Chapter 6: new beginnings

“Walls have wars

Doors have eyes

Trees have voices

Beast tell lies

Beware the rain

Beware the snow

Beware the man you think you know.”

Songs of sapphique

Some hells were designed to look like heaven.

The moment we turned into the street, I could immediately identify his house.

Standing regal at the end of the street, on at least 1,000 acres of land,the 3-storey building looked like a cross between a church and a hotel, with its large pillars and cathedral-like windows, juxtaposed with modern lines and elaborate lighting.

It stood out like a sore thumb, not only on its quiet

street but the entire sleepy neighborhood.

It was everything I’d read about in books and so much more. From the gate to the house was a full five-minute drive, and I marveled at the sheer expanse of the compound, complete with

a small pond and peacocks running around the lush greenery.

He hadn’t exaggerated when he called the place a ranch.

“Home, sweet home!” he proclaimed when the car pulled to a stop in front of the main house.

“welcome” chimed a middle-aged woman, standing at the door.

“Welcome, minister,” she then looked at me. “Welcome dear, you must be the new bride”

I said nothing in response.

Instead, I hovered around the booth of the car,

waiting to get my suitcase.

But the Minister gently took my hand and pulled me away, just as two uniformed men ran to the car to offload the vehicles.

And I got the message. Over here, there were servants for that kind of thing.

“How are you?” the minister greeted the woman before turning to look at me.

“This is Zeynep. My wife.”

I bristled at the word, but the same word elicited a broad grin from the woman.

“she is the head maid and shei will take care of you,” he said to me, just as we were about to

walk inside.

He stopped “I have to make a quick dash to the office. I will be back soon.”

“But it’s already evening,” I exclaimed, suddenly feeling anxious about being left alone with strangers.

He smiled, pleased to hear the concern in my voice.

“I won’t be long, my princess. Trust me when I say, if it was within my control, nobody would be

able to tear me away from you. But alas, there are people waiting there for me. I’ll be back soon. I promise.”

I stood there and watched as he got back into the car, blew me a kiss, and was driven away.

I hated the fact that, in only a few short hours, I had already gotten accustomed to his company. But why won't he is all I know now. In resignation, I followed the headmaid into the house.

Walking inside, I let out an involuntary gasp, the brown and gold accented décor taking my breath away.

In all my years, I had never seen such luxury and grandeur up close.

It reminded me of the Von Trapp family mansion inThe Sound of Music movie.

I caught a glimpse of the living room as I was led upstairs, and I almost felt like running there and doing a Julie Andrews twirl.

From this display of opulence, I saw that the minister's wealth was so much more phenomenal than I could ever have imagined.

But it couldn’t be just from being a minister and the bakery I just found out he has.

Not even if he was baking for the entire country on a daily basis.

We walked to the 2nd level, and the woman led me into a large room, with a queen-sized canopy bed and a cream, gold and white color theme. With the mahogany wood furniture and cotton and lace sheets, it looked like it had been cut straight out of a magazine.

“Do you have any more suitcases?” she asked, and I realised the uniformed gentlemen from earlier had beaten us to the room, as my box

was already perched at the foot of the bed.

“There is more than enough space for all your things,” she continued, pulling open the floor to ceiling closet and pointing out a similar one across the room.

Both of them were empty. I was suddenly confused.

“the minister has his own room, This one is for

Me .” something whispered to me.

But I still had to ask.

“Where are the minister's things?" I asked in a quiet voice.

She looked at me perplexed before smiling.

“For a minute I thought you couldn't speak, you have a beautiful voice and the minsters room is in the floor above yours”

That piece of information made me look at the room with totally different eyes, and my separation anxiety slowly started to morph into elation.

Not only was this beautiful room mine and mine alone, I didn’t have to share a bed with him.

I wasn’t naïve enough to think he wouldn’t want to share mine, but at least, l wouldn’t have to worry about it now.

I don’t know what would have become of us.

“Forget about the age. Trust me, you couldn’t have found a better man than the minister to marry.”

No, I didn’t agree with her. I could have found a better man to marry. I’d already found him.

I was tempted to ask why none of his children had come for the wedding, or why there had been no pomp and pageantry to welcome the new bride

home, but I remembered how low key my own family had also kept the wedding, and then I understood why and I was happy I didn't like attention.

This wasn’t the kind of thing to shout about from the rooftops. Besides, with the number of wives the man had already had, his friends, family, and even house servants had clearly tired of

wedding festivities.

But it suited me just fine.

After a shower and a change, I took the headmaid up on her offer and went downstairs for a meal.

I noticed other members of staff giving me curious

looks, and I realized that, just like back home in India,I was also a spectacle here; an outcast young girl married to an older man.

Dinner was a meal of steaming hot rice and native Indian fish stew, and I almost scraped off the enamel of my plate while eating it.

I couldn’t remember when last I’d eaten a meal so wholesome and delicious, considering that not only had my mother switched off elaborate cooking for us after my father felt like we were not good enough for that kind of meal, even though he even had the money to buy anything outside of the very basics but he chose to spend it on alcohols.

The size of fish I’d been served was more than what mom and I would have eaten combined.

Once dinner was over, I walked over to the living room, looking at the portraits hanging on the wall.

There was one of a much younger minster, and

I smiled at the image of the stunningly handsome man, not at all surprised by how good looking he’d been as a younger man. In fact, age and money

had only served to further refine those looks, making him even more

I stared at my new found heaven forgetting that the devil wears white and the devil was one of the most handsome men in heaven.