The airplane was half full and the strong smell of freshly brewed coffee began to fill the whole cabin. His eyelids flickered as he dozed in and out, struggling to stay awake. The smell was starting to work its magic as it entered his nostrils and traveled through his brain, waking up every sense. He tried to recall when was the last time he had a full night, restful sleep, but he honestly could not. Most nights consisted of restless tossing and turning accompanied by very little to no sleep. A flight attendant reached his seat, offering him a hot towel and asking for his preference of breakfast; not being a "breakfast guy", he chose a light breakfast that included a smoked ham and gruyere cheese croissant with fruit, yogurt, and black coffee.
He fiddled a pen in his hand back and forward, his absent eyes staring straight into the clear, serene sky as they flew over a seemingly eternal mantle of clouds. Every time he thought of her all his emotions contained in his throat and a profound desperation filled him; an unknown feeling to him, he was not used to not being in control. Not knowing where she was or even if she was OK was killing him, day and night; he couldn't stop feeling guilty of her fortune, and he knew that he would blame himself forever if anything were to happen to her.
He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, practicing a little meditation that he had picked up lately to clear his head and give his liver a rest. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and his breakfast arrived soon after. The bread was buttery and flaky, melting in his mouth and creating an explosion of savory flavor that somehow did not evoke the emotion it used to; he always loved the combination and yet he found that nothing brought him pleasure anymore, not even the simple pleasure of food.
He finished his breakfast without much gusto and ordered a second cup of black coffee. He opened his laptop and started to write some draft emails that he knew he needed to send as the bombshell of his resignation was about to hit the fan, even the media was going to blow the thing out of proportion, as usual.
After a couple of hours the seat belt light turned on, signaling the passengers to take a seat and secure themselves as the flight was about to reach its destination. He closed the laptop and inserted it back in his portfolio. He looked down at his watch: 11:30 am, and he felt exhilarated. He began to feel the airplane descend over the crystal clear sky and his heart descended into his stomach in a similar fashion. The last few days felt like months, and he just wanted the nightmare to end.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. We will begin our descend, please put your seats back in vertical position. You will be able to turn on your electronic devices shortly." A flight attendant signaled through the cabin's speakers.
Thomas took his cellphone from his blazer pocket and looked at it with nostalgia, remembering the daily texts she would send him with jokes or witty remarks; he missed her to a point he didn't even know he was capable of missing, to the point it physically hurt to be apart from her. It had been so long since he had heard her voice... or so did it feel.
He turned on his cellphone as soon as it was safe and a cascade of messages started to come in, bombarding the notifications panel. It pained him that not a single call hold her name. He was about to open his email app when a call from Priya came in; he rolled his eyes as he knew exactly what it was about.
"What do you want?" He answered coldly.
"Are you insane?! The dean just called me, he is frantic, everyone on the board is panicking! You can't quit your position, Thomas, so many things in the university depend on you, you need to come here right now and talk to the board, calm everyone down," she said with a shaky voice.
"I'm quitting, that is final."
"Thomas, that woman made you go crazy, but with her gone, now things can go back to normal. Don't ruin the rest of your life for nothing."
"My life is already ruined thanks to you, and don't you dare say another word about her, don't even mention her. I'll call the board members directly, I'm done dealing with you. You'll be hearing from my lawyers."
"Thomas, please, we need to-" Thomas hung up the phone and immediately blocked Priya's number.
He couldn't believe how wrong he was about her all along. He respected her so much, even admired her. He felt deeply betrayed, and even though he knew he bared some responsibility, he never expected such callousness from her, such cruelty. This was not to remain unpunished, as he was convinced to take things until the last consequences. Priya will not get away with it this time, he slipped deep in thought.
-8-8-8-8-8-
A black limousine parked in front of a two-story suburban house as a gray-haired man stopped his lawnmower as soon as he spotted the vehicle. He removed his garden gloves and covered his eyes from the direct sun; such vehicle in such a street looked as bizarre as creme brûlée served along with BBQ ribs. The back door opened and an elegant, distinguished man emerged. He closed his suit jacket as he walked towards the older man, who recognized him as soon as he came close enough.
"Oh my God! I can't believe it! The one and only Thomas Hunt right in my front yard… I'm such a big fan of yours!" The old man offered his hand candidly, and Thomas smiled wholeheartedly as he shook his hand back.
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Armstrong, I'm assuming," Thomas noticed the man's gentle smile.
At that moment, a woman appeared in the frame of the front door with narrowed eyes that became a little too familiar for Thomas to even bear.
"Stella, look darling! Come quick! It's no less than the legendary Thomas Hunt, here, outside our house! Is this our lucky day or what?" He had the same smile as a five-year-old kid in the middle of a theme park.
"Mrs. Armstrong, I'm delighted to finally meet you" Thomas approached her and took her hand gently, giving it a gentle shake.
"Wow, this is truly shocking. Someone like you, a man of your importance, always so busy… outside our house?" She raised an eyebrow and Thomas immediately knew where Luna inherited her lively spirit. "I think this has something to do with your beloved daughter, honey." There was a hint of sarcasm in her tone, and Thomas couldn't help but slightly smile.
"Actually, yes. I am here to speak with your daughter. " Thomas took a step closer, hopeful for an affirmative answer.
"Luna?" the man looked confused, maybe even unwilling.
"Is she home?" His eyes twinkled with hope, his hands began to tremble with excitement.
"Uhhh… Luna has not been here since the semester started, why would she be here now?" her father replied with a suspicious voice, growing increasingly worried. "I understand that she was having some trouble at school for what she mentioned last time, but why are you looking for her here?"
Before he could continue his sentence, Thomas interrupted, "You've talked to her lately? Please, I need her contact information, it is very urgent, I must speak with her…" he asked with pleading eyes.
"Mr. Hunt, I don't understand why you would take the time to come all the way here personally… is our daughter in some sort of problem?" Her mom asked, concerned.
Thomas struggled to find the words to explain what was going on to the parents of the woman he loved. How could he explain the way their relationship developed, the whole secrecy and level of intimacy? How could he explain the way he loved her, the way he needed her? The fact that she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with… he wished he had the correct words to let them know all their daughter meant for him.
"Stella, when was the last time you spoke to Luna?!" The older man was starting to look panicked, his flesh tone dropping by the second.
"The same day you did, about 4 days ago. She said she was OK and that the semester was almost finished, she sounded happy, you heard her, we didn't think anything of it…"
"I'll call Leo, he must know a telephone number where we can reach her. I knew that excuse that she was having trouble with her cellphone line was all bullshit" he took his cellphone, swiping through the screen frantically.
"Robert, calm down. The doctor said that you have to relax, your heart is not in good shape, please. " the mother begged as the man held the cellphone to his ear.
Hunt felt guilty for bringing them this sort of trouble, but he was desperate and he couldn't think of anything else to do at that point.
"Leo! Did your sister give you a number to reach her?" He asked, ignoring his wife's pleas. After a short silence, the man became even angrier. "What do you mean you don't know? You always know all about each other's secrets, she tells you everything! This is important Leo, you know how crazy your sister is, we don't know if she is in trouble."
"Mr. Hunt, what else do you know? What happened to our daughter? Why isn't she at the dorms?", Luna's mother asked, trying to understand the situation, walking away while Luna's father was on the phone.
"I don't understand the situation very clearly either, that is why I am looking for her. There seems to have been a mistake, she was unfairly expelled. Her roommate told the university that when she woke up your daughter was already gone. She did not take any clothes, her wallet, or cards, she left everything behind. Her cellphone was there completely charged but off. Since your daughter was expelled and she signed the papers accepting the expulsion, the university cannot report her missing, the family is the only one that can do it in case they have not heard of her. Due to the delicate nature of this situation, I decided to come personally instead of letting you over the phone. I was hoping she would be here with you…"
The old man continued to speak on the phone while the mother covered her mouth, worrisome slipping through her pained eyes. "Luna has always been her own person and we have respected her decisions regardless of whether we agreed with them or not, but this is too much even for her. Why would she do this? Lie to us while she is God knows where? Is she just roaming the streets? Has she gone completely insane?" said her mother, confused and obviously hurt.
Hunt was about to try and calm her down when the old man approached them, "Leo had no idea either, hard to believe but he was just as shocked as us, he is on his way… We need to go find her Stella." His voice was starting to crack and Hunt felt increasingly guilty.
"She is not lost and she is not a little kid, we need to either wait for her to call us or try to find out more information about what happen, why did she leave so suddenly…", even though she was worried sick, she knew her daughter a little too well to know that she knew how to take care of herself. "We taught our daughter well, honey, we have to trust her. Mr. Hunt, please come on in, let's go inside and talk this calmly".
"You are right, darling. I apologize for my manners, Mr. Hunt, please come on in. I need a double scotch right now," he said with trembling hands, "Would you like one?"
