BLIND LOVE
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EPILOGUE
Brandon Cartwright was a millionaire with numerous girlfriends. He was tall, handsome, and still young at twenty-seven. He was a self-made man who had an idea and went with it. He owns electronic factories, stocks in other companies, and has numerous real-estate properties. He has everything that he ever wanted except someone to love.
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CHAPTER 1
Brandon came rolling up the drive with a new girlfriend in tow. She was from a prominent family that was considered “Old Money”. Her name is Linda Vanderjet. Her family had always been rich. It was part of their heritage. He pulls up and one of his many servants comes out to open the door for her. Inside the house, two downstairs maids were peeking out the window. One of them is Ariel. She has only been working for Brandon for a couple of months. His assistant hired her, so she has never actually met him. He is always in such a rush that he never pays attention to all the different servants that he has in his mansion. Ariel has paid attention to him. Since the first day, she has admired him from a distance. He was everything that she wanted in a man, she thought. It was nice that he was rich but she knew that she would still like him even if he didn’t have any money. She longed to get to know him better but knew that it would not be possible. She was his maid. He was her employer. She decided to keep her love for him a secret so her friend that was standing there with her would not laugh at her. Her friend, Sharon, was the one who helped her get the job. Sharon had worked for Brandon since he bought the mansion six years ago. They see Brandon and his new girlfriend start to walk to the door so they hurriedly walk away from the window and act like they are dusting when they enter. They pass Sharon, as she is busy dusting. Brandon’s girlfriend starts sneezing and turns and sneers at her, “Do you mind! I’ve got allergies! Get that dusty thing away from me, now!” Sharon looks worried and says, “I am sorry, Ma’am, it won’t happen again. I will just go dust somewhere else.” His girlfriend turns to Brandon and asks, “Did you see me give her permission to talk to me?” She turns back to Sharon and waves her hand and says, “Shoo! Go away!” Sharon bows her head and walks away. Linda turns and shakes her head as she looks at Brandon and says, “Good help is so hard to come by nowadays.” He didn’t like the way she acted and said, “She was only doing her job. She wasn’t trying to attack you, Linda!” She just waves it off and says, “Why are we even talking about trivial stuff for?” She smiles at him and says, “Lets have dinner out at the pool.” She takes his hand and pulls him away.
After they are gone, Sharon walks up to Ariel and asks, “Can you believe that arrogant bitch?” Ariel tries to mimic her and says, “Did you see me give her permission to speak to me!” Sharon starts laughing and says, “That’s pretty good! You sounded just like her! Come on, let’s go where Miss. Stuck-up can’t find us. They both go to the back of the mansion and start cleaning.
After Linda leaves, Brandon walks around the mansion until he finds Sharon. Ariel is in another room with the door open when she hears Brandon speaking to Sharon. He walks up to her and says, “Sharon, I am sorry that my guest treated you that way. I have spoken to her and she promised me that it would not happen again.” He puts his hand on her shoulder and says, “I am truly sorry!” Sharon smiles up at him and says, “Don’t give it another thought, Mr. Cartwright. I’ve been around people like that before. I can handle it, Sir.” He smiles at her and says as he is walking away, “You won’t have to handle it. I won’t allow it to happen again. Good-night, Sharon.”
Ariel walks out of the other room in time to watch him walk away. She smiles and looks at Sharon. She smiles back and says, “He’s such a nice man. Too bad you couldn’t meet him under different circumstances. You’re a beautiful woman, Ariel. Much prettier than the women that I’ve seen him with. I can tell that you like him.” Ariel doesn’t know what to say. Sharon smiles at her and says, “Don’t worry, it will be our little secret.”
Sharon was right. Ariel was a beautiful young woman. With her maid outfit on and her hair fixed in a bun, it was still easy to see her beauty. She had long brown hair and brown eyes to match. She once thought of going to modeling school but was never able to get enough money. When her parents passed away, she had no place to go. Sharon had been her friend since junior high school and interceded to get her a job that would put a roof over her head. After all, Sharon lived there and needed a friend to talk to.
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CHAPTER 2
The next day, Brandon waits at his personal helicopter pad for the helicopter to arrive. When it gets there, he climbs aboard and it lifts off. Just as it is crossing a wooded area, the engine on the helicopter stalls. The pilot turns to him and yells with fear in his voice, “We’re going down, Sir! I can’t keep it up much longer. Try to hold on to something!” Brandon grabs on to a side handle as the helicopter goes down.
A few hours later, he awakens in a hospital. He is confused and reaches for the bandages that are over his eyes. A doctor grabs his hands and says, “You have been involved in a helicopter crash, Mr. Cartwright. Fuel and glass went into your eyes. We had to operate to save them. I am afraid that these bandages will have to stay on for quite some time.” Brandon puts his hand over the bandages and starts to worry. He reaches out and blindly grabs the doctor’s hand. He asks, “Will I be able to see again? Am I disfigured?”
