MARRIED

Chapter Three

THREE WEEKS LATER

Liana's POV

"You're glowing, girl. It's like you're living in your own fairy tale." Gladys blurted with a wide smile on her face that mirrored my own smile.

"Absolutely, girl. Pharrell has been an absolute dream. He handles me with the utmost care and affection. These past three months with him have been nothing short of magical."

"I can see it just from the warmth in your smile."

"It's... it's... it's what he... he does to me."

My words came out in a stutter, accompanied by a wave of nausea.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just feeling a bit dizzy, but I'll be okay."

"Are you certain you'll be alright?"Her smile had been replaced by a frown.

"Definitely. How's work been for you, though?"

"Dull. It's not the same without you. Mandy has turned into a real dictator since Caroline passed on all cafeteria responsibilities to her," she remarked, scrunching her face at the mention of Mandy's name.

"She can't be that terrible, can she?" I chuckled.

I find it amusing how much she dislikes Mandy, yet she follows her every instruction out of fear of losing her job. Just like me, Gladys is uneducated and struggles with reading and writing. Unfortunately, here in Spain, being illiterate makes it extremely difficult to secure employment.

"Believe me, she's as bad as I say. It's been three weeks since you've been gone, so you might think I'm exaggerating. I'm just grateful I didn't have to deal with her stupid face today."

"Relax, dear. I invited you here so we could enjoy your day off together and catch up, not to get stressed out over your boss."

"So, what are we ordering?" she asked excitedly, her sudden change in mood making it hard to believe she was the same person who was just upset with her boss moments ago.

"Girl, you're something else."

"Whatever. I'm starving!"

***************************************

"What! He said he wants to marry you?"

"You heard correctly. He even mentioned sending me to school so I can learn to read and write."

"Wow! I'm speechless."

"Then you better close your mouth before a flea flies in."

"Seriously, girlfriend, you've found a real gem."

"I know, darling. Pharrell is a true treasure."

"But how? It's rare to hear such incredible stories where a wealthy man would choose someone of a lower status. I'm sorry, but it's baffling."

"Why are you saying that? It's like I'm lucky to have him, when in reality, we're both fortunate because I'm a good woman, and that's what he's lucky to have. Or am I not beautiful?" I stated, feeling insulted.

"Calm down, darling. That's not what I meant. Yes, you're a good woman and very pretty, but this all seems too good to be true. Anyway, I'm just really happy that you're happy. He better not hurt you."

"I trust that he won't."I rolled my eyes at her. "Enough about me now. Can you tell me when I'm going to meet him?" I asked, trying to take the subject away from me.

"Who is 'him'?" She fake ignorance.

"Don't play smart with me, Gladys. By 'him', I mean the one behind those smiles and blushes."

"Why... why do you assume it's a 'him'?"

"Nothing, I just thought it was typical, or are you going to tell me otherwise?"

I watched as the color of her cheeks shifted to a lighter shade of red, further confusing me. Whoever this person is must be special to her to evoke such a reaction. I know Gladys very well, and even though she may have feelings, she rarely shows them. Trust me when I say that she'll never let you see her shed a tear; she hides her emotions perfectly.

"Well, first of all, it's not a 'he', and we only recently met."

"What? When? How did you find out that you are... you know, homosexual?"

"Point of correction, I am not homosexual. I am bisexual. And I've known for a long time."

"And you've already met a girlfriend?"

"Yep! Actually, I've known her for a while, but we only got close about two weeks ago."

"Do I happen to know her?"

"Maybe," she answered, feeling ashamed to discuss her sexuality any further.

"I don't know what you're feeling and why you prefer what you prefer, but I totally sup-su-su-su-support you."

"Are you okay?"

"Water! I need water," I requested, feeling the urge to vomit return strongly. Pushing my chair back, I sprinted to the washroom to empty my stomach of everything I had just eaten. I felt a hand tap my back, pulling my hair away from my face to prevent it from getting ruined.

"Are you okay? Or do you want us to go see a doctor?" Her voice dripped of concern.

"No, no, I'm fine. It might just be allergies. Maybe I ate something I'm allergic to."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm feeling perfectly fine now."

