by Mary May
They had been dating for over a year and he had just finished up his last year of college. Klara still had a year left to get her degree in computer sciences. It was Christmas Eve and they had invited David and his family over for dinner and presents. Klara loved his parents. Frank and Laura Martin were both soft-spoken, down-to-earth people. Klara could see where her pastor, Brother Wayne, got his spiritual upbringing. The Martins were very much a family that put Christ first. Her own family attended church and believed in Christ as well, but the relationship that the Martins had was deeper…more personal.
They had all gathered at the long table in the dining room. Klara noticed that David’s mother kept giving her long looks then would smile, dabbing at her eyes. She wondered what that was all about, so she put it on her to-think-on list for later.
After dinner they all gathered in the living room to hand out the presents. After they had all been handed out, everyone had gotten one but Klara. She tried to smile and enjoy everyone else’s gifts, but her feelings were hurt. Her parents always got her gifts! Why didn’t David get her some little something just show his feelings for her? Didn’t he care for her at all?
She had shopped for weeks looking for the perfect gift for him. She was overjoyed when she found an antique pocket watch from the thirties that just happened already to have his initials engraved on the inside of the lid. She had held her breath as he opened it. He seemed very pleased with it, showing it to everyone. So why didn’t he get her anything? She tried to keep her lip from pouting like a child, but she wasn’t sure she succeeded.
Finally David looked at her. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Klara just shook her head, but David persisted. “Baby, you look like you’re about to cry. What is it?” Finally she told him.
“It’s silly, I know, but I didn’t get anything.”
David’s eyes widened. “What? Oh, surely you got something!” She just smiled slightly and shook her head. David got up and went to the tree. “Klara didn’t get anything; does anyone see her gift anywhere?” Everyone murmured no, they didn’t see it. “Klara, come help me look. I’m sure you have one somewhere!” Klara got up and walked over to the tree.
“David, the tree is empty. There are no more presents under the tree,” she whispered.
He smiled at her. “Maybe you should look IN the tree then.” Looking at him with a puzzled look on her face, Klara searched through the branches of the large cedar tree. She was about to give up when she spotted it. The silver diamond ring was hanging on a silver thread just below the angel.
“Oh! Oh, my goodness! David!” David reached and untied the ring from the silver thread; then he dropped to one knee in front of her.
“Klara Dawn Freeman, this past year has been the happiest year of my life. You are everything I have prayed for, and if you say yes to my question, then every prayer has been worth it. I won’t promise you that we won’t ever have hard times, but I do promise that I will love and treasure you every moment for the rest of my life. Baby, will you marry me? Please?”
Klara’s eyes were swimming in tears. She brushed them away so she could see him clearly. She wanted to memorize the way he looked down on one knee holding the beautiful ring in his fingers and the hopeful look on his face. She nodded her head, not able to form the words because of the lump in her throat.
“Yes? That’s a yes, right?” He asked, still on his knees.
Klara laughed. “Yes! That’s a huge giant YES!”
He whooped out loud then jumped to his feet, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her senseless. He slid the ring on her shaking hand then kissed it. He hugged her gently again whispering, “Thank you.”
The family all clapped and gave her hugs of congratulations. Then her parents went to their room and came out with armfuls of wrapped gifts. “We didn’t forget you, sweetie. David made us swear to hide your gifts until he gave you his. We didn’t think you would mind after you got his wonderful gift,” her mother said with a tearful expression.
Klara wiped the tears from her eyes. “No, it’s all so wonderful! I can’t even think right now!”
Later that night David was about to go home, so Klara walked him out to the porch. She kept holding out her hand watching the diamond catch the light and sparkle. It was so beautiful! David wrapped her up in a big bear hug, lifting her feet off the ground then letting them dangle as he held her tightly. She snuggled her face into his neck, inhaling deeply the scent of his cologne and the smell of warm man. She wanted this moment to last forever.
Chapter 3
Klara woke up with her head at a weird angle. She groaned as she rolled her head around trying to work the kinks out of her neck.
