Wildflower Read online

  Wildflower

  A story of one woman’s love for another.

  by

  Prudence MacLeod

  Smashwords edition

  Copyright, Prudence MacLeod, August 7 / 2002

  This is a work of fiction.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. Please enjoy the story.

  Bad Day in Bay City

  Abigail MacKai climbed slowly, painfully out of the cab and started toward her apartment block. “Hey lady,” shouted the cabbie, “what about the fare?”

  “Sorry,” mumbled Abby as she turned back and passed him a twenty.

  “Thanks,” he shouted as he sped away.

  “My change,” called Abby, but he was already around the corner. “Bastard,” she spat vehemently, “you’re all alike, and you’re all a bunch of right bastards.” She sighed again and carefully climbed the stairs then entered the building. “Goddam cheapjack son of a bitch didn’t even pay for the cab.”

  Still in shock at how her world had suddenly come apart, Abby entered her small apartment and dropped her coat and purse on the floor. Gingerly she made her way to the living room where she sat in her chair and started blankly at the TV screen without even turning it on. Six weeks ago she had been on top of the world and now....? Abby sighed as she felt another bout of depression taking over; she just sat in her chair and let it happen. With a tear slowly forming at the corner of her eye, Abby ran over in her mind just how she had come to be in this far away city in such a sorry state.

  At five foot eight, one hundred twenty pounds with long naturally blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, Abby was a striking beauty. A smile from Abigail MacKai could melt polar ice and she usually shared that smile with everyone she met. That is, until recently.

  Abby had finished high school and was too impatient to see the world, she opted to take a few computer courses and start work immediately rather than go on to university. She began applying for jobs on the internet and was actually hired on by a small firm in the United States. They helped arrange for her green card and with her travel expenses as well as to get set up in her own apartment. The boss was a wonderful man who immediately adopted Abby as his pet. He sent her to night school to take upgrade courses in business management as well as advanced computer courses and he paid for the works. How many times had she blessed Harry James’ generous nature?

  Abby had been both intrigued by the world of business and by the excitement of earning her own way. She applied herself diligently, and, within a few years, she was heading up a new office on the west coast. For the first number of months Abby had worked non stop until all was running smoothly then she decided it was time to resume her social life.

  Since moving to the United States to work, Abby had gone through a number of boyfriends, but nothing too serious. That became her pattern once again in San Francisco until she met Randy Zane. Randy was a law student with big dreams and ambitions to match. He was also completely charming and Abby was smitten. Blinded by the stars in her eyes, she missed all the little warning signs that should have caught her attention.

  Completely convinced that he was planning to marry her, Abby began to make long term plans. Somehow, in her blissful state, Abby had missed taking her birth control pill for a couple of days. The sudden realization of what that might mean brought her crashing back to earth. Two weeks later she missed her period and began to seriously worry.

  Abby had gotten a bit paranoid then and the warning flags were suddenly right in her face. Randy had been stalling about introducing her to his parents and she noticed that every time she mentioned marriage he changed the subject. Filled with foreboding, Abby waited for her next cycle to complete. She missed again. A trip to the doctor soon confirmed her worst fears; Abigail MacKai was pregnant.

  Abby had gone into shock at Randy’s reaction to the news. “No fucking way,” he’d snarled as he backed out her door and fled down the stairs. She hadn’t seen him for nearly two weeks even though she had tried to call him several times each day.

  On this morning Abby had awakened with violent cramps in her abdomen. Gasping for breath she managed to make it to the bathroom where her body painfully aborted the unwanted pregnancy. As soon as she could, Abby cleaned herself up and made her way to her doctor’s office. It was much later when she arrived home to find Randy waiting for her by the door. “Dad wants to see you,” was all he’d said as he ushered her from her cab into his car and drove to a sidewalk café several blocks away.

  The small man did not rise as he was introduced, nor did he acknowledge her outstretched hand. “Young woman, I’ll get right to the point,” he stated harshly. “If you think this little pregnancy of yours will tie you into the family fortunes, I can assure you it will not. You are not the first silly little blonde to try to capture my son this way, and I doubt you will be the last.

