Prelude to Silence

by Linda Faulkner

  “Wow! That is fascinating! So it was the music that saved you.”

  “Yeah, I guess it did,” Anne admitted, realizing it for the first time. “And the money that came from nowhere that helped me to go to Lakeshore.”

  “You beat the odds, you know. Only three percent of foster children graduate from college. One in three will be homeless after they turn 18 and most carry what little they have in a garbage bag.”

  “Well, you’re pretty close,” Anne agreed. “When Mona kicked me out, I put my things in my mother’s little suitcase and a garbage bag. Luckily, my band teacher and his wife took me in. If they hadn’t, I don’t know what I would have done that night.”

  “Didn’t your foster mother realize how dangerous it is for a young girl to be wandering the streets alone?”

  “I guess she didn’t care...”Anne hated to admit it, but it was true. “As soon as I was out of the house, she locked the door behind me.”

  “Damn! It pisses me off when I hear stories like that!” Britt paused a minute to think. “Wait a minute. Did you and your foster family go to church?”

  “Oh, yeah. Every Sunday.”

  “Surely someone from your church would have helped you.”

  “You must be kidding! Nobody paid any attention to me until I got that trust fund. Suddenly the preacher wanted my money. He said giving it to the Lord would cleanse it.” Anne’s lip curled as she gave a bitter laugh. “When that didn’t work, he made off with the church’s money.”

  “Wow! As I said before, you beat the odds. I really admire you.” Britt collected herself and headed toward the door. “Well, if you don’t need anything more, I’ll go downstairs. It’s about dinnertime.”

  Anne freshened up and followed shortly after. Near the entryway she spotted what appeared to be an office and noticed the door was open a few inches. Mitch and his father were arguing about something by the massive desk.

  “You’re not even giving it a chance,” Mitch insisted.

  “And I don’t intend to. Just get this business over with as soon as possible,” his father growled. “You know it’s vital to both of us.”

  “Of course it is,” Mitch agreed, his voice laced with bitterness. “As a favor to an old family friend.”

  Anne slipped away and found everyone else in the living room.

  Donna Randolph stood up as she entered. The smile she gave Anne never reached her eyes. “Oh good, you’re here. Dinner is ready.”

  The doorbell rang and Britt jumped up to answer it. “Madison,” she greeted in a frosty voice. “What a surprise.”

  The young woman sauntered into the room and gave Mrs. Randolph a limp hug with one arm. “Thank you so much for inviting me,” she gushed in dulcet tones.

  Mitch and his father joined them at the dinner table. Anne noticed Mrs. Randolph took special care to seat Madison next to Mitch. “Mitch, you remember your good friend from the summers we spent up here.”

  Anne realized she’d been ambushed. Britt took a seat next to her and rolled her eyes.

  “Don’t worry. Mitch can’t stand her,” she whispered.

  The conversation that followed excluded Anne. Madison described her junior year at Vassar in glowing terms. “Everyone there is so amazing.” She put her hand on Mitch’s arm. “We’re all going to the south of France for spring break. You must join us.”

  He pulled away. “I’m busy trying to make it through my last year of law school.”

  “Oh, come on Mitch,” she pouted. “Have some fun. You don’t need act so old and stodgy just yet.”

  “It’s called being an adult and taking responsibility,” Britt countered. “Oh, by the way,” she added, “I don’t believe you’ve met Anne, Mitch’s friend. She’s joining us for the holiday.”

  Madison gave an indifferent shrug. “Whatev’.”

  Anne felt her cheeks burn hot with rage. It was all she could do to get through the meal, listening to dialog punctuated with gossip about wealthy families there for the holidays, detailing their latest adventures and scandals.

  Mitch rose from his chair just before dessert was to be served. “I’d like to take Anne for a walk through the neighborhood. I want to show her all the Christmas lights.”

  “But Mitch, you wouldn’t want to leave your guest,” Donna scolded. “Would you?”

