CHORALE SANDERS

EPILOGUE II: CHORALE'S POV

There was a dead silence in her house when she got back. The air was tense and everything seemed off.
 
Normally, when Kay’s guests came around for game days, they never left early. There was always an after party that ended late at night. That wasn’t there this time. The whole place was silent and everything just didn’t seem right. It made her heart skip a beat.
 
She saw a figure that resembled Caleb’s. He was pacing the garage and had his hands on his head. The look on his face was enough to send shivers down her spine. She ran to him.
 
“Ca-ca...Caleb.” She called from behind him.
 
He turned sharply towards her. That was when she noticed the tears in his eyes. She didn’t want to think the worst but she felt her heart fall to the pit of her stomach.
 
He didn’t answer her.
 
“Caleb talk to me! What is going on?” she was screaming now
 
Caleb hesitated, but he managed to speak up. “It’s Kay.”
 
Her heart stopped. “What happened to him?” She started to cry. “What happened to my baby?!”
 
Caleb brushed his hand over his face and tried to speak but the words wouldn’t come out. Chorale had no time to wait for him to regain his composure. She didn’t mean to, but she shoved him aside and run towards the back door.

The whole room was silent for a few seconds, and then she heard her daughter cry. She froze. She couldn’t feel her legs and she couldn’t even bring herself to breathe properly.
 
Kayla came running to her, with arms outstretched, motioning for Chorale to carry her.
 
“Baby,” she cried, lifting her daughter up. Kayla had Chorale’s huge eyes and anytime she cried too much, her eyes looked so puffy and red. Right now, her eyes were. She was crying so loudly. Chorale’s heart couldn’t take it.
 
“Where’s daddy, Kayla?” she asked her, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
 
She just kept repeating “Daddy, daddy”
 
Caleb entered the room at the same time and took Kayla from her mother’s arms.
 
“He suffered a heart attack.”
 
“No, no, no…..that’s not true Caleb.” She was hyperventilating. “Where’s my baby, Caleb? Where is he?” She was screaming and that was agitating Kayla so she too started crying again, Louder.
 
Caleb pointed, with his free hand, to the guestroom downstairs while trying to calm the baby. She didn’t know where the energy came from, she dashed to the door and pushed it open.
 
There he was, lying on the bed. The love of her life was lying there: lifeless. She fell down to her knees, still not moved from the spot behind the door.

She went silent for a while and cried out loudly,
 
“You can’t do this to us, Kay. You can’t leave me and that little girl and go, Kay.” She was pulling at her hair. She was afraid to go and remove the cloth from his face. She couldn’t believe her life was crumbling to pieces before her. Everything was perfect that morning. How had things gone sideways all of a sudden?  A part of her was so angry for leaving home. She should’ve stayed and taken care of him.
 
“God, you can’t do this to me” She sat on the floor, hitting her thighs. “God, you can’t take him away from me. I don’t deserve this. My baby girl does not deserve this.” Her tears were so loud now.
 
Then, she stood up and half-run to the bedside. With shaky hands, she held the cloth and brought it down. She was going to scream at him to wake up.
 
What the hell!
 
Four pillows.
 
Four words.
 
Marry. Me. Chorale. Please?
 
Just then, she heard an orchestra play, Ed-Sheeran’s Perfect. There was an instruction in a handwriting she knew too well, “Come to the hall, baby”
 
Tears had blurred her vision. Her mind was working too fast,  it had gone blank. Her heart was doing a weird dance in her chest and her knees were fast giving up on her, she had to hold the head-rest for support.
 
“What are you doing, Kay?” She whispered to the air, tears running down her cheeks.
 
“Come on out, beautiful” The stereo boomed with Kay’s voice.
 
She walked out of the door and went to hall. If not because she felt she would collapse any time soon, she would’ve run to him. He was alive, in flesh and blood.
 
He was standing in the middle of the room and she managed to walk to him. He had tears in his eyes but managed a huge smile before going down on one knee and taking her hands in his.
 
“Oh, Kay” she cried softly.
 
“Chorale, love of my life. I never thought that this day would come.” Tears rolled down his face and she freed one hand to wipe it for him.
 
He continued, “You have made me a better person since the moment I pushed you to the floor in that church.” They both laughed.
 
“Everything I have done since then, I’ve done with you in mind, with intention. You have taught me what true love is and I’m glad I had you as my teacher. I love you,” she mouthed I love you too.
 
 “I love you so much, darling. I love how you smile, I love how you walk, I love how you talk, I love how you love me, I love how you take care of me and our princess, I love how you’re the first person that comes to mind when I need someone to talk to. Damn! I love everything you do, even if you’re being annoying sometimes” He half cried and laughed.
 
“I’m not a perfect person, baby. My imperfections have been made obvious so many times. Those who are close to us know what I’m talking about.” He paused and looked down at the floor. Chorale saw that his body was shaking so bad and so she lifted his head by the chin. The tears in his eyes broke her heart.
 
