Melanie raised her eyebrow at me.
"Yes, it was lovely to see you as well, and tell Janessa hello for me please. I will let you two know when I get a date set to see the venue."
He smiles and walks out of my office. As soon as he is out Melanie shuts the door and takes a seat in front of my desk.
"He hopes to see you soon?" she says with raised eyebrows. "He seems to be quite taken with you, Ember. Is there anything I should know?"
I laugh at the thought of what he is insinuating. "Don't be ridiculous. wait till you see Janessa, I wouldn't have a chance in hell with him."
"But you would like to?" she says playfully. "What would that jerk boyfriend of yours think?" She lets out a hardy laugh.
I sigh and sink down in my chair. "Don't get me started on that jackass."
"Have they met? Oh my. Do tell." she says as she claps her hands and bounces in her seat.
I shake my head and roll my eyes at her excitement. "I thought you were taking me to lunch."
"Fine, let’s go." she sounds disappointed.
"Seriously there is nothing going on there. He is just a really nice person. That’s it." I say as I open the door waiting for her to get up.
She gives me a look that translates to 'you're full of shit'.
"Whatever." I say as I walk out the door without her. She follows not saying anything.
The restaurant is just a few blocks from the office so we walk. Neither of us speak on the way there, but I can tell she wants to grill me. We sit in a booth near the back, with a nice view of Langdon Park. Sounds fancy but it’s really just a bunch of trees with a few trails at different activity levels; expert, aka kill me now, is five miles of ups and downs over large rock formations. Never again will I subject myself to that hellish trail.
"So, are you going to tell me how you met Mr. Drakos, or do I have to play the guessing game?" she pulls me from my memories of that awful trail.
"We met at the gala. It was the end of the night, almost everyone was gone and he saved me from hitting my head on the ground. You know I'm so clumsy in heels. That's it. Kade came while we were having a conversation and over reacted, then we left." I finally look away from the window to see if she is satisfied.
"Kade is such a prick.” she spits out making me let out a laugh. “Let me guess, he was so offended by the tattoos and made a scene?"
I shrug. It is sad that she knows that about my boyfriend. I know he hasn't always been that pleasant when they have met but she knows him better than I thought.
"Honey I hope I’m not overstepping but you really need out of that toxic relationship. Today is the first time I have seen you smile like that since the day I hired you. That carefree happy go lucky smile, I miss that. I know you don't love him. I’m not even convinced that you actually like him. Why do you stay with him when you can do so much better, deserve so much better?" she takes my hands in hers and looks at me waiting for me to answer.
What do I tell her? The truth is silly, but I can't lie to her. She is right, I don't love him and I never will. I finally decided to tell her the truth. "My mother is the reason I stay with him. It is what she wants for me and it is easier to stay then fight with her. She is just like him, or is he like her? I don't know, whatever."
She sits there looking at me like I am crazy. Maybe I am. I keep waiting for her to say something but she stays silent.
"Please say something."
"I don't know what to say. I could never push my daughter into a life of misery. I just can't imagine how a mother could think it is ok. Why, because he is wealthy? No, no I don't think so. You know you don't have to make anyone happy but yourself, right? You are so beautiful, kind and smart. You can do better than Malibu Ken." she is so angry but I can't help but laugh.
"Malibu Ken?"
Her face relaxes and she smiles at me. "I think it is spot on.'' we both laugh and look to see the waiter walking over.
We give him our order and continue to talk.
"Can you really tell me you don't have feelings for this new guy? And do you honestly think I believe you only met him one time. I may be old, but not that old." she laughs
"We have had a few encounters. He is kind and sweet and funny and I... I just...It could never happen, so it doesn't matter. He has a girlfriend anyway and she looks like an Amazon Princess."
"Are you sure? The way he looked at you was not the way a taken man looks at a woman."
I blurt out before I can stop myself "Wow, you are old!" I smack both my hands to my mouth, I can't believe I just said that to my boss.
