Soul Mates. The Beginning.

by Christine Wood

  “Well, lord oh lord, look at you, doing the chasing, perhaps she’s the one?” I laugh and slap his back as we head down present in hand.

  “What did you get Bella in the end?”

  “Jewellery, though I wish I’d gone with the pony now.”

  “Umm, you may be right, she isn’t a jewellery kind of girl, sorry Bro but she is the hardest girl I know to buy for.”

  “Cheers, she can exchange it, she needn’t worry I won’t be pissed. She can come and choose a pony from the ranch. You will have to bring her down. I don’t know why you never have?”

  “Her refusal to leave London is why, she hasn’t left there much in ten years, and do you know how long she interviewed stable girls for to get the right ones for her babies? Six bloody months and had security check them all out, as it is she has cameras in their stalls, the stables are wired for sound and she spends all her time barking orders at them from way over here, one quit yesterday. So, she was heading back until we got her another girl, she’s bloody hard work her and her damn horses.”

  I laugh and imagine her in jodhpurs and hacking jacket riding helmet and whip smacking everyone who gets in her way, I see her being a spoilt madam bellowing out orders, wow he has my sympathy, she sounds like a brat. We head down to join the party, which is in full swing when we get there, though there is a distinct lack of girls her age. This is more of a corporate affair, but I’m not looking for anyone other than Estella and she isn’t on duty. I will leave it until breakfast tomorrow. Hugh is on his way over.

  “There’s my two fellas, I hope she likes this I can’t see her liking it. It’s full of relatives and business colleagues, being as she has few friends other than cousins, so we invited our friends.”

  “Hugh, it will be fine does she not make friends easily?”

  “No, she keeps herself to herself, she studies, she has her pony’s and drawing, she’s been taking extra architecture lessons for three years, and can if she wants to, skip a couple of years at college, but no, go figure she enrols in a few weeks doing a business degree and a top up on her architecture qualifications. Hopefully, then she will spread her wings a little, though looking like she does I’m amazed there isn’t more gun fodder hanging around.”

  “Gun fodder?”

  “Yeah, she’s quite the stunner, and apart from Cameron, there has been very little male contact around her. But then again, they do tend to run when she kicks their backside with this mixed martial arts she does, don’t ask me, its boxing kicking and wrestling, not at all girly and the bruises she gets, don’t get me started, still she can look after herself thanks to Tanner.”

  “Dad that bloody woman Brown is waving you.”

  “Oh right, she’s coming down now, get the camera Son.”

  “Dad you have the guy taking a video, two photographers and everyone has a disposable film camera.”

  “Just in case, just in case, we need this capturing, it may be the last one she lets us have after the last one.” I offer to take the shots and laugh, because he looks like he’s going to have a heart attack. The music changes to the birthday song as the lights dim and the spotlight then hits Mrs Humphries, as she walks her daughter to the stage. I snap away and as I look through the camera lens, my jaw drops, Estella is Bella, what the fuck? I then realise that I’m in lust with a sixteen-year-old. Fuck no.

  “Wow she looks stunning, who’d have thought she’d scrub up so well? What do you think Chris?” Luis is asking me about his kid sister and I am drooling.

  “She’s, she’s well... She has changed a little, wow your right stunning.” The way that dress kisses her body, is probably doing to the other men, what it’s doing to me, her long legs and slim frame, the jet black hair falls in loose curls way down her back and is sort of fancy at the top, wow I mean, really wow she is beautiful. I click away with the disposable and pocket it. Hugh will have enough the flashes haven’t stopped all night.

  “Come on come and meet her, she looks like she needs a friend.”

  “She looks alright this is your time you go up I will be fine here.”

  “Nope, Mum’s orders your to be in the photos too, these may be all she has as you don’t visit her enough.” I am dragged to the stage, and I climb the step she’s laughing and joking with three or four girls, Luis grabs her and spins her around.

  “Wow, who’d have thought it, without her dirty horsey smelling clothes and dirty finger nails, hides a pretty nice young lady underneath. Look who I have brought.” She ran into my arms and hugged me. I held her tightly and hugged her back.

