CHAPTER 4: ENTERING A LION'S DEN

Alynna comes home to Italy, only to discover that her beloved uncle has a terrible illness. Without money to finance his medical expenses, Alynna begs for her father's and stepmother's 'help'.

Chapter 4: Entering a Lion’s Den

 

Rome, Italy

 

Alynna’s arrival was a teary occasion.

Her Uncle Fabian, together with Sisters Marian and Theresa, had fetched her from the airport. Sister Marian was crying in relief, as she had known what happened to Alynna in the States through her uncle. Sister Theresa was also feeling the same way, though she did not weep like Sister Marian. Sister Theresa was always the tougher one between the two nuns. They asked her if she was okay a thousand times as they traveled from the airport back to Via Ardeatina. Alynna was very happy to be home, and her father’s cruelty was overshadowed by the comfort and familiarity of Rome.

She promised to start a new life in Rome without her father in it. For her, their tie was severed when Marcus showed her how much he did not care about her.

Maybe, Alynna thought, it was God’s way of saving her from Marcus when He brought her his Uncle Fabian.

“I missed all of you!” Alynna said in a teary voice, and they all laughed, with her Uncle Fabian coughing violently along with his laughter.

*

 

Cullan was almost dragging his feet as he got out from his car and walked to the house. He was convincing himself the whole day that Alynna was just a very short interlude to break the monotony of his life this past few months, but then, he was never before been intrigued by a woman as much as his gentle little guest had done to him.

When he opened the door to his house, a very appetizing smell greeted him and he thought, and half-wished, that Alynna was still in his house, probably cooking up something. Well, he couldn’t expect her to last the whole day with just coffee, but he left her money to dine out, right?

He was half-right.

There was the food, alright, but no pretty little Italian lady to greet him.

Cullan was awestruck with all the nice-smelling food in his kitchen. Did she prepare all of these?

Cullan took a bite of the Panini and marveled at Alynna’s skill in cooking. Why, she can beat the best chefs in US with this food. He was sure even Chef Gordon will be amazed by her excellent culinary talent. He grabbed more Panini.

Where could she be? Cullan thought as he enjoyed the food. He could eat with her forever.

At that moment, Cullan spotted the envelope on the counter. He read the letter for a minute and, realizing that his guest had gone, he could not help but be disappointed.

What’s with the reaction? Cullan thought. Weren’t you the one who bought her ticket in the first place?

Cullan finished most of the food then prepared early for bed, knowing that he could not get a long night’s sleep anyway.

*

 

It was two months since Alynna left the US, and she had already started living her life almost as normal as how she did before she left Rome.

Almost as normal.

Alynna was wondering why there are some nights when she dreams of Cullan, and often she could not even explain why she was ‘thinking’ of him in her sleep. She convinced herself that it was because she owed him hundreds of dollars, and her conscience kept on bugging her to pay him. Yes, that is the reason.

Also, her uncle told her that Marcus has been calling so frequently since Alynna ran away from New York. Marcus has been asking about how is she doing, and it was already expected on every end of the call that he will request her to come back to America to “sort out the little misunderstanding”.

Father Fabian was not able to put up with Marcus’ pretension of “fatherly concern” to Alynna so he stopped answering his brother’s calls. Marcus had been sending him letters too, but Father Fabian did not open any of them. As the man who stood up as the father for Alynna all this years, he was immensely hurt with what Marcus had done to his own daughter. He was just an uncle to her, but still, his heart is wounded whenever he sees Alynna sad.

That said, Alynna prayed to God to free her from her father’s plans, and for forgiveness in behalf of her estranged father.

 

“Are you taking the medicines I am buying every morning, Uncle? Your cough is not getting well at all. It must be ineffective.” Alynna said as they were eating the morning meal. Uncle Fabian had been experiencing coughing spells more frequently, and he had to drink hot juice from boiled young ginger before Mass to minimize his coughing fits during his sermon.

“The weather must be getting to me, bambina. This is not much to worry about. I am getting older and older every day; this is just normal.” Uncle Fabian said as he sipped on his hot ginger essence. Together with lukewarm water, it was almost what her uncle has been drinking all day.

“But we should still visit a doctor, Uncle.” Alynna continued; her worry displayed on her beautiful face. Sisters Marian and Theresa also agreed. They had also noticed Father Fabian’s drop in his weight, and his face always looked clammy and pale. His cheekbones are protruding more than usual.

“I am perfectly fine, Alynna. I-”

They all gasped in shock as Father Fabian coughed and coughed, and there was a small streak of red in his table napkin.

Blood.

“Father!” Sister Marian exclaimed. Sister Theresa, who was fast to recover from their initial shock, supported Father Fabian’s back until he fainted.

“Uncle!” Alynna gasped in horror.

The other members of the parish rushed in to heave the poor priest in a makeshift stretcher, and Alynna could only stare into nothing as they wait for the ambulance that Sister Marian called.

