by Len du Randt
‘I implore each one of you,’ the speaker tried to continue, ‘to...’
Jared stood up and moved toward the aisle. He was on the verge of tears, unable to control his emotions in front of the gathered crowd.
The voice grew louder with intensity and passion.
Jared swallowed hard to rid himself of the lump in his throat. His eyes stung as tears brimmed in the corners. He made his way across the narrow hallway and stood in front of the door for a moment. Tears snaked down his cheeks as he placed his hand on the door handle and pressed it down. The door slowly creaked open and Jared gasped in awe as the music reached his ears unfiltered. He cried out and fell down on his knees, unable to stop the tears from flowing as the voice grew even more intense and powerful. He knew no words to describe the divine beauty of the song which captivated him so immensely. Jared wanted to sing and dance, he wanted to cry out and laugh. He wanted to build cities and destroy countries. He wanted to implode the universe.
The source of the voice slowly made her way to him and Jared gasped in awe at the sight of the astoundingly beautiful woman. She wove words in a voice that left him crying like a child. Jared felt an overwhelming need to touch her, to feel her skin, to stroke the hair of the woman that could render him helpless with her mere voice. He wanted to be part of her, to embrace her, and to treasure her song until his heart exploded.
Her slim, graceful hand reached out to him and his own hand came up to meet hers. Their fingers touched only for a fraction of a second before he awoke with a start.
Jared wiped at his clammy face with his arm, but the tears kept flowing. He looked around the darkened room, hoping that what he had just experienced was real. When he realised it wasn’t, disappointment seeped into his thoughts and he briskly made his way to the bathroom. The woman’s voice still echoed in his mind as he entered the bathroom and shut the door. With the door locked, Jared lay on the cold bathroom tiles, sobbing loudly as the voice slowly faded.
‘Jared?’ Amy’s muffled voice called to him from the other side of the door. ‘Are you okay in there?’
‘Go away!’
‘Is everything...?’
‘I said, go away!’
He tried to hold on to the waning strands of the music. Jared didn’t want it to stop. He wailed even louder as the voice finally faded into nothingness. After a few minutes of lying on the floor, he finally managed to pick himself up. Turning to the basin, Jared splashed cool water over his face and drank some of it to drench his parched throat.
‘What the hell was that about?’ he softly asked his reflection and swallowed hard. He couldn’t believe that a mere dream could move him to such an extent. Catching a glance of his pale face in the mirror, he switched off the light before making his way to the study. His hands were still shaking slightly as he poured himself a glass of Ragnaud-Sabourin Le Paradis cognac from an ornate crystal decanter. He drowned the glass in one gulp and, still feeling somewhat overwhelmed and disorientated, headed back to bed.
Chapter 3
Jared woke to the smell of frying bacon. He checked the digital alarm clock. Ten to six. From the empty space in the bed next to him, he figured that Amy must have gotten up at around five to prepare the breakfast. Jared closed his eyes. He didn’t know why he felt so fatigued, but the realization that it was Friday gave him enough strength to sit up straight.
Oh man, he thought as he rubbed his face. What a night! Jared slipped out of bed. With his first step his leg buckled and he had to hold on to the bed for support. It felt as if he had been drugged, and he shook his head to clear it while he slowly shifted his balance between each leg. He took another step when he felt secure enough to try walking again. What on earth’s the matter with me?
‘Morning, love,’ Amy said as she entered the bedroom. ‘Breakfast is ready.’ She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer for a kiss.
Jared avoided the kiss and gave her a peck on the cheek instead. He didn’t want to kiss her before he at least brushed his teeth. ‘Thanks,’ he said, surprised at the numbness of his mouth and tongue. His own voice sounded groggy and alien to him. ‘Feels like I’ve been in a coma.’
‘You had a bad dream last night,’ she said as she handed him a glass of milk. ‘I don’t think you slept well again after that.’
Sections of the dream flashed through his mind and Jared held on to Amy to prevent himself from falling down.
‘Are you all right?’ She asked.
‘I’m fine,’ he lied. He looked up at her face and studied her eyes. ‘I was rude to you,’ he said as bits and pieces of memories from the previous evening revealed themselves to him.
