Remember When

Part 9

Maine woke up to the sunshine that was peeking through the white curtains. She could feel the wind blowing softly and noticed that the big window facing the Mediterranean Sea was open. She inhaled deeply and relished the peacefulness. She pulled the covers tightly against her as she looked around. Richard was no longer in the bed. The place beside her seemed to be empty for a long time. She glanced at the clock and it was half past ten.

Sitting up, the covers falling down and revealing her half-naked body, she looked around once again. His robe was hanging on its place. His shirt last night was peeking from the hamper in the corner. But there was no note, just like he usually does. Storm clouds were threatening in the horizon. She closed the window and walked towards the bathroom. Taking a quick shower, she went down to see if he was somewhere in the house. They went on a quick vacation in this little town in southern Greece where Richard owned a house. It was situated in a quiet village, facing the Mediterranean Sea, and there was no hint of opulence or a sign of him being a di Mantova heir. He was as simple as she knew him to be. She loved him more for that.

She opened the fridge for some water and anything she could eat. She was hungry already. She wondered where Richard was. He promised that they would have lunch together in the nearby market, where she could have a taste of some authentic Greek fare.

She heard the door open and close. Excitedly knowing that Richard was here, she closed the fridge and rushed towards the living room, but only stopped when it was not Richard. It was the formidable Margarita Faulkerson, Richard’s mother. The family matriarch gave her a condescending look and raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know what was there in you that made my son crazy. I am not liking it a bit.” Margarita said, in her thick Spanish accent. She was a descendant of a Spanish Conde of Montealegre in Spain, and she was married to Ricardo Faulkerson di Mantova from Lombardy in Northern Italy, one of the five brothers who hold the fort and wealth of the said old family dynasty. Their only son, Richard, only took the name Faulkerson, to separate himself from the usual norms of the society when one found a person associated to such family. One of the things that Maine admired in Richard was his ability to rise and be successful on his own by using his rare talents, impressive business acumen and admirable personality that made him stand out in his generation without directly using his family name as a means for an easy way to his successes.

Maine tried to ignore what Margarita said. “May I know how may I help you? Richard isn’t here right now so if you’re hungry, I can prepare you some –“

“I know that my son isn’t here.” Margarita cut her off. “He left. He left you and he let me tell you something because my son won’t be able to say this to you in person.”

“Huh?” Maine was suddenly nervous about this meeting. Richard was not here. There was not even a note left just like he used to. And now, his mother was here to deliver a message that he could not say himself to her?

Margarita grinned. She took something from her bag. She extended her hand to her and it was an envelope. “Inside is a check worth ten million US dollars, in payment for your services. My son no longer needed you. He was not here right now because he’s on his way to London for his impending wedding to Annie.”

Maine frowned. No, that’s not possible. The wedding was already cancelled as far as she knew. Richard told her that he didn’t want to continue with it and would never let it happen. She knew better. She was wearing the reason on her finger now. “No. I don’t think so, Ma’am. I understand that –“

“Are you saying that I’m lying?” Margarita’s voice raised and the seething look in her eyes somehow brought a tingle of fear to Maine. She opened her mouth to speak but Richard’s mother continued. “My son was only using you, because Annie’s family has a hold on him for the business that he was planning to start in Malta next year. Annie’s family needed our name for their own gain, while my son needed her family’s share of the island in Malta for his new venture. They had a quarrel a few months ago and he threatened that he would not continue the wedding if Annie would not stop seeing this man in England.”

She took something from her bag and threw it at Maine. It was a newspaper with Richard and Annie on the cover. Maine recognized the woman because she already saw Annie in person. “See, they were together last week. I know you know that my son flew to London for a three-day trip. He went to see Annie.”

Maine couldn’t believe that this was happening to her. She thought that something like this was stuff made from old crappy television series where the mother was against her son’s lover because she came from a poor upbringing and he was better off with someone who was on the same level of society as his. But this was the reality. She wanted to see Richard, talk to him, and confirm with him if these were true. She would only believe in him, not from the stories of anyone, especially his mother, who wanted nothing more than to see them apart. She knew that Richard loved her, as much as she loved him. She was wearing their love on her finger now. This was all a bad dream and she would wake up and Richard would be beside her, with that beautiful smile on his face.

“I know you would not believe me. Of course, you wouldn’t. Even that check would not be enough for you to believe that Richard sent that, with his signature, to let you know that everything was finished.”

“I will only believe it if he would say it to me himself.”

“As expected,” Margarita said and nodded to someone behind her. That’s when she noticed a burly man who quickly went to her. Before she knew what was happening, her face was covered by some cloth and everything went dark.

***

Maine woke up with her hands tied in front of her. The wind was blowing as she looked at the deep blue color of the sea before her. She was on a yacht. Her heart started pounding so hard at the thought of what might could happen. She looked around for Richard. The thought that he was still not around terrified her. What if what happened last night was the last time she saw him? What if Margarita was right about what she said, and Richard never really loved her and only used her for his personal and financial gain? But she knew him as one of the nicest and most selfless person she ever met. It could not be possible that he would resort to using someone like her as a blackmail to Annie’s family to get what he wanted for his business plans. It was not in his character.

She looked at her hand and panicked. Her ring was no longer there! She sniffed. Tears began to flow in her eyes. Where is Richard? She needed to talk to him! She looked around.

Thunder suddenly rolled in the horizon. Her eyes widened at the thought that a storm might be coming. Dark clouds began to cover the sun and the wind became cold. The waves started to roll and rear in a swelling, alarming size. It slammed against the yacht, bumping into it like the angel of death trying to knock you whether you were ready or not.

“We need to go back to the mainland.” She heard Margarita’s voice. She turned and saw Richard’s mother beside the burly man who knocked her out earlier with some chemical that put her to sleep. That said man started towards Maine, pulling her up and walked her towards the edge of the yacht.

“No!”

Her cries were useless as the man gripped her arms.

“What are you doing?” She asked in panic. She struggled to escape from the man but to no avail. She was crying in fear at what was bound to happen. She turned to Margarita again and Richard’s mother gave a nodding signal.

Before she knew it, she was thrown off the board. The deep blue sea greeted her with a cold embrace. The rolling waves engulfed her