that little girl stole my heart

Brandon Smith

I couldn't find the words; I couldn't believe it after so long, we finally met again.

Now she's here, sitting beside me with a little girl who acts as a barrier between us. I feel like I want to throw all the questions in my mind at her, but the little girl has diverted my attention.

Who is she? Why is she with Victoria, even last night also with her? Could she be her daughter? Does that mean she married someone after leaving me? Or could it be that she still has a husband and went to Canada to see him?

I can't stop wondering in my mind, this curiosity is torturing me but I'm also afraid of what reality I might hear later.

Throughout the time until the plane starts to take off, she just sits there beside the little girl, not looking at me at all, as if I were a stranger.

Could she see me as a stranger? Is it that easy for her to erase me from her heart after our love agreement? But if I'm just a stranger to her, then last night, why did she run when she saw me?

"Hey!"

Suddenly the little girl nudges my arm, making me turn to her and find her eyes staring at me so closely.

"Are you just going to be silent the whole time?" She asks with her cute voice.

"Uh..." Suddenly, I feel nervous. "I... I'm just thinking about something."

"It seems like I saw you last night."

"Oh really?" I raise my eyebrow and bite my lower lip, remembering how annoying the party was because I couldn't focus on the girl I chose after seeing Victoria.

"Was it you who threw the party last night?" She asks again and I just nod while smiling. "The last time I saw you, you were with a beautiful girl... Does that mean she's your girlfriend?"

"Um... No..." I shake my head, furrowing my brows. "I don't have a girlfriend... Last night, she was just someone who would be my friend and get a prize because she participated in the party, she seemed to have won the lottery." Finally, I lied because I didn't want Victoria to know that the party was held to choose a potential wife for me, that would make me look bad in her eyes.

The little girl nods her head, while Victoria keeps turning her face away as if she doesn't want to see me.

'Honestly, this is very sad and painful. She just left like that and now she treats me like a stranger... Does she think that our relationship is over? Does she think that I can accept the end of the relationship without saying a word?'

"I didn't win the lottery at all, but can I get a prize from you?" The little girl's question redirects my attention to her and I smile at her.

"Of course, you can have whatever you want... Just say it," I say, and instantly she smiles with joy, and I can't deny that she looks so much like Victoria but after I realize her eyes are so much like mine.

"Can I ask for an iPad? Or maybe a nice phone so I can always video call grandma without having to borrow mom's phone?" She asks again.

I nod, but suddenly Victoria interrupts. She scolds the little girl, but I can still hear her.

"You can't ask anything from strangers," she whispers, but I still hear her.

"But I want it! This is an opportunity!" The little girl protests.

"Sophia... You can't be like this, mommy never taught you to beg or put hope in someone you don't even know!" Victoria scolds her, making me irritated and immediately I pull the little girl to sit next to me. She immediately looks at me with a frown as if annoyed, but I divert my attention to the little girl.

"Your mom doesn't allow you to ask anything from me because I'm just a stranger to you. That's fair, so now we need to introduce ourselves," I say calmly and extend my hand to the little girl. "I'm Brandon Smith."

She grabs my hand and looks at me with her innocent eyes. "I'm Sophia Virginia Smith," she says, instantly making my eyes widen and my heart seems to stop beating.

My breath suddenly feels tight, shocked. Why does she have a last name like mine?

"I'm 4 years old... But I'll be five years in five months soon," she says again, making me stunned to see her eyes glistening mine.

"Sophia, we should order food." Suddenly Victoria hugs her waist and pulls her closer, but I immediately stop her and stare at her sharply.

"You owe me an explanation!" I whisper angrily.

"What?" She asks, furrowing her brow. "I don't think I need to explain anything."

"But she has my name, and she's over four years old... And... We've been apart for five years... Do you think I can't count?" I ask impatiently, unable to forget how we used to make love before she left me.

She just stays silent, still pulling Sophia so close to sit beside her.

Now my mind is in chaos, constantly watching those who are about to order food. I keep imagining if Sophia is my daughter, it means Victoria left me while pregnant. But why did she do that? Why didn't she tell me? Why did she just leave like that?

How did she go through her pregnant days without me, while her mother always had financial problems?

"Mom, is he my father?"

"No... he's not... He's not your father."

"But he said I have his name, and..."

"Enough, don't ask too much, this is adult's business!"

They talk quietly, but I still hear it. How can she say that I'm not her father? I keep remembering the date and month we parted, very clear and precise to say that she is my daughter unless she had sex with another man while she was with me. But why does she have my last name?

My mind starts to be haunted by curiosity, so I immediately stare at her seriously.

"We need to talk," I whisper.

"There's nothing to talk about," she replies without looking back.

I clench my fists, so eager to approach her and force her to explain everything but Sophia's presence is truly a barrier. She's still too young to hear this conversation.

"Alright, I won't ask for an explanation from you, but one thing you should know..." I sigh. "You can't leave me, I've already prepared a place for us in Canada."

She immediately stares at me sharply. "What? What's your business with me that you dare to do that?" she asks with a high tone.

I just stay silent, turning my gaze away from her. 'I can't say everything now or I'll get emotional and it'll be bad for Sophia,' I think anxiously.

"Brandon!"

She snaps, making me look at her. "What?"

"I won't be with you!" She shakes her head.

"After leaving me for so long without reason, and now you want to avoid me again? It won't happen. I won't let you go again until you settle your problem with me!" I assert.

"There's no more business between us!"

"No!" I reiterated. "You have to be accountable for all the promises you've made to me... It's not something you can just brush off. I've been trapped in that promise... for five years... That's not a short time!"

She sighed, silent, immediately turning her face away.

"You arranged all this," she said, while Sophia remained silent, her face looking puzzled by our conversation. "You're the one who upgraded my ticket?"

"Yes... I did. I wanted us to have time to talk... There weren't too many core questions in my head, but now that I know about her..." I glanced at Sophia. "The questions are piling up..."

"I have a husband," she suddenly said.

I furrowed my brow, surprised, but remembering her attitude last night and now, made me smirk cynically.

"No, you don't have a husband... You can't lie to me," I said.

"I'm not lying, I am indeed married... And that's actually why I left you," she replied, hurting me but I didn't want to believe it. I immediately glanced at Sophia again. "Does your mother have a husband? Where is your father?" I wondered.

She just shook her head, making me feel relieved.

"You have to be with me for a week to explain everything," I grinned at Victoria.

Of course, she slimly stared at me sharply, looking angry, but it didn't diminish her beauty.

"I won't be with you for a week, I won't even want to be with you for a day!" She asserted.

I sighed, looking ahead and unbuttoning the top button of my white shirt because suddenly I felt hot.

"You don't have a choice..."