Gypsy Lover

Alodia closed the black gate of the big white house. She paused to look around her. It was a sunny winter day. She knew it would be muddy later, because of the melting snow under the sun. She glanced around her. There were only a few people around who were bustling with their daily activities—either going to work, school, or somewhere else.

Her eyes went round when she saw a man shoveling the snow from the path of his garage all the way toward the gate, so that his car would not get stuck. Perhaps, the street snow cleaners were already done earlier that day, and he had to shovel the rest of the massive snow drifts. His back faced her, and she could not see his face. And yet, her heart drummed so hard. She was about to go deaf because of the loud pumping of it.

A handsome face of a man came to her mind. Yes, she recognized this man, although he had his back to her. He was tanned as ever. He was apparently well built far more better than before. His slightly beaky nose looked arrogant as ever, while the set of his jaw and lips was strong and manly. More than ever before. His dark hair seemed thicker and curlier than in the past.

Didn’t he have a haircut at all? Just when did he arrive? Has he found me yet? she nervously thought and asked herself.

“Alodia, let’s go!” Nicu, the little Romanian boy, seemed to wake her up from her dreamy state.

She turned around right away before the man who was shoveling the snow could see her. She was really nervous… and afraid.

“Let’s go,” she agreed with the little kid, forcing a smile on her red lips.

They still had to walk to the bus station to commute. The station was about three minutes from the house. Unfortunately, one of her employer’s cars, the one she usually uses, was broken and was not repaired yet, while the other one was driven by her employer, Nicu’s mother. The older woman was a career woman. They had been together for quite a while now. It was already about three years, and they were quite close like friends or even family.

She was not only Nicu’s stay-in governess but also his nanny. And she loved him like her own son. Therefore, she would do anything for him just like his own mother. Nicu was a sweet and caring boy, so Alodia was indeed lucky.

She would send to and pick him up from school every single day. And whenever she finished every household chore, she would either cross stitch or cook for the three of them.

“I saw you staring at the man back there. He’s our new neighbor,” Nicu observed. While speaking English, he got the other passengers’ attention. She was half Filipino and half American. Her late mother was a Filipino, and her irresponsible father was an American, who turned tail upon learning her mother got pregnant and whom Alodia had never met in her entire life.

Alodia was not the only Asian in Iaşi City. However, she was always an attention grabber because of her unique features.

Even though Romania is not particularly a very rich country, because it is also the world’s source of workforce around Europe and other rich countries, it is seldom that Romanians meet someone like her everyday. There were also a lot of poor people in the country, like the Romanis or better known before as Gypsies. Alodia learned and heard there were some opportunists just to get by. Not being racist or anything at all, but it was indeed true for some. Nonetheless, it did not take a particular ethnicity to be opportunists, since it depended on the individual. Hence, she had nothing against the Gypsies, really.

Especially that there was this one particular Gypsy man she gave her heart to.

It was Harman Mihalache. The man that she just saw shoveling the snow drifts merely across her employer’s house! And that was not good news. At all.

“Are you listening to me, Alodia?” Nicu tugged at her scarf to get her attention when she did not answer.

“Huh? I’m sorry. Did you say something, Nicu?” she inquired.

She was lost in her thought while staring at the bus window. The grocery stores, pawnshops, flower shops, and people walking on the pavements as well as others were not registered in her vision as her brain was busily remembering that gorgeous Gypsy.

She thought that she had already forgotten all about him within those three years. But then again, she had not. She had to remember that she had countless sleepless nights because of him. But she had to forget him.

And if they really loved each other truly, then she had to endure this another heartache in her life…

“I wanna surprise Mama. Maybe we could go to the mall first, and then we’ll go to her office after school,” Nicu suggested excitedly. His eyes lit up at the mere idea.

She blinked without comprehension. “Why are we going to surprise her?” she asked the little blond boy with blue-gray eyes.

He sighed and pouted, giving her a hard look. “You really were not listening to me, Alodia. It’s Mama’s birthday! Did you just forget about it?”

She laughed half-heartedly. “Of course not!” But she did forget about it. It was gone if she did ever remember it earlier. It was because of Harman’s fault for appearing in her life again. She never expected it! “I was… uh… thinking if I could make some salad and bake a cake for her birthday,” she lied. The truth was, she was just thinking about all those now.

The boy nodded, but his eyes were still full of doubt. She could not blame him for that. He was after all a bright kid.

“I think you’re distracted or something today,” he continued to observe.

Who? Me? Distracted? her mind echoed.

She laughed again at the little kid. She was of course! And not only distracted, but she was also worried and stressed to the highest level!

What if Harman saw her because she was just living right in front of his house? Well, if it was really his new home now.

Alodia even left Bucharest, so that their paths would not cross again, but here he was! In Iaşi! Where else in Romania could she hide from him? She wondered at another possibility to hide from him. However, she could not just easily get away as she would want. She had no other family other than Nicoleta’s.

What am I going to do if Harman did find me?

Alodia said goodbye to Nicu when she already made sure that he was in his classroom. She went to the mall to buy the necessary ingredients that she was going to use for baking and cooking to prepare for her employer’s birthday. She was totally going to prepare a surprise for Nicoleta’s birthday. She was sure that the latter would be happy about it.

While looking for the ingredients in mind, she did not notice the man who was pushing his cart that was filled with groceries. She bumped into it, and some canned goods hit her shoulder, making her groan in pain while massaging the assaulted part.

“Pardon!”

She heard the man’s voice that spoke in Romanian. He continued to profusely ask for her forgiveness.

Her mouth suddenly hung open. That familiar voice!

Harman! her mind shouted, making her heart thump so loud against her rib cage. Sh*t! Why is he here of all places?

She tried hard not to look over her shoulder. But damn tha