Destiny's Gamble

Return Of The Witch

I stare at the screen of my phone - the caller id daring me to answer it. I shouldn't harbor a grudge towards her after all these months, but unfortunately, at the back of my mind I do. Of course now everything has worked out for the best, but how could she have foreseen that? All she seems to have cared about was her reputation amongst the gathered relatives and friends. 

"Angel, would you please answer the goddamn phone?" Manik says, ending the phone call he was engaged in. "The ringtone is giving me a migraine." I press the mute button, silence spreading through the car. "That's not how you answer a call." The Devil takes the phone from my hands.

"Manik!" I call out his name in protest, reaching towards the device. My husband, however, has other plans. He holds the phone out of my reach, his eyes landing on the screen. 

"Ah, it's Chachi." Manik exclaims, his thumb pressing down on the green button. "Hello, Chachi." Manik greets her enthusiastically, pressing the phone against his ear. Furrowing my brows, I glare at him. If only he knew...

"Of course we're never busy for you." He says after a brief moment of silence. "It's just that we have been out of town, and that's why I'm sure she wasn't answering your calls." What does he know? How dare he speak for me? "Of course. I promise you that we'll come." Manik grins as if Chachi's buying him a pot of gold. "Okay, Chachi, bye." He ends the call, looking extremely pleased with himself.

Reaching over, I snatch my phone out of his hand and toss it into my purse. 

"We're not going to Chachi's for anything - be it dinner, lunch, breakfast, or even brunch for that matter." I say sternly.

"Oh," Manik says in realization. "So you're actually mad at her, huh? Well, I guess Chachi was right. And no, we're not." 

"Then what was your conversation all about?" I ask curiously, narrowing my eyes at the Devil. On occasions like these, I am a hundred percent sure that this nickname suits him best.

"She misses you," Manik states matter-of-factly. "And so we're going to stay for a couple of days at her place." My eyes widen. 

"No way!" I shake my head. "Not in a million years." 

"Oh come on, Angel, what could she have done that's so bad you're not even forgiving her. You forgive everyone, including a Devil, like myself." I open my mouth to tell Manik the root cause of all our issues, but the look on his face makes the words slip back into my throat. My husband doesn't consider Nyonika to be his mother. However, I have noticed that he harbors respect and affection towards Chachi, as if she's just that. No matter what, I simply cannot steal this from him. It'll definitely make him lose complete faith in humanity and in the belief of family. 

"Manik, whatever the reason may be, I don't want to go. Period." I say, turning my head away from him. 

"But I want to," he says. Through the corner of my eye, I see him scoot closer to me, eradicating the gap between our bodies. Manik throws his arm across my shoulders, pulling me into his side. "Angel, Chachi knows my favorite dishes and she makes the best food on this planet. Also, Chachi's not a bad woman." I purse my lips, understanding Manik fully well, without him putting his thoughts into proper words.

"You mean she gives off motherly vibes?" I suggest, helping him out. "And you absolutely adore her for that." 

"Whatever," Manik mumbles, looking the other way. "I am not saying that." 

"Okay, fine." I let out a resigned sigh. "We'll go." If I knew coming back from the village would mean landing myself into a pit of fire, I'd never have returned. My eyes land on Manik's smile, one that clearly doesn't wish to leave his lips. The unfortunate part is that I'm willing to walk through a bunch of fires if it means seeing this expression on his face permanently.