Sable Colby - Life After Dex
Dark clouds cast the sky as the procession made its way to the cemetery. Sable Colby held her stomach as she stepped gingerly from the rear seat of a chauffeured town-car. Her rich auburn hair fell softly onto the shoulders of the black mink.
Sable was still suffering the aching pains of a miscarriage. Monica, her daughter guided her by the arm to the burial. Through large Jackie Onasis sunglasses Sable Colby watched in sorrow as the casket of Dex Dexter was lowered into the earth.
The tragedy replayed in Sable's mind. Alexis Carrington Colby and Dex Dexter lay sprawled amid the shattered remains of the table that had formed the none too gentle cushion for their fall.
Staring down at her cousin and the man who had briefly been her lover - who had in fact fathered the child she had carried - Sable Colby found herself surprised that there was no blood. Given the fall and the way they were positioned, sprawled atop the shattered table that had halted their fall with such brutal effectiveness. It seemed almost impossible for that much damage not to include buckets of red. Perhaps she'd just seen too many bad movies, but it gave the haunting the tableau an unreal quality.
It couldn't be Dex and Alexis down there, perhaps broken beyond repair. Much as she hated her cousin, it just didn't seem possible for something so banal to be the end of her. And Dex, so fiercely alive even in his obsession for Alexis. So desperate to be a father to the child Sable carried. He couldn't possibly have breathed his last breath because of a small fall.
And yet neither of them moved or even appeared to breathe, though from that distance it was impossible to tell.
Now she was burying the father of her unborn child. The man had been involved with her cold hearted cousin Alexis who nearly died along with Dex from the fall over the balcony at the Carlton - a luxury hotel she owned.
Dexter died. Alexis survived - recovering from her near fatal injuries somewhere in California. Sable wouldn't mind if she stayed there permanently.
It was horrible to think it, but wondered how God could allow a person as vile as Alexis Carrington Colby to continue living while a man like Dex Dexter to be laid to rest. Life was not fair.
Sable somberly watched the burial proceed. Tears fell from sorrowful eyes, flowers landed on top the casket and finally dirt covered it whole.
She and Monica quietly walked away from the scene. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Sable couldn't spend another moment there. It was too much for her to bare. She had had enough.
Sable got in the back of the chauffeured town-car. Monica sat closely next to her, firmly holding onto her hand. "Mother," she said softly. "Everything is gonna be just fine."
Sable nodded her head. "I know dear," she said absently.
"Where to Miss Colby?" The chauffeur asked interrupting her solemn thoughts.
"The Carlton," she answered softly.
The driver quickly moved the vehicle into action. Cemeteries always gave him the creeps.
"Mother," Monica said gravelly. "I think you should stay with me for a little while; just until-"
"No, Monica" Sable quickly interjected. "I have a hotel to run, among many other things. I must be at the Carlton to oversee the repair of the balcony. I'm also toying with the idea of a total renovation."
Monica looked at her mother full of protest, but did not dare to say a word.
"I won't spend one night away from the Carlton." She had been running the hotel for over a year. Guest enjoyed the Carlton's impeccable style and spectacular service. It was unrivaled by any hotel in all of Denver.
Monica made one more futile effort. "Its just that...Dex died there and..." Her voice trailed off.
When women like Sable Colby made up their mind there was no changing it. Monica knew this was true about her mother. Sable was a survivor. She faced life's challenges head on and always managed to come out on top.
"Listen to me Monica," she said in a grave tone. "If there is one thing you can learn from me is that you never run away from tragedy. Tough times don't last. Tough people do!"
As far as Monica knew, there wasn't a woman tougher than Miss Sable Colby.
It took her some time, but Sable finally managed to convince Monica to go home and that she would be fine without her. As much as Sable could use the company, she didn't want to lean too heavily on her daughter. It was during times like these that women fell into the trap of emotional co-dependency. Sable had no intentions of becoming her daughter's burden - not now, not ever.
She walked into the plush hotel lobby and greeted a few employees with a gentle smile. Never show your vulnerabilities, she thought to herself. It was her life motto.
Sable walked swiftly to the elevators with the black mink hanging from one arm. She pressed the elevator button and waited. She tapped her foot impatiently. Time seemed to move excruciatingly slow ever since Dex had died.
At the time of the accident Dex and her had not been exceptionally close. Dex had been married to her cousin Alexis. They went through a bitter divorce. A divorce that he did not want. Although he was involved with Sable, Dex still harboured feelings foe Alexis.
