Whispers on the Wind Chapter 2

The sound of dishes clattering woke Pa Nyia up and she groaned as she held her head. It was spinning and her throat was dry. She coughed, swung her legs over the bed, and stood up. She pulled on her silk gold robe and walked out of her room to the stairs where the noise continued to wake up the house. She descended down the stairs and entered the kitchen where she found Nxtoua's mother, Lane Trent, banging pots and pans. Lane was a small woman with a head of blonde curls and eyes as bright as the sun. She was the same age as Pa Nyia's own mother, but twice the woman. Today was the first day she ever saw Lane lose control. The woman was wearing a black skirt with a yellow top with an apron around her. The curls were locked in a tight bun.

“Damn him! Damn him!” Lane was saying.

“Are you ok?” Pa Nyia asked.

Lane stiffened and turned around with red cheeks. She swallowed and looked at her feet. “Miss Pa Nyia, I am so sorry if I woke you.”

“You woke the whole house. What's going on?”

Lane looked up and sighed deeply. “It's Nxtoua. He disappeared last night after he heard news of his father.”

Pa Nyia's eyebrows raised and she cocked her head. “I had no idea Nxtoua still knew his father. I thought you said he was out of your life?”
“He is...but he called late last night with an issue and demanded money from us and Nxtoua left without telling me. I'm so sorry,”

Pa Nyia raised her hand and shook her head. “Just fix me some breakfast and quit with the banging.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

She turned and walked to the sunroom where she flopped down on the couch. She felt her head pounding as she reached for a magazine. When she did, a letter fell out of the magazine and she bent down to retrieve it. It was a handwritten letter on a white stationery. She frowned and opened it to read.

Iris,

No matter what happens in the next few days, I want you to know that I have never thought any less of you. You have been and always will be the light of my life. You came like the breeze and saved me from dying. You have been my savior for as long as I could imagine and nothing will ever change that. There is so much damage we've done here already and I couldn't live with msyelf if we continued with this. These two people are innocent and we shouldn't hurt them. Let's take this back and keep this a secret between you and me. Please understand where I am coming from. I love you, always. Bruce.

Pa Nyia felt her hands trembling as she read the name. Bruce? She only knew one Bruce and it was her father's partner in business. Was her mother having an affair with Bruce? She stood up as Lane entered and ignored her as she ran up the stairs. She knew her father would be on the golf course and she stormed into her mother's room without knocking. Iris was putting on makeup in front of her vanity mirror as she entered, still dressed in her white nightgown.

“Well good morning to you too,” Iris said.

Pa Nyia showed the letter to her. “Do you want to explain this to me?”

Iris stopped what she was doing and stood up. “Where did you get that?”

“It fell out of a magazine, Mother. When you have an affair, I'd suggest you hide your love letters in less obvious places. When did this start? And does my Father know?”

Iris walked to her door and slammed it shut. “Keep your voice down.”

“No!”

Iris took the letter from her hand and folded it up. She tossed it into her drawer and turned to look at Pa Nyia. “This stays between you and me.”

“How could you do this? Father loves you! He worships the ground you walk on!”

“No, he doesn't! He has ignored me every single day of our marriage! Why do you think I only have you? Because he hasn't slept with me in almost twenty years!”

Pa Nyia stared at her in shock as she crumbled to the ground, crying. She watched as her mother's mascara bled down her cheeks creating a black river of tears. She was shaking and Pa Nyia knelt down to her and reached out to touch her, but Iris jerked away from her. She stood up and walked to the window where she wrapped her arms around herself. Pa Nyia stood there, watching her mother, and then suddenly felt so betrayed.

“And you're constantly trying to get me to marry. Did you want this for me?” she asked.

Iris shoved her hands in her hair and shook her head. “Of course not! I would never want this for you. That is why I keep picking you the winners.”

Pa Nyia laughed and threw up her arms. “Are you serious? You think that if you pick them out, they'll be winners? Look at yourself! You picked Dad out and he turned out to be a loser!”

Iris turned around and wiped her eyes, her face broken with hurt. “I have been in so much pain, Pa Nyia. Do you know what it's like to not be wanted by your own husband? He looks at you like you're not enough and I have tried, Lord knows I have tried, everything to be what he wants me to be. But in his eyes, I am never enough. I am not enough.”

Pa Nyia watched as her mother sank down to the floor, her shoulders shaking, and she knelt down to her. She held her mother in her arms and felt her small body shake. As much as Pa Nyia hated her mother for her annoying ways, it hurt her to see her mother like this. This wasn't the mother she knew; it was a stranger wearing her mother's clothes. This stranger cried and wasn't the center of attention. This stranger wasn't a good enough woman. Never in her life did she expect to see this from her own mother.

“Why didn't you tell me? Why did you hide it from me?” Pa Nyia asked.

Iris pulled away and stared at her with streaked make up across her face. “And let you into my not so perfect life? I thought it meant that I was strong if you saw me as perfect.”

“No, it meant you were unreal. This is the real you and I'd rather have this than the other one any day.”

Iris managed a smile through her tears. “I thought if I showed you how to be strong, you'd love me more.”

“How can you think that? I can't stand it when you think everything is perfect.”

“Oh, God, I'm so sorry you had to find out this way about me. I am so embarrassed.”

Pa Nyia drew her mother to her and held her again. She allowed her mother to cry until she felt better and when she released her mother, she realized that in all those years her mother was nagging her to find a good man, she was really talking about herself. Her chest tightened at the thought of how fragile her mother truly was and held her mother again.

Pa Nyia sat on the bench watching the ducks swim around in the pond and pondering about the life changing event that had unfolded this afternoon. She didn't understand why things had suddenly changed and she wondered if it was for the best or worse. Tears filled her eyes and she suddenly started crying. She felt her chest tighten and came to the realization that perhaps her whole life had been a lie. She gasped for breath and out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone offering her a handkerchief. She took it and then turned to find it was Nxtoua who had handed her it to her. She stood up, shocked and angry at the same time.

“Why are you spying on me?” she asked.

“It's kind of hard to call it spying when you're making a ruckus,” he replied.

Pa Nyia gasped and threw the handkerchief at him. “How dare you insult me! You should remember your place.”

“And you should remember yours, princess. You don't shed tears, remember?”

She stood up and walked to where he stood with shears in his hands. He'd been trimming the rose gardens, her mother's favorite. He wore green garden gloves with a black t-shirt that revealed strong arms that worked hard in the sun. He also wore a grin across his face.

“You watch your mouth, Nxtoua. If I have to hear that one more time from you, you'll be sitting in the gutter.”

“Really?” he challenged.

“Really. Now give me those roses!”

She grabbed them without thinking and the thorns stabbed her hands. She gasped and dropped them on the ground as she saw blood oozing from the open wounds in her hands. Nxtoua took the same handkerchief he'd given her earlier and took her hands. He covered them with it and shook his head in disbelief.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, princess, didn't anyone ever tell you about the thorns roses carry?” Nxtoua asked.

She jerked her hands free from his hold and rubbed them with the handkerchief. “You made me forget.”

“Again you blame me.”

“Because it is your fault, Nxtoua, if you hadn't gotten me all upset, I'd of been more careful. But you ran your mouth when you shouldn't have and it caused me to forget.”

Nxtoua sighed and shook his head. “Are you ever calm?”

Surprised, Pa Nyia, jerked her head up. “Of course I am!”

“So is this you being calm? Because if it is, I must not know what the real definition of “calm” is.”

She bit her lower lip when she saw his lips creep into a smile. She tossed the handkerchief at him and took off. But when she reached the stairs to the house, she turned back around to find him trimming the roses again. For reasons unknown to her, she smiled and stared at her hands. A feeling of warmth crept across her cheeks as she made her way into the house.

As she made her way to the living room, her father was sitting by himself drinking a cup of tea. She felt her inside tighten as she remembered what her mother had told her about him. Looking at his calm demeanor and his coolness, she wasn't surprised to learn that he had been that way. What hurt her the most was that she'd been led to believe that no one could be like her father. In her heart, she'd believed she wanted someone like her father. Since finding this news out, she wasn't sure who she wanted to marry now.

As if he had sensed her, George looked up from his cup of tea and smiled at her. He patted the seat next to him and she obeyed. When she reached him, he took her hand and smiled at her. Pa Nyia released the breath she'd been holding as he stared into her eyes.

“You're quiet today, sweetheart. Something on your mind?” George asked.

Shaking her head, she replied, “No, of course not. I'm fine.”

“Where is your mother? I haven't seen her since breakfast.”

The thought of her mother had her weak and she stood up. “I'm sure she's here somewhere. Excuse me, father, I have things I've got to finish up.”

