A Gypsy Oath

The rule book

Bo-

I sit and list to my father drag on about my “responsibilities to the family” for the hundredth time in six months. I’m twenty five in a few months and that is when I’m to take over rule for my father, which would be fine if there wasn’t that who thing about taking a wife. Not just any wife, God knows I could have my pick of woman to do that job. No in order for me to take my birth right amongst our people, I must marry the girl my family picked for me when I was a child and she was a new born. Arranged marriage in our world is as normal as it is with the royals you see on the tv all the time, however in our shady world it’s more along the lines of peaky blinds mixed with the Sopranos. In today’s world the Gypsy life style is just a rich persons life style only we believe in keeping it in the realm of our own. We are born Gypsy, live Gypsy, die Gypsy and that’s it. The code of the road has been the go to hand book for thousands of years, but the rules it tells us to play by is old and for year I have been fighting it, ever since I discovered my planned out fate. I have looked the girl up on social media, and I won’t lie she is a rare gem in deed but still pictures don’t tell that whole story. As I sit lost in my own thoughts not listening to a word being said to me, I can’t help but think of those pictures and wonder what it would be like to have her. Shes a stunningly gorgeous girl, high check bones and bright green eyes, olive sun kisses skin, long dark brown hair with a touch of red going threw it, and a body that would stop a clock. She knows nothing of me outside of the fact that with in the month we will be meeting to begin courting, and with in six months we will be married. She doesn’t know my name, what I look like , nothing. I on the other hand know she is the youngest of six kids and a twin to boot. I know she wants to travel and see the world, she loves horses which will come in good on a ranch in Texas. My father demands the drinking every night and string of loss woman I have leaving my house every morning stop, and I focus on pulling my s**t together and prep my self for this girl. She is turning eighteen at the end of the month and there is to be a grand ball to celebrate the twins in there home town, the big apple itself. I’m to go and sweep her off her feet and romance her into accepting the oath made for us many moons ago. Truth be told I’d rather ride all day, drink most the night and f**k the rest of it then repeat the next day. However if I want this ranch I will have to do different or my kid brother will get it and he hates it here so much he took off with our uncle two years ago and hasn’t looked back, he’s been on the road paving since. The tail end of my fathers last statement catch’s me off guard,

“I’m sorry I lost focus can you repeat that”

“Lost focus my ass, you wasn’t even listening. I said I have been in contact with Lailas father Don, and we both agree it’s best to just pull the band aid off and get this started and let you kids meet so we can announce the engagement at the ball”

“The ball is at the end of the month, the oath says we have six months to get to know each other.”

“Ya well I say you have a month before we announce an engagement and a few months till a wedding”

“And when do I leave to go meet this girl?”

“You don’t Don and his wife should be here with in the hour with their daughter”

“With in the hour?”

“Yes, that’s why I’m telling you this now go get a shower and get back here looking some what presentable, and I mean that if you embarrass your mother I’ll put the boots to ya boy”

I stand and walk out of my fathers office, and make for the back porch door. My house is across the way from my parents house, as I make the short walk I pull out my pack of smokes and light one up. As I do I notice the saddle bunnies over at the stables talking to the ranch hands that rode in local Saturday rodeo last night. I make my way over and find my self a shower buddy, might as well get one last f**k in before I start on the straight and narrow.

Laila-

I don’t know why I have to go to Texas with my parents. I never get to go when they take these business trips but this time is different. All my mother told me was to pack for warm weather and that we would be staying in a ranch in the Texas hill country, like I know what that means. I have only left New York City twice in my life and both times was to go to the beach in New Jersey. As the cabin door to my family’s private jet closes my father sits and tells me to sit across from him, I do as I’m told. That’s when he drops a bomb on me the size Manhattan.

“You remember your mother speaking of the oath of marriage that we made for you correct”

I nod, I remember the talk of arranges marriage to a stranger. How could I forget that conversation when I turned sixteen.

“Well we are going to the Declare family ranch, there you will meet and start courting Bo Declare. He is the young man that we made the oath for. At your birthday party we will announce your engagement to him so I recommend you digging your heels in little girl.”

I look to my mother who is reading her book as if this is normal.

“Is this for real daddy, your taking to give me away to strangers?”

I pull the little innocent girl act that normally melts my dad. He gives me a raised eye brow that tells me he’s wise to my game.

“Says the girl who has never meet a stranger, a perverted man could pull up in a van with no widows and offer you a sneakers bar and you’d be his best friend, so don’t give me that daddy line.”

“Mom, are you going to let this crazy person who has body snatch your husband take me and give me away to strangers, make me marry some sick twisted freak who will do all the dirty bad things the nice perv in the van would do to me in exchange for a sneakers bar”

My mother rolls her eyes

“Daughter arranged marriages are not as bad as you would think, your father and I didn’t turn out so bad.”

