love story

                             Chapter one

“Alright you are all set for your trip to Aruba, Mr. Jameson.”

“Thanks honey. Too bad you can’t come with me.”

“Too bad, I already scheduled my eyebrow waxing for that day.”

“Next time, then. If I like Aruba, maybe I’ll buy us a nice little mansion where we could live.”

“If I wasn’t already taken maybe I’d consider it.” If he breaks your heart sweetie pie, you know who to call and I’ll come take you away pretty.”

Mr. Jameson finally lifted himself from the chair, grabbed his cane and walked slowly out of Suzie’s Travel Agency. Lyla breathed a sigh of relief; the creepy old man that just had to go to Aruba was finally out of her hands. Why was it that the only men who ever even noticed she was an actual living, breathing person where the creepiest, oldest, or plan weirdest men. Not a single normal male had ever taken notice of her. She was smart. She loved children and animals and volunteered at the senior center, working of course with only the women, and could hold her own at any card game. So why was it Lyla Summers lived a life devoid of male attention.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Said Suzie

“ Why Why Why.”

“Maybe you should just settle on a sugar daddy, and then you would be set for life.”

“I don’t think so. No way. I just want to have real love. Is that too much to ask?”

“Actually it is. I’ve been married and divorced once, engaged three times since that and as of yesterday I have four dates for this weekend and the day is still young. But I still haven’t found real love.”

“At least they know you’re alive.”

“Lyla, I don’t know. It’s not like you dress terrible or have some weird birth defect or speech impairment. Maybe your calling in life is greater than anyone knows and men will just get in the way of what you’re meant to be.”

“What like using my super powers of attracting weird, old men into this place and convincing them to spend their life saving on an overpriced trip to Bermuda or Jamaica or Chile, because it’s a trip of a life time and if they don’t do it now, they might never have a chance to see the world.”

“And that’s why you’re my number one agent. You’ve booked more trips this month than anyone else. I don’t know what I would do without you,”

“At least I’m good at my job. Well I’m done for today. Have fun on all your dates.”

“I will.”



         Lyla went home that Friday to her apartment, it was just the right amount of space for her and Gumbo. Gumbo was Lyla’s male Rottweiler. She had found him at the pound when he was six months old. If she hadn’t of found him he would had been put down. People are so naive they think dogs like Rottweiler’s and Pit bulls are man-eaters. The lady at the desk when she was leaving even told her to watch out and sleep with one eye open. But they were a perfect pair, Lyla and Gumbo. She hadn’t chosen the name, it was the one they had given him at the pound and it just stuck. That big, sometimes smelly “monster” meant the world to her.

“Knock, Knock” Lyla opened the door. Genève Andrews stood at her door, ladle in hand with something funky smelling and a big smile on her face.

“Taste” said Genève. Actually she preferred to be called Lady Neve. She was just as crazy as the name she choose be called by. Lady Neve insisted that Lyla open her mouth and taste whatever was on the ladle.

“Interesting, Lady Neve.”

         “I’m calling it magic pudding.”

“Magic pudding. And I’m guessing I don’t want to know what is in it.”

“No.” That was all she said before skipping and dancing back down the hall to her apartment. Lady Nive at one time has brought audiences to hysterical laughter as a star traveling with the greatest show on earth. Every man under the big top had a thing for her. But that was years ago. Now she was just the crazy lady in apt 3F.

         Friday went by, then Saturday and then Sunday. Ever weekend the same. Friday night was spent watching Pride and Prejudice again. Saturday morning Lyla and gumbo went for a walk in the park and after she dropped Gumbo back at the apartment, and spent the afternoon at the Natural History Museum and then a concert in the park that night. Sunday, after playing bingo with the ladies at the senior center and avoiding the old men, Lyla won five round of poker with the hot college guys down on the first floor.

         Then came Monday. Back to helping people plan trips she herself had never been on. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to travel. She couldn’t. Her birth certificate and Social Security card had both been lost years before, right after getting her license and for some reason the people who are suppose to have all the records like that couldn’t locate hers. And because of a lot of red tape they hadn’t been able to issue her new ones. After losing her scholarship, because of a big misunderstanding and leaving MIT, she found a job at Suzie’s Travel Agency. After explaining everything, Suzie agreed to pay her under the table and in time there was no doubt that Lyla had proved to Suzie she had made a wise choose. She brought in a lot of business.



                                                 Chapter Two



         For a moment the rain stopped, the clouds parted and the sun shone as God’s perfect creation of a man walked into Suzie’s Travel Agency, with his perfect smile and thick head of luscious wavy black hair and perfectly toned mocha-Carmel skin. He walked right over to Lyla’s desk reached out his perfect hand to shake hers and said, “Hello. I would like to take a trip to Italy.”

         An hour and a half later, after booking the flight, hotel and tour of the ruins, Lyla watched him walk out into the dreary, cold, wet day, but the radiance from Kaden still filled the small office.

         Kaden Addams left Lyla with a giddy feeling for the rest of the day. He not only shook her hand with just the right amount of firmness, but looked her in the eyes when she spoke and paid attention to what she had to say, even when it had nothing to do with planning his trip.

         A few days later Lyla locked up the office and started walking down the street toward her car, when she became increasingly aware of someone following her. A van with tinted windows pulled up beside her and four men dressed in black suits stepped out. She was surrounded from all sides and there wasn’t a soul in sight, but Lyla would not go down without a fight. First she starting screaming at the top of her lungs, just in case anyone was in hearing distance, then she began flailing her arms and legs when they tried to move her into the van. One of the suited men grabbed her arms, so she started kicking him, another suited man grabbed her legs so she turned and bite the first one she could reach. Unsuccessful at fending them off, she was eventually in the van. The man that she had bitten was still holding her arms, but keeping a far enough away distance that she wouldn’t be able to bite him again. The man holding her legs was being assisted by another suited man who was holding down her feet and then she looked up to see the fourth suited man take a syringe and inject a substance into to her, then it went black.

          Lyla woke up to one of the suited men, telling her to get out of the van. He grabbed her arm and led her past check in, through security and into the waiting area. At first she hadn’t noticed that she was being lead through an airport. When she had initially woke up everything was hazy and her head felt like a million pounds of water was beating down on it. Then her brain started to think again. Why they had brought her to an airport was beyond her comprehension. She was told to sit and wait. She was being watched and any attempt at running would result in punishment. Then something stranger happened. Kaden Addams was walking right towards her, big smile in tow. Amazed Lyla watched as Kaden sat down beside her, took her hands in his and told her not to be scared, everything would be fine, that he would take care of her. Hardly breathing, she just nodded once and tried not to cry.

          What was happening, what did this all mean? How did they think they were going to get her on a plane and out of the county, considering… But maybe they didn’t know and the whole thing would fail. But, they had already gotten her through security. So where was  she being taken and why? Why was Kaden Addams here telling her everything would be fine. Wasn’t he supposed to be going to Italy for two weeks.

         “Last call for flight 218 to Rome. Last call for flight 218 to Rome” the overhead speaker announced. And up stood Kaden, still holding her hand. He led her through the maze of people to the gate, handed the women two tickets, smiled his dazzling smile at her and then they were walking down the gangway to the plane. The attendant showed them to two seats already set up with champagne. Kaden let Lyla have the window seat and encouraged her to drink some of the champagne.

         “What’s going on?” she whispered after the attendant was out of ear shot.

         “Not here, not now. When the time is right I will explain everything.” Kaden whispered back. Two in flight movies, three more glasses of champagne and a steak dinner later the plane finally landed in Rome.