by Claire Angel
While he thought of building wealth for himself, though, and leaving the home he had known his entire life, Belinda was comfortable with anything; so far as he was always with her.
“I want everything you want, Kenneth,” she often told him. “I would live anywhere with you.”
He adored her as much as she adored him, but the fact that she didn’t have dreams of her own seldom annoyed him. It made it difficult for him to pursue his own dreams, knowing she was never going to be any form of motivation.
When he began to travel to various parts of the country, learning about real estate and investing in buildings and companies, he had expected that Belinda would want to come with him, but she never suggested it. She often welcomed him home with a broad smile and happy hugs, but they were never enough. It didn’t take long before he began to think that he didn’t love her as much as he used to.
Eventually, during the third year of their marriage, he spent more time traveling than he spent at home. His mother fought him all the time about this, but he wouldn’t listen to her. She flung herself at the door once and asked him if the world outside of his home gave him much joy than his family did.
He had stared intently into her eyes and glanced over his shoulder to find Belinda staring hopefully at him. He couldn’t bear to look at her for long before his gaze dropped to his feet. “You have to step away from the door, mother,” he muttered under his breath.
He wished his mother had been headstrong enough to not oblige him, but she had stepped away, shaking her head at him. “You choose them over your family,” she said.
He wondered for many years what she meant by “them.” When he returned after his trip and noticed that Belinda hardly clung to him anymore, he also wondered if something had changed while he was gone. He didn’t ask questions, though; he didn’t think there was any need to. He only came home once in a few weeks, noticing the happiness in Belinda’s eyes, slowly dwindling and doing nothing about it.
One afternoon, after being gone for three full months, he came back to find her frail body on their bed. His mother was beside her, along with some maids and he had frozen at the door, knowing there was nothing he could do.
“Kenneth?” Belinda had whispered as he knelt beside her and held her hand.
“I am here,” he whispered, but it seemed as if she couldn’t see him. Her eyes sunk deep as if she was somewhere else.
“You are here,” she said. “You are really here to love me.”
Her words made no sense to him, but he nodded and inched close to her. “I love you,” he said regretfully. “I have always loved you.”
He kissed her forehead, hoping to make her feel better, but the little light in Belinda’s eyes was gone by the time he went back to his knees to stare into them.
She died because of him, he told himself as the tears slid down his cheeks. Nobody told him differently.
∞∞∞
As per Carlton’s instructions, a cup of tea was brought to him ten minutes later. Kenneth sipped only half of the cup before stepping into the bathroom and freshening up for the day. By the time he stepped downstairs, Carlton was instructing the gardener about mowing the fields and asking the residents if they would want their surroundings to be mowed as well.
“Okay, Mr. James.” The gardener said just before Kenneth joined them. “Mr. Kenneth,” he also greeted as soon as he noticed him.
“Alan,” Kenneth greeted back.
The gardener left them alone while Kenneth turned to Carlton. “How many for the new month?” he asked.
“The total number of occupied houses is up to seven. We have got four left and three bookings. Most of the residents paid for a few months.”
“Arrangement for guides?” Kenneth asked.
“Well, none has requested yet. Half of the numbers are returnees. Besides, they know to come to the mansion if they need a tour around the place, not that the signs wouldn’t help too.”
Kenneth nodded. “Food and drinks should be available when required,” he instructed. “And spare sheets for the beds and curtains.”
“Already being arranged.”
“What other arrangements need to be discussed then?” he began to step towards the dining table where a meal was already being set for him.
“Wood,” Carton trotted behind him. “Winter is upon us, regardless of how sunny the past few days have been. We need to start piling up woods.”
“I will take care of that,” he responded flippantly, leaning back to place a napkin over his thighs as a maid stepped towards the table to uncover his meal.
Carlton blinked at him.
“What?” he asked.
“You—you have never opted to fetch wood.” he cleared his throat.
Kenneth nodded quietly in response while thinking about the ten minutes he had had to himself earlier in his room. It had turned out to be one of the most meditative moments of his life, especially with the nightmare he had again. He realized he might never be able to escape his past until he made efforts to make his present life meaningful. That included having to do things around the house on his own… or maybe doing things differently.
“I will fetch the wood, alongside you,” he muttered with a tone that indicated he didn’t want to be questioned.
Carlton nodded without a word and padded away, leaving him to enjoy his meal.
Everyone knew better than to question him when his mind was made up.
Chapter 4
Chloe arrived in San Miguel de Allende four days after her visitation to the Alder’s mansion. Against her expectation, she had stayed in the bungalow until the next morning, just to please Kelly, who wanted to spend more time with her. She talked about her new job as a storekeeper and about Dom Kingsley, a guy that she was currently head-over-heels in love with. As usual, it was more about Kelly than it was about anyone else.
On the plane to Mexico, Chloe thought about Mrs. Kings and the subtle way she had pointed out that she had turned out better than Kelly, who really didn’t care about anyone other than herself. Sometimes, Chloe told herself that her sister cared about her; Kelly was just too complex to understand, considering that she seldom spoke about her feelings…until recently.