  “Your guest, not mine!” he reminded sharply and walked out of the room.

  Anne hurried after him. “I’ll get my coat.”

  Britt joined him in the entryway as Anne came down the stairs again.

  “Do you have a problem with this?” Mitch challenged, glaring at Britt.

  “Oh, No! Not at all. I think you’re doing the smartest thing you’ve ever done in your life.”

  Mitch relaxed a bit. “Yeah, but it’s complicated, Britt. Really complicated. You have no idea.”

  Britt lowered her voice before Anne joined them. “And so is life, little brother. So is life.”

  The outside world glittered with holiday cheer, a fairyland of Christmas lights and softly falling snow. Anne savored the fresh, crisp air and was glad to be out of the stifling atmosphere of the Randolph’s dinner table. “If you hadn’t got me out of there, I would have run out the door and walked all the way back to Chicago,” she admitted.

  “And I would have found you and walked all the way back with you.”

  “That would be one heck of a long walk, Mr. Randolph. I’ve had a little more experience at running away than you’ve had.”

  “No matter where you run to, Anne, I’ll always find you and bring you home. I swear I will! Please remember that.”

  An older man walking his poodle approached them. “Merry Christmas!” he greeted.

  The poodle pranced excitedly at the sight of Mitch and Anne. Anne stooped down to pet him and the dog licked her face. She laughed with delight. “What’s his name? He’s so sweet.”

  “His name is Sam. And yes, he is. He’s a great comfort to my wife and me. Our children are scattered all over the world and couldn’t come this year, so we’re enjoying a quiet holiday with this little guy.” The man waved and continued down the street.

  “Did you ever have a pet?” Mitch asked.

  “No. Mona didn’t like animals. She thought they were dirty and too much trouble. One of my other foster families had a dog, but he was so mean, you couldn’t get near him.”

  “Somebody must have treated that dog badly. They’re not born that way.”

  They returned to the Randolph’s front porch. Mitch gave her a light kiss and let out a sigh of regret before opening the door. “Well, back to the lion’s den.”

  Anne didn’t linger in the entryway. “Thank you,” she whispered, immediately hurrying upstairs.

  Britt was waiting for her. “Hey, are you okay? My parents were way out of line inviting that woman to dinner. They’ve been trying to get something going between my brother and Madison since they were in their teens. Trust me. Mitch thinks she’s a witch with a capital ‘B.’”

  “Well, from what I’ve seen, I won’t argue with that.”

  “I hope you don’t mind,” Britt added, “but I’m going to leave for a bit. My parents are so living in the Dark Ages. They don’t want me to sleep in the same room with Jason. Appearances are everything, you know. So I’m going to slip away for a conjugal visit.”

  Anne laughed softly. “Okay. Think I’ll just read the next chapter of my music history book.”

  “Oh, dear. I hope it’s about Chopin and Georges Sand. That was a great love story.” Britt waved goodbye. “See you in a couple hours.”

  Just as Anne was slipping into her nightgown, someone knocked at the door. She opened it a crack. “Mitch, what are you doing here?”

  “Can I come in?”

  “I guess. What do you want?”

  “You,” he replied in a husk
y voice, walking toward her.

  Her mouth dropped open in surprise. She couldn’t think of anything to say. Just hearing the word sent warmth throughout her body.

  “Let’s sit down a minute,” he said, taking her by the hand. “I want to explain about tonight. I had no idea Madison was coming. I can’t stand her.”

  “So Britt told me. But let’s get real here. She’s the kind of girl your parents want you to marry.”

  “Oh please!” He put the back of his hand to his forehead, pretending he might swoon. “That would be a fate worse than death!”

  Anne snorted. “You sound like a character in one of those melodramas. My high school English teacher had us perform one in class. We couldn’t stop laughing at the silly lines but we had a great time doing it.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and gently lowered her down on the bed. “I want you so much,” he whispered. His lips brushed her neck as he reached under her nightgown and caressed the skin underneath. Anne went into the same foggy haze she’d felt before. All her defenses melted away. Her whole body tingled with an aching need for him.

