CHORALE SANDERS

CHAPTER 2. WHERE ARE YOU, BABY?

A little after sunset, Rica noticed Kay's red Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS pull into the driveway. She was sitting in an armless chairs that faced one of the roof-to-floor glass windows in the living room. She had been sitting there the whole while after Chorale left.

With his navy blue suit slung on his shoulder, Kay walked into the house looking so tired. On the flight back home, he had been feeling so restless. All he wanted to do was get back home early, shower and wait for Chorale to come back home from the hospital where she worked.

He had missed her so much. Ever since he left for the business trip, he hadn't really had much time to talk to her. And the only little time he talked to her, she had sounded different. Like she was scared of something, like she was hurting and he did not like that at all. He wanted to come back to be with her. It was for that reason that he had declined the offer to celebrate with his employees and co-partners after closing the deal with Newmont Automobiles. He just told them to go ahead without him. He had someone very important waiting for him at home.

"Hey! Mamacita, I miss you!" he exclaimed upon entering the house. He rushed to go and give her a hug. But just like he had rushed in, he quickly rushed back out to remove his shoes as Chorale had always fought with him about and then he re-entered the house. Rica did not respond as she always did. "Yeah, hello Kay," It was then that he noticed her facial expression. She looked like she had been crying. He knelt down before her and took her hands in his,

"Mama Rica, why are you crying? What's wrong?"

"She's gone, Kay" was all she could say.

His heart began to race, "What do you mean by she's gone? Who is gone?"

"It's Chorale, Kay. Chorale is gone. She packed her things and left."

"She packed her things and left? Where did she go to?" His heart skipped a beat.

"She just told me she had to leave," she couldn't control herself anymore. She burst into fresh tears.

Kay could not comprehend anything she said. He had not done anything to her to make her want to leave. And where was she going to? She had never done this before. On the few occasions when she had to travel to the next town to oversee her building project, he had always gone with her. Even now that the building was complete, she was reluctant to move in. She liked to stay with him in his house. Those who did not know them so well thought they were even married. All the eight years they had been together, he couldn't recall any time that they had fought so much that she left the house.

The only time he could remember, when things got a little out of hand was one time when he had mistakenly acted on jealousy and beaten up a colleague worker of hers because one of the nurses had misled him. He remembered how angry she had been that day and she even threatened to leave the house. How he had begged and begged but she only agreed to stay on the condition that he would apologize to her co-worker. And that happened a long time ago.

He rushed upstairs to go and take his other phone to call her. The ones he had sent for the trip had run down. When he got upstairs, the state in which he saw their bedroom sent a chill up his spine. The room looked half empty. She had really left. His heart started to race. He dialed her number, but it got disconnected. He tried several times and still got disconnected.

Where was she? He dialed her sister, Valerie's number. Luckily, it went through, "Hello, Val,"

"Hey, Kay. How are you?" Val asked.

"I can't find Chorale, Val. Mama Rica said she left the house some hours ago with a packed suitcase." He said, with panic laced in his voice.

"Wow....that's strange Did you two have an argument or anything?"

"No. I just got back from a business trip to hear this news," he responded.

"This is strange. Can you call home to find out from mom and dad if she is there and then get back to me, later. I'm still driving home from work." She was interning with a law firm and had a few years left to graduate law school.

"Alright, I will. Thank you,"

He called her parents' home and they told him they had not heard from Chorale the whole day. This was getting worse than he had thought.

Chorale did not have many friends. She had just two friends he knew of: Abena and Fatima, friends she had met in university. He was about calling Fatima when he remembered that some time ago, Chorale had mentioned that she had been out of the country for some time and reaching her was difficult. He called Abena. She said the last time she had spoken to Chorale was three days ago and she hadn't given her any hint that she had any problems or that something was bothering her.

The only place he could think of to go to, was her new house which was almost 7 hours away from Accra. But he did not care. He had to find her tonight. He needed his Chorale.

It was half past seven when he left the house. Mama Rica had begged to come with him but he told her to stay home, in case Chorale came back. Just in case.

So he drove all the way to a developing town in Cape Coast called Saltpond. Chorale's new house was in Salt-pond. She had chosen Saltpond over Lake Side Estate, six months ago when she had to choose where to build her house. Saltpond was serene and far away from the industrial city and she liked that: Serene and Calm.

He got there around 2:30 a.m. and the huge black sensitive gates automatically opened upon sensing his car. Her car wasn't parked outside but he thought maybe she didn't travel with it. She had to be here.

She had given him spare keys just last week, right after the building was completed. He said a silent prayer in his heart before putting the key in the lock. He turned on the lights and looked round the room.

It had already been fully furnished and decorated, just like she wanted. Loveseats, chaise lounges, armless chairs in various shades of purple had been placed at various places in the large living room. The ceiling-to-floor curtains were another shade of purple and behind it were glass walls so that if the curtains were pulled apart, you could see the outside of the house. He smiled and thought, "Such a copycat!" At a small corner, were the black dining table and chairs. The house comprised four bedrooms, a big kitchen, a gym and a large living room.

He had initially not liked the idea of her wanting to have her own place. His house was big enough for both of them. But if there was anything he had learnt all these years they had been together, it was her independence. She liked to have things done on her own and make her own way in the world. He had grown to admire her immensely because of it.

He went upstairs and searched all the rooms but there was no sign of her. He came down and searched everywhere but still did not find her.

At this time, his fears had gotten the better part of him.

He sat down in the closest chaise lounges and buried his face in his knees. Where could she be? Why was she leaving him? What did he do wrong? He needed answers to his questions.

His life had become so much better since he met her. Everything that he did, he did with her in mind. She made him want to be a better person. She made him want to be him, and most importantly, she taught him how to love.

"Come back, baby" His voice broke, "Where are you?"