“Scooter, why didn’t you wake me up and tell me to go to bed? Now I’ve got a crick in my neck.” She got up off the couch and kicked the empty rum bottle across the room. “Ouch!” The bottle rolled across the floor then bounced off the kitchen wall and right into Scooter. The large cat gave an indignant yowl then scampered to safety under the ottoman!
“Oh, Sweetie, I’m sorry! Are you ok?” She dropped to her knees to peer under the stool and all she could see was the yellow glow of his huge unblinking eyes. “Kitty, kitty…come on, kitty, kitty.” Scooter growled low in his throat, telling her he wasn’t ready to make up just yet! “Ok, stay under there then. I said I was sorry,” Klara grumbled as she walked into the bathroom. She opened the medicine cabinet and shook out a white pill then swallowed a handful of tap water to wash it down. She left her bedroom door open in case Scooter got over being mad at her then she went back to sleep.
The sound of her cell phone buzzing on the bedside table woke her up hours later. She slapped around until she found it then she answered it groggily. “Hello?” She heard the voice of her friend Mattie on the line.
“Klara? Are you ok? Are you sick?” Klara rolled over and looked at the clock. It was one forty-five in the afternoon!
“Oh, my gosh! No, I’m not sick. I just really really overslept! Is Mr. Adams or Mr. Moreland angry?” Klara jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom holding her cell phone to her ear with her shoulder while she brushed her teeth.
“No, no one is mad, just concerned. I’ve been calling you since nine this morning. If you didn’t answer this time, I was coming over to check on you.”
Klara wriggled into her slacks, noticing that they were getting loose on her now. Seemed like every few weeks she was buying new clothes because she was dropping weight. “No, I’m fine really. I’m getting dressed now. I’ll be there in twenty minutes!”
She hung up the phone and finished getting ready. She couldn’t believe that she had overslept like this. She had never slept in so late in her life. She grabbed her purse and her keys then rushed out the door. The traffic was light and she was able to make it to the office in less than fifteen minutes. She pulled into a parking spot then jumped out, walking quickly to the front door. She had her head down looking for her badge when she heard a male voice ask her to stop. She turned around and saw a man approaching her, scowling. “Yes, can I help you?” she asked him.
He stopped in front of her and she wondered who he was. He was tall, with dark hair and eyes. He was well built and very intimidating. He was one those men that just oozed power and authority. He wore it comfortably like someone might wear a well-worn jacket.
“Did you just get here?” He questioned.
“Um, yes, I did.”
He frowned harder at her. “Do you drive a silver Pontiac Grand Am?”
Again Klara nodded. “Yes, I do. Why?”
He turned, pointing back toward the parking lot. “It is clearly marked that only upper management parks in the first row. Let me see your badge, please.” Klara dug in her purse and handed him her badge. “You are not upper management. You will need to move your car immediately.”
She looked at him in disbelief. “When did this start? I’ve been working here for nearly a year, and this is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“It sta
rted yesterday. I sent out a memo. Do you not check your email?”
Klara just shook her head. “Ok, sorry. I’ll move my car.”
She started to walk around him when he stopped her. “Do you make it a habit to arrive at work after two in the afternoon?” Klara whirled around. Just who was this guy?
“No, sir, I do not. This is the first time I’ve ever been late. I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.”
The man extended his hand. “I’m Alec Adams.” Klara felt her heart drop. This was the grandson! Her new boss! Oh, what a way to make a great first impression.
Klara stood dumbfounded, until Alec Adams raised his right eyebrow. “Mrs. Martin, you are going to move your car… correct?”
Klara blushed with embarrassment. “Oh, yes! Of course!” She turned and walked quickly back to her car. She could feel his eyes on her until she turned the corner. “What a jerk! ‘You’re not upper management,’ he said. ‘Do you usually arrive to work at two in the afternoon?’ he said. Brittany, you can have him, sister!” Still fuming, she reached her car then dug in her purse for her keys. Five minutes later and after dumping her purse out on the hood she made the sickening discovery that she had locked her keys in the car.
