Mistake (13 page)

CHAPTER
33

     Beth removed the golden book from her overnight bag, laid across the bed and began to read as the words
read it to the end,
echoed in her mind.

     
Theron’s eyes opened and held Zara’s. I love you, he said as his last breath escaped. Zara reached over and closed the eyes of her handsome Theron. I’m so sorry Theron. I never wanted to take away your free will to love. I was selfish in my love for you. Please, my love, forgive me, she said as she removed the knife from his heart and plunged it into her own.

     If you are reading this, you have completed the quest bestowed upon you. My fate and Theron’s is in your hands.

     Beth closed the golden book and stared at it. She didn’t understand; why had Gabriella given her this golden book. It was an awful book she thought to herself. She flipped the book over and saw on the back cover a lone tear amidst the gold. She ran her hand over the tear as the icy feel pricked her fingers.

CHAPTER
34

     
In the morning Beth checked out of her safe house and headed for Gabriella’s. She needed answers and knew Gabriella had them. She parked her car in the driveway and watched as the front door opened and Gabriella stood waiting for her.

     “Good morning Beth. I have been waiting for you.”

     “How did you know I would come?”

     “I knew Beth. Come in. You see I know you better than you know yourself. I knew you were the one from the moment I met you at Midtown University Hospital.”

     “I don’t understand. Why did you want me to read that book and what does it mean that her fate is my hands? Who is she?”

     Beth again felt the eyes on her. She glanced at the painting of the man and woman which stood tall on the wall.

     “That painting interests you? It calls to you to look at it; to see?”

     “Her eyes seem to watch me. It’s unnerving but intriguing,” Beth replied.

     “You see Beth, anyone else may have found it scary, but you find it intriguing.”

     “She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and he is just as handsome as she is beautiful. I feel a sadness when I look at her,” Beth said.

     Gabriella gestured toward the painting saying, “This is my great, great, great grandmother's sista. The story you read is hers and now yours. The only difference is you have not freed the man you love from his bondage.”

     “I just don’t understand. Why would anyone use that deed?”

     “Ask yourself, if you had read to the end would you have executed the deed or would you have found another way? The deed is selfish. It is overwhelming to the deed holder and the object of the deed. The outcome of the executed deed is unpredictable. Love should be free not forced.”

     “How do I undo it? Please Gabriella, I don’t want to kill Andrew or myself! Zara killed him! How do I undo the deed?” Beth pleaded.

     “Beth, you hold the control. You just can’t see it. Their fate is in your hands and so are yours and Andrew’s. You were chosen.”

     Beth gaped at Gabriella unblinking. “Why have you done this to me Gabriella?”

     “What do you think I have done to you Beth?”

     Beth sat on the overstuffed black couch and thought. She didn’t have an answer.

     “Why did you execute the deed without finishing the book?” Gabriella asked.

     “I wanted Andrew to love only me. I didn’t want him to ever cheat on me again.”

     Gabriella took Beth’s hands in her own. “You wanted to force him to love you the way you wanted? You wanted control over him? You wanted to bind him? Is that not selfish, Beth? What is love to you?”

     “Two people who are devoted to each other and are faithful within the relationship.”

     “But Beth, how do you obtain that devotion and faithfulness you seek, through trickery, magic?”

     “I guess I never gave much thought to how; more thought to just having it.”

      “Think Beth, how? How could you have obtained Andrew’s faithfulness and devotion without the deed?”

     Beth began to mull over the question in her mind, flipping it over and reassessing it.  Her mother’s face and words presented in her mind,
enclose your marriage in a fortress armed with love, trust, honesty, respect and most of all forgiveness. None of us are perfect. Someone may one day befall a weakness. That’s when forgiveness comes in. If your marriage is strong, you will be able to forgive.  
She saw Lil’s face and heard her words spoken at the hospital;
Life is too short to be angry about something that can’t be changed. I love my father and he loves me. He is and always will be my father Beth. I’m grateful to your father for giving me life twice but he’s not my father. Beth you have to stop living life so rigidly. Live a little and stop worrying and trying to change the course of life. If it is meant to happen, it will. I will never believe I was a mistake. I was meant to be here and we were meant to be sisters.

