Enjoy chapter two!
"Ma'am, wake up, we're here," The stewardess gently shook Vada awake, in attempts to get her off the plane.
"Mhhh, sorry, I guess I dozed off didn't I?"Rubbing her eyes she looked around to see she was the only one left on the plane. Every seat around her was empty, and the only other persons were those cleaning up after the passengers.
"Yes, I'm sorry but we have to ask you to depart," the woman looked sensibly sorry, but had a slight amusement in her eyes.
"Yes, of course, it's fine," Slowly she got up and collected all that belonged to her. Save the various papers she had scribbled on throughout the fourteen hour flight. Smiling at one other, they went their separate ways. The attendant to, more than likely clean the rest of the plane, and the young woman to find her luggage, and so on, Vada knew she would have a long day, week even, if she didn't get any sleep before her forty-three hour drive to Gotham. She, of course, wouldn't drive straight there, but only planed on making two or so stops to sleep, and the occasional bathroom/gas excursion.
She approached the baggage claim to find hers were the only four bags left; her boxes had already begun their trip to Gotham.
"Are these yours Ma'am?" an elderly man asked, you could tell he was amiable almost instantly.
"Yes, thank you," flashing him a smile and taking the small cart he had put them on, she continued on her way.
Walking through the sliding glass doors that led to the world outside, she was greeted by one of her closest friend.
"Va!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, running towards her at full speed. Even at twenty-seven, she was as energetic and juvenile as ever.
"Lizzy, you do realize you need to use your inside voice, right?" with a smile on her lips, she hugged her long time friend, and they chatted on their way back to her car. After a quick cup of coffee, and grabbing the very few belongings Vada had in her apartment, they headed to pick-up her car.
They talked about this and that, mostly Lizzy talked, but Vada didn't have a problem with listening.
She told about how much she had missed her, how her boyfriend and she were engaged…. Again, actually, for a third time; and how her job was going.
They had met in med school, Vada to be a doctor, and Liz to be a nurse. They were stuck in a room together all year, and had become as close as sisters.
"Must you really leave tonight? You just got here, and I want you to see David," she asked while she drove down the rocky road.
Ah, the good boyfriend David. The one that verbally abused, and took her for granted. Yes, that 'wonderful' boyfriend. The one time she had told her sister-in-bond what her thoughts about her romantic interest, she blew a gasket, and didn't speak to her for weeks. However, Va refused to take back her opinion. She had gotten up in her on and off fiancé's one day while he yelled at her friend. She had punched him, and he punched back. She was happy at the time she could take hit, because, damn, he hit hard. Involuntarily, she reached up and touched her cheek which once possessed a large purple, and black bruise. Anger boiled inside of her at the thought that he may do that to the woman sitting next to her on a regular bases.
"So…." The suggestion in her company's voice was one that inquired.
"What…." Vada responded in the same manor.
"Your divorce, how did he take it?" that's right, she was now marked, no pun intended, because she had married Mark Treeum, and he had cheated on her while she was away in Africa. She remembered how angry she had been, not so much sad but betrayed. She should have know, that he would think with his…. But she just stopped thinking about him and many other women long ago. She wanted a one woman man, and would stand for nothing less. You cheat, you're done, and that was what she had told him the day he proposed. He made it so convincing to, the 'I only love you, I would never cheat on you' bull. All of it, it was all bull. Looking back she never really understood why she married him. He was a good guy, she supposed at the time, but she wasn't madly in love like she had been in the past. Well, she knew that relationship wouldn't go anywhere, they were kids and she would bring the secret to the grave that she was romantically involved with Bruce Wayne, of all people, at one point in her life.
" Not well, he claimed they were false accusations, but I made him tell me the truth before it was all over, he came to his senses, he let me go, signed that papers an that was it." her tone was deadpan, a bit of confusion and the occasional spark of anger and resentment, but she was over it. People always tried to assert she was just not facing her full emotion, but they were always wrong. In truth, Vada has never put her whole heart into a relationship, and hoped, sadistically, she never would.