My parent love story is a lot less twisted then strangers meeting on a private air hanger. My parents knew each other for years, their family’s traveled all over the world together like old school gypsies use to. My parents ran off when they was seventeen and fifteen and got married in Paris. They started their family not long after and we are all ten to twelve months apart in age, well expect for me and my brother. Twins born a full six minutes but a full day and even a year apart. My brother was born first at 11:55 December 31st pm and I came at 12:01 am January 1st. My mother says it’s because I’m the only girl and wanted to have my own spot light and to drive home the point of how spoiled I am. I don’t disagree with her at all. I have always wished to have a story like my mom and dads, to have some one love me the way my dad loves my mom, but who needs romance and love when your parents make plans for your love life. I have never even had a real boyfriend, I flirted with my older brother Marks friend who is three years older then me and we even made out a few times but he never let it go any further then messing around with his buddy’s kid sisters or at least that’s what he told me when he told me it had to stop. Now I’m thinking that’s not what it was about at all. I sit back and look out the window as we take off, finally I brake and ask for information.

“Are you going to tell me anything about him, seeing how I don’t have cell service to f*******: deep dive him?”

“Bo DeClare is a twenty four years old cowboy, with a wild side and no limits on his freedom. He comes from a good family and you will be taken care of if you can watch your mouth and not be your normal sarcastic sassy self”

If my father thinks any of his kids can go ten minutes with out using sarcasm he might want to start playing the lotto.

“Awe daddy you raised us all better then that, what fun would it be if I wasn’t the spoiled little smart ass you raised me to be”

He bends his news paper and smiles at me

“That’s my girl, remember to give him hell”

“Oh I plan on it, I plan on being down right delightful.”

My mother is the one who speaks now to my amazement.

“Laila dear, I expect you not to be your fathers daughter. This is serious and it’s also the rest of your life. It’s better to start off on a good foot rather then the wrong foot. You and your father can joke all you want but I expect you to be a young lady and make the best of things.”

I nod and lean back in my seat. Once we are in the air about a half hour my father pulls out his deck of cards for him and I to play poker. It’s our game and it drive my mother insane.

Our flight is smooth and as we circle to land on the DeClare family private air strip my father tells me to look out the window. When I do I see animals and people on some of them. Horses, I see horses. I have took riding lessons for years at a stable outside of the city and I have asked my father for a horse for years. I have never seen horses like this tho, they look almost wild chasing cows around. As we land I smile at my father “it’s not all about the horses Laila” I shrug and stand to gather myself. I wore a black pair of skinny tailored pants, and a ivory round neck tank that I tucked up to show my belly button ring and tan my hair is blowed out and curled at the end and thanks to being at the pool all summer the red nightlights stand out even more and makes it look more full, I added my tallest red bottom heels to make me look taller. A big black suv comes pulling up as we disembark the jet and a tall very good looking man my fathers age jumps out of the drivers seat and makes his way to my father with a smile so bright it could light time square and hugs my father hello. Then he turns to my mother “well if it isn’t the stunning Lilly, get over here woman and give me hug I haven’t seen you in years, this old dog your married to keeps you under lock and key. Don’t worry Don I get it I’d be scared a better man would steel her away to if o was you” they all laugh and joke as if I’m not standing there. Then my father feels the need to shine the spot light on me

“Montgomery this is our daughter Laila”

I walk over to my elder and introduce myself like I was raised to do.

“Well my oh my, don’t you take after your mother, young lady”

I smile and look at my mother who smiles at me. Other then this man there isn’t another soul here to meet us. Kind of rude if you ask me that the man couldn’t get his son to come and greet us. As we pull out of the air strip and on to a dirt road the horses I seen from above come into view and I hit the window to watch them

“It’s my understanding that your a very good rider Laila”

“I’m a trained equestrian rider, i have never rode like that before. I looks so freeing to not be in a controlled arena setting. Do you have many horses?”

He laughs. “You could say that, we have ranch horses as you see there, they are more of your working horses. They have their own stables in with the rodeo horses. The. We have show and racing ponies in another stable. Your more then welcome to claim any of them as your own.”

“What? For real you’ll let me use your horses any I pick?”

“Not use, own my girl. Anything you see here is yours if you want it.”

I look at my mother who smiles at me

“Don’t be to kind to her Monty,she is her fathers child.”

With that I look back out the window, I watch as a man on a horse swings a rope above his head and throws it to catch a cow, when he jumps off his horse and runs to tie up the poor animal, another man comes and does something to the cows head but I can’t make out what it is.

“What are those men doing to that cow?”

“Tagging them just incase they get loss”

