Page 21 of Claiming His Wife
“Sorry.” Her sister jerked away from the embrace. “I am so sorry.” The apologies were unnecessary. Kalilah wondered why, exactly, her sister was apologizing, and what for. Wrinkles formed on her brow as she looked Kaiya over, trying to find an explanation.
Kalilah couldn’t bear it.
“There’s nothing to apologize for, I promise.” Kaiya’s countenance reminded her of every mirror she’d looked into after leaving Finn. In fact, it was eerily similar to the way new arrivals to the shelter looked.
Kalilah’s hand tightened around her sister’s wrist and pulled her toward the car.
“You’re coming to lunch with me.” It wasn’t an invitation, it was more of a statement, an order, and her sister submitted meekly, rousing a fresh wave of guilt. She knew better than that, or at least she should. “You don’t have any plans, do you?”
Kaiya took one look at the mansion and back at her sister’s car with the low purr of the engine. Her answer came so quietly that even Kalilah almost missed it.
“Are you kidding me, of course I want to have lunch. Let’s get out of here!” It was more than an acceptance of a lunch invitation, and not for the first time Kalilah wondered what had happened in her absence.
If any child had to wonder if she really belonged to her parents, then it was Kaiya. Not only was her temperament soft, bubbly, and sweet, but Kaiya couldn’t hold a grudge and she often cried in moments of intense anger.
There was no hint of the soft, sweet, bubbly girl today, though.
Something seemed to have stripped her of everything, until she was all skin, bones, and eyes.
Kalilah had an inclination of who was responsible for that: their parents. Her hand tightened on her sister’s, and Kaiya squeezed her back. Some things were bigger than her impending divorce; she wouldn’t sit back and watch them suck the soul out of her sister the way they had tried to do to her all those years ago.
She held Kaiya’s hand with a determined will to protect her. After all, that’s what older sisters did, protect their siblings. And she would do just that. She needed to make up for her absence.
Hand in hand, they strutted to the car to meet the waiting Owen.
Owen drove without a firm destination for a while, before he turned off Atwater Avenue onto the smaller road of Saint Emelie Street. Kalilah took one look at the Atwater Market, and it brought back many fond memories of spending her Saturday mornings here during summer, inhaling the sweet scent of garden-fresh fruits and delicious food. She immediately scrapped any idea of lunch at some sophisticated location, or even back at her hotel restaurant.
“Owen, stop the car.” And the black marvel of engineering quietly edged to the curb. “You don’t mind if we walk do you? Kalilah asked. “The day is much too beautiful to be spent indoors.”
Truthfully, it was one of those perfect summer days; the humidity wasn’t too bad, and not a single cloud lingered overhead. Kaiya nodded and opened her door, with her sister climbing out at the same time, unwilling to let go of her hand.
“Where should I wait for you, Miss?” Owen asked.
“Find a suitable parking spot, Owen, and maybe grab something to eat. I don’t know how long we’ll be, or where we are going to end up, but I will give you a call the moment we are done and ready to return,” she directed.
“Of course, Madame.” They got out of the car and he drove off, leaving them in the midst of the large crowd. Something had broken Kaiya’s lethargy, and she literally threw herself into the day with a vigor that Kalilah thought bordered on manic. Thank goodness! It was one other thing she was grateful for in her choice of college course. Studying social work granted her the opportunity of taking courses in psychology and, leaning on that knowledge, Kalilah was certain there was something maladaptive about Kaiya’s behavior. She just couldn’t place it yet.
They moved from shop to shop without a word. Occasionally her sister would fondle a child’s toy or a piece of baby clothing.
“Is there something I should know? Am I going to be an aunt?” Kalilah asked apprehensively.
“If you’re ever going to be an aunt, it won’t be from me,” Kaiya responded, and quickly walked off in another direction. Kalilah didn’t know what to make of what her sister said, so she continued her perusal of the merchandise. The better part of an hour was spent window shopping, until they stood in front of a shop that offered the freshest produce and cups of coffee.
Kalilah inclined her head, and Kaiya followed almost meekly. They had barely settled in when the waiter was at their table. His bright smile was wasted on the two of them; they were offered a plate of the special with cups of juice and coffee.
When the food came, Kaiya moved her fork around the untouched pasta while staring into the distance. Kalilah took her time to observe her sister; exile be damned, she had failed her favorite person and best friend.
“You’ve changed a lot; I kind of have to look at you sideways to recognize you.” Her sister was thinner than she remembered, if that was possible. Kalilah guessed that her sister was about 110lbs, and considering she was about five-foot-seven, she was petite. Her long hair that she had always kept in a huge, messy ‘fro – which always infuriated their mother, who had always criticized her about the mass of unruly curls hanging loose – was now slicked back in a bun. She also had dark circles under her eyes, and her smile that used to come to her face so easily was nowhere to be found.
“Change is inevitable. I had no choice but to grow up,” Kaiya answered after a moment of silence. Kalilah sensed from the tone of her voice that her sister was on the verge of tears.
“I understand. I guess I can say the same thing myself. Did you come back to stay?”
Kalilah shook her head and tried to suppress the surge of guilt that threatened to drown her this time. Her plans had no place for her sister.
“I only came back to get an annulment from Finn. And them,” she added as an afterthought.
“Our parents aren’t so bad; they’ve helped me a lot.” And for the first time since they started talking, Kaiya stared at her sister. Her skin had lost its earlier glow, and her eyes were shuttered and resigned. All this combined had her suddenly terrified to know what happened to her sister.
