Chapter 30: The Beginning of Something New

The room had two beds covered in white sheets. The masseur, a woman in her uniform, placed their feet in cold yoghurt. Before she did, she had asked them, a little too cheerful.

 

“Would you like your feet soaked in plain vanilla, whipped cream or strawberry flavor?”

 

“What do you think? he asked Zara, as he sat down in shirts and a tight T-shirt”

 

“We’d take all three,” Zara said, overjoyed, her teeth shining white.

 

“This…is ... .so…cool” she stammered and rolled her eyes in ecstasy while Nat just simply smiled at her. It seemed weird to him, even sordid. It was her idea, sure, but he would never on his own decide to visit any spa, not  alone put his foot in yoghurt.

 

“So this is what your kinda fun is?” he raised his glasses and peered at her from the side.

 

“Aren’t you enjoying it?”

 

“Yeah pretty much, a bit awkward but relaxing though” he admitted

 

“Of course it is,” she turned to the women now, smiling brightly at both of them and raising their feet in the water.

 

“We’d get our toes done?” Zara told her.

 

She began cutting and filling their nails, scraping the insides until it shone like it was painted with a transparent gloss nail cortex.

 

“Would you like to have your massage now?” she asked calmly

 

Zara smiled and answered for both of them.

 

She moaned throughout the message session.

The oil on her back was like honey on her skin. Her breast was wrapped and covered in a towel.

Nat was ever the stoic as the woman’s hands moved up and down his back, giving him chills.

He wished it was Zara’s hands instead, and him on hers. He was, after all, a good masseur. He could give better erotic massages like the one she gave her at the private room at Sin city, not this boring one.

 

Zara waxed her hair. The hard and sticky yellow paste taken off, removed all hairs from her legs until it looked like a de feathered chicken ready for cooking.

 

“I feel so relieved from all the struggles you put me through” she looked at him accusingly, a tight smile on her lips.

 

“More like all the struggles you put me through”, he said, reluctant to accept it was a one-sided thing. His moving from one heart ache to another heartache.  

 

“Whatever”

 

“I got something to show you when we done”

 

“What’s that?” she ass puzzled

 

“It’s a surprise. You’d see”

He was full of surprises, glamorous surprises and so through the drive she hummed with quiet anticipation.

They entered  the street. The neighborhood had luxurious glass walled houses with well-manicured lawns, flanked by pine and fig trees. He parked in front of one of the mansions. Cobblestones dotted the entrance of the glass building. She could see the inside patio standing out. She thought it again one of his many properties.

Just then, a bald headed man probably in his 50s with pinkish tan and slightly colored teeth approached him.

 

“Mr. Wolfe” they shook hands, in an official manner.

 

“The legal paperwork has been handled, the home has now been successfully bought for Miss Zara Carter, fully paid in $30,000. If she’d sign here, we can give her the keys”

 

Zara's eyes widened. She looked aggressively at him then the agent. Nat smiled victoriously, putting his hands inside his pocket and pressed his feet to the ground .

 

“Excuse me, did you just say Zara Carter?

 

“That’s correct!” he beamed

 

He handed her the document. If you’d sign here”.

Her hands were slightly shocked as she signed the document.

“Oh my God babe”. She hugged him. “Thank you so much,” she said, still hands on her mouth.

Nat gave her a kiss on her forehead.

 

“This is too much”. She came out of his embrace and looked at the house.

She was flabbergasted.

 

“Anything for my princess” he said

“Come”

They toured the house. Modern with state of the art decor and feel of natural lightning. The sofas were white and soft to the touch. A  TV above a burning hearth, a stairway, 3 bedrooms and  a swimming pool. She opened the door to the poorhouse and walked around the pool.

 

“I can’t even swim”

 

“I’d teach you”

 

“Really? is there anything you can do?”

 

“Is there anything you can’t do when I’m with you?” he teased.

 

“I could have warm baths here”

 

“Well you owe it and you better start getting used to it” he said.

 

She folded her arms, still admiring the pool and walked towards him. “So just like that..” she said

 

“Just like that?”

 

“We’re back on track together again” she remarked.

 

“I already did a long while ago, I suppose”, he said slightly arrogantly. They kissed again.

 

He held her hands and led her back inside towards the grand piano lodged at the corner. A delicately crafted, startling work of carved wood, and piano strings. Zara rumbled and splayed her fingers on the strings so that it made a discordant,  unharmonious sound.

 

He held her from the back, put his finger above her and kissed her neck, patting her hair to the sides. He started playing. The tune was familiar.

Zara smiled, “I know this” he eyes lingered in his fingers moving on it trying to recall. Nat chuckled confidently

 

“Oh my! that’s my song”

She put her hand on her chest and felt as if teleported into a nostalgic past, she was a bit teary. Finally, it clicked. John Legend’s All For Me.

 

She started singing.

Cause you are all of me

I give my all for you

Love your curls and all your edges

Even when I lose I’m dreaming

 

“I didn’t know you could sing,” he looked at her in awe.

 

“Well, If you must know I’m a nightingale. I led the choir in church growing up” she boasted.

 

He nodded his head and tried to  join her, while she put her fingers over her ears, signaling him to stop. He sang with a heavy baritone voice that sounded like a bass singer humming a Catholic hymn on a Sunday.

 

 

He paused playing and looked her in the eyes for a strained, still second. They were drunk on love. He brown eyes lighted his, then he whispered

 

“Would you come for my son's violin performance tomorrow?”

 

“Your son?“ she raised her eyebrows.

 

“Yes. His name is Johnny. I promise you’d like him”.

 

“Okay, fine” she said easily

 

Nat didn’t expect that. “Promise, promise?” he asked.

 

“Promise” she assured him.

 

He kissed her, slow and passionate, the sound of smacking lips and desperate sighs, echoed in her newly bought house.