Beholden - Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

She became more and more displeased as she listened to the wedding planner drone on about the expense of the wedding. Granted, at the onset Analise Mitchell set a twenty-five thousand dollar budget for the big day, and now she was grossly over-budget – but, it was not Mitrice Reynolds’ problem. She was hired to do a job and managing her money was not it. This was her wedding and she would have everything she wanted no matter what it cost. She was only getting married once in her life and it was going to be perfect. She would have the one hundred Ecuadorian roses, even if it cost over fifteen hundred dollars to have them. Mitrice was overstepping her boundaries by advising that she went with some American roses, to bring the cost down. She stepped even further over the line asking her to reconsider the traveling top shelf bartender, as that three-thousand five-hundred dollar expense could be drastically reduced by eliminating the alcohol altogether.

“Mitrice, this is my wedding – not yours.”

“I know this, Analise. However, you hired me to plan this wedding with a budget in mind.”

“Forget the budget! Just do what I tell you to do and shut up about everything, else.” Analise walked across the sitting room and positioned herself in front of the desk.

Mitrice took a deep breath and uttered a quick prayer. “Fine, Analise.”

“Good. Now, let’s get back to the plans. We don’t have long; the wedding is in two weeks.” Analise smiled and made her way back to the sofa to sit next to Mitrice.

“The venue is established. We will have the decorators in Turner Hall on Thursday, the nineteenth, to set up for the wedding and the reception. The caterer is prepared for the rehearsal dinner on Friday, the twentieth,” Mitrice turned the pages of her planner as she spoke.

Analise smiled as she listened to Mitrice go on about the wedding. As her mind raced with the idea that she could have more, Ghrelin walked through the patio door and sat beside her on the sofa. She sighed at his closeness and the smile grew on her lips. Yes, she thought, I can have more. Ghrelin agreed with her. He gave her ideas and ways she could make it happen. Any inclination towards a new budget was melting away, as she entertained musings of just how grand her big day could be.

“I want theatrical lighting,” Analise burst out.

“Excuse me?” Mitrice asked.

“I want theatrical lighting as I come down the aisle. I want this moment to be surreal and dramatic. My entrance should be memorable and magical.”

Mitrice shook her head, imperceptibly. “Turner Hall can accommodate that, I am sure.”
Analise clapped her hands, together, and her eyes shone in delight. Ghrelin smiled. He was happy, as long as she was happy. He wanted her to want more. It gave him great pleasure to be a witness to her seemingly insatiable appetites. In fact, he was the one who coaxed her on. The two of them have been buddies since she was a little girl. Her parents catered to her every whim. The more she wanted, the more they gave her. The Mitchells withheld nothing from their little girl. She was their only child and she deserved the best things, in life.

Ghrelin introduced himself to Analise on her first day of school. Her mother dressed her in the finest clothes. She had the latest new thing in snacks, in her lunchbox. She had the prettiest pencils in her flowery pencil case. Ghrelin said hello to her as she looked at Patricia’s pink Barbie doll case. He saw the countenance on her face changed, as she became dissatisfied with what her parents had brought her. He agreed that she should be able to have two pencil cases; and looked around as she reached over to grab Patricia’s case, while the other children were lining up to go out for recess.

“I’m just going to look at it,” she told Ghrelin.

“I know, Analise. It is okay,” he assured her.

She slipped the pencil case into her backpack before skipping off to the playground. Ghrelin followed behind her as she headed toward the swings. She swung her legs, to get herself moving and he stood behind her to push her. They talked and giggled with each other, as the other children raced around the yard.

Once they returned inside and Patricia could not find her Barbie pencil case, Ghrelin looked at Analise and smiled. She was scared that Ghrelin would tell everyone that she had the pencil box. Instead, he put his finger to his mouth. Ms. Harris, the teacher, asked everyone if they had seen it. No one confessed, not even when Patricia cried. Harold volunteered to help her look for it when the teacher thought she might have taken it out on the playground. However, when the teacher’s assistant, Ms. Cora, walked them out the bigger kids were out there playing tag. They were racing back and forth so fast that Patricia was afraid they would hurt her. She told Ms. Cora that it did not matter, anymore. She would ask her mother and father for another one.

