‘Heather!’ Taylor’s voice is a distance but close reverberation that splits through my vivid powerful dream bordering into a realistic trance I think. My eyes snap open and it takes a while for my eyes to finally make out the splendidly start lit sky, a crescent moon spread indolently on an indigo blanket. I sit up straight and a jacket slides off my shoulders exposing my skin to the unforgivably chilly night breeze.
I fell asleep? That is kind of weird because I haven’t been able to sleep well for so long and I just sit in the car and doze off without any care in the world like I should easily trust the man driving it.
But I guess part of me does because if the part of me doesn’t had been dominating my entire brain space I would have watched him like a hawk to make sure that he doesn’t get me killed.
I turn my head to look at Taylor, he’s watching me and his fingers are in my hair. I should say that the silent scheming look he’s been giving me ever since he stumbled upon my shoe box and kidnapped me—yes I consider this a real kidnap—is unnerving and I would be very happy if he stops it right away.
‘I hate to wake you—but we are here.’
Here? My eyes peer out the windscreen and I blink at the wall in front of the car. Is that actual stone? Fancy stoned wall and electric fence at the top and tall bushy tree silhouette spilling their branches over the top of the wall.
This is definitely not my shoe box. This is the reason why I should have stayed awake and fought for the steering wheel with him because my better senses already knew that the tyrant that he is he was not going to let me return home. Home to my hard ugly bed and empty food table.
‘Where?’ is all I can manage as my brain companions hastily poke each other awake
‘Come on, let’s go its cold out here and you need to sleep.’
He opens the door and leaves the car before I have a chance to say a word.
‘Taylor.’ I snap more in panic as he opens my door and hold my arm to assist me out, ‘this is not my house.’
‘Yes, it’s mine.’ He says simply
‘I don’t live here.’
‘I know—it’s your first time to come here.’
He gently but firmly pulls me out of the car and shuts the door as he holds me against him with his other arm.
‘Where is this place?’
‘Shashe.’ He replies briskly and pulls me forward as he strides towards the small gate. Shashe. That’s very far from my shoe box. And why do I keep referring to my room as the shoe box? That’s his analogy not mine.
The small gate opens abruptly and a young man comes out looking all flustered and with unguarded surprise on his face that his huge ridiculous grin can’t hide.
‘Mr Phatshimo.’ He is breathless, did he run here? ‘Welcome, why did you wait out here so long?’
And I am back again in my business ethics class where I desperately wanted to switch Taylor with Mr Phatshimo in my head to get over him.
‘Henry how are you?’
‘I’m doing good sir.’ He can barely hold his excitement, man I wish I could get excited like that about seeing Taylor, I think wildly, ‘how have you been, it’s been a while since we last saw you here.’
‘I only come here when I’m in trouble,’ Taylor says
‘I hope that’s not the case this time sir,’ he flashes an roguish smile at him before his eager eyes land on me and he actually does a double take like he doesn’t see women very often.
‘This is my wife Mrs. Phatshimo.’
The name Mrs. Phatshimo makes me cringe. I am not his wife yet, I want to snarl but Henry is now looking at me like he is seeing the stars for the first time. I suppose Taylor doesn’t bring wives here very often.
‘Wow sir I never thought I’d see the day.’ He bristles happily, ‘it’s a pleasure to meet you madam, I’m Henry the farm manager.’
I manage a smile, ‘likewise,’ I say incredulously. I mean the man is excited to see me and he doesn’t even know me I guess the least I could do is smile back.
‘Henry get Kago to take the car to Robert’s.’ Taylor commands tiredly
Henry stops momentarily in surprise then grins widely, the man should get a trophy for brilliant smiles, I mean really. It’s the widest smile I have seen in three weeks and I fight my lips not to smile back,
‘Yes sir.’ He rushes away to the car after catching the keys that Taylor throws at him.
‘Come on.’
‘What’s with the title?’ I scowl at him as we enter the gate.
‘You don’t like it?’
‘No I don’t.’
‘Well it’s not like I can take your surname,’
‘Why are we talking about surnames? I told you this marriage isn’t until I recognize it.’
‘Okay—but none of my workers are calling you Heather—you can choose between madam and Mrs. Phatshimo.’
I press my lips together to hold back a retort when I walk in the gate and my eyes take in the yard inside. Me and all my brain companions’ mouth drop open as we all take in the huge spacious yard, exotic fruit trees, the main house and other small cottages. Its dark and I can’t make out everything but this is the exact picture that has been pulled out of my wildest fantasies.
The paved pathways and flower hedges and balconies and lanterns somehow make me think of that nice historical Korean drama. It all fits. Traditional but royal look with a mysterious feeling, and a feeling like you have just stepped into world history.
Now I don’t blame him for calling my room a shoe box if he owns properties like this. But I still retain enough sanity to defend my shoe box no matter what. Not all of us are privileged enough to build traditional wonder farms in the middle of nowhere. And why did he even bring me here anyway? Okay I am impressed, but I still have a say in where I want to go.
‘You will see more of it tomorrow when it’s lighter.’
I surprise myself by smiling up at him. I should be mad but I guess that can also wait until tomorrow.
It’s ten pm and after a brief tour of the magnificent main house I turn to Taylor who is closing the door to a room that we just entered
‘Nobody lives here?’
‘Not in the main house- it’s only for us when we visit.’
I really don’t like that the issue about them being empire runners is becoming so real. I mean who builds a huge farm like this and not live in it? At least workers live here and I can be assured that it’s not hunted.
‘It’s just you and me right now.’
I come out of my reverie and Taylor has removed his shoes and is removing his wrist watch, wallet from his pocket and shrugs off his jacket. I then realise that we are in the bedroom.
‘What are you so lost in thought about?’
