No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

In this lifetime, it seemed like she'd never be able to dial Ernest's number again, and neither would I.

My heart twisted painfully once more.

The worst part was that I couldn't even tell her, not until I was sure her heart could take the blow. It looked like I needed to find some time to get in touch with Fanny Willis, maybe see if Yates could run some tests on Susie. After all, secrets have a way of coming out. Ernest was gone, and it was a truth that couldn't be hidden forever.

"You wanted to talk to your brother to say what? Thanks?" I teased Susie on purpose.

"Yeah," Susie caressed her college acceptance letter, brimming with joy.

I cleared my throat, "Well, no need for that. Thanking me will suffice... that acceptance letter, I pulled some strings for you."

Susie was stunned for a second, then she gave me a thumbs up, "You're the best, Licia. Thanks a ton."

"Sure," I accepted her thanks graciously.

But Susie still pressed on, "You still gotta call my brother, though."

The girl was stubborn, I had to give her that. I found myself scrambling for an excuse, "He already knows the good news. I told him."

"It's not that, I miss him. I have things to tell him," Susie's words left me at a loss for further excuses.

Susie wasn't dumb; she sensed something off, "Licia, why won't you call my brother? Did something happen to him?"

My heart skipped a beat, immediately denying, "Nothing happened."

"But I haven't been able to reach him since Houston. I haven't seen him since, Licia. Something's wrong with my brother, isn't it?" Susie grabbed me, her prized acceptance letter falling to the ground. Seeing her so worked up and anxious, I feared just nodding would make her faint from shock.

Thinking of Ernest's once identity, Susie surely knew, so I continued the deception, "No, don't worry. He... he's on a mission, top-secret, no contact with the outside world allowed."

"He retired, didn't he? Why would he be on a mission? Licia, you're hiding something from me," Susie was not easily fooled.

"Don't overthink it," I said, avoiding her gaze, unable to meet her eyes.

"Then call him," Susie pressed.

Knowing talking further was useless, I handed her my phone, "If you don't believe me, try calling him. He's on a mission; I can't get through either." Susie probably knew this much, she didn't dial Ernest's number but muttered to herself in confusion, "He promised me, no more dangerous stuff."

"This time it was a super bad guy, remember how close Houston was?

Nearly got you and Mack

kept trying to reassure her, just to

I

ease her worries.

"Licia, you're not lying to me, are you?" Susie asked, not waiting for my response, she added, "The Collins family have been around asking about my brother." The Collins family?

I was instantly on alert, "Who came? What did they say?"

"They asked if my brother had been to see me recently? And some other stuff about my life, mostly about my brother. I'm not dumb, I could tell," Susie looked me in the eyes, Tell me the truth, Licia."

I wanted to, I really wanted to share the burden of losing Ernest with someone, but I couldn't. "Susie, don't jump to conclusions," was all I could use to placate her.

Susie seemed to realize I didn't want to say more and let go of my hand, deflated, it hurt me to see her like this, so I offered her a sliver of hope, "When your brother contacts me, I'll tell him to call you."

"Licia, if my brother doesn't contact me within a month, something definitely happened to him," Susie said with conviction.

"Why would you think that?" I asked, puzzled.

Susie picked up her acceptance letter from the floor, "The longest my brother has gone without contacting me is seventy-one days. Now, it's been forty-two."

It was hard to deceive Susie, because she cared deeply, her heart always with Ernest.