Lost and Found (A Novel) (23 page)

Caelie looked at the kite again. Elise was still looking at her expectantly. “I will think about it, Ms. Kerbs.” She said softly.

Elise patted her hand and stood up. “That’s good enough for me, Caelie. Take care of yourself.”

“What about the kite?” Caelie asked when Elise made no move to take it back with her.

Elise’s smile grew wider. “It’s yours to keep Caelie. I’m sure Wynne would be happy to know that it has been returned to its rightful owner. I’ll see you soon.” With a wave of her hand, Elise left Caelie to ponder through what she had told her.

Wynne was very jittery with both nervousness and excitement. He had never been this excited before to meet a girl. But this was no ordinary girl. No words could have described the jubilation he felt when Wilburn had called him to inform that Caelie had requested for him to visit her in the hospital that day. He fussed over his hair and shirt, wondering whether he was looking good enough to meet her.

“Tsk, tsk, just go Wynne. You look great.” Elise said from his doorway.

Wynne smiled at her, took one last look in the mirror and skipped towards her. “Thank you Elise.” He said, pulling her into a hug before dashing out of the house. He knew Elise had put in some words for him and for that he was grateful.

With a wide grin permanently fixed on his face, Wynne sauntered up the corridor and pushed open the door to Caelie’s room. He looked around in puzzlement at the empty room. Only the box of kite remained on her neatly made up bed. Walking closer, he saw a note pasted on top of the box. Pulling if off with trembling hands, Wynne sat down on the bed and read Caelie’s neat handwriting.

“Wynne,

I’m sorry for making you come all the way here only to find out that I have been discharged. I don’t think that I would have been able to say everything if I were to meet you face to face. I’m well now, but I’m not strong enough yet. That’s why I had to leave. I needed to go somewhere that would not remind me of all the unhappiness that had happened. But this is my home and I will be back. It is just a matter of time.

Thank you for looking after the kite for me. At least, you kept your word on it. I will need to trouble you to keep it for me again because where I’m going, I don’t think it would be appropriate to bring along the kite. I need to travel light and I do not want to end up destroying the kite that you have painstakingly kept in good condition.

About all the things that had happened, yes, you are partly at fault but it was circumstances that made it as such. And so, I forgive you. Yes Wynne, I have forgiven you so please do not let guilt change who you really are. Frankly, I hated the Wynne whom I first met. Live your life as you deem fit, Wynne. Don’t let thoughts of me hold you back.

Goodbye Wynne and take care of yourself. Hopefully when I return, we could become as close as we used to be at one point in our lives.

Caelie Pierce.”

The note dropped from Wynne’s hands as he sat slumped on the bed. His hands reached out for the rectangular box and held it to his chest. Closing his eyes, he let the tears roll freely down his cheeks.

CHAPTER 17: 2 YEARS LATER

The fast beat of the music that came from the radio was the only thing that could drowned out the drumming of Caelie’s heart. Taking a deep breath, she quickly applied the final touches to her makeup and gave a final once-over of her reflection in the full-length mirror. After playing dress-up for the past hour, she was finally satisfied that her look was fitting for the occasion.

Looking at the way she was now, Caelie realized how much the big decision she made to leave everything two years ago had changed her life. It had been tough for her to start over without anyone beside her. Throughout her time away, she had kept in touch with Wilburn but only over the phone and there was only so much help that one could give through a conversation alone. No one knew where she went, not even Wilburn and Caelie would prefer to keep things that way.

She had taken a long break from her studies, putting her scholarship on hold, before opting to complete her coursework online. Her college had been more than accommodating to her request considering the trauma that she had went through. Now, she had finally graduated with a Journalism and Mass Communication Bachelor Degree and had landed herself with a job that she had thought she could only dream off.

The ringing of her phone made Caelie jumped. Laughing at her own silliness, Caelie pressed the answer button, cradling the phone in the crook of her neck as she clasped her bracelet watch around her wrist.

“Hello Caelie?”

“Hi Uncle Burn.” Caelie replied jovially, the relief at hearing a familiar voice evident in her own voice. She could hear Wilburn laughing at the other end of the line.

“I guessed as much that you must be nervous.”

Caelie chuckled softly. Wilburn knew her too well. “Thanks for calling to help ease my feelings a little.”

“Of course, that’s what you have me for. It’s about time, so I won’t hold you up any longer. All the best Caelie.”

“Thanks Uncle Burn.” Caelie disconnected the call with a smile on her face.

Nervous would be an understatement to how she really felt. She was petrified at the thought of meeting people and socializing again. Although her self-confidence had improved tremendously, it still didn’t stop the butterflies from fluttering around in the pit of her stomach. Before she lose her nerves any further, Caelie grabbed her handbag and cast a final look at herself in the mirror before walking out of her hotel room.

Wynne grabbed a glass of drink and stormed his way through the crowds towards the empty chairs at the corner of the function room. Heaving himself onto one of the chairs, he propped up his feet on the small table and slouched back on the chair. Sulkily he watched the people milling around and enjoying themselves in a carefree manner. He knew he should not be harboring such feelings but he could not help envying these people who seemed contented with their life, unlike him, and for that, he hated the smiles on their faces.

“Look who decided to be the grumpy bear, as always.” A voice sounded from beside him.

Wynne rolled his eyes at the two intruders who had invaded his private space. Deciding to ignore them, he hoped that they would get bored and leave him alone. To his utter dismay, they plonked themselves down on the chairs to each side of him.

“I’m surprised he doesn’t have his usual retort for you.”