The doctor puts his hand on his shoulder and answers, “No, you are not disfigured, Mr. Cartwright. Your scars will heal; you won’t be able to see them unless you look for them. As far as your sight is concerned, we have done all that we can do. I’m afraid we will have to wait until your eyes heal to be able to tell if you will be able to see again. I am confident that you will regain full use of both eyes. There might be complications, but I don’t foresee them as long as you do as I say.” Brandon is happy to hear what the doctor said and replies, “I will do whatever it takes, doctor. Just tell me what to do!” The doctor sits at the foot of his bed and starts his instructions; “You will have to remain in bed for at least one month, maybe two, without removing your bandages. It is important that the bandages remain in place so your eyes can heal without the chance of infection. You will need to hire a nurse to take care of you during the day and to change your bandages. I will need to see you every two weeks so that I can monitor your recovery. If you follow my instructions, you will have an excellent chance of recovery.” Brandon agrees to follow the doctor’s instructions and finally asks, “How is my pilot? Is he okay?” The doctor places his hand on Brandon’s shoulder and says, “I’m sorry, Mr. Cartwright, he didn’t make it. He was dead when the rescuers found you.” Brandon brings his hands to the bandages on his eyes and cries. He shakes his head and says, “He was my friend! I’ve known him since high school! It’s all my fault!” The doctor tries to console him and says, “It was no one’s fault, Mr. Cartwright. God works in ways that we do not understand. It was his will.”
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CHAPTER 3
Ariel has been worried sick about Brandon. She even goes to the hospital and checks on him without giving her name. She was happy to see the ambulance pull up to bring him home. She has already been told of his condition and that he would be upstairs for a couple of months. Her job was the downstairs part of the mansion so she was a little upset at the prospect of not seeing him for that long. She thought that as long as he was getting well, she would have to be happy with that. The ambulance medics bring him into the mansion and take him to his room that is set up for his recovery. They get him settled in and leave. A nurse is already there to watch over him.
For a few days, Ariel does her job and keeps staring up the stairs where he is. She sees the nurse leave every night at eight o’clock. She thinks of him being by himself for the rest of the night and worries that he might hurt himself somehow. Finally, one night, she sneaks up the stairs at nine o’clock. She just wants to look in on him to make sure that he is okay. She grabs the door handle to his door and slowly turns it so it won’t make any noise. She slowly pushes the door until it is open enough for her to squeeze in and closes it behind her. She tiptoes close to his bed so she can look at him. She stands there looking at him and smiles. Even with the bandages on his eyes he was still handsome, she thought. All of a sudden she sneezes. She put her hands over her mouth but it wasn’t enough. Brandon sits up and asks, “Who’s there? Tell me! I heard you! If you don’t speak, I will call the police!” She panics; she doesn’t know what to do. She knows that if she speaks, he will sooner or later hear her talking and will know that it is she. She remembers what Sharon said about her sounding like Brandon’s girlfriend, Linda, so she tries to talk like her and says, “I am no one in particular. I am just a friend who wanted to see if you were all right. I am sorry if I bothered you. I will leave so you can get some rest. Good night, Brandon.” She turns to walk away. He raises his voice and says, “Please, don’t go. Come over here and talk with me a while. It gets a little lonely in here after the nurse leaves every night and it is way too early to go to sleep. Couldn’t you just stay for a little while since you took the trouble to come and check on me? I promise, I won’t call the police. Come over here and sit in the chair next to the bed.” She hesitated but decided that he wouldn’t be able to see her and no one was around to see her so she walked over and sat down in the chair. He asked, “Are you still here?” She answers him, “Yes, I am still here. What would you like to talk about? I guess that I can stay for a little while.” He smiles and says, “Anything you want. It doesn’t matter. I just want your company.”
They talk for a little while and he notices a smell in the air. He faces where she is sitting and asks, “That’s a nice perfume you are wearing. What is it called in case I need to buy you some, one day?” She forgot that she had put some on and told herself to never wear it around him when she was working. She answered, “It’s called, “Rapture”. It isn’t too expensive and I like the fragrance it has. You don’t have to buy me any. I have enough of it.” She looks at her watch and says, “I have to go. It is getting late and you need your rest. I am really sorry that I bothered you. Please forgive me!” He knows it’s late so he smiles and asks pleadingly, “Aren’t you going to tell me your name? Will you come back and see me tomorrow night? I sure could use the company!” She stands at the door and answers, “Who I am is not important. I am a ghost in the darkness.” He smiles and replies, “Then I will call you “Casper”. Will that be all right?” She laughs and answers, “Casper was a male ghost but I like the name. Just call me Casper from now on. I will visit you if you promise me one thing.” He replies, “Anything, just name it. Would you like for me to buy you something?” She answers back, “No, I don’t want you to buy me anything. If you do, I will not accept it. All I want from you is a promise not to try and find out who I am. Please promise me that, or I will not return.” He smiles and says, “I am a man of my word. I will not try to find out your identity if you promise me that I will see you, so to speak, tomorrow night. Have we got a deal?” She smiles and answers, “Yes, we have a deal, Brandon. Good night!” He waves in her direction and says, “Good night, Casper!” She walks out the door and checks to see if anyone is around and sneaks back downstairs.
She shares a room with Sharon. She tries her best to be quiet so she won’t disturb her as she enters the room. As soon as she reaches her bed, Sharon rolls over and asks, “Did you have a nice visit?” Ariel is surprised at her question and replies, “What are you talking about? I just went for a walk! I don’t know what you are talking about!” Sharon sits up and with a sly grin says, “Yea! You went for a walk all right! Right up the stairs to Mr. Cartwright’s room! What were you thinking, Ariel? Are you crazy or something?” Ariel knew that the cat was out of the bag so she confessed and said with a sad expression on her face, “I just had to see if he was doing okay!” Sharon walks over to her bed and sits next to her and says, “Well, you may as well tell me about it. I’m awake now! Go ahead let’s hear it!”
