Vows of Misfortune

12.

When we got to Bangalore, finally, it was a whole different vibe. The apartment - not a house - was big and situated off the main road nearby the city. I couldn't believe I had to live there for a whole month. No privacy, no freedom whatsoever.

I waddled behind Romir and uncle after we got off the elevator at the second floor. I followed them down the white tiled hall all the way down to the very end. Their room was on the very right; the apartment door opposite them opened.

"I knew I heard somethi—oh!" It was a woman, probably in her mid-thirties, dressed in a loose fitted blue blouse. "Who is this? I didn't expect you to bring a woman back with you."

I shot her a brittle smile. "I'm the new maid," I said.

I wouldn't be surprised if Romir did actually make me a slave while we were here. Wasn't that what usually happened in marriages like these?

Romir opened the door and Jose uncle wheeled himself in. I pushed past Romir and headed inside but not before I heard him say, "My wife, Susanne. A slave's close enough."

I whirled around as soon as he closed the door, ignoring Jose uncle's attempts to distract me. 

"Excuse me?" I asked, my arms crossed over my chest. Romir took off his shoes and pushed past me and through the arch way leading further inside the house. He went toward the grey fridge nestled in a crook against the wall to the left.

"It's called a joke."

"Yeah, and I was being sarcastic."

"Then what's the problem?" he asked, getting out the bottle of milk. He raised it up in the air in Jose uncle's direction. "Coffee?"

"The problem is—"

Turning his back to uncle, he went further into the spaced out kitchen, opening the cream coloured drawer to grab a mug. He placed it on the black marbled kitchen island.

"Hello? Are you even listening?" I asked, standing behind him.

"I don't need to."

"What?"

"I don't have time to listen to bullshit."

"Okay, seriously, why the fuck are you so rude?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Maybe because you've got a stick up your ass."

"Remind me to take it out and shove it up your —"

"Enough!" Jose uncle cut in. His face was hardened as he came over to us, face red. "I am not either of your parents but the fact that I have to stop you from fighting is ridiculous. Do you hear yourselves?"

My face flushed; fighting in front of someone else's relative was the most embarrassing thing ever. God. I could have at least controlled my emotions. It was the first official day of being someone else's wife and here I was, lashing out like a little toddler.

Jose uncle was right.

"Sorry, uncle," I said, fumbling with my fingers.

"Here," Romir said, handing his mug over to his uncle.

"Are you listening to me?" Jose uncle demanded.

"Mhm. Don't worry." He turned to me, gaze glazed over and mouth stiff. "That was my fault. Won't happen again."

How insincere.

"I'm sorry, too," I said, trying to be as genuine as I could make it. I wanted this marriage to go as smoothly as possible. That wasn't looking to be going so well as of this moment.