Chapter 1.11 "Ian's Homecoming"

I

Ian's Homecoming

Ian woke to the sunshine. The trip home had been less upsetting than the trip over, mainly because he was filled with such hope and expectations for his new life.  He hadn't gone to China with the thoughts of finding a wife, but now that he had met Maya, he was more than glad that he did.  A whole new chapter of his life was about to begin and he couldn't wait to get started.  So he jumped out of bed and went to find his pretty little wife.  He found her in the kitchen making breakfast.  He touched her shoulder and Maya jumped and backed away from him.  Her reaction to his touch concerned him and he tried to approach her more softly.
  

"I am so glad you are here," he whispered to her.

Maya smiled.  "Well, aren't you sweet in the morning.  I'm making you breakfast.  Are you hungry?"  

"Starving.  But not for food!" He held out his hand to her and waited for her to respond. She glanced down at his hand and placed her hand in his.  Ian reached behind her to turn off the stove, noticing her wince slightly at the movement of his arm.  Taking her other hand gently, he led her to the bedroom to show her just how glad he really was. Their lovemaking was gentle and sweet.  Nothing like the night they had spent together in China, and he found he loved her all the more for this side of her he had not yet seen. What a lucky guy am I, he thought to himself.  My very own sex kitten rolled into this beautiful, giving woman. I shall never be left wanting.  If only I can get her to fully trust me, and understand that I will never hurt her.

As much as Ian just wanted to spend the day in bed, his frugal nature was pulling him back to work. He spent the rest of the day sculpting; working towards his goal of being able to sculpt with stone. He wasn't quite there yet, but he felt another three days of work would do the trick and then he could start making some serious money and a name for himself in the field.  That was one of the things he appreciated about Maya. She was artistic herself and her paintings were were so detailed and beautiful.  She wouldn't have any trouble working to the top of her skill in this type of environment. He planned to introduce her to sculpting as well.  If she could produce such wonderful paintings, he couldn't wait to see what she could do with clay!

Ian was quickly finding out that saving Maya from her situation was not an instant fix.  She almost appeared lost at first, not knowing what to do and unsure of her place. He was very gentle with her in his speech and movements. More than a few times that first day, she had flinched at his movement or taken involuntary steps away from him.  He understood why it was she was acting the way she was, yet it surprised him as well.  They had spent several days together in China, and he didn't think he had done anything that could had given her the idea he was an abusive man. But the more he thought about it, she was careful with him too.  At the time, he thought it was just because she wanted to be proper, as a married woman should do. However he missed the signs that clearly showed she was frightened around men as well.  All because he was too caught up in his desire to save her and ultimately have her for himself.

He had others issues as well.  Her Chinese traditional training ran deep and it was going to take some time to get her to understand that this was a new world and they were husband and wife, not man and slave.  His first lesson was to get her to understand that meal time was shared together.  Supper came that first evening and while he went to sit on he stool at the island, she went to stand against the wall.  Eventually he got her to sit beside him and eat when he told her he would not eat another piece of food until she did so.  Then he made her sit while he did the dishes.  They had several more discussions about chores around the house, all the while Ian trying to get her to understand that she was not there to serve him.  Chores would be shared.  He made the mistake of joking that if she didn't listen to him about chores, that he would tie her to a chair and make her watch him clean. Not a smart thing to say.  Her eyes went big as saucers and she was so scared he could smell the fear radiating off her.  He quickly apologized and then very matter of fact pointed out that he didn't even own a chair, so how was he going to do that? That had them sharing a brief laugh together. After that, he asked her if she wanted to head up to bed.  They climbed into bed together and he turned to her and asked if he could hold her while they slept.  Maya looked uncertain but she did slide over and he placed his hand on her hip.  Baby steps he thought.

After that first day, Maya seemed to settle in a little better and kept herself busy with her art.  He was happy that she could now devote herself to the passion she so long had to hide.  She spent hours at the paint easel happily focused on painting after painting.  Her skills were wonderful and he wondered what kind of masterpieces she could produce with time and practice.  He did manage to get her away from the paint easel for other things, like scuba diving. 

She wasn't keen on getting into the water, until he told her all the wonderful treasures that could be found on the shallow sandy floor. Then she decided that it might not be so bad after all.  The spent the afternoon on the second day, just splashing around in circles finding shells, toys and a few other items.

That night he insisted on cooking and made her a meal of macaroni and cheese, which was a new dish for her to try.  She kept standing up from the chair at the island, and he kept asking her politely to sit down and let him cook.  He did however, try to phrase it like a loving husband and not a command, as she was used to with Shen. 

She was definitely unsure about having a meal cooked for her, but when he placed the bowl in front of her she dug in and was pleasantly surprised at Ian's cooking skill.  He wanted to explain that it really was a simple dish that even a child could make, but decided that any praise from Maya, was a step in the right direction for their marriage.

The next morning Maya approached Ian and tentatively brought up the subject of the lack of furniture in the house. He agreed that now there was two in the house, that maybe more furniture would be a good thing.  With the sale from all the gems he collected in China, they would certainly be able to afford a living room suite.  He headed down to the kitchen and pulled out his computer, to do some shopping online.  He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear Maya come up behind him to look over his shoulder.  Her feathery light touch on his shoulder startled him and he stopped what he was doing and looked up. 

She had started to lightly rub the back of his head and he was so pleased all he wanted to do was turn around and kiss her.  Instead he briefly smiled and closed his eyes enjoying the affection she was giving him. Not wanting to let her know she had startled him or how pleased he was by the affection, he went back to searching the web for some good affordable pieces. Maya offered her opinion and together they choose a sturdy couch, rocking chair and television. He placed the order for delivery the following day.



Later that afternoon it started raining heavily, but he was glad because it meant the paparazzi and the party folk would stay off the island and leave them alone; if just for one night.  The rain was one of the main reasons why he took the trip to China.  Since fall had set in it seemed like it had been heavily raining day and night.  The silence in the house had been deafening and made him feel a little claustrophobic.  At least now he had Maya.

***Pictures are still to come and this post is slated to be re written shortly.