The Message in the Teacup - Part 1

The song “Ça va ça vient” by Vitaa and Slimane was playing through a small white speaker. Lyric lay in the sunshine, she knew she better put on more sunscreen.

“Ugg! My poor fair skin… and being out here is going to give me a million more freckles!”

“Which I happen to love the constellation of every single one of those freckles…”

Niko traced the freckles on her face with his finger. He smiled with a handsome smile and the sight of the slant of his teeth always made her face flush. The sun felt so good.

“I shall put more sunscreen on you though. Sunburn is no fun for you!”

They were out by a pool at a hotel. It was a gorgeous day to be on a honeymoon in Giverny, France.

He kissed the back of her neck and whispered in her ear.

“You look like a Monet painting, my love!”

A gentle shiver ran down her back and she grinned.

“I’m glad you think so, Mr. Italian mafia model!”

“Ya’ short guy with a mean uppercut!”

He jabbed the air as if he was boxing someone.

They watched a family across the pool who had several young children who were decked out in what seemed like an exuberant amount of floaty things. The dad was covered in tattoos from head to toe. The children didn’t appear to look like him but he cared for them as if he was a shepherd herding little lambs.

Lyric asked Niko, without looking at him, as she stared at the family across the pool,

“Do you think we’ll make good parents one day when the time comes?”

“Oh yeah, stellar parents… you and me, ya’ babe… we’re a good team… so yeah… we’ll be great.”

“I don’t know… sometimes I feel unsure. We do like our freedom.”

“Yeah, but one day you’ll probably wake up with baby fever and wanna get preggers…”

“Preggers? Gosh, who says that?”

“Your Italian meatball hubby.”

He laughed. Sweat beads dripped down his face.

“Come on let’s hop in the pool for a bit and then go get a shower back up in the hotel room.”

They both were wearing sunglasses as they slipped into the refreshing pool water. For fifteen minutes or so they swam around in the pool. When they got ready to go back to their hotel room, Lyric took one last glance at the cute children with their floats.

Niko was insecure about his height but he coped with it by making self deprecating comments about himself. He did this, mostly because, subconsciously, he thought that if he made fun of himself, then he’d beat other people to making fun of him first.

“You’re just gonna’ love my family when we travel to Italy. They’re wild and fun and my brothers are… hairy and loud.”

Lyric laughed.

“I’m sure we’ll have fun. It will be neat to see you with your family. It’s sometimes hard for me to picture how you might act around all your family members.”

“You’ll see… soon enough. This week in France is gonna’ fly by.”

“How is your family handling the fact that we just had a courthouse wedding?”

“Ha! They’re bummed because they like any chance they can get to celebrate and eat more food, but whatever we did what we wanted and that’s all that matters. I’m happy. Are you happy?”

“Yes! Of course, I am!”

She suddenly looked away. As she had said the words, she felt somewhat uncomfortable but couldn’t place exactly why.

They made it into the hotel bathroom. Niko turned on the tv to a sports channel. Lyric made it to the shower first and turned on the shower. She stepped into the shower and sighed. A few minutes later she saw a single pink tulip being lowered down the side of the shower curtain on the inside of the shower.

“Oh, what a lovely surprise! And there’s a chocolate kiss tied to it too!”

Niko smiled on the other side of the shower curtain.

“Knock knock. I’ve got some more kisses to deliver!”

“Okay, come on in delivery boy!”

He dropped his clothes in a pile on the bathroom floor and stepped into the shower with her. As the steam of the shower rose, he kissed her. Her auburn colored hair swirled like seaweed under the shower water. They embraced one another and let the water massage their skin.

“I ordered room service by the way…”

“You’re full of sweet surprises, aren’t you?”

He nodded. They got out of the shower and dried one another off with towels. They put on white bathrobes. There was a knock at the door. Niko grinned.

“I got it!”

He stepped to the door to answer it. The room service lady handed him the tray of food and tea cups. He noticed there was a tightly wrapped piece of paper in one of the empty teacups. He quickly set the tray down and unrolled the paper. All the paper said was the following:

“You’re on the list.”

He threw the paper in the bathroom trash can quickly.

“Everything okay?”

Lyric asked, as she was gently brushed the tulip across her cheek. She had always loved tulips. The flowers symbolized youthful affection to her.

Niko replied.

“Yep! All good! Just pouring the tea!”

He quickly poured the tea into the cups and brought the tray in to the bed where she was lounging casually.

“You are the absolute best! You know that?”

He smiled and handed her one of the desserts. The tea smelled good.

“You’re worth everything I have!”

They finished drinking the tea and eating the finger foods. Setting the tray on the end table they cuddled and listened to the hum and gentle rattled of the air conditioner.

In a wild flash, the glass window shattered into pieces. Niko jumped up and grappled with three masked figures. Lyric screamed for help. Niko fought wildly with impressive strength but he was clearly outnumbered. They pulled him through the open shards of the broken sliding door and they disappeared. Lyric screamed again in pure horror.

“Somebody please help me!”

It felt like an eternity passed and finally someone came to the door and knocked rapidly.

Lyric ran to the door, shaking uncontrollably.

“Call the police! My husband has just been abducted!”

The woman at the door was one of the house keeping ladies who was cleaning a room several rooms down from where they were staying. She said some French phrases, with a grave expression and pulled out her phone to call the police.

~~~~~

To read part 2, follow the link below to find out what happens: