August 18 2002
*I want you to be my forever*
Hell broke lose in the Kente family as thunder and lightning battled in the skies, the atmosphere stuffy, the tiles cold and the darkness drowning Roselia Kente.
Crawled up in a corner in the castle like room, Roselia covered in thick wool shivered, embracing close to her heart a letter from her dearest Rey.
Reminiscing moments when it was just the both of them was all she could do as the papers wrinkled almost merging with her, if it were possible.
Remembering his voice when he called her name. Remembering his touch when he gives her a surprise hug. Remembering his face when he smiles at her. Roselia's heart ached and the pain slowly formed roots but, she still tried hard to believe none of this was true. She immersed herself in denial, but her will wasn't strong enough.
"What if he's really gone?" She thought
Her entire being trembled and tear drops trailed down her paled cheeks.
Soft knocks could be heard from the seven feet wooden door but to Roselia it felt like a call to hell. A call to reality.
She closed her eyes trying to control herself. Trying to control her tears. Trying to control her body. Trying to control her breathing. She wasn't winning any battle. Instead she was close to having a mental shut down. How could her other half suddenly disappear from the world?
"Roselia, please come out. Please" a disgruntled voice echoed in Roselia's ears. That was her baby sister, Anna.
"She must have cried her eyes out" She thought
Blood is really thick because Roselia's heart ached harder. Thankfully Anna's call gave her some strength.
Slowly raising her head, she took a quick sweep at her surrounding with but her vision was blurred thanks to the tears.
"You shouldn't be crying Roselia. He's still out there." She thought
After what took like forever, she finally pulled herself up help with the support of her dressing table. She stared at her sorry reflection in a full length mirror as she grasped the letters tighter.
"Roselia, please come out. Everyone has been waiting for you to come back. Everyone misses you so much, especially dad." She hit Roselia sore points perfectly. Everyone new Roselia could turn her back against the world but never her father.
But, things had changed at some point. No one noticed. Reynold held the same position with her father in her heart. If not even higher
She placed the letters on the dressing table , then sighed and made a straight line to her door.
"Roselia, you are finally out!" Anna beamed with joy almost jumping into Roselia's arms.
"Is Rey really gone?"
The first thing she said to her family was "where's Rey?"
The second now is also about Rey. They had truly underestimated Rey's position in her heart. They wouldn't have told her the news if they could turn back time.
"Roselia. Please." Anna begged and thud! She dropped the box she was holding on to.
"I'm begging too. Is Rey really gone?" Roselia closed her eyes and covered her mouth. Soft gasps and sniffing sounds accompanied with tears weren't far behind.
"It's been six hours since you've been sulking I'm your room. You didn't even say 'hi' to our brothers. He's gone. Reynold is gone Roselia and the police say it's suicide. Rosel-" Roselia slammed her palm on the door and red puffy eyes stared fiercely at her sister.
Anna froze. Roselia knew that instant that something wasn't right.
"I thought it was some sort of set up. Suicide? Something is definitely fishy." She thought
Like a car wheel. Roselia's heart turned three hundred and sixty degrees. Her breathing almost instantly steadied. She sniffed the remaining tears away.
"I'll clean up in a bit and come down. Make sure dad doesn't worry." Looking at the hem of her gown she retreated to her room.
Facing her dresser mirror, Roselia chuckled at her appearance. For the entire she hadn't stepped out of her room since she got the news about Rey. She looked like a mess. A lovesick mess. She laughed even louder as she inspected herself.
She pulled out a bunch of wipes and as she was about to touch her face, she remembered...
"Rose, let me." Reynold placed his chin on Roselia's left shoulder and fished from her palm the bunch of wipes. Smiling at her through the mirror, he cleaned her makeup for. He was neither fast nor slow. Gentle nor rough. Each stroke made her heart flutter.
"You- You are going to turn me into a...a child Rey. A spoilt one." Her cheeks were almost the same color as that as a tomato. Shy Roselia was born at that moment. She had never stammered talking to anyone. Not even the Mayor.
"I love children more you know." He whispered into her ear and the butterflies in her stomach didn't just dance, they danced crazy.