She left before he could say another word and found her tears spilling down her cheeks as she rushed to her room. Once safe in her room, she covered her mouth with her hand and slid to the ground, sobbing quietly. Her heart ached and the saddest part was that no one understood and never would. She stood up and wiped her eyes, walking to the window where she looked out the window. She saw Nxtoua busy trimming the roses and she stared at her hands where the wounds had stopped bleeding. She stood there watching as his muscles flexed and the sun shone on his back. She'd never noticed how handsome he was before. Perhaps it was because she'd never taken the chance to really appreicate her surroundings. Turning away, she bit her lower lip and sighed deeply. What was she doing? Thinking? She had to get away from here. With that thought, she grabbed her purse and left.

The shopping mall was crowded as Pa Nyia made her way through the shops looking at the latest fashion and not really caring. She wondered why she'd drove out to the mall instead of the beach. Perhaps because she needed a distraction, whatever the reason, here she was. She stopped at a window where the manniquin wore a deep purple dress with a square neck shape and a pearl necklace. She cocked her head, instantly attracted to it, and headed inside the store. She walked to where the dress was hung on a rack and took it off the rack. She brought it to the mirror and placed it under her chin. She admired herself in the mirror and smiled until an image caught her in the mirror. Behind her was her father standing next to a sultry blonde wearing a yellow dress and carrying a black small purse on her slender wrist. When had her father started shopping at malls? And who was that lady? Afraid of being seen, Pa Nyia placed the dress back on the rack and stepped ot of view. She watched from behind the taller racks as her father smiled lovingly at the woman, who to Pa Nyia's thoughts, wore too much makeup and had a fake smile. A diamond ring was on her left hand which indicated that the woman was also having an affair. She felt sick to her stomach as the woman giggled and then handed a dress to her father. Ever the faithful servant, her father took it to the cashier and Pa Nyia took that moment to run out of the store.

The afternoon was spent sitting alone drinking coffee and watching the people pass her by as if her life had no meaning. She thought back to her father's smile, his eyes, and his gestures. Her mother had been right; her father had never been that way with her and it killed Pa Nyia that she'd never noticed it before. She swallowed back tears as she ran her hands up and down her coffee cup. She'd been gone for hours now and she was sure her mother would be worried. She threw her cup into the trash and walked out of the mall to her car. The sky had begun to darken and as she opened her car door, she felt big fat drops of rain hit her. She started the engine just as thunder roared and rain started falling.

“Where could she go?” Iris asked as she paced back and forth in the living room.

Nxtoua watched as the woman was near having a heart attack. “Listen, Mrs. Summerton, why don't I go see if I can find her, ok? You calm down and I'll call you as soon as I find her.”

Nxtoua grabbed the car keys off of the table and headed to the family garage where the Camry was. He got in and backed out as rain poured down hard. After he'd finished trimming the roses, he'd showered, ate, and then spent some time catching up on his reading when Iris came to ask him if he'd seen Pa Nyia. He'd avoided his mother because he didn't want to discuss the topic of his father. He hadn't been able to find his father and he was sure he would appear again asking for more money. But the day had been interrupted by Pa Nyia's absence. She'd been gone all day and her car was missing. At the moment, he wasn't worried and told her the same thing. But now hours later, for someone who had never gone more than a few hours from home, he was beginning to worry as well. George was nowhere to be found at home and from history, he knew that George was off fooling around. Of course, Iris would never admit that her husband had a problem with women, but if he was in her position, he wouldn't either. He wondered if Pa Nyia knew and when he'd caught her crying, he'd been bothered by it.

He turned the car onto the highway and headed to all the bars along the way, checking for her car. When he came up empty, he decided to check the mall. The parking lot was still full and he sighed, knowing he'd have to drive through all the parking spaces to find her car. But as if luck was on his side, he found her car sitting in a lot by itself. He parked his car and realized the car was empty. Was she inside? He unbuckled his belt and reached for the umbrella when he noticed a figure walking down the parking lot space wearing her clothes. He'd recognize those clothes anywhere. He cursed and jumped out calling out her name and running after her. When he reached her, she fell to the ground shivering.

“What are you doing out here?” he cried.

She started crying and brought up her hands to beat him. He lost the umbrella and rain hit him as her small hands slammed themselves into his chest. He caught her hands and held them as she started crying and mumbling words he didn't understand. Without waiting, he picked her up and headed to the car as she fought him. But when he got to the car, he saw that the car keys were dangling on the ingintion and he'd locked the door.

“Shit!” he cried.

Pa Nyia struggled against him and he set her down. He slammed the window with his hands as she continued to cry. He walked to her car and tried to open the car door. It was locked and the saw that her purse was lying on the ground. He cursed again and turned around when the lights of the hotel caught his eyes. He grabbed her hand, but she jerked away.

“What do you think you're doing?” she demanded.

