Hold Onto Me

Seven

                                                           ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

                                                        Copyright © 2021 Cassey9

Third Person

The build up to the occasion had been big, its buzz growing with the passing of weeks. Trevor’s excitement had been palpable despite attending the same event every year since he’d began teaching at the Darwin community college. The chatter had been nonstop, the fundraiser in the mouths of every staff and student. Yet, standing here, in the actual thing, felt like a big letdown. Especially the pompous man standing before her.

Lifting her glass, Karey enjoys the chilled champagne. It was the only noteworthy thing of the night and it made for great company. Somehow, Trevor had sneakily left her in the company of Mr. Trent and the said man hadn’t budged from her side since their introduction.

This being her first fundraiser, Karey knows she has to bear his presence and act accordingly despite the overwhelming urge to yell at the man to go fall in a gutter somewhere far from her. His talking is unending and most of his accounts starting to sound unbelievable by the minute.

“Here’s a fun fact about me. Most people I encounter always compliment my eyes,” Mr. Trent chuckles leaning forward to graze her bare elbow. The touch though faint it lingers making her inside churn in disgust. Tight lipped Karey discreetly moves her arm away. “Yet I myself find them plain. Just green. You’d laugh at the words used to describe them…” he adds his laughter growing.

“Really?” she laughs indifferently the hum sounding strangled in her ears. She hadn’t noticed anything striking about Mr. Trent, especially his eyes. A waiter passes by them with a tray and Karey takes the opportunity to grab herself another flute. Being around Mr. Trent was a trying task that required high tolerance and the free booze offered her such.

“Yes. But I prefer hazel eyes. Like yours…”

“I prefer brown,” Karey cuts interrupting the direction Mr. Trent had been veering their conversation towards, “Personally, I find brown eyes quite stunning.”

“Brown? Really Katie?” he asks twirling the drink in his glass as Karey affirms his skeptical question with firm nods. “Brown has to be one of the dullest colors ever. Why that color though Katie,” he adds the words sounding distasteful. Karey bites her lower lip in irritation, the mix-up in her name fanning a flame within. Mr. Trent had been hell-bent on calling her the ‘Katie’ name despite the numerous correction she’d done. Besides the two names sounded very different even to her.

“It’s simple really. Brown reminds me of the rich earth or the color of hot cocoa or the feel of…the feel of home. I find brown eyes amazing Mr. Trent,” Karey drones downing the last of her champagne. At the admission, she feels her eyes wet and Karey struggles to keep the tears at bay. Snubbing back the feeling of melancholy Karey straightens up wishing she had more to drink. Since meeting Rain, no other set of eyes made her feel alive and wanted as her lover’s had. The vivid brown eyes now swimming in her mind getting hold of it.  

“Well I got my eyes from my mother. How about you?”

“Gene pool I guess. None of my parents have my eyes…”

“Well they are captivating and…”

“Thank you Mr. Trent,” Karey states curtly. At this moment she’d give the world to have the compliments coming from her lover and not from the old overbearing man. Karey tightly grips the empty glass glancing around the room in search of a server whilst contemplating on walking away. Then again, Trevor’s words ring in her ears continuously, like some endless siren. She had to make a great impression on the man. Mr. Trent apparently made huge donations to the Darwin community college and her faculty needed the money more than her ears needed reprieve from the man’s arrogance. 

Karey’s eyes rake across the huge room picking up on the overdressed haughty men and women inhabiting the huge hall. Compared to them, Karey feels undressed. The white simple knee length dress and black heels a huge contrast to the red carpet dresses and tuxedos that pranced around her. According to Trevor the annual fundraiser always drew wealthy particulars who shelled their money to ‘better’ the society and show off their wealth.

Some of these gowns had to have been be loaned, maybe Mr. Trent’s suit too. Karey lets out a low laugh at the thought clearly forgetting the man’s overbearing presence.

“What is it?” Mr. Trent curiously asks.

“Um nothing. How…how many years have you been doing this again?” Karey asks.

“Well Katie, every year for the past 11 years,” he smirks his conceitedness seeping to taint the air around them, “I’m a firm believer of good deeds taking you far and long. I’m a philanthropist and people do say my heart is made of gold.”

“I can see,” Karey drags out discreetly rolling her eyes. If there were to be an award of the best braggart, Mr. Trent would surely take home the gold. Karey looks towards the exit wishing she could already depart and race home to Killan and Nillan. In her contemplating she catches a familiar face, the woman instantly capturing her interest.

“Please excuse me Mr. Trent,” Karey mutters extending the empty glass to the surprised man and sets off before Mr. Trent can formulate any reply to halt her actions.

Like walking on clouds, Karey floats over to the woman who spots her advancing almost instantly, “Hello,” Karey whispers excitedly moving forward to engulf the woman in a short embrace, “I thought you couldn’t make it Lyn.”

“Me? Miss this? No way! Besides I had to come and represent my firm,” the red head laughs waving a check to Karey’s face. They both laugh and hug for a while. “Plus showing up gives me face. Paving ways for me,” Lyn mutters drawing them away from the flow of people around them.

Karey laughs, the enthusiasm gushing off her friend causing a complete turn of her once down casted feelings. Lyn had always been the heart of the party and she’d learnt that from the numerous times she’d been around the young woman. Lyn could literally create thrill out of mundane stuff.

