THREE

THREE

CATHERINA

I knew I most definitely must have read his lips wrong, there was no way in hell he would mouth sexy to me while we sat at the table and surrounded by my family. I was being paranoid about his attention towards me, that was all it was. My eyes trailed to the people at the table, my papa took the head seat while he, Andres Cruz sat beside him on his left and my mamma on the right. My sister sat gloomy faced beside him while I sat beside my mamma, trying to keep my eyes far away from his face. Antonio, my brother sat to my right glaring pointedly at Andres who made it a point to ignore him.

Rumor had it that Andres had beat him one day in a casino game and the price on the table was a night with the girlfriend of whomever won. Antonio’s girlfriend had been more than happy to spend the night with Andres and even left her panties with him as a souvenir which he sent to my brother the following day, soiled in her juices. They had broken up immediately but the insult remained with my brother who vowed to pay back in the same token.

He also was against the marriage but there was little we could do seeing that papa’s mind was already decided.

My eyes continued round the table, stopping when my attention caught on a lady whom obviously was my age judging from her beautiful and youthful face. She sat stoically beside a man with a scar that ran from his eyes down to his mouth giving him a somewhat twisted smirk. He had a hand on her shoulder and was rubbing it gently while the girl sat as though she wanted to be anywhere else but there; a well of pity sprang up from within me as our eyes met and held. I wondered if she also had been forcefully married into the family like my sister was about to be.

The others looked like they had come with him and there was no one that caught my attention, so I settled for looking at the painting above my sister’s head. It was one of a cat and a mouse which my father had purchased on one of his many travels. I assumed that he thought himself the cat and my mamma, the mouse.

“I will introduce my first daughter, Catherina” My papa’s voice boomed, causing my stomach to do a double flip as all eyes on the table settled on me.

I tried to smile but it came out as a grimace as I turned to him, acknowledging my name.

“Catherina, this is Andres Cruz and he is to be your brother-in-law.”

I know this so why was father making a show of introducing us in front of everyone, my head screamed.

“It is a pleasure to make your acqu…”

“We have been introduced.” He said interrupting my monologue.

My eyes snapped up to meet his in terror as my papa frowned visibly, glaring at me as if to ask if I had managed to sleep with this one too.

“When, pray tell did this meeting happen?” My papa asked, watching me with distaste.

Before I could get any words past my mouth, he answered.

“Earlier today, I bumped into Catherina by mistake.” He said, watching me with an amused expression as I struggled for words.

why is he staring at me like that and in front of everyone, it is totally embarrassing and given the wrong notion, I thought as I glanced down at the meal in front of me.

My papa muttered something inaudible and picked up his spoon, this signaled to everyone that it was time to eat although I did not think it concerned Andres much because he had already begun eating.

My hand trembled as I picked up my spoon, staring at my plate like I would love to disappear into it. I was scared and at the same time angry at my papa for his thoughts about me and his blatant disrespect. It was obvious that he would have loved to dispose of me like he did the boy that I had eloped with and if I wasn’t his daughter, he would have done just that.

Compliments went round about the food and my mamma preened underneath their praises but I could hardly take one spoon even when its delectable aroma teased my nostrils.

He was watching me again, daring me to look up at him but I refused to rise to his challenge. I was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me as the blundering fool that I was.

My eyes caught on some action from the direction of the young girl I had observed earlier and when I looked up, I could see what the problem was. The man with the scar was whispering something into her ears with forced urgency, he had a tight grip on her arm and she looked like she was about to cry.

I pretended as though I was looking somewhere else and observed the argument; if you could call it that because he was doing most of the talking while she was doing most of the nodding. My brother noticed this too but said nothing as he continued devouring his food with relish, it was as though everyone at the table was oblivious to the trouble brewing at that point and I did not think it was my place to say anything about it.

A gasp escaped my throat immediately the slap landed across the girl’s face; her head snapped to the side and her hand came up immediately to cup her cheek.

I watched the man beckon on a guard and he escorted the sobbing girl out of our presence and into the gardens.

“My apologies.” The man said to my father who grunted in approval and continued eating.

I was stunned as such display of violence that I let my spoon clatter to the plate with a loud bang. It was then that I turned to him.

He had the same amused expression on his face as he watched me but his eyes held violence; barely contained violence in their depths