The last impression he wanted to give them was that of an uncontrollable drunk, but the situation was so overwhelmingly stressful that it was irresistible. "I would like that very much, thank you".
Luna's father leads the way to the house, entering through the main door. As soon as they crossed the small atrium, they continued to the living room which had a rustic chimney surrounded by a tastefully matching sofa set. Several artworks hung from the walls, decorating the space in the most refined manner. A classical provincial home that irradiated peacefulness.
As soon as they entered the room, a frame that contained a collage attracted his gray eyes like iron to a magnet. A collage of Luna's pictures, ranging from when she was a little baby to what he assumed was before she entered the university, being that she lacked her multicolor hair and wore her natural brunette tone. He stopped for a second and he took a deep breath, just to continue following Luna's father toward the sofa.
"Please, seat down. I need you to start from the beginning… What day did you notice that our daughter was missing?" asked Stella as she served the drinks and Luna's father sat in the seat across from him.
"Exactly two weeks ago…"
"What?! We've talked to her at least twice a week for the past three weeks, she hasn't mentioned anything! She even talked to me about some projects that are going well, I just assumed it was all school projects… this doesn't make any sense…" Her father said as his brows furrowed in bewilderment.
"I understand your shock, and I think we all are interested in Luna's well-being. The university wants to let you know that your daughter is a valued member of our alumni, one of the brightest ones to have crossed through the halls of our fine institution. As her professor and mentor, I would like to let you know that I'm particularly proud of your daughter's accomplishments. You must be so proud of her…"
"We are professor, but right now it is hard to be proud of someone that lies and runs away hiding like a criminal", she put a coaster on the coffee table in front of Hunt and placed a whiskey glass on top, "I know my daughter and she is as impulsive as she is talented. I'm not sure if it was our fault, but she is used to having things her way, and things can get very bad when she doesn't. She is incredibly smart, brilliant, and resourceful, but I don't know what type of people can come across her way. What if someone harms her?" her mother was truly hurt.
"I rather die than letting anything happen to her…" The words slipped from his lips so naturally that he didn't even notice until it was too late.
Stella Armstrong was a very clever woman that had a special talent for noticing things that most people didn't, and she immediately knew that Thomas Hunt's interest in her daughter was well beyond any professional relationship… it was personal.
On the other hand, Robert Armstrong was a clever engineer, but a sentimental man that was governed by his emotions rather than his reason, especially when it came down to his daughter, who was his Achilles heel. He was so worried about her that he did not notice Thomas' intentions the same way his wife did.
"Stella, we have to look for her, we have to find her, make sure she is OK and safe," he said as he gulped the entire whiskey, "We need to take out some savings, I'll ask for time off at work… " his voice was beginning to falter as millions of scenarios began to cross his mind.
"Robert, you look pale and I don't think that drink is sitting you well, we can think and plan about that later… Let's go lay you down for a moment and give you your medicine" Stella offered her hand to his husband.
"I am fine dear, I don't want to be rude to Mr. Hunt here" he gave a small smile but he did look increasingly pale.
Thomas was about to speak when Stella beat him to the punch, "Don't worry, darling, I'll help you out and I'll be back with Mr. Hunt in no time, I'm sure he understands this has been hard for you" there was a hint of reproach in her demeanor.
"I do. Please don't worry about me Mr. Armstrong, I'll be fine. Please rest assured that I will find your daughter no matter the cost, I will bring her back to you" Thomas half-smiled.
The old man nodded and smiled feeling a bit reassured, contrary to his wife, who narrowed her eyes at Thomas' remark.
"I'll be right back, Mr. Hunt" Stella said coldly as the couple walked upstairs.
Thomas nodded as he noticed the tension in her voice. There were very few people in the world capable of making Thomas Hunt feel intimidated, and Stella Armstrong had officially made the list.
He sighed as he turned his head to the collage that he had seen earlier, her beautiful face repeated just like in his memory, but this time it was a side of her unknown to him until now. He knew a lot about her and the people in her life but didn't know the faces behind such characters. He walked up to the picture frame and smiled at a picture of Luna making a silly face while doing a cartwheel in what seemed to be a country fair. A second picture actually took a chuckle off of him, with Luna covered in cake frosting hugging an old man that looked very much like her father, both flashing a dazzling smile; pure spontaneous happiness.
"Her beloved grandfather," Thomas muttered. He got lost in the collage for a while, unable to control the lingering smile that escaped as natural as the sunrise.
