Lost and Found (A Novel) (14 page)

“You even insisted that everyone call you Wynne from then on.” Elise added as she put an arm around him.

Wynne chuckled softly at the memory. “Yeah, mum almost had a heart attack when I told her I wanted to drop my middle name.” He shook his head slowly. “I just didn’t want to be associated with that name anymore. It reminded me of the wimp that I was...” His voice trailed off again. Wynne turned to Elise with a weak smile. “So you see, I did move on.”

“If you had moved on, you would probably have a girlfriend by now.” Elise returned his smile. “Anyway, what triggered this bout of depression? It’s been a while since I last saw you took out that box.” She studied Wynne curiously.

Wynne closed his eyes and took another deep breath. He wondered if he should tell Elise about it. It might make her worried and fussed all over him again. On the other hand, he needed an opinion. Taking his chances, he exhaled loudly. “Caelie.”

“Caelie Pierce?” Elise raised her eyebrow.

Wynne nodded his head. “She looks so different, yet there’s something about her that is so similar. I just couldn’t put my hand on it. It’s like there’s a Hayley somewhere inside her.” He looked up into Elise’s eyes, hoping for some reassurance but she only stared back blankly at him.

“I wouldn’t know Wynne. I hardly knew Hayley. But my sense is that Caelie has her own personal turmoil that she is battling. She walked around as if the whole world is weighing down on her shoulder. And you are not helping with the way you’ve been treating her either.” She stared sharply at Wynne, making him almost regret ever mentioning Caelie. He pouted and averted his eyes, refusing to comment on her remarks. Softening her voice, Elise continued, “If you think that she reminds you of Hayley, then all the more you should be nice to her. Maybe help her out even.” Wynne looked up then but Elise was already making her way out of his room, leaving him to ponder her words.

Caelie stared unseeingly out her window at the vast blue sky and lush greenery surrounding the house. Her heart was in pieces, her soul lost in mourning, her body and mind empty. The sun on her face no longer gave her warmth and the chirping of the birds no longer soothed her. She did not know how long she had sat in the armchair by the window of her bedroom in the house that no longer held any comfort for her. Neither did she bother to find out. Time had stopped for her the day Annetta let out her last breath. There was nothing else left for Caelie to care about. All the hopes she had built up came crashing down when the pillar that had held her steady was gone. Her dried eyes blinked painfully. There were no more tears left. She had cried them all out for days on end.

Wilburn took careful steps into the room, stopping a few feet away from where Caelie sat. His appearance was also showing the toll that the loss of his best friend had taken on him. Dark rings framed his eyes, his cheeks sunken and skin pallid. It appeared that he had aged even more in a matter of days. He had accepted the fact that Annetta was no longer around. He had mourned for her as he should and moved on. The matter that was bearing heavily on him now was Caelie. He did not know how else to coax that girl out of her melancholy state. She refused to budge from where she sat unmoving on the armchair, not even bothering with her meals. Her weight loss was already apparent from not eating for days. It almost seemed as though she had given up on life and that scared Wilburn. It had kept him awake the past few nights, wondering if Caelie was going to do anything stupid, so much so that Wilburn had taken to camping in her living room just so that he could reach her on time if anything were to happen. Wilburn had been there when Caelie first entered into Annetta’s life and he had to say that, that girl of years ago, had more spirit than the girl that sat before him now.

Caelie had snapped into a dazed state since the funeral. She refused to talk and just cooped herself in her room. Every day, Wilburn would hear her heart wrenching wails into the night, which pained him immensely. She no longer cared about the things in her life such as her studies, which had been her sole objective. Wilburn had called up her college and the magazine company that she was interning at to explain her situation. They had been very accommodating about her long absence but it would only be a matter of time before they decided that enough was enough and Caelie would be given the ultimatum. Annetta wouldn’t have wanted Caelie to jeopardize her future. Wilburn had promised Annetta that he would look after Caelie for her but he was already at his wits end.

“Caelie, look at me please.” He finally broke the silence.