Her first impression of the young lawyer had been flawed. Lyn’s overzealousness making her question her capacity to represent her as her divorce lawyer. Her agreement with Lawrence crumbled with him insisting they get back together which graduated with passive aggressive threats from Lawrence. Through it all Lyn had been around offering counsel and lessening her stress.

Their separation was drawing out, matters of children, shared assets and Lawrence being hard lengthening the process. Each chapter had its hurdles to go through especially with their sons caught in the middle of it all. Her recovery had taken longer than expected and Karey used the time to get herself on her feet.

“Hey where did you just fly off too,” Lyn asks tapping Karey’s arm for attention, “Can I join you?”

“You should know better Lyn knowing my life and all,” Karey states a sad smile adorning her face. Aside from her children nothing about her life was interesting or worth sharing with another person.

Lyn argues back inaudibly before drawing Karey closer, “So I looked into what you asked me,” she states in a low voice.

“Really? But I thought you said you weren’t a private investigator?” Karey jokes back playfully her heartbeat kicking at the seriousness marred in Lyn’s face.

“Ha-ha. Do you want to know or not,” Lyn retorts dryly, “I could always shut up you know.”

“No no no, wait,” Karey mutters back fast. She wanted to know. Needed to know what Lyn had discovered. She couldn’t bring herself to investigate and Lyn provided the best opportunity. Karey shuts her eyes takes a deep breath. Whatever Lyn had to say would either make or break her withering hope, “Cross your fingers!” she demands making eye contact with Lyn.

“What?”

“Cross your fingers… on my behalf Lyn,” Karey states seriously before overlapping her own fingers. It was a trick she’d learnt from Killan and Nillan as they had sworn it’d make even the most improbable wishes come true.

Hesitantly Lyn crosses the fingers on both her hands. Her action mirroring Karey’s, “Okay. Can I speak now? Or do we also have to cross our toes?” she asks drawing out the question. Karey nervously chuckles at the joke and nods affirming to her friend to continue, “So, I went to the hospital you mentioned and did a little digging concerning what you’d asked.”

“Mm hmm.”

“Well it turns out there was no death registration under such a person at the general hospital,” Lyn states seriously, “I only saw the admission and transfer documents under the name you gave. No deaths that for sure.”

What?” Karey asks out of breath. Lyn’s last words halting her heart.

“No one under that name died during that year. Whomever you are looking for clearly isn’t dead I…I think. Or if they are, maybe they passed away somewhere else and not at that particular hospital Karey. Who are you looking for anyway?”

“She didn’t die?” Karey breathes out alarmed.

“I think so…” unrestrained Karey leaps forward snugly locking her friend in an embrace but her short lived joy dies. There had to be a mistake.

“Are you sure,” Karey mutters pulling back. The nurse who’d broken the news of Rain’s death to her seemed serious and sad. She’d explained that Rain’s death had been brought by the severe trauma to her head. Her skull had been fractured completely and the doctors had been unable to save her life. Lawrence had been around, offering her comfort as she sobbed in his arms, “Are you su…”

The question dies in her mouth at the sound of her phone ringing, “I have to get this,” she mutters pointing to her purse. It had to Kane calling about her sons. Karey steps away moving out the hall in search of a quitter space.

She pulls the clutch open digging for her phone. The vibration flow through her arms as she stares at the private number, “Hello,” she states after accepting the call, “Hello? Hello? Is anybody there?”

The calls goes on her greeting unanswered but she continues to call out. The person on the other end clearly present by the breathing Karey was faintly hearing, “Hello there?”

Instead of a reply, Karey hears a door open and the mention of her name, “Rain!” Karey calls out desperately, “Rain is that…” the calls ends from the other side and Karey feels the world slowly but surely caving in on her.

Someone had to be playing a sick joke on her. That couldn’t have been Rain calling her. It couldn’t be. Stepping backs she moves until she feels the wall against her back. With shaking hands Karey dials the number only to come out defeated. The phone had been switched off.

Karey sighs feeling more lost than she’d ever been in her life. Her eyes blurry the weight of Lyn’s words and the peculiar phone call pounding down on her. Karey turns and buries her face against the cold glass her tears falling hotly and heavily.

“Hey are you okay?” Lyn’s voice sounds but she can barely move from her positions. “Karey?”

“I have to leave!” Karey snaps as she rounds her friend’s figure and dashing down the large wooden doors.

~~~~~~

The full moon flicks across the darkened room. Its pale rays grazing the surfaces around the room and her face. The white chiffon curtain glides mid-air from the soft breeze into the room. It’s moving pattern distracting the thoughts running through her mind. Karey turns her body to face the opened window careful not to wake Nillan who is nestled on her chest.

She lets out a long sigh when she feels her sons cuddling closer. The warmth radiating from them offering a much needed comfort. Tonight had been a whirl wind, her mind and heart experiencing a roller coaster of emotions she couldn’t understand. Was everything a lie? Was there a possibility that somewhere and somehow Rain was alive?

She’d been too depressed to even know more of Rain’s supposed burial. The nurse assuring that Rain’s body had been flown out of the country by her family. The location unknown. She’d been gullible believing the lies from Lawrence.