Crystal Bella (27 page)

~ CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ~

ONE DAY IN BOOKER

It was Friday and Ethan was going back to college, his first day back. It was late morning and Elisabeth had planned to go to work late so she could say bye to Ethan. She was so touchy and all over him today. It reminded him when he first went to kindergarten when he was four. He didn’t want to go and she was so gentle and concerned.

“I’ll be okay mo
m,” he said, then and now.

They had
breakfast together and a coffee and another one just before his departure. She hugged him at the door and told him he looked beautiful like a Goth angel, nice he thought. She hugged him one more time and blew him a kiss and a heart sign with her hands that usually Ethan did, he returned it and shouted out.

“I love you and you’
re gorgeous!”

She laughed, he meant it, she knew it, and com
ing from him it always felt special.

He picked up Christian on the way. He rocked up to his house wit
h the roof down, he swung around the corner making a noise and saw Christian waiting there with his little sister Talia. He jumped in the car.

“She just wanted to say hi,
” Christian said.

Ethan jumped out of the car and gave Talia a hug. She loo
ked serene in her look, her normal vivacious self was still there but that all absorbing teenager girl was not. She was just so open and giving. She was never selfish in the past but she had always liked the attention given to her and today she seemed different, mature and open and older too. He hugged her for a long time.

“I don’t hav
e any words really to say to you, Ethan but I know you loved her and for you to love someone, she has to be special like you and if you ever went I would feel shattered...”

Eth
an just looked at her and smiled, she was saying the most beautiful things.

“So what I’m saying
,” she said with a flirtatious like move with her body, “you’re special, Ethan and I always thought you’re lovely ever since I was a young girl.”

“Thanks so much
Talia, you’re gorgeous.” She coyly giggled. “And Christian doesn’t wanna know this, but you’ve turned into a very attractive looking teenager.”

She had a big smile on her face and in her eyes.

“It takes one to know one eh?”  Ethan said giving her a playful push.

She stared at
Ethan not wanting him to go. “Okay little angel, enough compliments for you for one day,” he said.

They both laughed, s
he hugged him again. She blew him a kiss and he gave her a heart sign and he jumped into the car. They drove away and played some music.

Today was going really well Ethan thought, i
t felt sweet, and Talia had really picked him up, she really had.

Ethan cruised
through his lectures, he hung out with Carl and Christian for a while then he went on his own. He walked past Amelia and she smiled, stopped him and gave him a hug. Beauty and compassion was all around him today. Everybody was being so kind and understanding and really gentle with him.

It was the afternoon and he had finished the day. He was walking by himself
across the field. He noticed the peaceful space he had in front of him, not many people around and everything seemed heightened, like a newness of some type. He was wearing his trench coat, his favorite shirt and some fingerless gloves. As he walked, he came to a willow tree and coming right at him was Natasha, they came right to each other. It was meant to be, it couldn’t be any other way.

“
Hi, Natasha.”

“
Hi, Ethan I’m really sorry to hear what happened.”

She went right up to him and held him tightly and hugged him.

“How are ya feeling?” she asked.

“
I’m okay…”

Seeing Natasha br
ought up a few memories for him, love, girls, Kali.

“
I know I’m the last person you want to be close to right now…but I do care about you,” she said.

“
I know.”

“
I’m sorry, Ethan for being a bitch to you all the time, you don’t deserve that.”

Ethan just stared at her.
“I’m sorry okay,” she said.

“Okay I forgive you.
”

“
If you weren’t so gorgeous I wouldn’t have been so mean.”

Ethan touch
ed his hair, then his coat in a way to adjust to having Natasha right here in front of him, then he said,

“
I just don’t think you were used to a sensitive guy.”

She looked so potently into his eyes, ready for anything, she was really listen
ing so he continued.

“
When I was with you it was perfect, but as soon as you left my company you would turn into a complete madam.”

She turned around in
a little circle in some kind of gesture.

“May
be, okay,” she said, “you did think I was your gorgeous angel when I was with you though didn’t you?”

“Yeah I did.”

“It was special Ethan...you are, we both know that.”

“So are you..everyone sees it.”

“I don’t know about everyone, your friends don’t.”

“They are just scared of you.”

“So they should be. You should be scared of me!”

She
smiled with her big smile and Ethan could see why she was his first love ever. They chatted for a bit longer under the Willow tree. They felt protected where they were and were free in the moment to talk about anything. Eventually they had to go, and like everyone who he had bumped into today, it was an intense good bye.

“
I’m really happy we bumped into each other,” she said.

“
Thanks for being so kind and understanding.”

“
It’s okay, Ethan you’re a wise, beautiful soul....” she pulled her hair away from her face and pouted her lips slightly, “and you were my first true love.”

She said it softly in a way that
almost surprised herself.

They hug
ged, she held him closely and he looked at her with his pure eyes and told her, “you were my first love too.”

They moved a part.
He looked at her, he gave her a Namaste gesture, a smile and she watched him walk away across the grounds.