“Hmm...maybe the cat got his tongue tonight?”

“And whose cat would that be?”

“Ah...-”

Wynne sat upright, slamming his glass forcefully on the table. He gritted his teeth in frustration. They were really getting on his nerves. Rubbing his temples, he closed his eyes and took in a few deep breaths to calm his raging temper. He had almost succeeded when amused chuckles broke through his peaceful thoughts. Opening his eyes, he glared at the two women before him.

“Are you two harassing him again?” Elise asked with a slight hint of amusement in her voice.

Alex laughed heartily. “No, Ms. Kerbs. We are just trying to lighten him up.” She punched him playfully on his arm and gave him a wink when he glared at her. Chanell nodded her head in agreement, smiling widely.

“Okay, that’s enough you two.” Turning towards Chanell, Elise beckoned her over. “Chanell, could you please wait for our new feature journalist in the foyer? She should be here any minute now and I don’t want her to feel awkward on her first day with us.”

“Sure, Ms. Kerbs. Will she be expecting me?” Chanell asked as she grabbed her clutch bag.

“Yes, she had been told to look out for you at the foyer.”

“I’ll go with Chanell.” Alex stated, standing up as well.

Chanell shrugged her shoulders. “We’ll see you later, Ms. Kerbs.”

“Later, Ms. Kerbs. We’ll be back, Wynne.” Alex threw another wink over her shoulders before walking away with Chanell.

“Thank you for saving me from a major headache, Elise.” Wynne said earnestly.

Elise gave a small laugh as she occupied the seat that had been vacated by Alex. “Come on Wynne, they are just trying to cheer you up.” Taking a sip of her own drink, Elise eyed Wynne from the corner of her eyes. Two years had passed since Caelie had left and Wynne was still as moody as ever. Sitting back, she swept her gaze across the room, satisfied that at least the rest of the staff were having a good time at their year-end party. It had been a fruitful year for the company with the magazine winning a number of accolades and thus they deserved to unwind that night.

“Shouldn’t you be mingling around out there?” Wynne’s voice interrupted Elise’s thoughts. She turned towards Wynne, shrugging her shoulders.

“I’ve mingled with almost everyone already since the party started. It’s time for me to take a short breather. Besides, when the new staff is here, I will need to start mingling again.”

“Why is she even here? I don’t suppose her contract states that her effective date of employment is tonight?” Wynne said sarcastically.

“Don’t be smart,” Elise smacked him playfully, “of course not. She is officially starting the next year but I thought it would be a good opportunity for her to join us tonight and familiarize herself with everybody.

“Oh please, not another intern...” Wynne groaned. The company had taken on more interns since Caelie left, much to his annoyance. Each time he looked at an intern, they reminded him of Caelie and how much he missed her. Of course, none of them were even remotely close to being as competent as she was in his eyes. It didn’t help matters that all the interns were females. It made him wondered whether the male species was a dying breed in their line of business.

“What is your problem if she is another intern? Be thankful that I hadn’t place one under your charge yet.”

“Fine,” Wynne rolled his eyes, “I hope she doesn’t stay long.” He muttered under his breath but it did not escape Elise’s sharp hearing.

Instead of reprimanding him, as Wynne had expected, Elise merely smirked mischievously at him. “I’m sure you are going to be eating your words in no time at all.”

“No, I w-”

“Ah...there she is.” Elise cut him off as she stood up and walked away.

Wynne grumbled silently to himself as his eyes followed her movement. He could see Alex and Chanell talking excitedly with a petite female figure in between them, her face being covered by Elise who had gone over to greet her. Not that he cared to see her face, no one besides Caelie, could capture his attention. Though he had to admit that the lilac stretch satin one shoulder dress that fell just above her knee complimented the soft curls of her pale blonde hair that was piled up on her head, accentuating her slim neck.

Taking a long gulp of his drink, Wynne looked around the room at the different people before his gaze returned to the four women. Elise was laughing heartily and as she threw her head back, Wynne could see the smiling face of the new feature journalist. His jaw was left hanging as the glass dropped from his hand with a soft thud on the carpeted floor. He watched mesmerized as the soft yellow lights in the room created a halo effect around her face, her eyes glinting brightly from the rays that bounced off them. Swallowing his saliva, Wynne admitted to himself that Elise was right. He was now eating his earlier words as the sheer beauty of her face took his breath away.

The night had started well for Caelie, for which she was extremely glad. She had met her boss and a couple of colleagues, all of whom had welcomed her warmly. However, there was still one person whom she had yet to meet. Her eyes scanned the crowd discreetly while at the same time paying attention to the conversation that was going on around her. Finally, they rested on the one she had been looking for. Her breath hitched slightly as she watched him rose from his seat and walked over slowly to where they were all standing. His penetrating grey eyes were kept trained on her. She took a moment to admire how defined his bone structure was which further enhanced his dashing look that she had not bothered to notice previously. Her heart beat faster with every step he took, closing the distance between them.

“Oh great, you are here. I’m sure you already know Caelie so there’s no need for a formal introduction.”

The man nodded his head but his eyes never wavered from looking at Caelie.

“She’s the new staff I mentioned. So what do you think, Wynne? Is she going to be staying with us for a long time?”

Hearing this, Caelie raised her eyebrows questioningly at Elise. This statement had also caused the man to break eye-contact with Caelie as he threw a sideways glance at Elise, a frown marring his handsome face. Elise merely laughed heartily before excusing herself and disappearing into the crowd. Caelie set her sights back on Wynne with a nervous smile playing on her lips.