A Message From Pluto

CnHAPTER 4 : A Parting Gift

Ted Harris rolled out his motor scooter out of the Quinton Villa perimeter, parked it, returned and closed the gates before mounting it again. He sped towards the intersection that led to downtown Austin. A boy of around sixteen rolled to his side on a pair of skates and grinned at him. He smiled back, gesturing for him to slow down. He made to overtake but Ted pulled on the throttle and left him behind, shaking his head and wondering why everyone wanted to be going fast.

He sped towards the Q2 Stadium road that will take him to sixth street. It was weekend and that made sixth street the ideal place for a birthday celebration if you weren't planning on spending much but having the crowd that will make it lively. He had told Julia that he was coming for the party to celebrate with her and try to convince her to shelf the idea of a divorce. She didn't want him to be there. It was supposed to be a happy affair, but with him around her family the friction between them was going to feel awkward if not outright embarrassing.

Since the day, Matthew Sanders had sought for Julia to marry Ted, the Sanders had been against the marriage, only unable to voice their honest take because Matthew was the head of the family and controlled mainstream resources.

For someone who claimed Julia was his favourite niece, Ted was a dead choice to say the least. He said he would take care of them if conditions did not improve, and they didn't, though not where he had expected.

The Sanders fortunes took a dive and they all found themselves watching every cent, and praying for an upward swing. For a family that did not have many business savvy young generation heirs, restoring their fortunes in the business field was only a remote possibility. The best bet was through a carefully arranged marriage with a rich family in which money wasn't an issue. Now the only person in the family with the head and face to attract the kind of suitors to make their dream a reality was Julia. But she was married to Ted, a Son-in-law who had nothing to offer and still clung to his wife for his daily necessities.

It was all good that Julia had seen the big picture and decided it was within reason to breakup the ' mock of a marriage' as her mother called it, to stop the embarrassments they were daily subjected to.

So Ted rode into sixth street, killed off the engine of the scooter and glanced around, looking for a place to park it. Then he shouldered through the crowd of people looking for the Sanders family. After a few minutes without seeing any sign of them, he removed his phone from his pocket and called Julia. It rang three times before she answered.

"Ted, why are you calling me now?" She asked. There were voices in the background, speaking loudly, but when they heard the name of the caller it quietened down.

"I wanted to see you and wish you a happy birthday show my love, you know". He replied.

"Oh, how sweet of you. But don't you think it's unnecessary, it's already a crowded house and many people here won't miss you at all. But thanks anyway for the show of love. I won't forget....." She was politely turning him down and was about to end the call when Ted said quickly.

"One last time, it may be the last birthday you will have as my wife. Surely you can not refuse me this"

There was a prolonged silence, then a heavy sigh. " Alright, one last time. But don't stay for too long. Everyone's trying to be happy here".

" Not too long." Ted agreed. " Where are you?"

" Chef Dave's at The Ritz. You should know the place"

" Okay I am just a stone throw away. Will be there in a few minutes." He put his hands back in his pockets and walked on. He knew The Ritz and the realtor that ran the place.

When he walked into the dining room, there were three rows of tables, each having four chairs around them. The row against the wall had only two chairs each, It was meant for couples. He walked through the dining room and out of the glass doors, pushing them back slowly.

There were four tables on the outside, three had a few people at each. The fourth was occupied by the Sanders. He saw them immediately he stepped out of the dining room, and slowed his pace. Julia was laughing hard, a man he didn't know leaning in her direction and whispering in her ear. It was obvious that she found whatever he was saying funny. Paul Sanders and Emily her parents sat at the opposite end of the table. Sitting beside Emily was Paul,

a bottle of Balblair single malt scotch. There was Uncle Matthew and and his wife Clemenza and their two sons Charles and Dean. Dean was the elder and much level headed. He strode forward to cover the distance between them when Paul lifted his drink to take a swig and saw him.

" I will be damned." He said and placed the cup on the table loudly. " Here comes the devil."

Julia turned around and saw him too. The laughter died in her throat and she took up a serious expression.

When Matthew saw him, he stood up, looking truly happy. He pushed back his chair and came forward to welcome him.

" Uncle Matthew." He greeted him.

" Ted. I thought you were not coming again What kept you for so long?" He asked.

" I have been busy lately. But nothing that can stop me from being here. How are you?" He looked at him again. Matthew was not having the best of times now. A plan formed in his mind. Matthew held his hand in both of his and looked at him intently.

"Matthew." It was George. He was obviously displeased. " Ted is your nephew in-law and also your junior. He is not even old enough to be your second child. Why do you have to stoop so low as to be reverential to him?"

"And useless too." Emily chimed in. " If Julia doesn't work out this, this divorce thing quickly, he will be the death of me."

Matthew pulled him to an empty chair beside him. The ones close to Julia were taken by the man he didn't know and Paul.

" No matter what you think, Ted is a good boy. I will marry him to Julia again and again if I have the opportunity."

"That will not happen again." George slammed the table. " We are trying to right some wrongs you blatantly committed against me and you are not even showing any sign of remorse. Instead you keep saying you will do it all over again. Do you have a personal thing against me?"