  Mitch quickly undressed and joined her.

  Anne jolted up in surprise when he brought out a condom. “Awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you?” It began to sink in what was about to happen. Panic swept over her. “I don’t know what to do!”

  “Don’t worry,” he assured, easing her down again.

  Anne felt a sharp pain as he entered her and gasped.

  “Am I hurting you? I would never want to hurt you.”

  “No,” she lied.

  As he began moving inside her, the pain was soon forgotten. She couldn’t get enough of him, as if she’d waited all her life for this moment. Seconds later she cried out and he joined her. Waves of pleasure continued deep inside her for several seconds afterward. She looked up at Mitch in awe. “Wow!”

  “Wow, yourself,” he said. “You came really fast.”

  She gave him a dumbfounded look. “I did?”

  He rose up with a puzzled frown. “Wait a minute. Haven’t you done this before?”

  “No.”

  “No? Are you serious?”

  “Oh, stop looking at me like I have three heads!” she barked, now totally annoyed. “Yes, I’m serious. I was the only twenty-year old virgin in the whole universe until tonight. So, what?”

  “Anne, I had no idea!” Mitch cradled her tenderly for a several minutes.

  Anne basked in the warmth of his embrace, feeling truly loved for the first time in her life. But the magic dissipated when he pulled away.

  “I’d better be going soon,” he said, getting up to get dressed. “Britt will be back any minute.”

  Was there a conspiracy between those two? Anne wondered.

  Mitch picked up her hair brush. “Yours?”

  She nodded.

  “Can I take a lock of your hair to remember this night?”

  Though it was a strange request, Anne gave him a doubtful smile and shrugged. “Kind of weird, but I guess so.”

  He took more than just a lock, but she thought nothing of it.

  Shortly after Mitch left, Britt returned with a satisfied look on her face. “Hope it wasn’t too quiet while I was gone,” she greeted, studying Anne to see her reaction.

  Definitely a conspiracy, Anne decided. “No, not really. I didn’t read quite as much as I’d planned.” It was all she could do to hold down the corners of her mouth and maintain a sober expression.

  As they were about to turn in for the night, a high pitched scream tore through the house. Anne jumped up, rushed out the door and ran down the stairs to the entryway. Mitch’s father had collapsed on the floor, his eyes glazed over. She found no pulse and began CPR. Britt called for an ambulance. It seemed like an eternity, but minutes later they arrived and pounded on the door.

  Anne was stunned when Mr. Randolph’s eyes blinked open unexpectedly. His initial confusion quickly turned to irritation. “Miss Clark, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

  “Oh, nothing much,” she shot back. “Just trying to save your sorry ass!”

  At that point the paramedics took over, brushing Anne aside.

  Donna Randolph approached Anne with a wild look in her eyes. “This is your fault,” she accused. “You should have never come here. Get out of our house! Go back to the trash you came from! You don’t deserve to be with decent people.”

  Britt led her mother away. Mitch volunteered to take his family to the hospital and Jason was given the job of driving Anne back to Chicago. Not a word was spoken until they arrived at Stanton Hall.

  I’m sorry your holiday was spoiled,” Jason said, trying to smooth things over. “Britt’s parents were out of line at dinner. And I’m sure Donna was too hysterical to know what she was saying after the paramedics arrived.”

  His excuses only fired up Anne’s resentment all the more. “And I’m so sorry you were saddled with the job of taking me back here. Frankly, I would have rather walked back on my own. You have no clue about me. Do you?” She reached for the door handle and turned to face Jason. “FYI. This isn’t any worse than a lot of other holidays I’ve seen. And you’re dead wrong about Mitch’s mother. She meant every word of it. Welcome to my world, Jason.” Anne jumped out of the car, jerked her suitcase from the back seat and ran away, never looking back.

  CHAPTER 8

  When Ashley and Emma returned from vacation, they immediately noticed a change in Anne.