“Oh, no! No, no, no! Can this day get any worse?” The words were barely out of her mouth when she heard the rumble of thunder directly overhead. Seconds later, fat raindrops started to fall, quickly turning into a deluge. “Really? Do you just hate me, God? What have I ever done to You?” she cried out in pure frustration. She yanked on her car door repeatedly. “Open up, you stupid piece of crap!”
Finally admitting defeat, she turned to lean against the car only to discover Alec Adams studying her from underneath his umbrella. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at him accusingly through the downpour. This was his fault anyway! “Look, I locked my keys in my car so I can’t move it right this second, ok? I’ll have to call a locksmith.”
Alec studied the frustrated woman shooting daggers at him from her large gray eyes, looking like a drowned cat. It appeared she was having a bad day. Feeling guilty for possibly adding to it, he held out his umbrella. “I gathered that after you tried to open the door then cussed out the car. Would you like to walk back to the building under my umbrella?”
Raising her arms, she swept them down her body that was soaked to the skin from the heavy rain. She shook her head. “Too late for that, I think.”
He walked over, holding it over her head. “Well, it will make me feel better anyway. I’m having a bad day, too, and I’m afraid I took it out on you. I’m sorry.”
Wiping the rain from her face, Klara looked up into his dark apologetic eyes. She sighed, shaking her head. “Thank you.”
As they walked back toward the building, Alec noticed that Mrs. Martin really was quite pretty. She was a little too thin and she had a haunted look in her eyes that made her appear fragile and in need of rescuing. However, he didn’t think that was quite correct. When she had turned around and saw him standing there, her eyes shot him a look that dared him to say anything. She held her body rigid like her spine was made of steel. No, a fragile little kitten she wasn’t! They reached the lobby of the building and the air conditioning immediately raised goose bumps on her wet flesh. Rubbing her hands over her bare arms she walked to the receptionist’s desk.
“Tina, would you mind calling a locksmith for me? I locked my keys in my car.”
Looking at her soaked appearance and then looking at Alec folding up his umbrella, Tina gave her a coy little smile. “Sure thing, honey. There are some paper towels in the break room. I’m sorry I can’t offer you anything better.”
Throwing Tina a grateful smile, Klara headed to the break room but stopped when she heard Mr. Adams tell Tina to have the bill for the locksmith sent to his office, that he would take care of it.
“What? Wait! That’s not necessary! You didn’t lock my keys in my car. I’ll pay for it. Thank you, though.”
Alec looked down at her. “You’re going to have to pay to get your suit dry-cleaned after getting soaked; I feel that was my fault. Let me cover the locksmith for you. It would make me feel better.”
He watched as she weighed the pros and cons of arguing with him. Finally she gave in, gracefully nodding her head. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” He nodded then walked into the elevator.
Stepping off the elevator on the twenty third floor, Alec opened the door to his grandfather’s office, well, his office now, he supposed. It still smelled of the fat Cuban cigars that his grandfather enjoyed even though smoking wasn’t allowed in the building. He tugged at his tie, loosening it up a little. Ties were something else he would have to get used to, along with power suits and business meetings. He didn’t ask for this, and sure didn’t want it…but it was his, lock, stock and sinking barrel. He knew he should be grateful that he had a job to come to every day after his soon-to-be ex-wife had ruined his own law practice. When his grandfather had announced that he was retiring and he wanted Alec to take over his position, Alec had at first been eager, until he took a good long look at the books. They told a sad tale of gross mismanagement and negligent bookkeeping.
His grandfather had built this company from the ground up. He started out running it out of his garage until he had enough clients to buy his first building. It was only recently that he had joined with Moreland, hoping to float the firm a little longer with a new list of clients. Unfortunately, Moreland didn’t bring with him the clientele list he had bragged on. Now Alec feared it was only a matter of time before they would close the doors for good.
