CHAPTER 15

"Mom! Dad! Let's go!" Clayton animatedly said.

"Go on. We'll follow," Melody instructed Clayton who was eager to be with the other children at the backstage.

As they were walking towards the entrance of CARE Center, Keith noticed the unfamiliar quietness of Melody. He felt that something was wrong with her since this morning. Usually, he would just let it subside until the bright smile on her face would glow again. However, he couldn't resist the temptation of getting worried since their wedding is just in few days.

"Is something wrong?" Keith awkwardly asked.

"What do you mean?" Melody responded.

Melody was not only quiet since morning but her mind was also floating away from the present. Her past was disconcerting her silent heart and mind. The joy and pain were bursting out from her heart as memories collide in her mind.

"Well, you have been quiet lately. Did something wrong happen this morning?"

"Nothing. It's just that I'm not feeling well."

"Do you want to go home?"

"I'm fine. Besides, you know how important to mama this event is," Melody explained.

"Are you sure?" Keith held her hands tightly.

Keith may have doubts with her answer but he knew that Melody has always been brave in facing obstacles that come her way. She never asks for help or opens up easily with anyone else. If there is one thing that Keith wishes to happen is for Melody to completely open her closed closet.

Melody just nodded.

Year after year, Elizabeth has been exceedingly active with the events of the Center for children with ADHD. Ever since she returned from Winnipeg, she has been vigorous at the Center. It has become her second home and the children have become her own children. It meant a lot for her to dedicate her life for the children with ADHD.

The CARE Center is a non-governmental organization for children born with ADHD. Its existence has been solely dependent on donations and some of their fund-raising activities. Among the fund-raising activities that they have doing are the events that Elizabeth headed which in a way has been the backbone of events.

Diverse people regardless of race and culture have supported the CARE Center. Not only those from Bremerton but there also those nearby organizations all over Kitsap County.

Elizabeth has always been creative with the events she has been hosting. This year, it was a talent show of the children and some presentations of different non-governmental organizations from Bremerton like Pearls of Hope, Woman's Touch, and Adelphia Institute. There were also those from other non-governmental organizations outside Bremerton like Parent Teacher Student Association and CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).

Elizabeth has been in contact with some of the non-governmental organizations since she was still in Winnipeg, volunteering in a school for children with ADHD. The others, she met during the updating seminar sponsored by Mr. Clements' foundation in Texas. She could not deny the fact that Mr. Clements' foundation has been influential to the survival of CARE Center. As he has promised during the seminar, his company has been donating thousands of dollars at the center annually excluding the school materials like pen, paper, coloring materials.

Other than donating many things, Mr. Clements has been true to his promise of not showing himself in Bremerton. Instead, Mr. Clements sends one of his associates as his representative during events at the center. Today's event at the center, he wanted to go but his condition has prevented him. In his place, he has sent Mr. G. C. knowing that it's not only the biggest event of the Center but at the same time, Mr. Clements' daughter was getting married in few days time.

"Hello Mr. Caldwell! Thank you for coming!" Elizabeth greeted.

It was not the first time that Mr. G. C. had been to Bremerton. On several occasions, Mr. G. C. has represented Mr. Clements at the Center. When Mr. Clements funded the renovation of the hall, it was Mr. G. C. who represented him.

"The pleasures all mine!" Mr. G. C. responded. "Mr. Clements couldn't make it today for personal reason. However, he asked me to send his regards to you and the people behind the Center," he added.

"We're very grateful to Mr. Clements for his enormous support for the Center," Dawn interrupted.

Dawn was the new head of the center after Elizabeth has stepped down due to some health issues. Elizabeth recognized the weighty responsibilities that required her to devote her time and energy at the Center and that she wasn't getting any younger. Nevertheless, she remained active at the Center due to her love for the children.

As they were all seated at the event hall and as the program was about to start, Melody's eyes were still surveying the area from left to right. The event hall was already filled with spectators. Almost there was no vacant seat available. Yet, she couldn't locate Eric. He was nowhere to be found. She was worried that what happened in the morning might cause him to miss the event.

Melody wanted to explain everything to him but her lips were tight in the morning. It was as if the words were trapped in her throat. She hoped that at the very least, he would attend the event. She wanted him to see the children perform as well as her son, Clayton.