"So- So you - you are going to love our kids more?" She lowered her head after having replied because it dawned to her, that she had dig a deep hole for herself. "What's gotten into me?" She thought
"Our kids? You are planning that already. Rose you have got to fill me in with your plans regularly. You want us to try and make one now? It'll be quick but fun. I promise" He purposely deepened his voice and placed a small peck on her earlobe.
She knew she had flown to cloud nine at that moment but her face and heart didn't sync at that moment.
"Roselia." A husky voice caused Roselia to blink back to the present and she couldn't help but close her eyes and sigh.
"I'm sorry Roselia, I've been knocking but no one answered. Anna told me you finally opened up and I wanted to see you once again." The voice continued and she widened her eyes in shock. Turning back slowly to look at the owner of the voice, Roselia's heart raced.
"It's him. It's him." She thought
"Is that really you?" She asked, her voice a bit rough and soft.
"Yes. How have you been?"
"Anna. Anna said the police conclude his death as suicide. Tell me it isn't true. Tell me she just wanted to get on my nerves or something. Aaron. Why would he kill himself?"
"Roselia." Aaron sighed
"It doesn't make sense Aaron. It doesn't. Why? Why?" She searched his face for an answer.
"Roselia."
"I've been waiting for his hug for a year now. Aaron! He must be hiding right. You know something don't you. You are his best friend." She nodded to herself, her eyes drifting for a second towards the window, thinking of places he'd choose to lay low.
"What? Roselia calm down." He chuckled lightly
"Anna. She was afraid. I'm sure. Everyone must know something, I don't. You are laughing so you must know too"
"Roselia calm down. Cry if you want to. Scream or throw a tantrum. Don't just ask questions."
"What do you mean?"
"You are right. There are things we know and you don't but, it has to stay that way." He finally confessed
"Why?"
"Clean up quickly. Don't make your father worry."
She stared at Aaron's retreating back and she suddenly realized that she was alone. Even Reynold's best friend wants to put his death under the carpet. Something big must have happened.
"There's no reason for Rey to kill himself." She thought
****
Everything is different. Completely different. Roselia finally had time to look around the house. The house was never this bright. The house was never the full with furnitures. The house was never this crowded and even if it wasn't. The house was never this quiet.
"Something big really happened" She thought
"Your mom and nanny K stayed up all night to bake this cake. It's your favorite. Try it Lia." Anna cut out a fairly huge piece from the one feet layers cake.
Roselia ignored her and scanned the people on the table. Even her granduncle was seated. That's new.
"Granduncle Greg, I never thought you'd be at my welcome dinner." Roselia smiled at the seventy something years old brown haired man seated beside her uncle.
"What do you mean Roselia?" Mrs. Miranda Kente, Roselia's mother scolded.
"I'm just curious. How about you auntie Margarita?" Roselia turned to the skinny looking woman seated beside her granduncle. She was Roselia's maternal auntie and her mother's only sibling.
"Are you going to question everyone's presence today?" Someone slammed a cutlery on the table and everyone turned to that direction. It was Roselia's uncle. Her father's only and senior brother, George Kente.
"Well, I guess I'm just a bit taken back by the warm welcome." Roselia smiled sweetly and stuffed her face with cake.
"The Mayor and his family have arrived." Miss Sabrina announced. She was the Kente's head maid.
Roselia's brows knitted and the smile on her lips turned upside down. "Why would the Mayor be here? Did one of my brothers cause trouble again?" Roselia thought.
Roselia immersed herself in the dishes and didn't notice the stares of her family members.
"Mayor Grunt, wonderful you could make it." Roselia's mother highlighted from her seat and sashayed to the Mayor's side.
"Mrs. Kente, good evening. You remain beautiful as always." Roselia finally looked up and saw the Mayor placing a kiss on her mother's hand with a curt bow.
"Frank, you only know how to flatter me." Her mother giggled.
"Roselia. Welcome home." The Mayor walked up to the table and smiled at Roselia, whose gaze never left her mother's body.
Her mother hated the Mayor. "What exactly happened in this past year?" She thought.
Roselia ignored the mayor and stared at her father. The room was pin drop silent. Much more quiet than a graveyard. The staring contest lasted for over a minute and came to an end after Roselia's mother coughed awkwardly, pinching Roselia at the same time.
"You are to get married to the Mayor's son in three days."