His voice was shaky when he finally spoke up, “I’ve put you through hell. Because of me, you almost…you almost lost your life,” his voice broke. “But you are still with me. You still love me regardless. And if this is not love, I don’t know what is. You complete me. You’ve given me so much to be thankful for, especially our daughter, Kayla.” 
 
As if she heard her name, the baby laughed. She wasn’t present there in the hall but her laughter didn’t sound so far away.
 
“Where was that naughty girl hiding?” Chorale wondered.
 
“I want to do life with you, my queen: the whole of life. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I know that once you agree to be by my side, as my wife, we can weather any storms. I want to be your husband, Chorale.” He looked away, and chipped in, “Wow, that sounded nice to say.” She giggled, roughing up his hair.
 
“I know you have a beautiful surname, but mine will suit you better, I promise. No offense, Mr. Anderson,” He shouted and Chorale heard more laughter in the background but she couldn’t tell from where.
 
“Will you be my Chorale Sanders, please?”
 
“Oh, Kay” she whispered slowly. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she nodded, “Yes. Yes! I’ll be your wife, Kay.”
 
He looked shocked for a moment, “Really?”
 
She nodded, “Yes. Really”
 
He pushed his hands into the pocket of his shorts, took out the most beautiful ring box, and pulled out the shiniest ring Chorale had ever seen in her life. There was a heart-shaped diamond lying beautifully on it. In the diamond were the letters, CS, stylishly engraved.
 
She sobbed, “This is so beautiful.”

He took her left hand in his and placed the ring on her ring finger.
 
He rose up on his feet, mouthing a curse word. His knee was hurting badly from kneeling so long. Chorale could hear people laugh again. She furrowed her brows. Kay sensed the confusion and laughed. He pulled her into a tight hug, and called out, “You can all come out now.”
 
All the doors that led to the big hall opened. Chorale broke free from his embrace and looked around. She started crying as she made people out. Kay had really gone all out to get all those who mattered to her to be present. Margarita, Esmeralda, Carmen, Antonio and even Miguel came in through one of the doors on the east. Her mouth hung open. A sad thought crossed her mind. Jose Luis could’ve been there too. She missed him so much. She cried more.
 
Her parents, Valerie and Liam, and even Derrick too, were present. As if that was not enough, she turned to the west wing of the house and saw Abena and Fatima, both with their families. Her heart was so full of happiness. It felt like it was going to burst open any time soon. Her, and Kay’s cousins were also present. Kay’s siblings too, and his sweet mom was there too. Mama Rica and Obed who were supposedly on a trip too were present. Even she recognized some people from the hospital where she worked and some of Kay’s friends from work.
 
She went round to hug and welcome every single person in the room.
 
Kayla freed herself from her uncle, Caleb’s arms. He chased her all the way to the hall until she run to hug her daddy’s legs.
 
“Daddy! Uncle Caleb, Uncle Caleb!” she was giggling so hard.
 
Kay carried his daughter in his arms before Caleb could get to her.
 
His beautiful angel.
 
“ ‘Wee-wee’ daddy,” meaning she wanted to use the washroom.
 
“Alright, baby”
 
Chorale saw them climbing up the stairs to their room. She was talking to Derrick and Esmeralda, “Excuse me, lovebirds.”
 
She run up the stairs and paused at the door which had been slightly left open. Kay was lying down at the edge of the bed, one leg on it and the other on the footstool with Kayla lying on his chest. He was talking softly to her.
 
“Thank you for coming into our lives, princess.” He was rubbing her back, “And thank you for helping daddy today. Now, mummy and daddy are about to get married. This is something daddy should have done long, long ago.” He paused and Chorale heard him sniffling.
 
“But nonetheless, this is good too. We have you now and that makes everything ten times better. You’ll help us, won’t you?” Kayla nodded her head, her pigtails jumping up and down. Kay laughed. Chorale did too, softly, from where she was standing. Her heart was so full of love for those two humans.
 
“I love you, Kayla. I love you more than life itself.” He kissed her hair. She gave a loud yawn and murmured, “I love you, Daddy” in her own baby language.
 
That was Kay’s cue to go and put her in her room. Chorale was so occupied replaying the scene she just witnessed, she forgot she was eavesdropping.
 
“How much did you hear, Mrs. Sanders?” Kay asked, coming to stand in front of her with Kayla sleeping on his shoulder.
 
She jumped up in fright. “Kay!”
 
He turned back and went to put the sleeping baby on their bed then he motioned for Chorale to come closer. She obliged.
 
He pulled her into a tight hug, “I love you.”
 
“I love you too, baby,” She responded
 
“I think Kayla may be feeling lonely.”
 
Chorale frowned, “I don’t understand.”
 
“Let’s make another baby.” He said, in a rush. Chorale paused, blinked, and let out the heartiest laughter he had heard.
 
He laughed too. He was serious, but he was going to let it slide. For now.
 
“Come on, Mr. Sanders, we have visitors waiting downstairs.” She laughed again.