MATED TO THE TWIN WOLVES

Shanti town, Belarus. July 2004. "Get drunk, have fun, or do whatever you have to do to forget about John, dear." She mostly ignored her mother's advice, but not today. Her counsel seemed wise and the only thing that could take her misery away. Two thousand miles between her and her ex-lover, the distance is there, now all she needs is time to heal her wounds. Just in twenty-nine years of her miserable life, she had suffered over half a dozen heartbreak. And like before, she knew she would have to survive this, even if it took more effort, more waiting, or desolation than she ever thought she could endure. Embarrassed by the silence ensuing on the pricey long-distance phone connection with her mother in Bulgaria, she immediately managed to mumble back, "Okay, Mom." "I can still feel some pains in your voice, Jupiter. Get over that sadness and enjoy yourself." "I will, Mom. I promise to." "So what's your plan for your first outing in Belarus? Mrs. Angelo asked in her usual bright voice. Jupiter wiped the tears rolling down her face with the back of her hand, picked up her brochure to refresh her memory, and then said over the phone. "We are going to visit some ancient chapel, have lunch at a nice pub, and then visit the famous Cinderella bathhouse, after. It's going to be fun, Mom, please don't worry about me. " Mrs. Angelo laughed dryly. "You are my only child. I won't stop worrying until I am sure you are on a better emotional footing." Jupiter smiled and brought the phone closer to her ear. God bless her Mom. She meant well and always had her back. Nothing is as pure as a mother's love. "I will be okay, Mom. Trust me." "All... All right, daughter. I will take your word for this," the voice from the other side of the call said. " And before I hang up, tell me; have you met any handsome dude since you arrived in Belarus?" "No. There are no eligible males if that's where you are driving to." Of course, she knew it was. " Most of the men around here were yuppie couples, older than me, or just hopeless lovers like me." Angelo gasped loudly, "Stop saying negative things about yourself. You are just twenty-nine years old, for heaven's sake." "I don't mean it, Mom. I'm just joking ." "Well, your subconscious can't differentiate between a joke and reality," Angelo scolded her more. "You are beautiful, intelligent, and have what it takes to ger a suitable man, and am sure Belarus offered such men in large quantities." Jupiter sighed and wished she had not made the mistake of deriding herself. Growing up with a mother who sees the positive in every negative should have taught her otherwise. She can't forget an incident when she was young. She complained about her small feet and her mother had reminded her that there are lots of people without legs. She implored her to be grateful for every little thing because millions of people would die to be in her position. Then, she took her to the slum part of the city to show her the multitude of destitute, sick, and handicapped people. Jupiter rolled her eyes, inhaled louder, and fought the urge to groan. Her life had been a circle of failed romance after another, men coming to use and dumped her, her breaking down in tears, and then some nice words from her family with the promise of the coming of her soulmate. Damn pattern! Now, her mother wanted her married so badly that she would gladly accept any male without a criminal record as her son-in-law. "Relax and enjoy yourself, darling. You are such a workaholic and deserve this trip," her mother paused her breath and added after, "though I am pretty sure you will still find a reason why you must work. I bet you will spend all your holidays searching for information, visiting museums and altars, and then hunching over that poor laptop of yours, with a sorry-looking cup of coffee in your right hand." Jupiter was silent. Her mother was right. She chose this country because of its tie to the link to the werewolf. "If you spent more time thinking about your life as you did with the werewolf, you'd be a happily married woman with kids by now." "I know, Mom. Now I am going to change. Isn't that the reason for this trip in the first place?" Jupiter quickly muttered, praying her mother would stop there. She was afraid of what always came after this particular topic. "Just give me a grandchild. You don't need to get married. Many of your mates were doing it, and I wonder why yours should be different... I don't care if it is with a married man, I just want to see your kids." Jupiter groaned loudly. She guessed she wouldn't be spared after all. "I'm getting married, Mom. Aren't you the one telling me to always look at the bright side of things some moments ago?" "Of course, I am. I just don't want you to forget the reason you are there. It's not to work, but to have fun and find a man." Not just a man, she muttered silently. She didn't want a man like John, or the eight predecessors before him. "I will do exactly what you said, Mom. I think I am running up the bill. Everything here is damn expensive, and I won't be surprised if I will have to pay something outrageous for this call." "You promised to call me tomorrow and let me know how things are going, right?" "Sure, Mom. Bye. Love you." She mumbled, and then the buzz of disconnection filled her right ear. The truth is, no one will ever love you like your mother. She is her only fan and only seconded by her father. She had a loving family and a happy life. All she needs is a man who seems not to be forthcoming. Not as far as she can see. Yet, she knew she was beautiful and deserving of a good man. A man better than all the men that were previously in her life. Men like John, the barrister, Doctor Jack, or any of her other philandering mismatches. Unlike her mother who places so much importance on finding a husband and procreating, she is not desperate and has resigned herself to fate. Her "Mr Right" will come when he comes. Yet, Jupiter felt guilty about her mother's accusation of her caring about the study of the werewolf rather than her life. After she had her BSC in Lycanthropy, she went ahead to do her master's, and then a doctorate. At the rate things are going, she sure may earn herself a professorship soon. Being the only child of a well-successful neurosurgeon and a world-renowned chef, it was ideal if her parents were keen on seeing her making babies when they were alive, especially after her unparalleled achievement in the academic world. Now that she was almost thirty, and her third-year relationship had just ended awfully, her parents had begun to worry about what might become of her. Contrary to their understanding of nature, they were starting to come right out and say as much. This forces Jupiter to book an unplanned tour. She chose Belarus because it was always her dream to visit here, a dream fueled by the fact that this city contains some link to the extinct werewolf. From what she read, Ashanti city was always raided by some barbarians and many believed they could turn to wolves during the full moon. "If you wish to know a hunter's secret, check where it hunts, rather than where it lives," one of her professors had once declared. This she had suspected to contain some truth, and now she was about to see for herself. As she leaned beside the window, the sight before her consisted of a sweet and green environment, a narrow, winding street, with cute, tall, handsome men and beautiful women. Even though she had only arrived a few hours ago, she felt at peace for a reason not yet known to her. She was strangely at home in Belarus - her dark, curly hair and large blue eyes mirroring the color of so many locals. Even though she had made some mistakes in her twenty-nine helpless years, she believes coming here won't be a part of them. Strangely enough, she had never visited Belarus, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that she had been there before. The familiar flora and fragrance, the same blue-green ocean, and the almost-reaching heavenly mountains and hills. Everything made her feel like she was paging through a favorite picture book she hadn't seen since her childhood. Perhaps it was in her previous life. Some buried part of her remembered this land more fondly. She felt sad when she discovered the absence of what would have made a perfect picture... The trees. This piece of land used to contain many trees, but everything is gone. Replaced by what man believes is more important than their source of breath. Yet still, she was glad to be here.