The Necklace V - Strawberries & Wine

Chapter 3 - Thomas Tracks Down Michelle

Other than having his dad, Sherry and Carrie visit for a week at the beginning of September, Thomas was busy for the next couple of months, practicing night and day for his performances with the Los Angeles Symphony. Brett, his techie friend from Apple, had left him several phone messages that he'd meant to return, but even though he meant to, his schedule kept him so busy, he barely had time to eat or sleep let alone return phone calls.

Three days before his debut performance on November 20th, 2016 at the Los Angeles Center for the Arts in downtown Los Angeles, he received another phone message from Brett. When he heard the message, he immediately picked up his mobile and tapped in Brett's number.

"You cracked the phone?!" he asked excitedly when Brett answered. "Who does it belong to? What were you able to find out?!"

"Slow down, Thomas. Yes, I found out who it belongs to, but what I discovered about it is crazy based on where you told me you found it. Can I maybe bring it over to your place along with a bottle of wine and I'll tell you what I know so far?"

"Can you come today, like maybe this afternoon? I'm taking a respite from practicing. The season opens on Friday evening and I like to take a couple of days to just relax and get myself ready to perform."

"Sure, I can make it today, no problem. Does 4:00 sound okay?"

"That works for me. I'll order in some Chinese food and you bring the wine."

"See you at four, then."

Thomas hit "End" on his mobile phone, set it down on the top of the piano and looked out the window at the hills of Hollywood. As he contemplated the scene, his thoughts began to wander, and of course, what he thought of first after talking to Brett about the mysterious phone, was the blonde American solicitor he had once loved.

Yes, it had been almost seventeen years since he'd seen her and been with her, but it suddenly seemed like only yesterday. His heart began to beat faster as the thought of finding her again and possibly being with her again, invaded his mind.

He still never really understood what had happened all those years ago when she and her mother, Susan, had virtually vanished into thin air the day before their double wedding. His dad later explained that Susan had done the same thing to him, not just on that occasion, but on several before that, suddenly appearing in his life, then suddenly disappearing again, leaving him dazed, disoriented and confused.

Thomas had most certainly been dazed and confused as well as broken-hearted, and it had taken him months to recover from the loss of the woman he'd loved and thought he'd be spending the rest of his life with.

Brett arrived just a little after 4:00, bringing two bottles of wine. The Chinese food was due to be delivered at 6:00.

Knowing how anxious Thomas was to learn about the phone, Brett pulled it out of his pocket as soon as he walked in the door. Thomas opened the wine and poured two glasses. A couple of minutes later they were sitting on the couch in Thomas's living room.

"So," began Brett, "This is so unbelievable. There's no explanation for it. The fact that you said you'd had this phone in a box in your closet for over sixteen years is a puzzle that there's no plausible answer to. Before I tell you who this phone belongs to, can you tell me again where it came from? I'm just trying to make sense of this whole thing."

Thomas took a sip of wine then set down his glass on the coffee table and stood up. He walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window on the other side of the living room and stared out the window for a moment before turning around with his hands behind his back and looking Brett directly in the face.