Chapter 20: Joy & Sorrow (Part 3 - The Lady)
[December 1905]
Few weeks had passed since Roy left for Central City, and Riza was missing him very badly. She remembered the promise he made to her before leaving, that he would marry her the next time he returns and take her with him. The memories were one of the major things to keep her happy, and the others were novels, especially romance novels. That day also, she was sitting on the sofa, reading some novel, when she heard the door open. It was Matilda, the caretaker of Riza and the house. She had some grocery bags in her hand. Riza quickly put her book on the sofa and went to Matilda to help her with the groceries.
Matilda handed over the grocery bags to Riza and said, "I have brought some strawberries and kiwis as you wished. By the way, you don't like Kiwis much, now why all of a sudden did you demanded them?"
"I don't know. I just saw an image of Kiwi in a book, and I felt like I should eat one," Riza replied.
Riza went to the kitchen and left the groceries at a proper place, and returned back with a glass of water. She gave the glass to Matilda, who was now sitting on the sofa. When Matilda took the glass, she noticed beads of sweat on Riza's forehead. So, she asked with a concerned voice, "Are you feeling alright dear?"
"I am feeling a bit sick from few days, but its ok," Riza replied with a smile.
Matilda kept the glass aside and quickly stood up from the sofa with a worried look on her face. She shouted, "WHAT? YOU'RE SICK AND YOU ARE TELLING ME NOW?" She started checking Riza's temperature by placing her hand on Riza's neck and forehead.
"Ms. Becker you are worried for nothing," she persuaded and continued, "I am just fi-." But, before she could complete her sentence, she fainted and fell on the floor. Matilda got terrified upon watching that, she quickly bent down and placed Riza's head on her lap. Then she sprinkled the water in the glass on Riza's face. After 5 minutes, Riza gained consciousness and found her head resting on Matilda's lap. Matilda got happy upon seeing Riza conscious.
"Oh, baby…I am feeling very bad…I am definitely a terrible caretaker," Matilda sobbed.
"How many times have I told you? You have always been my mother and not a caretaker." Riza said while getting up.
Matilda then helped Riza sit on the sofa, and she sat beside Riza with a worried face. She then looked at Riza and said worriedly, "We are going to the doctor."
"I already met the doctor yesterday," Riza informed hesitantly.
"WHAT! You already been to the doctor, and I don't know about it?" Matilda looked confusingly toward Riza.
Riza narrowed her eyes. "Sorry, I should have informed you," She apologized with a low voice.
Matilda sighed and took a moment before speaking. She asked, "So, what did the doctor say?"
"He said that-" Riza paused and was not making any eye contact with Matilda. She was looking at the floor nervously. This made Matilda more anxious.
"HE SAID WHAT? Now you are making me wor-" Matilda shouted.
"He said that I am pregnant," Riza interrupted by finishing off her answer, and soon after that, she started blushing.
Matilda was speechless. She was looking at Riza with widened eyes and open mouth. It took a moment for her to calm down.
"It seems that you are happy. Are you going to tell him?" Matilda asked politely.
"Not now. I want to give him a surprise when he will return," She kept blushing, averting her eyes from Matilda.
"Do you think he will accept this child?" Matilda asked.
Riza stopped blushing and looked toward Matilda. She replied confidently, "We know each other from quite a long time Ms. Becker and I can tell when he lies. This time he was quite serious about marrying me. I know him. He will not ever lie to me."
"But you know he is military. What if something happens to him? You know the conditions in Ishval…lots of soldiers have lost their lives and few of them were even Roy's age," Matilda said with a worried face.
"Ms. Becker, can you please stop filling my mind with those thoughts?" Riza angered.
"All right. But, tell that idiot of yours. If after getting married, he treats you any bad, Ms. Becker will come and ruin his pretty face," Matilda joked, which made Riza laugh.
Time passed on, and Riza was now 2 months into her pregnancy. Matilda was taking care of her and her unborn child. But there was one thing which was making her restless most of the time. There was no letter or anything from Roy after he left. So Riza finally decided to contact Roy, and she called at the number on the contact card which Roy gave to her during her father's funeral.
A phone rang at the Central Headquarters, and a lady picked up the phone. "Hello, Central Headquarter. How may I help you?" The lady responded.
"Can I please talk to Major Roy Mustang, The flame alchemist?" Riza asked hesitantly.
"May I know your name?" The lady enquired.
"It's Riza Hawkeye," Riza replied.
"Hold on, I am calling Major Mustang's office and let him know," The lady informed.
Riza was very happy that finally, she was going to talk to Roy. But, all the happiness disappeared from her face when she heard the lady's voice after a minute.
"Sorry Miss Riza, but he can't talk to you now. He is busy with some urgent work," The lady said.
Riza got upset and hanged up the receiver. After that, she kept on calling Roy for 3-4 days and she always received the same answer. On the fifth day, when she called the headquarters again. Again the lady picked up the receiver and answered the call with her usual greeting, "Hello, Central Headquarters. How may I help you?"
"May I talk to Major Mustang? It's Riza Hawkeye," Riza asked anxiously.
In response, Riza received a very harsh reply. "Miss Riza, Major Mustang told me to inform you that he can't talk with you and asked you to stop calling him," the lady answered annoyingly.
Riza hanged up the receiver and sat on the sofa. Gradually, tears started sliding down her cheek, then she started hiccupping. She didn't cry out loud, but still, the suppressed voice of cries reached into Matilda's ears. As soon as Matilda heard the faint cry, she ran to see what happened and found Riza lying on the sofa with her head down and crying.
Matilda went near Riza and rubbed Riza's back gently. "What happened, dear?" She asked politely.
Riza quickly sat up and hugged Matilda tightly. "How can he do that? He promised me, he will come and take me with him," Riza sobbed.
Matilda understood what happened as she was watching her calling Roy every day and receiving no response from his side, which made her sad. She kept on rubbing Riza's back gently to sympathize with Riza.
"Don't worry child. I am here for you. Forget that bastard," Matilda assured.
Riza on the other side, kept on crying on Matilda's shoulder and kept on repeating the word, "Why? Why?" With every time she said that word, her voice was fading. Finally, she fell asleep on Matilda's shoulder uttering the same word again and again, in a faint voice.
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