by Leen Elle
As Promise gathered her things and completed her paperwork Colin wandered down to the gift shop to purchase Mrs. Helen's rose. While browsing the shop he came upon a man who was ricocheting customer to customer in a panic. Colin approached him calmly and asked him his plight.
"My wife! Have you seen my wife? She was just here a moment ago."
"She can't have gone far," Colin tried to reason then offered, "I'll help you look for her. What does she look like?"
The man described a woman that sounded a delight to behold. In his mind's eye the woman was young and beautiful much like Promise in her features; however, his belief of this woman must be flawed. The man looked well into his sixties and his envisioned ages let time enough for the time between to have a midlife crisis.
"I saw her last by the flowers. Oh where could she have gone?"
Colin wandered to the small selection of flowers, plucking a rose for Mrs. Helen and looking about for the man's spouse. After the flower was his own he spotted Promise across the store and hurried to her side.
"What took you so long?" she inquired, "Mrs. Helen thinks you've forgotten about her."
"I'll go apologize but I was helping a man find his wife. He lost her in the shop."
"In this shop?" she questioned in disbelief, "you can't lose somebody in here if you tried. Where is this man? What's his name?"
"He didn't say."
"You take that rose up to Mrs. Helen and I'll find him." However just the words escaped her lips a hand closed about her arm.
"Have you seen my wife? I'm terribly worried about her; she's lost."
"Mr. Mervin?" Promise asked with in a tone that told him the riddle was solved. The fact she knew the man's name didn't bode well for his pride remaining intact.
"Cynthia?" he hugged her to him and kissed her cheek. "I thought you were lost."
Colin fidgeted as understanding dawned. Uncomfortable in his gullibility he announced, "I'm going to take Mrs. Helen her rose. Then we can leave."
Promise brought Mr. Mervin out of the shop with her; while she convinced him to return upstairs with her Colin went on ahead. Approaching Mrs. Helen he rolled the rose between his fingers and extended it to her with a slight bow to his head.
"Your rose," he said pleasantly.
"What took you so long?" she asked taking the rose from him and fingering the delicate petals.
"I thought you forgot about me."
"I ran into Mr. Mervin in the shop," he said in excuse.
"That old coot?" she hooted gleefully, "did Miss. Promise rescue you?"
"She did."
"Miss. Promise is a good woman. She cares about us. She's not married you know."
"I know."
She studied her rose, running her fingers along the petals again. He was formulating an acceptable departure when she said to herself. "I matched all my girlfriends up back in the day. I imagine I haven't lost my touch." Looking up at Colin she extended the rose back to him. "It was very nice of you to give me this young man but I want you to take it and give it Miss. Promise."
"I'm sure she'll be very thankful to you for it."
"Oh no, no you misunderstand me. I'm giving it to you to give it to her from you."
"I can't take your rose Mrs. Helen I'll buy Promise one later."
"Before you leave," the elderly woman insisted.
"I'm all out of money right now but I'll get her one soon," he told her, "I need to go now. Promise is waiting."
"Did Mrs. Helen engage you in a deep theological discussion?" she teased at his lateness but went unheard.
As the doors to Sunray Gardens closed behind them he asked, "why is Mrs. Helen in the dementia unit?"
When Haruko contacted her next on IM-Loved his tone had changed.
When's the last chapter taking place? Do we get to do the wedding too? I want you, Selah. I want you to be my wife and I want you to want me. Do you love me, Selah? I love everything about you.
Wanting to stop this before it progressed too far she typed back:
You're moving too fast, Haruko. I only just shook your hand last week. We need to slow down. I think I'm staring to feel something for you but I want to be loved for more than my looks. I want love not lust. I'm just like any other girl: I don't want to get hurt.
His reply came back before she signed out that night.
You think I could hurt you? Surely you know I could never hurt something so beautiful. I don't want to hurt you; I want to marry you. You think I'm moving to fast but I've been patient. My last wife was mine before we passed a dating anniversary.
Last wife? Had there been one before that? Suddenly uncomfortable with this man she realized she really knew nothing about Selah typed a reply that would pave the way to a slow break off that should be painless for the both of them.
I think it's best if we don't talk for a bit. I've been meaning to spend more time with my friends. Maybe we can both think with clearer heads if we don't see or speak to each other for say a week? Just one week and then we can start up communication again with renewed minds. Perhaps then we'll bother have a better hold on reality.
The reply he sent to that was the first she received that bordered perilously close to offensive. When she tried to pull away from that he lashed out then apologized profusely. They were on rocky ground the next several emails but soon they settled back into understanding or so she thought.
"She suffers from relapses resulting from a head injury. When they come she's thrown into states on near hysteria. She forgets where she is and panics. She doesn't look like much but adrenaline pumps through that small body faster than a lead foot drops the petal in a brand new sports car."
"Very poetic."
"Very sad. Her husband refused to visit her until medications were found to restrain her outbursts. He said he couldn't bear to see her deteriorating like that. Last time he was there she scratched his face and left a scar from his cheek to his chin. The day we were going to call him we received news he had passed away in his sleep the night before. That was six months ago."
