DESIRE (Fiction)
The smell of chicken pizza came wafting into the lobby from the kitchen. Lewis and Caroline were decorating the lobby with balloons and ribbons for Susie, the birthday girl. They had been close friends as well as classmates since the first grade.
“ I adore this cake,” said Susie. She was busy placing candles on her cake.
“ When you’re done with it, go check on Jess before she burns the dinner,” said Caroline.
“ OK. I will,” Susie laughed.
“ When you come back, bring me some coke. I’m exhausted blowing all these balloons,” Lewis complained.
Susie was awestruck at the sight of trays of meals on the kitchen table.
“Happy sweet 16, Susie,” Jessica hugged her. “ You look quite tall in this dress. Same color as your hair. Wine red. I wish you had long hair,” said Jess.
“I wish daddy weren’t on trip now,” said Susie.
“Come on, let’s take these out,” said Jess. Together, the two girls slowly headed back to the lobby with trays in their hands.
“Oh, wait, gotta take some coke for that freak.”
“Lewis?” asked Jess.
“Yeah, move on. I’ll bring the rest.”
Susie went over to the fridge. She heard a beep. It was from her mom’s cell placed on the table. A message had arrived. It said, “Meet me at 9 tomorrow. Usual place. Love Luke.” Susie’s mouth fell open. It proved all the rumors to be right. Her mother was having an affair.
“Do you find…,” her mother, Lillian’s words were cut short by tears on Susie’s face. Lillian had just dressed up for the party, and come down to the kitchen. Her sharp eyes analyzed the situation, and she got the point.
“Let go of the phone, and please don’t spoil the evening,” she begged her daughter. Susie found herself fighting hard against the tears and a million questions she had on that matter throughout the evening.
As the last guest was waved goodbye, she exploded. “Now tell me this is not true,” Susie’s voice was choked with disbelief and grief.
“Daddy will be home in two weeks’ time. What would you do? It said Usual place. How long have you been dating? Why mom? Who’s Luke?”
“Stop!” shrieked Lillian. There was a long pause. Susie’s sobs echoed around the room.
Lillian finally poured out the whole story. She and Luke Dylan were high school sweethearts. Her parents, however, forced her to marry John Gilbert, Susie’s father. The young Lillian never loved John, 15years her senior. Being a renowned archaeologist, John was frequently on trips. Although this marriage brought wealth and honor to Lillian’s family, the couple had been cold to each other for as long as Susie could remember. Lillian’s heart had remained with the poor truck driver’s son, Luke since they were separated. “We accidentally met two months ago. He opens a coffee shop. Not a big one though. He’s moved into this state for not more than five months,” said Lillian.
“I need to talk with him. Give me his address or number,” said Susie.
“No. I’ll deal with this myself. You’re still a kid.”
“ Will you stop seeing him? Yes you must. What about me and daddy? You are hurting us.”
“My happiness counts, too. Need you to stay out of this. Now it’s time for bed,” Lillian stamped out of the room.
Susie couldn’t sleep that night. She typed the scandal in reply to her father’s email wishing her Happy Birthday. As she was about to click the SEND button, she burst into tears. She knew her father too well. He valued honor more than anything else. She couldn’t guarantee her mother’s safety once she had let him know of the affair. Lillian was her life anyway.
For the next couple of days, Susie and Lillian scarcely talked to each other. Her mother’s late nights worried her more. The shocking truth discovered on her special day stole Susie’s active, smiling face. She dodged her friends and their curious questions as well. Susie kept waiting for her daddy to come home. Nevertheless, she was witty enough to have stolen Luke’s photo, address and number from her mom’s room.
“Hi, Susie, good news. You’ve been selected to sing at the school concert,” said Jessica.
“Selected? By whom?” said Susie.
“The principal. He selected and we voted. Everyone knows you got talent. Now brush up your skills. You’ve got a week to prepare,” Lewis interrupted.
That evening after lessons, Susie spent long hours practicing the guitar in the school’s studio. She forgot about everything including the time when the warden usually went home. The old fellow had overlooked her, and locked the doors and the gate. By a happy chance, she managed to escape through a broken door, and climbing over the gate. It was almost eleven when she stepped into her house. What had inspired her along the way was, if her mom was anxiously waiting for her. Ironically, the whole house was dark and dead silent. Her mother was sleeping soundly in her bed totally unconscious of the reeking body of Susie’s standing next to her. She then tiptoed into the bathroom and wept.
Susie skipped lessons the next day. Instead, she took the bus out of town to County Star, a small town ten miles away from her hometown. The address she had stolen finally guided her to a wooden pub in the center of the town. It was called THE JUG.
“This is no café. Mom lied,” she thought to herself. With a heavy heart, Susie walked in.
The small building was packed with middle aged drunkards and sluttish young women. The smell of cigarettes and beer suffocated her more. She approached the bar tender, and inquired about Luke Dylan. The blond elderly woman observed Susie from head to toe, and dialed some numbers on the phone next to her.
“Want some puff, chic?” said the big fat guy on Susie’s left, handing her his cigar. Susie pretended not to hear. In a few minutes, a well-built guy around 40, dressed in a khakis shirt and dark blue jeans showed up behind the bar. The girl recognized him right away. It was Luke Dylan, the pub’s owner. She thanked God for not letting her be his daughter.
