Baggage Claim

That Fate less Night

Chapter Seventeen: That Fate less Night

            The wind around Seneca Lake blew densely in the air, a deep contrast to the thickness of snow on the ground.  Layla watched as the sunrays danced along the slow shifting water face, hiding the icy truth it held just feet below the surface.

"Your aunt said you were out here. She told me you walked the mile out here alone, without having me to chase down!" AJ's laughter broke through the winter silence as he sat himself down next to Layla. "So what is possibly more important that seeing my handsome face?"

After Layla failed to respond to him, AJ followed her line of sight out to the seemingly frozen lake. “Is this where your sister drowned?”

She shook her head and raised a finger, pointing far south of where they were sitting. “They recovered the boat over there, but we had originally started over there.”

AJ followed the slow progressing point to small waterway lined with trees on either side. It looked like the end of a river that that led out to the vast body of water that lay before them.

“Is that the path from the docks?”

Layla nodded in acknowledgment.

He looked as if he was attempting to imagine the path the boat took that night before opening himself enough to ask. “What happened that night Layla?”

“The million dollar question.” Layla scoffed as she remembered the many times she had recounted the events to the police. Over and over in the hospital even as she knew the search lights were skimming the water, frantically seeking late into the evening until they returned with Aman’s scarf. She had never shared the story with her family, her mother had forbid them to ask; the only time she had been grateful for her mother’s strict nature.

“I was the one that wanted to go out on the boat that night, but she did not object. We were at my aunt’s house, and the sheer sound of my mother’s voice had irritated me beyond the point of reason.”  Layla turned to AJ, expecting a look of judgment for her harsh choice of words, but he just sat quietly, waiting on her to continue. “You have to understand, this was just days after she canceled my violin lessons, and she was raving about Aman’s upcoming graduation, it was more than I could bear.”

She felt herself slipping beneath the memories as that night now poured from her mouth.

Layla’s hands struggled against the wet rope as she struggled to loosen the tie. Her uncle’s motorboat bobbed with her urgency as she undid the last fisherman’s knot and hopped over the side onto the small ship.

“Layla, wait!”

She felt herself freeze, fearful that her mother had discovered her escape from the party, scared that she would be dragged back and apologized for her ever-growing rudeness.

But it was Aman that grabbed Layla’s arm seconds before she could start the engine.

“What are you doing?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be inside on display or something?” The words escaped her harsher than she meant, goaded by her irritation.

Aman turned away for a moment, her top lip disappearing far beneath her bottom lip, holding it there till she could compose herself enough to turn back to her sister. “I’ll go with you.”

Layla winced, she had hoped to escape alone, but the look on Aman’s face told her there was no room for argument. “Fine, but hurry before madar notices we are gone.”