He walked over to the large floor-to-ceiling plate glass window and looked out. It was a beautiful view, or it was when the rain wasn’t lashing at the windows so hard. He hadn’t seen it rain like this in a long time. He really did feel bad that Mrs. Martin had gotten soaked. He should have just let her go with a warning or kept his mouth shut all together. It wasn’t that big a deal he didn’t know why it crawled all over him. He was in a foul mood, thanks to his ex-wife calling him demanding that he pay her more alimony.
He never would have thought in a million years that Clarissa would have turned into such a money hungry little manipulator. She was good, he gave her that, but he was not paying her one more cent! She had already gotten the house and half of his savings, along with part ownership of his stocks and bonds, plus a hefty monthly alimony. No, he was done with bowing down to her. He owed her something; he was man enough to admit that, but he didn’t intend to pay for his mistake for the rest of his life!
Klara finally made it back home, kicking off her shoes that were rubbing her feet raw from being wet. She went to the bathroom and ran a hot shower, leaving her clothes in a pile on the floor. Like Mr. Adams had pointed out, they were going to have to be dry-cleaned anyway, so it didn’t matter. She slid down in the shower letting the water pelt her tummy and thighs. Bringing her knees to her chest, she felt the all-too-familiar burning and twitching in her muscles and knew this was going to be a bad one. Sure enough, the tremors started in her tummy and quickly spread throughout her body. She wrapped her arms tighter around her knees, trying to hold herself together. The full body convulsions lasted only a few minutes, but they always left her wiped out and drained. The doctors told her it was her body’s way of dealing with the emotional stress.
“Mrs. Martin, we really feel like you would respond well to in-house therapy. You won’t be able to handle the physical reactions on your own. You could fall and injure yourself. Please reconsider,” they had told her. Klara had held her ground and wouldn’t admit herself. She had learned to recognize the signals and would get herself somewhere safe when the tremors started.
A few minutes later she dragged herself out of the tub too weak to stand and rolled herself into a fluffy towel. She sprawled out on the bathroom rug until she was finally strong enough to get to her feet. Holding on to the walls, she staggered down the hall to her bedroom then fell across her bed with a groan. Scooter pounced on her back a
nd was meowing frantically, nudging at her arms with his big head. “In a minute, Scooter, ok?” She reached up with her right hand and scratched his ears to placate him until she had the strength to go into the kitchen and fix his dinner.
After another ten minutes she finally hauled herself up off the bed. She slipped into her nightclothes then went in to the kitchen to fix Scooter’s dinner. Once the cat was happily eating, Klara made herself a grilled cheese and poured a small glass of milk. She went into the living room to eat her small dinner and watch TV. Today was such a nightmare! First, being so late to work then running into Mr. Adams! She sighed and set the half-eaten sandwich to the side. She knew she needed to eat more, but everything still seemed to get stuck in her throat. It was easier to drink her dinner, but that wasn’t good either. That’s the reason she overslept this morning. Booze and prescription drugs do not mix well. She flipped through channel after channel, trying to find something that she could stare at and not be drawn into. Infomercials were her favorite. She could zone out sometimes, and not think, not feel, not remember. But tonight the memories wouldn’t be denied…
Her wedding day was in late June. She had shopped for months, searching for the perfect gown. She finally found it in an antique shop that specialized in vintage clothing called Past to Present. The dress wasn’t designed to be a wedding gown, but Klara took one look at it and knew that it was the perfect one for her. It was an antique white satin slip dress with a plunging back that pooled right above her bottom. Since the crowd would see her back most of the time, she wanted something with a simple front but a lot of wow factor in the back, and this gown delivered. The front was pure simplicity with a square neckline, and the thin straps crisscrossed halfway down her back, holding the gown in place. The only adjustment she made was having a slit put in the front that stopped above her knees, leaving the rest of the dress to trail behind her as she walked. She swept her ash blonde hair up into a French twist tucking a fresh white rose just above her left ear. With her grandmother’s pearl and diamonds earrings and the pearl necklace from her mother, Klara was a vision! The dressed hugged her small waist and flowed down her rounded hips. The slit in the front showed off her long legs. She stood in front of the mirror and knew she would never again in her life look more beautiful.
