Apparition

Chapter 19: Soap Opera II
I didn’t sleep the following night. I couldn’t because if I did then I’d know what decision I was going to make and for now the decision is forbidden to be decided. If that makes sense.
So I stayed in our TV room in my house and watched whatever was on TV to try to keep my mind off of things. I had my large cup of coffee in my left hand and the remote in my right.
I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings so I didn’t notice the sun leaking through the curtains of the window until Jayant walked through the front door and woke me up mentally.
Jayant stood in the doorway and stared at me disapprovingly. “How much sleep did you get last night?” He asked.
“Not very much…. But I have my reasons,” I said smugly and adjusted myself on the couch. I took a sip of my luke warm coffee and made a face at the vapid taste.
“Which is?” He asked and sat down beside me.
“Just ghost stuff,” I said and waved a hand in the air. “Nothing relevant to you. So how are you this morning?”
Jayant sighed and rolled his eyes. “Not very well…. Harlie and I got into a fight last night and she made me sleep on the couch in our living room.”
“Why?! What happened?”
“Earlier that day we met up with our party planner who told us that she gave our hall away to a couple who gave a higher pay. It was just ridiculous. Harlie-who was having lady issues-yelled at the planner and told her that this wasn’t an auction. I had to hold Harlie back from attacking the women.
“When we got home Harlie was so infuriated she literally looked livid. I simply told her to calm down and she went ballistic. Later on she broke down and began crying about how our marriage was going to be a disaster and we’re going to have to end up getting married in front of a fast food restaurant. I told her it wasn’t going to be that way and she yelled at me saying I didn’t even care about our wedding. She stomped off into the bedroom and I haven’t seen her since.”
“It’s going to be okay, Jayant,” I murmured, rubbing his back. “Do you need a hug?”
“Men don’t hug,” he said.
“But you watch soap opera’s.”
“Okay fine,” he said and gave me a hug.
“Don’t worry. By next week she’s going to be fine. And speaking of soap opera’s….” I changed the channel to the Saturday soap opera marathon.
After they showed what previously happened on the series they started the opening song where they showed all of the characters. Then the show started. Miranda was with a couple of her friends having a cup of tea in the living room in front of the fireplace. They were in the same room that Miranda and Ryan were in last week when Ryan kissed Miranda.
“Miranda, darling. Are you coming to my dinner party today? I’ve asked you many times and I’m going to keep asking you until you say yes.”
“I’m sorry, Sydney. I don’t have a date,” Miranda said after a sip of her tea.
They focused in on Sydney’s hazelnut colored face. “Who said you needed a date to come to my dinner party?” She asked.
“Everyone brings a date to your dinner parties, Sydney. It’s embarrassing if you don’t.”
“Oh, c’mon, Miranda! Just come. I thought you said you wanted to meet Erik, my new boyfriend. This is the perfect chance to meet him,” said a girl with beautiful blonde hair and sky blue eyes.
“So you introduce your boyfriend to me and I introduce no one? Another embarrassment, Caitlin. I just don’t want to go.”
Then the doorbell rang and Miranda set down her cup of tea on the table and exited the room. The camera’s followed Miranda as she walked to the front door, peaked through the peak hole, sighed, and opened the door.
“Hello, Miranda,” Ryan said in his soft yet deep voice.
“Hi, Ryan…. What’re you doing here?” She asked, confused.
“I heard Sydney was having a dinner party tonight and I wanted to know if you’d like to be my date.” Ryan had a hopeful smile on his face.
Without a thought Miranda replied. “I’m sorry, Ryan. I don’t plan on going.”
“She’d love to!” Caitlin called from behind Miranda.
Miranda quickly turned her head around, flipping her hair, and glared at Caitlin who had a smile upon her face. Then the show went to commercial.
“Jayant!” My mom sang as she walked down the stairs, my dad behind her.
“Hi, mom,” Jayant said and stood up to give my parents a hug.
“Remember, Nicol and Jon have a dentist appointment today at noon. Don’t forget.”
Jayant pulled out his phone and put it into his calendar.
“What’re you going to do today, Natalia?” My dad asked me from the kitchen.
“Anything that comes to mind,” I replied. I didn’t want to make a schedule because schedules were forbidden to make until the time that I did not know of yet.
“Why do you two still go to work even after I gave you my thirty million dollars?” I asked my parents.
“We don’t want people to ask questions, Natalia. And to be honest we only took half of your share of the Ashburton fortune. Your father and I felt guilty of taking your money that you can use on college and the rest of your life. Speaking of college’s I’m so glad you got into UW and HCC. I’m so proud of you!” My mom squealed and ran into the living room to give me a hug.
“Mom,” I groaned. “I don’t need that money…. It’s not even rightfully mine.”
“Neither is it rightfully your fathers or mine and that’s why we didn’t take it all.”
“Just think of it as a trust fund, honey. Well, your father and I have to go work now. Bye, Natalia,” she said and kissed my forehead. “Bye, Jayant.” She kissed Jayant on the cheek.
“Bye, kids,” my father said and kissed my on my cheek and hugged Jayant.
“Oh!” Jayant exclaimed. “The show is back on!”
“Darn,” I mumbled. “We missed some parts.” The show was already at the point where Miranda was with Ryan driving to Sydney’s dinner party. Miranda was in a sparkly black dress that glistened as they drove under the street lights. She was wearing a pearl necklace along with matching pearl earrings. Her brown hair was perfectly pulled back into an elegant bun with her bangs swept across her forehead and pinned to the right side of her head. Her face was expressionless. Obviously she was a bit angry from being forced to go to a dinner party with a guy that was completely in love with her.
