24. Will
“Oh my god, what have I done?” I stood outside of the house with my hands on my head as I realized how huge of a mistake I had just made.
I looked ahead again, hoping to see Elizabeth even though I knew she was far gone.
“Oh, Will! Will!” In anger, I kicked a flowerpot that was seated peacefully right beside me, causing it to fall and break by the side.
Realizing the huge mess I had just created again, I walked back inside in annoyance.
“Is she gone?” I heard my fling say, but I just ignored her as I picked up my phone to dial Elizabeth’s number.
“If she is gone, we could continue from where we left off.”
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back as I immediately turned to her in anger. “Please leave,” I said politely, trying to put my emotions in order.
After all, I called for her, so I had no right to blame her for my actions.
“Excuse you? You called me here, and now you ask me to leave.”
“I beg you, please leave!” I said, slightly raising my voice enough for her to know that I was serious about her leaving.
I watched her pick up her purse and walk out earnestly. The moment I heard the door close behind her, I let out a breath as I felt my heart pacing.
What do I do? How do I fix things?
I should never have called her here. I should have listened to my instincts telling me that I was doing something wrong. But then I shut it out, choosing the wrong route, and now this was the end result I was left with.
Putting the phone to my ear, I listened as it rang, but there was no answer. Of course, she wasn’t going to pick up. What was I expecting? That she would pick up and listen to what I had to say after hurting her in that manner?
I called again, but this time, her phone was switched off.
Settling on my couch with my head buried in my palms, I had no idea what to do next. As I sat there, my head kept replaying the moment when she had walked into the living room and seen me with my fling.
The disappointment on her face was enough for me to know that I had messed up big time. As I recalled the teardrops on her cheeks as she ran out of my living room, my heartache intensified. I called her again to no avail. For the first time in a long time, I experienced fear. The thought of her never talking to me again scared me more than anything. I was not ready to lose Elizabeth. So far, she was the one good thing I had going on in my life besides business.
She brought life and peace into my life, and now that I had tasted it, I was not willing to let it go. Never! Coming to that realization made me finally accept the fact that I wanted her. Thinking of how else to reach her, I put a call through to Lydia.
“Lydia, have you spoken to Elizabeth?”
“No, I haven’t. Why? Isn’t she supposed to be at your place?”
“How did you know that?” I asked, wondering what she knew.
“She told me she was going over to yours, and that was the last I spoke to her.”
“Oh, I see. Well, if you speak to her, could you please tell her to pick up my calls?”
“Did anything happen?” Lydia asked curiously.
I knew this was not the time to tell Lydia what had happened. There was no doubt she was going to side with Elizabeth immediately, and Lydia was the only one who could help me speak to Elizabeth. I could only hope and pray that Elizabeth listened.
Oh, God, please help me out on this one! I cried out in my heart as I looked to my ceiling, still thinking of what else I could do.
I was absolutely certain that I did not want to lose Elizabeth, not in any way!
***
As I stood by myself at the party of another one of my clients, I let out a sigh, feeling Elizabeth’s absence even more. Three days had passed since that night at my place, and neither Lydia nor I had been able to reach her.
I had even sent her a package, including flowers, an apology letter, and a dress I would have loved for her to wear to the party this evening. But of course, I was not surprised when the package was returned to me by the deliveryman. According to him, he got no response from the receiver. I let out another breath as I took a swig out of the glass in my hand.
To be honest, it was getting worrisome that I had not heard from Elizabeth at all. Usually, Lydia should be able to reach her, but then it seemed like Elizabeth was shutting everyone out. It bothered me even further as I wondered if she was fine or doing okay.
“Will, good to see you again. How are you?”
My attention was immediately taken as Mr. Charles walked up to me, greeting me in a cheery tone that contradicted my mood.
Well, of course, I had to hide the fact that I was not in a good mood. Immediately putting on a good smile, fair enough to hide what I was dealing with inside, I took his hand, shaking it firmly in response.
“I’m very good! And great to see you here, Mr. Charles.”
“Same here! Where is your wife? Or fiancée?” Charles joked as he winked at Will, causing Will to wonder what it was he was going to say.
“Umm . . . I . . .”
“Uh-oh, I know that response. You messed it up, didn’t you?” Charles spoke almost immediately, his expression quickly turning serious.
“How did you know that?”
“I knew from the first day that you were not going to make things work. Will, you found yourself a good woman, a good thing! Why would you let it go?”
Charles’s words stung my heart, especially because I knew he was telling the truth.
“I was scared, Charles, of letting her in again, but now, I’m even more scared that I might lose her for real this time,” I honestly admitted as I struggled to contain my emotions.
I could not even remember the last time I felt this intense kind of emotion before. All I knew was I wanted to mend things with Elizabeth.
“Then, what are you doing here?”
His question resonated with me as I also asked myself the same thing.
What was I doing here?
Why was I here?
It’s not like any of these clients were really here for business; most were here to show off their wealth. If I really wanted to close a deal with any of them, I could easily do that without having to be here.
So once again, why was I here?
But then again, where was I supposed to be?
“Where am I supposed to be, Charles?”
“At her place, young lad. At her place, begging for her forgiveness, whatever it is that you did. You need to put your ego aside, Will, because trust me and mark my words, you’re never going to find another woman like Elizabeth, a woman who is down to earth, not after your wealth and fame but your well-being. A woman who is ready to support you every step of the way and is willing to tolerate your shortcomings. You and I know you have a lot of them, eh?” Charles chuckled slightly, causing me to laugh as well. “So you know what to do, Will. Go to her. Ask for her forgiveness and let her know how much you care about her.”
With each of his words weighing on my heart, I knew what I had to do next.
“Thank you so much, Charles! Thank you! Thank you very much!”
I quickly set my glass on a passing waiter’s tray before rushing out of the venue and heading straight to my car. I needed to put my ego aside, and Charles was right. If you want something, you go for it. You don’t sit back waiting for the day it comes to you.
I wanted Elizabeth, and I was determined to pursue her, regardless of what the future held for us.