  “Oh gimmie a kiss you lug, it’s been too long, you’ve changed, I didn’t know it was you at breakfast, have I changed that much that you didn’t recognise me either?” I gave her cheek a chased kiss, anymore would be so inappropriate.

  “No, you were only little the last time, I saw you, all four foot of you. Here, I didn’t know what to get you the last time I saw you, you were chewing pencils and eating Mac and cheese, then you pulled your tongue out and hid in your room all day.”

  “I still do that a lot. Thank you, can I open it?”

  “Of course it is after all your birthday.”

  “Oh here.” she opened her little red clutch bag and passed me my gift. “Happy birthday to you too it’s hard to forget you when we share the same birthday.” I take the gift and as we both eagerly open each other’s I smile, she bought me a cool silver yoyo. “It replaces the one I smashed when I had the temper because I couldn’t do it, sorry.”

  “It’s perfect thank you, do you like yours? It’s just Luis said you didn’t…” Wow the kiss she gave me said she liked it, pulling back she blushed and said she loved it, she’d only been looking at these the other day in Yurman’s I smiled, because she had helped me choose her own gift, she was with the girls here on stage looking in the jewellery cases.

  “Daddy look what Chris bought me, isn’t it pretty?”

  “Yes, and it matches your eyes, Christopher thank you for coming and here is your gift too.” He passes me a box, and as I open it, I fight back the tears. It’s a collage of photographs, of our snatched days and the weeks we had in the hotel, there are many photos with Luis, but only two with Bella, one playing with the damn yoyo and one I don’t remember them taking. In it, she was about eight or nine perhaps and it was taken here in this very ballroom? Why did I not remember that visit? She was looking into my eyes, and I was drunk by the look of the glazed over eyes, but I was dancing with her. She smiles and explains the memory loss photograph to me.

  “That’s my favourite, but I highly doubt you remember it? It was the last birthday party I had, and you and Luis turned up drunk and with two, sorry for this, but they were hookers and both of you crashed my party. You asked me to dance and said I was pretty and then three minutes into the dance you kissed my cheek and left for Hawaii with Luis and the girls. The true story of why I never had another birthday party. You broke my seven-year-old heart. I bought you a sixteenth birthday gift that I’d spent hours making, you took one look at it and laughed, you by the way left it here, as it was too ugly to take on holiday with the hookers.” Oh hell I remember getting the hookers as a gift from Dad, I remember very little else, one remembers your first time and I remembered that alright. Just not coming here and ruining her day too.

  “Sorry I was an arse, and I can’t say sorry enough, shit you must hate me Bella? Let me make it up to you I guess a dance is out of the question?”

  “Umm I don’t know? Do you want me to find you a hooker?”

  “Quit it Bella, I said I was an ass and I’m sorry, here put your bracelet on.”

  “It’s very pretty, thank you and as to the dance, afterwards, I have to dance with Daddy now, but yes save me a dance please?” I looked at her and wondered when it was she grew up, and why the fuck I ruined her last birthday party?

  “Sure I’ll be the sober one next to Luis.” Hugh patted my back and went to dance with the fair Princess Isabella. The dance was wonderful as L
uis and I watched, I am mesmerised by her beauty, fuck her brother was right, she is stunning.

  “Scrubs up well, doesn’t she? She liked her present go figure.”

  “Why did we spend my sixteenth at her party and ruin it for her? I don’t even remember coming here.”

  “Epic night, we were drinking your dads finest malt as we celebrated you popping your cherry. You were a man at last, and after a few more drinks and another round of hooking the hooker, we came here. I think Bedford was sent for us, we got here and crashed the party. I fell in the cake, and you made birthday girl cry when we left with the hookers on your dad’s jet for a week of surfing and doing manly stuff in Hawaii. Most of which I can’t remember, but I do remember my dick hurt it was used so much, you were drunk from leaving your old man’s place to getting back, apparently, it was the week you left your old home and moved here to Vegas? You had an epic row with Daddy, and we drank his whiskey?”

  “I remember nothing of that week, apart from my sore dick, hurting balls and sunburn?”

