9

While Benjamin was getting ready for the all-white party, he reflected on what had happened the day before, between him and Thailah. The kiss they shared meant a lot to him, and he wished for more. He didn't want to date her; he wanted to marry her. The last time he felt this way was four years ago, when he met Lilith, who was the same age as Thailah at the time. He also had the impression that Lilith approved of them because she had just quit bothering him. That was obviously a sign, therefore he decided to take Thailah back to the city.

He felt horrible when she recounted having to leave a large city on Capa Nividor's northwestern outskirts to return to their village to care for her mom last year. Since her work didn't pay well, she was forced to leave it. She then started again to support her mother in running the family company.

"I should have hugged her more and consoled her," he grumbled out loud.

"Held whom more?" he heard his mother ask.

He then turned to his left and saw her suited up in her gorgeous all-white gown. Thailah's mother did an excellent job, he concluded.

"Benjamin?" His mother said again, peering over her shoulder.

"No one, mother," he said, fixing his suit collar.

He didn't want to talk to her about Thailah because his mother would start lecturing him about the hazards of hanging out with a single town woman. She may be pregnant and blaming you, or she could frame you. He could hear her pedantic voice in his brain. She was watching out for him as a mother should, but he wasn't thirteen anymore. He was a grown Thirty year old man.

"What is this I've heard about you and some young town girl?" Mrs. Caliwell inquired, her eyes narrowing.

When Benjamin heard his mother speak about Thailah, he took a step back from the mirror and approached her.

"I'm OK, Mum, and..."

"Then explain why you've been out so much in the last ten days," she said, staring him in the eyes.

She was his mother, and she could tell when he was going to tell a lie.

"Benjamin," she said quickly, taking his hands in hers.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing; it's just that it's my wish for you to go on and have a happy life," she added.

"Mum, I'm alright; if there was anything I would tell you," he added as he took his hands away from hers.

He intended to handle things between Thailah and him on his own, since he didn't want his mother to scare her away by showing up at her house and announcing Benjamin's interest in her, like she had done with Lilith.

He wanted things to go smoothly, gradually, and gently this time.

"All well, then, I'll leave you to get dressed. You must hurry since it is already 4 p.m. and the visitors will be arriving shortly. "

Benjamin nodded and closed the door to his room, leaving his mother in the corridor.

There was enormous orchestral music playing in the background, people all dressed in white conversing, the sounds of automobiles just arriving, the clicking of wines to a toast, and so on.

Benjamin exited his room and stood at the top of the stairs.

He surveyed the entire room, which was crowded with individuals all dressed in white, looking for Thailah in a gown. She'd told him she wasn't sure if she'd come because it was her first all-white party. Her mother urged her to do so since she regarded it as an opportunity to find herself a spouse, she explained.

He eventually caught a glimpse of her pale skin in a corner after rummaging through the entire crowd. She was sat, her back to him, and she was sipping from a glass of wine. A smile spread across his face.

Then he strode down the steps in magnificent manner, his head held high. He waited the entire time for Thailah to turn around and look at him, like everyone else was doing, but instead she sat there taking more shots from her glass. Then she abruptly rose up and headed for a nearby room. Benjamin, who was concerned, attempted to follow her, but was stopped by Antonio, who informed him that it was time for the opening speech.

"Everyone is waiting now," Antonio stated as Benjamin continued to stare towards the room Thailah entered.

Benjamin shrugged and turned around to go deliver the speech, intending to hurry up and meet Thailah.

He stepped to the front of the room and was handed a microphone. He wiped his throat and delivered a brief welcoming speech before declaring the party open. Everyone applauded when he dropped the microphone.

Following that, he kept a straight expression and marched towards the direction of the chamber, but he was only halfway there when people began to rush in his direction. From the thirsty young girls who understood his plight, through those searching for employment.

Benjamin headed directly to the room and pulled the door open, finally able to breathe.

"Thailah is..." he murmured, opening the door to find an empty room.

It was their storage area, and there were no secret passages. There was stuff everywhere. The only way out was a huge gap in the middle that led to an outside entrance.

"Fuck!" He yelled. He then marched up to the door and yanked it open.

When he got out, he yelled her name and continued walking until he came face to face with their fence. Then he noticed two couples kissing along the fence at the far end.

His arrival astonished them, and he then stood back and examined the lady from a distance.

When he realized she wasn't Thailah, he shouted out to them, "Carry on!"

The devastated Benjamin returned to the storage room and stood there, unsure what to do.

At the moment, leaving the celebration was out of the question. It had only just started, and they were the hosts. What would the rest of town think of them? he wondered. While he was still contemplating, he caught the sight of Antonio through the little opening of the door.

"Antonio," he said loudly—loud enough for only Antonio because the entire party area was exceedingly loud.

"Sir Benjamin?" Antonio said, as he pulled the door of the storage open.

"Sir, what are you doing here?Your mother has been looking for you," he said to Benjamin.

"I'll take care of my mother later," Benjamin responded, dismissing his mother's case.

Then he motioned for Antonio to enter the room. He then began to question him about Thailah.

