Sixteen- The necklace
NATHANIEL STORM
I met a very empty place when I got home. And because the itch in my heart worsened, I wandered into Sarah’s room. At first, I wanted to peek, but the blue walls welcomed me when I opened the door and I felt compelled to walk in.
The last time I stepped into this room, it was very empty. It was nice to see how the interior guys designed it for Sarah and her daughter.
I walked past the roughly laid bed and headed to the wardrobe. The near emptiness of the space surprised me. At most, there were twenty pieces of clothes, and most were in Raya's size.
This concerned me greatly.
I was wondering whether to apologise by purchasing some clothes when a brown jewelry box caught my attention.
I opened it and, as if it were hot iron, dropped it instantly, my heart racing with despair and confusion.
Staring back at me, was a silver necklace, with… a rose… pendant, tainted with a little dry blood. Just as I have seen over and over in my nightmares.
What…
My hand flew to my chest, trying to calm the sudden unrest
Why is this thing here? In Miss Sarah's closet?
Am I hallucinating?
Though I had now created a distance between myself and the closet, I leaned in a bit to observe the item. I stared for many seconds, and it was still certain that it was the very necklace recurring in my vicious nightmares.
But I could be mistaken, right?
Surely, somewhere else in the world, there's someone with a blood-stained necklace.
Right?
Right…
I slammed the box shut, closed the wardrobe and headed out of the room.
“What's keeping them?” I asked aloud to distract myself from thinking about the pendant. “They should be back by now.” I glance at my watch and nodded to myself. “They should be here.”
I headed to the front door, and flung it open.
“Uh?!”
Not too far from our house, Miss Sarah, who was carrying Raya, was speaking to a man I've never seen before. Her eyes were all smiles and that man was also laughing.
Just what are they talking about that's so funny? And why…
“Nathaniel,” I paused. “Why are you bothered?”
‘Because she is your wife,’ a tiny voice replied in my mind.
“On paper.” I cleared my throat, diminished the weird curiosity building within me, and restored my normal self.
Once I apologise for my unruly words, Sarah and I will have nothing to do with each other till our contract ends.
\~~~
SARAH PIERCE
I got to Raya's school before their closing hour, so we could go home together. The bus ride home was fun, thanks to Raya, who had a lot of fun things to tell me. Everything she said distracted me from the wounds of Nathaniel's insult and the opportunity Vanessa offered.
It's on days like this that I'm more than grateful that Raya is in my life. Sometimes, she is not just my daughter, but a friend who comforts me.
After dropping off at the stop, we slowly walked. And when Raya complained about leg aches, I carried her. Minutes later, we were closer to the house. I was already imagining the nap I would take when a masculine voice greeted me with a simple hello.
I looked to my right. A man, chubby but in a fit way, skipped out of his trapezoid-shaped house.
“Hello?”
His eyes were like stars; it was easy to tell that he smiled a lot. “You are Miss Pierce, aren't you?”
Instinct kicked in, I subtly stepped back and prepared my legs to race into our house.
“Oh, no, no.” He noticed my suspicion. “I am Peter. My son also attends Prinpress Academy.” I was still skeptical as I watched him reach into the back pocket of his very blue jeans. “See?” He showed the item, and I saw that it was the ID card given to all parents. “Peter Junior is in elementary school. The bus will drop him off soon.”
“Oh.” I laughed while wondering where I kept my ID. “I am sure you understand my reaction.”
“All parents would.” His eyes settled on me, and I wondered if he was reading me. Seconds later, he asked, “I recognised you from the day you came to the school. I heard from the head of the parents' association that you were enrolling your daughter in preschool. I was about to check for the bus when I saw you walking by. And I thought to say hi.”
Oh wow. He talks a lot.
“Thank you, Mr. Peter.”
“That is good to hear. Uh…” He reached into his pocket again. “This is my card. If you have any questions about the school, I will be glad to answer.”
I am certain I can ask Raya's teacher any question I have. But I'll humour him. It would be rude to say no outright.
I accepted the card and smiled. “Thank you for looking out for us.”
“Yeah.”
“Bye then. Baby, say bye to Mister Peter,” I said to Raya. She did not respond, she kept looking towards our house. I chuckled, he chuckled, and I finally said, “Alright then.”, and walked away.
It is unsettling that a parent from Raya’s school lives close to us. Very close. But, I cannot ask him to move, can I?
I just have to evade him as much as possible to avoid unnecessary familiarity.
“Raya, what should we eat this afternoon? Or should we wait till dinner?”
“Mummy, later.”
“Later it is.” I unlocked our door, glanced to confirm that Mr. Peter was not staring from a distance and headed in when that confirmation was solid.
“Miss Sarah,” Nathaniel's voice made me jump, and the things I thought I had pushed aside rushed in. When I saw that he was approaching from the living room, I hastened my steps towards my room. “We need to talk.”
“Oh great,” I managed to say. “Mr Nathaniel Storm wants to do round two of his great insults.”
“Sarah, I did not mean to say those things.”
“I doubt that matters.”
“No. I-”
“Don't speak to me,” I warned when I saw that his steps were already blocking mine. My short legs are to be blamed. “We have nothing to do with each other.”
“I want to apologise.”
“Keep it.”
“Fine.” I was not looking at him, but I could feel the intensity of his gaze. “I am travelling tomorrow. When I get back, I will apologise.”
“I said don't-”
Before I could finish my sentence, he walked away.
Stupidly, I allowed my brain to remind me of the terrible things he said. The fact that I was standing in the same spot as yesterday didn't help. My eyes became teary, and I couldn't stop them from falling.
But the thing is, as those tears fell, my determination to wreck Nathaniel Storm grew stronger. So, I might cry because of the hurt I face, but as long as I drag him to the pits of suffering, I will not mind.