Daniel

"You're married, right? So, when did you actually get married?" I asked.

"Almost four years ago," she replied.

"After that, where did your husband go?" I asked.

"His job... all the employees get transferred to different branches of the company every two years. Due to that, after we got married, he was transferred to Seattle in 2 weeks. After living there for 2 years, he got transferred here. It's already 2 years since then but he still hasn't returned. That's why I came here in search of him. I have no idea where he's gone. I've also become blind now. Even though I ask people, they don't know him. I wonder where he is," she sighed.

I felt real sympathy for her.

"Where's your family, Tiara?" I asked.

"New Orleans, my parents are there. I don't have anyone else in my family," she said.

"Oh. Then, why don't you return to your parents?" I asked, puzzled.

"No way, even if I go there, I'm sure only their death will await me there," she said. Strange!

"What do you mean?" I asked, curiously.

"There are reasons for it ... but I'm sure you won't understand," she said, secretively.

"Where's your husband's family then?" I asked.

"He doesn't have a family. His family... to tell you the truth, to him, his parents are my parents. We're like in one family, you may think," she said with a slightly mischievous smile.

I was totally bewildered.

"How can that be? How can you marry your own brother?" I asked.

"He's not my brother. It's just that we have the same parents. When we were young, my parents adopted him as their son but we never actually lived together. He used to stay at a boarding school, while I stayed at my house and went to a private school near my house. When we were young, I had actually only seen him once or twice, with my parents. That's all basically. I knew everything about him from my parents, but we never spoke to each other then. Just saw each other from a distance.

My parents never brought him to our home as the fact that they had adopted him was just a secret among our family. Yet they gave him everything he needed; love, care, affection, education, a home... they gave him everything. They even loved him as much as they loved me.

When he reached university, he too went to the University of New Orleans with a scholarship. I too completed my degree at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Then, after I completed my degree when I returned home, I got to know that he too had returned to the village, but we still didn't meet then," she briefed.

"You still didn't meet him? Then, how come you married him?" I asked.

"When I came back, my parents wanted to get me married as soon as possible because of Ray, sorry I mean because uh... because I'm their only daughter, I guess. I was just 20 years old then. I had no one in mind, so I asked my parents to choose someone they liked and arrange my marriage. He was 26 years old and was also under their care. They had to get him married as well; he wasn't interested in looking for someone either.

My parents first asked me for my opinion about what kind of a person I wanted, as my marriage was more urgent. Anyway, I said that whatever his profession was, it didn't matter to me, as long as whoever they choose for me is a sincere, loyal and caring man. They just simply asked him also after that, for his opinion, since they had to get him married too anyway in a few years' time.

Coincidentally, he said the same thing I said! After that, my parents asked me some more questions about it and then, asked him the same questions later on. Again, seriously coincidentally, our answers... our replies... were mostly the same. My parents were totally astounded and perplexed. They... they were like... they couldn't believe us. Darien and I... we had never spoken to each other before. How come our answers were almost the same to all their questions.

My parents actually started to suspect that we had planned everything. Finally, they still believed us and our answers and that they were coincidentally similar. And they started making preparations for our marriage, considering it as a chance to accept Darien as their son. I was like... really shocked when I heard their decision. I think he had been shocked too from what I had heard of my mother's and father's conversation, the next day after they had told me their decision.

But my parents were like really decided. I tried to argue with them about it at first, actually, making up reasons and all, but no, they were 'DECIDED'. At first, I was like thinking how can I marry the person who's actually supposed to be my brother, if only my parents had revealed the secret that they had adopted Darien as their son, years ago, to the public? Well, anyway, at last, we got married after all," she said, smiling.

"He, I mean, your husband... what's his name again?" I asked.

"Darien Caruso," she replied. His name sounded very familiar to me. Do I know him?

"Oh. He didn't have any concerns about marrying you even though you were blind?" I asked, confused.

"At that time, I wasn't blind yet!" she laughed.

"Oh. You became blind after that, is it? What actually happened after you got married?" I inquired.

"Two weeks after we got married, his employers transferred him to their branch in Seattle. My mother told me to go with him so I eventually accompanied him to Seattle. I didn't actually know him fully then, and I wasn't that close to him yet, but I still went with him and soon we got closer in Seattle. When I went there, at first, I stayed with him in a flat there, as a housewife. After two to three months, I started getting bored of staying at home when he went to work, so I searched for a job there, with his help, and started working. Soon after that, I... I became pregnant," she sighed, as misery crept into her eyes again and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Something happened and I had a miscarriage. A few months later, I became pregnant again, but that also ended in a miscarriage when I was 7 months pregnant already," she sighed again.

"Six months later, I became pregnant again. I was sure this would also end in a miscarriage, but it didn't. Darien kept telling me it's going to be alright and it was. But when I was 3 months pregnant, his 2-year contract to work there was over, and that's when he got transferred here. I... I wasn't actually ready to travel anywhere because if I just went anywhere, in a car or bus or any sort of vehicle, even if it's just for a few minutes, I would start feeling nauseous immediately.

