Chapter Two
It had been three days since Brad’s arrival, and three days since Casey had last seen her friend, and as much as she hated to admit it, she really did miss his company. Tommy had showed up that morning, his usually pleasant face twisted with displeasure as he stomped up to where Casey stooped planting some seedlings in the back yard. His cheeks were puffed out and his lips pouted; he always went the extra mile when expressing himself. Casey looked up at him coolly and could see he was very angry, it turned out he really had not gotten over what had happened.
“Why are you mad Tom, you should be proud of what we did” she said, before returning to her work. Tom stomped angrily, and Casey looked up, a bit amused by his behavior. This seemed to make Tommy angrier.
“Okay man calm down….” she started.
“Don’t do that!” he screamed, Casey looked up at him a puzzled look on her face.
“Look Tom I don’t know what got you so mad, I’m sorry if your Mom beat you but what’s done is done” she had no intention to come off as cold but that is exactly what she did.
“How could you be like this, you dragged me out on the rocks in the early morning when we both knew it was forbidden, but I came with you Casey, you wanna know why?” he was looking at her expectantly and she stared back at him. She knew he expected a response he was after all, standing there, staring at her, waiting.
“Why?” she finally responded.
“I followed you because I trusted you Casey” he paused, as though waiting for it to sink in; she stared back at him blankly. Tommy sighed and calmed down a little.
“I trusted you” he repeated, he was beginning to sound like a heartbroken boyfriend. Casey opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again.
“I got a beating for that T-Shirt of mine and for being out so early, but I protected you, I lied for you” he was crying now while Casey’s anger boiled.
“What do you want me to do about that Tom, I didn’t tell you to lie” her voice was icy and Tommy flinched when he looked into her eyes, but he came here with a purpose and he was going to see it through.
“I don’t want to be friends with you anymore, I’m not going to hell for covering for you, no more beatings for you either” and with that he turned and calmly walked away, dashing his hands across his eyes.
Casey stood up, she never thought those words could affect her like this. She made a few steps after the retreating boy and called out to him, despite himself Tommy stopped and looked back and without thinking she yelled at him.
“I don’t care, I don’t care if you don’t want to be my friend you’re too stupid anyway” she was so blind with anger she did not notice the pained expression on his face or the seedlings she had trampled. Tommy walked away without another word.
Casey could feel the lump in her throat and the pain in her chest but she was not going to cry for him, she dropped the tiny garden fork and ran into the house and into her bedroom, but as she pulled the door behind her and dropped unto her bed the tears were streaming down her face and her chest was heaving uncontrollably. She reached into her back pocket for her medication but it was empty, panic gripped her when she remembered she left it in her other jeans. Casey turned on her back and with one gasping breath she cried out for help, she was struggling for air now and wondering if anyone would hear her.
Brad was at the kitchen window and had seen the whole fight between the two friends; he was debating whether he should go talk to her or leave her until her mother got back. He was staring at her bedroom door thoughtfully; he was not sure what he would tell her or how he would comfort her, because he had no children in his life before this. He took a step forward just as the kettle whistle went off. Brad grunted he always hated that sound; he turned and headed into the kitchen. Maybe he could bring her some tea he thought, that always helped to calm his nerves.
A little while later he was standing at her door with two cups of hot cocoa, he was not sure if she drank coffee.
“Casey” he called, and he knocked again “I’ve got some cocoa, figured you would want a cup” that’s when he heard a low thud, without thinking he turned the knob and walked in, his eyes opened in horror at the sight before him.
Casey had fallen to the floor her chest was heaving uncontrollably and she was making a frightening wheezing sound, she was pale and sweaty. Brad set down the cups he was holding and went to her side; she was staring up at him tearfully.
“Where’s your medicine?” he asked.
She motioned to a clothes basket at the corner of the room and shook her head. Brad went to it and threw of the top, he too was sweating and his hands trembling, he looked over at her the basket was empty.
“ What am I looking for?” he asked frantically, she made a wheezing sound along with a incomprehensible gesture and he managed to make out the word jeans, by now he had an idea of what he was looking for, it did not take a genius to see she was having an asthma attack.
He dashed out of the room and headed straight for the small room, where he’d seen Anna carry laundry just that morning. In not time Brad was pulling and tossing clothes from the baskets in the room until he came upon a pair of faded jeans, that looked like Casey’s, lucky for him she only had two there and before he picked up the other he could feel the puffer in the pocket.