Then the lights were off. The only lights that illuminate small spaces of area were the exit signs. A moment of silence followed the darkness as it devoured the hall where the audience waited excitedly for the performances.

Subsequently a spotlight lit the center of the stage. A voice of God, deep radio announcer voice suddenly spoke, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the annual program of CARE Center. And now, please welcome your host, the seeker of speed, the prince of swiftness, the one, the only, DJ ERIC!"

Eric suddenly stepped out from the heart of the red curtains and the silence was turned into cheers, as he was the only visible face. He began thanking everyone for coming to the show and recognized the sponsors of the Center by reading the list given to him by Dawn.

The crowd was wowed as one by one the entertainers performed. The highlight of the cheers came when the children of the CARE Center started to occupy the center stage. They serenaded the audience with series of classical and contemporary songs.

Just after the program, Mr. G. C. stood up and walked toward the backstage to express his joy with the performers and the children. After visiting the room of the performers, he saw Eric who was seated just near the stage, as he was exhausted from being the master of ceremony.

"How are you Mr. Baler?" Mr. G. C. asked.

Eric already saw Mr. G. C. while he was still on the stage yet it slipped his mind after the program. He smiled and instead of answering, he asked, "How's Mr. Clements?"

"He's rejuvenating in the hospital. How's your search going?" Mr. G. C. expected to find Eric at Bremerton to search for the daughter of Mr. Clements. Luther, in one of their talks, informed him at the shop. He said that they have allowed Eric to continue his search for the sake of their listeners' wish.

It was nothing new with the station. They have done many things similar to it. However, this one was unique. Not only in terms of magnitude but also the longevity of the search. Usually, it only takes them three days and around Ohio. But this time it is to another state and would require at least seven days.

Instead of answering, Eric gave a little smile.

"Mr. Caldwell, let me lead you to the buffet area," Dawn interrupted. The program ended just right for dinner. There was a buffet prepared by RR's restaurant for the performers and the sponsors of CARE Center. "Thank you for the help Eric," she added.

"I won't stay long. I still have to go back. Be assured of the continuous support of Mr. Clements." Mr. G. C. smiled.

"Thank you again for coming despite your busy schedule. We hope that soon Mr. Clements could visit us."

"I would make sure that your words would reach him." Before walking out, Mr. G. C. beamed at Eric and said, "Good luck!"

A few minutes later, "Thank you! If it weren't for you, the show would have not gone smoothly. Lea, one of Melody's friends, was supposed to be the one but she couldn't be contacted. I don't know if you have met her," Elizabeth expressed.

While all guests and performers were at the buffet area having dinner, Elizabeth and Eric were left alone sitting on the edge of the stage. It was the chance that Eric waited for so long. It was the moment where he could ask all the things that kept on bothering him especially about the daughter.

"It was nothing. In fact, I'm used to it." Eric smiled. "It's what I do for a living," he added.

"If there's anything we can do for you, just let us know. We're indebted to you for what you have done for us."

Eric held his bag with both hands tightly. He recognized that it was now or never. "Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you about."

"What is it?"

"Well, the real score why I came to Bremerton was to find someone." He puffed out intensely. He knew it was no turning back. This was the chance that Eric couldn't afford to miss, to talk with the possible Lizzy herself. "Do you know, by any chance, someone with the name Miriam Longley?" As part of his search, he knew that the expressions of people he was dealing with were important. By means of analyzing their reactions, he could have the answers he was looking for despite the words that he would hear from them.

Elizabeth just stared at him. She shilly-shallied if she would be answering him. She already gained the idea that Eric was from the same place as Mr. G. C. and Mr. Clements. It came to her when she met Eric yesterday as they were preparing the hall for the event. He called her Lizzy, which was only used by Mr. Clements and when she mentioned the name of Mr. Clements, Eric wasn't able to conceal his reaction. "Were you sent by Mario, Mr. Mario Clements?" she boldly asked, as she couldn't keep it a secret anymore. If she had her way, she would want to leave everything behind and just see Eric as Melody's friend. Nothing more. Nothing less.

