*THE HOLLEN SERIES*
????????????EPISODE 41????????????
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*??COFFEE AND PAPER??*
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Ethan’s POV
She was gone. She just up and left. It’s funny
how relationsh!ps change overnight. One
minute you’re happy the next you’re left all
alone with sorrow in your soul.
It was Saturday morning. I wasn’t going into
the office today because I’d promised my
Nana I would spend the day with her at the
golf course. I hadn’t seen her since the
birthday p@rty and I was looking forward to
some of her wisdom.
After showering and getting dressed in denim
jeans and a plain white T-shi-t with white
sneakers, I took my black SUV from the
mansion’s garage. It wasn’t one of my favorite
cars but it was a comfortable ride for my Nana
and it was spacious enough for the golf clubs,
picnic basket and cooler for drinks.
It was sunny and bright as I drove down the
street and took the first intersection to her
mansion. It was much smaller than mine but it
was suitable for her; she lived alone; my
grandfather pas-sed away three years ago. Her
mansion had its security guards and systems,
automatic voice recognition gate, and a nice
swimming pool at the front. It was located on
a hill side and looked a lot like the country. I
used to love coming here before I bought my
own house.
“Ethan, you c@m£!” She look so cheerful in a
white flower printed dress and a white hat.
“Hi Nana, of course I c@m£,” I returned her
hvg.
“But why didn’t you bring Emma along? The
fresh air, she would have loved it. Oh baby, go
back for Emma.” She pu-ll-ed pla-yfully on my
cheeks, which was one of her favorite things to
do when asking for a favor.
My facial expression immediately changed. I
alre-ady missed Emma. Letting her walk away
from me was the stupidest thing I had ever
done, but I didn’t want to hold her against her
will. She wanted to leave.
“Nana, that’s not going to be possible,” I said,
placing the cooler into the van.
“Why is that?”
I didn’t answer.
“Ethan! What did you do?”
“Nana, she left. She threw the ring at me and
she left.”
“Why’d she throw the ring? She’s not crazy; she
wouldn’t just throw the ring for no reason.”
“I almost cheated on her and the woman I
almost cheated with left her un-derwear in my
jacket and Emma found it.” I placed the clubs
in the van also then the picnic basket.
She got in the pas-s£nger’s front seat, fanning
herself with the hat. I knew she was upset
because she was silent the entire ride to the
golf course.
It was midday when we arrived. There were
other golfers around and I really wanted to try
my swing against her, but Nana’s mood was
now gloomy and dark. She wasn’t up for
golfing anymore. She just sat on a bench.
“Nana, I’m sorry I messed up things with her. I
know you were fond of her.”
“You have to fix this. How careless of you to
be in another woman’s arms while your fiancee
was at home waiting for you!”
“Nana, I wasn’t thinking straight. I’ve been
un-der a lot of pressure, especially with the
company.”
“What pressure?”
“Well, remember when I explained to you
about the project for expansion? Well it had
been disapproved.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t have the collateral. I nee-ded my trust
and, as you know, I have to get married and
become a father or the verge of becoming a
father.”
“Oh my goodness, Ethan. plea-se don’t tell me
that you took the frustration out on that poor
girl because she had a miscarriage.”
I hesitated to answer. Was that what I did?
“Ethan, do you even love her, or were you just
using her to ba-re a child and become your
wife so your pockets would become fatter?”
“I loved her. I still do.”
“Then you better fix it and make it right. I can’t
believe you. I didn’t raise you to go around
breaking young girls’ hearts. Fix it before it’s
too late.”
“I’ll fix it. I’m just giving her time to calm
down. She was furious with me, Nana.”
“She should have sl@pped some s-en-se into
you.”
I chuckled. Nana always knew how to brighten
the mood, even when she was serious.
We did some golfing, drank and ate the
goodies from the picnic basket.
Emma would have loved this. She loved the
outdoors, I took her to a park once and
literally had to carry her to the car because she
didn’t want to leave. There were so many
places I had planned on taking her before
winter began, so many things I wanted to
teach her and let her experience with me. I
wanted to spoil her and love her to the moon
and back, but I messed things up.
