“It’s certainly not over,” she finally said, her jaw set. “Look, Jeff, my doubts are nowhere near gone. As you know, there’s a guy in my past that I haven’t gotten over yet. You agreed to give it time. So please, can we not take our relationship to a new level? It feels too soon. I am sorry I can't say I love you yet, but who knows what the future brings? All I’m saying is, let’s give it a chance. I love being with you, the way you talk to me, the tenderness you show me. It’s like a panacea to my weary mind, to my broken heart. It’s up to you. I won’t push you. You decide.”
“Sofia, I’ve always appreciated your honesty. Mind you, it feels like a wrecking ball to my heart every time, but I can work with honesty. I’ll take it. Let’s wait and see. I promise, no more talk about moving to town. You have my word.”
That same night, Sofia’s sleep was disturbed again. Wails, screams and scolding words from The Lady didn’t let her sleep even for a single hour straight. “End it! End it now! Let go of that stupid boy. His path was never meant to cross yours. Only Christian was meant for you,” demanded The Lady in her sleep. “Be strong! I will lead you, but you must trust me. Come with me! Come, I tell you! Christian is waiting!”
Sofia woke up in the morning with bruises on her arm. All night long she dreamt of The Lady dragging her by the arm, urging her to follow her inside the Concert Hall. The imposing building loomed over them in a fearful way, looking menacing, almost evil. The Lady kept pulling Sofia inside, striking a numbing dread at her heart as she pulled the other way. And who is Christian anyway? she thought, mystified, as she splashed water over her face before the mirror. Is Christian the man Laura loved? Is Christian . . . Danny?
***
In the afternoon, Sofia was still overwhelmed by the nightmare she had. She went out for a stroll to clear her head and wound up at the West Pier, not even sure if she meant to go there, or if her own footsteps took her there despite herself. She heaved a long sigh as her eyes caressed the derelict Pavilion and Concert Hall, then took a seat on the same bench where she’d met Laura’s chauffeur. She wondered if he was well at the people’s home where his children were taking him. Then, she spared a thought for that old lady called Maggie whom she never got to meet.
She drew a sharp breath and decided she had far too much on her plate right now, to even think about looking for her. Maybe later. She opened her backpack and got out her notebook where she kept her poems from The Lady. They contained some loose sheets where she scribbled poems of her own as well, some of them unfinished. She also used the same notebook as a sketching pad. Her teachers had taught her many techniques with the pencil, and she astounded herself at the things she could draw effortlessly now. She took out a sharpened pencil and started sketching the West Pier before her.
A few minutes later, she had the whole structure down and was half way through adding in the shading, here and there. As she kept throwing precise glances at the Pier to record every detail on paper, she was mystified by the fact that she hadn’t seen The Lady on it yet. She hadn’t seen her in such a long time, not since she used to have Danny in her life as a boyfriend. She was amazed at how remote that felt, although it was only back in September, just two months ago.
Her hand hesitated over the Concert Hall on the paper as she sketched the railing. It hovered over it for a second or two, and then, as if her fingers took on a will of their own, she began to draw the apparition that she’d seen so many times. She made sure to sketch it exactly as it had looked in real life before her eyes, the elongated shadow of a woman in a long, flowing black dress. The moment she added to it the last touches, she heard a whooshing sound and looked up, startled.
Manifesting at the railing before her, not five feet away from her, was a white cloud, swirling like a tornado, making a rushing sound, causing leaves and rubbish on the pavement to rise into the air and dance madly around it. Shocked, Sofia took her eyes off the apparition to look at the world around her, realising that passers-by couldn’t see it.
Sofia pinned her eyes on the cloud again, to see that it was slowly turning grey. The grey shades grew darker and darker and then became black. The cloud was still swirling, now getting taller, and, as the sound subsided, it turned into a ghostly figure.
Sofia recognised The Lady, bathed in brilliant light, staring back at her from the railing. She wore a black dress and a shawl of the same colour, just like in her dreams. Transfixed, Sofia watched in agony as the apparition slowly began to pace towards her.