Ariel gives her a questioning look and asks, “How did you know where I went? I thought that I was careful when I went up there.” Sharon smiles and replies, “I thought that you would pull something like this so I followed you. I have been watching the way you kept looking up the stairs! I knew that you wanted to see him. Honey, you’re lucky that it was me and not the butler who saw you! Go ahead and tell me about it.” Ariel starts explaining what had happened between her and Brandon. Sharon shakes her head in disbelief and asks her, “Well, what are you going to do about it? You promised him that you would be back. How long do you think that this can go on? You’re his maid for Christ sakes, Ariel!” Ariel starts to cry. She is confused and in love. Sharon sees her heartache and feels sorry for her. She puts her hand on her shoulder and says, “I’ll tell you what, Sweetie. I guess I can be your lookout tomorrow night. I know how you feel about him. I just don’t want to see you get into any trouble or get your heart broke.” Ariel hugs her as she cries. Sharon continues, “You know that sooner or later, you will have to tell him who you are. You can’t be Casper forever. Hopefully, he will get his sight back. What are you going to do then?” Ariel lifts her head off her shoulder and replies, “I honestly don’t know. He wasn’t supposed to know that I was there. I only know that I want to spend time with him now!” Sharon pats her on the back and says, “You go ahead and get some sleep, Honey. We will worry about everything else when the time comes.
* * *
CHAPTER 4
The next night Ariel returns to Brandon’s room at nine o’clock. She taps on his door and waits for an answer. She hears his voice, “Casper, is that you?” She pushes the door open and answers, “Yes, Brandon, it’s me. How are you doing tonight?” He sits up in bed and replies with a smile on his face, “I am doing a lot better since you are here! I didn’t think nine o’clock would ever get here! I started to wonder if I hadn’t dreamed you into my life. I am happy to know that you are real. Please come over and sit next to my bed.” She smiles and walks over and sits in a chair next to him. She looks up at him and says, “I will stay as long as you promise not to exert yourself or anything. You are supposed to be resting so you can get better. If I feel like I am keeping you from this, then I will leave. You’re getting better is all I want to see. I miss seeing those blue eyes of yours.” Brandon replies, “So! You have been close enough to me to see what color eyes I have, Have you?” Ariel asks, “Are you fishing for clues to see if you can figure out who I am? Remember, you promised me last night that you wouldn’t do that!” He answers, “No, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to pry. I am glad that you are here. Please stop me if you think I am asking something that I shouldn’t.” She looks at him and says, “My identity is not important. You’re getting better is. That’s all that matters to me!” He smiles in her direction and says, “It’s nice to have someone who cares. I haven’t had anyone around me that truly cares, since I moved my parents to Florida.” She doesn’t know much about his parents so she asks, “Forgive me for asking but why didn’t your parents come to see you after your accident? Aren’t they worried about you?” He smiles and answers, “I have wonderful parents. I love them both very much! They were going to come but I called them and told them that it was unnecessary. I have great care during the day and I have you to visit with in the evening. I would hate to see them take such a long trip and I won’t even be able to see them. Besides, my mom would cry if she saw me like this and I don’t want to upset her. I fly out to see them often and as soon as I get my sight back, I will be going again. How about you? Do you still have parents?” He wondered if he shouldn’t have asked that question so he followed with, “I’m not prying, am I?” She thought about it and didn’t see any harm in his question so she answered, “Both my parents are dead.” He heard the sadness in her voice as she spoke and said, “I am sorry to hear that. You must have loved them very much.” She leans back in her chair and replies, “Yes, I did and I still do. You would have liked them.” He feels like she wants to talk about them so he asks, “Have they been gone long?” She feels like he is really interested so she continues, “My mother was sick. She was dieing of cancer. It was about two years ago. My father would sit next to her bed for hours at a time. He even slept in the room with her when she finally had to stay in the hospital. I was there the day she passed away. My father was holding her hand and told her about how he had been shy his whole life. The moment that he saw her, he knew that she was the one he wanted to spend his life with.” She gets misty-eyed and hesitates. Brandon can hear her sadness and says, “You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to.” She is happy to see his compassion and continues, “He sat there holding her hand and thanked her for giving him so many years of happiness that he thought that he would never have because of his shyness. He thought that he would always be alone but when he met her, his shyness turned to love. They were married for thirty-five years. After momma died. My father was never the same. It was like part of him died with her. He died last year. The doctors explained why to me but I will always believe that he died of a broken heart because momma was gone.” She wipes a tear away as she sits and stares at him. He sits for a minute like he is reflecting on her story. He turns toward her and says, “I have never had that type of love. I hope that I will be as lucky as your father was. Thank you for telling me about them.” He wants to hold her but knows that it is to soon so he asks her, “Do you mind if I hold your hand?” She wanted to feel his touch since the day she first saw him. She was hesitant but she had to touch him. She reaches up and grabs his hand and puts it in hers. They just sit there without saying a word, just holding hands. Finally, it was time for her to leave. She pulls her hand away and says, “It’s getting late. You need your rest. I’ve got to go.” He smiles up at her and replies, “Thank you for coming again. I really enjoy your company. Will you come back again? Please, say you will!” She knows that every time she sneaks up the stairs that she might get caught but he wants to be with her and that’s all that matters so she answers, “I would like that, Brandon. I’ll try to.” She turns to walk away and he says, “I will be waiting on you, Casper. Good night!” She leaves and makes her way back to her room.