I knew the miscarriage wasn’t her fault. I knew,
when I began to shut her out, it wasn’t her fault
as well. I didn’t know what was wrong with me
and why I did what I did, but what Nana asked
me went de-ep into my thoughts. Did I really
love her, or was I only in love with what she
would have allowed me to gain once I had a
child and gotten married to her? I knew I cared
about her. I didn’t want to see her cry or
scared or hurt but was that love? What the hell
is love?
“Nana, what’s love?” I asked as our day
together c@m£ to an end and I was driving
back to the house.
“Love is the only word with thousands of
descriptions. It doesn’t have just one meaning,
my child. Love is putting someone else’s
nee-ds before yours. Love is un-derstanding and
respect. Love is kindness and admiration. Love
is joy, laughter and humility. It’s never unkind
and boastful, or hurtful or painful. Love is
everything good and nothing bad.”
See what I meant when I said I could always
count on her? The woman was a god s£nd.
She was my all and more, but whenever I told
her that she would scold me and say, “God is
your all and your Everything. He’s a jealous
God and doesn’t want anyone else before him.
Put your all in God. I’m just a human being,
and I am your grandmother. I’m supposed to
love you and want to see the best for you.”
She was amazing beyond words, and was
nothing like my mother, who had yet to surface
because she was wanted by the police, she
and Sharon.
______________________________________
(Somewhere in Italy)
Sharon’s POV
“Sharon, this taste like old socks!” Mrs. Hollen
screamed at me and pushed my homemade
pizza across the small wooden table.
We’d been in hiding in Italy since we’d
kidnapped Emma and found out that she was
still alive. The stupid driver was supposed to
put a bullet in her skull then dump her in the
swamp for crocodiles or alligators or hvge fish
to feast on; but he scre-wed us over. The
police caught him and he admitted to
everything. That fool!
“I’m sick of this place. There are too many
mosquitoes. My back aches from that ha-rd
mattress. I’ve had it!” She shouted again,
swatting at a mosquito and missing wildly.
We were in a tiny house, far from civilization.
We ate fruits and nuts from trees and, when we
were in nee-d of groceries, would dress in full
clothing, leaving only our eyes expo-sed, and
travel into the city.
“Mrs. Hollen, plea-se. At least I tried. The soup
you made Wednesday gave us the runs.”
She glanced furiously at me and stood up,
arching her back. She went towards the small
be-droom and l@yon her ha-rd mattress.
“I’ll leave some for you!” I called.
“Shove it where the sun don’t shine!”
“How do you plan on getting our lives back to
the way they were? We’re wanted by the
police.”
“I know that, Sharon. Do you think I don’t know
that? I don’t know how we’re going to fix this. I
didn’t know she was pregnant. I injured the
woman pregnant with my grandchild.”
“She might not be pregnant, Kate. Word is she
lost the baby.”
“Well, you’ve accomplished phase one.”
“We. We’re in this together. We’ve
accomplished phrase one!” I corrected as I
approached her room and pushed in the door.
“You’re not backing out on me, we’re in this
together. I say we use your damn connections,
get new identities, go back to America, and
finish the damn job. That little bit-ch ruined my
life. She took away our chances at wealth; she
took away my fiancee and my wedding. I want
her dead! This time, I’ll do it myself.”
*THE HOLLEN SERIES*
????????????EPISODE 42????????????
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*??COFFEE AND PAPER??*
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Emma’s POV
I p@rtied until midnight at Roger’s. My b©dy
ached from the heat of dancing but I had never
felt so carefree and wild before. I danced like
there was no tomorrow and I drank like a
professional. I guess I wanted to wash away
the stress and pain Ethan had put me throu-gh.
I wanted do something to get my mind off of
him and forget about him.