He hurried back to her, she was paler now and her lips were almost blue. Brad pulled her up against his chest and cradled her against him as he lifted the puffer to her lips. He continued to hold her while her breathing slowed and she relaxed. He looked down at her with relief now, his own heart was beginning to slow too as he noticed her color coming back, he looked down at her and smiled.
Brad helped Casey into bed, and they laughed when she said he was fussier than her mother, he handed her the cup he had brought in.
“It may be a bit cold” he informed her.
She smiled, “thanks,” she looked up at him sweetly.
“You saved me first,” Brad chuckled, he then leaned forward “next time don’t leave your puffer in the laundry” he scolded.
Casey nodded, “I know, it’s just that I don’t need it often and I only carry it around when I’m far from home” she took a sip of the cocoa.
“How long have you had asthma” he asked, he was genuinely interested. She was after all, Anna’s daughter and that made her important to him.
“For as long as I could remember” she replied, “I’m eleven by the way”
“Really, I thought you were older.” Brad teased,
“Let me guess you were born in December, you’ve got that December spunk,” he said with a wink.
Casey narrowed her eyes at him, “no, not even close” she said “I was born in April; I missed my dad’s birth month by three days.”
Brad tensed; the last thing he wanted was to bounce into Anna’s boyfriend, “your dad?” he looked at Casey closely, “Does he live around here?”
Casey shook her head, “he left before I was born” she explained.
Brad relaxed, “I was born in March so…”
Casey looked up at him with those soft brown eyes and smiled. Brad looked at her and got a weird feeling in his stomach, and it must have been reflected on his face, because Casey was looking at him worriedly.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
He gave himself a shake, “yes, of course” he said with a tight smile.
“So what happened with you and Tom?”
Casey shrugged, her eyelids were strangely droopy, “oh nothing more than the usual, his mother and sister absolutely can’t stand my mom, a lot of people don’t like mommy. Apparently his sister and my mother were really good friends and I don’t know what happened. They just always blame me for everything bad Tom does and… they always try to break us up,” she looked down at her hands and sighed, “They never succeeded before.”
Brad reached over and rubbed her shoulders awkwardly, “don’t worry about it, if he’s a true
friend he’ll be back.”
Casey nodded, her eyelids finally won. She slumped against Brad and he stayed still until her breathing steadied then he pulled off her dirty garden boots and tip toed out of the room.
Brad headed to the back porch to take in some fresh air, he slumped into an old wicker chair and looked up at the sky. It was getting late and he could no longer see the true colors of the flowers, but he had been watching them for three days now, so he knew that the leaves were green, that the tall flowers swaying slowly in the night air were light pink with a hint of white, he knew they were beautiful and that when light finally showed them up as they truly were he would admire them just as much or even more. He sighed.
“What’s on your mind?”
Brad’s head jerked upward, and he found himself looking up at Anna. She was standing at the foot of the steps in her receptionist’s uniform.
“I didn’t hear you come in” he said, Anna stepped unto the porch and sat in the chair opposite his own.
“Well that’s a first, I drive a busted up truck. Even the neighbors must’ve heard me come in” she smiled.
“Guess I was far away” he said.
“That’s what I thought, want to talk about it?” her eyes never left him, yet he was as comfortable as he had been before she appeared. It had always been that way with her, Anna was always so easy to talk to.
“I was just thinking…and I realized something. Maybe I always knew it I just never could bring myself to admit it” he looked up at her with a raw, tormented look in his eyes; it was clear even in the dim porch light. Anna nodded; she did not want to push him, though she knew the best thing for him was to talk about it. Brad was staring at his hands again.
“I realized I had been looking at my life the way I look at the flowers, only with me, I had been looking during the night and never bothering to during the day, you know” he looked at her again.
He had expected to see total indifference, even he knew what he was saying sounded like utter foolishness but Anna only looked more interested.
“Go on,” she urged.
“You know how at night you can never really make out the true colors of things like you would during the day?” Anna nodded.
“Well that’s what I mean. I’ve been living a lie Anna. I thought I knew exactly what was going on in my life and how to fix everything that might go wrong” he drew his hand down the length of his face.
