Chapter 8 Joshua

• As I stepped into the kitchen, the aroma of scrambled eggs filled my nostrils. My stomach growled in hunger. I also hadn’t eaten since this morning because I was too busy taking care of Alana’s shit.
• “All I found in your fridge were eggs, ham, a protein shake, and two beers.”
• “What did you expect, huh? This house is just a hideout when I get tired of dealing with shit out there.”
• “So it’s true that this isn’t your house.”
• “My house is in Chicago. I'm here just for business.”
• “Is marrying my mother business to you?”
• I shrugged my shoulders slowly. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and took a swig. I caught Fiona staring at me with a blush on her cheeks. She immediately turned her gaze to the sizzling scrambled eggs in the pan.
• “Do you want some scrambled eggs too?”
• “Yeah. I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.”
• I plopped my bottom down on the stool and sat quietly watching her cook. She held the pan steady and wasn’t at all awkward in the kitchen. I guessed she was used to cooking for herself at home.
• “How old are you?”
• “You really don’t know how old I am?”
• “If I did I wouldn’t have asked you.”
• “Wow, I’m surprised you don’t know how old I am. I thought you’d checked your future wife’s background before you married her.”
• “You’re not the woman I was supposed to marry.”
• “You’re not the man I was supposed to marry either.”
• We stared at each other intensely for a few seconds before she turned to her scrambled eggs.
• “I’m turning twenty one in two weeks,” she said quietly.
• “That’s not so bad.”
• “What do you mean that’s not so bad?”
• “You became an orphan at twenty.”
• “You… Do you have parents?”
• “Not anymore. I became an orphan when I was five.”
• “What happened to your parents?”
• “Something terrible. I don’t want to talk about it.”
• I took a sip of my beer and turned my face away to avoid eye contact with her. I didn’t like it when people pitied me because of my bitter past.
• “You already know my age. How old are you?”
• “Thirty-eight.”
• “Wow.”
• “What wow?”
• “You’re twice my age.”
• “So what?”
• “Nothing. Just… Weird.”
• Couldn’t complain. It was weird. I wasn’t thinking about anything while dragging her down the aisle other than that I had to get a wife right away, so my grandfather wouldn’t give up my throne to my cousin. Besides, my grandfather would force me to marry Alana if I didn’t bring my wife to him when he got back from his cabin.
• “Here, your scrambled eggs. Hope you like them.”
• I pulled my plate closer and started eating. The scrambled eggs were delicious. They reminded me of the scrambled eggs my mother made all those years ago. I couldn't believe I had lived thirty-three years without my mother. Time flies so fast.
• “Why are you shirtless like that?”
• “Why?”
• “You’re so big. The tattoos on your arms and chest are creeping me out.”
• “Get used to it now because this is what you’re going to see every day.”
• “So you’re serious about this marriage?”
• “I’m thirty-eight, and I’m not getting married for fun.”
• I saw a flash of worry on her face. I could understand if she had a lot of worries on her mind about this marriage. But, she would get used to it as time went by.
• "Do-does that mean you're also expecting a child in this marriage?"
• "If you could give me one, that would be better."
• I saw more worry and fear on her face. I was tempted to know what was going on in her head, but she didn't seem to want to say it.
• "I don't want to have a child with you. I don't want... I don't want to do...."
• "Sex? Is that what you're trying to say?"
• She nodded slowly.
• "You can't even say it out loud. Are you still a virgin? Have you never had sex before?"
• I put the scrambled eggs in my mouth. Fiona was silent. She sat stiffly and just stirred the scrambled eggs on her plate.
• Fuck
• So was she really a virgin? Twenty years old and she's never had sex? Lucky me.
• Well, but it definitely wasn’t going to be easy.
• “I want to bury my mother near my father’s grave.”
• She changed the topic, and I didn’t mind.
• “Your mother’s body is in the funeral home. Tomorrow we will bury her next to your father’s grave as you wished.”
• “Thanks.”
• Her expression turned sad after she talked about her mother. I could understand if she was grieving. Her mother was shot dead right in front of her eyes. She was a tough woman. Another woman would probably faint and would look more disheveled than she did right now.
• “I have a life. I’m in college and I’ll graduate in six months. I want to finish my studies.”
• “We’ll talk about your life tomorrow.”
• “Okay. But I hope you don’t lock me up at home and forbid me from going to campus like I often see in mafia movies.”
• “Actually, I intend to do that.”
• And I also intend to fuck you tonight.
• Those words only lingered on the tip of my tongue just because I didn’t want to ruin the conducive atmosphere between us.
• “If you do that, I’ll find a way to go to college no matter what. That final paper is very important to me. I promised my mother that I’d finish college and become a lawyer.”
• I didn’t comment. My wife wanted to be a law enforcer, and she married a lawbreaker. It was ridiculous. I wouldn’t let her become a lawyer, but I wasn’t going to tell her now.
• “Why aren’t there any guards here?”
• “They don’t follow me forever.”
• “How many of your guards were killed in the shooting this morning?”
• "Twenty. That's far less than the number who died on Calonzo's side."
• “I’m sorry for the deaths of your guards.”
• “Baby, that’s a common occurrence. They knew the consequences before they came to work with me. This morning’s shooting wasn’t the first.”
• “It was still horrible. How can you live in such a bloody environment?”
• “You’ll get used to it. One day you’ll see the blood like you see puddles on the street.”
• She frowned deeply.
• “I want my normal life back.”
• “Sorry to disappoint you, but your life will never be the same.”
• “I never asked you to drag me into your mess. Those people died because of your mistake, but you treated it as normal and as if it was their fault. Didn’t you ever think that those people who died had families waiting for them at home? You should have gone to their families one by one and sincerely offer your condolences to them. Those people sacrificed their lives for a selfish man like you.”
• My fists clenched on the table. I couldn’t help but slam the table. Fiona gasped in surprise. Fear clouded her face, but she was too arrogant to admit her fear. Instead, she covered it up with her disgustingly tough face.
• “Every job you take has risks. They already knew the risks when they decided to work for me. You don't have to act like a smart-ass in front of me just because you're a law student.”
• “At least, show some sympathy for their families. I’m sure it would make a lot of difference than just treating them like toilet paper that you can easily throw away once you don’t need them anymore.”
• “Shut your mouth. You should go to your room and sleep. I don’t want to hear any more nonsense from you.”
• She threw her fork roughly before running up the stairs to her room. I heard the door slam loudly, and then the place became silent.
• Great.
• No more conducive nights. This was the result of marrying a girl who was emotionally unstable. She was naive and idealistic. She did not understand the rules of the game in this cruel world. She did not know that there was something more terrible than the mass murder she saw in the church this morning.
• “When the time comes, you will see what true cruelty is, my little bride.”