  “Having said that however, I will not see you completely in distress; I have prepared these forms for you to sign. This one states that you are unsure of the father of your child as there were several lovers. This one releases Randy and his entire family of any and all responsibility for your pregnancy and the resulting child. This one is a cheque to compensate you for your trouble. I suggest you accept it for there will be no more, and if you refuse, I will bring all my power and influence to bear against you.”

  Abby looked at the cheque he had passed to her. Fifty thousand dollars, the cheap bastard, he could easily have afforded ten times that much. Still in shock, Abby accepted the cheque and signed the required papers. Randy took her by the arm and escorted her from the café and put her in a cab. Abby still had not spoken a single word; she had not told them she had lost the baby.

  With a deep sigh of resignation Abby tried to shake off some of the dark mood that was taking over her. “Grandma always said things happen in threes,” she muttered to herself. “Numbers one and two have been brutal; I wonder what number three will be, a piano falling on my head?” She was closer than she would liked to have been. A knock came on the door and painfully she rose to answer it.

  “Yes?” Abby asked the dour looking man in the plain suit who had knocked.

  “Abigail Aislin MacKai?”

  “Yes,” she replied, a feeling of foreboding falling over her heart “What can I do for you?”

  “I represent the department of immigration,” he replied formally as he presented his ID. “May I see your green card please?”

  “Of course,” she replied. “Come in.” She stepped back to find her card in her purse and he took one step across her threshold leaving the door open behind him. “Here it is.”

  “Thank you,” he said as he put her card in his briefcase. “I am here to inform you that your card has been revoked and you are to cease all employment activities in this country immediately. Your employer has been informed and a replacement is on the way to take over your job. Your right to travel freely in this country has also been revoked and a plane ticket for your safe return to your own country of origin has been provided. Your flight leaves in three days. I highly suggest that you be on it or a warrant will be issued for your arrest and all your assets will be seized.

  “These are your official orders to leave the country Miss MacKai,” he said as he presented her with an official looking document. “Please sign here to acknowledge that you have been duly served. I will return in three days time to see you safely to the airport. Good day
to you Miss.” With that he stepped back through the door and vanished.

  “Well, there goes number three,” she whispered softly, tears streaming down her face as she gently closed the door behind the departing official. The phone began to ring insistently and with a sigh of resignation she turned to answer it. “Abigail MacKai.”

  “Abby, thank god I’ve managed to reach you.” It was Harry James, her boss from the east coast. “Abby, what is going on out there? I have had the most distressing visit from the immigration people and they said they have revoked your green card and are deporting you.”

  “That seems to jive with what has just happened here,” sighed Abby as she leaned against the wall for support. “I guess Uncle Sam no longer loves me Harry.”

  “Abby, what happened?” he asked gently. Suddenly Abby broke down and tearfully told him the whole story.

  “That goddamned son-of-a-bitch,” exclaimed Harry. “I’m getting you a lawyer Abby. We’ll fight the bastard on this. Whatever you do, don’t cash that cheque; we’ll need it for evidence. We’ll...”

  “Harry, Harry, please listen to me,” interjected Abby as she pushed herself away from the wall. “This man is too big, too powerful, and he obviously has friends in high places. You can’t take him on Harry; he’ll break you.”

  “I don’t care,” responded Harry hotly, “I’m not letting him get away with...”

  “Harry, listen to me now,” said Abby gently as she tried to break into his rant. “I love you like a father, and I will not let this happen to you. I’m not the first young blonde that California has chewed up and spit out. I’m going to take the bastard’s money and start over at home somewhere. After all, Canada isn’t a third world country or anything. Can you give me a good reference?”

  “I’ll give you a reference to die for Abby, you know that,” sighed Harry as he too accepted the inevitable. “Are you sure about this?”

  “It’s like you always say Harry, you can’t beat the system. No, I need to go home and lick my wounds. I’ll be alright and I promise I will stay in touch. Can I use you as a forwarding address for now until I land somewhere?”

