Chapter four
It was a few days later when Adrian got Rachel’s letter. He was almost excited to open it. He read it and laughed when he read the part about her Hollywood dream. His heart felt heavier when he read the rest. Once he was done reading the letter he leaned back on his couch staring at the portrait on the wall. The painting of a butterfly with a broken wing, he remembered painting it in high school. He stared at it and thought it would be the best gift he could give Ricky on her 25th. He was going to Namibia for a meeting in a while. He thought that would be the opportune moment to meet her. He grabbed a book from the table and tore a page from it. He found a black pen in his suitcase and began to write.
To Ricky
Congratulations on turning 25 this week. I remember turning 25 a few years back. I don’t know about you but I felt old that year.
I wish I had half as much fun as you did after high school but I was straight off to college. I’m sorry about what happened to your fiancé. It must be hard losing someone that close to you so violently. I can’t say I know what it feels like.
Apparently a bird chews with its stomach, that’s something I bet you didn’t know. Something I wish I didn’t know though, ha-ha
I started praying a lot more once I realized I had so much to pray about. You’re letters really changed me in more ways than one.
Write back
Adrian folded the letter and put it in his case.
This time he would deliver it by hand.
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Rachel woke up that morning with a shock. She felt that the alarm sounded a bit louder that morning. She looked at the calendar and softly smiled. Today she would be 25, she would finally wear the purple dress her fiancé had brought her but never got the chance to give her. She had found it amongst his belongings in a red box. He had probably planned to give it to her later that day that he never returned home.
She stood up and walked to the mirror on the wall. Pulling her hand through her hair, she watched in utter shock as another lump of hair broke off in her hand.
She looked at her hand for what seemed like an hour and then looked back at her reflection.
This was her birthday and nothing was going to ruin it for her.
Kelly and Hayden came home with a lot of excitement. They had planned to surprise Rachel that day and were at the restaurant preparing it all as soon as school was out. Eric and her father had gone to pick her up later that afternoon. Her mother would await her arrival at the restaurant.
“C’mon Ricky, you don’t want to be late!” yelled Eric from the hall.
“On my way” Replied Rachel in a soft almost shriveled voice.
“Right, I’m starting the car” Said her father as he was leaving through the door. He somehow wanted to run from the sight of his daughter in her final days.
Rachel grabbed her purse and headed downstairs. She tried to be careful on the stairway but eventually took of her heels and carried them all the way down. She saw Eric in the hall wearing what looked like a shirt that he had spent days ironing. He smiled when he saw her.
“So, what do you think kid?” she asked as she slipped her shoes back on. “You look like a star sis” replied Eric. He reached out his arm to escort her to the car.
She faintly smiled as they walked to the car in what seemed like an eternity.
Somehow, every step she took felt like a leap, she had almost lost all strength in her bones.
As they got into the car Rachel felt a great dizziness she couldn’t understand.
“Ricky! Are you ok?” she heard her brother yell.
“Lets get her in the car, I’ll call Doctor Phillips!!” she could barely hear her Fathers voice but somehow made out the words.
She saw her brother crying but couldn’t hear what he was saying anymore, it seemed as if he was yelling.
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Rachel closed her eyes and felt almost nothing as they rushed her into the hospital. Doctor Phillips ran to meet them. They put her on the stretcher and rushed her into the emergency room.
A long while later Doctor Phillips came out from the emergency room. He looked faintly around the room. Kelly had fallen asleep in Hayden’s lap by now. He turned to face her mother but the look on his face was more than anything he could say. For a quiet moment everyone had come to understand one thing, Ricky was dead.