Forbidden Love of the Ballet Dancer and the Hockey Player

Chapter 5

Nuala is in the kitchen with her mother. They're making Zong Zi (rice dumplings). She is angry that her parents have her doing all the housework and helping with the cooking and kitchen cleaning duties. Jee took her cell phone, and she was not allowed to go to their houses, and they couldn't come there. The main thing she's upset about is that her father has cut off her allowance. Nuala hadn't received it since the night they discovered she had lied about staying at Francesa's house.

Her parents agreed for her to spend the night, but they had a feeling she was lying about something. So Bae sat in a car across the street from Francesa's house. He was furious when he saw his daughter walking out of the house and getting in a car with a young man who looked to be around eighteen. He was following the car, and suddenly, the car stopped, and Nuala got out of it. She refused to tell her parents and Charlbi who the young man was. That was the only time Bae and Jee regretted they didn't believe in spanking their children.

She pleads with Charlbi to speak with their parents. She wants to go to the mall and hang out with her friends again. Charlbi asks her to tell her who the boy is, and she'll help her. Since Nuala won't tell her, she refuses to interfere with their parents' decision.

Charlbi walks into the kitchen and offers to help cook dinner. Jee gives her two Zong Zi and a bottle of Jasmine Green Tea. "Go study. These are your sister's chores. Since she had a lot of free time to deceive us."

Nuala frowns and thinks, "I'll be so glad when I get out of this house." She looks at the clock in her sister's hands. "Where did you get that from?"

"Gareth brought it for me. It was a gift for taking care of his house and plants. It's beautiful, but a weird gift to give someone." Charlbi held it up.

Jee pats her chest, relieved that it's a simple and beautiful gift.

"Weird but expensive," Nuala points to it. "Very expensive."

Charlbi walks out of the kitchen, wondering why he bought her a clock. She enters the den, and her mind goes to her sister. She wants to help her sister, but can't go against her parents when she doesn't have all the facts. "Why won't Nuala tell us who he is? Why is it such a secret?" She looks out the window at Gareth and her father talking. "The two most important men in my life are right there."

The clock starts singing Edelweiss. "Why in the world do I need to look at it?" Charlbi looks at it and sees an 18-carat love rose gold ring set with sixty-six diamonds on top of the woman and man figurine that came out of the clock. She takes the ring off, looks at it, and sees something engraved on the inside of the band. "Don't ever forget me, kido," she reads, looking at Gareth. "Forgetting you, Mr. Cartier, is the last thing you don't have to ever have to worry about." Charlbi slips the ring on her finger and holds her hand in front of her face. "It fits perfectly."

Gareth's phone beeps. He looks at it and smiles when he reads, "I love it. It's beautiful. Perfect, just like you." He cut his eyes at Bae and texted her back, " You just describe yourself."

Bae pretends to be looking at two red birds, but wonders if it's his daughter the young man is communicating with.

****

Hamza has been avoiding Leni, Elke, and their two friends, Emila and Hannah. When he hears the women are attending a party or going to a club, he goes in the opposite direction. Leni has been calling him nonstop. At first, he told them he was traveling with friends in Japan for two months. He thought that would give him time to think of another lie. Hamza knows he can't avoid them forever, but he has no plan for showing what's left of the million dollars Gareth paid him. He heard through their circle of friends that Elke had asked them if they had heard from him. Hamza returned home two days ago but hasn't gone anywhere since he came home from the airport.

Leni and Elke are ready to make their move to con Gareth. Hannah tells them to wait until he returns to play next season. Emilia agrees with Hannah but adds that maybe next time, one or both will get pregnant. Elke and Leni refuse to wait any longer, and they drive to Hamza's apartment.

When the door rings, he opens it without asking who it is. He was expecting a delivery person with his dinner. Instead, he's looking at two angry women. Leni and Elke rolled their eyes as they walked in. The other two women shook their heads, looking at him. They know it's about to be a showdown.