"What's Mr. Mervin's story?"
"He's the ward's escape artist extraordinaire. He can't remember his wife died three years ago. He's always sneaking down to the gift shop to get her flowers. He's harmless as Mrs. Helen says," she told him over the top of his car as he leaned forward to slip the key into the lock, "don't be embarrassed; he's a very convincing man."
"Doesn't he bother the costumers?"
"Most clerks have noticed an increase in the sale of flowers when he's there. They normally don't mind keeping an eye on him until we send someone down."
"You work in an amazing place, Prick. Far lively than mine."
"I've told you before, Colin; you're in the wrong sterile room."
"I wouldn't be able cater to their needs all day. You try to right the wrongs done to these people everyday. I find their relatives the closure and justice when they need it most."
Once they were settled into the car and moving towards their destination he became uncomfortable with the silence that had fallen. However, he decided to let her speak first. She wasn't used to working day shift and she wasn't used to working in the dementia unit. She'd only signed up for the arrangement so he could drive her to the car dealers.
Turning to look out the window she sighed and laid her head against her fingers. "Aidan invited me away for the weekend. He told me to bring some friends if it would make me more comfortable. It would."
"Are you inviting me along?"
"Under certain conditions."
"And they would be?"
"You're making Aidan paranoid. He thinks you're out to take me from him. I told him that was ridiculous but he insisted I talk to you about it. You're making me uncomfortable as well."
"I'm not making you uncomfortable. I'm just being me. You never had a problem with that before."
"I've never been serious enough about a guy before."
"You were dating Aidan back in high school," he felt inclined t
o point out.
"He's still the same guy and I'm still serious about him."
When they came to the light Colin turned to her with purpose, "do you love him?"
"What is this? An interrogation?"
"I'm sorry but I have to know: do you love him?"
"I'm not sure yet but I'm going to give him a second chance."
"Why would you do that when you have someone who…" he snapped his mouth shut and turned with abruptness right way in his seat; the light was green and a wonderful excuse to cease conversation. He'd better watch his temper. He said things he shouldn't when she prodded his goat.
After driving in silence for half an hour Promise questioned quietly, "you aren't jealous are you, Colin?"
"Why would I be jealous?" he demanded a sting in his heart. Why would he be jealous? Aidan had everything handed to him on a silver platter and now he had Promise. Why would he be jealous! "Of course I'm not jealous."
His conscience turned its back and fled from the green rising in his soul. If he didn't see it, he reasoned with himself, if he didn't acknowledge it then maybe it would go away. It was ridiculous to call what he felt towards Aidan jealousy even if it was true.
Aidan didn't know how easy he'd had it. His father had always given him anything he wanted in high school including a Ferrari for graduation. His father knew the principle and Promise's plight had proven daddy's boy was the most wanted man amongst the ladies. Even now his father was catering to the brat's needs.
"Can you come with me?" she asked in a calming tone.
"I don't think I should go. You want to have a good time with Aidan. I'd just get in the way."
"You wouldn't get in the way, Colin."
"But I would," he restated with a small smile, "I've tried to get along with him but you know I can't stand the guy."
"He did say he was bringing some friends. Maybe it won't be so bad."
"Just make sure there's going to be another female there."
"Why? Nothing will happen."
"Do you know how women I have down here that must have said that?"
"He's not a murder Colin," Promise said with an amused gleam in her hazel eyes, "I'm smarter than that, Colin, really."
"Just the same it's the fool and the arrogant that who never use discretion."
"I'll make sure to ask him if it will ease you mind."
"Greatly. It will ease my mind greatly." By the repetition he hoped to influence her concern. He knew what he saw every day in that morgue. Perhaps it made him cryptic but it also made him cautious. He didn't want anything to happen to Promise and his trust in Aidan was fractional. There was something about that man that still rang all the old bells.
"I almost told her today," Colin confessed to the air as he thought about his earlier conversation with Promise. In his frustration he'd nearly blurted out his feelings for her; however, angry was no way to confess anything. Groaning he yanked the seat lever and let his weight fall flat. As he stared up at his ceiling he pressed his fist to his forehead. This wouldn't do. This wouldn't do at all.
She was taken as far as claims went and it wasn't by him. But he couldn't keep this up. His secret was bubbling up inside of him and every time he opened his mouth the chance increased the ugly thing would burp out into the open. They had never kept anything from each other, not since they graduated from diapers. But for ten years now he'd kept silent about his deepest secret: he was in love with her.
After typing up the newest chapter of her book Selah pulled her hair back and secured it atop her head between her fingertips. Sighing she pondered about what to do next. She was impatient to talk to Haruko but lately he'd only been making her uncomfortable again. His borderline comments were starting to put toes lengths over the lines; when she hinted she was put at unease by it he shrugged it off. Pretty soon she was going to have to find another man to help her with playing house. This man didn't want to play house anymore he wanted to make a home.