“I never really knew the colors,” he sighed, “and that’s why I’m here sitting on the porch of my ex-girlfriend’s house after being thrown off of my own yacht, because of a vain attempt to save my marriage” he swallowed hard.
“My wife has hurt me so much since the first couple months of our marriage, I knew from the very moment she started acting out that trying to save us was hopeless” he shook his head, he didn’t know where she was and if she was safe.
He’d called his office and his secretary had nothing on Mara, all she knew was that his yacht was back, there was no sign of his wife. It was all very confusing, yet he couldn’t bring himself to think she was in complete danger; she was there that night and though his memory of it was hazy he remembered the way she spoke to that man, like she knew him and she wasn’t afraid.
He looked up at Anna and he felt he could tell her what he thought but he decided accusing his wife of such a dreadful thing would only lower her impression of him. As he looked at her his mind went back to his conversation with Casey that evening and he felt that strange feeling in his stomach once more.
Anna had leaned forward and was taking his hands in hers, “Raj, I don’t want you blaming yourself” she gripped his hands tightly an intense look in her eyes.
“No one knows what life is going to throw at them, no matter how organized everything is, we have to learn to accept and to conform. Sometimes we can’t run things, there are times when you have to run with it knowing that Jesus is in control,” she could feel Brad stiffen.
He had not expected that, it was the last thing he wanted to hear. To him the belief of a supreme God was a psychological attempt to help people who were too weak and afraid to face life on their own.
“I don’t need this right now Anna,” he countered, he could see the disappointment in her eyes. He tightened his jaw, “actually, I have something I want to ask you.”
Anna had gotten up, and was now leaning against the post, “what happened to you Brad?” she asked, “you grew up going to church, you went with me on several occasions but now, you’re so weird about it, like there was never a time in your life when you believed.”
Her gaze settled on him, almost accusingly, “Did you…ever really believe?” She also wanted to ask; did you ever really love me or was that an act too?
Brad shrugged, “you want to know what happened Anna? I’ll tell you, I grew up. There comes a time in a man’s life when he realizes what was mere childish fantasies and what makes up the real world.”
“You mean you got too big for him,” she countered, a daring look in her eyes, “It was fine to believe in him when you were poor and every aspect of your life had to be rooted in faith. But now you don’t need him, you have all you could possibly want. But tell me Raj, how’s that going for you so far.”
Brad was trying to put his words together, feeling cornered, stuck between standing up for what he now held as truth and hurting Anna’s feelings. Suddenly, the door opened and Casey looked in, she saw her mother and went over to her. He sighed in relief, she’d saved the day.
“I was wondering when you’d appear,” Anna said, as she tried to smooth out her tousled hair, “were you asleep?”
Casey nodded, and looked over at Brad, “I had an attack today” she said, her voice a mere whisper.
Anna lifted Casey’s chin and looked down at her, “what happened?” she asked, with concern.
Casey looked over at Brad who was looking at them and gave him a look that told him he was intruding. He got up and muttered something about dinner, then left.
“So?” Anna urged, as she went to a chair and pulled Casey onto her lap. Casey took a deep breath.
“Me and Tom had a fight” she started.
She told her mother everything that had happened that afternoon even the part where she called her best friend stupid. When she finished she looked up at her mother, whose disapproval could be seen in her eyes.
“Casey, no matter what Tom told you, you had no reason to say things like that, or get yourself so worked up. And why didn’t you have your puffer with you, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard you do, what if Ra...” she stopped herself and looked down at her daughter, who was too busy cringing under the upbraiding to notice.
“What if Mr. Mason wasn’t here. You could have died” Casey had rested her head under Anna’s chin and was so still, her mother thought she had dozed off, then she started speaking.
“Tommy was my only friend mom.”
Anna could hear the hurt in her voice and she rubbed her shoulder reassuringly, “don’t worry honey am sure you guys will work it out, you always do.”
Casey shook her head, “not this time, other times it was his mom who stopped him from seeing me. He told me himself he didn’t want to be friends with me anymore, and I don’t really blame him” she sniffed. Anna did not know what she could tell her, because even she knew Tommy was the only child that ever tried to understand Casey.
It turned out Brad was saying he would prepare dinner, because when Anna and Casey came in, he was setting the table. Brad looked up at them and smiled.
“I figured since you ladies were occupied I would help out. Hope you don’t mind?” he said as he set down a few glasses.
