Pieces of Lies

by Angela Richardson

  Her eyes lit up when they saw me, but then changed to worried expression. “My god Lenorah, don’t you look beautiful, but would it kill you to eat a little more, my goodness, you are skin and bones darling.”

  I shook her a little, “Not now Aunty. Can I please borrow your car?” Seeing how frantic I was, she just nodded. I smiled like I had won the lottery, kissed her on her cheek and then jumped and sped off in her little blue Honda.

  Driving away from the reception, it occurred to me that I didn’t know where I should go. Just outside the country club, I pulled over to the side of the road. I had to figure out where Clint could be. I didn’t think Clint would drive back to his parents’ place, so where else? Think, think, think. Oh, but of course. When Clint is upset he drives, and where does he go to drive, the mountainside roads. That was at least a forty-five minute drive from here. Doing a Tess, I planted my foot down hard on the accelerator, and sped off.

  As I neared the familiar roads where the car race took place, I remembered watching Clint drive. The ease with which he took the corners and assessed his movements. So calm, so composed. He said driving was his way of releasing his frustrations when things got too much. I hoped I was correct in coming to this place. I figured if he was upset, he would be out driving somewhere along this stretch of road. It seemed like the only logical place for me to start my search.

  Driving along the roads, there wasn’t a car in sight and I began doubting my knowledge of Clint. Perhaps he just went home. A tear began rolling down my cheek as I was quickly realizing my search for him was coming to a dead end. I was about to turn around and head back to the country club to return my auntie’s car, when I saw the glimmer of headlights a few miles from where I was driving. I could see the glow starting up the base of the hillside and heading up the winding road.

  The radio on the Honda crackled and the song, Push It by Garbage, began to scream at me. “Yeah yeah, I hear you Shirley Manson, I’m trying!” I yelled back at the radio. I shoved my foot hard on the accelerator to try and catch up to the little beam of light that was my last sign of hope.

  I breathed out a huge sigh of relief when I finally got close enough to make out that it was Clint’s Mercedes veering into the woodland roads. I accelerated more. The pick-up with the Honda was nowhere near as good as my BMW, but now, I was more determined than ever to stop Clint. I had to tell him how I feel.

  I started flickering my headlights behind him hoping that it would be enough to get his attention, but he continued to drive up and around the hillside, ignoring my signals.

  Rain started pelting down. The wheels on the Honda started to swerve on the slippery surface as I quickly took the corners, but I somehow managed to keep control of the car. I was getting increasingly frustrated that he would not pull over from my tailgating and light flickering. This chase was useless if he was not going to stop. Clint was a far superior driver, and I couldn’t keep up the chase all night, especially in the rain.

  As we rounded another corner, the wheels on my car began to slip even more and I struggled to keep pace with Clint’s speed. I began to lose control of the car. In a moment of confusion, I accelerated rather than slowed down on a corner, clipping the behind of Clint’s car and sending my own into a spin and onto a collision course towards the side of the mountain. All I could hear was the rain on the bonnet and seeing my face in the reflection of the glass, as it propelled itself towards the side of the window.

  Blackout.

  “Norah, Norah! Wake up Norah!”

  I was back on that cement floor with a gun pointed at my head. Pain, I could feel pain. Something on my face, blood? It’s cold, like ice.

  My eyes tried to open but couldn’t part.

  “Norah can you hear me?” The sound of the voice made me smile.

  “Clint is that you?” I still couldn’t quite open my eyes.

  Am I dreaming again?

  “Open your eyes please.” There was a mix of light and darkness as my eyes began to open, but I squinted as cold water hit my face.

  “Clint?” I mumbled again.

  “Yes it’s me Norah. I had to pull you out of the car to see if you are OK. We are on the side of the road and it’s raining.”

  I tried to move but struggled and began to shake.

  “You are going to be in a bit of shock, don’t move too much. Just try to relax so I can try and see how hurt you are.”