"No! No! I have met him before but I came here on my own volition." Eric clarified as he reached on his sling bag and brought out the dust jacket book, which contained the letter of Mr. Clements. "I came here for this." He handed it out to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was hesitant to accept it. She knew that books were precious with Mr. Clements as she recalled that it was one of the things they were similar with. Both of them loved books especially those with dust jacket. She knew there was something important clipped with it as she was acquainted with Mr. Clements writing things on his books.

When Elizabeth noticed that Eric was insisting for her to accept it, she uncertainly received it. However, she didn't browse it.

"What is this about?" Elizabeth worriedly asked.

"Well, there's something in there that is for Ms. Longley. I have to give it to her. Moreover, the only people that I know who is with such family name is your clan." Eric recognized that if he wouldn't be blunt in asking Elizabeth, he would never find the answer. "Is Melody and Miriam one and the same person? I hope you could enlighten me," he desperately solicited.

"Well, I had a hunch that you knew Mr. Clements the first time that we had talked." Elizabeth breathed out intensely. "The answer to your question is yes. They are one and the same person." Elizabeth's eyes started to be watery. If only she has a choice, she would bury the memories of their past. "I never wanted to open this topic again but for your sake, I would explain everything for you," she added.

Elizabeth started to narrate what Eric had found out with Mr. Clements. She told him about how she had met Mr. Clements in Winnipeg, their amorous moments together and their struggles in between as well as in the end. He didn't interrupt her although he had heard it before. Instead, he allowed her to express it with her own words, the beginning until the end.

Eric had felt every word as Elizabeth recounted. It was the same experience that Eric had when he had conversation with Mr. Clements. The joy. The pain. The struggle. The disappointment. They have all passed through his heart. He didn't know why but he felt crying. He couldn't handle the tears that wanted to burst out from his eyes.

"Then I saw him in Texas. I was surprised. I didn't expect him to be there. I knew that there would come a time that we would see each other again and that he would find out the truth sooner or later. It came sooner though. As fate made it happen, I made up my mind to tell him everything that had happened before the seminar ends. Yet…" She gripped the book tightly. "While in front of him, I was forced to tell him just half truth. I did tell him that he has a daughter but I didn't reveal to him the real name. It wasn't that I wanted him to be persecuted because I still loved him until the end. I told him that I was already married with another man. I also told him that the name of our daughter was Miriam. But they were all lies. I didn't marry. Her name wasn't Miriam. It just came to me that if he really wanted to see his daughter, he would look for her. He had the resources. He had the means. It would surely be easy for him even though I would change a fraction of the details. You could say that I lied just to test him." Elizabeth's eyes rolled from Eric to the empty seats. "At that moment, believe me or not, I thought that it was for the good of our daughter." Her tears started dropping faster as the pain kept on exploding out from her.

Eric didn't know what to say. It was not what he anticipated as an answer. Surely, it was more than what he had asked for. Nevertheless, there was no turning back. He understood that the only way to move was forward.

"It wasn't my intention to hurt him. I felt that he was already a changed man but part of me was insisting that if he wanted to see her, he would do all things despite the cracked details that I have given him. It wasn't about us. It was about his desire to be with our daughter and how far he was willing to go just to be with her." She exhaled deeper.

"Would you believe if I told you that he did whatever he could just to see your daughter? I mean I found out that he even used his resources to see her even just through pictures. Yet, he was burdened by the condition that he had made with you." Eric stopped. He didn't know if he was already at the boundary to say anything else.

"Are you referring to the promise that I have asked him to make?"

Eric just nodded.

"I did ask him to promise not to show even his shadow in front of Melody. I know him well inside and out. A promise for him is a sacred vow. I know it was a tough call to break. That is why I asked him to promise me that condition. It's the only way wherein I could test his weakness over his desire."

"I'm not sure if I'm in the position to ask but don't you think that because of that, all of you are burdened for so long until the present?"

"Melody knew the condition that I have set with her father. She accepted it. I told her everything about her father, who he is. Yet, she has chosen to agree with my decision. I'm not lifting my ego nor am I saying that I was right. Maybe I was wrong but if it's really our fate that we would be reunited then no one can stop it."