* * *
CHAPTER 5
Every night that Ariel goes up the stairs, Brandon is drawn more to her. He has never met a woman whose only interest was his well-being and not his money. He knew that she was special and longed to hold her, to touch her, and to one day, know what she looked like. He was beginning to fall in love with her. He decided that it didn’t even matter what she looked like. It was her and her heart that he loved. He just wanted to be with her.
A month had passed; he was waiting all day so that he could ask her something. She finally arrived and he took her hand as she sat down. The most they did up to that point was to hold hands and that was enough for them for now. He smiled at her and said, “I want to ask you something and I want you to give it serious thought before you answer me, okay?” She didn’t know what to expect so she answers, “Okay, I promise. What do you want to ask me?” He replies, “I am going to the doctor tomorrow. I know that my eyes are not healed yet but I feel that I am capable of moving around a little now. I was going to ask him if I could go out to eat, one night. If he says that I can, will you go out with me? I promise that you can name the place to go to. We will go to a place where no one knows you. Please, I want to take you out. We can’t hide in my room forever! Besides, I need you to keep me from walking into a wall. Think about it before you answer, okay?” She doesn’t know what to do. On one hand, she would love to go out with him. On the other, someone might recognize her and tell him who she really is. She didn’t know how to answer him. She just sat there and thought for a while. She imagined how it would be to actually go out in the public with him. She finally came up with an idea and said, “I will meet you at a restaurant if your doctor tells you that you can. I will decide which one we can go to while you are at the doctor tomorrow. We can talk about it tomorrow night, okay?” He smiles at her and says, “That’s good enough for me.” She comes to a realization and sits back in her chair in sadness. Brandon senses that something is wrong and asks, “Is there anything wrong, Casper, you’re awful quiet over there.” She sits up and holds his hand and tries to explain, “I’m afraid that our time together is going to come to an end soon. I told you that when your bandages come off, I wouldn’t be back to see you. It has to be that way. I don’t want you to know who I am. I am going to miss you.” She starts to cry. He squeezes her hand and says, “Please, don’t cry! I don’t understand why you don’t want me to know who you are! I don’t care who you are. Are you hiding from the law? Are you in some type of trouble? Please tell me! I can get you the best lawyers. If you are disfigured in some way, I don’t care! I care a lot for you. I don’t want to lose you!” She consoles herself in the thought that he cares for her and says, “Why are we worrying about something that hasn’t even happened yet. We are still together now and that is all that matters.” She laughs and continues, “And to answer some of your questions; no, I am not in any trouble with the law. I never have been and no, I am not disfigured, at least I wasn’t the last time that I looked in the mirror. I hope that eases your mind a little bit. Please! Let’s talk about something else, okay?” They finish the evening spending time together and she leaves once more.
The next day, Brandon arrives at the doctor’s office and is taken to see the doctor. He examines his eyes and tells him, “Your eyes are progressing well, but I think that the bandages need to stay on a while longer. I’m sorry.” Much to the doctor’s surprise, Brandon smiles and says, “I agree with you doctor, the bandages need to stay on as long as it takes. I don’t mind. How about another month, can I keep them on for another month, doc.?” Brandon is happy to hear that the bandages have to stay on for a while longer. It will give him that much more time to spend with Casper. He knows that he will have a lifetime of sight and only a short time with her. He is willing to sacrifice his sight for a few more weeks with her. The doctor is a little taken aback at his attitude and answers, “Yes, I believe another month will do the trick. Completely healed is better than almost healed. You just keep on doing what you have been and I will see you in a month.”
Brandon gets up and asks, “I want to know if I can go out to eat. I have someone special and I would like to take her out. Would that be all right, doctor?” The doctor thought about it and said, “As long as you don’t make a habit of it, Mr. Cartwright. You still need to get plenty of rest and not strain yourself. I suppose that one night out, won’t hurt you. Have a good time.” Brandon thanked him and said good-bye. On the way home in the limo, he just sits there without saying anything to his chauffeur. He normally talks to him so he asks, “Is there something bothering you, Sir? You're pretty quiet back there. Was your checkup okay?” Brandon answers, “My checkup was fine, James. I have to keep the bandages on for another month.” James assumes that he is upset about that and says, “I’m sorry to hear that, Sir.” Brandon shakes his head and explains, “I’m not upset about that. It is something else. How is it possible that I can be in love with someone that I have never seen?” James is confused and asks, “What do you mean, sir?”
Brandon laughs and says, “I know it sounds strange, James, but it’s true. Since my accident, I have met this woman who I feel so close to. We talk to each other every night and I love being with her. The thing about it, she isn’t interested in my money. She only cares about me. I don’t know what she even looks like, but in my mind, I see a beautiful woman. I know that I want to be with her and I am really not worried about how she looks. She won’t even tell me her name. I call her, Casper, because she is a ghost to me. She told me that she would only be around as long as I can’t see her because she doesn’t want me to know who she is. I just don’t know what to do! I don’t want to lose her. I don’t care who she is!” James is totally confused and says, “I hope things turn out for you, Sir.”