*

 

Isidore was almost falling asleep as she lay in her stomach on the comfortable massage bed, her personal physical therapist kneading her back. Isidore had been feeling stressed this past two months, as Marcus has been telling her that he lost contact with his brother, the priest Fabian. Marcus was considering on getting Alynna back himself, but his plan of fetching her from Rome has been continually moved to another date because of his busy schedule, and his concern that Alynna has not forgotten the incident yet.

That daughter of a b***h, Isidore thought. Who would have expected that her husband’s child would cause them this mess?

A knock came from the door. Isidore told her therapist to open the door. A maid entered.

“What in the hell? I always tell you bunch of morons not to disturb my beauty rituals! What do you need now?” Isidore barked, the cucumber slices falling off from her eyes. The therapist wounded a towel around Isidore’s shoulders, as she sat up so abruptly her covers fell off.

“I’m sorry, Miss Isidore, but it was Miss Alynna and she said it is really urgent.” The maid said nervously. Isidore lost her anger and replaced it with combined annoyance and curiosity. What did the little brat eat which made her call them voluntarily?

“Hand me the phone and leave me alone.” Isidore said. The maid passed the phone to her and left the heavily perfumed spa room together with the therapist.

“Darling Alynna, how nice to hear from you, sweetie. Where are you?” Isidore said on the phone. Her voice was so sickly sweet it was obvious she was being sarcastic.

“Can I talk to Father? This is urgent. Please.” Alynna said on the other line. Isidore snorted and dropped all her pretension of being the gracious stepmother.

“Well, your father is not here, and whatever you need to tell him, you can tell it to me and I will pass your message when he arrives.” Isidore said in a decisive voice. She was irritated beyond measure when it comes to her stepdaughter.

“I’m sorry, but I really need to talk to Father. May I know what time he will be back so I can call again?”

“You little - how dare you not trust me?! Well if you must know, Marcus is out of the country and will be staying there the whole month, so whatever ‘urgent’ issue you have, you can save it for the next month. Goodbye!” Isidore said, her voice rising as high as the Empire State Building.

“No, wait!”

“Now what?!” Isidore asked; the veins on her temple showing. She could not bear to talk to her husband’s brat any longer.

“Uncle Fabian is in the hospital for a few days now. The doctors said that he has…he has…”

“Oh, let me guess. The priest is sick of whatever dumb sickness, and you need our money for his medication, is that it? I am sorry darling, but Marcus’ money is exclusively for his family.”

“Uncle Fabian is a Hall as much as Father is! And I am not asking for your money; I am asking for any financial help for Uncle Fabian from father’s money; he has the right to have money to cure his lung cancer as much as you have the right to spend it.” Alynna blurted; her own anger and desperation fuelling her rage. Why did she ever talk to her stepmother in the first place? She could bear her insults on her, but not on her uncle who is sick and in need of dire help. Immediately.

“How dare you tell that to your father’s wife? You really do not know how mean I can be, don’t you? I don’t care if the priest dies, now save your breath and go to some charity foundation who will throw scraps and coins to your uncle! Don’t you ever call us again!”

“Please, I am willing to do anything, just please help Uncle!”

Isidore was silent. The brat is literally begging for help, and she could use this as an advantage. The merging with the Rothschilds was long off, but they may still find another rich family who may consider the merging. After all, as much as Isidore did not want to admit it, her stepdaughter had grown to a beautiful woman, if she will believe Marcus’ remark when he said that Alynna is an exact copy of Selena.

“Please…Mother. Please help Uncle Fabian. I will do anything you wish.”

Isidore contemplated the situation and her plan. Yes, this could work.

“All right, I will help you. But only if you do everything that I say.”

“Thank you! Yes, I promise.”

“Everything?” Isidore repeated.

“Everything.” Alynna answered.

*

 

Alynna was praying very hard as she watched the nurses bring her beloved uncle to the operating room. Uncle Fabian’s attending physician informed them that a tumor, both on the left and right lung of the kind priest, must be surgically removed. It cost a great amount of money, including the chemotherapy sessions and prescribed medicines, but it was God’s will that Isidore fulfilled her bargain with Alynna and sent enough money to pay for all the medical needs and expenses of Uncle Fabian. Isidore even promised to continue sending money for Uncle Fabian as long as it is needed for his recovery.

“Child, when will you leave for New York? We are hoping that it is not yet very soon. We need you here, and your uncle needs you.” Sister Theresa said in a motherly voice as she sipped coffee. They have been waiting outside the OR for almost two hours now, and the worry was becoming unbearable. Alynna was thankful that Sister Theresa is engaging her in a conversation about her future plans; any topic is better than talking about whether or not Uncle Fabian could survive the operation and defeat his illness.

“My stepmother wanted me to go back to New York next week. This is all I can do for Uncle Fabian, Sister. Even with my earnings, I cannot possibly afford even a fourth of Uncle’s operation. The only way I can have him healed is for me to ask for help from our family.”

