Zenovia
Doamne ferește!
Of course, it was around this time that Marisha would have her brunch. I took a quick glimpse of Maksimillian, who was also unprepared for this. He looked at his aunt with his mouth gaped open. He then turned to look at me, trying to act normal.
“Hi! I’m Marisha, a new friend of Zenovia’s.” Standing close to where my father sat, Marisha politely and elegantly offered her hand to him, who seemed taken by her beauty. But I thought she already knew him, since she had once displayed her “power” in knowing things about me and others anyway.
“I’m Daniel, Zenovia’s father,” he said with a charming smile. “Pleasure to meet you, Marisha.”
She looked sophisticated in her black slacks and cream sleeveless top. Her hair was in a bun, and her daylight makeup was perfect. Still, she wore that fuchsia lipstick that seemed to be her signature colour. Plus, her perfume just wafted to our noses. My father seemed to like it and stared at her more than necessary, as though in subtle flirting.
Căcat! Don’t tell me he’s also cheating on his second wife? I seethed, giving him a scathing look. It wasn’t like I cared about his current wife, but him being so unfaithful might never ever change! Oh, God! I just so hate him!
“And you beautiful young man are…?” Marisha turned to my brother. “Is this your younger brother?” She briefly glanced at my father, who blushed visibly.
I almost rolled my eyes, and Maksimillian chuckled.
“Aunt Marisha, that’s Mihai, Zenovia’s brother,” he stated the obvious, and his aunt let out a loud laugh.
“Oh, my bad! I’m so sorry for my mistake!” She put a hand on her face, as though she was embarrassed, but I knew better. She was just being… charming.
“You’re his aunt?” Mihai looked at me, at Maksimillian and then at Marisha.
Maksimillian slightly shook his head. “Sorry. She’s just… too—”
“Loud? I’m loud, Maksimillian?” Marisha prompted, eyebrows raised and eyes daring her nephew.
“I was going to say friendly, Aunt Marisha,” his gentle answer, and deadpanned.
“Please join us, if you’re not with anyone, Marisha,” I invited her politely with a small smile.
Maksimillian stood up to give up his seat to his aunt, who thanked him with a kiss on his cheek. He took another free seat from another table and placed it at my other side, almost squeezing me between him and his aunt. I almost sighed as they started to check the menu, while talking about trivial things such as the weather, how long the Russians were going to stay and so on.
I caught my brother glancing at me and Maksimillian now and then while waiting for our orders to come. Meanwhile, my father seemed to weigh my relationship with the Russians. Still, he appeared especially charming and a gentleman to Marisha, giving her extra attention like giving her the tissue paper stand when she needed it as she accidentally spilled her latte on the table.
Under the table, Maksimillian took my hand that was balled into a fist.
“So, what’s your actual relationship with my daughter?” My father had the nerve to ask Maksimillian, before he glanced at Marisha who had a small smile.
“How long will you stay here? Are you going back to Bucharest after this?” I questioned my brother instead to not let Maks speak, and it seemed that my father got the hint.
Mihai grinned at my inquiry, showing his white and perfect teeth. “We’re going to stay for a few days. Tati said we can explore Brașov together.”
“What?” I almost squeaked. I threw my father a glance.
“Mami is busy with a big project, so she’s not with us right now. She’s working hard on a new plan. It’ll take her a lot of time like weeks or even months ‘til she finishes it, so…” My brother shrugged after sharing this information.
Maksimillian, who was at my left, turned his head to me in silent query.
“His mother’s an architect, so she and my father who’s an engineer work at the same company. But it appears that they are not working on the same project anymore,” I spoke meaningfully, thinning my lips afterwards.
As it was, their relationship started when they worked on some projects together in the past. No wonder why it took my mother a long time to know the truth, since everything just seemed normal in their marriage. She didn’t even suspect that he had an affair with his co-worker because she trusted him. She just thought they worked together. But on the side, they were actually working on another project, where my eyes transferred at the moment. To my half-brother.
“So, how did you and my sister meet?” he asked Maksimillian straightforwardly. He could be that sometimes if not all the time.
“Oh, I actually caught them having eye-to-eye in The Black Church,” Marisha shared before her nephew could or would even answer my brother’s question.
Maksimillian and I stared at her, but her eyes were fixed on my brother and father, with a smile on her lips. It was almost devious.
Ah, Doamne! She could be a piece of work.
“Oh!” Mihai could only say.
“So, anything else you can tell us about you two, Zenovia?” my father prodded.
I didn’t really want to talk to him, so I just ignored him.
“They’re dating, if you ask me,” Marisha remarked, chuckling.
I chewed on my inner cheek, trying to not say anything to her that might prove rude. Well, I reckoned it was better that she answered for me and Maksimillian, since we didn’t know what we had between us anyway. I couldn’t tell my father I had a deal with Maksimillian until I’d get pregnant, could I? Besides, he had no business in my personal life. He stopped being my father after all, when he and my mother divorced. He was never there for me after that. He was only a father to Mihai. I was not his daughter anymore.
And I hated him! So, so much. ‘Til now.
I felt Maksimillian’s hand gently caress mine under the table. He placed it on his muscled thigh and tried to make me calm. I could understand that he just let his aunt do the talking for us while I was in the hot seat. It seemed. Anyway, there was nothing alarming yet in what she said to my brother and father, if she did know what was really going on between Maksimillian and me.
“How long has this been going on?” my father asked me. He looked so serious that I thought he acted like my real father now.