It was hard for Tris to say goodbye to Tobias and Amar when they left on Monday afternoon. The flight from Albania to Beijing was nearly eleven hours long - just as long as the flight to Chicago - and the time there was seven hours ahead of Albania. Tris felt a strange sense, like coincidence or deja vu, when she realized that her home in Albania was exactly in the middle. While Tobias was gone, she would be just as far from him as she was from her parents and friends back in Chicago. In fact, Christina and Will, in Philadelphia, would be closer.
She was extremely grateful to have Rebekah, Roza, Jorik, George, and Tori nearby. Very nearby, in fact. While Tori remained in her apartment above the tattoo shop, Rebekah and Roza in their apartments in the servants' wing, and Jorik in his place above the garage, George moved into the big house for the week. He had tried to take one of the smaller rooms in the servants' wing near Rebekah and Roza, but Tris objected.
"You are not hired help," she scolded George. "You are a guest in my home, and you're going to stay in one of the guest suites."
George let her have her way. Mostly he gave in because he wanted to be closer to Tris' room in case she needed him, but he also didn't want to upset the young Mrs. Eaton. If Tris felt better accepting him as a guest, he would be a guest.
.
Tris tossed and turned all night after Tobias left. She hadn't slept alone in over six months, and the bed felt huge and cold without her husband. She was also spooked by the stories Tobias had told her, and by the new security measures. It brought back nightmares of Caleb's attack, and when Tris woke in a cold sweat just before five o'clock in the morning, she knew she wouldn't go back to sleep. Instead, she took a long shower, put on some lounge clothes, and turned on the television.
She must have dozed off again, because the next thing she knew, Tris was awakened by a buzz from her nightstand. She rubbed her eyes as she grabbed her phone and read a text from Tobias.
4: Ni hao - Hello from China. We landed here safe and sound. I love you.
The text brought back a flood of memories for Tris. All those months they'd spent so far apart when they were dating, the challenges of language, time zones, and distance. They swore they'd never do it again, and here they were, married only seven months and once again on opposite sides of the world. Tris sighed as she responded to her husband's text.
T: Things are fine at home, too. Except for the noticeable lack of you. I miss you.
4: I miss you, too. Deja vu, isn't it, being so far apart?
T: I was just thinking the same thing. We said we wouldn't have to do this again.
4: I'm sorry. I don't like being so far from you.
T: Don't be sorry. Life happens. Just get your business done and get back here. I've forgotten how to sleep alone.
4: (kiss face emoji) Anything you say, boss. I love you.
T: I love you, too.
4: Be safe.
T: I'm in my own home, surrounded by staff. I'm fine. You be safe.
4: Married over half a year and it still makes my heart race when you talk about the estate as home.
T: You're silly. I'm waiting for you, come HOME to me soon.
Tris didn't hear from Tobias for the rest of the day. It was later in China, and by the time her afternoon at the center concluded, it was late night there. She hoped her husband was sleeping.
At her request, dinner on Tuesday night was a casual affair. Roza prepared it, and George and Jorik helped her carry everything to the den. Tris, Rebekah, Roza, George, and Jorik ate together while watching a movie in Albanian. Between the lack of sleep the night before and the fact that she didn't follow the language well as her mind wandered, Tris quickly grew bored with the movie and dozed off.
George woke her when the others were clearing out for the night. They talked for a few minutes about their day and what they'd been up to. George got Tris to laugh as he told her a story about a tattoo customer who insisted on a misspelled tattoo. He and Tori had tried everything to convince the customer to correct the error, but he'd held firm. They considered refusing to do it, but ended up giving in, though they made him sign several documents stating that he wanted the misspelled tattoo.
"I just hope he doesn't come back and blame me later," George said with a laugh.
The duo went quiet as their minds drifted back to the loved ones in China. "Tobias texted me this morning," Tris said. "He just told me that they got there safely. Have you heard from Amar today?"
George nodded. "He called this afternoon when they were in for the night. I guess they just unpacked and saw a few sights today. They toured the Forbidden City and spent some time at Tiananmen Square. The business meetings start tomorrow, and they didn't want to be jetlagged, so they worked in that extra day."
"It also allows the plane and pilots to be ready if they need to leave quickly after business starts," Tris added, repeating what Tobias said before they left.
"Do you wish you'd gone along?" George asked.
"Not really," Tris said. "I'd like to be there for Tobias, but it's complicated with my American citizenship. I'd like to travel to Asia some day, but maybe not when there are volatile business meetings involved."
"Volatile means… dangerous?" George questioned.
Tris smiled. His English was so good that she often forgot that George wasn't a native speaker. It was rare, but occasionally a word or idiom would trip him up.
"Unstable," Tris explained, "something that could go bad."
"It's used for chemicals," George said.
"Yes," Tris agreed, "chemicals that are okay, but unstable. Things that could be a problem if they were spilled or mixed with the wrong thing."
George nodded. "That's a very good description of their business in China," he said.