  My head felt sore but the rest of my body felt fine. “I think I just bumped my head hard on the window. I’m sorry I hit your car.”

  I turned my head so I could make sense of the situation and assess the damage. The Honda I was driving was firmly planted up against the mountain with the right hand side of the car crumpled. Clint’s car looked fine, and he had turned it around so his headlights were facing us on the side of the road. Clint was on his knees, my head was on his lap, and he was holding both sides of my head with his hands. His head was tilted over mine so it blocked the rain that was pouring on top of us. His face was like my personal umbrella which had a glow all around it from the headlights. He looked like a beautiful angel. My angel. My dream was coming true.

  “What the hell were you doing Norah?”

  The pain in my head was easing slightly. “I thought I would come after you for a change, but I didn’t think jumping into the deep end would be so painful this time round.” I tried to laugh but the movement just made my head hurt.

  “But at the wedding, when you took Josh’s hand, I thought you chose…”

  I shook my head. “No, but you left before I could tell you that.”

  Clint looked shocked and surprised all at once. “Norah, what you just did, was without a doubt, the craziest, stupidest, most dangerous, yet insanely romantic thing I’ve ever seen.”

  I tried to pull myself to my knees. “Help me up,” I asked, but Clint shook his head.

  “Help me up and onto my knees please. I’m OK, I just banged my head, I’ll be fine.”

  Clint used my arm to wrap around his shoulder so he could bring me to my knees. I wanted to look him in the eyes. The rain poured over our faces. I thought about the night Clint came to the gallery after my art show, when he stood in the rain and told me he loved me and how much I adored every single word that came out of his mouth. It was now my turn to declare my feelings.

  “Seriously, you are unlike any girl I have ever met Norah, and so infuriating; we should get you to a hospital to see if you have concussion.”

  I used my arms to straighten myself on my knees by resting them on his shoulders. “In a moment OK, I want to say this.”

  I took a deep breath and looked into Clint's eyes, finding his soul that spoke so tenderly to mine.

  “Clint. I love you.”

  His eyes gleamed brilliantly as I opened my heart to him.

  “I am sorry that I didn’t say this sooner. I should have told you at the cabin that I believed you and that I felt the exact same way, but I was scared of how much you could hurt me if I let you in again. You have my mind, my body, my trust and my love. From the moment I met you, I felt every part of me come alive with more passion and desire that I never knew possible. You have opened me up in a way I never knew I needed, and when I’m with you, everything dark in me disappears and I’m the best version of myself. Your touch ignites me, your kiss melts me, and your words make me feel like I can fly. Clint Weston. I. Am. Yours. ”

  “My, Norah,” he breathed, holding my face in his hands. Then he kissed me softly and passionately, in the stream of light under the tumbling rain, and for the first time in my life, I finally felt free.

  Chapter 23

  Next Move

  Graduation felt like a huge blur of caps, gowns, applause and awkward parental conversations. Clint took the plunge by introducing me officially to his parents as his girlfriend. Once they accepted Clint’s decision to seek out his own career in New York, they seemed to be more accepting of all his new choices. They were not bad people after all, and only wanted Clint
to be happy, and once Clint realized that, he had no problem telling them what he wanted to do with his life.

  I spent graduation night having dinner with Josh and my father. Josh didn’t have any family and he had practically always been part of mine, so I insisted he join me. Clint didn’t seem to mind that Josh was dining with me and my Dad. The fact I had chased him down in a car to declare my love, almost killing myself in the process, was all the reassurance Clint needed.

  Dinner was a little awkward to say the least. Even though I begged and pleaded with my aunty to not tell my dad about what I did to her car, it got back to him, of course, and he couldn’t resist making jabs about my irresponsibility throughout the whole dinner. I had already told Josh about what happened with the car, and he did his best to try and deflect the conversation as much as possible towards his new job in New York, but In the end, I had to take the hours of lectures my father inflicted upon me.

