The Underground

Chapter 11: The Aftermath

"Certainly. I'll help you." He waved to our parents, telling them to go ahead and get started on dessert.

Instead of walking by my side, Richard picked me up and carried me to my room. He'd never done that before; I think he was genuinely worried about me. He set me down gently on my bed, grabbed a quilt and spread it over me. Then he sat down in the chair closest to my bed. Louis' chair.

I closed my eyes and hoped that he wouldn't stay too long. Another rush of nausea swept over me as I remembered that I was engaged to this man now. And all I could think about was the look on Louis' face.

"So, I thought a Christmas wedding would be nice. What do you think?" Richard asked.

My eyes shot open. "Th...this year? Like in five months? I...I don't know, Richard, this is such a surprise and I'm only 18, and it takes a long time to plan a wedding. Besides, I've always wanted a summer wedding. Maybe next year? Or even the following year so we have time to make it extra special?"

"If you want a summer wedding, I'll think about it. But I mean, it's my wedding, too, right? The sooner I get married to you, the better." He stood up and kissed me on the forehead.

"Before you leave, will you bring me the trash can from my bathroom? I feel like I might throw up."

Richard grimaced. He hated illness as much as my mother did and he'd never really comforted me when I was sick, but instead, he stayed away from me until I was well. "Take off that dress, Darling. You don't want it to be ruined if you do get sick." He placed the trash can by my bedside and then he left.

"I'll take it off after you leave," I said.

As soon as the door clicked closed, all of the horrible emotions burst out of me. I sobbed into my pillow for a long time.

"What am I going to do?" I groaned. "Everyone is thrilled about this engagement except me."

All of a sudden, I had this overwhelming need to get out, feeling like I was being suffocated in my own room. I had to get out of out of the house and breathe some fresh air. I slipped on some flip flops so I wouldn't be clopping around in my heels. I sneaked down the back staircase and quietly out to the garden.

The air was so refreshing. With the afternoon's storms, the rain had washed away the sticky, stifling heat of summer, and it had left behind a soothing breeze and a glorious fragrance. I filled my lungs with fresh air and blew out. I repeated that several times and my head began to clear just a little. I walked around the garden, feeling the damp grass tickle at my toes. The solar lights combined with the bit of mist still in the air created a dreamlike image. I remembered playing out here when I was a child. My friends and I used to play hide and seek behind the shrubs and statues, or sometimes cops and robbers, but my mother told me that I shouldn't play games like that because they're not feminine.

I walked over to an ornate bench that my mother had custom-made in France. I sat down on it; it felt like any other hard wooden bench.

I closed my eyes and continued to focus on my breathing, the sounds and the smells of the yard. I felt the bench shift slightly and I knew that someone had sat down next to me. I assumed it was Richard; maybe he'd come to check on me in my room and discovered I wasn't there.

But it was Louis' voice that flatly said, "Congratulations."

I didn't open my eyes, I didn't respond in any way.

His presence was comforting. I just wanted to cling to that for a moment.

"It's customary at this point for you to say thank you," he said, his voice still sounding heavy.