Dad
Zorah was walking between Chester and Orlando and Dane and Shay were following close behind. She was giggling as the couple behind her bickered back and forth.
“I swear they’re doing my head in,” Orlando griped with annoyance.
“They kind of remind me of Vodingo and Sidonia.”
“Really? They bicker like this?”
“They really do.” Zorah laughed lowly. “They are learning their way around each other. Vodingo’s parents are the kind who are incredibly open with their communication. They talk everything out, all the time. There isn’t a topic off limits. However, both of his parents are very straightforward people and they’ve been together an extraordinarily long time. They know how to talk to one another without coming off as,” she paused, “well, like a giant bonehead.”
Chester started laughing, “are you saying Vodingo Lucchesi is a bonehead?”
“From the minute he laid eyes on Sidonia, he knew she was her one. It was so blatantly obvious to anyone, and he struggles to even function when she is not in his direct line of sight. Icaro is convinced the reason security was lax lately is because Vodingo was more focused on his new bride than he was his job. Icaro said if Vodingo actually said to him he wanted to step back for a bit, he would have put someone else in charge, but Vod let his pride get in the way. Since Sidonia isn’t bending over backwards to kiss his butt, they’re constantly at odds.”
“Vodingo is his head of security. He should be held accountable for the fact we were able to get you out of there. Our job was clean, and we anticipated far more challenges. We were so much better than them.” Orlando griped as he fist-pumped Chester over Zorah’s head.
“Yes, I get where you are all coming from, but I guess, when it comes to family, the family who actually love us, we need to cut some slack. I know without a shadow of a doubt, he’s kicking himself. Sidonia is probably laying it on thick I was taken, and I imagine they’ve argued about it.”
“And they argue like that?” Orlando jerked his thumb to where the couple behind were arguing over which flavor of snow cones were the best.
“Worse. One time, Vodingo felt they should talk it all out before going to sleep. Sidonia kept trying to leave. He tied her to the bed and said they weren’t leaving until they talked through their problems.” She gave a snort, “his mother whacked him in the head and his father dragged him away to talk to him about how to communicate better.”
“And is Icaro as demanding of you to talk to him?”
“No,” she shook her head feeling her Minnie Mouse ears shuffling on the top of her head. “He’s actually the most patient person with me. He gives me space and lets me go to him most of the time. I know he talks to his father a lot to get guidance because I’ve not been the easiest to get along with. I have had a few meltdowns, and he’s reacted poorly. Icaro is particularly good at groveling.”
Chester contemplated her words and then questioned softly, “define poorly?”
“There was a situation the night of our wedding where one of Icaro’s cousins were running a scam with women and pretending he was Icaro. At the hotel, there was a woman who heard Icaro was in the suite, and she got into the room while I was in the bath. Icaro was not in the room. I came out of the bathroom to find a naked woman in the room. It was a security nightmare and suddenly the room was full of more men and guns, and they were threatening to kill her and her brother who worked at the hotel and the cousin too. I’d never been around a gun before. I flaked.”
“I imagine you did.” Orlando said with a bite to his tone. “However, I can’t argue with Icaro wanting to deal with such a breach of security in such a manner.”
“You said he reacted poorly with you.”
“He sedated me.” She frowned, “jabbed me with a sedative because I was hysterically screaming and crying and I’m sure they heard me in the next state over. He then sat up watching me sleep. He didn’t close his eyes at all for the rest of the night. He just sat there making sure I was breathing.”
Orlando started laughing, “I did the same thing when you were sedated. Scary shit.”
“Maybe don’t sedate me,” Zorah chided with a side-eye.
“I will do my best.”
“So, Animal Kingdom” Shay jumped up from behind them to hang over Orlando’s shoulder and put her face close to Zorah. “I’m excited but are you sure you don’t want to do the big roller coasters or Epcot?”
“Gosh no. I am not good with heights or well, anything which makes my stomach do flip flops. I do not like the feeling.”
Chester laughed, “let’s go do our tour of the Animal Kingdom. Elephants, giraffes, and zebras?”
“I’m so excited,” Zorah squealed and grabbed his hand and squeezed it. She took note of the way his lips curled when she held his hand and the way his eyelashes fluttered as if batting away tears. She kept hold of his hand and moved closer to rest her head against his shoulder as they made their way to the gates of the park.
“What animal are you looking forward to seeing most?” Chester asked clearing his throat as they were given special entrance thanks to Orlando and his security team.
“The hippos. They have hippos, right?”
“Yes,” Chester laughed and kissed the top of her head. When she looked up at him with wide eyes he immediately froze, “I’m sorry, Zorah. I –”
“It’s okay, Dad,” she stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
His eyes closed tightly, and he hugged her to his chest, “thank you sweet girl. I can’t begin to tell you what this means to me.”
Sobbing behind them made Zorah lean backwards to look at Shay who was crying into her husband’s chest and then she looked at Orlando who was staring up at the sky the way Dane was.
“She called him Dad,” Shay wailed as Dane wiped the corners of his eyes and Chester sniffed.
“Yeah, this is a big bad group of mercs,” Zorah teased her own eyes watering just a smidge. “Can we go see the hippos now?”
“Let’s go daughter,” Chester waved his hand forward towards where a private safari tour was waiting for them.
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