Ariel is at the mansion worried about her promise to Brandon. During her lunch break, she talks, in private, to Sharon. Sharon can see that she is worried about something so she asks, “You look a little down today, Sugar, what is going on?” Ariel shakes her head and explains, “Last night, Brandon asked me if I would go out to dinner with him. He begged me so much that I finally said yes. Now I don’t know what to do! I know that no one will know me because we won’t be eating at Mc Donald’s, if you know what I mean. The thing is, I don’t even have anything to wear. I am supposed to tell him where to take me and I wouldn’t even know where to go in the first place. I don’t know what to do!” Sharon starts laughing and says, “Girl, you must really love him to take so many chances like this. If you really want to go, I think that I can help you out. I will show you after work. As far as where to go, I would go to that new place. You know, the one where you can eat and dance all in one. Folks like us can’t afford it so you should be safe there. No one from around here will be there. That’s for sure. I think it is called “Chez Charles” or something like that. Come on, we need to get back to the grindstone.” They both get up and go back to work.
After work, they go to their room and Sharon goes into her closet and pulls a big box out. She opens it and pulls out a beautiful blue evening gown. She holds it up to show Ariel and says, “I bought this thing a few pounds ago when I was your size. I’m afraid that this dress and me will never go out with each other. I promised it that I would take it to a nice place, one day. I would like for you to have it. It will never see the light of day with me. Please take it.” Ariel takes it and hugs her. She gets misty-eyed and says, “It’s beautiful! I don’t know what to say!” Sharon smiles and says, “What are friends for, honey? Besides, I want to keep my promise to the dress. By the way, I also have a cute necklace that I can let you use. It ain’t much but it’s real pearls. We’ll get you all fixed up nice and pretty!” Ariel hugs her again and says, “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
Later that night Ariel meets Brandon at the usual time. When she walks into his room, he is sitting with a big grin on his face. She walks over to his bed and sits down in the chair next to it. She giggles a little and asks, “What is that big grin for. You look like the cat that ate the canary?” He responds, “First, I want to let you know that the doctor told me that I have to keep the bandages on for another month. We can be together for another month! Isn’t that great?” She didn’t know how to answer his question. She was happy that they would be together for another month but was concerned about his willingness to go without his sight for her. She takes his hand in hers and says, “I am happy that we will be together for another month but if I could trade that for you being better, I would. Your eyesight is a lot more important than me being with you. I don’t feel right that you are acting happy because you can’t see. If I am keeping you from progressing the way that you should, I would never forgive myself!” He squeezes her hand and says, “I will get my sight back. The doctor said that I was making progress. It was he who told me to keep the bandages on for another month. Instead of being upset about it, if I were alone, I have you, so I wasn’t upset. Is there any wrong in that? I am happy that I won’t lose you for now. Please don’t be upset.” She puts her other hand on top of his and replies, “I’m not upset. I just want to see you better, that’s all. As long as you do what the doctor says, then I won’t fuss at you, okay?” He smiles and tells her, “The doctor also said that I could take you out one time for dinner. Where do you want to go? I can have the chauffeur pick you up wherever you want. How are we going to work this?” She tells him about the restaurant and that she will meet him there on the following night at seven o’clock.
* * *
CHAPTER 6
The following evening, Sharon helps her get dressed for her date. She fixes her hair and makes it flow over her shoulders in waves. After she puts the evening gown on, Sharon places the pearl necklace around her neck. She stands back and looks at her and exclaims, “Girl! You’re beautiful! Too bad he won’t be able to see you tonight. He is missing out on seeing a princess! The only thing that is missing are the glass slippers!” Ariel looks in the mirror and smiles. She even feels like a princess. She turns and hugs Sharon’s neck and says, “I hope that I don’t disappoint him. I have never eaten in a fancy place before.” Sharon puts her hand on her shoulder and says, “Honey, you just be yourself and everything else will take care of itself. You just have a nice time with him and don’t worry about anything. Enjoy it while it last.” Ariel is happy. She looks at the clock and asks, “Are you sure that you don’t mind giving me a ride there? I don’t want to waste your evening for you. I can catch a cab to get home and have it drop me off down the road. I just didn’t want one to pull up here and blow its horn so everyone here would look out the window and see me.” Sharon answered, “I don’t mind at all, Sugar, I was planning on going into town anyways. Let me make sure the coast is clear and I will wave at you to come on out, okay?” Sharon walks to her car and looks around. She doesn’t see anyone so she waves at Ariel to come on out. Ariel gets in the car and they drive off.
She gets to the restaurant before Brandon arrives. She stands outside and waits. The doorman walks up to her with a smile on his face and says, “If you are waiting on someone, you would be much more comfortable inside, Ma’am.” She smiles at him and says, “No, thank-you. I will just wait right here, if you don’t mind.” He was thinking to himself that a beautiful woman like her could stand there all night if she wanted to. He replied, “No, Ma’am, don’t mind at all.” He nods his head at her and returns to the door.
A few minutes later, Brandon pulls up in his limo. The doorman walks up to the car and opens the backdoor for him. He gets out of the car and stands there. She stands there looking at him and thinks to herself about how handsome he looked. She steps close to him. He smells a fragrance in the air and asks, “Casper, is that you?’’ He holds his hand out. She walks up and grabs it and says, “Yes, I’m here. How did you know?” He smiles at her and says, “Rapture, I believe.” She realizes that he smelt her perfume and laughs. She places her arm in his and leads him inside.
