ILL-FATED JOURNEY™

Chapter 23

So, I had to make some slight alterations to my plan. It seems whatever I do I must do it with his

royal blessing or I run the risk of being a pariah in a strange country. As a black woman, who

grew up on stories of lynching and after their treatment of me at my wedding reception, being

an outcast was definitely not the way to go.

I needed access to the outside world. What I knew only came from books and the staff, I needed

to know more. Knowledge was power, and the lack of internet and phone was killing me, I had

even begun to miss TV and radio commercials. I was allowed to watch movies in the in-house

theatre and of course informational slides for school but that was it. Even a Russian tabloid

would be welcome at this point.

There were so many little things I had begun to miss over the years, the sound of cars driving by

in the street, the ice-cream man on a hot summer's day, hamburgers, music blasting from the

Kade's next door late at night...well maybe not that but definitely the hamburgers...and corn

dogs and corn bread...I'm starting to forget how those things tasted. Try as I might I could see

them but the taste...God I'd kill for some apple pie and cotton candy. Apple pie here doesn't

taste or even look the same.

I was at a serious disadvantage here, look at me willing to give up my plans for some soul food.

Get yourself together girl! I slapped my cheeks. Right. Focus. No doubt he'll want to seal our

little pact tonight so that means no fighting him, throwing up and definitely, no rejection.

Apparently, that's the greatest wifey sin one could ever commit! I just have to smile and be polite

and get through dinner.

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He's fricking testing me! I thought as he held my hand through dinner, occasionally kissing it and

smiling at me. What the hell did he have to be so happy about? Feeding me dessert from his

plate was probably the cutest thing any couple could do but it made me nauseous. I knew what

he was really like, why was he putting on such a show?

Dinner was over, finally and I was actually looking forward to getting my performance over with.

He made a production out of going to bed as well. Holding me close as we walked together to

the family wing and master bedroom. Time to get this over with I thought as we stepped into the

bedroom but no, he wasn't done with his show! He led me to the bathroom and kissed me

tenderly as he filled the sunken tub. Then stripped us both before he jumped in, he even took 

care to make sure nothing happened to me on my way in. The he did something even stranger.