Page 6 of Mayflower

“It was not. Mr. Levi had a lot of enemies.”

“Raven.”

“Raven, yes.”

“So, you are helpless in this situation,” I taunt him. “Fine. I will find him myself. I gotta go, Dad.”

“Mila, wait!” He throws his hands in front of him in surrender, his jaw clenching because I angered him. I did it intentionally. “Calm down. Listen to me. I flipped the world upside down to find you. And I did find you, a while back. Do not underestimate me, sweetheart. I wanted to pluck you out off that island as soon as I got the first picture of you. I was furious. But then? Then I needed an answer to the question I asked myself for the last two years.”

"And that is?”

“What was so bad that you wanted to forget who you were?”

"Seriously? You wanted to marry me off to a stranger."

“Mila, sweetheart, marriage is business. Love? Love goes away after several years. And then it is back to business. Deals. Stipulations. Compromise. Children, assets, time. You were too young to understand. Money can fix a lot of things."

"It didn't fix Mom."

“Don’t,” he warns in a raised tone.

“You married for love,” I say.

“That is rare. And I never wanted you to go through the same pain…”

Losing Mom, I understood later, was tough for a ten-year-old me. For Dad, losing a partner and the love of his life was devastating. And he still didn’t draw the parallel between the families he ruined and the car accident that killed my mom. Whether it’s narcissism or some special sort of cruelty that makes him oblivious to his doings—I don’t know. It’s useless asking cruel people what their atrocious crimes would feel like if they were done to their loved ones.

"Don’t you see it, Dad?” I ask. “Money can’t buy happiness. Nor can it buy health. Nor peace of mind. There are too many things money can’t buy, but sure, it can make a miserable life more comfortable.”

“When you get older, you will discover that comfort can be stable and is more important than some quick happy carnival ride many call relationships.”

“I don’t need a lecture on wisdom.”

“I have enough bad experiences that you don’t need to repeat. I wanted to make sure you had better ones.”

“But I wanted my own experiences, Dad! To fail, make good decisions, bad ones, maybe struggle, but on my own, without a leash. I wanted my life. My choices. Even if I had to be poor. And I won’t go back. Won't accept your dictatorship. You try to force me, and I'll do something stupid. I simply won't accept your way."

He nods. "I know. But I will have my way when it comes to your safety.”

I exhale in frustration and use my strongest card. “I want to make my choices, have my family. And in the future, if you want my family to be yours, you have to let me live the way I choose to.”

He clicks his tongue. "That will not do."

My jaw drops as I narrow my eyes at him in anger.

“Easy, easy, Mila,” he says with an amused chuckle. “You misunderstood. I will never let you go, sweetheart. You know that. You are my daughter. I will always make sure I know where you are and what you do. And I am willing to compromise. I want to come to Zion, see you, talk to Mr. Crone, figure things out, business.”

“Of course, business.”

“Mila, calm down. The only reason I am remotely interested in that tropical dumpster fire is that you are there. The only reason I will make an effort regarding the situation with Mr. Levi—Raven—is because you care.”

I sit quietly. “Can I ask you for a favor? Without you asking for anything in return?”

He answers with a quiet nod, waiting. He loves doing favors. Right now, he loves the fact that I’m asking for his help.

“I want you to find Raven,” I say. “Wherever he is. Whatever happened to him. You talk to those thugs from Port Mrei. I’m sure you know people. Good people. Not that monster who calls himself the mayor. Will you do that?”

“I will. That is if Raven is still alive.”

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