The Source

Part 19

Miss Mela: Friday afternoon came in the blink of an eye and Freen was under a lot of stress. She had to fix her brother's situation, Heidi was not backing down, Becca was ignoring her for some reason and her parents planned on coming to visit this weekend to speak with both siblings. Freen saw her phone flashing and picked it up. 

Freen: Yes mother? 

Charunee: Are you picking us up from the airport or is Heng coming?

Freen: Heng will pick you up. I have a business dinner tonight. I'll see you when I get home. 

Charunee: You have to stop working so much. You should be spending this weekend with your family. 

Freen: Charunee, please. You haven't cared about family for a long time. I'm heading to the dinner now. I gotta go. She hung up before her mother could say anything else and quickly dialed Heng's number. Where are you? 

Heng: At home? Why?

Freen: Heng, I told you mommy dearest and daddy queer are here for the weekend. You have to pick them up from the airport in 20 minutes. 

Heng: Shit! I forgot. I'll put on some pants and I'll be on my way. She rolled her eyes, hung up and threw the phone on the desk exasperated. 

Freen: Do I have to do everything around here? She saw the message from The Founder for the fifth time today. "Dinner is at 8:00. Wait outside The Park Nine Hotel by 6:30. Someone will come to pick you up." She sighed. Let's get on with this. She grabbed her purse and took the elevator downstairs. 

Mark: You look beautiful tonight, Lady Freen. He opened the car door for her. 

Freen: Thank you, Mark. I need you to take me to The Park Nine Hotel. 

Mark: Certainly. He helped her into the car and got in himself. Freen checked the time on her watch. She dialed Becca's phone number, but it went straight to voice. "Hi, this is Rebecca Armstrong. I'm sorry I missed your call. Leave a message at the beep." 

Freen: Bec, please call me back. I don't know if I did something wrong and it's driving me crazy. Just please call me when you can. Bye... It's Freen by the way. She served a glass of whiskey, finished it in one gulp and sunk into the seat closing her eyes. A few minutes later, she heard someone calling her. 

Mark: Lady Freen, we have arrived. She nodded. 

Freen: Thanks, Mark. I must have dozed off. She checked her makeup and fixed her dress. Mark opened the car door and helped her out. Mark, I won't be available for anyone tonight. Unless someone is dying, don't contact me. 

Mark: Yes, my lady. 

Freen: Also go spend time with your family while you wait. I know I haven't given you a break this whole week. Mark shook his head. 

Mark: It's an honor for me, miss. I can wait for you right here. 

Freen: Nonsense. I'll be in there for a couple of hours. Just come back by 11 pm or wait for my call, ok? He nodded, got into the car and left. Exactly at 6:30 pm a Lincoln town car with tinted windows parked in front of Freen. 

Driver: Miss Chankimha? She nodded. Let's go. Freen got into the car and tried to look outside while the car was being driven. 

Freen: How can this driver see anything? You can't see shit in all this darkness. She whispered to herself. After a 10-minute ride, Freen could hear a plane taking off nearby. The airport? She tried rolling the window down to see, but it wouldn't budge. The driver parked the car and helped her out. He handed the keys to a valet and accompanied her to a single airplane that was nearby. Are we getting on this plane?

Driver: Yes ma'am. We should hurry. The boss hates it when people are late for dinner. The ride took about an hour. When they got out, Freen saw a few signs that said Chumphon Airport. Another town car was waiting for them. A couple of minutes later, they arrived at a classy-looking mansion with marble staircases on either side. Parked outside were 5 to 6 additional town cars and 3 SUVs. The driver helped Freen out of the vehicle. She was struck by how simple yet elegant the outside of the house looked. 

Founder: My dear Sarocha! It's a pleasure to welcome you to my home. She interlocked her arms with Freen's and they headed up the stairs. I should warn you, my wife did most of the cooking so it might be a bit too salty for your taste, but we've got lots and lots of wine to go with it. Freen nodded as they walked inside. 

Freen: You have a beautiful house. 

Founder: Thank you. That's one of the things my wife is amazing at, interior design. 

Freen: There's something I don't understand. The Founder served 2 wine glasses. Why did you bring me all the way here? 

Founder: As I said before, my wife wants to see you. She handed a glass to Freen and led her to the dining room. 

Freen: I thought you wanted me to be as far away as possible from Charlotte. 

Founder: I do, but she's got a thing for redheads. I can't say no to her. She took a sip of her wine. She suddenly laughed. Oh, I'm so sorry. How rude of me. I haven't presented myself. I'm Engfa Austin Waraha. We've met a couple of times, but at dinner I don't like being so formal or talking about work so you can call me Fa. That name was familiar to Freen.

Freen: I've seen your name in articles about recycling, adopting children and saving pets. It's hard to see you now as someone to fear when you show others this lovely side of yourself. Fa chuckled. 

Fa: Well, I can't talk about saving children and be seen as a menace, can I? 

Freen: Your name appeared as Engfa Waraha though. 

Fa: When I married Charlotte, I took on her last name. Since she always comes first, my last name is Austin Waraha. For public things, I place Waraha. 

Char: The most romantic thing she has ever done for me, other than torturing that rich kid a few years back who was prostituting the female students at his school who had a scholarship in exchange for being able to study there. She kissed Fa's cheek. It's wonderful to see you again, Sar. She extended her hand. Fa visibly tensed up. 

Freen: Hey Charlotte. They shook hands too quickly for Charlotte's liking.

Fa: Shall we sit? 

Char: Yes! Beau will be serving dinner in a few moments. Hopefully she doesn't mess the food up. Freen and Fa exchanged a knowing look. Simultaneously, they finished their wine.