"There has to be more, he was furious when I saw him,"
"When did you see the lying…." She cut herself short, her temper flared, but she wasn't going to be one of 'those' women. She would not stand to be angry with him, and let his actions affect her more than they had already.
"I'm sick of his 'I'm angry' shirt; he doesn't deserve to be angry! He cheated on me! Not the other way round," so much for not letting her emotions getting out of hand.
"Shirt, don't you mean…"
"No don't say it, I'm trying to get away from cussing, I see no need for it, and it only comes out in extreme situation," to stop cussing would be great. Finding no need for the 'f' word, she was more so attached to the normal average words, damn, shit, hell, bitch, basterd, asshole, and those few.
"Okay, that won't last long" muttering the last part under her breath, they continued to drive down the bumpy road.
"When are they going to fix the freakin road?!" all the way to the complex that held the newly arriver's car, Elizabeth went on and on about the roads, what crappie government they had, and why she wanted to slay them for their incompetence. But soon the conversation turned to a certain playboy billionaire.
"Come on, you can't tell me your not excited to see him! It's been like what, nine, ten, years?" they had parked a while ago, but both girls wanted to talk a bit longer before the one had to leave the other for travel.
"Actually, I'm not. I don't want to go back. Rays dead, how can I go back to that town and not think of the years we spent? I'm going to cry and you know I HATE crying," her face was one of self confliction; she knew she needed to go back. After all, she had missed her funeral, only finding out about her death a month ago, when it occurred almost a year prior.
"You can't beat yourself up for not knowing! You were in Africa for crying out loud, sorry no pun intended, you didn't exactly have a phone handy now did you?" trying to use reason and logic was the best way to stop her friend from getting emotional. She had a way about her that was hot and cold. Sometimes she would think straight out logically and not be emotionally scared. For instance, her divorce was a breeze, she never called in the middle of the night, even if she could, and cry about how her husband cheated on her, and how heartbroken she was.
And then, on the flip side, she kept being emotional about Rachel's death, and not knowing. Emotion coming from her wasn't a bad thing per say, but it was an overload. When she cried she meant it, and it had to be for a damn good reason. She had an emotional breakdown about every… oh, 18 months, on a normal occasion, but if something had affected her so terribly, that it caused her to show what she thought was 'weakness' on several occasions, it was serious.
"I know, I just…. I feel terrible for not attending, but I will visit her when I get there," both woman were silent, Liz knew what she meant, she would visit her grave, bring flowers, cry, and talk for hours about her life, something's never change, she supposed.
Rachel had been one of Vada's closet friends as a child. They didn't see much of one another mind you, for Va was always traveling to and fro with her parents, but when she did visit her Uncle in Gotham, they spent every waking moment together. As they got older they discovered the wonders of telephones, and the computer; talking was no longer a hardship, and the obstacle of distance was removed.
"I should go. I want to be there by Thursday, so I need to get a move on," a small smile graced her lips as she looked out the window, avoiding eye contact with her companion.
"Yah… I guess," silence once again enveloped them. Neither wanting to say goodbye, but also, knowing they needed to.
After a moment they looked at one another and laughed. Swiftly they were in one another's embrace, and mumbling their goodbyes once more.
"I'll call every day, I have to tell you about the wedding arrangements, and all that stuff!" she stated excitedly, as she bounced slightly in her friends hold.
"Okay, I will try my best to answer," she laughed at the enthusiasm, and part of her was dreading the long conversations about flowers, and theme colors.
Getting out of the car she had been previously, the young woman headed to her own transportation.
Getting in she looked over to see her friend tearing up, and waving franticly. She laughed once more, waved back, and backed out of the spot in which her car had sat for the last two months.
