Trapped In Life

Death Did NOT Come For Her (Part 2) - May 5, 2017 2130

Mary left about twenty minutes before Jan was supposed to arrive. I was dressed waiting for him before he knocked on the door. I stood on the other side of the door waiting. He knocked again. I looked out to make sure it was Jan, but I didn’t respond yet. Another two minutes pass before he knocked again. This time though he called through the door saying “Anara, I know you are standing on the other side of this door. Stop making me wait. We need to make our reservations.”

I chuckled softly so he couldn’t hear. He knew me far too well. I opened the door after grabbing my purse for the night. I slipped my heels on while I locked the door and stepped out to close it. “Ready to go,” I said smiling.

“You know, one day that waiting game is going to backfire on you.”

“I knew it was you or I wouldn’t have done it.”

“You know we aren’t in college anymore?” he said taking my arm to lead me to the car.

“Yes, but I also know you chose my color. I have to make you work to win my king.”

We both laughed as we got in the car to go to the restaurant. There was idol chit-chat between us as he drove. As I expected, he was dressed to the nines as well. Somehow even his black tux had an air of a businessman in action. His black overcoat and white scarf completed the look; though I noticed the scarf was one I had given him for Christmas several years back.

I shook my head as he came around to open the door thirty minutes later to go into the restaurant. I straightened the scarf around his overcoat. “I really should get you a new scarf. Every time I see you, you are wearing this one. I think you are going to wear it out.”

“Well my friend,” he said securely putting my hand on his arm. “You have excellent taste. It happens to be my favorite. It also goes with everything for all events.”

“Wait, wait,” I said as I stopped walking to look seriously at him. “Jan, Are you saying for the past two years you’ve been wearing that scarf every day and night?”

“Unless it is at the cleaners.”

“Jan, do you not have any others?”

“Yes, I do have others. However, they are ones my mother gave me and remind me of my grandfather.”

I start giggling. Having met Jan’s grandfather, I knew what he was referring to. Jan’s grandfather was raised in the late seventies early eighties. He still wears his hair as long as he can and puffed up along with more than one colorful scarves. It makes him look like a geriatric Bon Jovi and Steven Tyler mix. I tried to imagine Jan wearing them, but only managed to giggle more.

“I’m sorry Jan,” I said as we continued into the restaurant. “I’ll get you some more appropriate ones this year.” Mentally, I put scarves on the list for him for Christmas.

"You don't have to," he said teasing in his eyes.  "I've got this one.  It is wonderful."  I shook my head as we continued up the sidewalk to the restaurant.  Walking up to the maitre d' Jan smiled his business smile as he said “Private reservation for Massitri.”

The very stuffy man behind the podium looked in his book of reservations. I saw him moving down the list of the night. He started to speak to tell us we had no reservation, then stopped saying “Ah, there you are Mr. Massitri and female guest for private room number 1.”

He looked at the reservation then at me tilting his head. I knew that look. I was so tired of it. I was just another person who worked hard to make a living. Just happens I worked in the entertainment industry. My face wasn’t exactly the most unrecognizable one in the world. He looked back down at the reservation while waving his hand over to a tall, dark-haired woman in a tuxedo dress. I expected him to have her take us to our table, but no, he took us to the room leaving her to perform his duties.

We followed him down the hallway to the private rooms. He unlocked the first one then ushered us in. Jan moved to let me enter first keeping me at a distance from the maitre d’. He never liked it when men ogled me. It didn’t just start when I became famous. When we were in high school and college, he managed to beat up at least a dozen guys for just looking at me wrong. That’s when rumors started that we were a couple, which we never have been. Those rumors ended when I went to France, England, and New York to study and work.

I sat on the inside of the booth letting Jan move in after me. The maitre d’ handed us our menus as he collected the extra place settings. “Your waitress will be Amanda,” he said looking more at me than Jan. “If there are any problems, please let me know. May I get you started with drinks?”

I smiled slightly. I knew what he was doing. It wasn’t going to work. I was sure Amanda was a wonderful waitress and would be completely professional, unlike how he was currently being.

“I will have a Sprite, and the lady will have a strawberry cheesecake shake,” Jan said looking over the drink menu. I knew he wouldn’t have alcohol when he was driving us.  He knew I was a light drinker. Besides, this was a business meeting, not a date.

