ALWAYS AND FOREVER

Kathy Pov

I woke up with a start, checked the wall clock on Louis’s bedroom and it was some minutes past seven am, I quickly got up from the bed and looked around the house, but Louis was still not around, I couldn’t turn my phone back on to avoid it getting tracked, I should have thought of it getting tracked last night but I was much too nervous, I went to where the house line was kept and dialed his number, it rang and rang but he didn’t pick up, I took the house line with me to the living room sat there and called him again, but still no response, I even went as far as calling his cousin Pearl, she too didn’t take her to call, worried could no longer be used to describe how I was feeling.

“Come on Louis,”

I said biting down hard on my lips, I fought to keep the tears off my eyes but still a few found their way out, I walked into the kitchen and tried to distract myself by making us breakfast, maybe he will be back before it is ready, I thought.

The minutes tickled into hours and still, he didn’t show up, at a point, I turned on my phone and called him still no reply.

I wondered what could have happened or was he mad at me because of how I talked about his cousin last night? I couldn’t figure out anything, I left the room and walked around the house thinking of what to do since he is not showing up, I had to leave, I couldn’t stay here any longer, I had to get out of here fast, but then it dawned on me, all the money that we are gonna use for the move was with him, I had nothing on me except the little money with me in my purse, and that was not gonna be enough for anything, this time I really became worried that something wasn’t adding up, I didn’t like the idea that was beginning to form in my head, I didn’t want it to be that Louis would not do that to me, never as my head was rolling in thoughts my phone rang, I picked up immediately.

“Hello, Pearl where are you guys?”

“Little girl I am not your mate, add some respect to my name,”

Came her response, I didn’t mind her tone or anything, I just needed to speak with Louis.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“I am sorry, for being disrespectful Pearl, can you please put Louis on the phone I need to talk to him,”

“Oh, but I can’t, he is in the bathroom,”

“What? What bathroom?”

“Little girl, haven’t you figured it out yet? Are you that clueless, you had the whole might and you still can’t figure it out?”

“Figure what out Pearl? What’s going on what are you talking about?”

I asked with fear.

“Do I really need to spell it out for you?”

“Stop playing games Pearl, I thought Louis said you were sick? How come your voice sounds okay and would you please go straight to the point,”

I screamed losing my patience.

“Don’t shout at me girl, it’s not my fault if you were fooled,”

She shouted back at me

“What are you talking about? Where are you guys? Where is my boyfriend?”

“I will tell you since you are much too dumb to figure it out yourself, we, me and Louis always left town, you were scammed, we have all the money we needed and we don’t need one little spoilt princess to come with us,”

She revealed, there was no way I am going to believe her, no way Louis would do that to me, but even as I thought it my heart sake to the ground, things just weren’t adding up, we were supposed to leave last night and I am still in the city by now, it way past ten am already, I haven’t and Pearl didn’t sound like someone who was sick, I sat down on the ground.

“Pearl, can you give the phone to Louis please, I need to talk to him,”

I pleaded hot tears gushing down my eyes.

“Hmm, you finally found out, baby girl, I am been generous here that’s why I decided to call you and tell you since you keep calling nonstop, anyway after this moment you won’t be able to reach this line or Louis’s line again, I think he left something for you in the bedroom, if you had just raised the pillow then you would have seen it,”

She said and I jumped up and ran all the way to the bedroom, lifting the pillow there was indeed a note more like a short letter.

“I am guessing you found it, so my job here is done, you can’t go to the police because they won’t have anything to track us with, just so you know Pearl and Louis are not our real name, I should hang up now, my man will soon be out of the bathroom,”

“Your man?”

I asked in confusion.

“Yes, my man, that’s another little detail you didn’t figure out, Louis is my boyfriend, not my cousin, anyway, now he is fully mine again I didn’t like sharing with you but I had no choice, see you Katherine whenever. Have a nice life, or maybe not,”

She said and hung up with a laugh.

Everything suddenly made sense, and I saw how much of a fool, I must have been, the rules, the no calls, and not coming to his house without notice, there had been so many red lights, how did I not figure it out, how, just how did I not see through them, I had never liked Pearl but I didn’t think of her anything more than Louis cousin, what a fool I have been.

I didn’t know what to do, I stared at my phone and the letter in my hands, afraid of what I will find it I opened it, I couldn’t believe Louis would do this to me, I tried calling his number again but it said the number no longer existed, the same thing was said when I called Pearl’s number, I sat down on the floor in the bedroom, letter in one hand and my phone in the other with tears in my eyes, I wished this would all just be a bad dream brought about by my nervous brain, but as I sat there for another ten minutes I knew it wasn’t a dream, I dropped my phone and opened the letter, it wasn’t a long letter like I expected, it was more of a short note written on a big paper, it read.

“Kathrine Stevenson, thank you for the money, I will spend it well, and for the sex too, hope we meet again someday, xoxo..”

And that was it, nothing else just thanking me for the sex and for my money, what a fool I have been.

“Kathrine, you foolish girl,”

I screamed, crying out with pain, Juliet had warned me, she warned me, but I didn’t listen to her instead I cut her off, now look at where I am, what am I going to do? I can’t go back home my parents would not take me back, no they won’t, my mom warned me.

The tears kept pouring and I let them fall, this is all my fault, all my life saving, everything, every penny was with him, the man I thought loved me but who turned out to be just who my best friend warned me he was if only I had listened to her.

I cried myself to sleep and even in myself, I found myself crying and my thoughts were,

“What am I going to do? How am I going to survive? How would I face my family?”