The maitre d’ meets them and asks, “Bon soir, mademoiselle et monsieur! Comment-allez vous cette nuit?” Brandon smiles at him and says, “Nous allons bien, Pierre.” Ariel laughs and asks, “What were you two saying? I can’t speak any French!” He smiles at her and says, “He asked us how we were doing and I told him that we were fine, that’s all.” They are seated and he orders their food. When it gets there, she studies the location of the food on his plate and says, “Meat at six o’clock, potatoes at three o’clock, peas at nine o’clock.” He places his hand to the side of the plate and says, “Thank-you, I was just going to take my chances.” They both finish their meals and talk. A few minutes later she puts her hand on his and says, “I have had a wonderful time this evening, thank-you for inviting me.” He smiles and says, “It’s not over with yet. You have to dance with me before we leave. Will you do me the honor?” He stands up and holds his arm out. There is a slow song playing and she puts her arm in his and leads him out to the dance floor. He smiles at her and says, “I guess, you can lead, since I can’t see where to go. Do you mind?” She laughs and replies, “I guess, I can handle that.” She puts her arms around him as her heart races out of control. Her legs are weak from the anticipation of being near him. She lays her head on his shoulder and is happy to finally have a chance to hold him in her arms. He feels the same way. It was nice to finally get to hold her near him. She felt better than he ever imagined. He was happy that the bandages were on his eyes. He didn’t want her to see the tear escaping from his eye as he held her close. Neither one of them wanted the song to ever end as they slowly danced, both of them thinking that they might not ever have a chance to dance with each other again.
The song finally ended but they kept dancing as if the music was still playing. He stops dancing and holds his lips close to her ear and says, “Je t’aime avec tout mon coeur.” He kisses her on the cheek and takes her by the arm so they can go back to their table. After they sat back down, she was still wondering what he had just said to her. She asks him, “What you said out there sounded nice, but you know that I didn’t understand a word of it. Could you tell me what you said?” He smiled at her and replied, “I didn’t intend for you to understand what I said. It was just a phrase that I needed to say. I would like to keep it that way if you don’t mind.” She shrugs her shoulders and says, “I’ll let it slide for now but I will find out what you said.” He puts his hand on hers and says, “I hope you do, Casper.” Neither one of them wanted the evening to end but it was finally time to go. When they were getting up to leave, she was wondering why they never received a ticket or something so Brandon could pay the bill. She whispers and asks him about it. He laughs and says, “I don’t have to pay because I own the place.” She was embarrassed and asks, “Why didn’t you tell me when I picked this place. We could have gone somewhere else!” He smiled and answered, “I was glad you picked here to eat. I know the food is good and I like it here, didn’t you?” She smiles and says, “Yes, I did. It was wonderful. I’m glad we came here.” He grabs her by her arms and says, “I don’t won’t to let you go. I want to spend as much time with you as I can. Please, ride with me in the limo until James lets me off at home. I will instruct him to take you wherever you want to go. I will not ask him where he takes you. Please say you will!” She didn’t want to leave his side either. She was hoping that the chauffeur would not recognize her since she was all dressed up. She had to take a chance. She wanted to be with him for just a little while longer. She answered, “As long as you promise not to ask him where he dropped me off, I will ride with you, Okay?” He smiles and they turn to walk out the door. As they are walking out the door, the doorman greets them and says, “Good night, Mr. Cartwright and you too, Ma’am.” Brandon stops and takes her hands and asks, “Could you please let me have a moment with, David? I won’t be but a moment.” She squeezes his hand to let him know it was all right and walks to the limo. Brandon turns to the doorman and says, “I have been dieing inside to know what my date looks like. Could you describe her to me? Please be honest with me. The doorman was confused and asks, “Are you telling me that you never saw your date before, Mr. Cartwright?” He shakes his head and answers, “That’s what I am telling you, David. Tell me quickly, what does she look like?” The doorman states, “All I can say, Mr. Cartwright is that you should pick all your women with your eyes covered. I have seen all the women that you have brought here and not even one of them can hold a candle next to her, Sir. She is about the most beautiful woman that I have ever laid my eyes on. I would give my right arm to have a woman like that. Shall I describe her to you, Sir?” Brandon thinks about it and feels like he is breaking a promise to her so he answers, “No, David, you have told me enough. I can already see her in my head. I knew that she would be beautiful. That’s all I really needed to know, thank you.” He raises his hand toward the limo and she walks up to him and takes his hand. He smiles at her and says, “I’m sorry. I had to discuss something with him.” She replies, “That’s okay, I know you are a business man.” She helps him into the limo and they drive away.
* * *
CHAPTER 7
The limo pulls up to Brandon’s mansion and the chauffeur helps him to the door where someone is waiting to assist him. He walks back to the limo and gets in. He turns toward Ariel and asks, “What should we do, Ma’am, drive around the block for a while and come back here? She is scared. She realizes that he has recognized her and she doesn’t know what to say or do. He can see that she is upset and says, “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell anyone.” She is confused and asks him, “Why would you do that for me, James. Aren’t you worried that I am just after his money, like most people would?” He smiles at her and explains, “Mr. Cartwright likes you a whole lot. He has talked to me about you. From what he has told me, you aren’t interested in his money and after seeing you two together, I can see why. You should tell him who you are. There is no shame in what you do and I am sure it will not change his opinion of you. You need to give him a chance!” She starts to cry, she feels like her heart is breaking, and through her tears she tells him, “I just can’t! He is an important man and I am just his maid. I would never embarrass or humiliate him by people talking behind his back saying that he had to stoop to dating the maid. I just can’t do it! I love him too much to put him through that!” He feels sorry for her and says, “You are a very honorable lady. I hope you two will work this thing out some way. Shall we go for a short ride?” She thanks him and they drive around a while and return to the mansion.
