A Distant Memory

Chapter 8 - Greek Myths

I have threatened on firing Marko fifty times in five hours, I'm not exaggerating, I kept track.

My alarm rang, it was time for me to pick Rose up. Despite my bickering and stubbornness, I had a pretty decent, funny day with this stranger, who intrigues me so damn much.

"Thank fuck, I have to go pick Rose up" I thanked to the skies, then, it hit me like a truck.

Marko had to pick up Eve as well.

"I have to pick Eve up, too. I could drive you there" he sent a smirk my way, I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "I'm able to drive, thank you" I narrowed my eyes at him as my much obvious fake kindness laced my words.

"C'mon, a birdie told me that your car is in the repair shop, better to have me drive you than your chauffeur" he teased. Something inside me ached, pulled, and begged for me to accept. I don't know what it was, or why it was even there. I hated it, and I hated him for being so annoying.

I scoffed again, then I realized who told him. I turned furiously to Maria, she knew what had made me so mad, but she simply shrugged her shoulders, acting dumb. Whenever Marko went to the bathroom or whenever I was far enough where he couldn't hear me, she would always come sprinting towards me to tease me about him, to tell me to go for it, that 'my pussy is going to pick up dust'. She has to thank the stars for the fact that we are friends, if not, I would have fired her without hesitation.

I hung my head back before I let out a groan, I felt his characteristic glare burn holes through my skin, he was much obviously smirking.

"Eres hermosa" he said, it sounded like spanish, but not school taught spanish, it sounded as if he was actually from a Latin country or Spain, I didn't know this, it wasn't on his resumé.

"What does that mean?" I asked, curiosity flooded my senses, since when did he know spanish?

"I'll tell you if you let me drive you" his eyes flickered from dreamy and admiring to egotistical and teasing, so he was something else besides a major dick, good to know.

"fine." I replied in a low tone, spite flooded my mouth, but I wasn't feeling that much of it. I wanted to though, I desperately, truly did. Something deep inside me just would not allow it. I have yet to find out why.

He offered his hand and I looked at him in fake disgust, I walked past him and he chuckled, he speed walked towards me so that he would be able to catch up, we were walking side by side, he opened the door, and I couldn't help but to throw a snarky comment his way.

"I can open my own door" 

"Sure you can" he teased with a smirk plastered on his face, again.

Then, I saw it. And my jaw-dropped, quite literally. He chuckled at my reaction.

I mean, yes, I am able to buy at least four cars to myself, but I am not that type of girl. I rather enjoy my only Tesla Model X 2021. Either way, that car in front of me, a gorgeous, black, Mercedes Benz GT63S, has been a dream of mine since it was released into the market. I was frozen in my spot, it was a known fact to anyone who truly knew me that I loved cars with every fibre of my being, Marko unlocked the car.

"Are you going to keep staring at my car or do you want to go and pick up the girls?" he teased once again. "Yeah, no, um- yeah, let's just go" I put myself back together, still basking in the majestic car in front of me.

Marko went to open my door, I swatted his hand away from the door handle and opened the door myself, a fake dramatized shocked face stared at me, I chuckled quietly, it came as fast as it went, coming in like a light breeze, and swooshing away like a hurricane. 

I saw Marko smile as I got into the car, had he heard my chuckle? that would definitely make a giant increase on his ego.

I closed the door just as Marko got in, I buckled up, and we drove away.

When we were in the highway, I couldn't resist to open the window all the way. I stuck my head out, I enjoyed the wind on my face, on my hair, on my eyelashes, it made me feel like a brand new person.

"Have I told you the story about The Anemoi, Li-Li?" my mama asked, I shook my head, clutching my teddy bear to death with a pout on my face, she chuckled and cuddled me closer.

"The Anemoi are the four wind gods; Zephyrus, - the god of the West wind - Boreas - the god of the North-wind - Notus - the god of the South wind - and Eurus, the god of the East wind." she started, I drowned in her and listened attentively. I had no idea what the four winds were.

"Notus is the god of hot, dry wind from midsummer. He has divine authority and absolute control over the air, though not as much as Zeus and Aeolus." she chuckled softly, I admired her beauty, smiled at her happiness.

 She continued,"I like to think that, when the hot, dry air of summer hits, it's him. He reminds us that he is here. That him, and other greek gods, are real. Everything happens for a reason Li-Li" she says.

"But mama, it is scary. The universe is very big, and we can believe in that stuff, but we never know" I voiced my thoughts, fear laced through my words

"the universe has a lot of hidden things that sometimes may be scary, but why should you be scared? the universe is a beautiful soul, with some parts undiscovered, we can find comfort in myths and legends, don't you think?" 

I nodded my head vigorously, it all makes sense when mama explains it.

I miss my mama, I wonder if she'd be proud of me, how far I've come, and what I made of myself. One thing that I know for sure, is how much she would have loved Rose, they would be inseparable.

I get back in the car, I can almost feel Marko's glare. It's hot in my skin, it's burning right through my walls and staring at the nakedness of my soul. I turn to face him, weird, he's looking at the road ahead. I recognize the road, it's about ten minutes until we reach the kindergarten.

"Do you believe in greek myths?" I ask, out of the blue, breaking the loud silence that had formed over the past ten minutes.

"I don't know any of them" he shrugs, eyes on the road, I almost miss how they perforated my skin just mere seconds ago.

he takes my lack of an answer as a sign to continue, "do you?" he asks, his eyes flicker to me for a quick moment, like a storming hurricane, ready to cause destruction along it's path. A deep part of me aches for that destruction, wants that destruction, whatever it may be.

"Yeah, my mama used to tell me them all the time. She was obsessed" I chuckle at the fond memory. "Mama?" he asked, my mother was italian, she always tried to teach me the language, but my brain just wouldn't want to hear, I wish it had now.

"She was italian, she tried to teach me, I never listened. Rossi is an italian last name, her last name" I explain, "So, there is much more than what you lead on. Olivia Luxor Rossi is stubborn from birth, I'm not surprised." he grins with his eyes on the road, I chuckle, it's as if he had notice a spark of sorrow flash through me, as if he wanted to distract me from the pain. 

Rowan always did that, it's not the same with Marko. I can't explain it yet, but it just is. Maybe it's because I hate Marko, or because I hate how my body betrays me whenever he is near.

For now, I don't know, and I don't know if I'll ever know. That's a problem for future me.