      
Beth’s thoughts were interrupted by Gabriella’s voice, “How will you precede Beth, with more trickery and magic or with your heart?”

     Beth looked at Gabriella with eyes pleading for an answer. “If I decide to seek help to break the deed, where would I find it?”

     “For the help you seek, you would have to pay a visit to my sista in New Orleans. She can help you with what you seek.”

     “Why not you? Why can’t you help me?”

     “My sista is one of the most highest of the High Priestess…”

     “Like the Priestess in the golden book?”

     “Yes Beth, like her. I am more like a guardian. You want to know how to undo the deed; I can only tell you that the power lies within you.   Should I inform my sista you will be making a trip to seek her help; or will you take the advice that your mind locks in its basement waiting to be retrieved and acted upon?”

     “I will make the trip to see your sister. I think I need her help.”

     “The help of potions and spells? Is that really the type of help you need Beth?”

     “Yes, please let her know I will be coming.”

     Gabriella scribbled her sister’s address on a paper and handed it to Beth. She placed the paper in her purse and headed for the door. Gabriella stood watch in the door as Beth walked to her car with renewed hope. Beth leaned over and inserted the key into the lock of her Honda when she heard a horn blow followed by the slam of a car door.

     “Beth, I’m so glad I have finally found you. I love you so much. I missed you every moment I was apart from you,” Andrew said as he wildly embraced her as if he had not seen her in eons. “I will never leave your side.”

     “Andrew please, let me go. People are watching us,” Beth said as she tried to struggle from his grip on her.

     “Let them watch. I love you. I need you. I can’t live without you. You’re the only woman for me,” Andrew replied smothering Beth with his affections.

     Beth looked around noticing the eyes from the windows and doors observing the interaction between the two lovers who stood beside the red ten year old Honda.

     “Let’s go to your house and talk Andrew; let’s go now,” Beth whispered into his ear.  Andrew’s grip on her loosened and Beth took his hand and guided him toward the Black roofless Porsche.

CHAPTER
35

     
Andrew unlocked the door to his house and waited as Beth entered. She circled around as her eyes fell on the decor Andrew must have spent hours, maybe even days preparing. Red and white Rose petals lined the floor from the doorway to the bedroom. Expensive wine lay on its side in an ice bucket with two wine glasses close by on each table in each room. Red roses stood in vases throughout the room. Pictures of her graced the walls. Gift boxes of all sizes rested under a tree shaped as a heart.

     Beth turned to Andrew and found his eyes lovingly looking into hers. The music of harp strings could be heard in the background as each note came together to play a beautiful overture sending out calming, relaxing tones.

     “Andrew, this is wonderful. It must have taken you forever to do this.”

     “Are you pleased? I only want to please you my love. Seeing you smile is all I need. I will always love only you,” Andrew replied.

     “No!” Beth cried out. “I don’t deserve you Andrew. I don’t deserve all this!” she exclaimed sweeping the rooms with her arms.

     “You deserve it all. Have I pleased you my love?” he said embracing Beth.

     Andrew turned Beth to face him as he saw a lone tear fall from her eye. “Beth my love, please do not cry. Have I saddened you? I only want your happiness,” he said as he kissed Beth’s lips. He lifted her from the floor and cradled her in his strong arms and began to stroll down the hall toward the bedroom as he ravished her lips. “I want to make love to you. I want to give all my love to you my Beth.”

     As Andrew descended the hall Beth thought back to the words of her mother,
a fortress armed with love, trust, honesty, respect and most of all forgiveness.
 

     Andrew lowered Beth to the bed and began an attempt to undress her. She calmly protested. “Not yet Andrew. It would please me immensely if you would lie next to me and listen to what I have to say and not respond until I am done.

     Beth noticed how Andrew’s body seemed to relax under her words. He lay next to her, held her hand and waited for her words.

     “Andrew I love you so much. I want to give myself to you completely. But I want you to give yourself to me completely. I don’t want to have to worry that I will see you with another cheating on me.”

