A Debt Paid (10 page)

The girls barged through the
apartment door loaded down with their
goodies. They practically fell over each
other as they crashed through the door,
dropping bags everywhere.

“Oh my God, maybe we should have
made two trips,” Nicole laughingly said as
she avoided stepping on the bags Anya had
dropped in the entryway.

“I know, but I thought we could
handle it.” Anya giggled.

“Okay, let’s just throw this stuff in
my room. We’ll sort it out later. I say we
open this bottle of wine, eat the pizza we
picked up, and you tell me the whole story.”

“Ah yes, wine and deep-dish pizza,
what a perfect match,” Anya sarcastically
retorted.

“Oh shut up, grab a slice and glass,
and let’s head to the couch.” Nicole swatted
at Anya as she walked by her.

“I’m barely twenty-two I don’t drink
alot.”

“Wellyou’re wih me no so you’re
gonna learn real quick. See simple.” Nicole
smiled at her flawed logic.

After some friendly banter, the girls
settled down on the couch.

Anya sat and took a tentative bite of
her meat lover’s deep-dish pizza. She
wasn’t sure she wanted to eat, since her
stomach wasn’t sitting right.

Nicole, with her mouth full, settled
in the corner of the couch Indian style.

“Okay, out with it. Start from the
beginning, but give me the Cliff’s notes not
the
Gone with the Wind
version.”

Anya took a nice long sip of her
wine before she started.

“Okay, so this is the short version.
We met when I was eighteen. I paid no
attention to him. He was convinced I was
the one for him. He waited till I was not a
teen to make his move. I wasn’t interested
and blew him off. My dad borrowed a lot of
money from his not so nice associates and
couldn’t pay it back. Threats were made
against my mother. Calix made a deal with
my father that he would pay his debt if I
married him. I agreed. I made a pre-nup
where, even though I married him, he
would have no physical relationship with
me. This pissed him off, and he took me on
his desk.”

Nicole started waving and crossing
her arms back in forth in a stop motion.
“Wait, wait, wait, took you? You mean like
sex? Against your will?”

Anya just nodded. Nicole was
enraged. “That mother fucker raped you,
and you didn’t have him arrested?”

“Yes, but this is where I’m confused,
so let me finish.”
“Fine, fine.”

“It hurt, you know I was a virgin, but
then he told me he was going to make me
like it, and I did I had an orgasm. When we
were finished, he cleaned me and
apologized. He came over so we could go to
my parents, for dinner, and we had sex
over and over again. I enjoyed everything. I
had an orgasm every time, and he gave me
the option to stop, but I didn’t want to.
After that first day, it was like we were an
honest couple. We made love every night;
he wanted me to sleep in his arms every
night. I started missing him when we were
apart. We ate dinner together, read, played
chess, everything; we were a couple. Then
my period was late, I told him, but then I
took a test and it was negative. I was
actually upset. We made love, and then it
hit me. You know, like, what was I
thinking? How did I forget how we got
started? Then I panicked, got dressed, and
ran out while he was still naked.” When
Anya finished, she took another swig of her
wine, then a bite of her pizza.

“So, you liked being with him even
after that first day?”

“Yes. Now, do you see why I’m so
confused? What he did was wrong. I know
it was wrong. I shouldn’t have enjoyed it or
wanted every time after that. But I did, and
I know it was wrong, so why did I like it?
Why do I miss him? It’s only been a day,
and I miss him. How sick am I?” Anya had
started crying as she spoke, and her voice
grew shaky and thick.

Nicole finished chewing on her bite
of pizza before she spoke. “So, you’re
confused because you have feelings for
him, even though you think you shouldn’t.”

Anya nodded as she chewed on her
bite of pizza.

“Let me lay it out how I see it, okay?
You can’t help who you fall in love with.
What he did to you was wrong, but was
that the first and only time he has hurt
you?”

“Yes.”
“Do you think he would ever hurt
you again?”

“No, I even understand why he
snapped; he’d wanted me and waited for
me for years, he saw the only way he could
have me, and he took it. Then I told him I
wanted IUI and separate rooms, basically
wanted no part of him. He had even
stopped messing with me when I told him I
was a virgin. But then it hit him that I
would rather lose my virginity in childbirth
than have him touch me, and he snapped.
I’m not saying that it’s right, but I
understand why.”

“Hold up he stopped?” Shock shone
on Nicole’s face.

“Yes, he pulled me to him, and he
had his hand in my pants with one finger
about to go in me. I asked him to stop. I told
him I was a virgin, and he stopped.”

“So, then that behavior is not
normal for him? Everything after that day
was his normal behavior?”

