The Reluctant Heiress (A Christian Romance Novel)

Part 32 : The Meltdown

"H-hello Kay?" Telly said crying as she held on to her cellphone in her bedroom at home. 

"Telly? What's wrong?" Kay almost shouted. "You ok honey? What's happening to you?" This was not the normal Telly. She used to have the the icy character among the girlfriends. Always composed even in the toughest situation in the office, and they had a lot of that at the Banquet Sales in the hotel in New York when they used to work together. The last time she saw Telly bawling was when she saw her in New York, so she was afraid something tragic happened again.

"Our hotel caught on fire just a few hours ago," she started. "I'm in deep shit!"

"How did it happen?"

"No one knows yet. Investigation is on-going."

"Anybody got hurt?"

"No."

"That's good," Kay gave a sigh of relief. "All else can be replaced."

"Except for my sanity," she said breakdown again. "Why is all the tragedy happening to me?"

"Oh Telly, I wish I was there with you right now," Kay said almost crying too. "Just to hug you even if we can't make sense of things. Because right now, until investigation is done, all we can do is surrender it to God."

"God? Where is He?"

"Don't, don't start that Telly please," she pleaded. "There is a bigger picture that we just can't see right now."

"Oh, sorry Kay, I have another call," she interrupted Kay. "Bye, call you tomorrow dear."

"Hello Aiden?"

"Yes, I'm in front of your house," he replied. "I heard what happened. Do you need some company?"

"Oh you bet!" she said and quickly rushed to the door, opened it and threw herself to Aiden. Oh, she needed a big tight hug right now! He hugged her back so tight while brushing his hand on her hair.

"Don't worry, things will be alright," he said. "We'll get through this."

They walked into the house and sat on the couch.  He was still in his office attire, with a Chinese takeout in one hand. "I stayed up late in the office and was buying me a chinese, when I overheard from the takeout guys  that your hotel was on fire. So I headed there and they told me you went home."

"Go ahead and eat while I tell you my day," she said. And so she narrated how her day was going well, from the homeless project to the fun dinner with the staff. "And then as we were almost done with dinner, Greg called me and dropped the bomb." And she started crying again, her hands were shaking.

"You know what they say about better being robbed, than being on fire? That's how I feel right now, I feel so bad," she said in between sobs.

"It's better being on fire, than someone die, have you heard that?" Aiden quipped. He made a good point, thankfully no one was hurt, specially among the guests. "It could be worse. Do you have a hunch on what started the fire?"

"I really don't have any idea," she replied. "Don said it could be electrical short circuit."

"Could there be a foul play?"

"Whoa! That's a new angle," she answered. "I don't know a disgruntled employee who'd do that. Why did you ask?"

"You know most fire insurance that we deal with, most of them have foul plays."

Telly was shaking her head, "I won't know until they give me the report."

"Ok, what are your valuables there that you think you've lost?" he asked as he continued to munch on his food.

She thought for a moment. Unless the safe did not prove to be fire-proof, then all her important documents are ok. No money there. Just random documents and of course, her desktop. But if her desktop got burned, she still have the laptop which she always take with her. As to other office documents, mostly were on iCloud, unless her managers did not update them. All her room decorations could easily be replaced. Discussing that made her feel a little better. And discussing it with someone as logical and compassionate as Aiden made it so so much better. She was so glad he was there for her.

But the family picture. 

"Our only family picture," she replied. "I don't know if we have another copy of that. My favorite picture." 

"I'm sorry about that," he said sincerely sympathizing with her. "I'm sure we can find other copies of that, maybe at your house."

"I hope so!"

"Insurance will take care of all your furnitures and fixtures," he said matter-of-factly. "And if you have income insurance, you would get lost income money while your other rooms are closed for renovation." That was good news. 

She scrolled some on her social media. And the stellar homeless project publicity of her hotel was quickly replaced by the fire pictures and news. That was disappointing. In just a few hours, glory to dust. "I don't think I can handle it," she said as she gave our a heavy sigh. "Maybe I should have just followed my gut and stayed in New York and let those who know how to run this place run this place and -"

Aiden quickly held her hand, "Everything happens for a purpose," he gently said.

"Yup, the purpose is for God to show me how stupid I am. What does He have against me?" she started getting tensed again. "Why did He take away my daddy? Why did He take away my life? My dream? Why did He keep on pushing me to this stupid hotel? I never wanted this in the first place? Why? I don't know why?"

He grabbed her and hugged her as she continued to bawl while murmuring 'why?' 'why?' 'why?' 'am I that bad?' 'I'm such a mess'

"Shhh," Aiden tried to pacify her, brushing his hand on her hair over and over, and letting her cry to sleep on his chest. Then he gently laid her down on a pillow and put a throw on her. He turned the lights off except for a night light and he laid down on the other couch across from her, and watched her as she sleeps. 

Aiden felt all the cries, and the hurt that Telly felt earlier, only ten times more. Seeing the woman you love in that lowest point of devastation was so heavy a burden. But he can't do anything. If it was another man, he could have simply went to him and punched him in the face. But this was fire. How can he punch a fire? 

He knew she was mad at God, so he wanted to take it up with God because he knows, only God can handle all our deepest breakdowns. No burden is too heavy for Him. Only Him knows the big picture. Only Him knows how a mess could be turned into a message, and how a test, could be turned into a testimony. He believe it's not the end of the story, and that God was up to something. 

If only he could verbalize that to Telly...

&&&&&&&& Author's Notes&&&&&&

I feel her. I feel her groaning. I feel her fears. But Hope is found in God.

Romans 8:28  "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."