It felt strange, driving; she hadn't in almost eight months. Eight months. That was a long time, her being in Africa; it seemed so much shorter time wise. She supposed that was because she was so busy. Running from the village hospital in the forgotten and neglected sites, to the city, where she worked in a normal, paying position. True, they didn't have as good of hospitals as the US, but they were still in fair condition, and were pretty well kept.
Thinking back on all the memories of the place, she felt homesick, this, in retrospect, was quite odd. She was, in fact home, well; technically….
They say home is where the heart is, and her heart was sure as hell not here any longer. Shaking her head as to clear it, she tried to put the thoughts of her ex-husband behind her. The only thing that she wasn't able to understand was why. Why had he cheated and not owned up to it without a push from her? Why try and hide something so sinister.
But her answer came as it always did. She knew why. Because he was ashamed, sad about the things he did, but his constant pride was getting in the way of actually admitting, and owning it. People always did thing for a purpose; everything people did has some sort of meaning behind it. No matter what they say, the answer 'I don't know,' is, in actuality, bull. Everyone knows why they cheat, or steal or lie. Even if it was for a complicated answer, it was always for a reason; and most of the time, it ended with one thing. Selfishness,
Again, she tried not to psycho analyze, but it was hard. Both of her parents had been shrinks. Not necessarily being paid to hear other people's problems, but they had both gotten their masters in psych, and they, as the running joke was, taught their kids as well to shrink someone's head.
The streets were empty, which surprised the newly appointed driver. She expected it to be a packed road, but it was more so in the back country now that she had gotten to the outskirts if the main city.
Turning up the music in the car to keep the driver awake, the CD player, which was now attached and plugged into an iPod, was blasting 'She's a Lady' by Forever the Sickest Kid. Welcoming the irony, the Burnett sang along at the top of her lungs.
Besides the occasional bathroom, and gas stop, Vada had driven for almost, fourteen hours the first day. The second, she had driven another sixteen. And now, on her third, with no idea how she had managed to stay awake, she was currently in the outskirts of the city in which was her destination.
Picking up her phone, she dialed the familiar number.
"Hello, this is Wayne manor; we are apologetic to have missed your call. Please, leave a message, and we will return the favor as soon as possible," a smile made its way onto her face as she recognized her Uncle's voice. A beep sounded the sign for her to leave a message.
But before she could get a word out, the other line clicked, and very familiar voice came from the other end.
"Hello? This is Alfred Pennyworth, what is your business with Mr. Wayne?" Trying to keep his breathing under control from the quick trek he had made to make it to the phone after returning from a run, Bruce Wayne waited to hear from his butler to give any indication who was calling.
"Uncle Alfred? This is Vada Ramsden, I'm in the city, but I can't seem to find where you are staying" she had pulled up to the manor only moments ago, and had forgotten where he had said they were camped out until the rebuild was finished.
"My dear, you do not recall the conversation we had a few days ago?" a smile illuminated the elder man's face. He loved the woman like his own daughter, and would, and always had, treated her as such. The change in behavior in his butler made Bruce think who could be calling. He remembered a conversation with him about a visitor… but who it was, he couldn't remember.
Caught up in his own thoughts, the billionaire did not notice the older man near him hand up the phone and approach him.
"It seems, you to have forgotten our conversation as well master Bruce," smiling the surrogate father smiled at his 'son' with touch of amusement.
"Who was coming again Alfred?" racking his brain, he felt he should remember, but for the life of him, he just could not.
"My niece, Vada Ramsden," swiftly, the older man walked away, preparing the coming of his 'daughter'.
Bruce froze the moment he heard the name. His mind jumped to all the memories they had shared. The committed relationship they had once had together. But then she left, away to college without a word. He knew it was for so much more than that, they had fought, and in the end, she told him it was better she just leave.
He was nineteen at the time, but it still hurt when she left. Even though he would never admit it…
Quickly his mind returned to a calm cool, and collected state. Rubbing the back of his neck, he promptly headed to the shower, a warm shower… for now.
How was chapter two???? I love response! Haha thank you for reading, and again, the more you review, the faster I add chapters.