“Are you sure, sweetie?” Ms. Cora asked as she kneeled down beside her.

“Yes, it’s ok,” Patricia whimpered.

Ms. Cora took Patricia’s hand, then Harold’s, and headed back to the classroom. As they walked back in, Analise did not know what she was feeling. She knew she was afraid because she thought she could get into trouble for taking the pencil case. She knew she was not sorry about it, because she wanted it and there was no reason she shouldn’t have it. However, there was something else going on in her tummy. Something she had not felt before today.

Ghrelin was smiling at her. He would keep her secret, he whispered. When he said that, the feeling in her tummy went away. She was happy that he was able to make her feel better. From that moment on, they were inseparable. They played together, at school. He came over and played at her house. Her parents let him come with them on vacation. They shared many secrets and he never asked her for anything. He always encouraged her to strive for more. He stood by her throughout school, then on to college. He was her confidante and very best friend.

“Analise, have you heard anything I have been saying?” Mitrice asked.

“Whaa… What?”

“I am going to need a check for the additional funds needed to take care of the new additions you have requested.”

“Of course, you are. Hold on, let me go get my checkbook,” Analise scurried off to retrieve her purse out of her bedroom.

While Analise was out of the room, Ghrelin looked at Mitrice. He wondered why they had never had a personal conversation. She sat quietly on the sofa, looking through her planner and making notes. He could not read her. He did not talk to her because she seemed aloof and standoffish. On the many occasions they have had to converse, they never hit it off. She was a beautiful woman, with a good head on her shoulders. She was intelligent and confident in her abilities. He wondered why she was planning everyone’s wedding, except her own. She was a successful young woman, with her own business. Yet, there were no suitors - at least, none that he ever heard her speak about. Mitrice kept her thoughts to herself. He knew she grew pensive, from time to time, but she never voiced her musings around him or with Analise.

Ghrelin watched Mitrice out of the corner of his eye. He was searching for a conversation starting point, but there seemed to be none. He decided to take a wild guess and see if she had any secret aspirations that she wanted fed. He asked about her childhood. He asked about her college life. He asked about her relationships. They had nothing in common. At every turn, he grew quiet. He decided he would go into the bedroom to see what was keeping Analise. He got up from the sofa and walked toward the back of the house. He could hear her talking to someone on the phone.

“…yes, sweetie. We are getting the final touches completed on the wedding. I am just writing the check for the last minute expenses,” she was walking back and forth by the bedroom window.
Ghrelin stood outside the door. He never interrupted her when Miles was around. He knew people would think that once she became engaged that their relationship would change. In fact, it was quite the opposite. They were closer than ever. He knew his position and he did not overstep his place. He and Analise had been around one another long enough for him to know his role in her life. It was important for the two of them to maintain other relationships. She had Miles and he had … well, he had whomever he chose. The field was ripe with willing companions looking for intimacy on many levels. Some invited him home for a brief, but in-depth chat. While others, met him only in public and did not want to be alone with him. They needed someone to boost their confidence - someone to give permission to proceed when they grew cautious.

“The pastor wants to meet with us, tomorrow evening, for our final counseling session. He is certain we are as prepared as we can be for our marriage,” she advised. She twirled her hair as she talked with her fiancé.

Ghrelin smiled. She became such a “girl” when she talked with Miles. Her voice grew light just as it had done when she talked to her father. He knew it was her way of convincing them of her dependence on them. To some degree, she did need them. She had needs and why should she be the one to foot the bill for them? When she used her soft voice with her father, he would give her anything she asked for, no matter the cost. She has been working on Miles for quite some time. He was not exactly her father, but she was not beyond calling him ‘daddy’ if that was going to accomplish her goal; a long time ago, she realized the best way to broach the subject of getting what she wanted with Miles. She was laying this foundation, right now. She wanted Miles to foot the bill for her overindulgence in the wedding plans. Sure, she would write the check, now. Nevertheless, later tonight she would ensure that she would get it all back.

