Undefiled Queen

Stephen continued to stare at Merlyn that after a stage, she began to feel uncomfortable. To break the tension between them she asked, “what happened?”

Unlike earlier when he wouldn’t respond, for the first time, he was opening up to her. “The meeting for which I had been planning for more than a week and making preparations for more than a month is today off my hands. This is a very significant congress of my career, a venue which could open the doors for my business to the European market apart from American and Chinese. And today because of this stupid weather, I am sitting here in a cheap motel which doesn’t have even the basic facilities instead of addressing hundreds of delegates in a conference hall.”

He looked at her cheerful face and asked the only question which had been taunting his mind since the time he first met her. “How would you stay smiling and happy even in depressing circumstances like this?”

Merlyn continued to hold her smile and spoke to him. “It could always have been worse. Imagine our car broke in the middle of the road on a highway where we do not even have these facilities. At least now we are in a place that has habitation. We had a sumptuous lunch, a roof to cover our heads and a cot to sleep in. When I cannot or have no command on the situations covering me up, I have nothing to worry because even if I do, I cannot change the circumstances.”

“What is the situation which is covering you up?” His concern grew for her but was she ready to have it? She was no way going to share her problems with a stranger who she met just a few hours ago.

She quickly found an excuse in her usual style of dealing with things. “I think the water in the geyser might have heated up by now. Let me go and check.”

‘There, she did it again, diverting the topic about which she did not want to talk.

Stephen started wondering about her life. Why did her family suddenly shift from Minneapolis? The way she lived, the amount of adjustments, she and her brother would have to face in her aunt’s place. He remembered her aunt was not rich and not even middle class.

He still remembered the day when he came home from boarding school for the vacation. Her family was gone like they never existed. He couldn’t express his hidden feelings about her to his father. He was too young to do that. But he asked him why and where they left and he refused to say anything except that her father was a bank employee and he got transferred.

He knew his father was hiding something very significant from him. Over the years he grew tired and stopped persuading. He came to terms with fate that she was not the one he was destined to have as his better half.

When he was over with her, destiny had to play this ridiculous game with him by introducing her back into his life.

“I’m hungry.” She suddenly announced and both of them went out in search of vending machines which could provide them some food. He couldn’t believe his life, the worst motel he could ever come across, the busted water heater and a chance encounter with a woman he thought he would never come across.

The old vending machine ate away the only two dollars of change he had and did not even give him the cup of coffee that Merlyn wanted. Seeing his scrunched up face her giggles were on top which felt like silk to his ears. They began to knock him at the end of his throat in a salacious way.

A smile spread across his cheeks watching her and they laughed until their stomachs ached. “That’s the first time I heard you laugh so big. I’m surprised you didn’t have to blow the dust off your vocal chords before you did that.” She joked which made Stephen warm up to her.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure I will have plenty of opportunities to do that in your company.”

“Did you just compliment me?” He saw the cascading snow in her twinkling blue eyes which always mesmerized him from the day she was born.

It was hard to think of the girl who had so much innocence hidden in her orbs, had to endure so much pain of losing her parents in her young age, losing the guy she trusted the most and there was more which she couldn’t even share. It was the pain which dragged her to solitude.

It took all of him to pull away his gaze from her. He had to suck it up. He had betrothed he wasn’t going to do something to her for which he would repent for the rest of his life. He wasn’t going to touch her.

“It is about time we leave, before we start freezing here.” He suggested.

“That’s a great idea.” Merlyn supported him and both of them walked back to the motel with the little eating stuff they got from different vending machines.

After they reached the room, they fell silent again. Was it because of the possible sexual endeavor that they had? But, Stephen wanted to know everything about her including the death of her parents.

Nevertheless like always she fell silent with each of his questions. “You have not answered any of my questions and for that matter, I do not even know your name, to find out about you through Google. But you want to know everything about me? Is it a fair exchange?” She took a pack of chips that they just bought and went into the bathroom before she locked herself.

That was so unexpected for him. Stephen went and knocked on the door still in a stupor on what she did. “Hey, I know you are right behind this door. To avoid answering me, are you going to sit on the toilet seat and eat?”

The woman was really a piece of work. To quit answering his questions she was even ready to eat sitting on the toilet seat.

“Merlyn, come out and eat here on the bed.” He knocked again.

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“No, you are lying.”

“I will come back whenever I want.”

“You’re being childish.”

“And you’re being an idiot.”

“No, I’m not.”

Her stupid teenage hormones are kicking him right at the place he did not want them.

He gulped his curses and walked back to the bed to remove his jacket and change to his nightwear.

More minutes passed and Merlyn did not come out. If she did not want to share anything about her parents with him, then it is fine. Taking a deep breath, he slid under the covers. His stomach was rumbling for food but he did not feel like having anything.

Merlyn prodded on why she should share that some rich misbred teenager and his older brother under the pridefulness of being wealthy became the cause of death of her parents. Why should she share with him the grief of being orphaned at a young age and not having money even to fulfill basic necessities. Why should she allow him to know that behind every smile of hers that she presents to the world, there are tears hidden underneath. Why should she share with him about the pain that still lasts with her even after five years of her parents death and she still muffles her cries on her pillow every night before going to bed. Why should she tell him that she hates herself for being their dependent when her aunt and uncle even count pennies at the end of every month on how they are going to run the dishes on the dining table during the last days of the month.