Arranged Marriage

Chapter 5

LIZA put the eyeglasses on her eyes, she winced because she was worried it might be heavy.

"It's light, I thought it was heavy." Smiling Shan Shai said.

Shan Shai looked in the mirror. Liza was right, thick eyeglasses also helped to hide her beautiful eyes. But if her classmates when she was still in college, they looked like a genius when wearing clear glasses, she, on the other hand, looked like an old woman in her eyeglasses.

With the thickness of the eyeglasses, she was wearing it would be thought that the grade of her eyes was bad.

"Take off the eyeglasses first," Liza commanded her. She did as Liza was told. She took off the eyeglasses she was wearing.

"Close your eyes!" Liza said.

"Okay, they're close!" She replied. She thinks her friend might put make-up on her.

She felt something stick to her eyebrows. Liza also stuck something to her right cheek.

"Open your eyes now!" said Liza excitedly. She liked the way she changed Shan Shai's face.

Shan Shai suddenly steps back when she opened her eyes she was surprised by her reflection in the mirror.

"I won't be recognized anymore, but my boss might be scared of me." She laughed at the outcome of her disguised.

Liza did well, in fairness, she had no trouble changing her face.

She was wearing a short wig, she had thick eyebrows covered on her real eyebrows, she even had a fake mole on her right cheek, and wearing big and thick eyeglasses. Looks like that was just enough to hide her real face.

"No one will know you, your future boss won't be interested in you!"

"You're funny!" she slapped Liza's forehead and smiled.

"Of course your boss will still be a man, I don't want him to be rude to you," Liza said sincerely.

"Oh, how sweet of you friend!" She was glad, she hugged her friend tightly.

Liza hugged her back. Suddenly the alarm clock that sat on the side table rang.

"It's quarter to nine. Let's hurry, we need to get out of your house before my family finds out I'm missing."

They hurriedly arranged for Shan Shai's belongings and hugged tightly again before finally leaving Liza's room.

"Shan Shai!" Shin-Ma shouted. She walked quickly to her daughter's room.

Shekaina followed behind her mother.

"Shan Shai!" Shin-Ma calls her daughter's name again as she reaches the door of the room. She immediately opened the door and quickly entered the room. She picked up the white blanket that covered what she thought was her daughter's body.

Shin-Ma's eyes widened when she saw that only pillows were under the blanket. Sadly she sat on the side of the bed.

"Mom!" Shekaina calls her mother's attention. She approached her mother who was already sitting on the side of her sister's bed.

"Your sister," Shin-Ma said in a raspy voice. She hugged her daughter's blanket.

Shekaina didn't say a word but started looking for her sister in her room. She first peeked into the bathroom, out the window, and even under the bed. She looked at her sister's dresser, her sister was not there either but she noticed something.

The inside of the dresser is a bit cluttered and her sister's favorite bag, which she uses when they go out of town is also not there. If she wasn't mistaken, her sister Shan Shai ran away. Some of her clothes are also missing, even their family picture taken in Boracay that she pasted on the mirror inside the dresser is also missing.

Sadly, Shekaina approached her crying mother, still hugging her sister's blanket tightly.

"Your sister ran away and that's because of me and your dad!" Shin-Ma said smelling the blanket. At least, that way she could smell her daughter. "It's my fault because I couldn't even defend her against your selfish father."

"Ssssshhhh... don't blame yourself, mom," consoling her mother, Shekaina kissed her on the forehead.

"It's my fault," tears welled up in Shin-Ma's eyes.

"Mom, maybe my sister just went somewhere. To cool off. She was just shocked by dad's decisions, but I know she's coming back here to the house." Shekaina says positively, she knows her sister, she is very close to their mother. Shan Shai could not bear not to see them.

"I'm worried for your sister, there are a lot of bad people now. If something bad happens to her, I might die!"

"Don't talk like that, mom," Shekaina said to her mother. She was horrified. "We'll look for Shan Shai. Maybe she stayed with her boyfriend, Liza."