"I'm sorry, sir," Antonio said flatly, "but I haven't seen Ms. Rivera since the event began; perhaps you were incorrect."

"All right," Benjamin said, his hands on his waist.

Benjamin considered his next course of action while standing with his head lowered, one hand on his chin and the other on his waist.

"Perhaps I should take my leave and continue with my duty tonight, sir," Antonio said, and Benjamin waived him off without even glancing up.

Benjamin attempted to contact Thailah after Antonio had departed. The call was placed several times, but she did not answer.

"There you are!" Benjamin heard his mother remark before pushing open the door to the storage.

He peered at her, trying not to have her clothes discolored by the room's enormous drums.

"What exactly are you doing here?" She inquired.

"Nothing, mother, I'm just trying to get some air," he explained, straightening his tie.

" Air?" She inquired, her brow furrowed.

"How are you going to get air in such a stifling room? It hardly has a window," she went on.

"At least I'm the only living person within here," he said quickly.

"Oh, Ben, don't be foolish.Come now," Mrs. Caliwell replied, pulling him by his right hand.

Benjamin, unable to say no to his adoring mother, unwillingly accompanied her. They returned to the party area, and she walked about with him, showing him off to potential daughters-in-law. But Benjamin was uninterested in any of them; his heart belonged to only two women. One was Lilith, the other Thailah, and he needed to do something about her.

Finally, the all-white celebration was winding down. Benjamin, who had been waiting for the guests to leave for a long time, couldn't wait to drive over to Thailah's house. Even if it was a million miles away, he was willing to put everything on the line that evening.

"Have you met the lovely Ms. Stokes, Benjamin?" He turned around with the glass of wine in his hands after hearing his mother from behind.

A lady with a familiar face stood behind his mother, but he couldn't place it.

"She works as a doctor in the city." She came here on charity and has been working in the Clearwater community hospital for a few days now."

In Benjamin's mind, the word Clear Water rung a ring. He had seen the lady in the hospital when Thailah's mother became ill.

"I'll leave you two now," Mrs. Caliwell chuckled.

Benjamin longed to beg Mrs. Caliwell not to leave him alone with the lady as she turned to go.

He wasn't in the best of moods, and he didn't have time for her.

"So.... I'm June," she introduced herself, holding out her hands for a handshake.

Benjamin let her hand dangling for a time. Then he drank his entire glass of wine, leaving the glass on the table behind him, before he grasped her hand in his.

"You already know who I am," he added as he shook her hands and forced a grin.

June, who had been dying of shame from him leaving her hand dangling in public, was relieved when he finally took it, because she knew a lot of people were looking and it wouldn't be long before they started talking.

"Why don't we go somewhere secluded?" Benjamin moved in close enough to speak in her ear.

Her body shivered as she knew what it was like to be alone with a single man. He may have shown an interest in her, she reasoned. His mother had instructed her to do all it takes to win him over, even if it meant laying with him for the night.

"Here," he replied, extending a glass of wine from the table to her. He then took her hands in his arm and carried her to the garden.

June, who was loving the moment and didn't want it to stop. She gripped his bulging muscles as he led her outdoors. It made her feel like they were in a fairytale, like Cinderella and Prince Charming.

Benjamin came to a halt as they arrived to the garden. Without wasting time, he swallowed the contents of his wine glass and handed the empty glass to June.

"Have a nice night, Ms. Stokes," he murmured before leaving her speechless.

After leaving June speechless, Benjamin sauntered down to the car house, then into his car and drove to Thailah's apartment. He had no guilt for what he had done to June. At the very least, he did not disgrace her in public, and maybe she understood his message. He didn't care if she was the finest surgeon in the world or anything his mother claimed back there. He just didn't want to be around her.

Benjamin arrived at the Rivera's small cabin around an hour later. He stopped in front of their small driveway, which was bordered by plants and flowers. He got out of his car and went to the front door.

Mrs. Rivera slid the door slightly open before he could knock.

"She's gone," she stated solemnly.

"I don't understand Mrs. Rivera.Could you kindly let me in?" Benjamin inquired, trying hard not to sound weak in his voice.

He initially felt Mrs. Rivera was pulling a joke on him. Thailah had to be inside, he reasoned. But as soon as he stepped into their cabin, the emptiness it left engulfed him. Thailah had gone.

Mrs. Rivera went on to say that she arrived home from the party earlier than intended and hurriedly packed her luggage.

Then she went for the large city, claiming that there is a job opening. Benjamin sat in their little dining room, perplexed; he couldn't even bring himself to look at Mrs. Rivera. He had been shattered several times and had forgotten how to rise again. Why did she have to leave in such a hurry? he wondered.

After a time, he took a big breath and rose up to leave. He thanked Mrs. Rivera for everything she had done for him, and he left her with a warm hug and his phone number in case she needed anything while he was still around.

Before he hit the road, Benjamin pulled himself together, trying to come to terms with the fact that they probably weren't meant for each other. Everyone he loved always left him. He'd have to spend his life leaving with the memory of the past ten days, he thought. Going in search for her was baseless because she wasn't picking his calls, and he couldn't leave the whole Caliwell empire on a fruitless quest.