"Hello..." he said a little apprehensive.
"Chris Kirkpatrick?" a familiar voice asked.
"Yes this is he," he stated. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but the voice sounded so familiar.
"This is Kira and I hope you still remember me," she said.
A flood of memories began to rush through Chris' head.
"My name is Kira," she said as she brought out her hand to shake his.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Chris." He had hoped to meet her the day that he had seen her talking to his roommate Ethan. He had wanted to make eye contact with her so that he could get the nerve to ask her to the party for Freshmen at the Frat House. Just as he was about to ask her the teacher walked in briskly.
"My name is Professor Lockeen. Welcome to Psychology. My course is hard and sometimes considered boring. But deal. You'll survive and if you do, you be able to pass at least at average," she said causing chills to go down each freshmen's back.
"Talk about scary..." Chris whispered to Kira. Hoping that she would smile. The outcome was better than a smile. It was sweet laughter.
"Her bark is actually worse than her bite," she said. "She's has a tendency to scare people. She says it gives her power. But really she's nice. She's my mom."
Chris thought he would gag. Kira took one look at him and burst into laughter. "I was kidding. God can't you take a joke?" she said.
The hour ended earlier than imagined and Chris got up and made motion to ask her if he could walk her to her next class. But it wasn't him that walked her to her next class, it was Ethan.
"Really is that you? We haven't talked since the wedding."
On the other side, Kira smiled thankfully. A voice that was comforting. A voice she knew well. She held in her hand a picture of her, Chris and Ethan. She burst into tears. Chris could feel the depth of pain in her cries. Chris wondered. What was the problem? What was wrong?
"Chris, Ethan died!" she finally said after calming down.
Chris stood frozen. His friend was dead? How could that have happened?
"Chris he had cancer," she said as her composure ripped into shreds next to her shattered pieces of her heart. "Chris I can't take this anymore. I can't breathe every time I think about Ethan. Please come here. Can you please help me."
"I'll be right there," he said as he made rush to leave. He grabbed his wallet and a framed photograph of the three. He got on the next flight and began to break down in his mind what had happened. Sure, he hadn't spoken to Ethan since the wedding but he was busy. Ethan had been his closest friend in college. Kira and Ethan were the example of the ideal couple. Young, happy and in love.
"Hello my name is Gabriella and I am your flight attendant for this trip. Please make sure you chair is in the upright position......."
"Gabriella?!" Chris said surprised as he passed through the wing of the crowded halls. That couldn't be her.
"Chris? Is that you? I have been looking all over the place looking for you!" she said as she ran into his arms to hug him. "I couldn't stay at Yale when all I really wanted was to be near you. I love you Chris," she said seductively kissing him. He reacted to her kiss out of habit. After all Gabriella was the girl her had seriously dated through out high school. It had been a year since he had seen her last which was graduation. "Chris make love to me," she pleaded to him.
Kira paced back and forth scaring her 7 year old daughter. Where was Chris? She needed to feel his arms around her. She needed his comfort. She remembered the night that they had made love. Gabriella had dumped Chris for the man of her life the beginning of their junior year. Chris had been broken hearted but he was always happy and cheery but it had driven her mad that Chris' old girlfriend had come all the way from Yale to take Chris away from her. But really she hadn't. Kira had decided to be Ethan hadn't she? She always did feel that she loved Chris but she was always so confused. When Gabriella came she realized her love for her. But being to proud she let her heart break but Ethan was there to mend it.