“There’s no problem with you doing dinner” she looked down at the quick meal he had prepared; there was a bowl of canned vegetables and some spaghetti from the day before. Anna looked up at him; he was watching her scrutinize his work.
“The meatballs aren’t ready yet and
am putting together a sauce,” he motioned to an area on the counter top laden with seasoning. “I hope you don’t mind, I picked some from the garden.”
Casey was already peering into the pot, “spaghetti and… suasages” she looked over at Brad quizzically.
Brad lifted his hands defensively, “hey I’m no cook alright… and it’s a good meatball substitute.”
“Can I help?” she asked.
Brad glanced over at Anna who was already nodding, “of course you can, how about chopping up those onions over there” he replied, Casey nodded and started straight away.
“Do you need my help?” Anna put in, her voice sounded strained. She was trying to ignore the effect of the little exchange between Brad and her daughter.
Brad looked her over thoughtfully, in his eyes he could see that he’d noticed the change in her demeanor, “that’s alright, you relax. Go get out of that uniform” he instructed.
Anna nodded and turned to leave, when he called out to her, “is your brother joining us tonight?” he asked,
“He just might, I’m never sure” she replied, and walked out of the kitchen.
They were halfway through dinner when they heard the front door open, then close again with a soft click and then heard Mike’s heavy footsteps approaching the dining room. They all looked up when he came in, his large frame suddenly making the room feel smaller. He greeted them, his Texan accent strong. Unlike Anna and her older brother Monty, Mike had returned to Texas – his mother’s birth place – when he was seven to live with his aunt and uncle. Anna and Monty were more Grenadian than anyone else, it wasn’t just the place of their birth but it was their first home, none of them wanted to go back when Doctor Wright, who was Grenadian, died of a massive heart attack.
Anna and Monty were ten and sixteen then and they all loved their mother too much to leave her, though she offered to send them back to America to live with her family. She had become so attached to the little island, no one dared to tear her away from it not even her family. Mrs. Wright died the summer Mike came to visit, he was eleven. She had a brain tumor, but it was too late when they found it to save her, she died two months after she was diagnosed. Mike left and returned to Texas and only came back when Anna became pregnant.
“What’s up y’all” he said grinning from ear to ear. They all responded, and Anna invited him to join them.
“Don’t mind if I do” he replied and he pulled up the free chair.
“This all looks sooo good” he said in his slow easy going manner.
Brad looked at him and smiled, he did not know Mike that well, a matter of fact he did not know him at all. This was actually the first time he met him since he carried him into the house that day, yet Brad liked the guy. Mike seldom spoke, and when he did, it was always short and precise.
When they were finished Anna and Casey cleaned up and Mike invited Brad to join him on the porch for a beer, Brad accepted. The two men were sitting silently staring at the starry sky for what seemed an eternity, before Mike spoke up.
“It’s real relaxing down here isn’t it” he said as he took a swig of his beer.
“It is, it always has been” Brad replied.
Mike looked over at him and nodded, “That’s right. I recall Anna saying sum’n about you being from here,” Mike grinned “is it like you remembered?”
“Uh I don’t know I haven’t been out since I came, so…” Brad shrugged and looked over at Mike who was chuckling.
“Oh right I forgot. Anna ought to take you sight seeing, lotta things has changed since you last been.”
“Yeah I guess so” Brad agreed, suddenly feeling agitated about the fact that the guy he used to call ‘yankee’ was now telling him about the place he’d once known like the veins on the back of his hands.
“So… where do you spend your time now Brad. What do ya do?”
“California. I’m a business man, I own a car dealership. I’ve got branches all over the country,” Brad replied proudly.
“Wow you must make loads ah dough!” Mike exclaimed
“I make some money, what about you what do you do?”
“I work with my hands; carpentry mostly. And we pull in enough from gardening to take us through the year.” Mike said, as he drank the last of his beer.
“So why did you come back? I mean growing up I hardly ever saw you around except for holidays. You were big Mike, your brother couldn’t stop boasting about you, you big in basket ball and all that.”
“I came back to help out my sister. She was pregnant and she needed me is all. My brother Monty got this big job offer paying him more than he had ever made here, I couldn’t let him give that up, neither could I leave Anna to fend for herself. That bastard boyfriend of hers was useless; just the same he ran off and never looked back.”