As she revealed who she was, the man’s face went dark. He, however, shook hands with her, and ushered her into a small inner room behind the pub.
“Did Lillian send you here?” Luke’s eyes were confused.
“No. I came by myself. I know everything. I’ll make my statement short and clear. You must stop seeing her. Otherwise, my father would have to meet you in court.”
Luke chuckled. He seated them down on the sofa, and gently explained his true feelings for Lillian to Susie.
As he talked, Susie’s eyed went around the room. It was damp and dimly lit. Everywhere she looked, she saw only wine bottles, in contrast to her father’s study stuffed with books. On the table strewn with butts and CDs, she caught a glimpse of some white powder on a piece of tissue paper. It could be no milk powder, she thought to herself. Her dislike and suspicions for this man grew stronger.
“Have you finished, Mr.Dylan?” Susie interrupted him coldly.
Having observed firmness in the girl’s eyes, Luke retorted,” This is not something you should get involved, kid. I definitely know she’ll choose me this time. She has never loved your father. It was a forced marriage arranged for wealth and honor.”
“He is by any means a better man than you are.”
“Don’t use the same words your grandparents used on me. Yes. I was broke. But now I’m running my own business. I’m not as rich as John Gilbert, but I have my own fortune.”
“Is this what you call business?” Susie got up, and gestured around her.
“You are as old and snobbish as your daddy.”
“Don’t insult my father. I mean every word I spoke. You must leave us alone,” Susie said, turning to the door.
“Let’s see what Lillian decides. When she moves in here, I’m kind enough to welcome you too. We could be family,” Luke jeered.
“Over my dead body,” Susie left the pub.
Susie was in no mood to eat dinner that evening. As usual, she communicated with her mother very little. Up in her room, Susie sent her father an email on her singing at the school concert five days from now. Still she lacked the courage to type the words about the affair.
Susie found a new mail in her inbox after getting home from the rehearsal the following evening. It was from her father, and had a subject. It was not John’s type to send emails with subject to family members, Susie knew. It read, ”Let’s start over.” She was overwhelmed with curiosity. For the very first time in her life, she had the most beautiful dream that night.
Susie was baking her first chocolate cake, which would make a welcoming gift to her daddy this evening. Her mother was out with her colleagues attending a funeral. Tomorrow was going to be the most memorable day of her young life. The School Concert. She had made herself perfectly ready for it. Someone rang the doorbell.
“Coming,” called Susie.
It was only 5pm. Her father would arrive at six. Who would that be, she wondered.
“Hi, is Lillian home?” asked the guest.
She couldn’t believe her eyes. She knew the man far too well. For today, he was the wrong person at the wrong time.
“What are you doing here, Mr. Dylan? You’re not expected. Not especially this evening,” Susie said.
“I’m bringing Lillian a birthday present. Her birthday’s tomorrow, isn’t it?” Luke raised the parcel in his hands.
“You are so pathetic. You don’t get it, do you? She’s not seeing you anymore. You can leave now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Susie. Four days ago, you looked devastated. How can you be so confident now?”
“I know what I’m saying, now go home. My father’s coming home in an hour. And things are never the same as before from now. Trust me.”
“Well. That’s sounds intriguing. OK, what about me waiting here, on the porch till he comes. We can discuss things for a second time.”
“No. You can’t do this,” Susie raised her voice. Her heart fluttered.
“I think I should ask your mom for some advice. She might agree,” said Luke. He started dialing her number on his cell.
Susie was furious. She tried to snatch the phone from his hand. In his attempts to move away, Luke’s strong arms accidentally pushed the girl onto the floor. Susie’s face hit hard against the open door. Her wrath was uncontrollable.
“Go away, kid. This is none of your business,” Luke said. Still clutching the cell, he awaited the answer on the other side of the line.
Susie grabbed a nearby wooden block, and hurled it at the man’s back. He got hit on the back of his head, and fell face down on the floor. His cell was thrown out of his hand, and crashed against the ground. Susie was satisfied. She stood up, and shouted at him to get up and leave.
Luke did not even stir. Her fury slowly transformed itself into worry, and then to terror. She knelt down beside him, and tapped his shoulder. Then, she called his name, and shook him vigorously. No response. Perhaps he was knocked out, she thought. She waited and waited in fear and uncertainty. Half an hour had passed. Luke remained in exactly the same position. Susie placed a finger in front of his nostrils. No breath. Her suspicions were confirmed. She killed him. Within another 30 minutes, her father would be home. So would her mother soon. She was helpless and hopeless.
Sprawling on the floor next to the dead man, she took a folded A4 size paper out of her jeans. She had printed out the last email from her father. Slowly, she enunciated each word. The tears clouded her vision heavily that she had to wipe them away off and on.
It said, ”I’m more than proud to see you performing at the concert. You are now old enough to hear what I’ll tell you when I get back. I understand you’ve always wanted three of us to loving and warm to each other like the families you admire. But we never are. There have been complications in my marriage to your mother. I’ll explain them to you later, and I also need to make up to your mother for what she went through. I can promise you one thing for our future. Things will be different. I’ll be 57, and your mom 42 on coming Sunday, the day of your concert. We should celebrate this coincidence. This will be the first time in our life that three of us go to a party together. I love you. We love you.”
SANTANET.
