جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

"Nooo!" Avery jerked with a start, covered in a reservoir of sweat. The top of her plain tee was soaking wet, despite the cool weather. It was raining cats and dogs, the stone drops pelting down in torrents. It took her a while to recall where she was. Lighthouse Hospital... the Italian restaurant... Pedro... Nicki and Shawn... Pedro's house. She was sleeping in the guest room, until a bloody nightmare ruined her sleep, scaring the shit out of her."Michael!" Her chest heaved, rising and falling at a fast pace. It was pitch black outside. Thunder clapped, ripping through the rain drops followed by a sheet of lighting highlighting the naked street. Taking her mind away from the rain, she spotted the bedside clock on the nightstand, ticking rhythmically. 2. a. m.The first thing that came to her mind was to call Michael. Her hands and lips trembled, like a junkie needing a fix. She rolled the quilt aside and moved to the edge of the bed, turning on the lampshade to find her bearing

Michael and patience cannot be put in the same sentence. As the rain torrented, firing bullets of water against the windows, he grew restive. Dr Tancredi left him and Dianne in the ward to attend to another patient. He paced the floor, praying fervently for the rain to stop. He didn't remember when he prayed last. Sister Martha told them in the orphanage that no matter how far a person is from God, God is never far from them. All it takes is a genuine call to Him, and he'd answer. Facing the window, he strung few words he recalled from Sister Martha's prayers during devotion. He didn't ask for much. He asked that Avery be safe, and that the rain hold its peace, because it was stopping him from getting to Avery. Ever since he confirmed Dianne's health status, he had been itching to leave the hospital. Frustrated, he brought out his phone from his pocket. If he expected God to overlook his imperfections, he had it coming. He gave up waiting for a miracle and chose to dial Avery's

"You said that to him?!" Beatrice exclaimed, holding a rolling pin. "Oh girl, that's not a way to talk to someone who has been so kind to you." Avery leaned against the kitchen island. She and Beatrice were in aprons, making brown bread and oyster soup. Her mother had requested she brought her favorite to her when next she came visiting. As fate would have it, she found a bag of oysters in the deep freezer, Beatrice had bought out of necessity. Coincidentally, she knew someone who loved the same food. She recalled their days in his office when they enjoyed relative peace. He fought her over ownership of her food, and gobbled them, smacking his lips...and her ass. Her countenance fell as she chopped the rosemary leaves. Her eyes were heavy from lack of sleep. She couldn't sleep a wink all night. It was cold and empty within empty- the same Michael she almost went rogue for. Funny how, ironically, she pushed him out of her room like he meant nothing to her. While thinking of how

"I'm not sure he's coming," Avery sighed, her hopes sinking to the bottom of the ocean. "He's still mad at me."Avery was worried now. Three hours had passed, yet, Michael's number was unreachable. She dialed his phone the umpteenth time, tapping her foot against the floor. Switched off...again.'Ahhh!' she screamed internally. At a point, she thought of going to the office. Most people occupy themselves with work to manage stress and trauma. She caused him both; she was to blame for everything."He'll come around," Beatrice assured. They finished cooking two hours ago. After packing up her mother's ration in a stainless food flask, she stuffed a bigger flask with Michael's portion portion. Avery refused to taste the meal until she saw or heard from Michael. She finally managed to take a bite as Beatrice would not let her step out of the house on an empty stomach. "He's probably caught up in a meeting. Relax and keep a positive mind." Avery and Beatrice sat in the living room, wait

Nicki took out the fourth cigarette stick and lighted it, sitting with Madeline and Caroline at the balcony of her Queen sized bedroom. With her heart shattered, a bottle of bourbon and some cigarettes would get her mind off the constant heartbreaks. Caroline was beside Madeline, yapping about her high school darling, holding a cocktail flute in her hand. She'd been in love with him since first grade.Nicki removed herself from their conversation. Her mind was someplace else. She crossed her legs on the rattan chair, and poured herself a glass on bourbon. The glass would clear her head, opening her mind to better strategies. Michael had been her dream man. She had loved him since sixth grade, explicitly making her intentions known to him.In the society they lived in, the rich rolled with the rich, while the poor maintained their stool at the lowest rung of the ladder. But Michael was different. He had nothing. He was an orphaned child needing a fix in his life. When she met him at