“I am looking forward to seeing you, later, handsome,” she purred into the phone. “I miss your hands on my skin.”

The bait was being set. Ghrelin knew her tricks. He had taught her most of them. Over the years, she had asked for his opinion on such matters. He was eager to divulge any secrets he knew to help her obtain the objects of her desire. During college, they were a force to be reckoned with. There was no one who could resist it when they worked together and she had her heart or mind set on getting something.

Analise returned the phone to the receiver, grabbed her checkbook and walked out into the hall. She was not startled to see Ghrelin when she stepped outside of her bedroom door. They smiled at one another and walked back down the hall to the living room. They approached the sofa, together, smiling as if they had just shared a secret.

“I apologize for taking so long. I was on the phone with Miles, alerting him of the latest update on the wedding plans,” she sat down next to Mitrice.

“It is quite alright. I had a couple of things to jot down and a phone call to make, as well,” Mitrice answered, as she closed her planner.

Analise retrieved a pen off the coffee table and made out the check to Mitrice Reynolds. She ripped it out and handed it to the event planner.

“Thank you, Mitrice,” Analise stated as she rose and headed toward the front door.

Ghrelin just smiled at the snub. Analise never wasted time with those she thought was beneath her. Anyone in a service job, such as Mitrice, was there to do her bidding and nothing more. He often shook his head at the irony of her prejudice. To some, a biology teacher was a service job, no matter it was for honors students. However, Analise found a way to over-inflate her career choice. She was molding the minds of the future and preparing them to take their place in society. Yes, it was an honorable profession, yet she was just a part of the working class as those she chose to rebuff.
Mitrice took no offense at the apparent and rude dismissal. She could not take Analise seriously. She did not entertain her ignorant gestures of grandeur. She simply placed the check into her briefcase, along with her planner, grabbed her purse and took her leave. She had too much to do to allow this to deter her. She walked down the front porch and up the driveway to her car. She reached into her suit jacket pocket, pulled out her keys and pressed the remote entry button to unlock the doors. She placed her briefcase on the backseat, closed the door and stepped inside. The stillness of the car’s cabin was a relief. There was so much going on, in the atmosphere of Analise’s home. She could feel her spirit’s uneasiness each time she stepped foot across the threshold; and she always welcomed the fresh air when she left. She leaned her head back against the leather headrest and quietly prayed. This had become her custom after her departure from her clients. She would not allow the atmosphere from one person to hitchhike with her to another appointment.

She prayed until her spirit was at rest and she felt the tension leave her body. She put the key into the ignition, looked into the rearview mirror and slowly backed out of the driveway, turning left to head up Heatherdowns Lane toward North Brodrecht Road. She needed a change of scenery. She wanted to ride through the countryside and knew just the place that could allow that to happen - the Shenandoah Riding Center. She had a favorite horse, which the owners always made available for her, if she alerted them of her intentions. She pushed the button on her dash and called out “Shenandoah Riding Center” to dial the number by voice command. She listened to the ring, hoping no one had taken the horse out this afternoon.

“Shenandoah Riding Center, Connie speaking,” the woman answered professionally.

“Hello Connie, this is Mitrice Reynolds. I am heading your way and hoping that Buttercup is available for a ride, this afternoon.”

“Yes, she is available, Ms. Reynolds. When can I expect you?” Connie inquired.

“I am in the neighborhood, just leaving a client’s home. I can be there in less than five minutes. I hope this isn’t too short of notice,” Mitrice crossed her fingers.

“No, not at all, Ms. Reynolds. I will have the stable-hand prepare her for your arrival.”

Mitrice thanked Connie and they ended the call. When she arrived at the corner of Heatherdowns Lane and North Brodrecht Road, she made a right and headed toward the center.