‘You were upset about the dream.’
‘Even so,’ he said. ‘That doesn’t give me the right to yell at you.’ He folded his arms around her and squeezed. ‘I’m so sorry, baby. Please forgive me.’
Amy squeezed tighter. Even though she didn’t take it personally, she was relieved that he realised when he was at fault. ‘Come,’ she said. ‘Shower and get dressed. I’ll wait for you in the kitchen. You look hungry.’
Jared finished the milk and handed the empty glass back to her. ‘Thanks, love,’ he said. ‘A shower and a good breakfast might just be what I need to get myself back into gear.’
Relieved that Jared was feeling his normal self again, she pulled him closer for another peck before heading down to the kitchen.
Jared waited until he was sure she was in the kitchen before he carefully made his way to the bathroom. He twisted the warm water tap and took a step back as the water spurted from the head. Jared then turned to face himself in the mirror. The pale figure that eyed him from within the mirror revolted him. He splashed his face with water from the basin and wiped at the fogged up mirror. A figure in the corner of his eye made him jump and turn around. Jared chuckled nervously when he realised that there was no one there. Get your act together, Greene, he reproved himself as he got into the steaming shower.
* - - - *
‘There’s a complication with the Patterson shipment,’ Shaun said as Jared entered the building. ‘We somehow lost track of the load.’
‘Good morning to you too,’ Jared said.
‘This is serious, Jay,’ Shaun said as he followed Jared deeper down the entrance hallway. ‘If we don’t find that shipment within the hour, we’re going to breach Service Level. It’s our first shipment for them and I don’t think it would leave a great impression if we messed it up now.’
The two men briskly walked up the marble steps to the executive floor. ‘What’s the last log we have on the shipment?’
‘GTA Freights.’
‘How hard could it be? Have Lisa track it and sort it out.’
‘She’s not in today,’ Shaun said as they walked through the hallway toward Jared’s office at the end. ‘I tried her already. Her cell phone is switched off.’
Jared stopped at the door. ‘Are you serious?’
Shaun nodded.
‘Did you verify with Pam if Lisa called in sick?’
‘No one knows where she is.’
‘Did you try her land line at home?’
‘Answering machine. I left a message; a few, in fact. Look Jared, I’m sure she’ll come in on Monday morning with a good excuse, but for now we have to focus on the problem at hand.’
Jared frowned. Lisa would never stay away without informing him. No matter what. That was a personal arrangement between him and her. ‘You’re right,’ he said as he opened his office door. ‘Patterson’s shipment.’
Once the two of them were seated at Jared’s table, Shaun exhaled slowly and gave his head a slight shake. ‘So,’ he asked. ‘Any ideas?’
Jared thought for a moment as he stared out the glass wall. He tapped his fingers against each other and closed his eyes to clarify his thoughts. Most of these scenarios were resolved by just calming the nerves, subduing the thoughts, and taking it from the top, one step at a time. ‘I assume you called GTA?’
‘Yes,�
�� Shaun said. ‘They claim the load has already been pushed out.’
‘Okay. From there, where did it go?’
‘To Harris and Sons.’
‘Let me guess,’ Jared said and swivelled his chair. ‘Harris and Sons claim they never received the load?’
‘Correct.’
‘And what does GTA have to say about it?’
‘They claim that Harris and Sons signed it off.’
‘Who signed it off?’
Shaun flipped through a stack of papers. ‘I have it here somewhere,’ he said as he traced his finger down a list of names. ‘It’s a guy called Ronald Jamal.’
Jared leaned back into his chair and gave it another swivel. He rubbed his chin as he repeated the name in his mind. ‘You say it’s Ronald Jamal?’
‘That’s right. Is something wrong?’
Jared’s eyes lit up and he allowed himself to relax as a smile spread itself across his face. ‘Should I give you a minute or so to figure it out?’
Shaun checked the name again. Nothing funny or interesting came to mind. ‘I don’t see what you...’
‘Ronald Jamal works for SlipStream,’ Jared said. ‘Not Harris and Sons.’
