Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It has been a month since we last talked about the engagement celebration. Everyone has waited for Luke’s mom to recover from her injury. Mr and Mrs Grant had a car accident and the only one who got hurt was Mrs Grant. She had a broken ankle, foot and some bruises in here ribs. We were waiting for them to fully recover from the shock. The days went by very quickly. Time flew and I was living like a freak from school to work and from work to school. I did not have time to think about anything or anyone else. Nikki, Luke and I were studying the whole time because finals were so close and none of us had the luxury to waste the time.  So when the weekend of the celebration dinner was close Nikki took me shopping. She wanted me to buy a new dress. As much as I insisted on wearing one of those I have in my closet, we argued until I gave up and she took me to those fancy stores. I was feeling terrible. I would never afford that kind of price but Nikki made no distinction between my dress and hers. She was gazing from the joy. My dress was red, middle length and no sleeves. Her dress was pale pink and long. Nikki looked like a princess. Needless to say Luke was wearing a tuxedo. Oh, their faces. We went in a fancy restaurant and it was my first time. Wow. Everything was so classy, sophisticated and I was dinning in my friends’ lavish world, which they rarely live in it. But this occasion required the best of the best. I was feeling a bit shy. I had a lovely dress on me, nice heels and I put make up on. I saw another Emily in the mirror. Different from everything I have seen before. Still the place was making me feel like I did not belong in there. The menu was so expensive. Holy crap. This dinner will cost almost my 3 months’ salary. The table gathered Nikki’s parents, her brother Tom who is a ballet dancer, Luke’s parents and his brother Michael who is also an engineer. We were all together. Everything was going pretty well. We planned to have dinner and then go to a club and dance all night. Thanks god on Saturdays my work starts in the afternoon so the hangover will pass hopefully on the noon. At the beginning I was uncomfortable because I am not used to this kind of places and dinners. After my first glass of fine wine, I was enjoying every bit of it.

-Miss this is for you. The gentleman in there handed me this message. What gentleman? Who is he? And why is he sending this to me. I don’t understand. I was totally speechless. The table was waiting for my reaction. I turn my head and see Jonathan Hart. He sent me a message? Why on earth he would that?

-Be careful with the wine. Don’t spill it. It is difficult to remove it from the cloth. What the hell? I can’t believe it. He wrote me this. He must be freaking out of this mind. But inside I was astonished. He remembers me. Good God.

-Em is something wrong? What is written in that paper?

-Nothing important Nikki. Don’t stop because of this. Let’s go back to our fun. It’s just someone I know.

The waiter was still here. Apparently he was waiting for my reply.

-Miss do you have a reply for Mr Hart? The whole table was staring at me.

-Mr Hart sent you a message? Do you know him?

-Of course not personally. He was at my work one time, and then lectured in our money and banking class. I am surprised he remembers me.

-I’m sorry but what is your name?

-Miss my name is Mark.

-Ok, Mark I will answer to the gentleman on my own. Please don’t stop because of this. I am going to talk to him and will be back in a second.

Jonathan was with five people on his table. No Kelly in here.

-What do you think you are doing? Who do you think you are? This is inappropriate at all. What are you trying to prove with this paper? Not very gentleman of you. He was staring at me with his cold eyes.

-As for your advice, I will take it in consideration. I shall turn to my table. Have a good evening. And left as quickly as possible. Everyone was looking at me. I bet they didn’t understand my stand up.

-I’m back and very sorry for this interruption. Shall we continue where we left it? After that awkward episode everything went normal. We were enjoying the dinner and drinking wine. I am not a wine person but tonight we were celebrating and I was in need for a break from this intense month. Hart did not come for the entire month on the bar and I started to forget him and my days were the same as before I saw him. We left the restaurant at 11.30 and went straight to the club, Nikki had booked in a famous expensive place. But after drinking three glasses of wine, I was in a mood to dance and loosen up. I overthink all the time, make plans for plans, work hard and don’t pay much attention to entertain myself. So, before leaving the house I decided to have fun and make the most of the night. The club was amazing. It had good music and we found our table easily. Nikki and Luke went to the dance floor and their siblings met some of their friends, so I was alone. Nikki asked me to join them, but I decided to let them enjoy their selves. They deserve it. I saw the guys and they were having fun. So glad to have them as my friends. The waiter wasn’t coming so I chose to self-service. As went down by the bar my eyes caught some of our clients. Not surprised at all. They are dressed in their fancy suits and drive expensive cars so of course they will be clubbing here.

-I would like a glass of wine. Not very much an expert of the drinks, so chose to stick with the regular choice, wine.

-Jack, put it on my bill.

 -Luke please...Bloody hell.

-Hello Miss… What is your name? Nice to see you again.

-My name is Emily Wright and I can’t say the same thing for you. My heart was beating so fast. What is going on? Is this some kind of a joke?

-Miss Wright please let me buy you a drink. I need to apologize for putting you in a bad situation during dinner. So now he cares about a complete stranger who made her look bad in front of her friends? F**k off dude. Not interested in your apology. I lie.

-Apology accepted. Now I am capable enough of buying myself a drink. Now if you will excuse me, I will head back to my table. My friends are waiting for me. Oh and by the way I won’t spill this wine either.

I just left Jonathan Hart with the word on his mouth. The wine has made me brave. Usually I’m not this brave. I’m not recognizing myself. Everyone is not in the table. I take a sip of the wine and head to the dance floor. Nikki and Luke are still dancing. We dance together. I’m really enjoying myself. I need to do this more often. All my thoughts are vanished. It’s just me and the music. Why am I missing all of these? I haven’t had so much fun since Nikki’s 20^th birthday party. I promise to myself I will do this at least once in a month, of course not here because I cannot afford it, but somewhere else definitely.

-Em, someone is behind you.