“I don’t really know him, but what I
do know of him I don’t think that first day
was his norm.”

“Okay, so the big question is, can
you forgive him? Because, if you can, then
there’s nothing wrong with you having
feelings for him. I think it’s not that you feel
guilty for liking him, it’s that you’re scared
to like him, and you’re using guilt as a
cover. We’re both gun shy around men
because of the bastards we were raised
around.”

“So, it’s not wrong to have feelings
for him?”

“I can’t tell you if it’s wrong or right.
I can just tell you to go with your heart and
to not be afraid to feel for him. If you can
forgive him, then I think you can make it
work. You’ve been apart from him for a
day, and he’s all you can think about. What
does that tell you?”

“You’re right, I am scared. I’ve
ignored men all my life. You know neither
of us dated in high school, and we went to
prom together.” Anya laughed. “Calix won’t
let me ignore him. I yelled at him, called
him names, showed my temperament and
attitude, and he was turned on by it. He
likes that I’m a strong woman.”

Nicole finished her glass of wine and
got up to get another, talking as she went.
“Okay, so enough of the drama for now. I
want sex details.” She wiggled her
eyebrows as she spoke.

Anya laughed. “Don’t you have
enough details from your own love life?”

“Love life bah! Don’t you mean sex
life? There’s no love in any of it.” Nicole
waved Anya away.

“Okay, fine, I have nothing to
compare him to, but I have enjoyed every
time. He’s so big my hand can’t wrap
around him. That first day, we were late for
dinner because we had sex for over two
hours. I couldn’t even count how many
orgasms I had. He was gentle with me, too;
he knew I was sore, so he held back till I
said I was okay. Then he bathed me,
massaged my neck and shoulders, and then
he washed my hair, body, everything. He
was hard the whole time, but I was sore, so
he didn’t touch me other than to dry me off
and to carry me to bed to cuddle and
sleep.”

“Oh my God, Anya, you know I have
my issues with men abusing power or
woman, but, from what you said, it really
sounds like that first day was an out of
character thing for him to do, and he
sounds freaking hot.”

“Oh, he is he’s gorgeous. I can’t lie.”

The girls talked, drank, and ate late
into the night. When Anya finally lay down
to sleep, she felt a bit better about her
feelings for Calix. She needed to talk to her
mother, and, even if she had to deal with
her father when she called the house, she
would because she really needed her
mother.

Finally, the plane touched down in
Italy, and Carol couldn’t have been happier.
She had never spent so much time in the
air before and was more than ready to
disembark.

“So how was the flight for you,
Carol?”

“Honestly? It was very long, and I
couldn’t fall asleep. The first class cocoons
were fabulous, but it made it hard to talk.”

Maria nodded in agreement. “Yes,
that is the one drawback. Come, baggage
claim is this way.”

“What time is it? I need to reset my
watch.”

“Well, we left just before eight
o’clock, the flight was thirteen hours, and
there is a six hour time difference. My
guess is almost one in the morning.”

“But we’re ahead of the east coast,
so I can call Anya, and it won’t be too late to
talk to her.”

“No, it’ll be okay, unless she has
gone to bed early.”
“Damn, I forgot, I told her to turn off
her phone and get a new one.”

“Well, turn your phone on and see if
she tried to call you. We didn’t tell her we
were leaving early.”

“I think I should wait till we get
situated, so I can talk to her when I can
focus my attention on her.”

“That sounds like a good idea. There
should be a car waiting for us. Let’s get our
luggage and head to the front of the airport,
so we can find the car.”

It took them longer to get their
luggage than it did to find the driver
waiting for them. When they were nestled
in the car, Maria’s driver informed her that
Vito had called several times. Vito wanted
Maria to call him, no matter the time, as
soon as she arrived. He had even left the
message that he knew she didn’t want to
talk to him, but that it was extremely
important for her to call him. Begrudgingly,
Maria pulled her phone out of her purse,
turned it on, and called Vito.

“Si.” Came the deep voice of Vito.

“Parlare rapida (Talk fast).” Maria
was short and curt. She was still having a
hard time taking in what he and Calix had
done.

“Maria, please listen to me,” Vito
pleaded. He told Maria the reason why he
had agreed to make that deal with Calix; he
thought that Calix was truly in love with
Anya and this was the way he could have
her. Vito told Maria how he expected Calix
to woo Anya and prove to her how he
really felt. He explained how he had no
knowledge of what Calix had done to Anya,
and that he did not approve of that
behavior.