Because of that, and also we were extra careful, because we didn't want this to lead to another miscarriage, he left me there. Alone. And he came here. Yet, every night, after he came here, he would call me to ask about me and our baby over there. But at the beginning itself, actually he had warned me that there was very little signal in the place where he stayed, so even if he didn't call me one night, I needn't worry. Even still, he called me every night. Every single night.

Then, at the start of the last month of my pregnancy, one day, I fell down the stairs in the flat. Thankfully, one of my neighbours was able to bring me to the hospital. Then, when I reached the hospital, my gynaecologist said that there were many complications, so they would have to have a Caesarean delivery for me, as soon as possible.

I called and asked Darien that night but he said that he wouldn't be able to come until after a week as he was really busy but I really wanted him by my side during my delivery. So, I decided that I would have the operation after a week, once Darien was back. But, Mila... she wasn't patient. That night, I discussed with Darien about having the operation next week until it was almost 11pm.

Later that night, at around 2am, I woke up from my sleep, with the delivery pain. It was unbearable. I remember how I just picked up my mobile phone and dialled the first person I could think of. Darien. I knew he was too far to help me but he was the only person I could think of at that piercing unbearable moment of pain. He was shocked when he got my call, at the same time, really worried about me. I told him about the pain. He immediately called up one of his friends there, to take me to the hospital.

He called me again after that. But who would've thought that that would be the last time I'd ever hear his voice. He encouraged me to stay calm, brave and patient. He told me that he was on his way there by car. I knew it would take him hours to reach there, but I didn't care. I desperately needed him by my side. After that, I was taken to the hospital and I delivered to Mila after a Caesarean operation, at 3.10pm the next day. There was still no sign of Darien even then.

I had had to stay at the hospital for two whole weeks, because of some stupid complications, without my mobile phone to contact Darien, as I had left it at home. The nurse looking after me even lent me her mobile phone to call Darien, but his phone was unreachable. Finally, when I returned home with Mila, I saw no trace that Darien had come home. I called him at least five times that day, but his phone was 'unreachable'. It was worrying. I called him every single morning and night after that, hoping to be able to get through to him but to no avail.

At first, I thought, maybe he didn't get leave to come here, and perhaps there wasn't any signal, so that's why the line never got through. I waited till the end of his 2-years contract to finish, while calling him every single night, without avail. Finally, even after the end of the supposed contract, I still saw no sign of him. So at last, I came here after 2 weeks, searching for him," she explained with a sigh.

Her face looked weary. Pity her.

"Then, how come you're blind?" I asked.

"Two days after I came here, I got hit by a car, in an accident, while crossing the road. And with that accident, I lost my full eyesight. I had been admitted in the hospital for days. Finally, the doctor told me that my eyes were too sensitive right now, because of the accident. So it would take time for them to do the operation. Maybe a month or two. Only my eyes had been injured badly. Other than that, I only had a few minor injuries.

After I was discharged from the hospital, I stayed in a hotel with Mila for days. I finally decided that I couldn't go on like that and so, I set off, blind, to find Darien. I didn't know where I was going, nor did my daughter, Mila, know, but we just went on walking and walking, asking people about Darien, whom no one knew, and with their help in directions, I just went on.

Five days ago, when I was moving from one hotel in the outskirts of San Diego, to a hotel nearer to the city, my suitcase... I placed all my things in my suitcase. My passports, money and jewellery... everything was inside the huge suitcase. I even kept my handbag in there. Every single thing I kept in there, because I could only carry Mila in one hand and the suitcase in the other hand.

On the way to the hotel, as it was at the end of a very narrow lane, the taxi-driver left me to walk through that lane ... and as I was walking, two men tried to grab Mila from me. I dropped the suitcase and tried to hold onto Mila. The next thing I knew, those two men had disappeared.

Holding Mila still tightly, worried they were still standing there, as I couldn't see, I slowly knelt down and groped for my suitcase. It was missing; those two men had stolen my bag. But there was nothing I could do. I didn't know the identity of the two men, and there were no witnesses, and with that, I lost everything in my life, except Mila. I lost everything, including my Darien. I didn't have any place to stay for the past 5 days, been stranded on the streets.

In a way, I was glad, at least they had only stolen my bag, and not taken my Mila away from me. She's everything to me. The first four days after the incident, until yesterday, I bought food after selling all my jewellery. All I have now is my watch," she finally paused.

I stared at her, shocked and speechless.

"Daniel, please take this watch. I owe you this," she said.

"No. No, it's okay, uh, you... where are you going to go now?" I asked casually.

"I'm not sure... I think I should give Mila the medicine first. I guess I'll go to some paved area and lay her down. She's been sleeping since morning as she wasn't feeling well. I should wake her up now," she said.

Paved area?! Wouldn't it be dirty? Gosh!

"Tiara?" I asked.

"Yeah?" she prompted, when I continued to remain silent.

"Why don't you come to my house?" I blurted out.

The way she froze, almost petrified, made me regret my offer. But I knew no words to take back my offer, and even if I knew, I had no heart to take it back.

To be continued...