She could hear the soft shuffling of her feet, the laboured breath that left her aged lungs. Her bright red hair flowed as if she were swimming underwater, long glistening strands dancing in mid-air like the tentacles of an octopus. Sofia thought it was like looking at herself in the mirror, such was her likeness with her, except the spirit’s expression was grim, her face gaunt and white like fresh snow. Her eyes, in that forlorn desert of white, sparkled like emeralds.
The spirit kept approaching, until it stopped right before Sofia, her bare feet almost touching Sofia’s shoes. By then, Sofia’s breath had caught in her throat, and she lost the capacity to think, primal fear rendering her frozen. It was then that The Lady spoke, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“Thank you for inviting me in,” she said, her eyes pointing at the sketch on Sofia’s lap. The girl realised she meant the shadow she had drawn in the picture but was too overwhelmed to speak. All she managed was to swallow hard and keep watching.
The Lady raised an emaciated hand to wave it before Sofia’s eyes in a hypnotic manner. “Don’t be afraid. You’ve been afraid for too long. But you must trust me. All you need to do, is keep Christian in your life and I will do the rest. Go see him.”
“You mean . . . Danny?” stammered Sofia, her voice a mere whisper.
The Lady smiled, her brilliant eyes crinkling at the corners. “If you want to call him that . . . but do go see him. I am working with him, the way I am with you. Don’t be afraid,” she said, leaning closer to Sofia to stop right before her face. Sofia felt her cold breath on her skin and it made her shiver.
“I want your happiness . . . which is also my happiness and Christian’s. Go, Sofia. Go see Danny . . . and thank you for the rusty brown scarf . . .”
Sofia opened her mouth to speak, to ask her why she mentioned the scarf, but then The Lady vanished in a puff of eerie white smoke. A gust of ice-cold air lingered around Sofia, making her shiver again.
Sofia looked down at the sketch and gasped. The Lady was still there but was no longer a dark shadow like before. She was now a proper shape of a woman dressed in black, her face, the same as Sofia’s. The resemblance was uncanny. She knew she wasn’t good enough to sketch this with such mastery. She jolted upright, put the notebook in her bag and walked away in a hurry.
Chapter 17
The first thing Sofia did upon returning to Grand Parade was phone Danny. The vision of The Lady had solidified her belief that she was real and that she was there for only one reason: to help her win Danny’s heart. The spirit had called him Christian . . . and her own name was Laura. These intricate details fascinated her so much, she didn’t even spare a thought for Jeff. She still didn’t know if she had feelings for him. She suspected that, to her, he was just protection; a way to keep the pace slow with Danny, as it should be. She imagined if he wasn’t in the picture, Danny would be all over her, messing things up like before. In the said picture, the only person not benefiting was Jeff himself. Somehow, her enthusiasm was so great at the time, that she didn’t mind knowing how selfish she was acting.
Danny was excited to receive Sofia’s call and invited her over to his house the next morning as he was on afternoon shift at work. When morning came, Sofia took a bus to Helmston. She arrived at his house to find his dad was out again on another urgent call, but Sue was in with Danny. The three of them sat in the living room to have a cuppa but Sue seemed bored. She was leafing through a glossy fashion magazine, not saying much, then retreated to her room to change and go out
on a quick errand.
It was a pleasant enough day outside, so Danny proposed to Sofia to have a walk. His village was surrounded by open fields so they had a long stroll through green pastures, then settled by a stream for a while to rest and take it all in. It was a magical place and Sofia loved it. Soon, they were talking about Steve and Loula, who had invited them both over for a weekend in Hythe. Danny was all for it, but Sofia was reluctant to plan this just yet. She changed the subject, hoping he wouldn’t insist.
“So, your sister, she works as a model, you said? And she’s only eighteen. That’s brilliant.”
“It’s not her main job. She waitresses at a restaurant but does the odd photo shoot. Nothing fancy, just catalogue work.”
“Still, if that’s what she wants to do, it’s a nice start.”
“I guess so. Maybe you could ask your boyfriend to push her portfolio? You said he works for a fancy magazine in London?”