She smiles and shakes her head at me. “Not all men are like Kade, some actually want to find their soulmate. True love does exist, you just have to be open to it Ember. I was 40 when I finally met the love of my life, and trust me honey I went through a lot of duds first. Even if it is not this guy, there is true happiness to be found. But I promise you it is not Kade, by staying with him you are just asking for a life of loneliness.”
I sat quiet for a while thinking about what she said. I know what she says about Kade is true but she sounds like Spence with all the soulmate crap. Before I have a chance to get my thoughts into words the waiter arrives with our lunch. Perfect timing.
“Ladies, who had the butterfly shrimp?” I raise my hand and he sets it down. “And you must have the trio special.” as he set the dish in front of Melanie.
“Thank you.” we say in unison.
She smiles at me. “Just think about it. That's all I ask.”
She has this motherly vibe that I have missed from my own mother. It makes me feel cared for, which makes me happy.
Chapter 9
Ember
Graduation day should be one of the happiest and proudest days of a girl's life, but mine is full of sorrow.
My name is called and I walk across the stage oblivious to what is happening elsewhere. I shake the dean's hand and take my rolled up piece of paper tied with a thin black ribbon. I will have to pick up my actual diploma when I turn in my gown.
I enjoy taking pictures with my friends and exchange party invitations. But as I look for my family they are nowhere to be found. This is not like my dad, he would move mountains to get to me. This is one thing I know he would never have missed. I call a few times, it goes straight to voicemail. I try my mom, same thing.
Now I am really worried. I rush to find the table at the back of the arena so I can make my exchange and then find my family. Avo and Papa should be here with my uncle but I can't seem to find any of them.
I search the crowd once more with no luck. The exit is blocked with graduates and their families trying to make their way out. I finally make my way out and I find my uncle just outside the arena entrance. He is talking on his phone, but as I got closer to him I realized he was stunned. Not moving.
“Uncle Tomen?”
He puts his arm down and the phone falls to the ground. “Bug.” I waited for him to say something else.
“Yes? Where is everyone?”
He shook his head and I could see the tears and fear in his eyes. “We need to go to the hospital, Bug. My parents just left to get there, I told them I would wait for you.”
At that moment my whole world began to crumble into pieces. I couldn’t bear to ask the question. I already knew it was bad. The ride to the hospital is long and silent, neither of us speak a word.
The emergency room is packed, Paramedics coming in one after another.
“I’m looking for my brother Thaddeus Beauvior, car accident.” Tomen rushes out to the reception desk.
“I’m sorry sir you’re going to have to wait.” replies the obviously stressed receptionist.
“They’re all from the accident, I have been waiting an hour and still no word on my son.” says an elderly lady sitting nearby.
There is nowhere to sit, the room is packed wall to wall with worried family members. “Tell me who called.” I look to my uncle.
He sighs and looks down at the floor. “Your mother.”
&nb
sp; “Where is she?”
“I don’t know, Bug. She just said there was an accident and Thad was here.”
We walk through the waiting room and find my grandparents sitting in the corner, Avo crying with her face in her hands and Papa trying to comfort her as best he can in his frightened state.
I move to the area in front of the TV. Footage on the news is of a massive accident on the freeway. “13 cars in total…appears to have been drinking and driving…lost control…dead on impact…” I couldn’t hear it all over the noise of the frantic parents and families waiting to hear if their loved ones made it.
I can feel the walls closing in around me. My heartbeat is all I can hear, pounding hard in my ears. Tears begin to build in my eyes and I try my best to stop them from falling. My eyes sting, when I blink there is no holding them in. They fall down my cheeks and continue to fall in a never ending stream. I'm scared.
Finally, my mother showed her face. “Ember. Honey we should talk.” her face is cut in a few places, stitches in her left eyebrow and bruised from her eye down to her jaw. Her hands have a few cuts and I can see the large bruise on her right shoulder. Maybe from the seatbelt.
