Chapter 7 Wishing for a miracle

Carrie

The next day, I found myself at the location indicated on the card the hotel's receptionist gave me. The huge building that was supposedly Alessandro's company was an architectural firm built in solitude, far away from most business buildings in that area.

This time, Gary was not available, so I had to take a taxi and walk some distance before I got to the building.

Soon, I walked past the gates and towards the building that was constructed uniquely and technically. Well, it is expected of such a firm to be unique about the construction of their building.

But is it strange that I think their building looks like a jug that has been sliced in half?

Oh well...

I entered a room that was empty save for some chairs that lay beside a staircase that ran all the way up.

Well, I am definitely not climbing it.

So, I turned to my left and walked to the elevator and a few seconds later, I was led into a chilly room.

"Good afternoon," I called the attention of the man behind the desk who had cat eyes that carried some sort of excitement in their orbs.

Without wasting time, he welcomed me with a smile. "Hello ma'am, how may I help you?"

"Huh... I would love to meet Alessandro Valante. I have a..."

The walk I walked to the building was quite lengthy so I was not surprised when I felt a sharp pain in my legs. To prevent myself from falling, I quickly grabbed the ends of the desk in front of me.

"Are you fine ma'am?"

Exhaling hard while I wondered if I will be in pain a lot during the pregnancy, I replied, "Yes, I just need to sit down."

And I did just that.

Once he saw that I was comfortable on one of the seats opposite him, he leaned forward and asked, "So ma'am, do you have an appointment with Mr. Valante?"

"No."

"Can I know your reason for visiting?"

"It is rather personal and I would prefer to tell Alessandro in person."

"Well ma'am, even if I could breach protocol and let you into his office, Mr. Valante hasn't come to the office in a week. And when that happens, he has most probably travelled. So there is no way we can reach him unless he contacts us."

I chuckled almost bitterly. "So, he is not around." He shook his head in negative. "And there is no way of meeting him or contacting him," I stated further.

"Well, you can leave him a message on his personal mail."

"Dude..." The loss of hope that befell me made my voice assume an unintended stern tone. "I need to see him. I need to contact him. If I don't talk to him soon, I might lose it."

The man didn't share my desperation. "Ma'am we are unaware of Mr. Valante's location and even if we did, we can't disclose it to you."

"How can you not know where he went? Did he go to space or something?"

Why won't I lose it? I will be getting married if I fail to contact Alessandro. I really, really don't want that to happen.

"Ma'am please stay calm."

I threw him a glare. "Don't freaking tell me to calm down."

Oh boy, I think I have already lost it.

He threw his hands up in surrender. "I don't know what to say, ma'am. I can see that you are frustrated, but truly, Mr. Valante is not around and the only way I can think of reaching him is his mail which he might not reply till God knows when."

"But I-"

"What is going on here?" A deep voice interrupted my words, hitching my breath for a second.

Without wasting time, I turned.

But...

It wasn't him.

I would have given anything at that moment for the man in front of me to be the father of the baby inside me.

But it wasn't him.

"Is there a problem here?" The tall man asked again.

"She says she needs to see Mr. Valante."

The ocean-blue eyes of the suited man came down to my disappointed and quite worried ones. "Hello, ma'am. I am Eduardo. You are?" He reached for a handshake.

I gave it to him. "Carrie."

"Let's go into my office to talk, I might be able to help you."

"I hope so." I got up and followed him.

After a quick walk through corridors, we got to his huge office which was demarcated from the staff's cubicles with a glass wall.

"Please, have your seat," he motioned to the chair opposite his. "So, why do you wish to meet Alessandro?" he asked once I said down.

"Well, as I told the dude downstairs, I need to meet Alessandro in person first."

"Is it that personal?"

"Very personal."

"Hmm." He appeared to think deeply for a few seconds before he said, "Listen, Carrie, right now Alessandro is not around nor reachable. But if you can tell me what this issue is, if it turns out to be something of great magnitude, I will make sure to reach him as soon as I can."

I eyed him and noted how naturally calm his face was.

"I would rather tell him in person."

"I am his friend, Carrie. I can help you reach him faster."

I sighed as I pinched my nose. "Listen, Eduardo, if I say I would rather tell him in person, I mean I would rather tell him in person. This issue is between him and me. So, please do me a favour and give me his email address so that I can message him."

"But if your issue is that important, messaging him might not be advisable. He hardly checks his messages when he is away. And he could be away for a while."

"Eduardo... please."

"But..."