A smile crossed Chloe’s face as she remembered the joy with which Kelly spoke about Dom.
“Chloe, you have got to stay tonight, so I can tell you all about him and how he frequents the store just for me!” she said.
Of course, Chloe was interested to hear all about it. Kelly often spoke about various men in the past, but it felt different this time around. She was beaming with smiles and was somewhat anxious to mention Dom’s name.
The rest of the night had ended with them hurdling close to each other on the sofa as Kelly narrated how Dom had finally asked her out on a date after visiting the store several times without purchasing anything.
Eventually, after almost four hours of ruminating about her sister finding happiness in the arms of a strange man, the plane finally landed in Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City. She checked through immigration, picked up her luggage, and exited the Arrivals Gate. Meandering through the little crowd of people waiting for loved ones and taxis at the gate, Chloe luckily found her driver in time. He was a middle-aged Mexican who held up her name on a board and smiled broadly as soon as she waved at him.
“Hi, Miss Coleman,” he said with an accent. “Let me help with those bags.”
Chloe had done her research before choosing Mexico for her vacation. She was glad when she was told a good percentage of the local population could speak and understand English because it was home to thousands of Americans and a huge tourist attraction. Besides, the resort home she had chosen situated in San Miguel de Allende, a beautiful remote town located in the Bajio Mountains of central Mexico, had recommendations from a lot of people who had visited from the United States.
“Thank you,” she smiled at the driver as he carefully placed her loads in the trunk of his car and helped her into the
back seat.
“Welcome to Mexico, Miss Coleman,” he said. “I am Robert, but you can call me Rob. We will be driving to your lodge now.”
She nodded while he smiled at her through the rear-view mirror and drove the car down the road. The city was more beautiful than she had seen in pictures. Somehow, the thought of a vacation had stuck in her head after her date with Andrew, and in subsequent days that she worked, she had searched for places with a beautiful vacation home to visit – at least, somewhere quite close but outside of Denver. When she had come across pictures of San Miguel de Allande – especially the mountains and rivers, she had absolutely loved it.
The mountains and open fields, along with the rivers that surrounded the city, gave it a medieval look. Alongside those, the car drove by tall, old buildings and wooden stores that excited Chloe, even before they left the middle of the city towards the peace and quiet of the mountains.
They drove for three hours from Mexico City to San Miguel, stopping at Guanajuato to get tacos and coffee. As Rob drove into the city, Chloe gasped at the charming baroque Spanish architecture lining the narrow, cobblestoned streets.
Rob finally stopped the car in front of a large gate and stuck his head out of a window so the security cameras could identify him and open the gates. A few seconds later, there was a soft beep, and the gates opened wide to let them in.
“Welcome to The Belinda’s Resort,” he glanced over his shoulder, giving her a warm smile.
Chloe was impressed with the security, beauty, and hospitality of the resort, even before she could glance out the window to notice the tall trees at each side of the pavement they drove down and the large fountain Rob stopped the car in front of. Behind the fountain, a two-story mansion stared back at her.
“We are here,” Rob announced.
“Thanks, Rob,” Chloe whispered, stepping out of the car.
Her friendly driver stepped out too and opened the booth to pull out her bags. Then, he glanced at the mansion, drawing her attention to another middle-aged man who was walking down the stairs with two women dressed in housekeeping dresses. “Welcome to The Belinda’s Resort,” the man said. “My name is Carlton, and I am the caretaker. The maids will help with your bags to your lodge.”
As he spoke, the women stepped beside Rob and picked up her bags. Chloe stepped towards the man and took the hand he stretched out to her. “It is a pleasure to be here,” she told him.
“Oh, just wait until you see where you will be staying for the next two months,” he winked at her. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
She decided she was going to like him as he turned to his left and began to lead her away from the mansion towards a path into the mountains behind the house. Chloe briskly waved at Rob before trotting behind him, along with the maids that held her bag.
“Do you speak any Spanish, Miss Coleman?” he asked.
“Not really,” she confessed. “I did buy a dictionary in case I have got to learn during my stay.”
“Beautiful,” he said. “I can help you to learn if you want.”
He paused in his step and whirled his hands in the air as he said. “It would be a thing of beauty to visit a place as stunning as this and return home with a language as beautiful as Spanish too.”
There was a tone with which he spoke that she couldn’t classify as an accent. His voice sounded cheerful and sweet, and she couldn’t ignore the way his eyes darted excitedly in their sockets too. She wondered if it meant that he was excited about his job as a caretaker.
“Your English,” she whispered when they began to walk again. They were already passing by a few houses, and she noticed that each one had beautiful flowers deliberately grown around it to give it a homely look. She could hear water splashing nearby and already imagined the scene of a beautiful waterfall.
“What about it?” Carlton asked, drawing her attention back to him.
“It sounds perfect,” she said.