Shaun’s eyes lit up as he verified the information. ‘GTA sent our Patterson shipment to the wrong guys.’
‘And logged it wrong too,’ Jared said. ‘This is not the first time. Get on the phone with Harris and apologize for the miss-communication. Also have Pam send them something nice to drink.’
Shaun jotted down the instructions.
‘Once you’re done, get hold of Ronald Jamal at SlipStream and verify that he has the shipment. Tell him where it should go to.’
‘I’ll get right to it,’ Shaun said. ‘What do we do about GTA?’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Jared said and picked up the phone. ‘I’m on it.’
* - - - *
Jared stood at the glass wall, looking out over Kelwick while wondering where on earth Lisa was. As his personal assistant she was quite efficient with updating him about her whereabouts at all times. She always made sure that he knew when she was going to be absent or late, which was—in a word—never. The lack of communication worried him. He tried calling both her numbers during the course of the day, but only got as far as leaving voicemails. He was sure that she would be in on Monday morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed like always with a very good excuse.
The phone rang.
Lisa, Jared thought. He walked around the desk and checked the display on the phone. It was an external number. Tanya. ‘This is Jared Greene,’ he answered formally none-the-less.
‘Hi sweetie,’ Tanya greeted. ‘How are you?’
‘I’m fine, thanks. And you?’
‘Couldn’t be better.’
‘That’s great,’ Jared said. ‘It’s nice to know that all is fine. What can I help you with?’
The sound of paper shuffling in the background came through before Tanya spoke again. ‘Sunday,’ she said. ‘Do you have any plans?’
‘This coming Sunday?’ Jared asked rhetorically. Other than going to Church, converting, and asking Amy to marry him, he didn’t have anything major planned. ‘Amy and I are going to Church in the evening. No plans during the day.’
‘Great! I want you to come over for lunch. Nothing fancy. I’m dying to introduce you to my niece, Natasha.’
Jared’s mind made an instant analogy. N for Niece. N for Natasha. He was confident that he wouldn’t forget the name. ‘You have a niece?’
‘Yes silly,’ Tanya said. ‘I’m sure I told you about her before. You know; the one that lives in New York?’
Jared scanned his memory. ‘Nope,’ he said. ‘Can’t say that I’ve ever heard you mention a niece or say the name Natasha before.’
‘Well that’s beside the point. Let’s make it for around noon.’
‘Noon should be fine,’ Jared said.
‘Oh, and bring what’s-her-face...’
‘Amy.’
‘Yes, Amy. Bring her too.’
‘Okay, Tee. See you then.’
Jared hung up and strolled back to the window. Such a lovely Friday afternoon, he thought. Can’t afford to waste it. He walked back to his desk and rang Shaun, telling his colleague that he would be leaving early today.
‘Any news from Lisa?’ Shaun asked.
‘None,’ Jared said. ‘I’ll keep trying from my cell over the course of the weekend.’
‘Okay. I’ll keep trying from this side too. Sooner or later she would have to answer.’
After relaying a few errands that had to be attended to, Jared headed for the door. Amy didn’t expect him home for another three hours. She also didn’t expect dinner and a movie; the perfect start to the perfect weekend.
* - - - *
Sunday arrived quicker than Jared would have liked. He toyed with the idea of proposing after lunch at Tanya’s place, but ultimately decided against it. The plan was set. He would join Amy for the Church service where—if anything compared to last week—he would convert. They would then drive to Abbott’s Peak where, with the perfect view of Kelwick, he would ask the perfect woman to be his wife.
‘I still can’t see why this couldn’t wait until tomorrow evening,’ Amy said as the car crunched along the gravel driveway. ‘Our arrangement was for Mondays, not Sundays.’
‘Maybe they have plans for tomorrow night,’ Jared said. ‘Who knows? Besides, maybe it’s time that the two of us have a Monday to ourselves, don’t you think?’
Amy didn’t answer. She merely unclipped her seatbelt and got out.
‘Hey you,’ Tanya said as the two of them approached the door. Once all the hugs were dealt out, Tanya gave Amy’s elbow a gentle tug. ‘Will you be a sweetheart and help me finish off in the kitchen?’
