"Hi, this is Belladona Favorleigh speaking. May I speak to Jane, please," said Bella.
"Wait a sec," Jane's mother said and called out to Jane.
"Jane! Bella's on the phone."
Jane rushed into the room and spoke into the receiver, "Hi, Bella! How are you?"
"I am in the best of my health. I wanted to inform you that I am having a party at my house. The invitation cards will be delivered by tomorrow. I will be looking forward to your reply," said Bella.
"Oh, thank you! I've never been invited to a grand party before," said Jane.
"What should I wear? Bella, I don't have a party frock or dress."
"No problem, come to my house an hour earlier. I'll lend you one of my frocks and my personal beautician will groom you up for the party," explained Bella.
"Will you really do that for me?" asked Jane.
"Of course, I will be honoured to help my best friend. Haven't you heard, A friend in need..." said Bella.
"Is a friend indeed," chanted Jane.
Then they both started laughing. Bella's polite, low laugh and Jane's loud, hearty one. They talked some more then Bella said goodbye and replaced the receiver on the cradle.
Bella had her own private number so it didn't matter in the least if she used the phone for hours. But she wasn't the sort of a girl who made friends or called someone over or chatted with anyone. Jane was not just a common girl whom she talked to or shared things with, she was a girl Bella could trust.
Bella was annoyed that her mother didn't like her one and only friend. Bella didn't even tell her that she was inviting Jane to her party. She was determined not to introduce Jane to her till the very end of the party or else her mother would spoil it somehow.
As arranged, Jane came an hour earlier. Fortunately, Bella's mother was not home. They got ready for the party before their other classmates arrived.
Jane was a pretty girl but her prettiness was hidden behind a mask of poverty. She had two elder sisters and a younger sister and a brother. Her father did not have much money to spend on all five of his kids.
None of her classmates made any sarcastic remark about her because she was arm in arm with Bella all the time. Also they were having too much fun to spoil it by being rude and Jane really did look pretty. They played games and had a delicious feast afterwards.
There were sandwiches, pizzas, spring rolls, canapés, pasta, chicken nuggets and chicken sausages; in the first course.
In the second course there were all kinds of desserts like cakes, ice creams, jellies, tarts, pies, meringues, croquembouche, bowls of trifles, puddings, mousses and many more; all of different flavour and colour.
All the kids had the time of their lives. Jane for once enjoyed herself at a party. She had only heard of these delicacies before but she had never had a chance to stuff them down her throat before.
Bella's mother was also good to her. She liked the pretty girl with a beautiful frock and dainty jewellery. Little did she know it was Jane wearing Bella's frock and jewellery.
"Belladona, dear," said her mother after the party, "I am glad you didn't invite Jane to your party. I quite liked the girl you played with. So different from the dull and plain Jane you talk about."
"Mother, did you like my friend?" asked Bella.
"Of course, dear, she looked quite rich," answered her mother.
"Mother, she is not rich and does not own any property, but she is pretty, kind and loyal. She is my one and only friend, Jane," said Bella.
"Jane! But she didn't look like a poor girl at all," said her mother.
"To inform you kindly I must say that you are under the impression that only rich girls are pretty," said Bella rudely.
"Haven't you ever been taught how to speak to your mother?" asked her mother angrily.
"Haven't you ever been taught how to look after your daughter?" retorted Bella.
"I have arranged a lot of nannies, trainers and servants for you. What else do you want?" asked her mother.
"It is love I desire. I desire friendship, warmth, care. Please, supply me with these things instead of other stuff you keep me loaded with," said Bella sadly.
"You go to your room young lady, and stay there," said Bella's mother, her eyes flashing with anger.
Bella ran upstairs to her room. She opened her desk drawer and took out a gold pen, it's nib studded with diamonds.
On a second thought she put it back and shut the drawer. She stood up and locked the bedroom door. Then she crawled under her bed and came out with a pink coloured box, labelled as 'Shell Kit'.
She reached inside and took out a smaller but slightly darker pink coloured box. It was decorated with pink seashells. Her full name shone in gold letters on the bottom right corner of the box. She pushed back the latch and opened the box.
It was divided into two portions, an upper portion and a lower one. Each portion was further divided into four sections. The upper four sections were labelled as 'Whistle shells', 'Spotty shells', 'Flower shells' and 'Curly shells'. The lower sections were named as 'Small shells', 'Thin shells', 'Round shells' and 'Mutated shells'.
She took out the upper section carefully and placed it beside her. Then she took a pink cardboard box out of the Shell kit. From the cardboard box she took out nine small pink trays with golden edges. Eight of them were named same as the sections of the box and the ninth was labelled as the 'Sorting tray'.
She emptied all the eight sections in their respective trays. Then she reached for her backpack, very carefully, as not to upset the setting of her stuff. She took out a small pink envelope and emptied it's contents into the sorting tray. There were about seven different kinds of shells.
She reached into the shell kit once again and took out a dark pink framed magnifying glass. She picked up a shell and examined it carefully under the magnifying glass and placed it in the tray labelled as spotty shells. One by one she placed each shell in its respective tray.
She picked up two shells that she had put aside and carried them to her study table. She examined them carefully under the microscope and placed one of them in the tray labelled as curly shells. She couldn't make head or tail of the second shell. It did not fit in any category so she placed it among the mutated shells.
She was about to arrange the shells in their proper places when she heard the intercom bell.
She pressed the green button and said, "This is Belladona Favorleigh. Put forward your purpose of the call."
"Miss Belladona, your parents are waiting for you in the family room downstairs," the intercom operator's voice rang through the speaker.
"You are allowed to announce my presence after fifteen minutes," ordered Bella.
She arranged the shells in the shell box, replaced all the things back in the shell kit and hid it under her bed again. She washed her face, changed her clothes, combed her hair and was ready to go downstairs to her parents.
She checked her watch, knocked on the door and entered the family room.
"I am sorry to keep you waiting but now I present myself before you," said Bella, bowing slightly.
"Have a seat, Belladona," said her father, gesturing towards a sofa.
She sat on the sofa facing her parents and waited for them to begin.
"Belladona dear, I am very sorry to announce..." began her father.
"And I am very happy," her mother interrupted.
Bella could tell.
It was not likely for her mother to interrupt someone if she was not ecstatically happy.
"Ahem, ahem!" said her father. "As I was saying, we are going to move."
"Move! Move where?" Bella gasped.
"To our hometown, sweetie. I am afraid you will not be able to see Jane again or keep in touch with her," said her mother, barely able to conceal her happiness.
"I know what you are planning to do. I will run away," shouted Bella.
"Now now, Bella. Where are your manners? You are not acting like a lady at all," said her father, sternly.
Lady or no lady. Bella was determined to stay.
Nothing in this world was going to change her mind.
But something in her dream world did.
Author's note :
What do you think of this chapter? Keep me updated with your views and ideas.
There has been a tragedy. I would have updated 4 chapters on 31st January but the written material got deleted somehow. So, I had to rewrite it. I am also very sad because I had no other copy of the chapters of, "The Twist In Life".
Pray that I find the lost stuff.
Thanks.
Sad goodbye.