Ryan had on a tuxedo jacket and a royal blue dress shirt underneath with a grey tie. He evidently was happy with the grin on his face.
“I’m only going to stay here for an hour max. We’re going to eat, mingle, then leave. Got that?” Miranda said assertively.
“Okay, okay,” Ryan said without argument.
They parked their car in front of a beautiful, massive house. The house actually looked like a miniature Hogwarts. I should have known these people were rich.
Ryan jumped out of the car and walked over to Miranda’s door and opened it for her. She stepped out of the car and walked toward the house without waiting for Ryan.
Ryan caught up with Miranda before she got to the front door of the mansion.
The front door swung open before Miranda had a chance to knock.
“I’m glad you made it!” Sydney said happily. “We were just about to have dinner so you’re right on time.” Sydney pushed Ryan and Miranda to the extravagant dining room.
“Look who’s here,” she sang as she showed them their seats.
There was about three dozen people sitting in the extra long dining table with a large amount of food running down the whole table. There were also about twenty-five long candles throughout the table. Miranda and Ryan sat right across from Caitlin and her date. Sydney walked back to her seat at the end of the long table.
Sydney waited for everyone to quiet down and look her way. When she finally got everyone’s attention she said in a grand tone, “let’s eat!” The show went to commercial again.
“So what are your reasons for not going to sleep?” Jayant asked.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I didn’t feel like having one of those dreams.”
Jayant nodded his head and mused. “So what’s the real reason?”
I sighed. “Something’s going to happen and I didn’t want to see if I was wrong or right,” I admitted.
“What’re you talking about?”
“Jayant, I’m sorry but I can’t talk about this right now. It’ll make a lot more sense after the time passes. I promise.”
Jayant scrutinized me for a moment. “Alright,” he sighed.
We waited for the show to come back on and when it did we readjusted ourselves in our seats.
Dinner was over and now people were talking and laughing with each other. I always thought that when shows had scenes like this the people were talking about nothing relevant to the show but just sharing stories about what they did the day before since they had no microphone and no real dialogue.
The camera’s focused up on Miranda who was standing beside the door, her expensive trench coat over her arms that were folded across her chest. She wasn’t enjoying the party like everyone else.
Then the camera focused on Ryan’s face which lightened up when he found Miranda. “Where did you go? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“I want to go home,” she moaned.
Ryan grinned and took Miranda’s hand and started to drag her the opposite way from the front of the house.
“Where are we going?” Miranda cried.
“C’mon,” Ryan laughed.
They ended up at the back of the house where no one really was hanging out. Ryan pushed open the two glass doors and took Miranda outside.
“Ugh. It’s raining,” Miranda mumbled as she examined the rain that was falling straight out of the sky.
Ryan took Miranda’s face in both of his hands and forced her to look at him. Ryan’s face was suddenly serious.
Miranda laughed. “What’re you doing, Ryan?”
“Miranda… you’re the most important thing in the world to me. I feel like you’re the only thing I need in my life then I’m complete. Without you I’m lost. I love you, Miranda. Do you love me?”
Wow. Ryan was really blunt.
Miranda sighed and closed her eyes. “Ryan… I’m not ready to love again. I’ve told you that so many times so why can’t you just understand?”
“It’s been at least four months, Miranda. How long do you need?”
“I’m trying not to hurt your feelings, Ryan so just stop.”
“Miranda he left you!” Ryan said and shook her shoulders. “He is not coming back. He doesn’t want you.” Ryan said each word separately.
She stared at Ryan, anger in her eyes. Right before she started to cry she slapped Ryan and ran back inside.
The camera focused in on Ryan’s bewildered face. Then another commercial.
“Commercials are so irritating,” I said and laughed.
When the show got back on the camera’s were on Miranda who was waking away from the house, arms across her chest, her hair dripping all over the place, and her mascara running down her cheeks.
“Miranda!” Ryan called from behind her.
She threw her head back and groaned. “Go away!”
Ryan was no drenched from head to toe by the rain just like Miranda.
This time he didn’t touch her but stood close enough.
“Miranda, what do I have to do to make you love me the way I love you?” Ryan begged desperately.
“There is nothing you can do!” Miranda yelled straight into his face. “There is no way that I’m ever going to get over Cameron. Why can’t you just accept that?”
Ryan stepped forward and held Miranda close to him. “Because I know it isn’t true,” he murmured.
“Ugh,” Miranda said in disgust, shrugging him off. “What I have with Cameron is not over,” she hissed. She spun around and continued walking.
Then show showed a preview of next week’s episode.
Miranda swung open the front door of her house and right in front of her was Ryan. She jumped.
“I came here to apologize,” Ryan murmured. “What I said yesterday was-”
“I can’t do this right now,” Miranda said quickly and pushed Ryan out of the door frame. She stepped out as well and locked the front door of her house.
“Where’re you going?” Ryan asked as Miranda ran to her car.
Miranda stopped before she opened her door. “Ryan, I can’t do this right now.” She swung open the front door of her sports car and got in.
Ryan knocked on the window. “What’s going on?” He asked.
Miranda sighed and rolled down her window. “I’m leaving, Ryan. Cameron’s in trouble.” The engine roared to life. Miranda stepped hard on the gas and she sped off.