I stood in front of my dressing mirror, admiring my oval shaped face. I've been told I am beautiful just like my late mother and I believe it because of the way men stare at me. Particularly, one man - Nathan Frederick.
Nathan and I grew up together in the same upper-class neighbourhood and attended the same school. He's older by three years and I am nineteen. Our parents and grandparents were friends. Then we fell in love with each other in high school before his father disappeared from his life unexpectedly. It was a shock that affected his family.
Nathan swore he would never forgive his father for abandoning them. His uncle Dr. Dan Frederick moved in permanently to look after Nathan and his mother. Shortly after, Nathan lost his mother too who died, I believe from heartbreak.
Nathan became difficult thereafter. No one could get through to him, not even I. Dr. Fred, as he's usually called by my Dad, shipped Nathan off to boarding school and we lost contact for five years. I waited for him, chose not to date any boy and now he's back.
Last week I was at Dr. Fred's mansion to say hi to Aunt Betty, his wife when I saw Nathan in their garden. We both stood still and stared at each other for what seemed forever. The connection was still there. I felt it strongly as much as I knew he did too.
He looked taller, his chest and shoulders broad. Tiny bits of hair was growing out of his chin and jaw, showing he had not shaved for some days. He walked up to me and held me in a warm embrace and we chatted the whole day away as if we had never been separated before.
I'm a little nervous. I will see Nathan Frederick later tonight at Dr. Frederick's party.
Dr. Fred hosts this house party once every month. A time to bring his aristocratic friends together, gossip, drink and talk about politics. I seldom attend these parties since my mother passed away two years ago.
Arriving at Frederick's mansion at seven o'clock, other upper-class friends arrived in their expensive cars as well. I held unto my Dad's arm as we both walked in. I looked around the gathering in the living room, searching for Nathan.
My heart longed to be reunited with Nathan. Since our last meeting, I could not stop thinking about him. Nathan, my confidant whom I am slowly having feelings for but I'd sooner die than let him know how I feel. What if he did not feel the same?
There he was chatting with Colonel Hameed, Dr. Fred's best friend. Nathan had shown interest in joining the army but did not want his uncle to find out. I excused myself, soon as my Dad and his friends lighted their cigars over glasses of expensive scotch.
Nathan looked up and caught my eye. I smiled. He merely nodded, looked towards his father's library then back at me. I nodded in return. Message received and understood. We had to meet secretly.
I was sashaying to the library when Aliyah waylaid me. "Well, where are you off to in a hurry, princess?". She was the most annoying girl in my neighborhood who thinks she's better than everyone. I looked forward to the day I would punch her button nose without anyone remarking how improper that would be for an upper-class lady.
I stepped back a foot and glared at her. "Aliyah, one of these days, you will be sorry for calling me that,."
"I don't think so, Princess. You should watch your back. I see you are getting chummy with Nathan."
The hairs on my neck bristled just as my breath hitched up a little. I grabbed her wrist tightly knowing some bruise mark would appear there soon enough. I hope no one saw what we were up to.
Shock was written all over her face. I spoke through my teeth,"Next time, you say anything about Nathan, I will remove one of your teeth. Now get your smelly self out of my way". I released her abruptly, brushed her aside with my shoulder and walked to the library door. I did not look back.
I was going through the books on the shelf when Nathan came in and shut the door. He turned the key. My heart lurched. Still standing by the door, Nathan held my eyes with his and I felt myself melting away into the depth of his brown eyes. "Come here", he whispered.
In a second, I was in his arms, exchanging sweet kisses. We broke apart after a few minutes to catch our breath. He ran his thumb across my lower lip, then caught it between his teeth before sucking and kissing me once more.
"Colonel Hameed promised that my documents will arrive next week. I will be deployed immediately". My heart skipped a beat. I feigned happiness.
"Really? That's great. It's what you have always wanted."
"Yes, anything to get me away Fred. Away from this-this house." He looked around the library with disdain.
"Will you tell Dr. Fred?" I asked the pertinent question.
Nathan stared into my eyes while his fingers brushed through my hair and massaged my scalp at the same time. It was soothing.
"No. And I trust you not to tell anyone," he said. I nodded. I moved out of his arms, turned my back on him and walked to a large shelf on the left side of the room.
"What is it, Anna?" He should know, why ask me again?
"I do not want you to go". I blurted out. I laid my hand on a slim black hardcover on top shelf and pulled out the book to keep my hand busy and my thoughts logical.
Then we both heard the creaking and groaning sound of a door opening slowly. I gasped and stepped back from the shelf. The book fell from my hand to the floor. "What's that?" I asked in fear.
Beside the shelf was a hidden small door that only a child could crawl through. Nathan held my hand and we both walked to it and looked inside. It was dark, smelled musky with cobwebs hanging around. "Have you seen this secret door before?" I asked.
"No, I have not. Let me get the torch."
Nathan and I crawled on our hands and knees into the small space which led to a tiny room filled with stacked boxes and a deep freezer in the corner of the room. My head aches from trying to understand how the deep freezer was brought into the room. We spent the next three hours going through the boxes, not realising the whole party was searching for us.
In those boxes, we found secret documents that belonged to Nathan's father, showing the mansion and other properties were bought in Nathan's name. We read through Nathan's father's diary where he narrated his suspicion that Dan, his younger brother, wanted him dead.
Nathan got all worked up and angry. I could not calm him down. We crawled out with two boxes and faced a crowd of friends, family and some cops in the library just as they were shocked to see us. I am sure we looked disheveled and dirty from crawling around the secret room filled with dust and cobwebs.
After a heated discussion with Dr. Fred trying to exert control over the situation and Nathan, the police handcuffed Dr. Fred and took him away.
Within an hour, the mansion swarmed with forensic officers and cops as they tried to gather evidence from the secret room. Some of the party left while others stayed behind to have something to gossip about for the next month.
It was an unforgettable night. I wanted to be there for Nathan but Dad would not let me. Nathan said it was okay to go home. My Dad had to take me away from the scene back home and returned back to the mansion to support Nathan at my request.
I waited up for Dad to return. He made me understand that Dr. Fred had embezzled money from the company he had started with Nathan's father. Dr. Fred and the company staff involved tried to hide it but could not when Nathan's father found out. It led to a heated argument in the house (confirmed by some of the servants) and after the incident, no one heard from Nathan's father again.
The cops forced the deep freezer open and found Nathan's father dead inside. It is believed Nathan's father may have fallen and broken his neck. An autopsy would give a definite confirmation.
I was in pain because I could not see nor reach Nathan on phone for three days. On the fourth day, I drove to the mansion and was met by a sad looking Aunty Betty. I hugged her.
"Aunty, I am so sorry about everything".
She sniffed a little. "It's okay my lovely girl but why are you here?"
I frowned a little. "Is Nathan in?"
"Oh dear girl, Nathan has been deployed already. He left this morning."
With just that one statement, my world fell apart. I waited for him for five years and now he's gone. How long do I wait again? I cursed the library and Dr. Fred. Aunty Betty held me in a tight embrace as we both broke down in tears.