Mike sounded bitter and angry, “it kills me to know what she’s been through, what she still goes through. One thing about small islands like this is when a good girl messes up, her mistakes follow her like a trail ah tin cans.”
Brad was silent, he felt sick thinking of what Anna went through, and for some strange reason he felt a tad guilty. Anna’s parents were serious Christians, the kind that would give up everything for their God. Mr. Wright met his wife when he was working as a Dentist in Texas, he remembered Anna telling him he got a “call to ministry” shortly after they were married and came back to Grenada to pastor the church that Brad was sure Anna still attended, regardless of the grief they always gave her.
“I didn’t know, you know. Or I would have stuck around, the thought of her going through all that alone” he ran his hand through his hair and was suddenly curious.
“Mike, who is Casey’s father?” he asked
“Beats me, she keeps protecting him. Saying she was the one that sent him away and that he didn’t know” he looked over at Brad wearily “she knew if I found out who the animal was I’d ah hunt him down and break a few bones” he chuckled, but Brad was not amused.
Something Mike said was making him sick to his stomach. For some reason he felt he had some part in all this, but it could also be that he could not imagine Anna with someone else so much, that he was willing to believe he had some part in her life still.
It was Friday afternoon. Brad was sitting on the front steps, taking a well deserved break after a long day with Mike. He could not believe he had ever worked this hard growing up, but he had and he really did not miss this kind of labor. Brad was still nursing his bruised hands when Casey approached him smiling.
“Hello Mr. Mason” she greeted.
Brad looked up at her and smiled he could tell she had not gotten over that break up.
“Hey kiddo,” he replied “what’s up?”
“Uncle Mike wants something from down the road, he wanted me to ask if you wanted to come” she had shoved her hand deep in her overall pockets and was rocking on her heels nervously.
Brad grinned up at her, “of course I’ll go, I think I’ve been cooped up here for long enough, don’t you?”
Casey grinned, “yeah I guess.”
“Besides, that uncle of yours is sure to break me down” he joked.
Casey laughed, her uncle really did drive a heavy hand.
Without wasting any more time, Brad and Casey went out on their errand, laughing and playing like two children. They walked until they came to an old, wall house with rusted roofing and faded away paint. Casey motioned for him to wait and disappeared to the back of the house, but he did not hear her or even see where she disappeared to, he had gone back in time, he had retreated to a world where everything was the way he wanted it be.
Anna was walking ahead of him, her thick dark hair was done up in small twists, falling just below her shoulders. He liked it when she wore it out though; a thick puff of curly strands, all Raj could do was stare and smile like a love struck fool.
“I really should bring you back now” he said in
his slow, thick country accent, but deep down he did not want to be away from her, ever. Anna turned back at him, stopping so that he could catch up; he had a way of always strolling behind her.
“Oh come on now Raj, what’s the rush,” her voice was filled with laughter; they both knew Raj resented being home. Though he loved his dear old adoptive parents, he could never really succumb to their quiet life and the rules they laid down. They were old and it was difficult for them to understand the ways of a modern day teenager.
“You’re a teaser Anna” he laughed as he wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his chin on her shoulder, they were almost same height. Suddenly there was a loud crash of thunder and the rain started to pour. Raj grabbed Anna’s hand and pulled her toward an abandoned, brightly painted wall house, he lifted her over the fence and climbed up after her, then they climbed through the dirty back window. They were both laughing when they got in, and thoroughly soaked. Raj turned to survey the room they were in, it was a large floor area with two doors at the far end.
“Seems like some kind of studio or something” Anna observed and Raj nodded in agreement.
“It does.”
He looked over at Anna, “come, is goin to rain for long time, we might as well get comf’table” he looked over at her and smiled. His smile always had a magical effect on her, Anna shivered despite herself and Raj noticed.
“You’re cold” he said and he drew her to him and cradled her against his wet chest, he looked down at her with his expressive eyes,
“You are really beautiful” he whispered and he stroked her hair lovingly.
“I love you” he said, his eyes were so honest.
Anna found herself leaning toward him and pressing her lips against his, their kiss was gentle at first like the stolen ones behind the house or out in the garden when she came to bring him water, but then it grew more intense as their passion increased and their hands were moving now. It was a whole new experience for them both, but nothing could stop them now they were in love.
