Chapter 60
Kent couldnât fathom why Brandon was getting all worked up over the âwinterâ thing all of a sudden, but he nodded anyway, âYeah, just like Sophiaâs dad said, I even recorded it.â
As Kent said this, he clicked on his computer, âYou bet. She was such a darling, a real heart-stealer since she was tiny, pretty as a picture, all rosy-cheeked. Back then, she mustâve been five or six years old, middle of winter, all alone outsideâ¦â Haleyâs voice, rough with a hint of booze, slowly drifted from the phone. Brandon cut him off, âSend me the recording.â
âThe whole thing? Itâs kinda long, want me to edit down to the highlights first?â
âJust send it all,â Brandon cut him off again, âSend it now.â
âAlright.â As Brandonâs right-hand man for years, Kent knew the drill and was always ready. He quickly sent the prepared recording to Brandon.
âGood, go on with your stuff.â
After giving instructions to Kent on the phone, Brandon hung up, pressed his palm on the mouse, and opened the recording Kent had
sent.
He didnât speed through it. Instead, he just put on his headphones, leaned back gently against his computer chair, and hit play. The recording from Kentâs phone was crisp and clear, without any background noise.
Brandon had been listening with his eyes closed, but when Haley said, âItâs all my fault, when I picked her up back then, I never thought her mom might not like her.â he opened his eyes and looked at the audio playing on his computer. Haleyâs denials didnât stir his gaze or expression, until Kent asked Haley if Sophia was always so sweet and adorable as a child. Thatâs when a flicker of emotion finally passed through Brandonâs eyes. He stared at the screen, listening to Haleyâs hoarse, nostalgic voice recalling the moment he found young Sophia, describing her as five or six years old, in the winter cold, alone outdoors, her little face turning blue from the freeze, not crying or fussing, just hugging her knees, curled up into a ball, with those big eyes staring at him full of terror, not shouting out loud; when he walked over, she asked in a weak voice, âMister, are you here to take me home?â
Brandon swallowed hard, slightly tilting his head, his hands crossed on the desk, fingertips pressing into his skin.
Yolanda had also gone missing in the winter, out in the wilderness.
The conversation in his headphones continued.
âShe had hypothermia which led to a bunch of complications, ended up with pneumonia, high fever for days. When she came to, she was out of it, didnât remember anything, just me.â
As Haleyâs voice filled with regret entered his ears, Brandonâs gaze slowly drifted to the computer screen.
âShe didnât remember anything, just me.â Haleyâs regretful voice echoed in his ears, and Brandon thought of something Sophia had said not long ago, âYou miss her because you two shared many beautiful memories. But if youâre the only one holding onto those memories, does she still matter?â
Brandon hadnât given the question much thought at the time, but if Sophia was Yolanda, whether or not she had those memories, she mattered all the same to him.
Brandon didnât get up right away. He listened to the entire recording seriously and patiently.
When the voice in his ears stopped, Brandon sat motionless, staring at the computer screen, his expression blank, his mind filled with Haleyâs description of a young Sophia. frail, helpless, terrified, yet remarkably well-behaved and sensible.
The very image of young Yolanda.
Suddenly, Brandon longed to see Sophia, eager and impatient.
His body reacted to the surge of emotion within hirn, his toes pushing off the desk to move the chair back a couple of steps, and he stood up. As he passed through the living room, he bent down to grab the keys from the coffee table and left the house.
On the way to Sophiaâs school, Brandon drove fast.
The cold wind poured in through the wide-open car window, tossing his hair about.
Brandon didnât bother to close the window, letting the gusts come in wave after wave, his hands steady and skilled on the steering wheel, his handsome face slightly tense, his mind reconstructing the image of a small figure, curled up in terror against the snowy landscape.
Sophiaâs school wasnât far from the hotel, just a few minutesâ drive.
Brandon arrived at the school just as classes were letting out, the ancient, echoing sound of the school bell piercing the campus, and groups of young students began, to emerge from the various buildings..
Brandon stood beneath Sophiaâs classroom building, watching the clusters of young students descend the stairs but didnât see Sophia among them.
He didnât wait downstairs. Instead, he moved through the crowd and up the stairs.
He didnât know where Sophiaâs classroom was or even if she had a class. He just followed his instincts through the crowd.
Like always, Sophia waited until almost everyone had left before she started packing up her things to leave.
There were still quite a few people in the corridor, laughing and frolicking with the unique vitality of youth.
Sophia didnât join them, only smiling in response when familiar faces greeted her. Then, amidst the bustling crowd, she spotted
Brandon.
His handsome face was tense, his eyes searching eagerly through the crowd as he moved.
Her steps slowed to a halt.
Brandon also saw her and stopped in his tracks. The urgency in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a profound and peaceful softness, as if he had just let out a long sigh of relief.
He didnât approach her, just stood at a distance, letting his gaze rest on her through the crowd, his eyes showing a level of focus and tenderness Sophia had never seen before.