When she goes into her room, Sharon is waiting on her to find out how her evening was. Ariel sits and tells her about her night with Brandon. She remembered that Sharon took French in high school and she asks her, “Do you remember any French from high school? He said something to me in French and would not tell me what it meant. Can you tell me what he said?” Sharon answers, “It’s been a long time, Honey. Just tell me what he said and I will see if I can figure out what it is.” Ariel looks toward the ceiling, trying to remember his exact words. She looks at Sharon and says, “Je t’aim avec tout mon coeur. Yea, that’s what he said. What does it mean?” Sharon shakes her head and asks, “Are you sure you want to know what it means, Sugar?” Ariel shakes her head and says, “He told me that he hoped that I would find out what he said. It isn’t bad is it?” She smiles at her and replies, “He told you that he loved you with all his heart. Now what are you going to do? Something has got to give, sooner or later!” Ariel doesn’t know what she should feel. She thinks that she should be happy that he loved her, but she knows that what they have together is just for a short while. It would be easier to say good-bye to him if he didn’t love her. She starts crying and says, “It should never have come to this! What have I done?”
* * *
CHAPTER 8
For the next few nights, Ariel decided not to visit Brandon. He was worried sick that something had happened to her. She thought that if she stayed away, maybe he would stop loving her. She loved him with all her heart and soul and deep down she was happy to know that he loved her. She didn’t mean for any of it to happen. She was just going to sneak into his room and check on him, that’s all. When she sneezed, it changed everything. She never intended for him to fall in love with her. She and he were living in different worlds and she felt that she did not belong in his. She finally couldn’t take it any longer. She had to see him once more, even if it was for the last time. She went up the stairs at her usual time and tapped on his door. He had been sitting in a chair near the door and opened it. As soon as he opened the door, he smells the fragrance of her perfume as it drifts into his room. He smiles for the first time in days and asks, “Casper, is that you? I know it’s you! I can smell your perfume! Where have you been? I have been worried sick about you! Why haven’t you come to see me? Have I done something wrong? Please come in!” She takes him by the hand and walks into his room. She helps him to get in bed and sits in the chair next to him. He turns his head in her direction and says, “Please talk to me. What have I done wrong. I don’t understand!” He doesn’t see her sorrow as she sits there with tears in her eyes. She finally reaches over and takes his hand and with a breaking heart, says, “I have come here tonight to tell you goodbye. After tonight, I won’t be back to see you again.” Her words break up as she tries to continue, “I have really enjoyed our time together and I will miss you. Please don’t ask me to stay, I can’t! It wouldn’t be fair to you or me. I know that you will forget me and go on with your life. I will never forget you. I thank you for giving me happiness in the time we had together and I will hold it in my heart forever.” She couldn’t talk anymore; the pain of her heartache was too much to bear. She just sits there crying and holding his hand. He was so shocked that he couldn’t even speak. The thought of not having her in his life made the pain in his heart unbearable. He couldn’t just let her go. Not like that. He had to do something but he didn’t know what to say or what to do. She had to know that he loved her. She would have to stay if she knew that! He tries to speak, “You can’t leave me! I lo…Before he could say it, she stood up and put her hand over his mouth. She knew what he was going to say and couldn’t bear to hear him say it, because she knew that it couldn’t be. She talks in a quiet voice and tells him, “Please don’t say it. It won’t change a thing. I just want you to know that I love you and in the Cathedral of my heart, I will always have a candle burning just for you. I’ve got to go now. Please don’t ask me to stay. You promised me, when we first met, that you wouldn’t stop me when it was time for me to go. Now, is that time. Good bye Brandon.” She starts to cry like her life is over. He remembers his promise to her and says with sorrow in his heart, “I told you that I would keep my word, Casper. I won’t try and stop you. I will say, that I will find you one day and there is nothing that you can do about it. I will find you!” Deep down, she wanted to hear that but she couldn’t give him false hope so she said.” For your own good, please don’t try. Just let me go the way I came, like a ghost in the darkness.”
His heart was broken. He tried to smile one last time for her and asked, “Could you do me one last favor before you go?” She squeezes his hand and asks, “What can I do for you?” He turned his head toward her and asked, “Will you kiss me good bye. I want to remember you with a kiss. Would you do that for me.” She bent over, with tears streaming from her eyes and puts her lips on his. He told himself that he would never forget that kiss and would, one day, find her again. She couldn’t bear the pain anymore. As she is pulling away, she says for the last time, “Good-bye, Brandon.” She turns and walks slowly out of the room. When she gets back to her room, she falls across the bed and cries herself to sleep.
* * *
CHAPTER 9
The days went by and Brandon finally had his bandages removed. He vowed to himself that he would find Casper. He started calling all the women that he knew and asked them out, one at a time. He figured that one of them had to be Casper. How else would she have known him? After every date he would kiss her in hopes it would match the kiss of the woman that he loved. He is disappointed with each kiss. He will never give up until he finds her.
