The Grand Mistress

Simione had taken a sincere liking for the Comis Orphanage because of two reasons; First, after being drowned of so much rejection from the people she expected to love her,  it was at this place she found a home. 

Years ago when she was young, she was brought to the government system of homeless children and landed here. It was only for a short while but everyone here, all pure strangers to her treated her well.

Second; This was the very place where Lyndon and her spent most of her favorite moments with him. 

Every summer before, she came here with Lyndon to volunteer and it was also there where the Tang boy confessed his love to her. This was the place where they officially became a couple. Everyone in Comis village witnessed how their love bloomed and expected the two to marry as soon as they reached eighteen. The wedding didn't happen however, but Lyndon and Simione didn't tell the village folks about it and so they all assumed they had already married since both were past eighteen already. Besides, they didn't really talk about it that much, nor did they deny it when people talked about it.

The conversion in Hawk's table went on for a few minutes but cut short when the time for food had been announced. After some prayers, all children, host and guests dug into all the food that had been served and so everyone then was busy. 

Simione, who then was so relieved at how the conversation went on without Hawk brewing some trouble, tried to avoid him as much as she could.  However, she couldn't withdraw to her quarters nor stay in the kitchen because surely everyone will wonder where she went and she was very much  needed in the party because some of the foreigners she was with cannot understand their language and so she was tasked to do interpretation for them.

Few days ago, the one assigned to the foundation where the volunteers were coming from called her and asked if she could accompany the group of foreigners to the Comis village for some volunteering. She rejected it at first as she thought she won't have time for it but after what happened with Lucy's concert—how she blamed herself for the fate of the man she willingly dated with and how things went pretty bad at Hawk, Lucy advised her to take a break and so she decided to call the foundation again to accept their offer. Luckily they hadn't found an interpreter yet so the position then was vacant. So that's how she ended up going to Comis village again after skipping a year of volunteering, not that she intended to drop the good deed as Comis village always have a place in her heart but with all that what happened to the Tang and how she was caught up with so many things, she had lost time for it.

To avoid Hawk, Simione had been watching his every move at the corner of her eye and moved farther away when he attempted to approach her. She was able to catch up with the chasing for a few minutes not until some child took her attention and she lost track of Hawk. Soon, she found herself cornered by him and so she could do nothing then but face whatever he had to say. Hopefully he won't go berserk or there will be chaos.

"So you have a husband?" Hawk confronted as he pretended to get some food beside her. Simione, standing on the edge of the table, couldn't leave on the spot because she was then handing kids some fruits one by one and the line was a bit long.

"Here you go, little one, one orange and what else do you want? An apple?" She talked to every child that came in front trying to ignore the great Hawk Monsanto as possible.

"Thank you Cat!" The kids all gave her thanks and she couldn't be more thankful when the line ended.

"Oh it looks like we don't have fruits anymore," She told herself. She heard Hawk ask something more but all his words passed through her ears unheard. 

"There are still more fruits in the kitchen Cat," One of the folks heard her murmur and so she told him. "Why don't you go with Hawk and grab another basket of it?"

"Hmmm...Hawk can perhaps go on his own," Shit! Simione cursed herself. If she hadn't commented about the fruits, she won't have to deal with such a suggestion.

"I don't know where the kitchen is so you need to come with me," He smiled knowing that the girl had no choice then. If she thinks she can avoid him forever in that small village, well, not a chance.

"Then I can go alone," She was ready to grab the basket and turn but she heard some of the folks insisted on letting Hawk come and so, Hawk took the basket and smiled down at her victoriously.

Simione faked a smile at everyone and proceeded to walk away from the party. She was then walking too fast with not much concern if her companion had coped up with her. She well wished she would be lost around the orphanage but that was just too impossible for someone like him. 

"So you have a husband?" He repeated his previous question.

Annoyed, she chose to be sarcastic with him. "So what?"

"Does he know?"

"..."

"Does he know you were dating a scumbag?"

"Daniel is not a scumbag. He is a scholar and he might not be as rich as you but he was a humorous man and all the more sensible. Unlike you, you are boring and most of all a goddam cheater!"

"Describing yourself mi amor?"

"Not so close to Hawk Monsanto," There was fire in her eyes but before she could punch the man on the face, she chose to banged the kitchen door instead and poured out all her frustration transferring the fruits she found in the table to Hawk's basket.

"I don't understand mi amor, do you take me for a fool?" Hawk chose not to withhold himself. "Why did you even approach me in the first place, seduced me and ruined my relationship with Feather when you had a husband in coma? Is that—"

"Brother Don is not my husband," She cut him off and looked at the man in his eyes wondering why he seemed all frustrated. Was it the source of all this frustration? She wanted to believe it was his venture with her, but the situation had so many options she couldn't get past his facade. Was he frustrated because the violence in the concert ruined his somewhat good image? Or was it because Feather and him quarrelled or was it because he blamed all his misfortunes on her?

"The old folks wouldn't lie,"

"The old folks knew nothing of the fact that our marriage didn't happen," Simione explained. "And they were already old Hawk. I don't want to cause the old folks some  heartbreaks. They all see how and brother Don were and expected a lot from us and so I know they'll be upset about the news that we broke up before the wedding happened,"

"I don't think I can believe you now," Hawk was somehow suspicious but Simione's eyes were very clear and fixed when he looked at it, indicating she wasn't lying at all.

"You don't have to believe me and I don't really fucking care!" Simione retorted, her voice a bit louder than usual and she glared at Hawk who was just standing beside her. Upset, she pushed her hair at his back and heaved a sigh frustratedly. "Look, I came here to relax. It would be good if you keep out of my way. Why are you even here in the first place? God out of all the places!"

"I don't want to argue either and like you I want to enjoy this place with peace," Hawk announced. "It's just that we have some unfinished business,"

"I don't want to deal with it now,"

' I don't want to talk with you' was what she was supposed to say but she was then afraid he might go berserk again and so she gave her the less harmful words. 

"Okay. Let's not talk about it," Hawk clearly understood what she meant. After all he suspects she came here for the same reason she had—to think, to unwind, to detoxify. Life in the city had been stressful for the both of them these days and thet so badly needed this vacation.

"Let's have a ceasefire," Simione suggested. "Well just keep pretending we don't know each other and go with the flow. We will not have a single conversation about our affair and be casual friends for the rest of our stay. How about that?"

"I can deal with that," Hawk ageed. He didn't want to give in at first but she had seen how stressed she became and so he backed down with his confrontation. Was she troubling him that bad? Or perhaps she had been dealing with something else lately?

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