Outwardly, Maddie was smiling at the conversation, and laughing at the occasional joke. By now, she was an expert at this sort of deflection. Internally, she was beginning to feel depressed. In just a matter of hours, she was supposed to board the return flight to Sacramento, and then endure a long drive back to Summit Vista. The thought of heading home carried with it both dread and anxiety, as she knew she would have to face her parents.
Her mother, Mei Zhu, had been a model in her younger years, and she rarely let Maddie forget it. She was trained in business, standing to inherit her father’s company when he passed. Her (Mei’s) father, Wei Zhu, was the CEO of a large and successful electronics company, trailing not too far behind Huawei in popularity and sales.
Mei never understood why her mother had left China, as it had never, to her recollection, been properly explained. But for as long as Maddie could remember, she had been more drill sergeant of decorum and tradition than mother. It was never understood either how she had come to marry, but Maddie suspected it might have been a business arrangement.
Her father, Luis, she rarely saw, and never alone. He seemed always on business, but what that business was had never been made known to her. There were times she barely remembered what he looked like. But he could be every bit as stern as her mother, and their tempers matched fairly well. Outwardly, no one would suspect that Mei and Luis had anything but a perfect marriage, and the perfect daughter. At least, that was the plan, and always had been, as Maddie understood it.
Maddie took a minute to excuse herself, explaining that she needed to call her parents. In truth, she needed to escape. Stepping outside, she took a deep breath of air and let it out slowly, using what fast-tracking meditation she knew to try and stabilize herself before she could manage to cry. Sitting down at an outside table, she held the phone to her ear, so anyone who was looking wouldn’t bother her.
As she was masquerading, she was watching people go about their evenings, either going to or coming from dinner, or perhaps heading home from work. She had enjoyed her time in New Orleans. it had been freeing in a way she’d never experienced. She set her phone down, and reached into her purse, fishing out a business card she had been handed a couple nights previous. She flipped it over to look at the back, then looked back at the front, studying the script on the card.
Her mind raced as it ran over the options presented to her – the road well traveled, and the road not taken. The road well traveled would be more of the same, she was sure of it…and next time she was driven to suicide, she doubted she would fail. Maddie didn’t want to die – just to escape. To spend more time discovering who she was, to see more of what life had to offer, and she wouldn’t lie to herself – there was a sliver of hope that Mandy and Endrik had an open relationship, and she might have the kind of night with Mandy she’d imagined of off and on, at least once.
A decision made, she picked up her phone, and contacted the number on the card, leaving a message for Mandy’s friend Brandon. “I hope I’m not bothering you, Mr. Decacious. You offered help, if I chose it. I’d like to accept, if you’re still willing.” having left that message, she texted Mandy, figuring she would answer as soon as she could. Hey…we can talk later, but, long story short….would it be okay if I maybe stayed with you for a little while, unless I can make other arrangements?
With a final deep breath, and a steeling of her nerves, she sent a group text to her parents; Mom and Dad, I am just texting to let you know that I will not be on the flight home. I choose my own path. Before she could lose her nerve, she hit send. The worst was yet to come, and now was only the eye of the storm, she felt.
“Heaven help me.” she muttered, burying her face in her hands for a moment before putting on a good face and heading back inside.
Two time zones away, Mei phones her husband after receiving the text.
“Hola?”
“Don’t ‘hola’ me.” she snapped. “I knew it was a bad idea to let her go.”
“Maddie? What happened?”
“Read your texts.” Mei snapped, drumming her fingers while she waited impatiently. Luis took a moment to read the text, then when he spoke, there was a matching tone of anger in his voice.
“Apparently, we should have either kept the reins tighter, or had one of us follow along.”
“Evidently.” Mei huffed. “If you ask me, those friends she went to visit are entirely to blame. If only I could remember which ones they were!”
Luis was quiet a moment as he thought. “Carmichael and Winchester, I believe.”
“Oh yes….them.” Mei said with a sigh. “So how do we proceed?”
“We should collect her, obviously. We can meet up in Sac at the airport and fly out tonight, and collect her at the hotel she’s staying at.”
“I’ll make preparations for us both, then will leave immediately.”
“Call me when you’re close to Sac, and I’ll start heading for the airport.”
“That girl is going to regret this!” Mei said before hanging up.