The night that Oriel had put her hopes in, ended. That night she had almost gotten kicked out of the party, been the date of the handsome host, and also stumbled upon a face from her past. Nothing of this was ever fathomed by her.
At the end of the night, she was left with Rever, who was brimming with alcohol down his throat. He needed her support to even walk out of the farm house. Oriel became lifeless even at the thought of bearing him till she manages to find a cab.
"Lord! will there ever be a day when I won't regret being alive?" she muttered to herself while Rever leaned on her shoulder that was too frail to handle his weight. She tried walking straight and coordinated his steps with hers. She collected the stares of the guests who were on their way outwards. Just as her mind veered to the embarrassment that she was facing because of him, she couldn't maintain her balance and Rever almost tripped with his head on, but Collin came lifting him from the other side and saved his skull.
"I wish that you're not seriously involved with this guy," he said, offering his shoulder to him. "Let go, I will handle him."
He didn't wait for Oriel to accept his help, which she was obviously going to deny. He carried him outside effortlessly. Oriel followed from behind, lifting her dress from touching the muddy ground outside; she couldn't afford to ruin it, and she was also concerned for the creases that were forming on the tuxedo that Rever was wearing.
The time had already past midnight, Oriel stewed upon the thought of not getting a cab at that hour. She kept Collin's side, who had unexpectedly brought her and Rever beside a grand-sized shining car. With one arm, he supported Rever to stand, and with the other he opened the door to seat him inside. As soon as he helped him sit in the backseat, Rever fell asleep and his snoring followed, loud and annoying.
"Why did you seat him in this car?" demanded Oriel.
"Because he couldn't get in by himself, but I hope you can," he said, as he pulled open the door of for her.
"I'm not going with you," she stood firm in front of him.
Sighing notably, he closed the door back again and turned to look into her eyes. "Why would I drive for you and your wasted boyfriend?" he estranged Oriel with his words. "I am not a person who has time for this. I wouldn't even have bothered myself helping him if Mr. Bruce hadn't asked me to. So don't yield to assumptions so soon. A driver will arrive and drop you wherever you want."
His heart had lost the tenderness and care for her that he had fifteen years ago. And not that he didn't have the reason to; he had a reason that allowed him to be as cold as he wanted.
So did Oriel avoid his sight, which would get her scornful whenever caught. They exchanged looks worse than enemies. She walked past him, fitting herself inside the car. Not too late, a driver came and apologized, "I'm sorry, I made you wait for really long."
He entered the car and grabbed the wheel. Through the window, Collin saw Oriel's face, unfamiliar even after an acquaintance of years, "Goodbye!" he said as turned back to leave. She saw his back as the distance grew more and more.
Then the driver revved the engine and stepped on the accelerator. The two parted again after meeting years later.
Sitting inside the car, she heard Rever still mumbling the curses dedicated to the man he had fought with. "How can someone be so useless? It was my mistake to bring you with me," she told to the one talking in sleep. "God! I want to kill you so bad."
The luxurious and glossy car came into the narrow streets of the neighborhood Oriel and Rever lived in. She pressed the doorbell of Rever's home, and the door opened to show his old and sickly grandmother. Under the lady's eyes were the marks of the lack of sleep that was everything that anybody would remember about her face.
She was a lady in her late seventies and her face and body were keeping the tab of her age. She slightly peeked outside before generously opening the door.
"Oriel! where were you? I was looking for you and Rever all day," she asked, giving a weary voice.
"He is with me, and also really drunk. Although I tried to keep the alcohol away from him, he somehow knows his way to it."
The old lady pulled him out of the car with her weak body, and with the help of Oriel, they finally made it inside. "Blahma grandma... Oriel's so hot," he blabbered.
"Oh! my child, you must be so tired. Did you eat something at the party?" Until the door completely closed on Oriel's face, she could clearly hear Rever's grandmother showering affection on her lousy grandson.
"How ungrateful he is to have a family," exclaimed Oriel, tilting her head in dismay.
She stepped inside the car again and it followed the way to her home this time. Alone in the backseat of the grand vehicle driven by a personal driver, she sat with leisure, relishing in the feeling for the last time as she had thought it was.
"It's here," she said, instructing the driver to stop. For a few seconds more, she had to walk while preventing the dress from touching the ground. She walked carefully and saw the car driving past her, like the end of a dream.
Oriel walked up to a house that stood in the corner of a street. "Yes, this is real, at least it is real."
She took out the keys that she was carrying in her little clutch bag. She shoved the key through the hole and wrung it. Not to her surprise, the door wasn't even locked.
"I can't believe her!" she snapped and turned the doorknob aggressively entering inside.
She came into the living room which was dark until she turned the lights on. She tossed her bag on the couch lying beside a wall.
Oriel went round and round inside her home as if looking for someone. "Where are you? how many times do I have to tell you to lock the door?" she cried to someone who was there but didn't answer.
She checked the only bedroom that the house had, and also the washroom that was attached to it: no one was found there.
Then she turned to the small kitchen beside the living room and saw Bella lying on the floor with several liquor bottles placed beside her.
"Not again! Not everyone! why do I only have drunkards around me?"
She shook Bella, who lay passed out on the floor. No more the graceful and youthful Bella who had everything she ever desired; she was now just a middle-aged woman, living her life reminiscing her beautiful past while making Oriel go through hell. Messy hair and uncontemplated style of plane pajamas, everything worn by her were rather dowdy. "Get up!" Oriel shouted. No matter how loud she called her, Bella didn't respond and lay sleeping on the cold tiles.
Oriel became more exhausted than she had been that whole night. She gave up on her and exasperated, carelessly sitting on the floor, not minding the tiny dust particles that were sticking to her dress. "I don't care anymore."
She sighed her frustration out and scornfully looked at Bella's face. "Do you know who I met tonight?" she asked the unconscious lady. "Do you not care?"
Bella scratched her ear. "Go away! let me sleep," she blurted and turned to her side.
"Alright! what if I say that I met your son?"
The eyes that Bella hadn't opened ever since Oriel was talking to her, suddenly fluttered open at her words. She abruptly got up in amazement.
"You met Collin?" her eyes beamed in amazement.