The secret of the rose

Prologue

- Who is this woman? Why is she calling here? Answer me! cried Christine Sullivan in a tone of despair.

- Stop crying. It doesn't matter, yelled her husband Bill. Stop worrying. I'll be late for work. Taking his briefcase, he skirted his wife and slammed the door out of the house.

Through these cries of argument, insults, and tears, Steven Sullivan tries to prepare for a road trip with his friends. At the end of summer, he will begin his eleventh year at Raleigh Charter High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Hardworking and disciplined student, he spends his free time hanging out with his best friend Tristan and charm all the beautiful young woman who hangs out with them. His charismatic smile and metallic blue eyes make him appealing to more than one. 

With his athletic physique and good academic record, he could get a scholarship and choose to continue his studies at a prestigious university. However, for some time, he has other plans and he does not want to end up like his father who hates his job as a lawyer. He wants to take another path. His dream is to have his garage and become a mechanic. He has a passion, specially for vintage cars. It is a subject of dispute, which lasts for some years, between him and his father. His dad denigrates this work by constantly telling him that he has no future, covered with oil and underpaid. According to his father, any job that is not doctor, lawyer or other high paying is not worthy of consideration. However, Steven does not care about his opinion; he prefers to come back happy from work rather than being ungrateful like him all the time.

For a few months, his parents have not talk anymore, they shout constantly. Any subject of discord is a pretext for the dispute. His mother always ends up in tears and his father flees the house slamming the door. No discussion is settled.

It all started when his mother caught his father talking on the phone with another woman. Their conversation was very lively and implied a lot of allusion. She has questioned him many times, but he denies any accusations. Bill Sullivan recently came back very late, claiming an extra workload in the office. But Steven is not fooled, he knows that his father lies.

A few months ago, while he was not attending his science class and was driving with his best friend, he saw his father coming out of the local motel. He was holding her hand and kissing that lovely blonde-haired woman. A young woman in her twenties, whom Steven had already met in his father's office. It was surely this newly engaged secretary. When he had crossed her, she was leaning over his father's desk and she was laughing at his foolish jokes. It was obvious that something was going on between these two.

The divorce of his parents is predictable. It is only a matter of time and he knows it. The most painful thing about this story is that his mother has always cared for her family and her father has never been grateful. As an exemplary woman, she took care of everything. The house was always tidy, his suits ironed and dinner was on the table before he arrived. As a housewife, she had devoted her life to caring for the education of her only son and caring for her beloved husband.

While eating his bowl of cereals, Steven tries to listen to the morning news bulletin that is broadcast on the television set of the kitchen. The commentator begins with the regional news:

- The city of Wilmington is grieving this morning. The director of the accounting firm Parker and Associates and his wife lost their lives last night on the Oleander road. The authorities agree that the slippery roadway is the cause of this tragedy. They leave in mourning ...

A persistent car horn sound came to interrupt the commentator. Steven drops his spoon into his bowl and the loud noise prevents him from hearing the rest of the news. Tristan, his best friend since elementary school, has just arrived in front of the Sullivan home. If Steven is too late to appear, Tristan will wake up the whole neighborhood with his hassle. So, he picks up his backpack and rushes off to the door. Tristan is waiting for him, parked in the opposite direction, blocking the traffic. Pulling his head out of the driver's window, he starts screaming over the music coming out of the windows of his 67 red Ford Mustang Coupe. He and Steven had spent months restoring this beauty found in an auction.

- Come on, Steven, we'll be late. The beautiful Alexandra will not wait for you forever.

Steven's expression on the passenger seat leaves Tristan speechless. Looking in front of him, he reaches for the stereo and turns the volume knob to lower the infernal sound. A few moments pass. Tristan turns to Steven and watches him with hostility and suspicion.

-They're dead, he murmurs.

With a disgusted expression, Tristan replies without compassion.

- Pull yourself together, Steven. We made a pact. We swore to keep the secret. Don't do anything stupid. Swear to me, he shouted.

Steven is silent, turning to his friend, he nods. Tristan starts the car and floors it,  ending the conversation. This was the last time the subject was mentioned.