Contagious (5 page)

Caroline Grimly called herself a spiritual specialist and healer once her self-published, self-help books brought her national attention four years earlier.

What started as small speaking engagements flowered into a full
-fledged career, booking hundreds of people for seminars at a hefty price tag.

Sometimes three or four a week.

They flocked to hear her speak and to hear her wisdom. Caroline took pride in the fact that she honestly had a fool proof method to getting better.

She went by the name of Semora Love. She was her own business, operating under that name as an LLC.

Her first trip overseas was amazing and it was for a vacation. It was the first time she saw London and vowed it wouldn’t be the last. Caroline wasn’t a rich woman. She made a decent living, but put the money aside and saved it for her mother. So her mother could live easily after working hard all her life.

On the flight back from London, she was seated in the coach section.  A woman from first class recognized her, couldn’t thank Caroline enough for all her help and offered her an exchange of seats.

The woman said, “After all, how can I let someone who saved my life sit in coach?”

The flight attendants approved it and Caroline moved to first class. It was comfy there. Although the man behind her was terribly ill.

Caroline was a good soul. She felt bad for the man. After learning his name was Rico, she held his hands, did a transfer of energy, sat with him for a while until he comfortably fell asleep.

How horrible it had to be for him to be so sick on such a long flight.

What Caroline didn’t realize is, while she offered to carry the burden of his illness, she inadvertently took on and carried the germ.

Once they landed, she retrieved her
carry-on luggage, and made her way to the car rental place. There, after shaking hands with the clerk, she not only left BV-1, she left her identity as Caroline. The car was under her business name of Semora Love.

She took the highway to her next destination, stopping twice, once for a burger and the next for a latte. She left BV-1 along with her payments.

Her first destination was Erie, PA. She did a small seminar with fifty people. They got her knowledge, her help, a copy of her latest book and a good old dose of the BV-1 virus.

On Tuesday afternoon, the
fifth day of May, she left the hotel in Erie. She opted against listening to the radio. It was depressing and all they talked about was a virus.

Caroline firmly believed in mind over matter, and made a mental note to express to her attendees at her Wednesday seminar, that even thinking about it would make them feel bad.

She wished the news would stop scaring people with it.

Health officials were desperately searching for one missing person. Caroline didn’t hear that news.

To the CDC and WHO, the passenger named Caroline Grimly got off of flight 7430 and disappeared into thin air. She didn’t. She had merely transformed into Semora Love.

Using the Semora Love credit cards may have helped Caroline to semi vanish, but the BV-1 virus was alive and traveling right along with her.

When she arrived at what would be her final stop, Caroline started feeling tired. More tired than she should have been. She was ill perhaps.

She had a cup of tea, took extra vitamins, and meditated on bringing in an abundance of healing energy. She was bound and determined to feel better by the morning.

Mind over matter.

Caroline wouldn’t let a little illness stop her from delivering her message, her knowledge, and unknowingly, BV-1, to all those in attendance at her seminar at the Ambassador Suites Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio.

Empty.

Rayne’s apartment was completely empty.

When he returned from work on Monday, as she had promised, or rather threatened, Lita was gone. She didn’t even wait around to hear his decision.

Rayne guessed she knew.

He was depressed about it but it didn’t hit him until he came home from work on Tuesday and the apartment was bare.

As law dictated, she left him a single spoon, knife, plate and cup. She left a mattress to sleep on, but everything else was gone.

Nothing, not even the curtains, remained.

His clothes were there, but that was it. He tried to call her but she didn’t answer. Did he expect her to? Rayne was devastated. He was so down in the dumps, his whole body hurt from the pain. How could she really leave him?

He had to borrow a duffel bag from Brad to pack his clothes. Joel was giving him a room at the hotel while he was hired on as extra security. He used his vacation days and just called off his job as a trash collector.

His bosses understood.

Rayne didn’t understand it all. He wasn’t thinking clearly, but he had made a promise to Joel and he’d keep it. Maybe dealing with the likes of JJ Wylde would keep his mind off of things.

He wasn’t supposed to get to the Ambassador Suites until two pm, but Rayne had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. He’d sit at the hotel bar when it opened and watch television. It was better than sitting in an empty apartment that was haunted with memories.

Although it was just before six am, Rayne decided to leave.  He’d find somewhere to go before the hotel, a diner, McDonald’s, anywhere. At least he’d have a place to sit.

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“Cassie,
let’s go!” Ava tossed her sweater over her arm, calling out as she made her way down the stairs. “A tardy counts toward truancy.” She paused at the bottom of the steps. Calvin stood there with a smirk on his face. “What?” she asked.

“Nothing. Just thinking how we will probably run into traffic and how I stayed out of trouble all week and want to go to the movies.”

“It’s Wednesday,” Ava said. “Talk to me Friday.’

“Do I get paid then?”

“If she’s late or skips school.”

“Sweet.”

Ava opened her mouth to say something but refrained. It was her fault. She had put the wager down in the battle against truancy. Punishment didn’t work, and while it wasn’t the best tool, she'd opted for bribery mixed with sibling rivalry.

If Cassie wasn’t late or miss school, Cassie got five dollars a day. If she was late or missed, Calvin got ten dollars and Cassie got nothing.

Calvin wasn’t a truancy problem. He was a destruction of property problem. He didn’t light fire to things, he drew on them. Ava only hoped that he would put his artistic brilliancy to use in the real world. While his portrait of Jesus was brilliant and she couldn’t believe he did it all with spray paint, she only wished it wasn’t on the side of the First Savings and Loan.