He glanced at Jan as he wrote down the order. I could see the disappointment in his expression that I didn’t order for myself. I nodded in agreement with Jan giving him a smile. The man left us while closing the door.

“Finally,” Jan said when he thought enough time had passed that we were truly alone. “Next time, I’m having us both wear face masks.”

I laughed before saying “Like that Halloween, we had that party at the tavern?”

“You remember that?”

“Of course, it was one of the best times of our senior year. You got in so much trouble with your dad though.”

“Only because we actually had alcohol that night,” Jan said laughing a bit before he turned completely serious. “Anyway, that’s not what we are here to talk about.” He was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Yes,” he said turning to the door.

A tray entered following an olive-skinned beauty in another tuxedo dress. Her hair was light brown with dark highlights pulled up into a very formal french knot. She moved to the table smiling at us “Your drinks, who is the Sprite?”

“I am.”

“That means the strawberry cheesecake is for you ma’am?” she said setting the Sprite in front of Jan then the other glass in front of me. “I am your server, Amanda. It is a pleasure to serve you tonight. If there is anything you need, please let me know. Have you decided on your meals or do you need more time? Perhaps an appetizer?”

I looked up at her a moment. She looked familiar but I couldn’t place her. She wasn’t flirting with Jan or fangirling over me either. While it was refreshing, it seemed artificial. She was forcing herself to be professional with her customer service mask and speech. I liked how she was presenting herself, but still, something felt off.

Jan didn’t notice any of this, but then why should he? He was looking over the menu as she did her little speech. “I’ll take a number one, medium, loaded potato, and green beans. She will have the fifteen with sweet and sour sauce, broccoli with hollandaise sauce, and a chef salad with blu cheese dressing. For appetizers, I will have the spiced Sicilian spiedini. She will have the crab and lobster stuffed mushrooms. We will see how things go before ordering dessert.”

I smirked at him as she finished writing down the order. I knew he did it this way so we wouldn’t have too many interruptions. Amanda smiled at us again. She pointed at the button on the console of the table. “If you need anything while I’m attending your orders, just hit this button,” she said then turned and left the room closing the door behind her.

I smirked at Jan as I said “You know I could have cooked for us at my place. Then we wouldn’t have any of these interruptions.”

“True,” he said, “But if what you believe is true. Miki would know what we are discussing and your plan will be revealed.”

I nodded to him. He was right. I suspected for months Miki had cameras or listening devices in my house. I couldn’t have anyone remove them because I didn’t want to show my hand. Miki was making side deals and cheating me out of royalties.  Jan found out about it.   He brought me the evidence which started this whole thing.  What I still didn’t understand was if she had needed extra money all she had to do was ask me; but no, she went behind my back and stole from me instead.  I still didn’t understand why she did it.

In between Amanda’s checking in on us and bringing our food, we worked on the final pieces of the plan.  I was firing Miki, charging her with the stolen royalties, and everything else we had evidence of.   Of course, we knew there might be additional charges due to the complete investigation.

We had chocolate mousse for our dessert.  I could barely believe it was sugar-free and so heavenly tasting.  Jan left a rather large tip for Amanda after paying the bill.   We both told her how much we appreciated her service.   I kept looking at her though thinking I knew her from somewhere.

It was around one in the morning when Jan and I returned to my house.  Jan walked me to my door and we hugged goodnight.  As I went back in the house, I said “I still keep the black and you the white, for my king is safe with his queen as a guard.”

Jan laughed before I closed the door.  I was really not tired though I knew I should be.  I wandered upstairs to get more comfortable.  Deciding to take a swim, I went down to my pool in a suit with a terry cloth robe around me.  I dropped it on the side of the pool before diving in.  I swam several laps before returning to where I dove in.

I was getting out of the pool when I noticed something in the sunroom off the pool.  I hadn’t turned on the lights because I didn’t need them, but now I wished I had.  Someone was in there, or I thought someone was.  I raised out of the pool on my arms getting ready to get out when everything went black.

There was nothing after that but whispers I couldn’t quite understand before I was pulled away from my body.  It was a strange sensation, but honestly, I didn’t look back at it or see what happen to kill me.  My body’s eyes were closed because I was unconscious.  When my spirit, soul, or essence left my body, it was enveloped in blackness.  Then there was light. That is all I remember.