Mona of Dreamweaver (Book 1 of The Sisterhood Trilogy)

Chapter 19

I couldn’t move. My feet were glued to the floor. Yes, I was shocked at what I heard, but as it kept sinking into my brain, the shock turned into horror. My eyes were wide. Stacy hung up and when she turned around, she saw me.

“Mona,” she gasped. “Wha…when did you get here?”

“A while ago,” I said when I found my voice.

“So you heard what I said.”

I only nodded as tears started to appear and I was trying to choke them back.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. We thought that it wasn’t that bad and then we though that it could be fixed but..”

“Why is he like this?”

“It’s stress.”

“Are there problems with the company?” Stacy opened her mouth to speak but was silent. I took that as a yes. “How bad are they?”

“Mona, you don’t have to worry about the company. Just worry about school. By the way how did the test go?”

“It was fine. But back to the subject. Stacy, you adopted because you needed an heir and helper in the company. And I’m more than willing to help. If I’m part of the family, please let me help. What can I do?”

“I’ll talk to Kyle,” Stacy said after thinking  for a minute.

I learned that the clients didn’t like the designs that were being made by our company and they were pressuring Kyle to get new ones without changing the deadline. I offered to do some drawings and after some arguments, Kyle agreed. I felt like he still was trying to do it himself and as I spent time in the office after school with him, I saw how much the stress was getting to him.

A week before summer vacation, and two weeks before the deadline, I was in the office working on a drawing with Kyle. We didn’t notice that it was nearly 1 am. Kyle said he was going to take a coffee break. I kept working, trying to piece the client’s description of their desire and the design into a satisfactory project. I felt my neck straining a bit, so I decided to stretch. As I stretched, my eyes landed on the clock. It read 2:15am. I wondered where Kyle was. When I came into the break room, I found him. He was lying on the floor, face down, with his hands clutching the area near his heart.

“Kyle!!!” I ran over to him. I shook him and called his name, but I got no answer. No this couldn’t be. Quickly running back into the office, I grabbed the phone and dialed 911. Then I called Stacy.

I sat in the office staring into space as Stacy was talking to the paramedics. From the corner of my eye, I saw them take Kyle’s lifeless body away. It was too late. He had a heart attack. Was this my fate? Was I curse to see people I love die? Why did my parents have to die and now Kyle? Hot tears rolled down my cheeks. My heart ached. Life was so unfair. I felt someone sit down next to me. Loving arms wrapped me and gentle hands stroked my hair. I could feel Stacy’s tears running down and dripping on my hair. Why was life so cruel to people? Why do people have to leave behind people they love and that love them?

The funeral was done the next day. Many people came, even clients. The expressed their condolences to us and wished us luck in the future. Luck? Thanks. I’m sure that’s exactly what we need. As everyone left, I stood my the tombstone. I couldn’t leave. I didn’t want to believe that it was over.

“I’m sorry about your loss,” I heard someone say. I turned around. It was Jacob.

“Thank you.”

There was no more to say. What could anyone say in this situation? Nothing. Nothing other than sorry. The rest of the week in school, I ignored people’s stares and whispers. It was like freshman year all over again. One thing was different. Ok, two things were different. Jacob wasn’t being a jerk about it and Kristy actually yelled at people for making fun of my loss. I guess people grow and change. At the end of the week, school was out and Laura was going to Europe again for her concerts again. I continued to work on the project. Considering I didn’t have to go to school anymore, I spend my time in the office from morning to late night.

Stacy came into the office to work on other small projects and offered her help on this one, but I told her to concentrate on the ones she has. I could do it. I was confidant. Kyle was depending on me. Sara came to visit Stacy every now and then, and I heard Stacy walking to Sara about how concerned she is about me. She said she felt bad about me doing all this. She said she was upset to see me throwing myself into all this work and she didn’t see me smile and laugh at all recently. I didn’t notice that I wasn’t like I used to be. But I guess that’s a given. There was no time for fun and games. This project was important. After spending time in the office, I learned that this project was what the company was depending on right now to not go bankrupt.

The deadline was approaching. There were 2 days left when the clients appeared.

“It is a shame that Kyle passed away before the project was finished. I’m guessing that we should cancel our contract and sign with someone else. There are only 2 days left and this would be too much work for you.”

“I assure you we can finish this,” Stacy said.

“I don’t know, if you disappoint us you will not only have to return the money you already paid, but also compensate us for the delay we will have to encounter.”

I saw how nervous Stacy was.

“Excuse me sir?” I said. “May I say something?” The men looked at me with amusement.

“Go ahead.”

“I fully understand the risk we are taking in this project, and I understand the risk you are taking. But I assure you, that at the end of these 2 days, you will be more than satisfied with the design.”

There was strength in my voice and determination in my facial expression. I saw Stacy shiver at what I said and the way I said it. The men stared at me, thinking whether or not they should agree. By face didn’t change, my eyes burned with eagerness to finish this project. I felt Kyle’s presence and his support, helping me to tell these men we can do it.

“Very well, we will see you in 2 days.”