Twice Over

Chapter 113 - Calamitous

calamitous
adjective
1. involving calamity; catastrophic or disastrous.

I know that sometimes I can come across as really immature. I sometimes make idiotic mistakes then run and hide away– kinda immature. Like totally. But, hey, I spent most of my 'first' early adulthood running and hiding from everything that went wrong and everyone who had done me wrong, so I have plenty of practice. There are so many times in my life – both my lives – I have done some really, really stupid, cringe-worthy things.

But today really takes the cake. I mean, who trips and falls onto the lap of the hottest guy on campus? Not just plain-old-trips and falls... Screaming in his ear, smacking him over the head as I fall, sprawl out over his knees between him and the cafe table, then place a hand where no single, innocent girl should place a hand, accident or no accident.

Who does that? Apparently I do.

OK, So let me back track a little.

Monday morning started out like any other run-of-the-mill Monday morning. I got up, showered and dressed then met Patricia downstairs for a trip to campus. Today I left my apartment wearing a bright coloured comic print bomber jacket over a dark suede mini skirt. I'm still stuck with the knee brace, but at least I'm walking a little more like a normal teenager these days.

My morning classes were filled with the offerings of knowledge from very seasoned experts. My professors are fantastic at their job, teaching and training the next generation of business managers, accountants, entrepreneurs. I love learning from these old geezers.

My last class of the morning was Accounting Practices that I shared with Grant. We'd just finished and handed in a group assignment that went well. So when we left the lecture hall, I was feeling really chipper, happy to have one less assignment on my books.

Grant followed me out of the hall and we met up with Patricia who worked on other things while we were in class. Lunch was our next appointment and we decided to go back to that geometric cafe that we'd found last week on campus.

I was being silly and wasn't watching where I was going. Grant had said something stupid and I turned around to snark back at him, laughing as I did. When I turned back around I nearly bumped into Mr Tall-Chest-Guy. Again. I really needed to watch where I was going and what was happening around me.

I realised it Mr Tall-Chest-Guy was Mr Anginelli, the building inspector who was helping us update our fire safety and building compliance procedures. I quickly bobbed my head down, apologised and I side stepped around him to keep walking past. Grant caught up to me, threw over his shoulder another quick apology and pulled me into the campus cafe we were headed to for a quick lunch. I whacked him one, when I realised he was chuckling at me and my faux pas.

Grant, Patricia and I quickly ordered our lunch meals at the cafe counter then found a table by the window inside to eat at. Lunch was yummy. I decided on an open bagel sandwich with salmon and sliced tomato with cream cheese and capers. So good.

We ate in happy silence. I couldn't finish my last bagel half so Grant snaffled it off my plate and ate it all up. He offered the last of his orange juice when I began eyeing it. Patricia just shook her head at our silly antics, then pulled out her computer tablet to look up email and administration things, then she proceeded to tell me of a few things that needed sorting out.

We had a few issues with one or two fixtures for the tea house that had been delayed. Mr Godfrey suggest a few alternative styles for me to choose from and I was happy to comply. Patricia showed me images, noted my choices and emailed him back. Done.

Grant then asked me about the fashion show coming up... blah blah blah is what I heard as I tuned his voice out. I had stopped listening.

Mr Anginelli, who I nearly bumped into again, had been waiting outside of the cafe. Not long after we finished our food and began an impromptu staff meeting, a cute young lady ran to catch up with the handsome man and bounced up to him. She was short, he was tall. It should have been an awkward affair, but it wasn't. He stooped down at the last second and almost scooped her up as she jumped into his embrace, then he let her go just as quickly.

I continued to watch them as they greeted each other, sat down at an outdoor table and ordered a meal from the cafe waiting staff. I can honestly say that Mr Tall, blonde and handsome wasn't the person I was staring at. True story. It wasn't his ruggedly handsome good looks that drew in my attention, dare I say. No, I was looking at his very familiar blonde sister. She was the one I was staring at through the cafe window.

The smile on her face was all wrong. When I knew her 'before' I never once saw a smile grace her cute features. She looked like any typical university student, maybe a few years older than myself. Large almond eyes in a dark shade of blue, the girl had the same coloured sandy blonde hair as the guy before her, all tied up in a top knot. Her skin looked healthy and sun kissed, much like... Oh, he's her brother. I remember now...

Memories of an anguished broken girl in hospital garb, picking at the scabs at her wrists, psyche damaged beyond repair. Her name was Molly, I remember. She spent two months in the same ward as me at the mental institute and suffered many of the same atrocities as I did during her stay. Memories of our few talks together outlined the tragic assault she suffered and the broken aftermath. I remember learning about her being an orphan and about studying her masters degree in Interior Design at the same university as I did back then. And her brother, who visited her often couldn't get over her damage and trauma and told her to suck it up and move on. But he just didn't get it. He didn't understand. And it tore them apart.

I managed to earn myself another week in solitary confinement. When I came out, she was already gone. I never saw either of them again.

When I look at the smiling, happy carefree girl just beyond the glass, none of the pain, trauma or self-harm was evident. I almost didn't recognise her. Her eyes showed none of the numb lifelessness that I remember, nor the unkempt hair or unhealthy pallor of her skin. The difference is like night and day. For the life of me I can't figure out what the hell had happened that turned that happy-go-lucky young lady out there into a tragic mess of epic heart-rending proportions.

I rubbed my chest, my heart gripped with pain as I watch the siblings catch up over their lunch break. She was a student here at Mt Sommer University, it was obvious by the way other students greeted her as they passed the pair. But I remember that Molly said she studied interior design at the neighbouring city's university where they specialised in art and design. She did her masters, which means I have until probably the end of the year to convince her not to take her masters studies away from home. Or something bad will happen to her. To both of them.

I watched them talk and eat, Molly giggling as she spoke about something that involved her waving her arms around as she gestured. Mr Anginelli didn't say much, nor did the plain expression on his face change at all, but his eyes showed a warmth that wasn't there before.

"What are you watching, Lily? What's grabbed your attention?" Grant lowered his voice and spoke right up next to my ear. I jumped a little and blushed when I realised that both my employees basically watching as I gawked at the sibling pair outside the cafe window.

"I wasn't grabbing anything." I blurted out, then realised what that sounded like. My face burned hotter, right up to my ears and I held them each side as I turned back to my friends next to me. Grant raised an eyebrow pervocatively and Patricia tilted her head in query. Her face was still a mask of indifference and she could probably give Mr Anginelli a run for his money, they both looked the same.

"Damn it." I mumbled, refusing to look outside the window again. Now both of them were staring between me and the table outside, both with eyebrows raised in question. "I just remember her from 'before'. It upset me." I mumbled then turned to the cafe table before me, trying to find something else to do.

When I realised our meal was over, I pretended to look at the non-existent watch on my wrist and got up to leave.

"Times-a-wasting. Class is starting. Better get going." I was totally bull-shirting them, not wanting to talk about it any more. I left the lunch table, walked out of the cafe then promptly stumbled into another waiting staff who was carrying a tray of drinks. Everything came crashing down as I side stepped, slipped on something below, screamed loudly in fright and proceeded to whack Mr Anginelli across his head and fall straight into his lap.