Although my head was pounding and my b©dy
was aching, I had to get on my feet and go
find a job, so that was exactly what I did. I
took a shower and washed my hair then
changed into something decent, and had a
peanut bu-tter and jelly sandwich with fresh
orange jui-ce. I headed to where businesses
were in abundance, keeping tabs of all the
corners, streets and road signs so I wouldn’t
get lost. I had good recollection.
I walked into a boutique after I saw “Help
Wanted” on a flyer in its windows. It was more
of a clothing sto-re with affordable items for
purchase but it was wonderfully kept and it
had a welcoming feeling to it.
A tall, very slim lady with blonde hair styled in
a bun approached me. “Good morning, can I
help you?”
“Good morning. My name is Emma and I’m
looking for a job. I noticed the flyer in the
window.”
“Do you have any fashion s-en-se?” she asked,
folding her arms.
“Um, I try to,” I answered truthfully, thanking
Halley in my thoughts. She was the one who
loved dressing up, doing hair and makeup, and
matching outfits. I learned a lot from her.
“I’m sorry, Emma, but you’re inexperienced. We
can’t have you here. Bye, now.”
“But I’m willing to lea—” I began but she cut
me off.
“I said bye now.”
The cool air calmed my nerves as I walked out
disappointed.
I headed further down the street, casting my
eyes from building to building, keeping tabs
and re-ading the clas-sifieds to see if there were
any more jobs available in the area.
I walked straight into something ha-rd , like a
brick wall, and the next thing I knew, I was
falling backwards.
I was caught by a firm hand. “Hey. What are
you doing here?” Roger asked as I recovered
my balance.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was
going.”
“That’s alright. I’m just happy I caught you in
time.”
“Well, you’re looking mighty energetic,
considering the way you danced and drank last
night,” I joked.
“Hey, I’ve got lots of experience.”
My face fell as he said those words. I was
wondering if I would get any job with my lack
of experience.
“Hey, is everything alright?” he asked as he
studied my face.
“I’m job hunting. No luck so far.”
“Really? I’m sorry to hear that.”
“That’s okay. I only started today. I’m hoping
I’ll get something soon.”
“Well, I could ease your burden and save you
some time. I could hire you.”
My mouth formed a circle of surprise when
those words c@m£ from his mouth. “Hire me?
To do what?”
“Lets get a drink of coffee at the cafe. I’ll
explain to you there.”
We walked over to a nearby cafe. There were
tables on the outside and inside; we sat down
outside. A waitress took our orders and we
waited on our coffee.
Some caffeine would be good at this moment.
“So, I don’t wanna sound too forward, but what
exactly is this job description?” I asked.
“My grandmother is getting up in age and
she’ll nee-d to retire soon. She only helps out
because I don’t really trust many people. You
could replace her and become the head
receptionist at the complex.”
“Wow, really? I’m grateful… but, why me?” I
asked, hoping there wasn’t any catch.
“Because you seem like a really nice person. I
know I’ve only just gotten to know you, but I
feel like I could trust you.” He sipped on his
coffee.
“Thank you.”
“You can start Monday. Use the weekend to get
prepared. It will be great, working very close to
your new ‘ap@rtment’ and all. You won’t have to
waste money on transportation.”
“How much would I be working for?” I wasn’t
expecting a great paycheck, but I nee-ded
enough to cover the rent and my basic nee-ds.
“It’s not much, but I can start you off with nine
hundred bi-weekly. If you work your way up,
and I’m impressed, within three months we can
discuss a raise. Of course, you won’t have to
pay rent. You can stay in the room you’re in
during your probationary period and we can
discuss that too after three months.”
“I accept,” I said cheerfully and drank my
coffee.
The salary sounded good, though I made more
at the mansion. But this was just temporary
until I could figure out my next move for a
larger income. One step at a time.
“So what were you doing in the financial
district?” I asked, ma-king conversation.
“Oh, I was just dropping off a friend.”
“But you were walking.”
He laughed. “My car is parked right there,” he
pointed to a silver convertible.
I arched my eyebrows. Nice Ride.
“So, shall we head back?” he asked, getting up
slowly from the table.