I nod but still have no idea what that means. Not long after a cluster of building come into view. The small cluster becomes a small town the closer we get to it. There is several buildings and six full houses along with the outlines of a house in the midst of being built. There is tons of different pins for horses and animals, and a chicken roaming along that reminds me a hai hai from Moana. As we pull up to a giant one story house, a little yorkie dog comes running out to Montgomery and sits at his feet, while the little dog looks up at the man he tries to ignore it. As we make our way to the door the little dog walks ahead of us and sits and lets out a bark till it finally gets the attention it is seeking, which is a treat “sorry we are training him and he knows I have treats for sitting, however I think we have this mixed up” Montgomery says as he give the little dog a treat and it comes over to my feet and sits. I unlike Montgomery bend down and start petting the little dog. I hear my father laugh “well Monty kiss your training good bye the dog is ruined she will spoil it till it’s hers and wants nothing to do with you or your treats, she feeds the dogs table food and her snacks” right then a little tiny blonde woman comes out “is that Don and Lilly oh goodness it’s good to see you two” she hugs my parents in greeting them turns to me who is now on the ground with the little dog whispering how we will be friends. The little blonde comes over to me “well you must be the young miss Laila I’m so thrilled to finally get you here, we’ll get up let me see you, do a little spin for me” I do as she ask “well you are something, this girl needs took to hollywood Don she would knock em dead” my father laughs as him and Monty walk inside. I hear a cat call of a whistle and turn my head out of reflex to shoot a dirty look at two cowboys sitting on top a railing to one of the pins. As we walk into the house the little blonde screams out at the two cowboys “Bo DeClare get your but off that fence and get in here and introduce yourself I know I didn’t raise you this way boy” the man that jumps down is jaw dropping hot I mean. He has on ripped jeans and a black t-shirt that shows off his peeks and big muscly arms and even his six pack. As he passes me he tips his hat “hello, darlin” I don’t know what happens but I swear it’s my shoes and not my knees that goes out from under me in the door frame. He is quick to catch me tho and when his hand touch’s the skin of my exposed middle there is a burn to his touch, he pulls me up and close to his body and I grab his arms on my way down and then back up “ya alright there Darlin?” He ask and as I inhale his scent I go light heads and try to answer him.

“I… ummm I..my shoe it must have been my shoe. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s no bother darlin, better watch those shoes from now on tho”

He says as he as he waits for me to get my balance back. Ones he’s sure I’m not going back down he walks past me and right to my father and mother

“Mr and Mrs James, lovely to meet you. I hope you enjoyed the flight here.”

He makes small talk with my parents while me and the dog both sit and look at him. However the dog likes him more then he likes me cause the second Bo DeClare sits down the little dog goes running over and jump in his lap. He give the little dog tons of attention as our parents run down a list of things. I get my cell phone out and swing my feet over the arm of the chair I’m sitting on and start snapping photos of myself. I notice his arched brow looking at me in the background of the picture I send back to my brothers girlfriend and my best friend Avery with the caption “that’s him” she text back about how he looks interesting. That’s one way to put it, all my brothers are gym fit and built for an issue of GQ in their suits but this man puts them and all their buddy’s and every other guy I have meet to shame. I get lost in the texting and joking that I don’t notice all our parents walk out of the room or Bo come to stand in front of me. As he bends down to be eye level with me, I pop my gum as if I’m bored. He reaches over and takes my sunglasses off my face and folds them in his hand

“So your Laila huh”

“That’s what they have been calling me all this time”

“So I hear, what’s your thoughts on all this fuss they got us into”

“ I don’t think your man enough to handle me cowboy, that’s what I think”

He smiles at me and I swear there is a twinkle in his eye.

“Is that right?”

“From what I can see”

“Alright Darlin, we’ll see”

He stands and walks to the door, then looks back at me.

“You come’n Darlin”

I stand and stretch, raising my hand far above my head. His eye roam my body and I know that look, the look that tells me that he likes what he sees. He spots the little tattoo on the back side of my left hip. It just barely peeks out of the band of my pants and I know it. I have all the signs of a bad girl but really I’m a home body, but I don’t tell that to people. He comes back across the living room and stand in front of me. Even in my heels he is a good six inches or more taller then I am.

“Can I help you”

“Oh I think you can help me with a lot”

I give him a bored huff and roll my eyes, he runs his fingers from the tattoo on my hip to my belly button ring. I feel the heat from finger as it runs along my skin. He looks me in the eye and licks his lips, as if I’m a snack for him to eat. When he see I’m not totally love stuck by him, he gets even closer to me. We are close enough for it to be called intimate, as he whispers “I understand you like horses, since it seems I don’t do it for you maybe you’ll like me more if I show you my pony”

With that he has my attention, and he knows it.

“Ok I’ll bit but it better be a real horse and not some perv move to assault me around a corner”

“Darlin you ain’t in the big city no more, if I tell you I’m gonna show ya horses I mean I’m gonna show you horses”

I raise an eye brow and allow him to lead the way out. We make our way to the stable and it’s unlike anything I have ever seen. It’s beautiful with all the wrought iron and polished cherry wood. I have never been in a stable this nice before. As we walk in my eyes catch a black Gypsy Vanner in a stall ahead of me and I make my way to the stall the horse is in look at it in awe. The horse comes to the door of the stall to visit, and allows me to pet its muzzle. I can’t help myself I enter the stall and get so close I can feel the heat off the horses body. I hear Bo’s voice but pay him no attention at all and jump bare back onto the Vanner and kick it into motion and we are off. The wind and the feel of the animal make me feel free as we run out of the stables. I hear a man scream for me the horse picks up speed, and everything turns into a blur as we go. I ride for so long not caring where I’m going, by the time we stop I have no idea where I am, or how to get back. My phone is in my purse back at that house and I’m on a horse that I hope knows his way back home. The horse stops by a creek and I dismount it as it drinks from the creek. I turn my back and step a way from the horse for a second and it takes off leveling me high and dry in the middle of the sticks, literally.