Ariel spends her days in the back part of the mansion. She couldn’t bear the thought of seeing the man that she loved with other women. She thought that he was just going on with his life as she had told him to. She didn’t know his reason for dating all those women. She quit wearing the perfume that he could recognize and stayed mostly to herself. As time went on, Sharon couldn’t stand to see her best friend so heartbroken. She decided to take matters into her on hands. She had found out through the chauffeur that Brandon had wanted to find Casper so he could take her to the “Governor’s Ball’”. He wanted all of his friends and associates, to see the woman that he loved and to ask to take his hand in marriage. He was getting desperate. He finally called Linda Vanderjet up and asked her to come over. He thought that Casper’s voice sounded a little like hers but deep down he was hoping that it wasn’t her. She just didn’t seem like she could be Casper. He was willing to try anything to find her.
The morning that Linda was supposed to come, Sharon got up early and took all but one of Ariel ‘s uniforms and hides them. She took the last one off the hanger and put some of Ariel’s perfume on it and hung it back up. When Ariel grabbed it from the closet to put on, she noticed that it smelled like her perfume. She looks for her other uniforms but they were all gone. She turns toward Sharon and asks, “All my uniforms are gone but this one and it smells like my perfume. Do you know where the rest of my uniforms are, Sharon?” Sharon tries to keep a straight face and says, “I’m sorry about the smell, Honey. I was trying some of that perfume of yours and spilled it all over the place. I put all of your uniforms in the laundry except that one. I knew you had to have something to wear today.” At first, Ariel was upset over having to wear a uniform that would give her away to Brandon but she thought that since she works in the back of the mansion, that he wouldn’t be able to smell her anyways. She went ahead and put it on and told Sharon that she was going to work and walked out of the room.
Later that day, Linda Vanderjet arrived and met with Brandon. After speaking with her for a few minutes, he realized that there was no way that she could possibly be Casper. He was walking her to her car when Sharon walks up to him and says, “Sir, I need you to come see something immediately. I’m afraid that it won’t wait!” He looks at her with concern on his face and asks, “What is it, Sharon? What’s wrong?” She continues, “I don’t know how to describe it, Sir. You will have to come see it yourself.”
He turns toward Linda and says, “Thanks for coming by. I will see you later. I need to go find out what she is talking about. Good-bye, Linda.” He turns and follows Sharon to the back of the mansion. She finally walks up to the door of the room that Ariel is working in. Ariel sees him coming in and turns her back to him and pretends to work. Her heart is beating like it will burst from her chest. She wonders what Sharon is up to. She only knows that she can’t let him get too close to her. Brandon turns to Sharon and asks, “Where is the problem, Sharon? I don’t see anything wrong.” She points toward where Ariel is working and says, “It’s right over there. Can’t you see it?” He turns and walks toward where Ariel is standing. She sees him coming and walks away from where she was standing. He walks over to where she was at and looks around. He turns and looks at Sharon and gives her a confused look and says, “I don’t see anything, Sharon. What is this all about?” She points at Ariel again and says, “If you go right over there, I think that you will find out what it is all about!” He sees her nodding her head toward Ariel and walks toward her. She tries to walk away but he says, “Wait right there, please.” He doesn’t know what it is all about until he gets close to her. She stands there with her back to him. He finally smells her perfume and realizes that it is Casper. His heart is racing as he puts his hand on her shoulder and asks, “Casper, is that you?” She was afraid to turn around as a tear ran slowly down her cheek. She answered in a low voice, “I don’t know what you are talking about, Sir. I am not Casper. My name is Ariel.” He slowly turns her around and looks into her eyes for the first time. He couldn’t believe how beautiful she was. She was prettier than he had ever imagined. He reaches over with his hand and wipes the tear that was running down her face. He looks over at Sharon and asks her, “Do you have something that I can use to cover my eyes?” She reaches into the pocket of her apron and pulls out a clean rag and brings it to him. He asks her to tie it around his eyes. She puts the blindfold on him and he turns toward Ariel and asks, “Do you mind if I do a little experiment? I promise that it won’t hurt.” Ariel doesn’t know what to do. She just stands there with her heart beating out of control. He bends down and kisses her. She couldn’t help but kiss him back. It felt good to be in his arms once more. After they kiss he pulls off the blindfold and grabs her and says, “I found you! I told you that I would and I did! Why did you hide from me?” She points to her uniform and says, “I’m your maid, Brandon. What will your friends say?” Before he could answer, a voice from the doorway exclaimed, “A maid! You’re kissing a maid! What are you thinking, Brandon?” Linda had followed them to see what was going on. He turns and looks at Linda and says, “I would advise you not to speak that way about my future wife!” He turns back to Ariel and says, “That’s if she will have me.” She looks up with tears streaming down her eyes and shakes her head yes. He grabs her and they embrace.
Sharon looks at Linda and says, “Get out of here with your snotty self! Can’t you see that these two want to be alone?” Linda turns and walks away in a huff. As Sharon is closing the door, Brandon turns and says, “Thank you, Sharon. I will never be able to thank you enough. She looks at him and smiles as she closes the door and says, “A raise would be nice!”
The End
* * *
PROLOGUE
Ariel and Brandon were getting married. Every one of his employees from the mansion was invited. Sharon was Ariel’s “Maid of Honor”. After the wedding his father walks up to them and asks him, “How were you able to find someone as beautiful as she. Brandon looks down at Ariel and smiles and turns to his father and says, “I have a nose for pretty women, Dad.” They both knew what he was talking about and laughed.
After the honeymoon, Ariel made Sharon her personal assistant. She also asked Brandon if James could be her personal chauffeur. She owed both of them so much. Every once in a while Brandon still calls Ariel, “Casper”.
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