He cackles and gives them a bottle of Weissbier beer. "What brings you four ladies to my home?"

"Don't play us for fools," Leni points at him with her beer. "Hand over the pictures of us and Gareth Cartier."

"I don't have the pictures. Someone broke in while I was traveling. All of my pictures and negatives are gone. I thought it must have been you four." He gives her a stern look. "So I should be asking you where my equipment and pictures are. Should I remind you they're still my property because neither of you has paid me for the work I did that night?" Hamza turns his beer up but cuts his eyes at Leni and Elke.

Now all four women are looking around his apartment at the new 86" television and wondering why the burglar left that TV. But took his photography equipment and pictures. Emilia and Hannah think one of the men they extorted discovered their connections with Hamza and went there. Elke and Leni believe Gareth is behind the theft because of his demeanor that morning.

He notices the way Leni is staring at him, so he lies about having to meet with a client about a possible booking to be their wedding photographer.

All the women stood up to leave except Leni. She's staring at him, wondering why he is so calm. She and her friends never said they didn't have his equipment or the pictures. Leni smirks. "We'll see you later."

Hamza locks the door behind them and exhales. "That b***h, Leni, is going to be a problem. I should have asked for more money."

*****

Bae and Jee are woken up a little at midnight. Jee freezes and covers her mouth, looking at him. She knows nobody calls their home after ten unless something is wrong. Bae looks at the caller ID and sees it's Uma on it. Uma is Jee's brother's wife. He answers the phone, "Okay, okay, we're on the way." Bae hangs up and looks at her. "It's Uma, Your brother said he found her on the bathroom floor, not breathing. She passed away before the paramedics arrived." He's getting out of bed.

Jee is crying while getting dressed. She thought about leaving their daughters there, but realized they didn't know what time they would come home later, mainly because Nuala had become wild and disrespectful. When she walked into Nuala's room, she was asleep and complained about getting up. Jee did something she had never done before. That was to pop her daughter on her butt.

Nuala screams and starts crying, rubbing her butt and looking at her mother.

"Get up and get dressed. I don't have time for your foolishness, young lady, not right now," Jee pointed at her. "Do you want me to hit you again?"

"No, Mother," Nuala slides out of bed.

Jee opens Charlbi's door, and she's surprised to see her sitting at her desk studying, which she finds strange when she sees her cell phone light up. She tells her what happened.

Charlbi hugs her mother. "Are you okay? You and Auntie were close."

"I'm fine. I'm more concerned about my brother and Lah Ann right now." Jee is looking at her daughter, packing a pair of jeans, a shirt, and underclothes in a backpack. She's about to ask her about the clothes.

"I have a test at school. I can't miss it." Charlbi picks her phone up, reads the text, giggles, and texts the person back.

Jee looks out the window toward Gareth's house, and the light goes off in a room on the second floor. She looks at Charlbi. "One disobedient child is all your father, and I can deal with it right now. Do not disappoint us."

Charlbi takes her mother's hands. "I haven't done anything to disappoint you or Father. Mother, I'm not being disobedient. I hope you trust me because I've never given either of you a reason not to. Gareth and I are friends and haven't crossed any lines."

Bae walks into the room, looking between his wife and daughter. "Am I interrupting something? Maybe my timing is good."

"Father, we were discussing Gareth and my friendship." She looks at her father. "Have I ever given you any cause not to trust me or feel that I'm being disobedient?"

He rubs his forehead and his neck. "No. Oh, it's about the young man next door again. I'm aware of them communicating on the telephone. Gareth asked for my permission, which I granted. He knows how far to go when it comes to our daughter. Honey, Charlbi will be eighteen soon. I hate to know what's going to happen then, that's what worries the hell out of me." Bae looks at the ring on her finger. He's surprised his wife hasn't asked about it. "Then, too, she doesn't pay Charlbi that much attention. She's always saying our daughter is a daddy's girl," he thinks.