“Not currently, Cassandra. I’ll prepare all the papers for you to sign, and then call you when they are ready.”
She turned slowly, toddling out of the attorney’s office. She wanted to run away. She wanted to escape this city, this state, this world. How could this be happening? She’d always been a good girl. Why is God punishing me?
Chapter Two
Cassandra returned to her apartment in Lynchburg after the funeral and signing all the necessary paperwork for her father’s estate. She didn’t want to return to school; she didn’t want to be anywhere.
Dean Jacobs allowed a week off after her father’s death, but she had so much schoolwork to make up due to her absence, why even attempt to catch up? What was waiting for her after college anyway?
She had three years, and then what. Go to her father’s firm, struggle her way to the pinnacle. For what? What good did it all accomplish? Why work so hard to achieve something in your life, just to have it all taken away? She decided to skip again; the idea of sitting through professors’ lectures drove her insane, and she might just lose control.
Cassandra knew she had to snap out of it. She couldn’t keep herself locked inside her apartment forever. Her father wouldn’t condone this behavior. He’d wanted her to finish college. But more than anything, he’d wanted her to be happy.
A year after her father’s death, she still wasn’t handling things well. For the first time in her life, studying was a challenge, as she couldn’t stay focused. But she owed this to her father; it was his wish.
Her father’s house finally sold for a fraction of what it was worth. Mr. Wilson kept his promise, taking care of the entire estate and her inheritance. Which for some twenty-three-year-olds may have seemed a hefty sum, but for a law student, it wasn’t nearly enough. But Mr. Wilson had pulled some strings, and she was able to remain in college and her apartment without even taking on a roommate.
Going home to Florida was another matter entirely. Where before she’d had an unlimited credit card at her disposal, not that she’d ever used it, but it was there just the same. Now she had to ration everything. Airline tickets and hotel stays were definitely not in her budget, and the thought of driving fourteen hours straight by her lonesome didn’t excite her.
Besides, there was nothing in Florida other than Karen, and recently, she’d become engaged to a teacher she worked with. So Cassandra decided she would stay in Virginia through her breaks, working as much as possible.
Whoever said “time flies when you’re having fun” was incorrect. She wasn’t having fun, and yet, the days seemed to soar. Maybe because as much as she struggled to concentrate on school, the idea of what awaited her afterward terrified her.
When she reflected on her previous three years, she realized she’d done nothing but study, read, and wallow in self-pity. She refused to socialize. Not that she’d dated much before her father’s death, but eventually the other students stopped asking. Which in one respect was a relief, but in another, made her wonder if she wasn’t worth the effort anymore.
Staring into the mirror at an aged twenty-five-year-old woman, she sighed. She was still pretty, she assumed, but she could see the despondency in her expression, so she knew others would perceive it also.
Two months away from graduation, she decided it was time to formulate a plan; she needed to call and secure the job at the law firm she’d been promised. She hadn’t spoken with Mr. Wilson in the two years following the finalization of her father’s estate. There wasn’t much to talk about other than her father, and she didn’t want to discuss him.
She hadn’t advanced to the stage where people were supposed to reflect back and only remember the pleasant times. She still felt overwhelming resentment when she thought about any of the loved ones that God had prematurely snatched from her.
Cassandra’s hands began to sweat as the phone rang. “Wilson here,” the familiar older gentleman’s voice answered. Luckily, she had his mobile number, so she didn’t have to exert her way through the three different receptionists and assistants fielding his calls.
“Hello, Mr. Wilson, it’s Cassandra.” There was a moment’s pause. “Cassandra D’Silva,” she clarified.
“Oh, Cassandra, it’s been forever. How is everything, honey? How is college coming along?”
“College is excellent.” She attempted to sound cheerful. “I graduate this May, Mr. Wilson, so I was hoping we could get together and discuss a position in the firm?”
“Oh …” he said the one word on a long breath. She pictured him tapping his clasped hands to his mouth as he’d done when he’d explained her financial situation.
She’d expected as much. Of course, this wouldn’t be straightforward. Nothing in her life was. Everyone in the US struggled to find employment, and Florida had one of the highest unemployment ratings in the country.
“Cassandra, it’s not looking feasible. We had to dismiss several of our long-standing employees. Currently, we have attorneys working as paralegals trying to make ends meet. I don’t know how I could employ someone directly out of college with no trial experience.”
Cassandra wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, you promised or no fair, but she knew it would be childish, and nothing would come of her behaving like a child. She shouldn’t have expected that someone in her life would keep a promise. From the time she was six years old she’d learned that. Her mother had promised to return in a couple of days, but she never came back. Her father had promised that he’d never leave her, and that they would be a team.
Resisting a sigh, Cassandra said, “I understand, Mr. Wilson. You’ll keep me informed though, right? Let me know if anything changes.” She hated that her voice betrayed her desperation.
“Of course, honey. I’ll check around and see if I can uncover anything available in the area and call you back,” he promised.