Raj leaned up against the cold wall cradling Anna in his arms; they were both staring out the window at the clear blue sky and smiling, amazed at what they had just shared. Anna looked over at her boyfriend and grinned,
“I love you, Amaraj” she declared.
Raj’s chest swelled with pride, “And I love you” he looked down at her “no ting can tear us apart now.”
Anna looked out the window again, her expression had suddenly grown grim, “but I’m afraid we’ve done something terrible.”
Raj looked down at her, “don’t be afraid, I will protect you. That is what people does do when they love one another.”
Anna smiled; feeling reassured as he stroked her arm, “okay, I trust you Raj.”
They were both hoping to share more moments like this with each other again, and with no one else, but little did they know that in two months time he would disappear forever, and all hopes of them ever having a future together would be shattered with the passing of a ship.
Brad was leaning up against the wall when Casey returned, grinning from ear to ear, “man oh man, Uncle Mike is going to be so pissed!” she exclaimed.
Brad looked up at her absently, “why?” he asked absently.
“The guy forgot to make the order for the wood, so they’re gonna have to postpone the whole project.”
Casey frowned; she could see he was not interested in what she was saying. She walked up to where he stood and leaned beside him.
“What’s eating ya?” she asked, pulling at a blade of grass,
“It’s nothing” he replied, “who owns there now?”
Casey looked up at the old house and shaded her eyes at the sun, “Uncle Mike has his wood shop there. Something about the owner dying and mom buying it or something…I guess whatever she had planned she changed her mind so she let my uncle have it.” Casey shrugged and looked over at Brad just in time to see him looking at her strangely.
He was taking in her features, her dark skin, her curly hair, her strange brown eyes and he could keep it in no longer he had to know, though he was sure the answer was right under his nose, he refused to inhale until he heard it from Anna, he refused to believe it until he heard the words come from her own lips.
“What time is it? You think your mother would be home by now?” he asked frantically.
“I guess she would…” before she could finish Brad had straightened up and was hurrying her along.
“Come on, it’s time we get back” he ordered, taking her by the hand, Casey started to protest, but thought better of it, he had a weird look in his eyes and she really did not want to give him any trouble, although she was really good at that, he was after all a complete stranger.
Anna had just returned from the town, she’d picked up some things after work as she usually did for Saturdays, which she usually had off and was designated to her gardening. She was unloading the plants she had picked up, from her old blue pickup truck, when she saw Brad and Casey practically running down the road. She smiled as she turned, pushing the door shut with her hips, as both her arms were crowded with plants.
Brad came in the gate just in time to see Anna heading to the old shed on the far side of the yard.
“Stay here” he instructed and walked away in the direction Anna had gone.
Casey looked at him and scoffed; she hoped he did not really expect her to remain standing in her own front yard; she made a face at his retreating back and walked away.
Brad stomped up to the shed, yanked the door open and stood panting in the doorway. Anna was looking up at him, startled.
“Raj, what’s going on?”
He was walking toward her now, his jaw was tight in an effort to control himself. He was sweaty and dirty, and for a moment Anna saw the young man she fell in love with, but there was something wrong.
“Tell me who Casey’s father is,” he had no better way to put it so he decided to be blunt.
The woman before him was gapping at him; he knew she was trying to find a way to evade the question, or to lie. Brad hoped she would not try to lie to him, he could not bear it if she did, and he could not bear it if he was wrong.
Anna stepped back and looked down at her hands; struggling with her reply. She knew this moment would come, from the moment she realized who it was her daughter had carried home to her.
“Raj…I really don’t think you…” she stammered.
Brad interrupted her before she could dig a deeper grave underneath her. He walked up to her, and grabbed hold of her shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. Anna swallowed hard and looked away.
“Anna” he prodded.
She was shaking her head, “Raj…I can’t, don’t do this” she pleaded, and pulled away from his hold.
He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration, as Anna had turned her back to him, struggling with the emotions that threatened to break her down.
“Don’t do what Anna?” his voice was low and harsh “what have I done” he was shouting now. “She has the right age, she looks like…” he turned her around roughly and looked her deep in the eye, he would have his answer.
“She is my daughter, isn’t she?”
Anna stifled a sob, “I wanted to tell you, I really did” she was crying as she shook her head, “but how do you tell a stranger that he has an eleven year old dauther!”