Okay, now he is starting to get on my nerves a bit. Actually... Everyone is starting to get on my nerves.

"I am not going to tell you why I am here, Eduardo."

"Uh..." I blew off some hair that had come to my face. I watched as Eduardo cautiously reached for a paper and pen and wrote something out. "Here Carrie, in there is what you need."

A quick look into the paper and I smiled at him. "Now, that wasn't so hard was it?" He shook his head. "Thank you for your help Eduardo, I appreciate this."

"Uh... Sure." The look on his face was trying to figure out what important message I had to give his boss.

Good luck with that Eduardo.

Right now, I have to message Alessandro as if my life depends on it.

Well, it does.

~

Have you ever gotten to a point in your life where nothing ever works out? Has life shown you premium suffering before?

Well, life is doing that to me right now.

Ever since I got Alessandro Valante's email, I have sent him about fifty messages and none of them got a reply.

Not one reply.

Why would anyone bother to have a mail account if he wouldn't be using it?

Almost angrily, I tossed my phone to the bed.

"Nothing?" My mother asked as she approached me with a sorry excuse of a veil.

"Nothing." She posed the veil beside my head to see if it suited the long white dress I had on.

Yes, it has been a week and I am about to get married. Eying the half-beret, half-net thing beside me, I asked, "Who made this embarrassing object?"

"This embarrassing thing is what is in vogue, Carrie." She requested the help of one of the ladies that were supposed to help me prepare for my wedding.

"Mom, I know I am not a huge fan of the wedding that is about to be kick-started, but I would have preferred to wear those ridiculous long veils instead..." I stole a look at the cap on my head. "... this joke."

"Carrie..." she warned.

I continued anyway. "Do you know why I would have preferred the long veil? It will do a good job of hiding the huge sadness that has befallen me."

I reached for the plate of cake beside me. Since I started getting dressed, I have had three plates.

I can't help it. I need somewhere to channel the anger and sorrow muddled up inside me.

"Carrie, I wish things didn't have to turn out this way. But your father is very adamant, he isn't listening to anyone." My mother glanced at me. "Just like how you are not listening to me."

"Mom! I was eating that." I groaned as she pulled the plate from my hand and set the plate far away from me.

"You shouldn't eat too much before your wedding."

"My wedding?" I munched on what was left of the cake in my mouth. "More like my funeral," I said once the last piece of the sumptuous, fluffy delicacy went down my throat.

"Carrie, don't say that. You can never know, something good might come out of all this.".

I soon got tired of staring at my long white, plain gown in the mirror and walked toward my bed.

"Mom..." I played with my recently manicured fingers. "I am getting married to a stranger who is not the father of my baby. How could something possibly good happen?"

My mother sighed and sat me down. "Carrie, I know that this is terrible. I really wish something could be done to reverse this, but here we are. So, I want you to note this..." The brownness of her beautiful eyes smiled at me while it tried to soothe my soul. "Nothing remains the same forever. This moment right now will soon become something you will forget. Trust me."

I gripped her hand and sought some kind of assurance from it.

"Will you come to visit me at least? Once I get married I will be lonely and pregnant and that would be a huge bummer." She sighed again causing me to frown. There was something she wasn't telling me. "Mom?"

"Your father has commanded everyone in our house to never visit you once you are married."

"How will I get through the pregnancy? Mom?" As if my heart wasn't broken enough, her words did more damage. While I tried to put on a brave look, I searched my mother's face as she tried to look away. "Mom, this is all new to me. I can't go on this journey alone."

"I am sorry, Carrie. I will try my best to contact you. But I am sorry. Things are going to be different from now on."

I nodded. It was clear. Very clear.

I was officially alone.

Abandoned by the universe, abandoned by my family, I have no one else but the soul growing inside me.

A knock from outside broke my thoughts.

My sister who wasn't looking so jolly peeped in and said, "Carrie, we are all waiting for you."

"This is it, Carrie."

"I am scared, Mom." My true emotion finally sneaked past the mask I was trying to put in and I gripped her hand tighter.

"I know, my love. I know." Her hug engulfed me, assuring me of what I had no idea of. "Carrie," there was this certain heaviness in the air, "it is time."

My eyes clamped tight, I got up.

Then my eyes came open and they fell on the blank screen of my phone.

And I found myself hoping again.

Even though all my hopes have been thoroughly bashed for the past week, I strongly hoped for a miracle.

If my phone could light up because of a message notification from Alessandro Valante, everything will change.

But, even after I stepped out of my room, the message never came.

And I had no other choice but to face my cruel fate.