A Gift of Love for Christmas

Encounter with the past

Lyra’s POV

‘I don't know what to do Phil. He threatened to make me end up in an asylum if I tried to divorce him. I am not bothered about myself Phil, Charlie is my concern. I will die if he is taken from me,’ I said crying.

I was in Angel's house using her phone to call since I couldn't trust that my phone was not bugged. If I was going to beat Logan at his game, I had to be careful so I had driven to Angel's house to use her phone to call my brother, Phil.

Phil is my brother. He is older than me by seven years. He had been in the army since forever. He left immediately he could after school. My dad was in support of his joining the army but my mum wasn't. The division between our parents had not detered him one bit.

We were close while we were growing up and we still spoke often after I moved from our hometown to the city. He was the only person in my family that I knew I could turn to. Mum and Dad would become too worried if I called them.

I was surprised when Phil immediately picked his call. I had intended to give him a missed call and have him call me back when he was available.

‘Call River,' Phil said.

‘River, your best friend?’ I asked frowning.

‘Yes, River my best friend. He is a lawyer. Although he rarely practices these days, I believe that he can help you handle this,’ Phil said sounding out of breath but I was too distracted with the idea of me calling River.

River was his best friend since high school. They were so close that they could easily be taken for brothers.

River’s parents had moved to our home town, Logsville after his father was swindled of everything he had in the city. River had always said he would become a lawyer some day and get everything his father lost back. Well, he succeeded. After he succeeded, he stopped practising and became the CEO of the company while maintaining his law firm.

I haven't spoken to River in years. He was my crush back then. Besides, he was in Pittsburgh while I was in Philadelphia. The mere thought of River made my heart jump.

‘I can't call River, I hear he is in the Mafia, I don't want blood shed,' I said to my brother.

‘You still haven't changed right? You still live on speculations. Call River, let him handle this,’ Phil said.

‘I don't have his number,’ I said looking for ways to avoid calling River.

‘I will send his number,’ Phil said then cut the call.

‘What did your brother say?’ Angel asked as I dropped the phone on the table.

‘He asked me to call his best friend,’ I said.

‘And?’ Angel said raising a brow.

‘I don't want to call him,’ I said flatly.

‘Why if I may ask?’

‘I have heard rumors that he did a lot of bad things before he secured his father's properties and company that was taken from him. What if it is true that he joined the Mafia?’ I asked biting my lower lip.

‘What is your business with him being in the Mafia, Lyra? What if he is? It is none of your business. All you need is his help to get you out of this mess and sham you call marriage,’ Angel said hissing.

‘You don't understand,’ I said tiredly. Angel was a good girl. A perfect example of someone one can call a good girl but I was surprised with the way she would want me to rub shoulders with someone suspected to be in the Mafia.

‘Make me understand Lyra,' Angel said.

‘When we were growing up, River was very protective of me, even more than my own brother. He would fight and wound anyone who dared to get in my face. River went as far as getting injured for my sake,’ I explained.

‘I still do not understand you,’ Angel said looking at me in confusion.

‘If River gets to know that Logan is holding me in this marriage against my wish, don't you think he can kill him if he finds no way out?’ I answered.

Angel was silent for a while before she spoke again, ‘I am so disappointed in you Lyra. So you are still a part of those who judge the adult because of the children they were. Get a hold of yourself and place that call right now,’ Angel said then picked her phone from where I dropped it and gave it to me.

‘Phil hasn't sent the number yet,’ I said to her.

‘How is it possible that you don't have the phone number of someone you claim was very protective of you as a child?’ Angel asked.

‘Dont look at me like that Angel. I had to stay away from him because of the rumor,’ I said just as my message tone went off. Phil had sent the number.

‘You are such an i***t. I guess growing up in a small town actually affected your sense,' Angel said.

‘Don’t insult me. I was just being careful,’ I said glaring at her.

‘Fine, you have been careful for so long. Why not be careless for once and save yourself?’ Angel said then took Charlie into the kitchen for snacks.

I sat there for almost five minutes before I could type River’s number into Angel’s phone and called. It rang off the first time and I would have stopped calling but I decided to call one more time.

‘Who is this?’ River asked and I instantly became tongue tied.

‘Am am. It's me Lyra,' I said stammering at first.

‘Lyra who?’ He asked.

‘Lyra Anderson, sorry Lyra Wilson,' I said and there was total silence from the other side.

‘This is not your number,’ River said and I was surprised that he knew that.

‘Yes. It is a friend’s number and I am calling with it because I don't know if my own is bugged,’ I explained.

‘Are you in trouble Lyra?’ He asked sounding gentle but I knew he was anything but gentle.

‘Not really. Phil asked me to call you. I need your help,’ I said.

‘Phil asked you to call me. You wouldn't have called otherwise right?’ River asked sounding disappointed.

‘I need your help on a legal matter and I would like that you listen carefully to what I have to say,’ I said ignoring his question.

‘Come to Pittsburgh so that we can talk better,’ River said.

‘No. I can't. My child is here, I don't have anyone to leave him with. Besides, Pittsburgh to this place is over five hours drive,’ I said in panic. I didn't think I could survive in River's presence for a second. His eyes as a boy were always my undoing. How was I supposed to look in the eyes of the man he had surely become.

‘You can bring your son along. And if you want to come, I can arrange a flight for you to bring you here and take you back,’ River said and I became confused on what exactly to tell him.

‘I take your silence for a yes. There will be a flight waiting for you tomorrow. I will send the details to this phone. See you tomorrow Lyra,’ River said then dropped the call.

‘Angel,’ I yelled her name and she ran out of the kitchen in panic.

‘What is wrong with you, why are you shouting my name that way, do you intend to give me a heart attack?’ She asked glaring at me after she looked around to see that there were no immediate dangers.

‘River asked me to come over to Pittsburgh tomorrow. He said he would be sending a plane to get me,’ I said shaking.

‘And so?’ Angel asked nonchalantly.

‘Where will I tell Logan that I went to?’ I asked sounding like a child even to my own ears.

‘Where did you tell him you were going today?’ Angel asked.

‘I didn't tell him anything. I guess as far as I am home before he gets there,’ I answered.

‘All you need to do is tell him you and Charlie will be spending the day with me because I am sick and you will be back late that is if there is need for that.’

‘Oh God. I am so nervous right now,’ I said as I rubbed my hand on my face.

‘Wait girlfriend, are you nervous because you think he is in the Mafia or because you don't know what to tell Logan?’ Angel asked raising a brow.

‘Ok, fine. The thing is River and I once kissed under the mistletoes. It was Christmas and we were playing games and he said he had the right to kiss me because I was standing there and he did, he wanted more from that but I chickened out,’ I said.

‘Why did you chicken out?’ Angel asked.

‘Because every girl back then wanted him,’ I said.

‘He must have moved past that by now. Let him help you this time. It is such an irony though, you didn't want a boy that every girl wanted but you eventually married a man that wanted every woman.’ Angel said and I sighed sadly. What a life!

I was going to go see River even if my heart keeps jumping at the thought of his name. All I could do at that moment was hope that his help wouldn't bring about blood shed.