  “As I said epic week, you fucked hard with the hooker we took with us, but we dumped them at the airport when they wanted to do drugs, but we picked up a few others that week, the one who ruined sex for you, because she was a grabber and a puller and she went all weird on you and wanted you to marry her for sex,” I shake my head no, “you have to remember her, the nut job? She was the good looking blonde one you latched on to and you were not thrilled with her insisting on marrying you, in fact and you fell asleep in the pool on your surfboard to escape her, all because she couldn’t swim, and you got burnt and she got arrested for calling the firemen to rescue you?” Nope I shake my head again another epic Lois party, forgotten through drink fuelled amnesia. “Look, I have got to go I have to dance with Mum, wait here for me I am going to look a prat, so no photos.”

  I feel like crap how can I not remember all that? It’s a fucking good job I didn’t remember it, because I may not have come for this one. I listen as the singer sings, ‘Dance with My Father,’ and if I didn’t feel anything before watching her dance with her father, I certainly did watching her, she was so elegant as she glides over the floor, she looks graceful, charming, and she has everyone enchanted. Including me, and if I say or think anything soppier and I’d be fanning my face. She is beauty personified, but I had to pull back on those thoughts, because she was too young, sixteen and a stunning beauty, shit why was I born too soon?

  “Nice isn’t she Chris? How long is it since you last saw her, it’s been quite a long time, I bet?” I turned to see Cameron Bayfield, with his tongue hanging out and his eyes are searching out every inch of my Bella, in a not too nice way either. “She’s promised me a dance.”

  “Well you’re out of luck, because her dance card is full, it seems someone told her of your indiscretions in college Bayfield, and do you see that woman in the stunning black gown looking at you? She’s her security and carries a gun, so one step towards her and she takes you out, hi Tanner.” She smiles and points at the man by my side and taps her nose. His card is marked.

  “Seems I have another party to find, your dad said you were interested, I didn’t think you stooped to cradle robbing though, is grown up pussy harder to find when you’re as rich as you are? I never had you down as a little girl type of guy, but I guess you never know if they are after you or the money, such a hard life you lead?”

  “I get as much as I want and need. Bella is like my kid sister, so fuck off back to whichever rock you crawled under from.” He did, laughing as he left. The room erupted into clapping and cheers as the dance finished. They came over looking so happy.

  “Right I need a drink Dad. Please can I have some champagne?”

  “One glass, one glass, do you hear and no more. I need to schmooze look after her boys I am leaving her in your hands.” Luis is already off chasing skirt.

  “Looks like I’m on Bella minding, come on dance with me, it seems I owe you a dance then, do you still have my present and what was it by the way?”

  “Oh nothing much and no, I smashed it. I may have had a temper tantrum.”

  “Sorry, dance with me please?” She took my hand and I shivered as she pulled close to me, what the hell was happening? Her silky red dress felt good beneath my hands and as she and I danced, she sang along, wow she has a sweet voice too. ‘Against All Odds’ was never sung like this with old Phil.

  “Take a look at me now… There’s just an empty space, and you coming back to me is against the odds…”

  “You sing very well Bella.”

  “Apparently so, why are you looking at me like that? You did it this morning too, all gooey eyed and stupid?”

  “I didn’t think I was doing, you look different from the last time I saw you, and I’m just stunned you grew up to be so pretty.”

  “Pretty annoying you used to call me, can I confess something?”

  “Yeah as long as it’s not you have committed a murder or something equally as bad?” She laughs as we continue to dance.

  “I had the biggest crush on you as I was growing up. I have loads of pictures of you in scrap books. I guess that makes me kind of freaky, but when I was little you always seemed to be there. Well until we left for London and then you and Luis forgot about me. So I kept up with you on the web and in magazines and stuff.” She blushes, I’d forgotten how shy girls could be, but this was unexpected.

  “I’m glad you got over it and me Bella, I’m way too old for you.” I laugh and mean it but she looks desolate, shit what did I do now, ruin her birthday probably? Quick think of something to change the subject.

  “Horses, you’re into horses?” She sighs and smiles.

