A CHRISTMAS GIFT

Chapter 3

Narrator:

“Tell me please Daisy! And you can trust me completely. I promise that whatever you tell me will be between me and you. I won’t even tell my parents.” Zoe whispered to Daisy who faintly smiled and pressed Zoe’s hand as she blinked at her trying to say that she trusts her.

Daisy gets off the bed and walks to the door and closes it tightly. She then returns back to the bed and writes on the diary, “I remember everything from my past, except for the evening of Christmas! I was there to meet someone and then I was on a speedboat, I think so! After that, something terrible happened, I know but I can’t remember what!”

Zoe read the writing and looked at Daisy. Her face was serene and expressionless. But still Zoe felt there was a hidden sadness in Daisy’s eyes. She gently bent over and hugged Daisy to console her and as soon as Daisy felt the friendly warmth of Zoe’s embrace, tears started flowing down her cheeks. She sniffed lightly.

Zoe pulled back and wiped Daisy’s tears gently and then whispered, “Everything will be alright Daisy. Don’t worry! Can you tell me your name and who is your husband?”

Daisy remained quiet for a moment and then she wrote, “I don’t want to talk about my past now. It is painful. But I do need to find my husband. He should know that I am alive! I don’t know in what condition he is! He must be devastated! He must be searching for me now! I need to see him Zoe! Will you help me?”

Zoe read the writing and replied, “Of course I will help you Daisy, but you are over eight months pregnant with two babies! I don’t think you can travel in this condition.”

Daisy’s face fell and she nodded sighing.

“Hey! Look at me Daisy!” Zoe lifted her chin and made her look at Zoe and whispered with a smile, “I promise I will take you to wherever you say once the babies are safely delivered, ok?”

Daisy leaned her face against Zoe’s palm and smiled now as a tear of hope rolled down her cheek.

Daisy wiped her own tears and then quickly scribbled on the diary, “I want you to help me with something as soon as possible.”

Zoe gave her a questioning look and Daisy opened a box and took out a ring with a big diamond and handed over to Zoe and then scribbled again, “Your family has done too much for me. I know that your parents must have spent so much money on me and there is still a lot of expenses ahead of us for the delivery and cost of providing for me and my babies. I want you to give this to Jose and convince him to sell it. It costs a lot! I am not sure but I think you will get more than half million dollars if you sell this.”

Zoe immediately frowned and shook her head, “No! My father will kill me if I even ask him that! Please Daisy, we may be poor but we can’t take money from you, that too by selling your jewellery!”

Daisy looked with begging eyes at Zoe and shook her hands holding Zoe’s palms in them. She quickly scribbled, “Please Zoe! You have to do this! Tell him that I need the money for the surgery of my vocal cord! I want to take the surgery! Please, do this for me!”

Zoe tried to refuse but Daisy frantically shook her head and tears started flowing from her eyes, her breathing hitched and seeing her condition, Zoe quickly rubbed Daisy’s back with her palm and hushed her, “Ok. Ok. I will see what I can do, but not today. OK? Now you take some rest.”

Zoe helped Daisy to lie down and she left switching off the bright light so that Daisy could rest properly.

Daisy lied on the bed turning towards the open window, letting the soothing sound of the gentle waves calm her mind. She placed her hand on her huge belly and smiled as she thought in her mind, “I am waiting for you two to come to this world my cuties, then, we will go and meet your father! I wonder what he must be doing now! It has been almost eight months now that I have disappeared, did he give up hope to find me? Maybe he has moved on, maybe he has come to terms with my death! Does he miss me? Or has he given my place to someone else already? Oh God! Ryan! Where are you? I miss you husband!”

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Back in Auckland—

“No one can take her place and you better understand that, Mom! If you can’t, then you can return home without me!” Ryan yelled as he banged the glass table with his fist cracking it and cutting his hand in the process. Blood oozed out of his palm.

“Ryan! What is wrong with you! Oh My God! There is so much blood!” Amanda frowned as she quickly dragged Ryan to the Kitchen sink and held his hand under running water.

“Mrs Woodlock! Mrs Woodlock!” Amanda screamed and a woman in her late fifties came running. She stood looking down, “Yes madam!”

“Quickly get me the first aid kit and ask Stanley to call the doctor!” Amanda ordered and Mrs Woodlock who was the new housekeeper left immediately and returned within a few minutes with a big first aid box.

“I don’t need anything! Just leave me alone!” Ryan yelled like a mad animal.

“No! I can’t do that! I am your mother and you are my son! You are behaving like a lunatic Ryan!” Amanda also yelled as loud as Ryan and forced him back to the living room and made him sit on the sofa.

She started to clean Ryan’s wound and wrap a clean bandage around the wound. The bleeding has stopped but the cut was deep.

“You can’t go on doing whatever you want Ryan! You are pushing everyone away! Why? Why are you doing this? I understand that you are hurt, you are sad, you have lost your only love and that is very painful, but you have to let people in your life! We are here to help you Ryan! We are here to attend to your needs, son, talk to us!”

Streams of tears flowed down Amanda’s cheeks and at that time Stanley came in from the outside and spoke in whispers, “The doctor will be here in fifteen minutes.”

“I DON’T NEED A DOCTOR!!! HOW MANY TIMES WILL I HAVE TO TELL YOU ALL? LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” Ryan yelled on top of his voice, clenching his fists.

“Hey man! Calm down! We are just trying to help you!” Stanley mumbled only to earn a glare from Ryan making him recoil in fear.

“Ryan! Stop it now! Enough is enough! If you can’t take care of your needs then we have to do it for you!” Amanda scolded him in a loud and grave voice, glowering at Ryan.

Ryan snapped his head at Amanda and strode to her. He held Amanda’s arms so tightly with his hands, despite the bleeding wound, that Amanda felt a sharp pain in her arms, but she didn’t complain. “You want to take care of my needs??? You want to attend to my needs, Mom?”

“Yes Son!” Amanda placed her right hand palm on Ryan’s cheek and whispered. She could feel his pain as a mother, clearly.

Ryan bent over to bring his face very close to Amanda’s and hissed, “Then bring me my wife Olivia! I need her, now!”

Amanda frowned and then her gaze dropped down.

Ryan twisted his face and mocked, “What? You won’t attend to my needs now? You are my mother, you are here for me, no? BRING HER BACK!!!!!NOW!!!!!” Ryan held Amanda tighter and shook her like a mad man!

“Ryan! Leave her, leave her now! You are hurting her!” Stanley somehow managed to free Amanda from Ryan’s grip and made her sit on the sofa. Amanda broke into more tears as she sat covering her face. “Look at him Stanley! What am I supposed to do!”

Stanley pulled Amanda’s face in his chest and rubbed her back, “Shhh….I know, I understand. I will talk to him.”

Ryan turned back and roared yet again before leaving for his bedroom, “Don’t pretend that you all care about me! I want her and if you can’t bring her to me then I don’t need you all! I don’t need anyone!”