“Well, thank you,” he said. “I didn’t always live in San Miguel. In fact, I have only spent eight to nine years here in Mexico, taking care of the resort.”
She nodded while taking in more of the scenery around her. There was at least a quarter-mile distance between each house in the resort, and she was thankful for that. Each resident had their privacy and the contentment from that made her beam to herself.
“Here,” Carlton grinned, stopping in front of a cottage beside a stream to smile at her. “You like it?”
“I—I love it.”
Liking it was an understatement. Chloe loved the well-cut grasses around the house and the pots of vibrant flowers on the front porch. The air was fresh because of the stream, and she couldn’t wait to walk around the entire resort to see what else was in store.
“There is a telephone in each lodge to contact the mansion, the restaurant, and the spa,” Carlton said, stepping onto the front porch and pulling out a key from the pocket to open the front door. He handed the key to her once he was done. “There are arrangements for interacting with other lodgers if you want. We offer a bonfire and a tour in the mountains.”
“I would love that,” she responded, unable to hide her excitement.
Satisfied with her response, Carlton stepped away from the door, allowing her to open it herself. The inside of the cottage was even more beautiful than the outside. There was a fireplace, paintings on the wall, a work table and very comfortable cushions on the couch in the center of the room. Everything was brightly colored in the room and offered a lot of warmth.
“Dinner can be ordered in a few hours,” Carlton said behind her, “but if you want tea, someone could bring a cup to you.”
It felt weird to have people attending to everything she needed. Chloe guessed she deserved it, considering that she had just spent all her money from her last job to get herself a beautiful vacation. “I do not mind the tea,” she whispered over her shoulder, and the maids rushed in to drop her bags and then hurried out of the house.
“Ten minutes, give or take,” Carlton said, stepping away with them.
Alone in the house now, Chloe heaved a sigh and smiled to herself. She ought to be grateful she had met Matt in the restroom two weeks ago. She slowly sat on one of the cushions, closed her eyes and bit her lips in pleasure. She sat without moving for a few minutes, thinking about all the pleasure she could have with walks around the resort or even interacting with the other guests.
“You really deserve this vacation, Chloe. You do.” she grinned to herself. “And yes,” she sighed, “you need to shower, unpack and get into new clothes.”
She was already making her way to the bathroom when someone knocked on the door. It turned out to be her tea, as promised. Carlton smiled as usual as he presented her with a tray, carrying her tea in a mug and two yummy-looking pancakes.
“Thanks,” Chloe beamed at him, going for the pancakes first as soon as she collected the tray from him.
“You are welcome,” he whispered, bowing his head before leaving her to her cottage back.
Chloe shut the door with her feet and took her time to enjoy the tea and pancakes. She had a smile on her face the entire time, especially since the pancakes tasted as delicious as they looked. It meant that the delicacies from the kitchen would always be delicious and she looked forward to tasting more when dinner came.
By the time she stepped out of the bathroom an hour later and unpacked her bags, she realized there was something else about the resort. It was actually San Miguel as a whole that made it just the perfect vacation home for her. The climate was cold during the morning, afternoon and evening in Denver; but in San Miguel, the afternoon was mildly warm while the cold came with the evening when people were probably back in their cottages.
Despite how cold it was, Chloe found that she enjoyed walking around the compound of the cottage in her trousers and a coat that covered her upper body down to her knees. She had merely spent an hour unpacking her clothes from her bag before deciding to pull on her coat and walk arou
nd the house as soon as the sun was down. The stream she had noticed earlier caught her attention first, and she had stood by its bank, staring at it and trying to see if she could see where the water flowed from.
Eventually, after walking a few minutes she noticed the river came from within the mountains, which were a long distance from her cottage. She returned to her starting point, preferring to get someone that could guide her around the large resort home instead of getting lost on her own.
She didn’t return to the cottage, nonetheless. She took a stroll along the path that led to the mansion as it was getting darker. A few houses were already brimming with lights from bulbs inside and out. She stopped at one of the houses when she heard laughter from a man and a woman. From the open windows, she noticed a man picking up a woman and whirling around playfully with her until they both fell on a cushion. The woman hit his chest, and they both reeled with laughter.
Beautiful, she thought to herself, even though the sight unexpectedly made her feel lonely. Somehow, she was back in Stapleton, and with one of the men she tried to feel connected to. She invited him home after he had taken her to a beautiful Christmas carol. Although she always knew he genuinely loved her, she couldn’t bring herself to love him back. When he stepped into her sitting room, he had lifted her off her feet and had gently dropped her onto the sofa so he could kiss her.
Chloe had to admit that it was an impressive romantic gesture. She let him kiss him because she wanted him to. For a minute, she had writhed her body against him, feeling desire pooling between her thighs. But all these things happened with her eyes closed. By the time she opened her eyes and stared into his lustful ones, she felt her desires fading against her wishes. She didn’t love him, and feeling lust just wasn’t enough for her.