Her eyes are red and I know she has been crying, but with her you never know if it is real or just for attention. She looks like she has been through hell, making me think that her sadness is genuine. That makes me even more worried and scared of the outcome of this day.
I want to see my dad. I need to see him. To know he is okay. I need him to tell me that everything will be fine, that he is fine. This fear bubbling inside of me is making me dizzy and I feel sick.
She leads me to where my grandparents and uncle are waiting. I look at her not sure what to say or do. We all look at her for some sort of assurance.
“Emmey” She never calls me that only daddy calls me that, she hates that nickname. “Honey, your father, well he is in surgery.” she takes my hands in heres and looks at the others before she continues to tell me what I don't want to hear. “The accident was really bad, and you know...you know how much your father hates wearing his seatbelt. He went...went through the windshield. And. He. I don’t know Emmey, it's bad.” she lets out a shaky breath and a few tears stream down her bruised cheek.
I wake up with tears in my eyes. Every year on the anniversary of the day I lost my father I relive that day. It plays in my dreams and tears my heart apart again, just like it did that day. I lay in bed and stare at the photo on my nightstand, the last one I ever took with my dad.
It was that morning, he woke me up and took me to breakfast for a pre-graduation celebration. When we got home there was a 2001 red Jeep Cherokee in the driveway with a big bow on it. “Now it is gently used, I know it’s a few years old but it is in great condition. I named him Georgie, not sure why just came to me.” my dad said as he handed me the keys. We had uncle Tomen take the picture of us with the new addition to the family.
Seems silly now, but it is the last memory I have of him. The last time I got to see him, to hug him, to hear his voice. I got ready for the graduation ceremony after that and never saw him again. That’s it. Just gone forever. My life changed in the worst possible way that day. As wrong as it is, I used to ask God why he took my dad and not my mom.
“Emmey, baby girl you up?” Spence askes through my bedroom door.
I met Spence the first day of college and we have pretty much been best friends since. It took me a while to get out of my state of depression but helped me to cope with the loss. He showed me that life was still worth living and helped me to find my path in life. He knows this day is always hard on me so he babies me.
“Yeah I’m up.” I yell back as I sit up and rub the last of my tears from my eyes.
He opens the door and as always has breakfast in hand. Every year he brings me the same thing. He goes out first thing in the morning and picks up crepes. It is comfort food to me, makes me feel warm and happy.
“Hope you are hungry, cus I may have gone overboard. You know I have a hard time choosing things.” he says as he starts emptying the takeout boxes from the bag and setting them on my bed. Seven boxes of different yummy things to try. We dig in, trying each of them and planning out the day.
“So how should we spend our day?” he asks.
“I don't care, you pick.”
We decide to go to a movie at the dollar theater, they always have the best movies on the line up. Never anything new, they only have three screens and never have anything newer than ten years old. Today we are lucky to have one of my favorites on the list.
Spence gets the tickets while I get the popcorn, candy and drinks. He meets me at the register and pays, he never lets me pay on this day of the year. We make our way to the theater and I do my side shimmy while I look for the best seat in the house. When we finally get settled I open my box of milk duds and Spence rips open his bag of gummy worms.
“So, this is the perfect day so far!” I say excitedly through a mouth full of caramel and chocolate.
“That’s gross Emmey. Don’t talk with your mouth full.” he says with a mouth full of gummies. We both laugh and playfully shove each other.
∞∞∞
We walk out of the theater laughing. “Stop it, I mean it.” he says
“Anyone want a peanut?” I answer
Laughing at each other we get into my Jeep and continue.
We both say. “Inconceivable.”
No matter how many times we see The Princess Bride we will forever love it. We spend the ride to the restaurant quoting the movie and making fun of each other. Then sing at the top of our lungs to Britney Spears, causing other cars to give us questioning looks. Not that we care what they think.