Eric remembered what Mr. Clements had told him and was holding dearly. He recalled how Mr. Clements depended on fate in letting them, his daughter and him, be together. He didn't agree with Mr. Clements before. He doesn't agree with Elizabeth too. But his belief that fate is not moving at all unless one moves is being shaken by the testimonies of both Mr. Clements and Elizabeth combined.

Eric observed that Elizabeth was already caressing the book. He took it as a sign to open up how he was intertwined with the book. "Actually, I bought that book in a second hand bookstore back in Cincinnati." He started to recount.

Soon after, he told Elizabeth how he found Mr. Clements and his desire to see his daughter. He also, in a glimpse, explained with her what was the content of the book. After which, Elizabeth browsed it hesitantly at the location of the letter.

Eric kept silent as Elizabeth was reading the letter made by Mr. Clements to his daughter. He caught a glimpse of a smile on her face as she was reading. It was not just a smile of joy. It was a smile of both joy and despair. He understood it without him asking her. He read the letter numerous times. It was also the same feeling that he felt in those moments.

After reading it, Elizabeth slowly closed the book, turned her attention to Eric and asked, "Would you want to give it to her yourself?"

"I don't have time to give it to her anymore. I don't know how to face her myself." He took a breath of strength. "Could you please give it to her?" he pleaded.

"I think you should be the one to give her this book," Elizabeth suggested.

"I don't think I could. Besides, I don't have much time left."

Elizabeth was confused. Melody had told her before until when was Eric staying in Bremerton. "Is it not that you would be staying until the day after the wedding?"

"There was a change of plan. I was asked to return immediately. I would have love to stay longer but they said that the earlier the better. I don't have a choice other than to leave immediately. Then again, it would be gauche on my part that I would be seeing her getting married with someone else," Eric reasoned out.

It was the only excuse Eric could think of. It was just a lie. After what happened in the morning, he didn't know how could he ever face Melody again. He didn't want to be a distraction to her considering that her life's already dedicated to Clayton and Keith. That is why, from the Dust Jacket shop this morning, he immediately booked a flight for the next day going back to Cincinnati.

He found no reason at all for him to stay longer in Bremerton. He took his trip as a success wherein he was able to achieve the goals that he has set for himself, to Melody needed and to search of the daughter. Although he was once again broken, he felt that he could already close a page of his book that remained stagnant for a long time.

"Anyway, Melody and I have already finalized everything that they needed for their wedding. I have already fulfilled my promise to her," Eric added to the series of reasons.

"I can see that you have already made up your mind. I can't stop you and I won't stop you." Elizabeth gave a modest smile. "Thank you again for your help today, for helping Melody with her preparation and for being the instrument for this book to reach her." She placed the book on her lap.

"It's my pleasure actually to help you and her."

"Would you say your goodbyes to them?" she coolly inquired.

"I would rather not. If I would, I know it would be difficult for me to leave," he calmly explained.

"I don't know but it seems to me that it would be then a repetition of what happened between the two of you in New York. I know the situation is different but would it be better if ever you couldn't face her, why not at least leave a message? I would gladly give it to her," Elizabeth offered.

Eric didn't answer. He realized that Elizabeth has a point. He wouldn't want to commit the same mistake just like before. He, however, can't find the words to inscribe on the note. He was confused on what to write. Would he be writing a lie just like what he had said to Elizabeth or would he tell her the truth?

It took him some minutes before his pen started to touch the paper, which was given to him by Elizabeth. Several times as he paused in between his writing, he found himself reminiscing the past that they shared. He tried hard to control his emotions but as the pen started to move, tears and sadness took control.

It took him more than thirty-three minutes, several revisions and dozen of tears before he has ultimately finished it. He slowly horizontally folded it three times and handed it to Elizabeth.

As he was walking, facing down the floor, he accidentally bumped into someone. When he raised his head to apologize, he recognized that it was Keith, the fiancé of Melody. He was on call.

As soon as Eric apologized, he heard the person on the other end of the line saying, "Help me." He could sense that something was wrong as Keith's face could be painted with distressed looks.

Keith didn't say a word to either Eric or to the person on the other line. He just smiled at Eric and both gentlemen separated ways.