was so unlike Melly,
but something had probably come up and she knew that she'd hear all
about it soon enough.
The weather had turned nastily
dreadful. Dark black clouds loomed overhead as Suzie headed to the
outskirts of London to the little town of Rosewood Creek, where she
and Melly had rented the little cottage. It wasn't too far out from
the University, traveling the short distance was the added bonus to
living in such a picturesque environment. Both their parents helped
by their generous allowances to the girls. Life couldn't be better.
Looking out at the stretch of country road with the sweeping
willows swaying in the gusty wind and the smell of the fresh pine
needles hinting at a downpour Suzie realized that she was going to
be caught in the thick of it. The sky blackened and the heavens
opened, spewing torrents of rain. It pounded on her vehicle, the
windshield swishing to and fro crazily as Suzie squinted at the
road ahead struggling for visibility. She thought of pulling over
but decided against it as home was just ten minutes away. She'd
weather the storm, driving at a snail’s pace. Thank goodness that
this was the country and no traffic hazard. “ She'll be home soon .” she kept
reassuring herself.
A fork in the road ahead indicated
the turn towards home and the car skidded slightly as Suzie took
the turn. The cottage loomed ahead as she quickly turned into the
driveway, she felt a bit relieved that she didn't have to jump off
to open the gate as both she and Melissa had probably forgotten to
shut it when they left this morning. Lightning and thunder struck
as Suzie jumped off the car quickly locking it as she made the mad
dash to the front door. Inserting her key in the lock totally
drenched in those few minutes Suzie entered the cottage. It was
freezing cold and the dark interior making it apparent that Melly
had not returned as she sometimes did with Craig, her latest. She
walked into the lounge and switched on the light. It was
beautifully cozy furnished room with a soft rose printed wallpaper
in a delicate pink and white pattern which always gave one the
feeling of brightness and warmth, soft drapes at the windows
matching lampshades and a suede lounge suite completing the
furnishing. Suzie kicked off her shoes and sank her feet in the
luxurious shaggy rug making her way to the bathroom. Quickly
undressing, she turned on the spray in the shower, soaping herself
letting the hot streaming water soothe her body. Ten minutes later
she turned the faucet off, stepping out she dried herself, slipping
on her warm toweling robe she headed to the kitchen, pulled out her
favorite red and white mug with hearts on it and spooned 2 sugars
waiting for the kettle to boil. A nice cup of tea was generally
what Suzie liked to have when she got home from campus.
She and Melly would catch up on the events of their
day, laughing and joking around. The kettle automatically switched
off and the click brought Suzie back to wondering as she poured the
steaming water into her mug. Where was Melly? It was beginning to
become a little unnerving that Melly hadn't called back yet.
A sudden feeling of dread settled in the pit of her
stomach. She had the uncanny feeling that something was amiss.
Shaking her head she quietly told herself not to be Silly and
mentally pushed away the negative thoughts. It was probably the
storm adding to her paranoia.
Taking her tea she settled herself
into the warmth of the couch, switched on the Television and the
soapie Days Of Our Lives was on. Suzie skipped the channel and weirdly
settled for the Daily news update. The country's political
situation making headlines with the Presidents excessive funding on
his personal home making the highlights with the different rival
parties vying to outsmart each other on what the outcome would be.
The warmth of the tea made Suzie feel so relaxed that she dozed off
on the couch with the telly still on.
- Chapter 2
-
Her heart was