Overjoyed

Chapter 15 - I'll come back to haunt you

“Don’t go” I mumbled sleepily as I felt Dan’s weight shift off the bed. “I have to, Courtney and the guys are back. We’ve got to be going” he said. I sat up in bed with my arms stretched out in front of me. Dan grabbed my hands and I pulled him down on top of me. “I’m coming back Eliza. I promise” he said and kissed me. He rose and walked out, and immediately I ached for him.

I rose for work the following morning with a significant heaviness in my heart. Dan would soon be off to God knows where, for God knows how long, I hadn’t even thought to ask him. I guess I was kinda caught in the whirlwind of what I felt for Dan so fast. He was so gentle and shy, so modest despite his enormous success and amazing talent. He seemed to genuinely care for me, and I was blown away at the intimacy we’d achieved in such a brief period of time.

I smiled to myself as I checked my phone and saw Dan had texted as I headed out the door.

‘You look beautiful when you sleep; it was such a shame to leave you earlier. I’m in for a rather dull morning I’m afraid, everyone else is out cold. Courtney really wore these chaps out. Have a great day at work Eliza, here’s hoping there’ll be no interferences from shithead ex-boyfriends or lecherous bosses. xx Dan’

I texted back and we communicated back and forth when we could the entire day. Work dragged on, and I was feeling particularly uninspired about writing my column. At one, just as I was about to take my lunch my desk phone rang, “Shortland Chronicles, Eliza James speaking” I answered automatically and a timid little voice quivered,  “Eliza?” and then almost immediately hung up. I had to admit it shook me up, but I pushed it from my mind.

By the time I got home, I had completely forgotten about the odd phone call and instead busied myself with preparing dinner. As I started on the bolognaise sauce, my phone rang. I had a good mind to let it go to voicemail, I’d had enough strange phone calls to last me a lifetime but upon seeing the caller ID, I saw it was aunt Maria. I still had so many unanswered questions so I picked up. “Tia” I said. “Sobrina” she said, her voice thick with apprehension.  “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Mi hija, you must come home. Your mother is staying here with us. She wants to see you” she said wearily. My blood ran cold. I had never imagined it would come to that, that I would be asked to come face to face with the woman who abandoned me, and caused my brother’s death. “No” I said, my voice shaky, “I’m not prepared to face her.” Aunt Maria sighed, “She needs you bonita.” I felt sick to my stomach, “She wasn’t there when I needed her” I said coldly, and ended the call. The smell of something burning infiltrated my nostrils as I ran to get my pasta off the stove.