  After dinner, I met Clint at his parents’ house, and we spent the rest of the evening celebrating with champagne on the mooring near the gardens. It had become one of our favorite places to hang out since the night we spent getting to know each other.

  I had slipped into some low-rise jeans and a very loose chiffon spaghetti-strap top before I arrived at the Weston mansion. Clint was also dressed very relaxed in nice fitted jeans and a polo. We both sat against each other on the mooring, casually relaxing in the late night air, surrounded by the garden’s soft lighting. We sipped our champagne and shifted so we could dangle our legs over the edge of the mooring as we continued to talk into the night.

  “So there is a firm who is interested in me in New York. Actually, there are a number of firms who have expressed an interest in me because of who my dad is, but there is one in particular who I think I’ll be able to make my own mark with.” Clint spoke with excitement. It must have been really thrilling for him to finally make the decisions he always wanted to make.

  “That’s fantastic Clint. I’m so happy you are doing what you want.” I smiled sweetly at him as his eyes continued to flutter as he talked. This was the Clint I was in love with. The guy who knew what he wanted and was grabbing onto it with both hands.

  “It is good, but Norah, I want you to come with me. Will you come live with me in New York? You could put on a new show, and do some freelance work for a while until you find a publishing house you’re happy with.”

  He really is jumping into the deep end!

  My back straightened as I lifted my feet from the edge and turned so my legs were crossed in front Clint. I wanted to get a better look at his face. “Wow, you’ve given this some thought haven’t you?”

  “Yes, kind of. I have.” He gazed at me and rubbed my knee with his hand. “Say yes Norah.”

  I looked away and out to the lake, avoiding his eyes. I would give in very easily if he kept pleading with his eyes like that. It was a big step to take and I wasn't sure we were quite there yet, plus there were other reasons I didn't want to go back to New York.

  “Come with me please. I mean, I think we are at that place in our relationship, dont you? And it’s New York, the place you grew up. That would be great for you, right?” He looked at me for any doubt and hesitation.

  Flashes of blood and guns, the sounds of car brakes screeching, screaming voices, the constant feeling of fear, all sprang into my head. They were part of visions and memories I constantly fought to keep at bay. Clint had not seen any of my episodes, nor did he know of anything I had seen growing up, and that was how I wanted to keep it. Going back to New York could potentially bring all that stuff up and be thrust into Clint’s life, along with that side of me.

  I looked at Clint's face. His face was full of love, devotion, courage and determination. Then, I looked to his eyes, the eyes that started it all, and suddenly my past didn't matter to me. The only thing that mattered was my heart and how much it needed Clint. “No Clint, there is nothing wrong with New York. I love you, and would love to come live with you.”

  He leapt at me, holding me tightly. “You have made me so happy Norah.” I felt a twinge of guilt as he continued to hold me, squeezing me harder in an overwhelming display of emotion.

  I loved Clint, but I knew I had just given him a tiny piece of a lie when I said there was nothing wrong with New York. It was the place I had grown up under my father’s obsessively watchful eye and I had seen and heard things that I still had trouble piecing together, and now, I would be back under his microscope surrounded by the depravity of his world. I internally shuddered. At least I knew Josh was there. If I got into trouble, I could go to him and he would help me through my episodes.

  Thank god I have Josh.

  Clint handed me a fresh glass of champagne and clinked his glass with mine as we celebrated our next move together.

  “I’m still going to go by the name, Norah Ross, OK.”

  Clint nodded, “I understand, especially since I’m now tied to the New York chapter of the Lappell. We don’t want a repeat of all this.” Clint continued, “And you don’t have a problem with me still being part of the Lappell do you? I really don’t want it to come between us.”

  I lay back further on my arms, taking small sips, thinking of the Lappell. “I don’t have a problem with the Lappell Clint; it was Arthur Wickburn I had issues with. I still don’t understand why he threatened me the way he did. Surely he must have known that at some point my father would have intervened.”

