Secrets

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Sighing in
unreserved happiness, Sonya’s eyes wandered to her new husband
sitting in the adjacent seat, and she couldn’t prevent the smile
from encompassing her entire face. They were winging their way to
Paris, a honeymoon trip planned for over two years.

They lived with
Sonya’s sister and family in Calgary, in the third floor apartment
of their Victorian home, where they only paid for their utilities.
This allowed them to salt away both of their salaries for the down
payment on their own home. Sonya had been in the process of
completing her Bachelor of Commerce degree and at the same time
worked for the family company, which was her legacy. And she was
determined to ensure its future, its very rosy future!

With her recent
marriage, that future was now set. Uncle Stefan had bequeathed a
twenty percent share in Snytyza, Inc., the company created by her
three uncles and her grandparents’ best friend. Pride to be a part
of this successful family enterprise fired her resolve to make it
even more successful.

Her history
with Bryan was somewhat storied. She so clearly remembered their
first meeting on the University of British Columbia campus during
her second year there. She had been seventeen at the time, and when
her father discovered the almost ten year difference in their ages,
he reacted in a manner that Sonya had never before witnessed.

The scene had
been most unpleasant, ending in tears and a slamming door. She had
not been able to convince her father that her decision to abandon
her studies in the Faculty of Education was solely based on the
fact that she had come to the realization that teaching wasn’t to
be her career. Or, that this decision was hers alone.

Arguments and
rationalization had fallen upon deaf ears. Both her parents had
been educators before their retirement. Her father had been the
principal of a high school and her mother a grade school teacher.
They loved teaching with such passion that they could not fathom
their younger daughter’s disenchantment with their chosen
profession. Instead, they placed the blame for her decision
directly upon her older boyfriend’s influence, refusing to believe
that he had, in reality, tried to coax her to remain in the
faculty.

Sonya had no
doubt at all that Bryan’s decision to accept a post-graduate
scholarship position in Paris to study for his doctorate was his
way of giving her time and space to make some serious decisions
about her life. It had been so very difficult to watch him walk
away and board his flight, but Sonya had accomplished it without a
tear – at the time. The tears flowed later, in private.

When her aunt
and uncle decided to take a long-planned trip to Australia, Sonya
jumped at the opportunity to stay with her elderly grandmother
while they were gone. Her parents lived only blocks away, and she
adored her Gran. They spent hours cooking and talking. Sonya had
even succeeded in presenting the wonders of the internet to her
grandmother, proudly revealing photos sent by her aunt and uncle
from Australia.

Then the bubble
burst. Her beloved grandmother died in her sleep at the age of
ninety-six while she was under Sonya’s care. Unfortunately, this
was only the beginning in a series of deaths that left the entire
family devastated.

The nightmare
continued when her parents had been killed in the massacre that was
September Eleventh. Her sister Susan’s strained voice informing her
that their parent’s plane had been hijacked and crashed, would be
forever etched in her brain. She was still numb, even after all the
time that since passed.

Part of it was
the guilt of having argued, yet again, with her father regarding
what direction that her education would take. Even now, she felt
the guilt bubble up in her throat. It had been their last
conversation. Certainly, it had not been what she would have chosen
to be her last words with her father. She and Susan had discussed
it many times since, and Sonya was beginning to forgive herself,
for as Susan had so bluntly put it, simply being human.

A soft caress
kissed the back of her hand. “A penny for your thoughts,” Bryan
whispered as dimples flashed and his smile widened, sparking into
dark brown eyes peeking from behind wire rimmed glasses.

“I was just
thinking that it’s taken us a long time and a few bumps in the road
to get here, hasn’t it?” she replied as a slow smile crossed her
face and flashed in her eyes.

Bryan gazed
into her striking, china blue eyes and saw the love of his life.
The fact that this stunning woman chose to be his wife still had
him shaking his head in disbelief and thanking his lucky stars.

He had never
considered himself to be handsome. In true fact, his childhood had
been spent wearing the labels of geek and nerd. In an effort to fit
in, he had let his dark hair grow, but unfortunately, his thick,
curly hair had portrayed far less than the ‘cool’ image he strove
for and made him even more of an outcast. The fact that he grew up
on a ranch cemented his fate as an outcast.

Finally
deciding to be true to himself, Bryan cut his hair and stopped
trying to be someone that he wasn’t. Graduating from high school a
year early, he pursued his love and talent in art, and graduated
with a degree in fine art.

Because he
could, he continued his studies, next obtaining a degree in
teaching. It was while working on a post-graduate degree in art
that the lightening bolt that was Sonya entered into his life.

That first
encounter flashed into his mind as if it were yesterday. A goddess
walked into the department office and he had been in a word,
thunderstruck. Hair the colour of ripe golden wheat was windblown
around a perfect face flushed from the wind. Then, she looked at
him with the most brilliant china blue eyes that he had ever
seen.

What struck him
the most was her absolute lack of conceit. It had been his
experience that beautiful women seemed to be very aware of their
effect on men, especially those men that they considered to be
geeky and awkward.