I walked over to the sink to clean myself up and rinse my mouth with water.

"I'm done. Let's go."

She narrowed her eyes at me, clearly not believing me, but she took the lead anyway. Just as I was about to sit down, a stronger wave of nausea overtook me, and I ran as fast as my legs could carry me back to the washroom I had just exited. I could feel dozens of eyes on me, but I cared less. They had no idea what I was going through right now. It felt like my entire intestines were being pulled apart.

"That's it, Lia! We're going to see a doctor right now!"

"No, we're not. I'm perfectly fine."

"You're damn stubborn, but remember, young lady, I'm just as stubborn, and I'm not letting this slip. If I say we're going to the hospital, we are, and right now!"

She said with finality, leaving me with no choice.

The trip to the doctor's office was uneventful, but my mind raced with thoughts of what I had eaten that had placed me in this mess. I hoped it wasn't something serious.

When we arrived at the hospital's reception, we were instructed to take a seat. After a brief moment, a nurse came and directed me to a room where my pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and sugar level were checked. Afterwards, she asked me to return to the reception area, assuring me that the doctor would be with me shortly.

"What was it?" A very worried Gladys asked.

"I'm yet to see the doctor."

"Wait, this whole time? What was she doing in there?"

"She just checked my temperature and some other necessary stuff."

She rolled her eyes at me, clearly overreacting.

"Gladys, don't be like this. We've only been in there for ten minutes."

"Yeah, ten painful minutes. I just want to know whether you'll be fine or if you have a few months to live. Probably two months," she joked, assuring me with a smile that she was okay.

A pleasantly looking gentleman walked up to us, urging me to follow him. We made our way to one of the rooms with "CR 2" inscribed on the door.

The room was of moderate size, not too small yet not too big. It was spacious enough to accommodate two beds, a desk, and two chairs. The man walked over to the desk and took a seat behind it, gesturing for me to take the chair opposite him.

"I'm Dr. Isaiah, your doctor for today. I want you to relax and tell me everything about your health so I can help you."

"Okay, doctor." Before him, I was like a child sermoned by her teacher.

"I've reviewed the report of the tests the nurse conducted earlier, and everything, including your temperature, seems normal. Can you tell me how you're feeling?"

"Terrible, doctor. I've been feeling dizzy and nauseous with a slight headache. I can hardly keep anything down because it comes back up as fast as it goes in."

"Do your breasts feel more tender than usual?"

"I haven't noticed that," I answered truthfully.

"Are you oversensitive to scents? Do you feel like vomiting only when you eat, or do you sometimes feel nauseous just from smelling the aroma of food?"

"No, the aroma of foods actually just makes me hungry."

"Hahaha, you're quite the foodie, huh?"

"You could say that."

"That's good. Food is great, but it's important to eat healthily to avoid getting sick. Do you feel tired and sleepy even though you've rested enough?"

"Yeah, I feel tired even when I haven't done anything that should make me tired, and I find myself sleeping a lot."

"Okay, I think that's enough for now. Take this..." He wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to me. My eyes immediately scanned the note.

"Wait, one more question if you don't mind." His voice brought my attention back to him.

"No, I don't mind."

"How is your s****l life? I mean, do you have s*x frequently, and if so, when was the last time you did?"

My eyes widened, and my cheeks flushed red at his question. I felt shy to answer, but I knew I had to be honest.

"Yes, I do have s*x. The last time was yesterday."

"And do you use protection?"

"Um, no. Why do you ask, doc?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just want you to go and perform this test to confirm my suspicion."

"Okay, sure."

"When you leave this office, just turn left and walk straight. The lab is the second room on your right. Give the note to the lab technician, and she will help you with the test."

"Okay, thank you." I exited the office, following the directions given to the lab. The lab technician took a sample of my blood after I handed her the note from the doctor.

I watched as she worked, feeling nervous and curious about what the test might reveal. Once the procedure was done, I thanked her and left the lab, heading back to the waiting area to join Gladys.

As I sat there, waiting for the results, my mind raced with thoughts and questions. What does the doctor suspect? Is it something serious? I tried to calm my nerves, reminding myself to stay positive until I had more information.