Did he really love me? Sable found herself asking as she stepped into the elevator. She felt a cold chill chase up her spine. She didn't want to fathom the answer.
Sable pushed the button to take her to the penthouse floor. Moments later the doors opened and walked into her suite. Opening the door and glancing around the palatial spread, she realized that she truly alone.
Each night Sable walked playing the role of a woman in complete control. But at night she was faced with thing she dreaded the most, loneliness.
All of her children had completely grown into young adults. Miles was happily married in California, Bliss off in college studying journalism. And then there was Monica - who like her mother was fighting to carve a life for herself. She was proud of all her children. They were her greatest blessing. But Sable wanted more. She wanted the one thing that constantly evaded her - true love.
Sable had been married to Jason Colby for thirty years. When she met Jason, the brother in law of her sister and about twenty years her senior, she fell desperately in love with him. She was unaware that he was truly in love with her sister Frankie. They had three beautiful children, twins Monica and Miles, followed by Bliss.
For many years Sable's life seemed charmed - atleast until her cousin Alexis told Jason that Miles and Monica's birth was a result of a rape by an uncontrolled admirer. Sable had never told Jason about her being violated. And he never told her that he fathered her sister's eldest son.
The marriage ended in a bitter divorce leaving Sable with Class A shares in Colby Enterprises, Onishy Electronics, Vitron Oil Tankers and real estate properties.
Once the dust had settled around her divorce Sable moved to Denver and became close friends with Blake and Krystle Carrington.
She met Dex Dexter soon after. Her intentions for him weren't entirely pure. She knew he was married to her cousin Alexis and she wanted information about her Colby Co from Dex. Sable's plan was to ruin her arch-nemesis.
It was Dex who unknowingly sold The Carlton to Sable. Alexis had been residing there at the time. After taunting her with her victory, Sable had Alexis evicted.
She and Dex continued to cross paths. They had dealings with both the African tanker deal and a situation with an abandoned mine. There were so many incidents that brought them together.
Sable remembered the night she was threatened by a deranged, gun-toting, Fritz Heath. It was the most frightening night of her life, but she managed to calm him down and diffuse the situation.
Still feeling shaken by the ordeal, Sable goes to see Dex. He comforted her as only he could, and the two wind up in bed. In the morning she was riddled with guilt.
Although she didn't care for Alexis, Sable apologized to Dex, letting him know she respected his love for her dreadful cousin. Together they agreed their fling meant absolutely nothing - but wound up right back in bed together.
Dex was shocked to learn that Sable was pregnant. He was devastated when Sable suggested that she wanted to raise the child without him.
It was here at the Carlton Hotel that Dex had confronted both her and Alexis for using him and throwing him aside. Ignorantly he mentioned Sable's pregnancy, much to her chagrin.
Alexis and her son Adam who was present at the time taunted Dex with the news, causing Dex to push Adam to the floor in frustration. When Dex turned his back, Adam rushed him. Dex fell backward into Alexis, sending them both crashing through a railing and falling off a second-story balcony while Adam, Sable, and Monica watched in horror.
In an instant her reality had been shattered. Sable miscarried soon after learning that Dex had passed. Now she was burdened by a feeling of emptiness.
She wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring, but she was ready to face it head on.
Days, weeks and months passed by and Sable had managed to put her loss behind her. Dex and the miscarriage were now another chapter in her history of love and loss.
Summer was now in full swing. Sable awoke just before sunset. She had a cup of herbal tea and several slices of fruit for her breakfast. Her morning routine consisted of a few laps around the olympic sized pool and time spent on the treadmill and aerobics. By 8:00am she was ready for work.
She met with the hotel manager to go over the day-to-day operations of the Carlton. Then she left hotel and headed to the offices of Sable Co where she had a regular morning meeting with the company vice-president, her daughter Monica Colby.
"Mother," Monica said earnestly. "I wanted to go over the current sales figures for Onishy Electronics."
"They better be good," Sable said. "Sales have been down in the last quarter. We haven't been keeping up with the majors like Sony and Panasonic."
"The Recession is upon us, Mother. Every one is feeling the pinch."
Monica handed her a spread sheet.
Sable quickly put on her reading glasses and she scanned through the figures. Sales had actually picked up during the Spring. The portable audio-cassette players were fairing quite well despite the over saturated market. "I'm duly impressed," Sable said after a moment's silence. "I think we will surpass expectations for the upcoming quarter."