prepared herself to scream at her for her betrayal.
“I can’t believe you would set me on a date with that monster of a man.” Amelie said as Mona answered.
“Amelie I told you that it was a favor for Bill. He just lost his wife and needs a confidence boost.” Mona asked pleading.
“Is that what I am to you? A confidence boost?” Amelie hung up violently. Anger rose from within her. A favor to Mona’s husband? How unbelievable.
This date was supposed to get her back out into the dating world. Amelie’s last boyfriend, Nathan had left a horrible abyss within her that no amount of shopping could fill. This date was meant to be a distraction for her, not a favor to Mona’s idiot husband Bill. Amelie fumed even more thinking about Nathan and the missed opportunity of a night off. She walked the streets of New York aimlessly, stomping her pumps. The ring of Amelie’s phone almost made her jump out of her porcelain skin. She was happy for the chance to tell Mona where she could shove her blind date.
“Mona I don’t want to speak to you right now. I can’t believe you.” Amelie said as she went to shut the phone again. A man’s voice surprised her as it came through.
“Is this Amelie Rose, daughter of Raquel and Samuel Rose?” The man’s voice sounded apologetic.
“Yes.” Amelie said with extraordinary pride for her wealthy, successful parents. It was normal for newspapers and magazines to call asking for interviews about the corporate power couple.
“Miss Rose, I’ll need you to come down to your parent’s home at your earliest convenience. The sooner the better.” The man other end of the phone hung up.
Amelie jogged to the side of the street and hailed down a cab. She had the driver rush to her parent’s home on Park Avenue. Thoughts of what awaited her when she arrived got her excited. She hadn’t seen her parents in about two months and her twenty first birthday was just around the corner. Perhaps it was a surprise party or an elegant soiree. She thought, hoping for something dazzling. When she arrived, she wasn’t greeted by servers dressed tastefully, or acrobats on the lawn that were paid by her parents. There were no decorations or music either. Instead, she was greeted by grief and agony that struck her heart. There, the mansion that Amelie had grown up in was burnt down completely. Smoke hung in the still air above the house, and fire trucks were parked close, as police officers talked to neighbors. Nothing but ash and rubble remained of her childhood home. She ran up to the gate where police officers and firemen stood talking, frantically looking for her parents. A woman with hair pulled up into a tight bun and a blazer walked up to her.
“Miss Rose, I’m so sorry to inform you, but there were no survivors of the fire. Your parents were inside the house when it ignited.” Amelie’s knees and purse hit the hard pavement and she let out a shrill scream as her entire world crashed around her.
People walked around her as she cried and cursed god. Mona’s pearlescent Cadillac pulled into the extensive drive way and she ran to her dear distraught friend. She knelt down next to Amelie and held her in her arms. Amelie cried as Mona rubbed her back and comforted her. It slowly became night and the sky turned black, stars twinkled not seeming to care about Amelie’s crushed life. She still sat on the driveway in front what remained of her family’s mansion and rocked herself in Mona’s soft arms.
“Sweetheart, let’s get you home. Here’s your phone.” Mona finally spoke as she helped her devastated friend up. She slipped a phone that was laying in the driveway into Amelie’s handbag along with the contents that had spilt onto the driveway.
Amelie nodded as Mona helped her into her Cadillac. Bill silently drove Amelie and Mona to Amelie’s apartment across town. None of them said anything, but Amelie did what she could to not look at Mona who was flashing sympathetic big