Caelie had heard Wilburn entered her room but her body could no longer function to acknowledge his presence. She heard him called out to her but still she ignored him.

“Caelie, won’t you even do that for me?”

His voice was pleading and it almost broke Caelie’s resolve. She knew that if she turned her head away from him, it would break his heart. She did not want to do that but to protect herself, she had no choice. And so, ever so slightly, her head tilted away from him, as if spurning him. She heard his heavy footsteps walked away from her, followed by the sound of the door being closed shut. Caelie knew that Wilburn was disappointed and if she had any heart left, it would have shattered at the way she had treated him. Silently, she begged Wilburn to forgive her for what she did, hoping that one day, he would understand why she had to do it. Caelie did not think that she had the courage to endure the loss of another important person in her life. Wilburn was already old and it was only a matter of time before he followed in Annetta’s footsteps. The only way was to distant herself and detached whatever feelings she had while she was still numbed. It would be better this way.

Wilburn left Caelie’s room full of disappointment. Partly, he was upset that she was being so stubborn. If it was not because he cared for her, he might have left her to wallow in her own depression as she wished. A knock at the door jolted him from his thoughts. His forehead creased, wondering who could have come knocking. Annetta hardly had any visitors before and chances that whoever stood out there were looking for Caelie seemed even slimmer, unless they were from her college or workplace. The knockings came again and Wilburn hastily made his way to the door. Opening it, his eyebrow raised questioningly at the two women in front of him.

“Hello. We are here to see Caelie. Is she around?” The woman with long blonde hair spoke up, smiling pleasantly.

Wilburn returned the smile. “May I know who you are?”

“We are from Mirage magazine.”

“Oh.” Wilburn’s smile faltered and worry took over his face. “Well, come on in.” Wilburn stood aside, ushering them into the living room and motioning for them to sit down on the couch. He took a seat on the armchair opposite them. “Is this about her work? I know she has been away far too long but please give her a chance.” He pleaded. He knew that it was only a matter of time before they would come for her.

The two women looked at each other in perplex before turning back to Wilburn. “That’s not why we are here.” The same woman said. “I’m Alex Mages and this is Chanell Mcindoe.” She said, pointing towards the younger woman with short brown hair, who nodded and smiled.

“Wilburn Beyene.” He shook their hands in turn.

“Don’t worry about Caelie missing on her work. We know about her loss and are worried about her. We are just here to check on Caelie and see if she needs any support.” Alex continued.

“Yeah, she is greatly missed at work. As friends, this is the least we could do.” Chanell echoed Alex’s sentiments.

Wilburn’s face lightened up considerably. They sounded genuine enough and he was hopeful that they would be a great help to Caelie. “It’s very kind of both of you to have come down all the way here.” He sighed, searching for the right words to say. He wanted their help but he did not want to tell them too much for fear of hurting Caelie. “Annetta was the closest family Caelie ever had and her passing clearly devastated her. Perhaps your presence would ease her misery a little and cheer her up.”

“Of course, Mr. Beyene. That’s what we are here for.” Alex’s smile grew.

Wilburn waved her off. “There’s no need for the formality. Just call me Uncle Burn, like what Caelie does. Come on, let me show you to her room. Just a word of caution though, don’t be upset if she is unresponsive towards you.” He watched as both of them nodded their heads. Satisfied that he had their understanding, Wilburn stood and led the way up the stairs.

Three knocks on her bedroom door broke through the silence in Caelie’s room. She knew that it was Wilburn but it did not stop her curious mind from wondering why Wilburn had came back knocking on her door so soon. Usually when she snubbed him like what she had done earlier, he would have left her alone for at least an hour before coming to check on her again. Her head tilted towards the door. It creaked open then and Caelie quickly snapped her head back, not wanting to see the hurt on Wilburn’s face.

“Caelie, you have some visitors.”

Caelie’s awareness perked up slightly at Wilburn’s words but she kept her body still. Only a slight twitch in her eyes would have betrayed her if they were able to see it.