     Beth inhaled deeply as she noted the eyes of the man she love fill with guilt. He uttered not a word as she had requested. She filled with power as she noted her control of the deed. Her happiness is all Andrew wanted, all he lived for; but now, his happiness was all she wanted, all she lived for.

     Beth began to arm her fortress. She loaded it first with honesty, “Andrew I haven’t been honest with you. I should have told you I saw you and Susan in the stairwell. It was wrong of me not to come to you about it.”

     She saw shame and regret fill his eyes as she continued to arm her fort.
Trust and Respect,
she thought to herself. I must trust that he will understand and respect him enough to be honest in what I have done, Beth thought to herself.

     “Andrew I need to tell you what I have done. It is awful but I wanted you so much I rationalized that it was okay. I used the magic of a book to bind you to me. Please Andrew tell me what you are thinking. Please hold me. I’m so afraid.”

     Andrew’s gaze prickled her skin, “A magic book? Beth there is no magic in a book.” He reached for her and encased her body and feelings with his. “I’m so sorry you saw that. I wanted to tell you but I was afraid you would leave me. I have regretted it since it happened. I don’t know how I could have been so weak as to let her draw me in.”

     Andrew knelt on one knee, clasped Beth’s hand in his, “Please forgive me Beth. If I could go back in time I would undo that incident. I will spend my life making it up to you,” Andrew said pressing his lips against her fingers.

     Beth scrutinized his words wondering if they were his words or the deed’s. She couldn’t be sure. She enlisted the aid of more armor for her fortress,
Love, Forgiveness.

     
“Andrew I do love you and I know you love me. I forgive you for the misstep. Can you forgive me for hiding that I knew and for one more thing?”

     Beth stood and retrieved her purse. She noticed that Andrew wasn’t following close behind but stayed leisurely on the bed.

     “I only want our happiness. Please forgive me?” she asked as she handed Andrew the book. “This is the book that has done this to us.”

     “Done what Beth? Forced me to love you? It couldn’t do that because I already loved you.”

     “But you were different. Andrew, you tried to rape me.”

     “I remember wanting to make to love to you, but rape? I can’t remember that.”

     “It was the book Andrew. I need to tell you everything.”

     “Beth, I forgive you, you forgive me. That’s all that matters. Not this book,” he said holding the golden book up for her to see. She noticed a faint glow on the gold.

     “Andrew, look, the book is glowing,” Beth said pointing at it.”

     Andrew still holding the golden book closed the distance between himself and Beth. He stood face to face with her.

     “Hi my name is Andrew and I would love it if we could start over.”

     “My name is Beth and I would love that.”

     “It would give me great pleasure if such a lovely woman as yourself would dance with me,” Andrew said holding out his arms.

     Beth ensconced herself in Andrew’s embrace as their shoes tapped the floor to the chords played by the beautiful harp. Andrew swept Beth out to the patio into the brightness of the sunlight which shone only on them. He twirled her and sprung her back to the safety of his embrace. Beth swept her lips over his feeling their softness and moisture. She sprinkled kisses over his neck and enjoyed the aroma of his White Cristal as it mingled with her skin.

       Beth took the lead of the dance as their feet carried them back into the house where the beautiful harp continued to play an overture. “I love you,” she whispered into Andrew’s ear. “I’m ready,” she said as she danced Andrew toward the bedroom.

       Beth’s back began to feel warm. As she danced Andrew closer to the bedroom holding him tighter, the heat on her back increased. Andrew feeling the heat against his hand from the book as he held on to it during their dance, held it up to look at it. Beth followed his gaze as the book in Andrew’s hand puffed into a golden dust falling to the floor like a light snow.

      Beth continued to lead Andrew into the bedroom where she undressed willingly and offered her virginity to the man she held deeply in her heart. Beth went to Andrew, removed his clothing one piece at a time as she savored every inch of his toned, buffed body.

      When he was standing before her with his body and feelings totally exposed, Beth lay on the bed pulling him on to her. Their eyes locked and no words were needed. Beth was ready to give herself to Andrew and he accepted her virginity with tenderness, care, love and respect.