“Do you really need to sacrifice yourself? You know what your family wanted from you. You will be imprisoning yourself in misery for the rest of your life, child.” Sister Theresa said; her concern obvious. It was no secret to them that Alynna wanted to be a nun.

“I don’t care, Sister. Even if it kills me, I will do everything to save Uncle Fabian’s life. I cannot live for one more day in the future knowing that I could have saved him, but I didn’t.” Alynna answered, her tears rolling down her cheeks. Sister Theresa rubbed her elderly hand against Alynna’s shoulder.

“We are very proud of you, bambina. Never forget that whatever road you take, we will always be here to pray for you. God will always be with you.”

*

 

Marcus cannot contain his mixed emotions. He was very surprised that his cunning wife actually had Alynna agreeing to all their plans. She is devious, he thought to himself. If she had been more educated and intelligent, Isidore would have been a very dangerous businesswoman to deal with.

“So, all we have to do is to pay for all your brother’s expenses until he dies �" or until he gets well �" it depends on what will happen, but it will be worth it. Your daughter is determined to save your brother that she agreed on participating on a fixed marriage for the merging. Honestly, your daughter and brother are inclined to melodramatic life events, aren’t they? Maybe it has something to do with the climate in Rome. Their brains are kinda muddled. Know what I mean? It is just so stupid.” Isidore chatted while brushing her blonde hair. It was bleached just yesterday, so her curls are more lustrous and pale, though its beauty was marred by her evil sneer, which was a mixture of disdain and lack of concern. Marcus said nothing.

Marcus and Fabian are brothers in flesh and blood, but they were never brothers in life. Marcus’ earliest childhood memory already had jealousy and sibling rivalry, and what fuelled his life-long dislike to Fabian was that Fabian never even acknowledged the animosity between them. Fabian was always the better son and the caring brother, and their parents’ hopes on him were very high…until one day, Fabian declared that he wanted to be a priest.

“A priest!” Their father exclaimed; his voice booming in rage and disappointment. How could his elder son do this to their family? Fabian, who was expected to be the next CEO of the Hall Enterprise, wanted to serve the Church and the ‘Kingdom of God’ as he puts it?

During the entire family discussion, Marcus’ only thought was: Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Marcus put up a neutral face as he watched their father throw Fabian out of their home and out of their lives, but he was happy. At last, the tides had changed. The mountain moved itself out of the snail’s way. Who would have thought that their animosity (or rather, Marcus’ animosity against Fabian) will come to a point where he does not even care about his elder brother at all?

Marcus tried his best to learn the ways of business, until their father concluded that Marcus is really his better son. Until on their father’s deathbed, their father did not forgive Fabian even if it was Fabian himself who was the priest on his Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Yet, Fabian blessed their hateful father, their voiceless mother, and even the vengeful Marcus. He always sent letters to Marcus, wishing him of a good health and prosperous life, while Fabian was leading a simple life as a priest in remote areas. Marcus never answered any of those letters; though he noticed that every few years, the return address changed from Texas, Charlottesville, and Tennessee. Then it changed to Prague, Bulgaria, and then Rome.

In his heart, Marcus believed that Fabian knew all the hurt he was harnessing, yet Fabian never stopped trying to reach out and wish him all the best. Marcus, seeing that Fabian was happily living his life, felt only more anger toward his brother. After all this years, that tiny sprout called Bitterness had grown into a very big tree called Hatred whose roots are so intact to the ground, almost hugging the earth’s core.

And that act of extreme kindness when Fabian took care of his daughter for him when he himself decided to abandon her was the ultimate blow.

Marcus closed his eyes and murmured: Stupid, stupid, stupid.

*

 

Four days after his tumor removal surgery, Father Fabian already regained consciousness, but was so weak he could not even sit on the bed. He spends the day just lying down, with the nuns and priests continually visiting and conducting prayer vigils for his fast recovery.

His permanent companions in the hospital were Sister Marian, Sister Theresa and Alynna.

They spent the next days watching over the sick priest. The doctors said that the surgery was successful, although Father Fabian still cannot breathe normally or speak the shortest words. The doctors said that it is because it was the lungs that were operated, together with the fact that he is now old and has a lower level of strength and tolerance, so it can affect Father Fabian’s breathing and speaking, albeit for just a temporary time.

Still, he has to undergo chemotherapy when he regains most of his strength, and that means more money to raise.

An amount that can be easily provided by Alynna’s father.

Alynna made up her mind. She will do whatever her father and stepmother want, just to have their financial support for Father Fabian’s recovery. She will do everything for her uncle.

She will leave for New York as soon as possible.

Author's Note

Thank you for reviewing Marrying A Wannabe Nun! All reviews, feedback, and suggestions are welcome, although I am requesting that your review be published after finishing my book. Marrying A Wannabe Nun is on Goodreads too, if you want to drop by and post your review.