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Cordellia Rose Professor Perala Eng 387 12/05/2011 David Hi, Baby. Im so glad you answered. Im really sorry to tell you this, but I made it on the plane, and were going down. Im not sure how long we have, probably just a few minutes. I had to speak to you one last time. I called Kieran and my mom, but they didnt answer. Tell them Im really sorry this happened, and I couldnt make it back for dinner. I really wanted to. In a way, Im sort of glad they didnt answer. Out of all the people Ive known in my life, youre the one Ive loved the most. I know it sounds crazy, but I really feel that youre my soul mate. Youre more than just my best friend; youre my everything. I need to be with you in this one last moment before I die. Please just stay on the phone with me. My life is flashing before my eyes. I really wish my mom had never married that horrible man, Austen Simon. She was dating my father, and if he hadnt gotten into drugs, they never wouldve broken up. They couldve been happy together. She had to fool around with his older brother and get pregnant. Then she felt stuck. Her true love was always high and getting into trouble, and she was having another mans baby. She never should have married him. For a man with so many degrees, he sure lacked any class at home. He didnt love her. He wanted to possess her. Im sure he beat her and Darron before I was even born. No wonder she snuck off and had that affair with my

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father. No wonder Im here. I wish she would have stayed with him. He knew what was going on. I wish hed have managed to quit doing drugs, but he couldnt. My father was an addict, so she went back to Austen. Then, three years later Alicia was born. I still have doubts about who her father is. Every night Austen would drink, and every night he would break out the belt. I hated him so much. I still have that scar on my arm from one of those drunken nights. I know my mom blames herself, but she was just a kid when she married him. She didnt know what she was doing. She had no self confidence. She didnt think she could survive on her own. My father, Eric, kept promising hed get sober and get them out of there. She kept dreaming of running off with him and marrying him. I tried to be her protector. I would try to intervene during their many arguments and at least be a distraction. It worked somewhat. Id yell at Darron to get Alicia out of there. She was so little. She didnt deserve it. Finally when he was 17 he had enough and left. Im sure he wanted to take us with him. I cant imagine him fleeing if he could have taken care of us. He had to get out. Darron blamed my mother for not taking better care of us. I wouldnt have left anyway. I had to stay to protect my family. I wish Alicia hadnt been there the night my father died. Ill never forget that day as long as I live. I was 9, and Alicia was 6. My father had been sober for about 6 months, and we were all so proud of him. He was trying to turn his life around. He had a job and had rented a nice little house. I think he was planning to move us there as soon as he was settled. He was hanging out with a better crowd of friends, but occasionally old acquaintances would come back into his life and try and make trouble. He wanted to wait until it was safe before he moved us there. My mother felt comfortable enough to let us go visit him. We had spent a lovely weekend together

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and were hanging out in the living room when a car drove up. My father told us to get down and close the drapes. I could tell he had a bad feeling about it. He went outside. Then I saw him arguing with a tall man with dark hair. Then I saw the shotgun, heard a few loud bangs, and it was over. My father died right there, and the man drove off in a hurry. We shook when the gun went off. Alicia and I just held each other. I dont remember if I screamed or not. I faintly remember calling 911. Poor Alicia saw the whole thing. Thats not the kind of thing a child should witness. I wonder if he was her father. My mother never would say. I hope Alicia wasnt Austens child. That was the moment my mom got really brave. Ill never forget how proud of her I was. While Austen was off teaching at the university, she gathered us up and went to a shelter. It was rough at first, but it didnt matter. I would rather be in a shelter than in a fancy house with a rich asshole who beat us every night. They helped her get a lawyer. She sued for divorce and won. We were finally free. She got an apartment and went back to work at a tailors shop during the day while we were at school. She was always an amazing seamstress. Alicia and I would go there after school every day until my mother finished. She taught me to sew. I had fun working alongside her. It seemed like everything was finally looking up. I actually started to have hope. Then the worst day of my life happened. I thought my life was rough up until then, but I was wrong. I went to get Alicia after school, but she didnt come out. I looked around for her everywhere and got a sinking feeling in my stomach. Then my mom drove up and was screaming something. She started running around calling out Alicias name. She was out of her mind with fear, more than Id ever seen in my life. She had a crumpled piece of paper in her hand. We kept running around the school, talking to everyone we could see. Then she just

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collapsed outside the office. I took the paper and read it. Austen had gotten his revenge. Hed taken Alicia from school and run. Id never felt so terrified in my life. I couldnt believe it. We searched for years. We notified every newspaper, TV, and radio station. We put up fliers everywhere. You couldnt turn on the radio or TV without hearing our pleas for Alicias return. My mother became permanently sad and exhausted. Every day, all day wed talk about finding Alicia. Oddly, business started to pick up. My mother started getting more and more clients. She started making her own clothes, which sold really well. Eventually she had enough money to rent her own shop. Kaitlyn Simon was becoming a name brand. I dont know how you can be so successful with so little joy in your life. Weeks turned into years, and Alicia still didnt come home. I couldnt stand it. Every day it felt like I was going crazier and crazier. I just wanted her home. Im sorry for how I was when we met. I was so rude to you. Remember that day at the theater? Id met Frederick in school and had talked him into going to that audition with me. I was permanently angry and cranky; it had nothing to do with you. I was focused on getting the part. When Frederick started talking to you, I just wasnt in the mood. However after we started working together, I started to loosen up. I told you all about my past, and you were so sweet about it. I just fell completely in love with you. Remember those nights when we would hang out at my moms shop with Frederick, reading Shakespeare? You were so tender and so honest in your delivery. I could have watched you for hours. No wonder Becca was so enamored with you. We all were. You were like an angel. Little did I know what an angel you would be in my life. I still cant believe it.