I held onto my purse, took one last sip of the
coffee and followed him to his car. He drove
with light speed; my hair blew in the wind,
feeling great against my face. I smiled as
people on the street looked on in awe at the
two of us.
We arrived at the h0tel twenty minutes later.
I checked my phone; there were three missed
calls from Ethan. I decided to st©p ignoring
him and call him back. A piece of me missed
him. Who was I kidding? All of me missed
him. The man was the light in my dark, scary,
cold world. He’d changed me in so many good
ways.
I sat on the sofa while the other end of the
phone began to ring.
“Emma, where are you?” he said as soon as I
answered.
I rolled my eyes and smiled. “All you nee-d to
know is that I’m alright and I’m getting by
without you.”
“Baby, I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m sorry for
letting you leave. I want you to come home.”
“I am home.”
“plea-se don’t say that. Tell me where you are
so I can come get you.”
“Ethan! St©p it. This thing we had going isn’t
going to work. I’m too different in your world. I
don’t fit into your world and you can see that.”
“Emma, you are my world. I just want you to
come home. I miss you; I can’t sleep without
you. I’m going crazy.”
“You wouldn’t get crazy. I think we should stay
separated. It’s better that way. Goodbye,
Ethan.”
“Emma, don’t hang up this ph—”
I hung up, as ha-rd as it was to do. Tears fell
from my eyes and onto the phone’s screen. I
looked at the the picture of him, Halley and I
on his pri-vate jet to Miami. I missed her too;
she was my only friend.
I dialed her number.
“Emma, sweetie. Oh my goodness, I’m so
happy you’re calling me. Are you alright? Where
are you?”
“Hi, girl. I’m alright. I’m fine, but I’m not telling
you where I am; you’ll leak to Ethan.”
“No I wouldn’t. I miss you alre-ady. I wanna
come see you sometime.”
“Halley, calm down. I’ll be changing my phone
soon because I think Ethan can track this one.
I just wanted you to know I’m okay and I miss
you too.”
“Emz, plea-se come back. It’s not the same
without you here. The house feels so cold and
lonely without you.”
“Where’s the other maid?”
“She’s around. She’s learning, but she’s not
you.”
I laughed. “Halley, you’ll see me soon. I’ll
arrange a day for us to meet up at the mall or
somewhere.”
“Yeah, girl, we could get our nails and hair
done and do some shopping.”
Typical Halley.
“Just like the good old times,” I said.
“Call me soon, okay?”
“We’ll keep in t©uçh.”
I ended the call.
I felt better talking to Halley; she always knew
how to turn my mood around for the better. I
put my earphones in and scrolled throu-gh my
music pla-ylist to find a song to match my
mood and selected “be-d of Lies” by Nicki
Minaj and Skylar Grey.
‘Do You ever think of me when you lie,
Lie down in your be-d, your be-d of lies?And I
knew better than to look in your eyesThey only
pretend you would be mineAnd oh how you
made me believeYou had me caught in every
web that you weavedBut do you ever think of
me when you lie,Lie down in your be-d, your be-d
of lies?
You could never make eye contact
Everything you got was based off of my
contacts
You a fraud, but I’m a remain icon-stat
Balenciaga’s on my boots with the python stra-p
You was caught up in the rush, and you was
caught up in the thri-ll of it
You was with me way before I hit a quarter mil’
in it
Put you in the crib and you ain’t never pay a bill
in it
I was killin’ it, man you got me poppin’ pills in it
I told Baby hit you, I said this buggin’
Cause I was doing it for us, I told ’emfu-ck the
public
Couldn’t believe that I was home alone
contemplating
Overdosin’, no more coastin’, no more toastin’
over oceans
They say you don’t know what you got ’til it’s
gone
They say that your darkest hour comes before
your dawn
But there was something that I should’ve asked
all along
I’m amma ask on the song.’
I heaved a long sigh.
I turned the phone off and went to get a nap
but a knock c@m£ on my door. I opened it,
as-suming it had to be Roger. It wasn’t.
*TO BE CONTINUE