“Go on in, ladies. I’ll be downstairs, if you need me.”

The door closed and Caelie knew that she was left alone with whoever they were. She wondered who would have come down all the way here to look for her. Only Wynne had came here before but she doubt that he would have bothered.

“Hi Caelie.” Caelie’s eyes widened at the familiar voice.

“Hey Caelie.” Caelie knew that voice too. Slowly, Caelie turned her head towards the door. She kept her face impassive while her eyes blinked in surprise at the two people before her.

Chanell looked worried as she glanced nervously at Alex, who maintained her cool as always. Alex took a step forward and knelt down beside Caelie’s chair. Her eyes locked unto Caelie’s and she smiled. “How are you Caelie?”

Caelie shrugged her shoulders and looked up at Chanell who took the cue from Alex and made her way closer. She stopped beside Alex and knelt down, all the while smiling warmly at Caelie.

“Why don’t you two sit on the bed? It’s more comfortable than kneeling down here.” Caelie finally spoke though her voice was barely a whisper.

“Would you promise to look at us and talk if we sit on the bed?” Alex asked.

Caelie cocked her head in consideration before nodding slowly. She watched the satisfied smile forming on Alex’s face as she stood up and made her way to the bed.

“Come on Chanell, Caelie’s right. It sure is more comfortable on the bed than kneeling down there.” Alex beckoned to Chanell who was still perched beside Caelie. Chanell chuckled, gave a small squeeze on Caelie’s hands and joined Alex on the bed. As promised, Caelie turned towards them with the ghost of a smile creeping up her face.

“It’s really good to see you again, Caelie.” Chanell said. “You know, we all miss you at Mirage. How have you been?”

Caelie studied Chanell’s expression. She looked genuinely concerned about her well-being. Her eyes shifted to Alex whose smile seemed to be permanently fixed on her face. Caelie was relieved that there was no judgmental look on either of their faces. “I’m okay...I guess.” Caelie gave them a small meek smile.

“That’s great! I’m looking forward to see you at work again.” Alex nodded her head in exuberance. Chanell’s head was also bobbing animatedly beside her.

Caelie blinked her eyes. Going back to work was the last thing on her mind at the moment. “Um...I...I’m not sure whether I’m up to going back to work.” She said softly, her eyes fixed on the fraying threads of her worn carpet.

“Caelie, we know you are grieving but you need to carry on with your life. We are all here for you Caelie. You don’t have to go through it alone. If you need someone to talk to, I’m here for you.” Gone was the cheerful look on Alex.

“So am I, Caelie.” Chanell added.

Caelie could feel her eyes brimming with tears again, startling her slightly. She had thought that she was no longer capable of spilling anymore tears. She did not know how to react to such compassion from the very people whose friendship she had denied time and again. “I...I don’t know what to say.” Her voice cracked.

Chanell rushed to her side and enveloped her in a big hug. “Oh Caelie, please don’t cry. You make me want to cry too.” Chanell started to sniff then, much to Alex’s amusement.

“I can never understand why women needs to cry when they see someone else cry.” She muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes.

Caelie heard Alex’s comment and much to everyone’s surprise, she giggled through her tears. Chanell released Caelie from her embrace and gave her a puzzled look. Alex crossed her arms with a satisfied smile. Caelie herself did not expect their presence to lift her mood.

Wilburn had long awaited the day when he would finally hear the sound of Caelie’s laughter. It might just had been small giggles, but it was enough to send him running up the staircase as fast as his old legs could carry him to Caelie’s room. He stopped short just as he entered the room, pleasantly stunned at the sight before him. Automatically, his eyes had traveled to the armchair that had been a constant companion to Caelie, which now stood empty by the window. His eyes then swept the room looking for her. He found Caelie snuggled in the middle of the bed, flanked by Alex and Chanell who were endlessly tickling each other. The pale face was now tinged with a slight blush as she squirmed and giggled from the tickles. Unconsciously, a hearty laugh escaped his throat.