Her Pacifier: Secrets From The Past

Chapter 25

I hear water drops hit metal with every light tap. My eyes dart to the wood leaking ceiling then to the metal buckets that are in every corner of this wooden house. A screech and shriek returns my attention to the staircase, a man walks down the stairs and it takes me a moment to recognise Passion in every feature he owns.

"Papa! Papa!"
The little girl in a yellow sunflower dress beams.
"Papillon Passionné!" The tall man runs and drops his briefcase before lifting his daughter high up and begin spinning her around.
"Oh my little Papillion."
Her carefree hair, sunflower dress and little legs spin along with the wind their movement is making. The little girl screams in joy and pleads with her father to spin her around again after his put her down but he brushes it off with a little squeeze on her chubby cheek instead.

"Took you long enough," the boy with a camera huffs to the man.
"I still will be long," the man says but no longer in his joyous tone. It is replaced with a rather remorseful one. He glances up from his hat to peer at his wife but quickly glances down and hides under his brown curly bangs when he eyes her glaring at him.
"You always take long," the boy continues.
"But I always come back," his father calmly says.
"That's always your defence," the boy snaps.
"I will be back."
"But-"
"Charles..." The woman warns and the back and forth responses immediately stop. "It is not your place to talk back to your father."
The man stares at the woman and the woman stares back. It is as if what she said had another meaning and her husband obviously catched it.
If it is not her son's place to talk back to his father then she means it is her.
"Sorry," the boy utters.
The woman sings a happy birthday song for the expectant little girl and when her father joins in with a strong french accent, the little girl gazes upon him like he owned an enchanted voice of an angel.
Surely a daddy's little girl.
"Papa! Papa, watch me blow out the candle!"
All eyes are turned to the euphoric little girl's demands and they all fake a genuine smile.
"I'm watching," the man says and his son prepares to shoot a photo.
Little Passion blows out the flame on the candle number 4 and they all shout "hooray" before a flashlight flashes from the camera. Her father scoops icing with his little finger and smothers it on the bridge of her nose before leaving Charles to help her slice the cake. He retrieves his briefcase from the floor and walks to the worried woman who pushes a strap of hair behind her lobed ear.

"Won't you stay for a slice?" The woman asks.
"I have no time," he answers.
"How long will you be gone?" She asks avoiding eye contact, fearing his response.
"Not too long," he courteously replies.
"Gabriel, I need to know," she begs and looks up at him. He sighs and stares at what she was staring at before; nothing.
"A month or so," he says.
"Gabriel, that's too long."
"Not longer than the last times. If I don't go now, he will return and Passion's life will be at risk."
"If you keep calling her Passion, you'll keep bringing him here!" She whisper yells.
"I' amour. Passion is her name, isn't it?"
"A name that is cursed, Gabriel! Why can't you see that? Why can't you see she is endangered by her own self? The colour of her eyes gives away who she truly is within. She is..."
"That's enough!"
The man silences his frantic wife by grasping her waist and the abrupt move makes her bump into his chest. She grips the collar of his shirt and bows her head on his grey suit.
"He won't find her, Angelina. I swear my life on it. He won't find our precious gift," he says softly into her ear but all is still audible to be heard.
"You don't know that," she sobs.
"But I have faith, you should too." He says. I turn to the teenage Passion next to me, whose attention is full set on her parents. She never took her eyes off them.
"I'm travelling in incognito so it will be hard for him to find me in Paris whilst I work. It will be hard to find her, Charles or you too in this old house. No-one knows we're in Eguisheim."
She nods against his chest and looks up at him. Her thin lips peck his full lips and she begins to back away but her husband retrieves her and kisses her deeply. A flashlight flashes from Charles' camera and they both groan when another comes after another. Little Passion is too busy filling her mouth with cake to even notice what is happening.