29

Layla

Beads of sweat were gathering on Georgina's forehead, despite the chill brought by the AC. I had never seen her so tense before. I was tense, too. Sofia was missing. She had been missing since lunch at school. No one had seen signs of her since then. I could see Charlene's grave face from the driver's mirror. She must be feeling guilty.

"Are you sure we are going in the right direction?" I asked her.

"Yes, she's probably there." Her voice shook as I sped on. It was late, and we all hoped to find Sofia soon. I hoped she was fine and not hurt in any way. Hannah kept on calling to find out if we had found her. She wanted to involve the police, but I reminded her of the law that was stated as regards a missing person. Literally, everyone was trying not to show their anxiety and fears.

"It's going to be fine," I assured Georgina. She gave a slight nod. Even if an assurance, I couldn't bear the thought of something bad happening to Sofia.

Georgina's silence, I knew, meant more than it seemed to show. It meant guilt, and it meant regret above all.

When we arrived at the Chapel, we searched around and even asked one man who was supposedly a guard if he had seen her around.

"No, I haven't seen such a girl... no one came to the chapel today." He responded. Georgina's head hung in the air. Charlene's eyes were reddening and Hannah was calling again.

We went back to the car.

"Have you found her?" Her voice was very impatient and more panicky, which, I thought, wasn't at all good for her condition.

"Not yet. We'll check..."

"It's eight pm, Layla!" She cut me off.

"Calm down... nothing's going to happen to her. She's a smart kid."

She sighed.

"Where are you?"

"We are at the Chapel, why?"

"Do not leave there, I'm on my way." She said and hung up.

"Have I lost her?" Georgina's somber voice came, asking.

"What are you talking about? You should not say such things." I chastised, feeling sorrowful myself.

"I might know a place we can check again," Charlene said.

"Where?"

"The theater, down the street, we have gone there a couple of times..." Her voice trailed off.

"Okay, but it's late, you should go home..."

"No. I can't, after all, I'm the cause of all this." She sobbed.

"Do not blame yourself. No one is to blame, all right?"

"But I can't leave." She persisted.

"All right, we have to wait for Mrs. Carter. She's on her way."

A FaceTime call came in from Henry as Georgina slumped in the front seat, burying her head in her hands.

"Hello, mummy." Nathan waved at me.

"What's the latest?" Henry asked, behind him. I shook my head in response.

"I don't want you to panic, all right?"

I nodded.

"Mummy? Can I have one more brownie?" Nathan asked.

"It's late Nathan, It's past your bedtime, and you can't have a brownie," I said to him and then turned to Henry. "Please help him with brushing his teeth and tuck him in. His bedtime stories are on his desk."

"Sure." Henry nodded.

"Nathan, mummy has to go now."

He didn't wave this time, he was sulky.

Leo

"Where have your father and Iliana gone?" Nana's inquiring eyes turned from the TV to me.

"I only know that they went on a dinner date. I don't know their destination."

She nodded.

"If only she'd learn to cook on these many dinner dates..." She was wearing an indignant look.

"Lest I forget, did you not say your girlfriend would be back in two months?"

My heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were piercing through my skin like a hot spike.

"Huh?" She glared.

"Yes, yes...Oh, I didn't tell you..."

"Tell me what?"

"That her boss declined her leave, and now there's no certain date for her return." I hoped my conjuring was not very difficult to believe.

"What? You didn't mention that." She frowned.

"I'm so sorry. It must have skipped my mind." I lied.

"Well, I hope she's worth the wait because no one can ever match up to Ariadne, I tell you."

"Oh, Nana—"

"You shouldn't dispute it. I'm far wiser than you would ever be. What's her name again?"

I sighed, this conversation couldn't have taken a worse direction. Damn!

"She'd introduce herself when she returns. It's cooler." I tried to evade the question.

"Don't you know your girlfriend's name? I ain't talking about cool."

"Diana!" I blurted.

She nodded.

"Where's she from?" She queried.

Nana.

"Here..."

"What do you mean here?" She glared.

"LA." I guessed.

"What do her parents own?"

"Will you stop it now, Nana?"

"What do you mean? This is what I must do."

"I'm leaving." I grabbed my coat.

"Leonardo?"

"Let the boy be." Grandpa's quaky voice was the last thing I heard.

The bar was playing soft music, and it seemed just like yesterday when a strange woman had come to sit on my lap, teasing me with her body. I drained the entire bottle and ordered another one. Nana had triggered the emotions I was feeling at the moment. The emotions I was drowning in.

The bartender brought my order. It was not Jason, I heard he was not on shift.

"Thank you." Hardly had I completed my statement when a swanky lady cat walked to where I sat.

"Hello." She stretched her hand for a handshake.

"Hi." I shook hands with her.

"Are you drunk?" She asked, tugging at her pashmina.

"Not yet."

She chuckled, signaling to the bartender.

"A bottle of rosé, please," she asked.

"I'm Sylvia." She said when her rosé had arrived.

"Leo." I returned.

She smiled.

"You are a regular here," she said, as a matter of fact.

"Have you been stalking me?"

She chuckled again.

"If that equates to eyeing a guy I am attracted to, then it's fine." She answered.

"You are so down-to-earth."

"I didn't think you'd say that. Why are you always here? You are a victim of depression?"