"She is truly charming. Ever since she was a baby, she was able to melt the coldest of hearts" the small voice startled him, making him flinch slightly.
"Luna is definitely something else…" his smile instantly disappeared and he turned around, facing Stella as he walked towards her.
"I'm a very straightforward woman, Mr. Hunt, I don't like to waste anyone's time. What is the deal between my daughter and you?" she crossed her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes into small slits that made it difficult to see her bright blue eyes.
He was a little stunned by her honesty, but he was an equally straightforward person himself, "You are right in your intuitions, Mrs. Armstrong; I'm deeply in love with your daughter" he looked her directly in the eyes.
"Wow… love? That is a strong word to be throwing around, don't you think?" she widens her eyes in surprise.
"It is, and your daughter is the only person that has shown me the meaning of it." He said firmly.
"I appreciate your candor, but I am disappointed, I must say. You are her teacher, for God's sake! As a teacher myself, I expected much more from a person of your stature."
"I understand, I've been disappointed at myself and my behavior for a long time, too. But one thing that I am not ashamed of is the profound love I feel for your daughter, which is the purest feeling I have experienced in my life, and I will not let her go without a fight." He looked at her directly in the eye, with no hesitation.
"To make Thomas Hunt fall in love must not be an easy task, but as I told you, Luna has something that makes everyone fall in love with her, and that includes many men. However, she was always very selective, and I see she still is. Nonetheless, I know my child and she is as stubborn as they come, if she ran away it is obvious that you had something to do with it. Please take a seat and start from the beginning" Stella pointed to the sofa as she took a seat.
"If there is any fault here, it is mine. I was the one that should have shown restraint, I was the one with the authority and I accept my blame in this" Thomas proceeded as he took a seat.
"I agree, but I also understand that Luna is not a child and she is equally to blame. What you two did is shameful and I'm deeply dismayed. You talk about "love", yet she is not here next to you, what happened that made my daughter ran away?"
"It was a mistake, an intrigue that she must know is not true. That is why I am here. I was hoping I could get a chance to talk to her and understand what happened, I'm in the dark about a lot of things as well. All I know is that this is a misunderstanding."
"Well, you need to be more specific but that is a good start. I'm just happy that my husband is under that medication that makes him fall asleep almost instantly. He adores Luna and I don't think his heart can handle what she sometimes puts us through. Now, tell me how you-"
All of the sudden, the high pitch of the telephone rang, startling her as she opened her eyes wide. She ran towards the telephone, checking the caller ID, "Unknown… that is the way it always displays when Luna calls, what if it's her?" she wasn't sure how she should confront her after all she found out that day.
"Use the speaker and act normal, don't tell her anything yet. Just try to find out as much as possible, and please don't tell her I'm here, not yet." There was nothing in the world he wanted more than to hear her voice.
Stella nodded and answered the phone, pressing the speaker button immediately. "Hello?" there was a slight shake in her voice.
"Mom! Hey, how are you guys?" she sounded happy.
"Luna! Hi darling, how are you? How is everything at school?" she turned her eyes to Thomas, who felt that his heart was about to pop out of his chest as soon as he heard her voice.
"Good, everything's good. How is dad? Leo? Are they there?" she continued, unbeknownst of the situation that was unfolding.
"Leo is out and your dad is taking a nap, he gardened all morning and he was exhausted. He is getting old and he misses you so much… when are you coming home? The semester is over, isn't? He is expecting you any day now…"
"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that… there is this internship that they are offering me which I think I should take. I was also thinking of taking one class over the summer, what do you think?" you could almost see the smile on her lips on the other end of the line. There was no doubt that she was a wonderful actress.
"Oh, really?" Stella shook her head, grinding her teeth with the desire of telling her daughter she knew everything. "I still think you should come at least a couple of days, your dad really wants to see you and he is getting a bit depressed. He needs you, Luna, you know that."
"I know mom, I want to see you guys so much too. But this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm not sure if I can go, even for a few days, you know how those Hollywood directors get"
"Yes, I know…" she was disappointed at how easily her daughter could lie to her. "And when is your cellphone going to be ready? We need to have a steady number where we can reach you. What about Addy's phone number? I promise not to call unless it is an emergency…" Thomas nodded.
"Yes, about that… I was thinking of not getting a cellphone at all. They're annoying and I've been so much better without one in my life. And I really don't want to bother Addy with her phone, Daddy won't leave her alone trying to reach me, I know him pretty well. But don't worry, I'll make sure to call more often."
