It was six months of her life...
"She's unstable. You have to set her straight." Her father said.
He stood next to a man with a built that towered him, a completely bald head that shined with sweat under the summer sun, dressed in a white gi.
His brother.
Her uncle.
"Whata ya want me to do? Beat her every now and then? Make her a boxing bag at ma gym?"
Her father sighed. "No. I just want you to house her."
Her uncle was about to complain.
"Just for a few months." Her father quickly argued. "Then I'll come and pick her up."
"What are ya running away from?"
"Nothing. Just listen to me." He pointed at the box washed out white building behind his brother. "Your judo is a good thing for her to pass time with. Pretend she's one of your pupils. Just add to it that she'll be living here too."
Her uncle sighed, his breath loud as it came out of his mouth. He looked down at the girl sleeping in her father's arms. Something about her told him she was going to be a tough cookie to deal with.
"Set her inside. I can't guarantee ya any bruise-less business though. Keep that in mind and don't ya dare complain like a sissy later. If she's gonna live under ma roof, she's gonna have to get the same treatment as ma kids."
Her father quickly took the chance and went through the small door. He set her on one of the mats in the wide high ceiling room and stood up, his back to his brother.
A smirk formed on his lips. "Don't worry. Do whatever you want with her. I'm not going to complain." He turned around and faced his brother. "That being said, try not to let her get near a phone. I don't want her to be calling anyone while I'm not here."
***
"Wake up." More pounding on her rib. "Wake up, I said."
The girl woke up. She quickly stood to her feet and looked around as she registered the sudden foreign atmosphere. After her body whirled around, taking in the structure, the physical appearance of what looked like a man made gym, she finally settled her vision on the large man in front of her.
"Where am I?" She asked, her body taking in a defensive mode.
Her uncle studied it and smirked, however, he did not answer.
"I said where am I?!" Her sudden lethal scream echoed through the high walls. Her breathing stammered in uneven rhythms with anger.
Again, the bald man didn't utter a word.
She made her first move. A weak shove. Her uncle blocked it and a second later, she was thrown against the floor, back first, the air getting kicked out of her lungs.
She moaned in pain.
"Let's do this." The bald man said. "From now on, I ask the questions and ya do whatever I tell ya to do."
***
Five months later.
"Are you done giving classes?" Her uncle asked.
"Yes, sensei. Two of them graduated to their new belt color." She resumed her piano playing.
"I didn't get ya that piano so you could stay on it the whole damn time. Clean the floors first."
"Yes, sensei." She grabbed the mop and the bucket, quickly leaving the piano alone knowing he'll put it away if she didn't get to work. After mopping the hardwood floors, cleaning the equipment and wiping the mats, she went back to her piano, the sweat dripping from her forehead.
....
Standing outside, staring at his tattered shoes, stood Devon. His converse, as he studied them, had become dirty, no longer the blinding white they used to be when he first bought them.
He looked up as he heard the long navy blue bus drive closer. His parents finally agreed that he could take a city bus to where ever he wanted to go. It was something he had been begging from them for months now.
Piano music began playing behind him. At first, he only stared at the bus coming toward his stop, ignoring the music, but as the piano playing became more intense, something made him turn around and look to see where it was coming from.
Long stairs leading to a white building, with 'Sensei Duke Judo' written on a flag on top of the door was the first to catch his attention. He felt his brows pull together in a frown at the idea of someone playing piano that good in a place like that. Seriously? In some karate place?
The two together didn't fit in his head.
And that's what moved him, what intrigued to see who it was, or what it was all about.
He took the steps by two. His curiosity beckoning him to move faster.
When he finally reached the opened door, he peeked inside, but nothing was visible. Just a gym room with boxing bags at the far end, green mats on the floor and martial arts equipment hung all over the walls.
The piano playing, on the other hand, had become a lot louder.
He entered the room. "Hello?"
No answer.
He made his way to an opening straight ahead. It lead to two rooms, both without doors. One of them was small. Tiny even. A piano keyboard was put on the floor without legs, right under a medium sized window. A girl almost his age, eleven or twelve. sat with her legs crossed on the floor in front of it, her fingers moving on the piano with so much expertise, his jaw dropped for a moment.
When she finished, he quickly ran back to the door, afraid of getting caught.
A tough big guy came in his way, arms crossed, nose flaring. "Trespassing?" He asked.
Devon quickly shook his head. "No sir. I just heard music..." He stopped talking when he realized that it would still count as trespassing.
"Sensei. I'm done cleaning the floors–"
Devon turned around.
Coming face to face with piano girl.
Little did he know...
YOU ARE READING
F.A.I.T.H.
Romance"I was broken. Nothing, no one could fix me. Until you came into my life again. I wish I had gone with you that day instead of him. Because, now I can't imagine how I spent the previous years of my life without you by my side. You are my savior. You...