"Sort of," I confessed.

"Is it money or women?"

"The latter."

"I thought as much." She sipped out of her glass.

"You must be a regular here for you to know that I am one."

"Sure. I have to be here to supervise things..."

"You're the bar owner?" I wasn't expecting that. She nodded.

"By inheritance," she added.

"Great. You are doing a good job here."

"Thank you." She smiled. Her smile sort of reminded me of Kimberly.

"What do you do? You most probably own a business."

"Yeah, I own a business. I live on the income from it," I replied. She gave a slight nod.

"Did you break up with her? I thought she wasn't going to go back to that.

"You only break up with someone you were in a relationship with..."

"I don't get you." She fixed her emerald green eyes on me.

"Never mind."

"Does she know you are this miserable because of her?"

"She can never know."

"Show yourself to her, it's an indulgence we ladies love." She said.

"I wish I could." I looked outside the window. The night had grown even darker, and I knew she was out there, somewhere.

Layla

We arrived at the theater around nine after waiting for Hannah. The four of us parted ways, calling out her name. We did this for about thirty minutes, all to no avail.

"Where could she be?" Charlene had begun to cry.

"It's okay." I stroked her back.

"I shouldn't have said those things to her. It's all my fault." She cried.

"You shouldn't say that. Sofia would never blame you for anything, she loves you a lot."

"She must hate me now."

"Shedding tears won't solve the problem at hand. It's only been ten hours, so we cannot involve the police, but we have to do something, all right?" Hannah panted.

"You have to be careful."

Georgina was silent all through. I knew that all sorts of dangerous thoughts were running through her mind.

"Sofia's a sensitive girl, Georgina. Don't think in that direction."

She turned to stare at me and then fixed her gaze on Charlene.

"Did you know she's a lesbian?" She asked the young girl.

Charlene's eyes widened in surprise.

"No." She breathed.

"She is, and she has feelings for you," Georgina said without thinking.

"What?" Charlene gasped.

"Why did you have to bring it up now?"

"Cause this is the fucking best time for it!" She shot back, quite annoyed.

"Are you trying to fault Charlene or what? You have a not-so-remote part in all of these, too."

"I admit that." She said softly.

"Are you okay, Charlene?"

She was shivering, so I had to fetch more clothes from the car and that was when my eyes wandered to the topmost floor of the theater and it dawned on me that we had not searched thoroughly after all.

"The topmost floor," I gave Charlene the shawl and handed over a big coat to Hannah. "We should go there."

Georgina didn't waste much time as she led the way.

We took the elevator and were ushered onto the highest floor when an officer blocked our way, restricting us from going further. We tried to explain the situation to him, but he remained in his position, saying it was against the establishment's policies.

"This area is specially reserved. I'm afraid you will have to see the head manager to gain a permit for entry." He recited.

"Even when a little girl's life might be at stake?" Georgina glared.

"I'm sorry, ma'am."

"Fuck you." She charged forward, trying to force her way in.

"Look!" She suddenly pointed at a pair of girls' shoes at the swimming pool close by. I gasped.

"Those are her Sofia's shoes!" Charlene howled.

"Please let us in." I pleaded with the officer, but he proved to be adamant.

But just like in a movie about a raving mad mother searching for her young lost teenage daughter, Georgina heaved the man aside with her big body and reached for the shoes.

"Madam, the company will file a complaint against you for this intrusion and breach of policy..."

Then he turned back and phoned one of his colleagues, I guessed, while we looked around.

"There, her scarf. She wore that today!" Charlene panicked, wallowing in the water to fetch the scarf.

"You'll catch a cold."

"Where is she? She's not here." Hannah shook.

Georgina dived the pool and searched further before she came out panting.

"I see no sign of her." She tried to catch her breath.

"What do we do now? I hope she has not done anything stupid." Hannah was impatient.

"Calm down, please. Let's look around."

We had not taken more than three steps away from the pool when we sighted Sofia, hale, and hearty dining with some strange couple.

"Sofia?" Hannah launched forward as if in a bid to smack her, only for her to stop halfway.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sofia grimaced.

"Are you serious? We were looking all over for you!" Charlene yelled. I sighed, Thank God she was fine, but I was disturbed by the fixation Hannah and the man were placed on each other. He didn't speak though, and Hannah was literally mute. They were giving some uncanny vibes of old acquaintanceship.

"Is this your family?" The woman asked. She looked quite familiar to me, like some older version of someone I had met before.

"Yes," Sofia answered.

"You scared the hell out of us," I said.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Layla." Sofia sulked.

"Did you think we'd not look for you?" Georgina frowned.

"I wanted to be alone. How did you find me?"

"Charlene gave us the idea," I responded.

"I don't want to see her." She leaped to her feet and rushed outside. Charlene followed.

"I'm so sorry to have kept her here with us. She wouldn't tell me why she was all alone here, so I decided to have her join us for dinner." The woman explained.

"Thanks for taking care of her..."

"I'm Mrs. Cooper." She extended a handshake. Oh my God! Mrs. Cooper? Leo's mother? They were Leo's parents? I should have known why they looked so familiar!

"Nice to meet you ma'am, I'm Layla Carter and here is..." But Hannah walked out before I could introduce her.