-What? I can’t hear you. Say it again.

-Em he is behind you. Who?

-Shall we dance? One dance or one glass of wine you choose. I can’t drink anymore. It would be my fifth glass and my limit usually is two glasses.

-Why do you insist so much? I don’t get it.

-I have my reasons. Please I insist. I am not as awful as you may think.

What should I do? This caught me by surprise. I approach to Nikki.

-Nikki what should I do? I am losing it.

-Em, dance with him. Talk later. For once in your life leave your conscious outside the door. Dance and talk later. It can’t be that bad. Go now. We will sit at our table. See you there.

-Ok, one dance and please this is more than enough. Jonathan Hart is dancing with me. I am dreaming. I try to remain cool but I don’t know if my face is showing it. He can move. So he is not only good with figures and numbers, but also he can dance. I’m surprised.

-Now you can ask me whatever you want. I am very eager to ask him whatever is on my mind right now and I will take my chance.

-Let’s go outside. In here is very loud. As we go outside he offers me his jacket but I refuse. I don’t want anything from him.

-What do you want to know? I know you weren’t sincere when you accepted my apology so I am trying to make it up now.

-Where should I begin? You tell me. First your reaction at the bar, which was normal but your friend, was mean to me then the message at the dinner. For God’s sake I was celebrating my friend’s engagement. Of course you didn’t know but this is not excuse for making fun of an unknown person. This is rude. Who do you think you are? And now all these things at the club. What are you looking for? What do you want from me?

I get it. It was an accident that day at the bar. I made a mess, and then I apologized. Why all of a sudden you are talking to me? You don’t know me.

-Miss Wright, I am talking to you because I owe you an apology for my friend’s behavior. Also I am sorry for the message in the restaurant. I thought it would make you laugh. But your reaction was different, and I am sorry for that.

-Why do you care so much? I am not clear. You made your apologies and now why did you want to buy me a drink and dance? Please quench my curiosity, if you may.

-Because no one has stood up against me in these years in business. You stood up for yourself and this is one of the qualities I admire most. I am impressed. Usually people back off when they try to stand up against me because of who I am. They are afraid of me. But you weren’t.

Is he serious? He is pretty damn serious. Thank you wine. I owe you one.

-Now does this answer your question? I think it is more than enough. I am speechless. He is impressed by me, by the waitress. Can I jump from the joy? I can’t in front of him.

-Thank you for your response. I will head back at the club.

-Sure, let’s go inside. Immediately I ran off at the bar, wave at Nikki who is still on the table and order another glass of wine. I back end the wine and now my world is spinning. I needed it to handle all of the words I heard a few minutes ago. He is still with me. Please leave me alone. If days ago I wanted to see you again, now I want you to leave me alone. He makes me uncomfortable.

-Are you ok? Actually I’m not.

-Yes, but I never drink this much usually. I will go back home.

-Let me accompany you.

-No, you can’t. I barely know you and for sure won’t let a stranger give a ride at my place. I will get a cab.

-No, no way. You won’t find a cab in this neighborhood. Ask your friends if they are leaving. I leave him alone at the bar.

-I really need to go home. Shouldn’t have drunk this much. Nikki I think I should go home, I am bit tired and I have to work tomorrow.

-Em, we can come with you.

-Absolutely not. This is your night. I will get a cab.

-Text me as soon as you get home Em.

-Yes, I will. Don’t worry. See you guys. Have fun.

-So are your friends coming with you? Give me a break.
-No they are not. I am getting a cab.

-No you aren’t.

-Excuse me?

-You heard me well, I will take you home.

-I don’t want to go home with you. And you don’t need to do this. Please let me go. You have no right holding me in here.

-I am taking you home safe and please let’s not argue in here. My god he is pissing me off. But I can’t think straight right now. So it be. I enter in the car. I just need to sleep.

While I’m finding my keys he is upstairs with me.

-I am safe. Now please leave.

-I won’t leave until you go to bed.

-Lord, why are you doing all this? I don’t understand.
-There is nothing to understand. I just want to help you to go to sleep and I will leave. That’s it.

-I lay down and text Nikki.
-Just arrived, safe. Xx

Great. Nighty night love. Xx

I close my eyes for a second. And when I wake up is 10 am in the morning. I am still wearing the same clothes I had yesterday. No one is here in my room, so he left. S**t, he is in the couch. He spent the all night in here? And he is still sleeping? Should I wake him up? Maybe he has work to do and he needs to leave, right now. It feels weird having a man in my apartment. I will wake him because I need to take a shower, pull myself together from the hangover of last night and get ready for work. I don’t want a stranger in my house while I shower.

-Hmm.. good morning. Wake up. It’s 10 am. I think you need to leave.

 

 

 

Reviews

[Laura Lynn]

The intensity of the emotion as you are writing may be effecting the collection of memory interpolated with the reworking of a distant memory into this form. The narrator makes "plans for plans" is an interesting part . It is not everyone who is able to do that when plans collide, but I guess that is half the fun of it for a leader or event planner if the people are not always going to a social place, being invited out, given the context. The time and place for everything, there is a real urgency amongst the people here to quickly do so much but everyone's approach to life is so different. There are underlying common threads and goals between characters which might perhaps be highlighted. It helps to remember the loving conversations people are having and how some people need that affirmation of love, or everyone when some people are more interested and so forth. I like how the characters are talking to each other. Isn't there an engagement? It seems very good to remember the way people were together and to try to carry it over into a current point in time to apply to life, that is, ...there is a lot to comment on in here. I'm sorry I don't seem to do it justice, as much as I would like; but I gain from this a sense of the importance of the stage of this quality of work and feel more inclined to work at it myself, which I don't know what form it will take, but sorry to get so wrapped up in form which does not appear to be the primary emphasis I will have to guess