Even as he said the words, Cassandra heard the empty promise. He would do no such thing. Why should he? She said her goodbye and listened to his well-wishing, knowing she would never hear from him again, just like everyone else in her life.
Now she would have to search for occupation amongst the other thousands of graduating students across the nation, and in two months, she would be homeless and penniless.
The remaining two months of school passed in a hazy blur as if walking through a nightmare. Wanting to stay in Virginia if possible, she searched the Internet for anything available. There was nothing local, even as a paralegal or legal secretary.
Down to her final two weeks, with no inkling of what her future held, Cassandra received a certified letter stating her mother had died and her attorney needed to go over the terms of her will.
“Well, that’s just great!” Cassandra spouted off inside her empty apartment.
She’d always hoped that one day she would reunite with her mother. She had thought about tracking her down on several occasions but then decided her mother was the parent. If she wanted to see her, it should be her responsibility.
After pacing back and forth for twenty minutes, Cassandra dialed the lawyer’s office. It was a brief conversation. Her mother’s attorney, Burwell Brady, explained that her mother and her husband had died instantly in an airplane they’d chartered. Her mother had left several instructions concerning their will. Firstly, an outdoor store and rafting company called the ROCK, an acronym meaning Rafting, Outfitters, Camping, and Kayaking, he explained, and the family home, a custom-built log cabin were a major part of the estate. Secondly, there was an additional heir, her mother’s husband’s son, Walter Chadwick Wilkinson.
According to the instructions in her mother’s will, Cassandra had to move to Nantahala, North Carolina and work in their store for six months before she or Walter were able to sell the company or the house. After the allotted time, they were free to sell the company and cabin and do with the proceeds whatever they wished.
“How much is the business worth do you estimate?” was one of Cassandra’s questions.
“Presently, we estimate its value at eight hundred thousand and the cabin around seven hundred fifty.”
Cassandra almost choked, over a million and a half dollars. “Is anything owed on the properties?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from cracking.
“Nothing,” Mr. Brady assured her. “Your mother and her husband built both properties years ago. Her husband had been from Atlanta, where he had a medical practice, which they sold ten years ago. At first their worth hadn’t been much, but as the area started growing and they expanded, it became increasingly more valuable.”
“But why do I have to work there?” she questioned, confused by the entire situation.
“One moment, dear.” The ruffling of papers came through the phone line. “Ah, here it is. I’d jotted down a note and stuck it to a sealed envelope, along with a box of personal items your mother wanted you to have. I’m sure it explains everything. We can meet in the next couple of days and go over the details. I already put in a call to Walter; he’s available whenever you are to sign the documents.”
She sighed into the phone. “And this Walter, he’s okay with the details of the will, working at an outdoor store?” Cassandra couldn’t even comprehend the notion; she knew nothing about the outdoors. Sure, she loved to look at it, but only from a distance. She had never even been camping.
“Oh, sure …” His words came out as a whistle. “Walter has managed the family business for years. He doesn’t want to sell. But he can’t afford to buy you out either. The only choice you have is to follow the terms of the will and decide what to do after six months.”
“I can come Monday, I guess,” Cassandra offered. She was going to be homeless in a couple of weeks anyway. She’d already finished all her classes, so there wasn’t any reason to put it off. There was no family to watch her graduate. She didn’t even want to walk on stage; it would be too heartbreaking, and she would probably break down and cry. At least she would have a job and a place to live, time to figure out her life. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.
Chapter Three
Mr. Brady’s office was located in Ashville. And though he’d scheduled an appointment for Walter and her on Monday morning, he’d agreed to meet her on Saturday, allowing her to pick up the box of personal items.
He’d indicated the contents were mostly letters and such but thought she might want to read them before their appointment on Monday.
Arriving at Mr. Brady’s office at twelve o’clock sharp, he exchanged the items for a signed receipt, reminded her of their appointment on Monday morning, and she was on her way.
She located an inexpensive hotel in Bryson City and settled in for the night. Tomorrow, she would explore her company and new habitat. Her company, that is, if she could tolerate working and living in Nantahala for six months.
She loved the mountains, but preferred the city; Lynchburg provided her with both. She wasn’t sure she could get accustomed to such isolation. Her online research had indicated that Nantahala was only seventy-nine square miles with a population of approximately seventeen hundred — all rural.
The closest Wal-Mart was twenty-two miles away. If Wal-Mart was that far away, how far were other types of bookstores, restaurants, and theaters? It wasn’t as if she was an avid shopper, she wasn’t. But the idea that she couldn’t just jump in the car and go to a bookstore or movie theater was strange. She’d been accustomed to instant gratification most of her life. Whatever food or dessert she wanted had always been right around the corner.
With her pizza box and Diet Coke, she settled down on the hotel bed, pulling her leg up underneath her, and started to read the first of what looked like hundreds of letters.
Cassie,
I just drove away from your house. You were eighteen today and absolutely stunning.
Cassandra sucked in a mouthful of air, dropping the letter as if it had scalded her. Chills ran down her arms. Her mother had been at her house. She’d come to see her.