We decide on this new Caribbean restaurant for lunch. Spence and I love to be adventurous with our food. Though I have to admit some of the things he likes are just plain awful.
“Welcome, sit anywhere you like. I will be there in just a moment.” the waiter calls from the table he is helping. He has a slight accent, maybe Jamaican.
We take a table near the window, I love being able to look out and watch the world go by. We look over the menu that is already on the table. Skimming through it, everything sounds amazing.
“Thank you for coming out to try our menu. If you need me to explain any of the dishes to you just let me know. I must warn you most of it has a bit of spice, so if you are not wanting that I have a few recommendations.”
We look at each other and laugh. “We love spice.” Spence says.
“Perfect. Drinks? Appetizer?” he asks
“Water will be fine for me.” I answer.
“Me too. And can we get the conch fritters?” Spence says.
“Of course. Good choice, that is my favorite. Do you need more time for your lunch choice?”
“No, I think we are ready. I would like the curry goat.” I say with a smile, I love anything curry.
“I know most Americans are not accustomed to the way we prepare our food, so I want to be sure you are aware the bones are in the dish.” he says with a look somewhere between concern and annoyance.
“I don’t mind that.” I say and he smiles, then we both look to Spence.
“Oh, everything sounds so good. What do you recommend?”
“Have you ever tried shark? It is quite good.”
“Sold. I’ll have the Shark sandwich.” Spence says with a proud smile.
The waiter goes off to put our order in and returns after a few minutes with our waters and a small dish of fried sweet plantains.
“OMG, Emmey! These are so good!” Spence says as he is shoving them in his mouth.
“Well save one for me, Miss Piggy!” I say trying to grab one before he devours them all. He attacks my fork with his and tries to stop me from getting the last one. I win and let me say this may just be my new favorite sweet snack. I do my happy food dance as I chew it and Spence rolls his eyes at me.
“So, you are planning to come to the beach party this year right?” he asks.
I know he is talking about the first day of summer, it is a big deal in this city. “Yes, I wouldn't miss it for anything.”
“Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it. You left me hanging last year.” his face scrunches up in disgust. “For that asshat boyfriend of yours.”
I sigh and shade my head. “Yes I remember, and I regretted it every second I was stuck at that party with all those stuck up jerks. Don't worry, there is no way I would let him talk me into it. I will just go to the end of summer thing with him.”
“That really doesn't make me any happier. You should be with us for that too.” he gives me a fake smile and takes a drink. His dark eyes show his irritation.
“Look, I know he is not your favorite person, but he is a part of my life. I make compromises to try and keep everyone happy. I can't win here.”
“But why is he still a part of your life? You don't have to worry about your mother anymore, you kicked that bitch to the curb, so why not do what makes you happy now.” he pauses.
The waiter comes by with the fritters and pitcher of water. He refills our glasses, smiles. We thank him and he walks away.
Spence runs his hands through his jet black hair and continues. “I just don't understand why, Emmey. Why stay in a relationship that you are clearly not happy in? Why do you have to compromise?”
I pick up one of the fritters and take a small bite while I think of how to answer him. Why am I still with him? I don't really have a real answer for him. I have this fear of being alone and I know that has something to do with it so maybe that is the best route for this conversation.
“What else am I supposed to do, Spence. He is my best option at this point, and I have spent the last year and a half with him. What do you want me to do? Throw it all out and be alone for the rest of my life?”
He looks like I have just told him I am from Mars. “Why they hell do you think he is your only option? You can do better than Kade Graham. He may have all the things your mom wanted for you, but none of the things you want. What about McHotstuff? That is who you are supposed to be with.”
“That's enough of your superstitious destiny talk. I don't believe in that shit and you know it. There is no predetermined plan set out by some higher power. We control our lives and the outcome. The choices we make...” I stop as I see the waiter coming again.
Ribbon of Fate: Love or lust? Page 8