ALESSIA
“Good morning!” Miss Lucille greeted us cheerfully as we approached the dining table.
“Good morning!” We both replied in unison.
I helped Adrian to sit before taking my own seat. As we ate, Miss Lucille placed a vase in the middle of the table, causing me to grimace upon seeing three pink tulips inside.
“Miss Lucille, I already told you not to take those flowers. Yet, you still do,” I pretended to scold.
“What a waste, dear. These tulips are so beautiful,” Miss Lucille responded.
I just shook my head. It had been two weeks since we arrived on Kauai Island, and Miss Lucille had started picking tulips from the terrace of the house every morning.
Different colors of tulips yellow, white, red, pink, orange, and violet were left there, always in sets of three. Miss Lucille would pick them up and put them in a flower vase, just like she did now.
She often joked about having a secret admirer. I denied it because it wasn’t true. I didn’t know anyone in the area. I rarely left the house, and when I did, I only accompanied Miss Lucille to the supermarket or went for walks with Adrian to the beach in the afternoon. So how could I have an admirer here? It is impossible.
This had been going on for a month now, and I wondered why it continued.
“Miss Lucille, is there a card left with the flowers?” I asked.
Miss Lucille shook her head. “If there was, I would have given it to you first.”
I fell silent, thinking that perhaps the flowers weren’t meant for me. “Maybe they’re meant for you,” I said jokingly.
Miss Lucille chuckled slightly and shook her head. “I’ve lived in this house for a long time, dear. But no one has ever given me flowers. It only started when you and your son arrived,” she explained with a smile.
I sighed. I wanted to believe I was the reason for the tulips, but the question remained: who would do this for me? Claude? That seemed impossible. Besides, Ramiro wouldn’t reveal our whereabouts because he promised me before we left. But if my naive brother-in-law didn’t keep his promise, it is likely that my husband is behind the flowers.
But I didn’t want to dwell on it anymore. Whatever Claude would do, it wouldn’t change my decision. I wouldn’t go back to him. What was the point of being with someone who didn’t trust me? It’s difficult. Maybe I’d end up in jeopardy again. I was always the one sacrificing, with my husband sacrificing nothing at all.
So what if Claude spent money on me and Adrian? It’s just money. Claude had plenty of it. With his wealth, even if I didn’t work, we could live comfortably. But that wasn’t my concern. For me, what mattered was that we trusted each other and valued each other’s words.
I didn’t want to live knowing my husband doubted everything I said. That’s just ugly. Besides, I trusted my husband even though I knew he could deceive me based on his character. So why am I the one being doubted when I haven’t done anything wrong?
“I believe these flowers are really meant for you. They’re not for me, dear. Believe me.”
I didn’t argue further. If the flowers were really meant for me, the person leaving them is just wasting their money. I am not interested in anyone regardless of where they came from.
“Miss Lucille, is Honolulu far from here?” I changed the subject. That’s where Pia lived. We hadn’t visited her since we arrived. I always felt sick, especially in the mornings. I felt dizzy and nauseous. It was rare for me to have a morning like today where I felt fine.
“It’s not far. Just about half an hour by plane. Do you plan to visit that place?”
“Yes, I hope so. We just need to see someone there. But maybe later when I’m feeling better. I still feel a bit dizzy.”
Miss Lucille stared at me directly. “Tell me the truth. Are you pregnant, dear? I often see you vomiting, especially in the mornings. That’s not normal.”
I was forced to nod. “Yes, Miss Lucille. I am pregnant. It’s been over three months,” I confessed.
The older woman gasped. “Oh! Why is that? Sir Ramiro didn’t even tell me about your condition. Is he the father?”
I sighed heavily. “No, Ramiro is not the father of this baby. It’s another man. Ramiro just helped us leave the country, so we ended up here. But he has nothing to do with my pregnancy.”
“In that case, who is the father of the child?”
I blew out a breath, trying to gather my thoughts. Should I confide in Miss Lucille about my pregnancy? Or should I keep it to myself? Only the doctor who examined me and I knew about it. I hadn’t told anyone else, fearing that Claude might somehow find out and try to regain control over Adrian and me. I didn’t want that to happen, so I preferred to keep everything hidden, even from Ramiro.
But if I told Miss Lucille, surely Ramiro would find out. She would tell him. If I didn’t confess, she might suspect something and still end up telling him. What should I do now?
“Miss Lucille, there’s something I need to tell you. But please, promise me you won’t let Ramiro know about it. Can you do that?” I asked hesitantly.
“Sure, dear. What is it?” she replied kindly.
“Ramiro didn’t know that I’m pregnant. I haven’t told him. If he finds out, he might inform the father of this child. Please, don’t mention this to your boss. I don’t want the father to find out and come looking for us here in Hawaii. We came here to escape from him,” I explained, feeling a weight lift off my chest as I spoke.
Miss Lucille’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why do you need to hide it? Doesn’t the father have the right to know? What are you afraid of?” she asked with concern.
“I just don’t want to go back to him. We already have too many problems. I can’t bear to be with someone who doesn’t trust me, especially now,” I admitted, feeling vulnerable.
Miss Lucille scratched her head thoughtfully. “Can you support this child? How will you manage? You don’t even have a regular job,” she pointed out.
I grimaced slightly at her question. “I do have a job, Miss Lucille. I write online. It’s enough to support Adrian and the baby on the way. That’s why I’m asking you to keep this between us and not tell Ramiro,” I explained earnestly.
Miss Lucille fell silent for a moment, contemplating my words. She stared at me intently.
“Alright. I won’t say anything to Ramiro. But I can’t stop him from noticing your growing belly when he sees you. You’ll have to explain things to him when that time comes and he learns the truth,” she said firmly.
“Okay. I’ll deal with it when the time comes,” I replied, feeling a mix of relief and apprehension about the future.
Miss Lucille didn’t bother me anymore. She just let me be. As the days passed, the flowers kept coming from a stranger. I didn’t speak up when Miss Lucille arranged them. I just thought it was normal, part of my everyday life.
But sometimes, I got curious too. So one morning, I woke up early and peeked out from the window of our room. It was only five o’clock in the morning. Adrian is still asleep. Miss Lucille is probably asleep too.
I had only been at the window for a few minutes when I noticed someone opening the gate of our house. I frowned when I saw the person enter. Based on his posture and appearance, I guessed it was a man. He is dressed in black from the baseball cap, jacket, pants, to the rubber shoes. He kept his head down, so I couldn’t see his face.
I noticed he was holding a paper bag. I quickly hid when the man looked around and then looked up. From the gap in the window, I caught a glimpse of his face. He wore large black sunglasses, so I couldn’t recognize him. When the man bent down, he approached the terrace.
He took something out of the paper bag. I covered my mouth when I saw him take out three pieces of red tulips.
“So, this is the one leaving the flowers? Who could this be? Why do I feel like I know him?” The man glanced around again before leaving the compound. It’s now puzzling to me who this man is.
The next day, I waited for him again. The man is dressed the same, all black from head to toe. But I noticed the flowers were no longer in the paper bag. The man is holding them in his hand. It wasn’t three pieces anymore, but a bunch of pink tulips.
As the man was about to leave, a strong gust of wind blew, causing his hat to fall off. I froze. Could it be Claude? Did my husband find us?