Sofia noticed the way Danny said ‘your boyfriend’. It had sounded mildly sarcastic, or maybe in a way that suggested he minded saying it. Either way, she found it cute. “Yes, of course. I’ll be sure to mention it.” Her eyes lit up. “Wait a minute! Why don’t we all get together? Next time he’s in Brighton, let’s all go out to a club. What do you think?”
Danny shrugged. “I’ve done worse for my sister. Sounds painless enough,” he joked with a grin.
“Not just for your sister, silly. It’ll be a blast to all go out together. I’ll invite my friends too. And you haven’t met Jeff yet, have you?”
Danny rolled his eyes. “It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it.” He gave a little laugh and she joined him.
As they walked through fields on their way back to his house, the blissful chirping sounds of birds delighted their ears when, out of the blue, they heard little yelps and whimpers. Intrigued, they followed the sounds to find a tiny puppy in a deep ditch lining the border between two fields. The puppy was unable to climb out. Danny went in to rescue it, then placed it in Sofia’s eager embrace. She kissed the top of its head and made soothing sounds, causing it to calm down soon enough.
It seemed less than a month old. It had a pale cinnamon colour and tiny paws and nails that made Sofia go all gooey inside. She cooed and cuddled it and when the puppy took heart from the warmth of her arms, it looked up at her with wistful eyes that made her heart melt.
Danny put out a hand and gave it an affectionate pat. “You little rascal! You ran away, didn’t you?”
“You’ve seen it before? You know where its home is?”
“It’s a stray. I was out here with a neighbour only yesterday. We saw a female dog and a bunch of puppies wandering around the fields. This little scoundrel must have been one of them.”
Sofia looked around, her expression frantic. “And where’s its mother now? We must find her!”
“No chance. My neighbour called the RSPCA and they took them all yesterday. This little one must have fallen in the ditch before that so it was left behind.”
“So what do we do? We can't leave it here!”
“Well, I have a bucket and a sack back home . . .”
Sofia’s eyes widened with horror. “What? You wouldn’t!”
Danny flicked his wrist. “Nah! Just joking. Let’s take it home and feed it. I bet it’s hungry.”
“You’ll keep it? That’s so sweet!”
“Just wait and see what happens when Sue gets a glimpse of it. She loves puppies!” He tittered, beckoning Sofia to follow him home.
Danny had told the truth. The moment Sue laid eyes on the dog, she went ballistic, cooing over it like a doting mother. She gave it a warm bath, then fed it spam and cheese and sent Danny to the grocery store to buy canned dog food for later. While he was away, the girls sat on the living room carpet, playing with the puppy.
The little darling, now squeaky clean, its belly full, scurried away to rest against the tall window pane. Soon, it fell asleep, its breathing deep and even. The girls made cooing sounds, then exchanged a glance full of mirth.
“So, what will you call him?” asked Sofia in a whisper, having ascertained with Sue earlier on that the puppy was a boy.
“I was thinking . . . Paris. What do you think?”
Sofia tilted her head. “Paris? Is that a doggie name?”
“Well, not exactly. But I’m big on fashion, as you know, so why not?”
“Paris . . .” muttered Sofia, trying it out on her tongue. “Why not? Paris, don’t chew my shoes! Paris, you bad boy! You did your business on the rug!” She giggled. “Sounds all right!”
Sue joined her and now they were both trying to stop, putting their hands over their mouths to stifle their amusement, as the puppy’s tummy went rhythmically up and down, its blissful sleeping face warm in the sunshine streaming through the window.
Sofia stole a glance or two at Sue as they had another cup of tea a bit later, once Danny had returned with a big supply of food for Paris. At first, Sofia had thought Sue was aloof. She feared she might be one of those awful snobbish people who didn’t like foreigners, but she was lovely, after all. An idea formed in her mind then. Perhaps she could help Sue. Sylvia’s done some catalogue work, too! Maybe she can introduce Sue to her connections. Jeff could also help her out. I’d better organise that night out soon!
Chapter 18
The big night came soon enough and everyone Sofia invited came to meet Jeff for the first time: Danny and his sister Sue, Annika and Sylvia, all met in a night club that Sofia chose, the one where she’d met Danny while out with Jeff.