This stunning
creature in the office had no such hang-up. In fact, she appeared
to be totally unaware of her effect on men. He found himself
wondering if this girl ever looked into a mirror. Surely, she knew
just how beautiful she was. To his surprise, she appeared to be
somewhat shy, but she spoke to him as if she was actually
interested in what he had to say. She made him feel so comfortable,
that he seemed to lose his awkwardness and spoke to her as if they
were old friends.

Before he knew
it, they were dating, and he considered himself to be the most
fortunate man on the face of the planet. Perhaps God was rewarding
him for his difficult youth, for which he would be eternally
grateful. It had been an idyllic time. For the first time in his
life, Bryan had confidence, something foreign to him until then. He
felt desirable, and the longer that they were together, the more
self-confidence that he gained.

Then, Sonya
decided that she didn’t want a career in Education. He did his best
to change her mind, but she was adamant. As sweet as she was, she
was just as stubborn, and once her decision was made, her decision
was non-negotiable.

Unfortunately,
her father didn’t agree with his daughter’s choice. It was easier
to blame Bryan than to accept Sonya’s decision. Their argument
about Bryan, especially when the difference in their ages became an
issue, had become really bitter. That was one of the reasons Sonya
had jumped at the opportunity to stay with her grandmother while
her aunt and uncle were in Australia.

It was the
beginning of a string of the tragedies that had paralyzed the
family. The first of which was the death of the venerable head of
the family, and only weeks later, came the news that Sonya’s
parents had perished in the wake of the massacre that was September
Eleventh, Two Thousand and One.

He had been in
Paris at the time, and had gone so far as to put his name on a
waiting list for a flight to Canada after the North American air
embargo was lifted. Sonya had been steadfast in refusing his offer
of support. She had shown him a strength that he never knew that
she possessed, insisting that he remain in Paris and finish his art
scholarship and doctorate. Her decision had been devastating. Why
wouldn’t she accept his support? Why didn’t she want it?

Her emails had,
over the course of time, explained her frame of mind. She still
needed him, his input and his point of view, but she was trying to
deal with life on her own, especially now that her parents were
gone. It took every ounce of strength for him to stay in Paris but
finally, they reconnected upon his return to Canada. At that time,
Sonya had been living with her sister, Susan and her husband,
Kevin. To their credit, Susan and Kevin had welcomed him because
Sonya wanted it that way, something for which Bryan would always be
indebted.

Sonya’s
decision to change her education direction to the Faculty of
Commerce, was triggered by her part-time job with Snytyza Inc, a
family owned company. The tragic suicide of her elderly aunt and
uncle had only fuelled her need to succeed. Her uncle’s bequeath of
twenty percent of the company stock had come because she was the
only member of the family other than his son, Peter, that took any
interest in the family company that he had been instrumental in
creating.

And Bryan
supported her all the way. Whatever she wanted or needed, he would
move heaven and earth to provide, regardless the cost.

“Yeah, we’ve
earned what we have,” he readily agreed, pulling her hand up to his
lips and grazing it softly. “Happy honeymoon, Mrs.
Brody-Mylowsky.”

“Back ‘atcha,
Mr. Mylowsky,” Sonya grinned. “I can’t wait to have you show me
Paris from an insider’s point of view!”

“You will love
it! The art, the buildings, the history – you’ll love it all!”
Bryan continued enthusiastically. “I know you will. I’ve even
rented my old place from when I lived there before. It’s centrally
located, and the landlady is a one of a kind gem.
Madame
Lalonde will make even you gain weight with her cooking. Buckle up,
Babe, we’re about to land!”

They held hands
as the large aircraft began its descent, and touched down at
Charles de Gaulle Airport.

“
Madame
Lalonde, comment ça va?(How are you)
” Bryan declared, as his
hug engulfed the small, chic woman that welcomed him with a kiss on
each cheek.

“
Je veux
vous présenter ma nouvelle femme, Sonya
. (
I want to
introduce you to my new wife)
Sonya, this is our landlady,
Madame
Lalonde.”

“
Bienvenue,
Chérie. Mon Bryan a dit que son chérie amour viendra
.
(Welcome, Chérie. My Bryan told me that his sweetheart was
coming
.) Welcome!” With that, she clasped Sonya’s hand in a
vise-like grip. “
Vous êtes assez jolie. Très jolie
! (
You
are very beautiful, very beautiful!)
Beautiful!” she exclaimed
with a Gallic gesture of her hands.

Somewhat at a
loss for words, Sonya didn’t know what to do next. Apparently
Madame
Lalonde knew all about her, but she was woefully
uninformed about
Madame
Lalonde. All that Bryan had revealed
to her was that they would be staying with his old landlady. In
truth, he had been somewhat circumspect when it came to describing
his time in Paris.

To be fair, the
past few years had been so full of tragedies that Sonya hadn’t
really had the strength or the desire to ask too many questions
about that time in his life, nor had he offered to fill her in.
That, added to the fact that she had crammed two and a half terms
of university courses into two, while working part time at
Snytytza, had kept every waking hour packed full.

Bryan patiently
waited until she was done, never once complaining. Patience was one
of his virtues, Sonya suddenly realized. He had patiently waited
for her to grow up, to complete her education and to agree to marry
him. Another man would have left. Another man would have demanded,
but, he had done neither. It was one of the many reasons that she
loved him.