  “Yeah, I have five and love them all, how did you know that?”

  “Luis told me, he bought you a rodeo saddle for the new pony you have. I have a few Aztecs too, they are great on the ranch, and you should get Luis to bring you down when he comes again.”

  “I’ll think about it, I have my own to sort out and being here means I’m not there, right thanks for the dance, but I think I have made enough of a fool of myself for one night Chris.”

  “Fool, why?”

  “Telling you I had a crush on you and being sappy, thanks for the bracelet I will treasure it always. Oh and you don’t have to stop to the party, Luis seems to have found you a friend for the evening.” I smile, is she jealous?

  “Well he will have to enjoy their company, as I’m dancing with you some more and everyone has a crush Bella… Shush, can I tell you something? Mine was your mum, but don’t tell her I said that. It’s all part of growing up Bella and I’m honoured I was yours.”

  “Good job I haven’t got time for that in my busy schedule anymore and thank you for not laughing at me.” I’m stunned. This is so wrong, so wrong and I want to be a few years younger.

  “Right there is a drink of champagne with your name on it, and just the one too.”

  “Yes Sir, you’re still bossy then?”

  “You, you monster used to boss Luis and I into doing your bidding, and you became Bossy Pants, who came complete with amazing tantrums if we didn’t.” She laughed and held my hand as we went to sit down.

  “Hello young lady, but we have to be going. Chris, you’ve danced with the birthday girl and now I have a birthday treat for you. Your very own hooker, oops I see the look Pooh, they aren’t really, but Chris I have found you an Estella, you know the one you haven’t stopped raving about all bloody day?”

  “Nope, that’s not her and I’m happy here for the night you go and enjoy the night young Luis.” I am fuming because Bella heard all that. He laughed and had both girls in his arms and was heading out of the room. So now what do I do?

  “Estella? Really, that’s who you have been looking for? Did she happen to be in the dining room this morning serving you coffee, and asking you to shift your backside?”

  “Look, I didn’t know it was you, and I did not know you were only sixteen Bella, but yes you caught my attention, see
now you have me blushing and tripping over my tongue.”

  “Good, so we agree that this is not happening and I am too young and you are too old yes?”

  “Yes good, we’re in agreement on the matter.” She laughed and sipped her champagne, as she did she looked over at me with those eyes and smiled. “Stop it Bella please stop it, we are being watched and nothing will happen between us I can assure you.”

  “It’s fine I know that a no means a no, besides Dad would kill you and Mum would be mortified if her little girl was kissed by a man.”

  “How much did you drink before you got down?”

  “I dunno? We did vodka shots and we had a glass of champagne, why?”

  “You’re drunk that’s why, you need fresh air and coffee lots of coffee.”

  “Nope, what I need is another drink and to forget I told you I liked you that’s what I need Christopher Holland, another drink and you can’t say anything you were way more than drunk on your sixteenth.”

  “I was, you’re right but I was also a boy, not a defenceless teenage girl and I was drinking to forget an argument Dad and me were having, about me killing my mother again, so I had his best scotch, helped by Luis. Come on let’s get you some water and coffee then we will go for a walk, have you eaten?”

  “Nope, I don’t want food, I want a drink and I can kick major butt, including yours Mister.”

  “Here have some of these little dinky sandwiches, and some of these too, if you are going to drink in future do it with food in your belly.”

  “You’re very bossy, see I’m eating, happy now?”

  “Very, here drink this too and all of it.” She sipped the chilled water, and sat and picked at the food on the plate.

  “I love my bracelet Christopher thank you. How long are you here for? I need to get you a gift, do you not think it’s funny we have the same birthday?”

  “It is funny yes, but I don’t do birthdays Bella, the yoyo was a wonderful thoughtful gift. Birthdays before you came, they are a constant reminder of my mother’s death, so birthdays were not celebrated in my house. I celebrated here with your family most years and when your Mum had you I was here when they brought you home, a pink blob in a white blanket, that made birthdays more tolerable knowing we shared them. I sent you Lego every year, but I highly doubt you remember getting it though?”