"Can I ask you a question?" Tris asked, and he nodded in agreement. "How did you end up learning English?"
George smiled. "The same way a lot of people do," he said, "I studied it in school. So did Tori. She loved it and wanted to study in America, so I helped her practice. My home life growing up was… difficult. I wanted to be an artist, but my parents didn't respect that. I preferred other boys, and they hated that. Tori was all I had. She loved me no matter what, and she loved art and drawing as much as I did. We spoke English together because our parents didn't understand it.
"I met Amar when he was first with Tobias at university - you know that story. He spoke English too. In a country where the younger people tend to speak English and are more open-minded about homosexuality while the older people are neither, it made sense to speak English together. Tori was in Colorado that year doing her study abroad. I was bartending and learning to tattoo. I loved it. I loved turning a customer's vision into a work of art they wore on their skin. I finished my apprenticeship around the same time Tobias graduated. He chose his graduate school in England, and Amar had to go with him, so I followed. I tattooed during the day, tended bar at night, and lived with Amar like a real couple for the first time. The English are a lot more accepting in that way."
Tris smiled, though her eyes were damp with tears. She'd heard George and Amar's love story a few times, but she never tired of the joy on George's face when he talked about his partner. She knew how their sexual orientation and intolerant family members had clashed, and she was touched every time they talked about how happy, loved, and safe they felt together. They'd built a good life, and Tris was happy for them.
"I'll never forget the day you came into our lives," George continued with a sad smile. "You changed everything, and you didn't even know it. We didn't know it either. Amar and I were at home, in our little flat near the university. It was late, and I'd just gotten back from the pub where I worked. I was telling Amar about my night when someone knocked on the door. We were surprised to find Tobias standing there all agitated. He walked in and just took off his coat, and then his shirt. I thought he was going to come out or something, though I'd never had any thought of him being gay. He just started removing clothing, you know? Then I heard Amar gasp, so I went to where he was standing and staring at Tobias' back."
George paused and shook his head, still bothered by the memory. Tris grabbed a tissue from the table beside her.
"The scars…" George stammered. "The scabs. The welts. Old ones and more recent ones. We… we didn't know. We never knew. We knew Marcus was harsh to the staff and kind of an asshole, but we never dreamed… his own son… For a long time we just stood there, then Amar went and got a first aid kit. He cleaned the newer wounds on Tobias' back, and bandaged them up.
"While his back was to us, Tobias started to talk. He let it all out and told us everything - how Marcus hit Evelyn and how he started hitting Tobias the day of Evelyn's funeral. The things that monster said to his son, and the things he did...
"He knew a little about Marcus' unethical business dealings and talked about how he didn't like living off his father's 'blood money' - that's what he called it. He told us about his plan to run away and how he'd set up an email address and contacted the Americans even though he knew it was pointless. He told us how he planned to kill himself, and he handed over the bottle of pills he'd been planning to use.
"Amar was devastated. He'd been with Tobias since he was a toddler, and couldn't believe the abuse and suicide plan had gone on right under his nose. I've never seen him so upset. He scolded himself for days after that, thinking that he should have seen something… should have noticed something during all those years.
"That night, in the flat, when Tobias was done talking, Amar asked him why he hadn't come to us sooner. Apparently Marcus threatened Amar's job and safety when Tobias was young, and threatened our lives as he got older. Tobias thought he was protecting us. Even… even as a child. He suffered in silence to protect his driver and his partner. To this day I can't wrap my mind around that."
Tris reached for George's hand, and the two sat quietly for a moment before George continued. "Eventually, I just had to ask what changed. There was something different about Tobias that night. I had never seen him so resolved - almost confident. Even as he was showing us the thing he'd hidden his whole life. Even as he was telling us about Marcus' threats - he was just… strong. He looked me in the eyes and said, 'We deserve better than this.'
"I was shocked. I wanted to know why he'd changed his mind. What did he learn that made him realize the truth about himself? But I was too afraid to ask. I didn't want him to think I was second guessing him, or make him question his new resolve. So I just agreed - he did deserve better.
"For a few months, that was it. He went to school at the university, and Amar helped him make up excuses why he couldn't go home on the weekends and when there were breaks. They convinced Marcus that it was best if Tobias experienced more of the world, and we traveled - well, mostly they traveled; I had to work. If a trip home couldn't be avoided, Tobias took a friend along as a buffer. Marcus was always charming in front of guests, so that helped a lot.
"We were worried about what would happen when Tobias graduated, but just after holiday break, Marcus died and we all went home together.
"It was crazy at first. Tobias went from being uninvolved to running everything. Amar and I lived in Rebekah's apartment at first, and all three of us were running around and working all the time, even though I wasn't an employee. I helped them sort through business papers. They hired new lawyers, accountants, and press people, and fired Marcus' people. I tracked down Roza for Tobias, and they made a retirement plan for the old housekeeper. We worked and worked to get things sorted out and safe from the people who'd been part of Marcus' way of doing business.