Vito had been in love with Maria for
years. He had fallen in love with her before
she had even met his brother. They shared
a brief history. But, when his brother had
brought her home to meet the family, he
acted as if they had never met. Everyone
always thought the reason he never
married was because he never wanted to
drag someone into his lifestyle, which was
partially true, but it was mainly because he
only wanted Maria. When his brother died,
Vito felt so guilty. He missed his brother
and wished he hadn’t died, but, at the same
time, he was excited that he might have a
chance with Maria. He felt horrible about
that, so he did absolutely nothing to pursue
a romantic relationship with her.

“Maria, you know me, how could
you think I would approve of such
behavior?” Vito was actually upset. Though
being the tough man he was, he refused to
let it show.

“Vito, I don’t know what to think. I
would never have dreamed that Calix was
capable of such behavior. I did not raise
him that way. How could he love her and
do that?” Maria was starting to get really
upset just talking about it again, and she
began to cry. Carol sitting next to her in the
car was trying to soothe her by rubbing her
arm.

“Maria per favore non piangere
(Please don’t cry). He does love her. You
should have heard him. I’ve never heard
him that upset before. I swear, Maria, I
think he even started to cry.”

Sniffling Maria asked, “How can that
be, Vito?”

Vito sighed, and his voice became
softer. “You of all people, Maria, should
know how crazed a man in love could act.”

Maria was silent for a moment. They
had not talked about or brought up that
night in forty years.

Her voice was hushed. “I wasn’t
forced, Vito.”
“But, you didn’t say yes either. I just
took what I wanted.”
“Vito.”

“No, it’s in the past. Leave it. Calix
was wrong in what he did. I don’t approve
in any way. He asked me to help him find
her, and I said no. I told him he has
disgraced us. He has been put in his place
and acknowledged he did wrong. I also
know that, despite all that, he does love
her. Do what you will with this information,
tell Carol or don’t tell her, I leave it to you.
Now, there is something regarding Carol
that I do need to talk to you about.” Vito
went on to tell her some of what Calix and
he had planned.

“If she starts to feel bad for him or
guilty, let her know this is happening with
or without her, and please, explain to her
that I did not approve of Calix’s behavior.
Buona notte, angelo (Good night angel).”
His good bye said, he hung up.

Angel,
Maria thought; he hadn’t
called her Angel since that night. Carol
broke through her remembrance.

“Maria? Are you okay? What did
Vito say? What’s going on?”

Maria sniffled and wiped the tears
from her eyes before she answered Carol.
Her voice was rough and heavy with the
emotions running through her.

“Vito was telling me his side of what
happened.”

“Really.” Carol stiffened with her
response and crossed her arms over her
chest.

“Carol.” Maria reached out and
touched her arm gently. “Carol, he had
nothing to do with what happen to Anya.
He never threatened to harm you; Calix
added that to persuaded Anya to say yes.
Vito has never hurt an innocent woman. He
told me he only agreed to Calix’s deal
because Calix begged him; he told him how
long he had waited for Anya to grow up
and how much he needed her. He thought
Calix would marry her then win her over
with his love. He had no idea about what
had happened in Calix’s office that
morning.”

“And you believe him?”
“Carol, Vito has never lied to me. It
was wrong of me to assume he was a part
of it. I was just so shocked to hear of what
Calix had done, I never thought him
possibly of such an act that I didn’t know
what to think about Vito. But, Carol, I
believe him. He has never lied to me in
forty years.”

“Do you believe Calix really loves
her? I mean, how could he do that to her if
he loves her?”

By the time Carol finished her
question, they had pulled up in front of
Maria’s house. Their driver parked the car
and got out to open the door for them.
Maria quickly turned to Carol before she
got out.

“Yes, I do, and I’ll tell you why when
we’re settled in the house.”

With the door held open for her,
Maria exited the car. Carol waited for their
driver to walk around and open her car
door. Almost two am in Rome, but you
could still the see the beauty of Maria’s
villa. It was stone and stucco, and the drive
way was fan shaped paved stones. Carol
couldn’t wait to see what it looked like in
the daytime. She could see that there were
a lot of trees, flowers, and just all kinds of
different foliage. As they walked into the
villa, Carol was in awe. They may have
updated the villa, but they kept all the
history and old style beauty.

The hallways were wide, and the
walls painted in old school Italian marble
effect with different colors throughout
every room. The villa had vaulted ceilings
with archways and exposed beams. It was
truly one of the most beautiful houses she
had ever been in. For a moment, she forgot
about all the drama in her life and enjoyed
the moment of finally being able to come to
Italy.

“I know it’s late, so would you like to
finish our conversation, or would you like
to wait till morning?”

Carol thought for a moment on what
she wanted to do. After a couple of
minutes, she decided to wait till the
morning. She just wanted to enjoy this
night drama free. She was even going to
wait on calling Anya back.