“Look, both of our keys are locked inside our car. It's raining out here. I'm not going to stay out here. We're going to check ourselves in and call your parents to come get us.”

She laughed. “Who do you think you are, demanding me? I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here.”

Nxtoua having had enough, grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “You'll do as I say or else don't say I didn't warn you.”

She broke free from his hold and pushed him away. “No, I won't! I'm not someone you can boss around. Have you forgotten who works for whom?”

“Exactly, princess, I work for your father, not you. So get your pretty little behind in that hotel or I'll carry you in.”

She gasped at his threat, but made no attempt to move. When he stepped toward her, she backed up and raised her hands. She glared at him and started moving toward the hotel.

The room was small and had only one bed. She had denied Nxtoua to call for help from her parents. She didn't want to face her father. She wanted to be alone, but she was stuck with him. Pa Nyia frowned as Nxtoua entered and she turned to face him as he closed the door. She pointed to the one bedroom and he shrugged as he tossed the card key on the table.

“They were out of two bedrooms,” he said.

“You're taking the floor and if you even do anything, I'll murder you.”

He laughed. “Don't wory, princess, I'll murder myself before I even try anything on you.”

Pa Nyia wasn't sure if that was an insult or not. But she watched as he walked to the bathroom and closed the door. She let out a breath and fell on the bed covering her face with her hands. She'd been so stupid. She was in her car, ready to leave when the car beside her backed out and she caught her father sucking the face off of the blonde in the next car. He didn't see her as they finally backed out of the lot. She had sat in the car wondering what she was going to do and when she finally realized it, it had started pouring. A part of her wanted to die and so she'd run off in the rain hoping she'd catch her death. Nxtoua happened to come in time and saved her from her insanity.

The bathroom door opened and he came out with a towel around his neck. He had one in his hands and handed it to her. When she made no movement to take it, he drapped it around her shoulders.

“You're soaking wet. You'll get sick,” he said.

She let the towel fall to the ground and then the tears hit her and she turned away. She felt the towel around her shaking shoulders and then he turned her around to face him. Seeing his face made her sob even more and she threw her arms around him, needing comfort. He held her, let her cry, and she did until she felt weak. He slowly moved her to sit on the edge of the bed and removed his towel. He placed it around her shoulders and wiped her tears.

“You want to tell me what's going on?” he asked.

She shook her head and turned away from him. “You wouldn't understand.”

“Out of all the people in the world, I think I'd understand the most.”

Pa Nyia turned back around to face him. “How could you? You've always made fun of me.”

Laughing, he said, “That's because you're so much fun to poke at. You get all mad and I just want to see how much I can push you until you break.”

She lowered her gaze and a smile escaped her lips. “You're teasing me.”

He lifted her face and stared at her. “What's wrong, Pa Nyia? You had all of us worried. Your mom was near calling the cops. And why don't you want to go home?”

She bit her lower lip. He'd never called her by her name before. She felt the tears fill her eyes and when she tried to look away, he refused to let her chin go. “My father...I caught him at the mall with someone else.”

He slowly released her chin and swallowed. “I'm sorry. It must have hurt.”

She sobbed and covered her face with her hands. “How could he do this?”

He caught her arms and she turned to face him. “I'm sorry, but he's been doing this for a long time. I'm surprised you didn't know.”

Pa Nyia stared at him with shock. “You've known?”

He nodded.

“How long? How long have you've known?”

“I've known all my life. I've just kept quiet about it.”

She stood up and walked to the window where the rain was still pouring hard. She turned back around to look at him. “I hate him.”

Nxtoua stood up and walked to her. “Don't say that. You're angry and it's the anger speaking.”

“But I do. He hurt my mother. He hurt me. He's selfish and ignorant and cruel.”

“Some men find it easy to love one woman for the rest of his life. Those are the better men. Then there are those who refuse to settle with one woman because it sometimes indicates that he's weak and has settled. But those men are often lonely and without love. If I had to choose, there's no doubt which one I'd choose. Your father is blind and your mother avoids the problem. Between the two of them, love doesn't know how to exist.”

Pa Nyia listened to him and suddenly she felt as if the only person who might understood her was him. “You're right. You do understand than most. It's surprising that you'd know so much about my family when I don't know anything about you.”

“It's protocol, Pa Nyia. It's my job to know you and it's not yours to know me. I'm not important.”

“No, you're wrong. You are important. I'm sorry if I have hurt you.”

He smiled. “You've never come close to hurting me, princess. Perhaps you should get out of those clothes before you get sick and I get blamed.”