Chapter 16
Kathleen
Chance fills me in on Fred, Mary, and Levi. I guess since Levi brought me here, he thinks I can be told everything. My heart breaks for this man I barely know but want to know everything about.
How could two parents abuse their child so badly? Chance and Kelly didn’t tell me any details or stories. They just told me the basics. Micah didn’t say anything. I can tell this is affecting her badly. I just don’t know why.
I’m at a complete loss here and Kelly sees it. “Hey,” she says to break the silence and maybe the tension also. “Wanna go sit in the living room and talk?”
What am I going to say? I’d really like that because I have no idea what is going on and I really need someone to bounce things off of.
“Sure. I need that.”
“I thought so. Let’s go.” We walk into the living room and sit on the soft brown couch. It takes me by surprise how soft it is. I run my hand over the cushion and Kelly giggles. “It’s soft, huh?”
“Very. I need one like this.”
“Don’t we all,” she says. Her mood shifts then. She wants to get started with this conversation. I guess I need to also.
“So, Katie. Tell me something.” She folds her legs and feet under her on the couch and gets comfortable.
“Let’s see. Where do I start?” Does she want my life history? My lack of life? Or just what happened Friday night?
“For starters, tell me what you do.”
“Ok. I work part time at my dad’s management firm. Where ever he needs me. I want to go to law school, but he wants me to go to med school so…”
“So, you don’t do anything besides that?” She doesn’t ask in a judgmental way and that surprises me. I shake my head in response.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-nine,” I say with a little shame. How can someone like me not know what they want to do with their life. Well, I know what I want to do, but I’m not doing it. How do I justify that?
“Got ya,” Kelly says, again in a non-judgmental tone.
“I just don’t want to upset my dad. He’s all I have, and I want to make him happy.”
“I understand that. More than you know. Here’s the thing though. In the end, you have to be happy, and not just waiting. Because life... It passes fast. Way too fast. When you look back - when you’ve finally got it all together, you’ll constantly wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. I’m living proof of that.”
Her confession and speech surprises me a little. She appears to have it all together. A husband who is a country singer, (Yes, I’ve figured out who Chance is. Chance Simmons, the famous country music singer. It didn’t click when I first saw him, but once he started talking, I knew it was him.) and a cool kid. She looks happy and content. You would never guess that once upon a time she wasn’t.
“I hear what you’re saying, and I keep telling myself the same thing. It’s just hard.”
“I get it. So, let’s move on. What else? What do you do for fun. What do you and your friends do?”
I take a deep breath. “I don’t have any friends. I have one girl that I talk to, but she’s opposite from me and I end up never doing anything with her.”
Kelly frowns and almost looks sad. “No friends? That must be lonely.”
“It is. I’ve had acquaintances all through high school and college. They just never stayed close or stuck around.”
“That makes me sad, Katie. Really sad. I’ve known the three here practically all my life and one of us are missing.”
“How long have you and Chance been together?”
“None of us got together until after college. Chance and I have been together about seven years. Zant and Micah are going on nine, I think.”
“How long have y’all known each other?”
“Since we were five and six. We all met in Kindergarten or first grade.”
I can’t wrap my head around being friends with someone so long. The only person that I’ve known that long is my dad. In all aspects, he is my only friend. Since my mom isn’t here anymore, I don’t know what it’s like to have a girl to talk to either.
“Who’s the other person to your group?” I remember Kelly mentioning someone else was missing.
“Macy. She’s a lawyer actually. You and she would get along great. She’s in the middle of a huge case right now. To be honest, that’s all the time. She’s in the middle of a huge case all the time. She doesn’t get to come down here as much as we would like her too.”
“Where does she practice?” It would be awesome to meet her, but I don’t know if I’m going to be hanging around them long enough to meet her. That makes me sad. I feel like I would like them. A lot.
“She’s in the middle of Mississippi. Around Jackson somewhere.”
“That’s cool.”
“So, tell me what happened Friday. Let’s try to figure this out.”
I recap everything that Levi told them earlier. I also told her what Wilson said to me. I never told that to Levi. I don’t think it would make a difference anyway.
“He’s a tool, Katie. Don’t worry about what he thinks of you. You do you and make yourself happy. Anyone who doesn’t understand that… it’s their problem, not yours.”
I fidget with my fingers in my lap. “I appreciate that.”
“Look at me.” I look up at her. “Let it go. He means nothing to you. His opinion doesn’t matter. You hear me?”
I smile and nod at her. I could really use Kelly as a friend.
We talk a little longer, but there isn’t anything I can give her to help either of us figure out who wanted to kidnap me and what it may have to do with Levi’s father.