“SO, WHAT do you know about your father?” Ethan asked Marsha as they played catch.
He threw the ball in Marsha’s direction, and was impressed when the little girl caught it without breaking a sweat. However, her shoulder sagged, perhaps because of his question.
“I haven’t seen my dad yet but mommy said that he’s handsome,” Marsha replied. “He is working overseas so he can’t be with us. But I hope he comes home on my birthday. I want to see him so badly.”
“Overseas?” Ethan’s forehead creased. “In which country?”
“In America,” Marsha responded. “Mom told me they got married there. I know she misses dad too. I’ve seen her crying several times at night. That’s why I want dad to come home because of mom too.”
Ethan stiffened in his stance, feeling the cold crawled through his skin. A bolt of fear suddenly went through him that al
MICHELLE LET OUT a loud exhale as she palmed her forehead. Once again, she wasn’t able to talk to the man who helped Marsha. The more their paths crossed without a conversation, the more she felt indebted to the man. She wanted to thank him so badly for his help, for without his help, Marsha might have been involved in trouble she couldn’t ever imagine.Sighing, she went back to the alfresco area of the restaurant, only to find Marsha leaning against the wall, head lowered as if her mind was clouded by something. Michelle had always thought that her daughter was ahead of the other kids her age. She was profound, a great observer, and had a smart mouth, which, by the way, she got from her own mother."I didn’t get a chance to speak with your hero once again," Michelle remarked, walking closer to her daughter and crouching in front of her. "It seems to me that your big man is too busy to have a minute with me. So, did you play with him?"Marsha n
THE NEXT MORNING,Michelle noticed that her daughter had been quiet since they left their house. They were on the road, on their way to Marsha’s school. Her daughter was in the front seat and was continuously looking at the streets they passed by on the sidewalk.She couldn’t help but get worried, and so even though she was hesitant, she still asked her daughter, "Marsha, is there anything that bothers you?"Marsha glanced her way, giving her a shake of the head. However, Michelle did not believe it. Even if Marsha denied it, her expression told her differently."Didn’t I tell you that we should not keep secrets from each other?" she reminded her.Marsha then sighed, her fingers tapping her legs as if she was contemplating whether she would tell her what was bothering her or not."I’d be bothered if you didn’t tell me what’s wrong, sweetheart."Michelle directed the car to the right alley, and they arrived in front of the kindergarten school a few seconds later. She shifted her positi
ETHAN WENT back to the Brera Kindergarten after a few minutes. By that time, Michelle had already left the premise which would allow him to stalk Marsha without getting caught. His arm was rested on the side window, index finger gently caressing his lower lip while he was in a deep contemplation.In order to perform a DNA, he needed to get a sample of Marsha’s saliva or strand of hair. He breathed hard, knowing that his plan was not legal, for Michelle had no idea about it. However, he ran out of option. He knew Michelle would never agree performing a DNA even if he asked politely. There was no other way but to do it in a crook manner.A few hours later, the kindergarten school’s bell rang, an indication for lunch break. Ethan went to the main gate and was assisted by the guard.“May I help you, Signor?”“I’m here to visit a student. Marsha Finley,” he said.The guard nodded in response. “May I know how are you related to the kid?”“I am the man who saved her. She was the child who we
WHEN MARSHA WAS done eating her food, she went to the restroom which Ethan saw as an opportunity to take the spoon she used. He put it on a transparent zip-locked bag and hid it on the secret pocket of the suit he wore. A little boy saw what he did, but he didn’t care less and only glared at the kid.He exited the cafeteria and padded down the hallway near the restroom. Waiting for Marsha, he leaned against the wall and couldn’t help but feel excited about performing a DNA.“Mister, why are you here?” Marsha asked as soon as she went out of the restroom.He crouched down and held her arms. “I have an important meeting. I need to leave.”“That fast?” Marsha’s expression turned sorrowful.Ethan felt a pang of pain as he looked at her. His hand moved to caress her soft hair, trying to soothe her. “I will visit you again, probably tomorrow.”“Promise?” Marsha asked for pinkies swear.Ethan chuckled a bit, but then he showed her his pinky finger and interlocked it with hers.“I promise.”“
AFTER A DEEP contemplation, Michelle had finally decided to contact her best friend, Megan, who was living in the United States. Her palms were sweating as she sat down on the table, facing her laptop and then logging into her email account.For the first time after escaping six years ago, she checked her personal email and figured out that Megan had sent her hundreds of emails all this time. Her eyes burned, hot tears starting to pool in them as she scrolled all the way down, scanning the subjects of Megan’s email which all asking her to come back and to contact her.Out of fear that she would get caught, she cut her connection to the only person who understood and had taken her side without any judgment, which was Megan. She had no courage to tell her best friends her whereabouts as she wanted to go on with her pregnancy without any issues, and without the people who had contributed to her struggle back in the United States.She didn’t tell Megan... as she knew Marsha’s father would
FUCKING perfect, Michelle thought after the flower vase slipped from her hands, making a cracking sound as it reached the floor. Her mouth formed a tight line. Yes, she was thinking a lot too hard all day and that made her unable to focus at her work in the flower shop.“What happened here?” The familiar voice of Jose spoke right after she heard the main door open.Michelle shook her head and shrugged. “Just a minor issue.”“The last time I checked, you also hate even minor issues.” Jose offered her a suspicious look, to which Michelle only roll her eyes.Sighing, she cleaned the floor, completely aware of Jose’s curious gaze at her, as if he wanted her to tell him what was on her mind so he could give her an advice.“I finally contacted my best friend, Megan. I guess you are right. I can’t hide the truth forever,” she remarked in defeat. “Marsha got bullied in school because she has no father to show her classmates. It breaks my heart to see her suffer that way, and actually it is en
HE THOUGHT he had felt extreme emotions when he first saw Michelle after six years, but when he read the results of the DNA paternity test, his world frantically turned upside down, and he felt like sinking from a dangerous ocean. He was filled with so many emotions, to the extent that he could no longer process them. He didn’t even know how to react.One thing was certain: he was a father.The fact that Michelle became unfair with him by running away without telling him that she was pregnant made him feel the waves of rage going through his veins, sucking up his remaining strength.He didn’t even know how or where to begin at this point in his life. Marsha came into his life like a tidal wave. She was unexpected, yet Ethan couldn’t resist the desire to become a father to her. But how? Michelle seemed to have erased his rights. For the record, she didn’t tell Marsha about him, and let his daughter suffer from emotional stress because she couldn’t see her father.That night, Ethan went
ETHAN PICKED up the gift from the passenger seat and then finally went out of his car after waiting for ten minutes. He was worried that Michelle would follow Marsha but relief washed over him when she didn’t.Going inside the restaurant, Marsha could not be seen in the tables inside. He instantly went to the alfresco area and saw his daughter who settled in the table near the railings, where she could see the picturesque view. Ethan surveyed the place and felt at ease as he didn’t see any shadow of Jose Bianchi. Smiling, he walked near Marsha’s table, hiding the gift behind him.Marsha was eating a pasta, and dropped her fork when her eyes landed in his direction.“It’s you again!” she exclaimed the second he stood up next to her table.Ethan could not help but feel tense. Right in front of him was his daughter... his own blood. He tried to release some tension by exhaling loudly but it was really hard as even the way Marsha smiled at him made him so tense.Then the reality struck hi