As Sofia had imagined, Sylvia and Sue hit it off. Both dressed and groomed impeccably like top models, it took one look for them to acknowledge each other as a kindred spirit. Soon, they left the dance floor behind to sit and talk. They even took out pen and paper to exchange phone numbers of their business contacts, hoping to expand their opportunities for new photo shoots. Jeff was amicable to Danny and vice versa, but they hardly spoke to each other after the initial introductions. On the contrary, Jeff was eager to talk to Sue, and when he offered to show her portfolio to his associates at the magazine, she kissed him impulsively on the check, then stood and did a happy little dance.
Annika was as friendly as always, which meant everyone seemed to love chatting to her. Even Jeff, who wore an expression of mild frustration all evening, managed to share a joke or two in the company of Annika, perking up for a while.
The night out was at its highest in terms of fun around one when drink had loosened everyone’s inhibitions. Dancing seemed to be a great way to have fun and to let off steam from the stress in their everyday lives. The exception was Jeff though, as that night he got aggravated in a way he hadn’t expected. Danny kept claiming Sofia as his dancing partner at the start of his favourite tunes, and now, he’d just taken her by the hand to dance with him the first slow song of the evening.
With eyes that glistened and burned, Jeff sat with the girls and watched as Danny swayed with Sofia, Danny’s eyes closed, Sofia in his arms looking equally content. What’s wrong with this guy? What nerve! Doesn’t he know she’s taken? I’d never do that in front of a girl’s boyfriend! And what about her? Why does she keep dancing with this idiot? And then, it hit him. Danny was the guy, the one that Sofia hadn’t gotten over yet. This and only this explained the hold he seemed to have on her. Sofia was so tactful, she’d never annoy him like that with a guy who was just a friend. But she had lied. This guy was not just a friend.
When the song ended and another dance song blasted from the speakers, Sofia returned to her seat by Jeff, and the girls went to the dance floor to join Danny. It was a song they all seemed to love: Walking on Sunshine by Katrina & The Waves. Sofia had only stayed in England for a few months and was still studying the Brits closely. Already, one great mystery remained unfathomable: what made the Brits love this song so much? All the clubs she’d been to so far played it and everyone rushed to the dance floor upon hearing it.
Somehow, Jeff wasn’t on
e of them that night. Instead, when Sofia sat beside him, lifting her hair with one hand to air the nape of her neck frantically with the other, she noticed he looked almost upset. “Jeff? Are you all right?” She placed a gentle hand on his arm.
Jeff turned around, serving her an icy stare. “I don’t know, Sofia. What do you think? Would you be all right if you were me?”
“Excuse me?”
“No, you’re not excused. Not excused at all!”
Sofia frowned. “I don’t understand. Have I done something to upset you?” Her voice came out innocent and nonchalant but, of course, she knew. She had allowed herself to dance with Danny all evening, throwing all caution to the wind. Now, it seemed, the inevitable was happening. She welcomed it. She knew she had it coming.
“Sofia . . .” Jeff closed his eyes and drew a long breath before carrying on. “Just tell me one thing: is this guy the one?” He pointed at Danny with one impatient finger. “The one that you haven’t gotten over yet?”
“Yes,” she admitted, lowering her gaze under his fiery glare.
“In this case, how could you? How could you bring him here tonight? Did you think we could all be friends or something? It’s clear to me, Sofia. It’s not over between you two. So what does that make me? The idiot who helps you pass the time when he’s not around?”
“No, it’s not like that,” she replied, but he pulled a face that suggested he wasn’t having it. He seemed disgusted and about to erupt.
“Look, Jeff, I . . .” she paused, unable to find the right words. He was right. She had used him. She had even had the nerve to expect him to help Danny’s sister with her modelling career. Now, she despised herself.
When she cast her gaze on the dance floor, Sofia locked eyes with Danny. He seemed confused when he saw her sombre expression. He smiled, puzzled and, when she didn’t adjust her features in a similar fashion, he turned his gaze to Jeff and realisation hit him. They were having a fight, but he didn’t feel justified to intervene. Still, he watched, intrigued. Close by, Sue, Sylvia and Annika were dancing all together with a trio of handsome young strangers, having way too much fun to notice.
The Storm Page 9
