STUCK 2

Chapter 9

"Mamaa....." Inaya ran in Tara's direction, hugging her knees like a classic toddler, glad that her mother had woken up after unusually long sleep.

She had tried to shake Tara out of sleep numerous time before, on the verge of tears that she was unresponsive. But her father had assured her, saying that she was just tired and in need of rest. And so she trusted him, giving Tara peaceful hours of slumber, sliding her favourite stuffed shark toy in her arms for a good sleep while her newly acclaimed father entertained her thoroughly. It was wonderful the way Ina found him, cheerful, and handsome. When she looked in his eyes, it was as if she looked back at herself. How could she not believe every word her own reflection said?

As much as one might have expected Ina had nearly no questions of his absence for so long. She found comfort in the fact that she had a father, and he was here, with her. He was amiable and loved her. And that was all that mattered. It was enough for the little girl who sought attention everywhere, finding no comfort in the crowd of people who found their her skin colour foreign, who considered her own mother dishonorable. She intuited safety around him, comfort in his arms, her little mind told her to trust him, just like she trusted her mother.

They had spent time braiding her hair first. He wasn't a newbie to combing hair of her length since he himself had started exploring longer tresses, and so they had found common grounds. When she grew tired of being the customer, tables had turned, he sat in front on the floor of plane as she made his hair, standing like a hair dresser, gathering his thick tresses into her tiny, limping, ponytail.

Enzo was awestruck by the series of incidences. He was dismissed from Don's quarter to another cabin, but it didn't make him any less aware of what don had become in a day's timeline. He was crushed under the pressure of piling work but Donavan had blatantly refused to even have a look at it, completely dedicated to spending time with the little girl. He looked anything like a vengeful beast on a lookout for his wife. Rather he had become the most opposite he could have been, soft natured, caring and surprisingly so, smiling.

Enzo had a feeling that this version of Mr. Frantino was restricted to the vicinity of little girl. The moment he would walk away by a hearing distance from his daughter, he'd be back to being a don everybody knew. Although Donavan most sincerely enjoyed the bubble where only his daughter existed, he was aware that he'd have to come out of it soon, and when he would, nothing would be changed, not his hatred, not his intentions.

"Waay did you sleep so longg?" Inaya inquired, slightly worried about mother.

"I was...tired" Tara sat on her knees to come at her level.

"I want to talk with..." Tara threw a hesitant glance at don, choosing her words wisely,

"-him"

Not papa.

She repeated in her mind, reminding herself to never address him as such.

Inaya looked between the two, confused at the demand of privacy.

"Excuse me, Could you please show her around or something?" She asked the lean man that just entered Don's cabin with an open thick file.

Enzo found himself caught off guard. Sitting on her knees was the woman he had only seen in pictures. He felt mesmerized by her presence, strangely addressing the fact that this was the meek woman he had invested such long time to locate.

"Umm..sure" he mumbled, quickly picking up his jaw, confirming that don gave a brief nod in permission.

"Go with that uncle okay?" Tara said sweetly, expertly hiding the fact that she was fuming in frustration inside.