Paris From Scratch

Chapter One

Marina buckled and fastened her seat belt as the Flight's pilot voice came over the speakers that they were about to take off. It was still hard for her to believe she had come this far, a few years ago Paris was just a tale she heard from the elite, now that was her destination, time surely flies and so does luck or was it relentless determination fired by the need to escape the known norms. She opened her eyes wide and looked around the plane's economy class to make sure she was in the right place and not back in the village day dreaming, her whole life to that moment she had been made to believe the village is where she belonged to, but being smart and sharp she had refused to settle, defying all odds she managed to get the highest level of education she could as a girl and got to serve her country for two years as an intelligence officer, somehow she escaped early marriage or pregnancy which was expected of most village girls, but Marina saw behold the village and here she was moving as far as she could looking to make it big not only in her country but internationally. That was the plan for now, the escape was on and that was enough, the rest of her wits she would gather once she was settled in the city that never sleeps. As the plane took off she closed her eyes blocking everything else as her mind drifted to the past.

"Mum can I go to sleep," Marina asks her mum, Eleanor, when she heard her dad, Julian, drunk singing as he staggered towards their house. Fabiola, her older sister was already running towards him to welcome him home, despite his horrible drunk temper Julian was always pleasant to his firstborn daughter, she would do no wrong in his eyes no matter what state he was in. Marina and her little brother, Billy on the other scurried away the minute they heard Julian approaching the homestead to avoid his drunken spurts. Julian lifted his favorite daughter up muttering, 'mum I am home, where are the criminals' and that was enough to send Marina and Billy running to their bed even before Eleanor gave them a go ahead. However the night was still young they could pretend to be asleep but their entitled sister would soon come to take over their thatched floor bed throwing them on the actual muddy floors and there was no use complaining because although at times Eleanor would intervene, Julian would shut them all claiming he would whip anyone who was stressing his mum. Sometimes that would start serious arguments between sober Eleanor and drunk Julian causing serious unrest in the household, therefore Marina and Billy had learned a long time ago there was no need complaining therefore each time they went to bed prepared to sleep on the muddy floor as that would be the case especially on nights that Julian found his way home.

Marina smiled remembering how the thatched bed was probably more uncomfortable than the floor and the only thing that they really missed was the warmth of the rugged blanket and once they got used to the trend they went to bed warm enough and once Fabiola jumped between them they would just willingly roll over to the muddy floors. 'Ma'am, Madame, what is so funny' Marina continued smiling disoriented as a guy seated next to her asked trying to get her attention. Slowly she regained her composure and she took in everything around her once again then she burst out laughing silently as it hit her once again where she was. Then she turned her head to look outside the window one seat on her right and that when she saw him and her laughter stopped her jaw hanging mid air. 'come on mon cheri I really didn't mind when I thought I just had a funny aura since you were smiling with your eyes closed but now it seems like you also find me funny looking or is it scary looking, please god let it be the latter.' 'oh you're the god' Marina muttered silently as she continued to stare at the male adonis sitting to her right. This time he was the one who burst out laughing loudly, 'oh non mon cheri, I'm no god, I'm not even completely white, I just look like it, looks can be deceiving though. you on the other hand cheri you are a la deesse, bel idole', he said in a heavy french accent. Marina didn't get everything he said but she was thinking cheri was going to be her favourite word once she landed in Paris, especially if everyone there was going to pronounce it like the tallest, and must be really tall since she was a 5'9 and still could see the arab like white man sitting next to her would tower over her. She had met her share of white men working in the intelligence in her country but none had captured her like this guy, though this one was not completely white but he had all the best features from all his roots. He had more confidence, more entitlement in a good way, in a fitting kind of a way, like they don't have to like me but that changes nothing, this world is mine not to conquer but to inherit each and every bit of my share. He had that commanding sense that not the CIA or Interpol guys she had interacted with could ever come close to, and a sense of humor, she was wondering how humor could work with such a person, combine that with the french accent, oh the french on an arab tongue, Marina was totally confused both in her mind and her heart.