Landon stood by the door. He was small for his age, his lighter hair was not combed and he wore shorts that were just a tad baggy. It was almost as if he projected ‘sad’. “Do I have to go to Sandy’s house?” Landon asked.

“Yes, I have that seminar at the hotel. I paid a lot of money for it. Sandy will get you off to school.” Ava turned around. “Cassie!”

As loud as she could, Cassie screamed her reply. “All right! God!”

Calvin snickered. “You know, I missed two days this year. Two.” He held up two fingers. “I could stay home today, get Landon off to school and be here to make sure Cass doesn’t sneak back in.”

“No.” Ava answered.

“Mom, please,” Landon begged. “Calvin will walk me to the bus. Please?”

“You know I’m responsible in that way
,” Calvin said.

“Calvin, you’re on probation, you can’t skip school without a valid reason.”

Calvin shrugged. “Say it’s the new flu. It’s all over the news.”

“That’s not even funny.” Ava looked at her watch. She had to take Cassie to school
and drop off Landon. She would probably even have to fight with Landon about going to her friend Sandy’s house, which would make it impossible for Ava to grab a bite to eat before the Semora Love seminar. With an exhale, she said. “Fine. But he better not be late.”

“Sweet.” Landon dropped his book bag and raced to the couch with Calvin.

“Cassie, I’ll be in the car. If you aren’t out in two minutes, I leave and Calvin gets the money.”

“I’m coming!”

Ava grabbed her purse and tablet bag, opened the door and to her surprise, Rosie stood there. “Rosie,” she said in a soft shocked voice.

Rosie’s hair was pulled back in a ponytail, the strands that danced across her face looked like bleached straw. Her face was sunken in and wrinkled, her cheek bones protruded and her color was gray. She folded her arms tight to her body.

“I’ve been  ... I’ve been calling. No one answers.” She peeked in. “Hey Calvin.”

Ava cringed. She looked over her shoulder at Calvin who slowly stood from the couch.

“Mom,” Calvin said, then turned and walked toward the kitchen.

After telling Landon to be good, Ava stepped outside, pulling the door closed. “Rosie, come on, you know you aren’t supposed to be here. Please don’t put me in this position. I’m on my way out.”

“I’ve been calling and texting.”

Ava wanted to lie, but she couldn’t. “Darren said not to answer. I’m sorry.”

“I need money. I haven’t eaten.” She scratched her arms. “Please. Just twenty bucks.”

“I can’t give you money, but I’ll get you food,” Ava said.

Rosie stepped toward the house.

Ava gently stopped her. “I can’t let you in there. The last time you stole my tablet. I didn’t tell Darren.”

“I’m sorry. I just … I have nowhere else to turn.”

Ava exhaled. “How did you get here?”

“I got dropped off.”

“Can I give you a lift on my way?”

“Are you going to help me out? Please?”

Ava thought about it. It was a mistake, but more than ‘not’ giving her money or food, Ava didn’t want Rosie hanging around the house when she wasn’t there and the boys were alone. “Yes. Get in the car.”

Both women headed toward Ava’s car, and Rosie got in the front seat. Just as Ava opened her door, Cassie approached the car and stopped.

“What is she doing here?” Cassie asked sharply. “I’m not getting in the car with her. We’re not allowed.”

“She came for help.”

“She came for money.”

“I’m dropping her off.”

“I’m not getting in the car
,” Cassie said defiantly.

“Get in the car.”

“I’m not …”

“Get …” Ava stepped to her
, “in the car now.” Her voice raised some. “Now.” Then finally she blasted. “Now!”

Cassie jolted and grabbed the back door. “Fine. But I’m telling Dad.”

“Go ahead. I’m pretty immune right now to your father bitching at me for the way I treat you.”

After Cassie got in, so did Ava. She started the car and pulled out.

Rosie looked back to Cassie. “How are you?”

“Better than you.”

Ava looked in the rear view mirror. “Glad to see I’m not the only woman you disrespect.”

“Yeah, well, show me a woman I can respect.”

“Cassie …” Rosie scolded softly.

Ava shook her head. “Don’t bother. We have four blocks to school. She’ll be out.”

“Why do you drive her?” Rosie asked.

“Because if I don’t, she won’t go.” Ava kept shifting her eyes to the back seat.

Three blocks to the school, Cassie asked. “Can you drop me off at the end of the driveway?”

“No,” Ava said. “I have to watch you walk in the door.

“I’ll go to school. I just don’t want my friends to see me being dropped off.”

Ava laughed. “I drop you off all the …” She paused, looked at Rosie and knew why Cassie didn’t want to be dropped off.  Without saying it outright, Cassie was embarrassed of her mother.

Ava stopped the car to allow her stepdaughter to get out.

Cassie opened the door. “See you at home.”

Slam.

Rosie jolted as did Ava, and they stayed there long enough to watch Cassie head down the school driveway.

While sitting there, against her better judgment, Ava reached into her purse and gave Rosie forty dollars. “Do not tell anyone.”

“I promise. Thank you.” Rosie reached for the door.

Ava stopped her. “No, I’ll drive you near town. You can catch a bus home.” She pulled forward.

Rosie nodded.

Ava was certain she opened a can of worms with Rosie, sort of like feeding the strays. She needed that self-help seminar even more than ever, especially on this day. After the seminar, Ava would rent a couple movies, grab some popcorn and plan a night in. Because that’s what would happen.

More than they cared to admit, seeing their mother bothered the kids and they slipped into  ‘stay home’ depression every time they had contact with Rosie. Even if they could care less about Ava, she’d be there for them … just in case.

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