied with a very serious expression on her face, “tight and hard.”
“Well, have you told him that?”
“Not in those words, however, I have expressed my feelings on the matter.”
“And what did he say?”
ZsaZsa grumbled, “He said that our wedding night will be a special night for both of us if we wait.”
Phire sat back and drew in a deep breath. “You know what he was saying to you…right?”
“Yes, I know. He loves me.”
“Exactly. Not only that, but he is also honoring your wish.”
ZsaZsa stood as she spoke. “I am grateful for his love, but I want to feel his body and everything that comes with it, damnit!”
Phire burst into laughter. “Slow down little firecracker before you explode.”
“That’s exactly what I want to do. I want James to make me explode.”