"To thank me, Tobias gave me the tattoo shop. Literally. He owned the empty building and gave it to me to thank me for helping him avoid Marcus, and for helping with the transition when he took over the company and the estate. He also gave me an interest-free loan so I could get set up. He had the cottage fixed up for me and Amar, so I gave the shop's apartment to Tori. She's an amazing artist, but I had to teach her to tattoo. Tobias was glad to have another trustworthy friend in Tori, and he donated his scarred back to her training. She turned it into a masterpiece.
"Around that same time, Amar told me about the letter Tobias received from one of the Americans. He'd seen it when Tobias set up a recurring donation to the foundation in Chicago. Tobias kept a copy of it in his wallet. Amar said it contained the exact words he'd used that night in the apartment - "You deserve better." Your kindness changed everything, Tris. You gave him courage to stay alive and to tell us about Marcus. He's a good man, and it's because of you that he's around to share that with the world."
Tris shook her head. "I hate when you guys make me sound like a hero or something," she said in a shaky voice. "I'm nice, George, and I was gullible."
George chuckled. "Do you know what's special about you?" he asked rhetorically. "You're willing to be foolish if there's a chance you might help someone. Too many people are too busy protecting their reputation, or their money, or their pride. You, Mrs. Eaton, value others above your own comfort."
"I'm very comfortable," Tris argued, gesturing around the room.
George laughed heartily. "Never in your wildest, craziest dreams did you imagine this life when you sent Tobias that note and fifty dollars. I'd bet my life on it."
"And you would win that bet," Tris said, smiling. "I actually thought I was probably getting scammed. But I figured it was worth the risk. Fifty dollars out of my pocket was a small price to pay if I was wrong, but it could make a big difference if I was right."
George glanced down at his phone. "Oh wow," he exclaimed. "I've kept you up late. I guess I'll have to wait for another day to tell you about the night Amar called to tell me that the sweet American grandmother Tobias thought had written turned out to be a beautiful young lady. It's a good story; I'm pretty sure Amar hurt his face he was smiling so big."
Tris laughed and pulled out her own phone to see that it was just after midnight. The screen lit with a text from Tobias, asking if she was still up.
"My husband wants to call and say goodnight," she said to George, "so I'm going to head upstairs. I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight, Tris," George said, smiling at his own phone screen.
She hurried up the stairs toward the bedroom as she dialed Tobias' number.
"Tris," Tobias breathed as he answered his phone.
"Hey," Tris said, alarmed by the emotion in his voice. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Tobias replied, "I just didn't think you'd still be up, and I really wanted to hear your voice before I go into these meetings today."
"Well, lucky for you, you hired a bad babysitter," she teased in an attempt to distract Tobias and ease his mind. "George got started telling stories and let me stay up past my bedtime."
Tobias chuckled.
They spoke for a few minutes about nothing in particular. Tris could tell that her husband was nervous about his day of meetings with Mr. Lee, but he seemed soothed by a few minutes of conversation with his wife.
.
Tris slept better after talking to George and then Tobias, and without an alarm set, she actually slept well past her usual time.
Wednesday was uneventful. Tris worked on her language skills with Rebekah, met with Roza about upcoming meals and staff schedules, and spent some time reading. Rebekah had her reading simple things in Albanian, and she found it challenging.
Language lessons had changed a lot since Tris and Rebekah arrived in Albania. From basic conversation, telling time, and giving directions, they had advanced to more nuanced vocabulary, synonyms, and idioms. They'd worked on identifying road signs, understanding different customs, and Rebakah had taught Tris about Islam and its role in the Albanian culture. The book she was reading while Tobias was in China was a primary school text on Albanian history. Rebekah liked how the simple reading level fit Tris' skills with the written language, and the subject matter informed her student about history and culture. They spent part of each day speaking Albanian while discussing the text, and Rebekah took the time to patiently guide her student through anything she'd found challenging or which needed further explanation.
After dinner, Tris was lounging on the master bedroom balcony with her book when someone knocked on the bedroom door. "Hyr," (Come in) Tris called out. "Jam në ballkon." (I'm on the balcony.)
She was surprised to see George, who had told her he would be at the tattoo shop late that evening. His normally jovial face was grave, which instantly alarmed Tris.
He handed his phone to her. "Amar needs to speak to you," he said as he dropped into the chair beside Tris'.
"Amar?" Tris squeaked into the phone. "Is Tobias okay? Are you? It's the middle of the night there."
"We're coming home," Amar said, his voice heavy with emotion. "Tobias is fine - physically, anyway. The business went okay. He stood his ground, and we're ending our relationship with Lee when the current contract expires. I got a phone call a little bit ago that kind of, well, I don't know how to wrap my mind around this, much less explain it. Evelyn… she faked her death when Tobias was young. She's been living on the streets, in Rome. She died last week, and someone told the authorities who she was. She… she didn't die. She left him. With Marcus."