Amy raised an eyebrow at Jared. He merely smiled and shrugged.
‘You can wait for us in the living room, okay?’ Tanya asked. She didn’t wait for Jared to respond, but merely led the dumbstruck Amy into the kitchen; leaving a confused Jared standing there, wondering what on earth just happened.
‘Women,’ Jared sighed as he made his way to the living room. ‘Just when you think you’ve got them figured...’ His words trailed off when his eyes made contact with a woman standing in the corner of the room.
N for Niece. N for Natasha.
‘You must be Natasha,’ Jared said. The woman turned around and smiled. Jared gasped. Never in his life had he seen such beauty. The strength in his legs drained as she made her way toward him and his heart pumped in his ears when she held out her hand.
‘And you must be Jared,’ she said in a silky smooth voice and smiled again. ‘It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.’
Jared took her hand and his stomach fluttered. Such perfect skin! Her voice left a seductive tone in his ears. He couldn’t quite place what exactly it was that he liked so much about her. Was it the crystal blue clarity of her big round eyes? The way her perfect nose tilted just a little bit upward? Was it her lips that felt as if they were pulling at his own lips with a magnetic force he couldn’t resist? Jared couldn’t put his finger on it. ‘Believe me,’ he said, his words sounding like a mere echo somewhere in the distance to his own ears. ‘The pleasure is all mine.’ He felt stupid even as he spoke the words, but he didn’t care. She was the reason his legs felt weak and he would admit it in a heartbeat. Something about her triggered nostalgic childhood memories where everything was so pure and simple. An image of his dream flashed through his thoughts and Jared studied her face. Could it be her? He dismissed the thought and merely smiled at her.
Natasha giggled. ‘You’re everything Tanya said you would be. The perfect gentleman.’
A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Jared’s head. Was it warm in here? He noticed a thin trail of moisture on her upper lip and had to consciously fight the urge to pull her closer and press his lips against hers.
‘I see you two have met,’ Tanya said as she entered the room with Amy.
<
br /> Jared jerked upright; instantly pulled back to reality from wherever his mind had been. ‘I was just...’ he said and released Natasha’s hand. ‘We were...’
‘We have,’ Natasha said. She then, with perfect stride and pace, walked over to Amy and shook her hand. ‘I believe you’re Amy, right?’
Amy nodded.
‘I’ve heard so much about you,’ Natasha said. ‘It’s so nice to finally meet the two of you.’
That’s funny, Amy thought. Tanya never mentioned you. She resisted the urge to say it out loud and rather replied with a friendly, ‘It’s nice to meet you too.’
‘Great,’ Tanya said. ‘Now that we’ve all met, let’s eat, shall we? I’m famished.’
* - - - *
‘So Tanya tells me that you’re some sort of big shot import-export guru,’ Natasha said to break the silence. ‘It’s hard to believe that anyone could build a business empire in a town like Kelwick.’
Jared blushed. ‘I had some good people guide me along the way,’ he said and winked at Tanya. ‘But I didn’t come to Kelwick to build a business. That kind of just happened.’ Natasha smiled and Jared melted. ‘I was merely passing through.’
‘Good thing you stayed,’ Amy said and placed her hand lovingly on Jared’s leg. ‘Or we might not have met.’
‘That’s for sure,’ Jared said as he stole another glance at Natasha. He scraped some vegetables together and scooped them on his fork. He used the scooping action as a ruse to—once again—look at Tanya’s stunning niece. Their eyes locked briefly and he looked away. Is she looking at me?
‘You two look so good together,’ Natasha said. ‘Do you have any plans to get married?’
Jared almost choked.
‘I don’t know,’ Amy said and turned towards Jared. ‘Do we?’
‘Now, now, ladies,’ Jared said and grinned. ‘That would be telling.’ He filled his mouth with a good helping of food and deliberately chewed longer than necessary. When he realised they were all looking at him, waiting for him to continue, he added, ‘But yeah, there might be plans in the not too distant future.’ He saw it best to change the topic and shifted the focus to Natasha. ‘So where are you from, and what do you do?’