  ”So, what happened while we were gone?” Emma asked. “You look like you just came out of some war-torn third world country.”

  Anne lowered her eyes and stared at the floor for a minute before she spoke. “There are so many holidays I’d like to forget, but this tops them all. The sooner I can put it out of my mind, the better.”

  “Sorry.” Emma cringed when her joke fell flat. “What happened?”

  “Mitch and I had Christmas Eve dinner at Giovanni’s. I couldn’t believe it when he invited me to his family vacation home in Lake Geneva for New Year’s Eve. I was on top of the world, even if they weren’t too friendly. His sister was nice, though. So, fast forward to the moment Mr. Randolph’s heart stopped. I did CPR and didn’t really expect it would work, but it did. He actually woke up. Then Mitch’s mother started screaming at me and blaming me for everything. His sister’s boyfriend ended up giving me a ride back. So, summing it all up about how things went while you were gone: my holiday was a piece of shit.”

  “But you probably saved his life,” Ashley pointed out. “Surely they know that.”

  “I doubt it. They’ll give all the credit to the paramedics and doctors.”

  Anne decided to do her best to forget Mitch. Every time he waltzed into her life, he left again, leaving her with even more heartache. She barely spoke a word to anyone at dinner the next Friday, staring at the empty chair next to her, a glaring reminder of what could never be. By contrast, Pete and Emma were bubbling over with excitement.

  “Pete and I are getting engaged,” Emma announced finally. “We’re going to have the wedding on campus next fall in the chapel. We’re hoping you both will be my bridesmaids.”

  Anne’s spirits lifted at the news. “Well, of course we will. Y’all should know that.”

  The bleak winter days of early January proved especially dreary for Anne. The newspapers lauded the paramedics and doctors for saving Mitch’s father, just as she predicted. But there was no word of thanks from Mitch or his family.

  Why should they? It was a bitter reminder that letting her guard down had been a huge mistake, one she swore she would never make again.

  Anne buried herself in classes, assignments and practice. The music didn’t provide the sanctuary it once did, but she refused to give up and follow her mother’s path of self-destruction. Though her heart wasn’t in it, she kept going through t
he motions.

  At the end of February Pete broke the news he’d found something in his research. “Take a look at this!” he said, barely containing his excitement.

  Anne read the printout of an article in the Entertainment Section of the Chicago Tribune. It was about Eve Dumont, announcing her upcoming engagement at the North Shore Lounge. She was seated at a grand piano in one picture. Another photo showed her standing next to the owner, a much younger Tony Romero.

  Anne studied the accompanying photo a moment and stared up at Pete in amazement.

  “She looks a whole lot like you,” he added. “I think I’m really onto something here.”

  Emma peered over at the article. “Wow! She does look like you!”

  Ashley agreed. “No question about it. Didn’t you say Tony Romero was staring at you when you played for the engagement party? Maybe Eve Dumont is your grandmother.”

  Anne shivered at the thought but tried to downplay it. “Maybe it’s just a coincidence.”

  “Could be,” Pete agreed, “but this is the first lead I’ve had so I plan to look into it further. Are we all on board?”

  Everyone nodded, except Anne.

  “Of course, we are,” Ashley insisted, elbowing Anne’s arm to get her attention. “It’s sealed in ketchup and french fries!”

  Anne shook her head with a faint smile. “Yeah, I guess.”

  Anne studied to the point of exhaustion but made it through the winter and kept up her grades.

  Just before spring break, Ashley broached the subject of vacation one Friday evening. “I know you always stay at the dorm on holidays, but I was wondering if you could come home with me this time? My father said he wants to meet my friends.”

  Anne shook her head emphatically. “No! I’m too tired. I just need to rest.”

  “It’s not that far. We’ll be going to the house in Kenilworth. You can rest there.”

  “Hey,” Emma chimed in, “Pete has family obligations. They’ll all be involved with his grandmother’s memorial service. Can I come, too?”