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Remember how you came into the shop one day with Becca and just announced that you wanted to help get our family back together? We didnt even know what we were agreeing to when we said Yes. We were 13 years old for Gods sake. What could we do exactly? You amazing little sleuth you. I remember walking by Helenas office and seeing you on the phone at the theater. I still didnt think you could do anything. Then one day he called out of nowhere, my brother who I hadnt seen in years. He said he missed me, but he sounded bitter. He sounded reluctant, but he was willing to give it a try. I explained all that had happened. Hed read about it on the news. He was still bitter and blamed my mother for not getting us out of there. Austen was the maniac, but she was supposed to protect us. Darron came to meet us at the shop. In the end hed missed us so much that he got over his anger. We all just hugged. He was an architecture student nearby and was about to propose to his girlfriend. I still dont know how you found him, but one of your phone calls must have paid off. It was so good to see him again and be safe. We just needed Alicia back. Do you still have that little illustration you drew that night? I wouldnt have believed it if I hadnt been there myself. We were both staying over at Fredericks house, in his room. Suddenly, in the middle of the night I heard you walking around and muttering. I woke up and asked you what was wrong. Your eyes were wide open, and you were staring right through me. Did you file the report? you asked. I asked what you were talking about, but clearly you were dreaming. Heres where shes at, you said, handing me a big piece of paper, Be sure to get down the address in your report. Shes chained up, but well get her out. File the report.

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Okay, Ive filed my report. You can rest now, I said. You sighed relief and lay back down. I looked at the piece of paper and was stunned. On it was the most intricate drawing Id ever seen. It was a house surrounded by trees. Through the window I could see my sisters face, and below the drawing was an address. I asked you about it the next morning. You remembered the dream vividly. It was so real. The thought made you shiver. You really saw Alicia. We wondered what to do. You said youd befriended a private detective on the set of a movie you once worked on, so you called him. He drove out the next day while Austen must have been at work. There was a fence around the property, so he had to take pictures from far away. A couple of days later we received them in the mail. My mother almost fainted when she saw them. It was really Alicia, just like in your picture. My mother held you in her arms, and you both just started sobbing. You looked at me so helplessly and innocently. This had never happened before, so you didnt know how to handle it. Ill never forget that day. Your eyes were so puffy and red as my mother, brother, and I just kept hugging you and kissing you. Do you know what youve done?! I kept yelling at you, your wet, puffy face in my hands. I didnt do anything, you sobbed. My mother had you call it in to the police and tell them what youd done. From then on you were her baby. You were like a guardian angel sent down to our family. You did it; I know you did. It wasnt just an accident. You did it out of love. You loved me so much that you made it happen. From then on you were complete magic to me. Alicia came home soon, and Austen went to prison. Our family was finally reunited and safe. I never knew we could be so

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happy. I spent time with you every chance I got. Becca and I started dating, but you were my true love. I know we were never romantically in love. I never wanted you that way, but I was madly in love with you just the same. The next several years passed so quickly. We continued to work in the theater. You met and fell in love with Michel. Frederick and you started singing and became big stars. Frederick got his girlfriend pregnant, and they got married. I was right there with you all. No matter what happened, we were all in it together. I sang back-up on all your albums. We were in every play together, whenever possible. After high school was a rough time. Im so sorry for the way I acted. I was a complete fool. I just couldnt stand being away from you. After graduation, you and Michel got married and moved to France. Frederick stayed and worked in the theater. Becca and I had long since broken up. Our whole group was falling apart. I grew distant from you. You kept trying to reach out to me, but for an entire year I kept blowing you off. I fell deeply in love with a woman named Kieran who owned a book store. We eloped a few months after we started dating. You were so happy for me, but I still kept my distance. I know it hurt you deeply, and Im so sorry. Then you came home from Thanksgiving and kept trying to call me to meet up with me. Finally you gave up and called me one last time to tell me why. Youd wanted to tell me in person that you were having a baby. All my emotions came flooding out as I ran to see you. I realized why Id been so distant. It was just hard to accept that we were going to live apart for the rest of our lives. I was broke but too proud to let you fly me out to see you, but all that changed. It was stupid of me to let that get in the way of our relationship. I promised to be there for you from then on. I went to

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see you and made you maternity clothes. When your daughter was born I met her and kissed her. Im so glad we got to spend that time together. I wish I could see her grow up. Im sure shell be a beautiful lady like you. Its crazy how love can send us in different directions. Love saved you, but its about to kill me. Im so glad weve had these last few days together in New York. You and Frederick decided to play at a benefit concert, and I came to sing back-up and hang out with you guys. We were going to stay a few extra days and just hang out. After about a day you started missing your baby too much, so you went home. Frederick stayed, but on the way to the airport he saw a store he wanted to buy something for his new wife at. I told him we were going to miss the plane. I wanted to get home to see Kieran so badly. He got out of the cab and missed the plane. I hope he makes it home safely, Baby. Im calling to tell you that I made it on the plane. Im really sorry Im not going to make it home. Tell Kieran and my family that I love them. Okay, the planes going down now. Were about to crash. Its going to be okay. I love you.