‘I’m always thinking.’ I say still trying to figure out what he is doing. Did he forget to assign me to my room or something?
‘You overthink things,’ he walks to me and hold my arms, ‘I am so relieved that I found you Heather.’
‘I keep wondering how Celine knew where I was.’
‘That’s what happens when you collaborate with unstable people like Celine.’ He mumbles nonchalantly.
My eyebrows shoot over my head, ‘what?’
He looks at me like he just came out of his thoughts, ‘I still can’t believe you listened to Celine instead of me.’
I shrug, ‘Celine said something--- you kept all this to yourself and I had to go through all this just to get it out of you.’
He sighs and I raise a hand to stop whatever he wants to say, ‘never mind that—we can argue about this forever and you still won’t get it because you don’t want to.’
His mouth opens slightly
‘Where is my room?’
He glances around, ‘right here.’ He settles his gaze back at me
‘Where are you sleeping?’
‘In my room.’
I narrow my eyes at him, ‘you should have just dropped me off at my house I don’t have any money to run away with anyway.’
He closes his eyes momentarily and when he opens them I cringe a little at the look coming from there, ‘I still can’t believe you refer to that place as a house. Why do you keep mentioning it to me? Just thinking that you lived in that hole makes me want to hit something.’
I blink at him, pressing my lips together because any words that are about to come out of my mouth will not end this argument about my room. That’s what happens when you grow up living in sterile nice houses, you get shocked when you see other people living in their precious rooms they have paid rent for you think they are living in your shoe closet. It’s not my fault that he was born with a silver spoon in the mouth.
He raises an eyebrow at me as if he can read my thoughts. He lets go of me, walks to the dresser, opens a drawer and comes with a t-shirt and shorts.
‘These should fit.’ He says, ‘I had clothes brought for you but I have no idea where they are at the moment.’
All my brain companions look at loss with themselves. Does it mean he had known where I was before today?
‘Yes I did,’ he answers and I realise that I actually said that out loud.
With a sigh I take the clothes from his hand and head into the bathroom. I am not surprised when I find the bathroom all spacious and modern complete with a large wall mirror, clean white towels on the rack and a shower I happily jump into. I close my eyes and let out a sigh as warm water poured down my body. I wonder what father has been up to the whole month. I don’t think he heard I ran away did he? Taylor didn’t mention it. Wild rolls her eyes, oh please Taylor never mentions anything and I am getting tired of chortling information out of him.
But I don’t think father knows about this. The man is too busy slithering his way into the mafia king’s social status with a ridiculous grin and dancing eyes. I can almost picture him as an insatiable evil cartoon character entering a golden office rubbing his hands together at the brink of an evil cackle.
The image makes a giggle to burst out from my lips followed by a torrent of unlady like snorts before erupting into full blown laughter.
My laugh turns to a cough when the water suddenly becomes cold. I turn off the water and immediately step out. I then realise that I wet my hair. It will be a tangled mop by the time it dries and I can’t even relax it until six weeks’ time. Well I’m sure there is a drier and iron here somewhere in this large bathroom.
What does Taylor do with his hair? He keeps it short except now—it’s always been short and well groomed I had to touch it to figure out whether it was soft or coarse.
I towel quickly and put on the clothes Taylor gave me. The shorts disappear under the large T-shirt. I look so small in it like it could swallow me. With a nonchalant shrug I rub a dry towel into my now coarse hair until it’s almost dry before I step out of the bathroom. I can sleep on all this drama and deal with it tomorrow. Well if I don’t die in my sleep from all the shock I have experienced today.
Taylor stops tapping on the screen of his phone and puts it on the bedside table as I climb on the bed. He watches me with brows slightly pulled together as I lie on my side beside him and clasp my arms around his waist while I rest my cheek on his chest. I can’t help myself, wasn’t he a picturesque sight lying on the bed like that in his t-shirt and pajama pants and that curl mass on his head glowing slightly under the dim bedside lamp light?
‘What were you giggling about?’ he murmurs in my ear. I am liking this more than I should. How did I end up here anyway? Hours ago I was planning my escape plan part B and now I just realise that the thought had already left my mind. Yeah Taylor does that to me.
‘Shower thoughts.’ I close my eyes and snuggle closer.
‘Mind sharing? I could use a laugh.’
‘No you just want to poke your nose in everything I do.’
He breathes out a laugh, warm breath falling on my brow where he is currently brushing his lips.
‘I am trying to get to know you.’
‘In the most stalkerish way.’
‘Look who’s accusing me of stalking.’
I draw in a breath, ‘you have such a long memory for someone who seem to forget to share important details.’
Silence falls and my eyes start to close when he says, ‘I won’t let anything happen to you.’
I scowl at this and I shift to look at him, ‘Would you hurt me for running?
Yes I’m thinking of Zelda.
His jaw clenches, ‘I won’t let anything happen to you.’ he repeats. I swallow a lump that is in my throat as my eyes search his trying to understand the laws of his life that I have been dragged in
‘What did you do to find me Taylor?’
He shuts his eyes momentarily then opens them, ‘what do you mean by that?’
What do I mean by that? I understand rules that can’t be broken. I was once behind bars. If Celine helped him to find me that means she got something in return and my heart can only weep when I try to guess what he could have traded to remove me from the throngs of death.
‘What are you thinking Heather?’
My hand comes to cup his face, ‘is there anything I can do to get you out of this?’ my voice breaks.
‘No!’ he says regretfully, ‘I was born into this. There is no way out.’
Another question is bubbling on my lips and is stopped by his kiss. He kisses me until I can’t think of anything else. Until the icy fingers of sleep claw their way into my erased mind and I feel my eyes close peacefully while his lips are still sealed with mine.