Shin-Ma stared into her daughter's eyes "I hope so,"

"After breakfast, we are going to Liza's house. My sister is probably there." Shekaina's suggestion.

"How can I eat if I'm worried about your brother." Shin-Ma replied. "Come down, join your father in the kitchen. I'll be here in your sister's room, just come to me when we're leaving."

"But mom, you also need to eat-"

"I'm full," Mabel said. "All right, leave me alone. After you have breakfast, let's go to your sister's friend's house."

Shekaina sighed before standing up. She no longer argued with her mother, she said goodbye to her to come down to eat breakfast. Because, when no one is with her father at the table, make sure his mouth makes a noise again.

"All right mom, I'll be right back."

Shin-Mas answered with only a nod. She hugged her youngest daughter's blanket and cried again.

SHEKAINA returned to the kitchen to join her father for breakfast.

"Oh, why you are the only one here. Where are they?" Zairu asked his daughter, he was already starting to put rice on the plate.

Shekaina did not answer her father's question. She put a pancake on her plate, that's all she would eat for breakfast.

"Laura, can you please make me a cup of coffee?" Shekaina asked their housemaid, who was mixing orange juice in a pitcher.

"Yes Mam," Laura replied politely.

"I want brewed coffee," she reminded the maid.

"I'm asking you, where are your mom and sister?"

Shekaina stopped biting the pancake.

"This is your coffee mam," Laura laid the coffee cup on the table in front of her.

"Thank you, Laura," Shekaina smiled gratefully.

Shekaina picked up the cup of coffee. She blew the smoke before sipping her coffee.

"What the heck, won't you answer my question?!" Irritated, Zairu asked his daughter again. Shekaina still hasn't looked at her father.

"Mom, she's in my sister's room," the girl replied sparingly as she continued to eat.

"Why haven't they come down to have breakfast yet?"

"Shan Shai ran away!"

"What?!" Zairu slapped a fist on the table. His daughter was no longer surprised by what he did. "Why did you say that, just now?"

"Sorry dad," Shekaina apologized to her father. "Mom and I are leaving. We are going to Shan Shai's friend's house. Maybe my sister is just chilling because she's upset with you!" Shekaina emphasized what she said.

Zairu could not speak because of what his daughter said. He stood up violently.

"Finish eating, because I'm coming with you,"

"But dad, aren't you going to the company today?" Shekaina asked her father.

"It's Saturday, in the afternoon I'm going to the company. Hurry up there, I'm going to your mom."

"Okay, dad,"

Shekaina's gaze followed her father out of the kitchen, miracle of all miracles, her father didn't seem angry. Maybe, he admitted to himself that it was his fault why her sister ran away.

AT Liza's family home. She and her friend were about to walk out the door when they heard Liza's older brother's voice. He was going down the stairs.

"Iza," Xian calls by Liza's nickname. He was finally down the stairs.

They stopped walking but they did not face him.

"Is she the maid who will work for my friend?" Xian asked his sister. He stopped taking a step.

"Yes, Xian," Liza's eyes narrowed. She slowly turned her head to where her older brother was standing.

"Maybe you can introduce--"

"We're in a hurry Xian, I'm going somewhere later!" Liza answered quickly, took one of Shan Shai's hands, and walked out of the house.

"Just a moment!" Xian stopped them, but he heard a loud bang on the door. "My sister is really, really weird," scratching his neck as Xian keeps stepping into the kitchen to have breakfast.

A car had just come out of the big gate where friends Shan Shai and Liza were riding. A Maserati GranTurismo vehicle suddenly stopped not far from the gate.

"Just stay here inside the car, I'll just ask Liza about my sister," Shekaina said to her parents and opened the car door.

"All right, I hope your sister is in that house," Shin-Ma answered sadly. Hoping to see and bring home their youngest daughter.

Shekaina got out of the car. She walked closer to the big gate and pressed the doorbell on the side of the gate.

Ding dong! ding dong! The sound of the doorbell can be heard inside the big house.