Cassie? No one had called her Cassie in years. If anyone tried, she corrected them. She didn’t want anyone to call her Cassie ever again; that’s what her mother had always called her. Karen got away with calling her Cass, but she was the only one.
Tears filled her eyes, and she wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. It would be too painful to hear her mother’s words from the grave. She pursed her lips and sat up straight, then picked up the letter. She wouldn’t let her mother’s attempts to explain herself alter her feelings. She would finish the six months and walk away with at least something from the woman who’d caused her nothing but grief.
I wanted to see you, even if for only a few moments. I know it’s too late for me to make up the years that have passed, so I won’t even try. But what I’d like to do if you’ll let me is to explain my actions.
By now, I’m gone. My instructions were for you to read this letter first, and then if you can, all the letters I sent over the years. Your father returned every single one of them, so I just kept them, hoping you would come looking for me.
Your father was a first-class gentleman, so please do not be upset with him. He did what he thought was right. I know he wanted only the best for you, and based on what little knowledge I could gather, you turned into a beautiful and bright young lady with a great future.
Cassie, I want you to know, I never wanted to leave you. I’ve regretted my decision every day of my life. If I thought I could have won custody, I would have fought to the death, but there was no chance. My past and present and your father’s money were too much for me to fight. When I finally got my life in order, you were a teenager. It took me six years to get my life on track. I knew you were old enough to make your own decision and hoped that one day you would find me. I didn’t want to force myself into your life.
I also want you to understand, our breakup was not your father’s fault. It was mine. I made my choices and have to answer for them.
Cassandra went on to read about her parents’ relationship, Jasmine’s unplanned pregnancy at nineteen, the topless bar her father had found Jasmine working in when Cassandra was only two, and her mother’s improprieties after the two of them had married. She wasn’t certain whom to be angry with; none of it made sense. Yes, her mother was wrong. But did her father have to erase her from her life? And her mother, how could she have been so horrible to her father after all he’d done for her — them?
I want you to have all the choices in your life that I did not. I’m not sure that what I have set up is going to work, but … what’s done is done, so here goes …
You have grown up in a world of wealth, Cassie, and though I believe you are probably a wonderful woman, I don’t want you to miss anything.
Life is not about what you can buy or where you can live. And I’m afraid that if you follow in your father’s footsteps, you will end up an unhappy woman like I was. I want to show you another side of life, a simpler life, and after that, if you still want to go back to the city and a career as an attorney, it is your choice. But at least you’ll have seen both options.
Again, Cassandra blanched, her mother had obviously kept tabs on her if she knew she planned to become an attorney.
So this is my gift to you, baby girl. I hope you won’t be angry, as I am only doing this to give you a choice in life. I came from a simple life and was an extremely happy girl. When I met your father, I was overwhelmed with the attention and fell madly in love. But something was missing. You can have a houseful of things, but they won’t make you happy. The only way to find true contentment is to find God, love yourself, and to find the one person who’ll love and cherish you for the person you are, not the person they want you to be.
I wish you all the happiness in the world, Cassie. I’m truly sorry things didn’t turn out otherwise.
Love always,
Your mother, Jasmine
Cassandra folded the letter and returned it to the box. She fished through the remaining contents. The box overflowed with pictures — obviously draw
n when she was in kindergarten — theater stubs, a theme park map from Busch Gardens — creased from being folded and stuffed in her mother’s pocket during their day, she supposed — and countless of other mementos from their few years together.
Burying her head in her pillow, Cassandra wept for the mother she never knew. She didn’t really blame her father; she understood why he did what he did. What she couldn’t understand was why her mother had moved away. Even if she couldn’t win custody of her, that didn’t mean she would have lost visiting rights.
Cassandra knew Florida law, knew her mother wouldn’t have been allowed to take her out of the state without her father’s permission, but why did she have to move away? Couldn’t she have stayed nearby? Maybe the answers would be in the remaining letters, but she wasn’t up to reading them at the moment; they would have to wait.
Mentally exhausted, she closed her eyes. It’d been a long day … a long week. Heck, it’d been a long three years to be exact. Eventually, she would read them all and attempt to understand.
With a flip of a switch on the nightstand, she turned out the lights and once again cried herself to sleep.
Chapter Four
Cassandra woke up before her alarm sounded, seven a.m. as usual.
She showered and dressed in her most comfortable sundress, grabbed her small suitcase of all her belongings that she hadn’t packed in the U-haul, and then headed out to see her new business, imagining Walter wouldn’t be there on a Sunday. Most owners — or managers in his case — would take off on the weekends, she assumed.
The picturesque, two-lane highway weaved its way between a mountain on her one side and a whitewater river on her other side. Numerous rafting companies and quaint country stores dotted the riverbank along the rushing waters of the Nantahala River. Billowing hardwood trees, full and green, covered the landscape as well as numerous flowering saplings she didn’t recognize. Never having been camping or whitewater rafting, she’d never imagined herself owning a store in the middle of the mountains in North Carolina, but her excitement mounted as she approached what must be her shop.
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