Natasha walked across the ground
in a different direction to Ethan and she came towards Christian and Carl.         

“
Hey Natasha have you seen Ethan?” Carl asked.             

“
I was just talking to him, he was just walking by on the field near the Library.”                      

“
We could always ask her for a lift,” Christian quietly said to Carl.

“
I can give you both a lift if you need a ride.”

“
Oh good, you don’t mind?” Carl asked.

“
Of course not, though no trouble from you mister,” She said pointing at Christian.

“You’re
the one who said I look better with a bird’s head on.” Christian said.

“
I did say that didn’t I? From now on, we will be nice to each other, okay?”           

“Cool
, Peace,” Christian said.

She moved forward and gave them both a hug.         

“And Carl you’re nice to everyone, all the time!” she said.                   

“
He’s a genital peace maker,” Christian said.

Carl looked
at Christian, amused. They all jumped into the car. Natasha started the engine, turned on the sounds and blasted the music and accelerated a bit faster for Christian and Carl’s liking.

Natasha dropped
them off at a park and Carl and Christian met up with a couple of friends they knew and played baseball. Natasha then drove off and headed home.

Ethan jumped
into his car, the roof was down. He put the music on and headed off. He had to take a different route home as he had an essay paper that needed checking. She was an old family friend who lived around the bays, an older woman who was super bright and often helped Ethan out with her academic knowledge. He decided he would drop in and see her on his way home.

Clos
e to where this older lady resided was also where Lenard lived. His brother Brandon was leaving home, off to a science fair that he was highly excited about.                                                                                                                    

“
I have to go now. I’m going to be late for the science fair,” Brandon said to his mother as he headed towards the front door.            

“
Have a lovely time dear,” she said.

“
Don’t rush. It’s just another science fair,” Lenard said.

Brandon jumped in
to his car and got going. Slightly agitated because he knew he was running a little late.                                                                                                            

Ethan wa
s driving around the bays and going fast, his Porsche handled it well. He drove fast as he felt powerful and free in this moment. This day had felt special. Everything was highly charged and he felt it deeply. Seeing Natasha had such a sweet, deep effect on him. They were friends again, somehow the moment freed them both of any past. It was like they were both 11 again, saying hi under a tree.

As Ethan thought about his day the rain came falling down. It was like a patch that seemed to just fall in certain areas. He kept the roof op
en, knowing the rain would pass or he would come under the blue space in the sky. It looked beautiful with the way it had formed. He could see the sea around him, the dark clouds and some blue sky as he burnt around the bays.                                                                                                      

Bra
ndon was driving around the same bays, cliff tops, around the water. He looked at his watch, agitated at being late. He was stuck behind a truck now. He had been behind it for a short while and knew he had to try and pass it. The moment came to pass and he went to go around it but it was so tight and he became is a little indecisive. He braked, accelerated, yes, no, yes, he did it. He slammed the foot on the accelerator as he tried to pass the truck. He hoped like mad no car would come his way around the corner with the oncoming traffic.

Ethan was gliding around the bays,
with the cliffs below, the scene looking magical. He went around a bend and right in front of him was a car in his lane, in his path, coming right at him. It was Brandon’s car. Brandon was struggling to overtake the truck in time and then in a flash there was Ethan’s car speeding around the bend. Brandon couldn’t do much and Ethan had to swerve and he did. To avoid Brandon with only a second to do it, he veered right suddenly to not hit him. There was an off ramp with cones and road works. His car hit the cones as it slid in the wet. Ethan tried to straighten up but he was sliding and the off ramp was so short and before he knew it, he went through the barrier and was over the edge.

Below Ethan
, 200 feet down was the sea. It had all came upon Ethan so suddenly. He was in the air looking down on this view that looked sublime. That view froze for that moment and Ethan knew he would be dying soon. In that split second the air felt fresh, he could smell the sea salt. It was like he had been here before, it had that familiar feel. The picture had a thousand words. He realized he had no choices left and could only surrender into the nothingness of it all. And down he went going through the sky. It felt deep to Ethan in that moment. He felt Zen like. He knew what was happening and couldn’t escape it. He felt deep and decided to face his death in calmness and surrender to it.

Ethan
hit the water and died on impact. The car penetrated the water. The water swelled and some mist positioned itself into forms that were embedded in love and symbols of what this moment meant. It was like all of nature was bestowing her beauty to help carry Ethan’s spirit to the other side.

~~~

A
s Ethan’s car hit the water, Elisabeth was at home and dropped a glass. It smashed everywhere and in an instant she knew something had happened to Ethan.

Christian wa
s playing baseball with some friends. One of them yelled out to get the ball, but Christian just stared into space. His friends were like,
‘what’s up?’
Carl looked really concerned. They both knew something had happened to Ethan.

Amy wa
s with Halo, Halo looked troubled and concerned.

“
What’s the matter Halo? Amy asked.