"Luna, this is not about bothering anyone, you know it is important for us to know where you are at any time, to at least have a way of contacting you in case of an emergency. You must have a cellphone so that we can reach you and that is final" you could hear Stella's voice becoming increasingly authoritative, and he knew Luna would not like that.
"Mom, relax, I'm old enough to make my own decisions, and this is one of them. I will call very often, I promise. "
Stella was about to lose the little patience she had left, there were few things that she hated more than being lied to so shamelessly. She clenched her jaw and shook her head, looking directly at Thomas.
"Luna, this is seriously not up to debate, please get a cellphone immediately, I'll send you money right away."
"You are right, this is not up to debate, mother. I don't need any money and I will not get a cellphone, I'm fine like this. Don't you guys worry about me. " Stella Armstrong realized that she couldn't play along, she had always disliked lies and could not bear them, especially if the life of one of her kids was in possible danger.
"Where are you, Luna?" she said straightforward.
"What do you mean?" she knew her mother a little too well, she recognized her mother's tone, and it wasn't pretty.
"This is your last chance, Luna. Where are you?" she spoke slowly and to the point.
Luna remained in silence, she wasn't sure what her mom knew or why she was asking that question, but she was definitely up to something.
"You're not going to say anything?" her mother asked as Luna remained in total silence. "Fine. Professor Hunt is right here, in front of me, and he did have a lot of things to say…" Thomas widens his eyes and his heart stopped.
"What?" Luna was so confused that it was like her brain stopped functioning at that point. "Hunt? There?"
"Yes. I know you are not in Los Angeles, nobody knows where you're at, not even Addison. Why are you doing this, Luna? Thank God your father doesn't know the full extent of it, even though I have no idea how I'm going to explain this to him."
"Daddy doesn't need to know, no one was supposed to know Mom, not even you" her voice cracked at the end of the sentence.
"You need to come here immediately Luna. Take the first flight you can find, I'll send you money wherever you want, just come home, please" Stella pleaded.
"No, mom. I'm so sorry for causing this pain to you, but I cannot go back. Not to LA, not home." Her voice was shaky but determined.
Stella was an incredibly strong woman, but at that moment her heart broke and tears started to flow through her cheeks. She was unable to even gather another word. Hunt took the telephone from her hands, turning off the speaker and putting the device to his ear.
"Luna…" he said in a whisper.
His voice, albeit soft and gentle, felt like a thunder inside her, shaking every muscle in her body. There were a million things she wanted to say, but every word got stuck in her throat, muting her completely, almost choking her.
"Luna, there is much to say. Tell me where you are, I'll travel the whole world just to see you once again."
Stella lifted her eyes, removing a tear that was about to fall. She looked at Thomas's gaze, long, distant, and full of yearning. His demeanor was that of a man crazy in love, it was so obvious that it almost seemed out of a movie script. Stella Armstrong was convinced of his love, but the person that truly mattered didn't.
"You… why do you hate me so much? Why do you want to destroy the little life I have left? Wasn't enough for you to ruin me? To expel me? To push me away? To make a fool out of me? Go and be happy with her and just forget I even exist!" she spoke so fast that it was hard to take so much information.
"Luna, relax and please tell me what happened. What did Priya tell you?" he spoke slowly and calmly.
"She could've said a million things and I would've not believed any of them. Is what she showed me, and everything else you two did to get rid of me. You two laughed behind my back this whole time! I knew you disliked me from the beginning, but to go through all the extent you and her went just to humiliate me… that's merciless and plain evil." she gasped, struggling to get air as it seemed that they had turned the temperature to 120° fahrenheit all of the sudden.
"Luna, please, you have it all wrong. Let me explain things to you."
"Why? I don't believe any of your words, they are poison, just like you. You are the worst accident that ever happened in my life. I don't ever want to see you again, at least respect that."
"Please, don't hang up, I can't live without you..." he pleaded in vain. The telephone headset gave a continuous beeping sound, there was no one at the other end.
She exited the telephone booth while trying to keep the tears inside, taking deep breaths and controlling the shaking in her hands. She walked back and forth, running her fingers through her hair.
Why would Hunt do that to her? He had ruined her previous life already, why did he want to ruin her again? Wasn't enough for him to expel her from the university, to break her heart more than she should've allowed, to use her for his lowest instincts and then throw her like trash.
Thomas Hunt was the most despicable person in the whole world, and she had absolutely no doubt about that.