  Clint leaned back so he could lay next to me. “I guess he hoped with some convincing, you would say yes.” His eyes flickered away and then back to mine. He took my hand. “You know Norah, seeing how far you would go to control the situation yourself, well, it gave me the strength I needed to tell my parents how I feel. Thank you so much for that. I just wish I had told them sooner what I wanted. I guess after Delia and Leo turned them down, I felt obligated to be the one to step up.”

  I moved closer to Clint so I could lean on his shoulder. “Guilt can be an amazing driving force.”

  Clint leaned into me so his head rested on mine. “Yes, but so is love Norah.”

  I turned and smiled longingly at him. It was amazing how far he had come with his emotions. I really had the perfect guy.

  Clint held my hand against his chest. “You know Norah, you could be, Norah Weston, if you are thinking about changing names permanently.” His thumb fingered my ring finger in small round movements, “It has a nice sound to it, don’t you think?” Clint watched me intently for a reaction. He was sussing me out.

  My heart rate increased rapidly as the pain from the loss of my engagement sprang to my mind. Marriage. Clint had mentioned it the night I drunkenly accepted him into my bed, but I thought it was the booze manipulating my thoughts. I didn't think it was real. The term had not even entered my mind since Samuel, and I almost felt guilty for thinking about it with someone else, like it would tarnish the memory of my first proposal. Clearly, I was not ready to visit such a step again.

  I moved forward and kissed Clint lightly on his mouth, “One step at a time OK. You might find out that living with me is a real nightmare.”

  Clint frowned, “I doubt that, but we will wait until we are settled in New York before we talk some more about this, alright?”

  Not wanting to deflate Clint anymore, I gave him another soft kiss. “Alright Clint.”

  I could tell he was brooding from my answer, with the way he tensed his hands and by how his eyes stared out across the dark lake, so I decided on a new approach. “You know Clint, there was a rumor going around that we went skinny dipping together that morning when I met your mum.”

  Clint’s head perked up and he turned to me, “Oh really?”

  I put my finger to my mouth like I was thinking. “Actually I think the term used was ‘naked water sex-capade’.” I leaned back on the mooring, allowing the strap from my top to fall off my right shoulder. Clint’s eyes shifted to how the top was hanging loosely around my breasts that would easily become exposed if I moved the
other way.

  “Well,” Clint grinned, “I suppose we’ll just have to make sure it’s fact rather than fiction. We don’t want any more lies floating around now do we?”

  I leant the other way, allowing the other left strap fall off my shoulders, exposing my bare chest. Clint rested his champagne glass and took in the sight of my breasts. "Perfect Norah, every part of you is perfect," and then Clint passionately attacked my body, not holding any emotion back.

  After my naked water sex-capade with Clint, I returned to my apartment. There was so much I had to organize before moving. It was a fresh new step in my life and even though I had many reservations about going back to New York, I knew I couldn’t let it hold me back from moving forward with my life.

  When I arrived at my apartment, I saw my front door was ajar. Great. I’ve been broken in to. This was the last thing I needed right now. I rolled my eyes thinking about the phone call I would have to make to the cops, knowing I would have to give them my real personal details for the police report, and then would come the questions. Police always recognized my name and always felt the need to press me for information about my family, and I was in no mood for that headache this evening.

  I didn’t think it was the smartest or even the safest idea, but I decided to go in. If I could clean up and replace whatever was taken, it was a better option than getting the police involved.

  I poked my head around the front door. My eyes scanned the room for any movement of an intruder or anything that looked out of place. Surprisingly, everything looked in order. Nothing looked like it had been taken. Surely the TV and computer equipment would be the first to go, but they were in their place across in the lounge room and by the sofa. Everything looked as it should be.

  Did I forget to close the door?

  Then I saw it on the kitchen bench, my iPod and its station.

  How bizarre.