Matthew turned to Ted and said, " Talk to Julia, she is more clear-headed than her father. She will listen to reason and stay with you." Ted turned to Julia now and looked at her. Their eyes met and held for a while. She was the first to look away.

"Happy birthday, Julia. Your dreams will come true this year." He told her.

" One thing is certain. You are not part of those dreams." It was Emily who spoke.

Julia seemed to ignore her mother and said. " Thank you for making out time to come, but you can see it's not okay with you here again. You can leave, you have done enough"

" Give me ten minutes, my gift will arrive and I will leave if you still want me to" Ted said and took out his phone. He dialled a number. When it connected he said, " Bring it now to The Ritz."

" What?" Julia stared at him open-eyed.

" My birthday gift to you." Ted replied casually. " I hope you will like it."

" You don't have to go out of your way to get me a gift. I know how things are with you." Julia said, frowning. " It's just a birthday."

" Yes, you don't owe her anything. You can just leave." It was Paul who spoke.

" True, with Mr Hobbs here, Julia doesn't need you." It was Emily this time. And this time it stung Ted. He turned and looked at the man sitting next to Julia for the first time. He was about the same age as him. Twenty eight, twenty nine, clean cut, swept back from the forehead, a two day stubble that seemed to enhance his looks. He was also wearing the right clothes, a black Givenchy suit with a blue shirt that was open at the neck without a tie giving a sense of careless abandon.

Ted turned to Julia, " Are you leaving me for him?" He asked

Julia flared up too. "No, and after tomorrow it will be none of your business."

Ted nodded pensively. After tomorrow she will be a free woman, free to do anything she wanted. It wasn't as if she had any restrictions while they were married.

" From today I set you free." He said . "You didn't make a mistake marrying me and if you ever discover that leaving me is a mistake, you should know where to find me."

" Talk is cheap, especially coming from you." Paul shouted angrily. " What big things to say. Why do you come here and say all that nonsense just to sound impressive before a girl when you are actually a nobody. Why didn't you do all those high and mighty things for her when you were still married? Why wait until you are divorced before you start promising heaven and earth. What exactly are you trying to do to my sister?" He seemed truly vexed. His mother also chimed in.

"With you out of the way and our lives, Julia is going to be just fine. But you, what can you do other than scrunge around make ends meet."

Emily you don't have to talk to Ted like that. It.is not..." Matthew was saying before she interrupted him sharply.

"And I am just getting warmed up. Don't you ever shut me up because of this good for nothing, except if you feel you don't deserve my respect again." They felt that Ted marrying Julia was Matthew's fault in the first place, he should be looking at salvaging a bad situation instead of keeping things the way they were.

Ted stood still for a moment, listening, then turned to Julia and said with a resigned smile. " My present is here, if you will just step outside."

" Step outside? What present is it.?" She looked confused.

Ted didn't wait for her to comply. He took two steps back and turned to Matthew and said. " Uncle Matthew, why don't you accompany us outside and celebrate with her" He could already hear the low whir of a chopper from a distance. As the others thought of what to make of his invitation, the sound grew louder.

" What is it that you kept outside?" She asked him again.

" No, it's just arrived. " He shouted, the sound of the helicopter was now directly over their heads. There seemed to be another one too or maybe more because the sound grew louder and wasn't from a single chopper. He pointed at the sky as the chopper came into view. It was a mix of bright colours with the bottom bearing lights that illuminated the whole area. By now more people were paying attention to the aircraft.

The group of people followed Ted out to the street and beheld a spectacle they will never forget in a hurry.

Starting from the entrance of The Ritz to as far as the eye could see, there was a long line of exotic cars that stretched back. Each of these cars would cost millions of dollars. At the head of the cars was an open coach that was pulled by four horse, the carriage painted in deep gold. In the carriage was the birthday cake designed in the form of a statue of a woman, Julia.

Everyone gasped, ohhing and ahhing. A band was playing in the background and they emerged from behind the cars.

"Ted turned around to look for Julia. " Come here and make a wish." But she could move. She was too flabbergasted to move, to speak. Two choppers appeared again, a canvas was dangling from them on it was a big Image of Julia. They slowly descended and stopped just above the birthday cake in the long coach.

" Go cut your cake and make a wish." Ted shouted again, but she was crying. Matthew came to her side and touched her, she looked up and when she saw that it was her uncle she clung to his hand, crying. He took her hand and pulled her towards the cake in the coach. The rest of the family followed them, everyone was mesmerized.

They didn't notice that a prominent man walked out of one of the vehicles and up to Ted and spoke to him. They turned and disappeared together in the row of cars.

Julia climbed up to the coach and took a look at the cake. She turned to talk to Ted but he wasn't there. She looked in the faces of the people around. Matthew understood and whispered loudly in her ear, " He's left".

There was disappointment written on her face. " Why?"

" You told him to, now he has. When this is over and you still want him, you can search for him maybe you will still find him, maybe it will not be too late" Matthew said mysteriously.

" You make it sound like I may not find him again." She asked. " Is there something you know that I don't?*

." I hope you do." He replied and repeated himself. " Come, today is about you". He pulled her towards the lights and the gathering crowd and the loud music. She followed him obediently in a daze, her mind refusing to work. Well today is about her.

"