Brad’s heart softened, he could never bear a woman’s tears. He pulled her into his arms, all his anger forgotten; he had gotten the answer he had wanted any way.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through this alone, you shouldn’t have kept it from me,” he lifted her chin so that she could see the sincerity in his eyes.
“I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you guys.”
He leaned his head down and whispered against her lips, “I promise” he was going to kiss her, but Anna pulled away her expression showing her disapproval.
She stepped away fr
om him, “as much as I would like to believe that, I can’t.”
She was walking backwards to the doorway as she spoke, “you’re a married man now, and we’re adults in a real world, though it never was a fairy tale we led each other to believe that and I’ll be damned if I allow myself to fall for it again. Things are a lot more complicated now than they were eleven years ago Raj,” she turned and fled from the shed.
Brad slapped himself mentally; he had never attempted to do something so vile before, he was always mindful of the fact that he was a married man. Since he married Mara he had never even thought of it, yet here he was degrading himself before the one person he wanted to trust him. Brad sighed and lowered himself onto a block, how was he going to face her again. He was so deep in thought that he did not see Casey standing in the doorway of the shed.
“Mr Mason” she said.
His head flew up from where it was resting in his hands and he smiled up at her, “Hey” he answered, his mind already reeling, how long had she been standing there?
“You have a phone call” she said, she then spun on her heals and ran across the lawn.
Brad was up and sprinting to the house in no time, he had left a message with his secretary the day before to contact his friend Derek, he knew if there was anyone that could get him out of this situation; it was his friend. Brad did not give out too much information to his secretary; he knew there was more going on. Whoever was responsible for his current situation was still out there and he did not want to endanger anyone else. He thought of Mara, and his blood ran cold, the idea of her being responsible for all this, was still hurtful, the possibility of her being in danger worried him immensely.
“Hello,” Brad was anxious; he really hoped Camille was able to get in touch with Derek.
“Mr. Mason?”
“Yes it’s me Camille. Did you find him?
“Yes sir I did, but am afraid he isn’t in the island right now and his secretary would not give out his number or address” Camille explained. Brad pressed his palm to his forehead and groaned aloud.
“Is there anything I can do?” she asked, she sounded concerned. Camille was always like a sister to Brad, not the caring cuddly kind but she was always willing to perk him up so he could be at his best and not just at the office but always, and after working with him from the day he started, she knew more about him than his wife did. Of course Mara did not approve, she could not believe there was such a thing as a sister-brother relationship between a boss and his secretary, especially with one who was as young and beautiful as Camille. But Brad never went out of place with her, he really did love his wife and there was something about Mara that intrigued him; something that he did not find in any other woman, which is why his behaviour with Anna surprised him so.
“It’s alright, just leave a message with his secretary to have him call me as soon as he is available,” Brad instructed.
“Sure” said Camille. “Good bye then”
“Camille wait!” Brad looked about him, and lowered his head into the receiver.
“Have you heard from Mara?” he held his breath, he hoped Mara was safe, more so he hoped she was innocent.
“Uh no not really, I know she’s back at the house I saw her parking up her corvette just yesterday,” Camille explained, nothing ever did get past her.
“O.k. thanks Camille, good job” and he hung up.
He turned and slumped into the worn out sofa, he really would love to have a drink right now. All he really wanted was some proof that Mara was in no way involved in all this, if that was the case it would mean he would have to worry about her being hurt, but the truth was right there in what Camille said. How could someone who was supposed to care about him, get home and not even contact the police, did she not know he was deserted on an island. He pressed his fingers to his forehead and took a deep breath; it was all very frustrating and confusing. As he was sitting there Mike came in.
“Now I was beginning to wonder where you’d gone off to. Too tough out there for ya” Mike teased.
Brad shrugged, “I’m not going to lie to you I have had my share of heavy labour, right now all I can think of is where in this place could I get a decent drink.”
Mike grinned widely, as he pulled his bandanna off his head and ran a hand over his short hair.
“I don’t now about decent but I know a place that will serve you good” he gave Brad a wide grin and a wink.
“How ‘bout it?” he asked and Brad smiled.
“Worth giving it a try, I’m in.” Mike nodded.
“Let me go freshen up and we’ll head out in a little” and he turned and disappeared through the back door.