She kept her discomforts to herself knowing Michael only would have told her so and unsure whether Dante would really care. When a tense email dropped into her inbox she replied with hesitation to his agitated tone:
Are you ignoring me? You promised me you would give me a chance and now you never speak to me. We need to talk. Meet me at the Lazy Daisy this Saturday at 12 noon. I won't take no for an answer.
A small sense of panic overtook her. She had promised Haruko a chance and he had thought she promised her finger. After the email she had sent him about her suspicion he had changed. He became crude, pushy and foul mouthed. This was the first email she had received that week free of expletives. She was scared.
But she couldn't confide in Michael and while Dante was a wonderful source of all things merry he'd just as soon remain in his world of unreality. Logging on to the match site she slipped in under her emails and typed a quick response to her secret paradise.
I need your help, Eden. I told that man I was speaking to you about I loved him and he transmogrified into that hideous creature my friend had warned me about! I should have known better. I don't know what to do! He's demanding I meet him at my café this Saturday at noon. I wish you were here. I just wish someone was here. I don't want to face him alone.
Her inbox pinged as she went to sign out of her account half an hour later. Opening his response she wanted to cry for relief.
Do as he says but whatever you do don't let him know that café is yours. If you have him in a public place he's less likely to try and hurt you. Invite a friend there and have him sit at a table nearby if that makes you more comfortable. Just don't let him know you're scared and don't let him get you alone. It'll be trying but you'll make it through. You're strong.
Selah gathered a little relief from Eden's reply and instead of dreading Saturday to come prayed it came with haste. The quicker she explained this to Haruko the quicker they could go their separate ways and move on. However no matter how many times she replayed the scene in her head the churning in her stomach wouldn't go away. Her gut felt rotten with bad feeling. The only being she found to confide in was Eden.
"So are you ready for your big weekend?" Colin questioned conversationally over the phone.
Promise licked her lips nervously before replying, "I wish you were coming with."
"If you're uncomfortable going alone with him call it off."
"But you're not going alone. He has friends meeting us there. He said he was bringing a girl named Cherry and another named Madeline with us, for your peace of mind."
"How many friends is he bringing?"
"It was a group of five last time I heard."
"Sounds safe enough," Colin relented reluctantly. If only one other girl was coming along at least he didn't have to worry too much about Aidan weaseling his way into having Promise alone. Girls stuck together like glue; just try to disagree with one of them. You ended up fighting the whole pack.
Aidan shoved her last bag in and swung the hatch shut turning to her he smiled and inhaled, "smell that?"
"Smell what?" she asked after whiffing the air about them.
"This," he said taking another deep breath that closed his eyes, "that's the smell of a perfect weekend brewing in the air."
The drive didn't seem so long because she slept a great deal of the way there. That was the effects of working nightshift for you. Work all night and sleep all day. She tried to apologize for not being more companionable but he refused to hear it. Taking her heaviest bag he slung it over his shoulder and ascended double stairs until he reached the porch of the magnificent chalet. Taking the key from his pocket he slipped it in the whole and turned; her luggage remained balanced on his shoulder.
If he tried to subdue her like Colin said… Shaking her head she hurried up the stairs after him carrying her overnighter. Aidan's actions so far had proven him nothing short of a gentleman. Colin was just paranoid from inhaling too many fumes of formaldehyde.
As they settled in for the night Promise ran her fingers through her
hair thoughtfully. It was getting late and his friends still hadn't arrived. Dinner sat uneasily in her stomach. She approached Aidan who was watching dishes in the kitchen sink.
"Shouldn't they have at least called by now?" At her question he raised his eyes to glance at the clock. Returning nonchalantly to his task he shrugged.
"If it makes you more comfortable I'll call them to see what's going on once I've finished with the dishes."
"Yes that should help."
As she spoke the phone jangled on the wall. Looking up he motioned to it with his shoulder. "Bring it to me. It might be them."
"Are you sure you can handle it? I could just talk to them."
"No," he said with finality, "I'll talk to them. Now if you could. That was the second ring."
Plucking the phone from the wall she stretched it to reach his ear. Settling it on his shoulder with his newly dried hand he pressed his ear to the speaker. "Hello? Oh, Chip it's you. Yeah. No. No. Kind of. I understand. No need for that; Promise and I can make do. Thanks for calling." Pulling the plug from the drain he dried his hands and took the phone from his shoulder and returned it to its cradle in the wall. Turning back to face her he scratched the back of his head. "That was Chip. Madeline, his wife, twisted her ankle and Cherry can't get a ride without them. Sounds like we'll be here alone tonight."
"Alone?" Her heart skipped a beat then pattered a slightly quickened beat. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'm going to call Colin and see if he can't come after all."
"Colin? There's no need to call him. He'll ruin the whole weekend. Why can't you just give this a chance?" he asked, discreetly swaying so his body was between her and the phone. "You know I wouldn't hurt you, Hope."
"I still want to call Colin."
"Live a little, Promise. Can't you see what he's done to you? You never do anything without his approval."
"He's my best friend and wisest counsel. I'm not going to ditch him because you two can't get along. Perhaps I should have insisted he come along in the first place. You two are the ones that could use some time together."