  “Of course you can honey.”

  “Thanks Harry, you’re a love. I’ll let you know as soon as I get settled in somewhere, Ok?”

  “Hold your head up high Abby and always remember, we believe in you and know you are going to rise above this. You’re bigger than these folk Abby.”

  “Got it boss,” she replied warmly. “Never let the enemy see you sweat. Take care and hug Alice for me.” She gently hung up the phone and returned to her chair and her depression.

  It was some time later that Abby arose from the chair, made her way to her small bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. She took two bottles from the shelf and held one in each hand. Two very different kinds of medication and Abby truly hated taking either of them. Right now she had to decide which one to use. Give in to the suicidal depression that was gripping her heart and take the bottle of sleeping pills in her left hand, or use the antidepressants in her right, the happy pills as she called them. With a tear at the corner of her eye, Abby set down the happy pills and opened the bottle of sleeping medication.

  As she poured a number of the pills into her hand she heard Harry’s voice in the back of her mind, “Take those and Randy’s old man wins Abby. He won’t even lose a moment’s sleep over it and he will even keep his fifty grand. Spit in his eye girl, you’re bigger than either of those two slime balls.” Setting her jaw grimly, Abby poured the sleeping pills down the sink and tossed the bottle in the garbage. With a deep sigh she opened the other bottle and dropped two happy pills in her hand.

  “Well Sherlock MacKai, what are we going to do now?” she asked her image in the mirror softly.

  “Unknown Miss Abigail,” replied her reflection, “but this is definitely a two happy pill problem.” She tossed them down with a swallow of water then returned to the chair to wait for the inevitable restlessness to set in. Her doctor had told her to get two full weeks of complete rest. That was not going to happen for Abigail MacKai, she could only hope her strength would hold up.

  It wasn’t very long before she felt the restlessness start to come, and with it, a smile of anticipation. Abby shuddered at how close she had been to taking the other medication. Gods, there was so much that she had to do and only two days to get it all done. Even worse, her body desperately needed to rest, but now her mind was on overdrive. “All right Miss Abigail,” she thought as she began to fidget in her chair, “you need to make a plan and you need to do it quick. First you eat so your poor brain has something to work with, and then you lay your plans for revenge.”

  Rising carefully from the chair Abby realized just how depleted her body really was at this point. It was nearly three p.m. and she had been on the go since dawn with nothing to eat. To top it all off, she had lost a lot of blood that morning as well. “Ok Abby,” she sighed, “we have to get our blood sugar back up and we have to get something nourishing into you. What was it that study said about keeping blood sugar levels steady over the long haul? Pizza, that was it. Ok, we have some frozen pizza and we have a juicer.”

  She juiced several vegetables and microwaved one of those special pizzas then took it and her pen and paper back to the chair. Abby flicked on the TV and forced herself to watch a comedy rerun while she ate. Once the food was gone she swallowed a handful of vitamin and mineral supplements. Abby needed her body to repair itself as quickly as possible.

  Abby spent the rest of the day in front of the television resting and making her plans for revenge. “Well Grandma, it’s like you always told me, the best revenge is living well,” she sighed as she made her list. She would start packing first thing in the morning.

  Anything that would fit in a box would be mailed home to mother and anything that would not would be sold to a second hand dealer. Thankfully she had not bought a car, saving her money for that new convertible was turning out to be a blessing. Added to Randy’s Father’s cheque, her savings would make a tidy nest egg. It would be more than enough to get her started again somewhere else. The new life would feature a smarter, stronger Abigail MacKai.

  The phone, electricity, and cable would have to be cut and the next month’s rent would have to be paid. Oh hell, let them take her damned security deposit and shove it somewhere painful. Abby had been kicked around enough for one week.

  At seven p.m. Abby forced herself to go to bed and rest there. Sleep was a very long time coming, but she lay still, thinking, planning out her future course of action, and eventually sleep did come to Abigail MacKai.

  Six a.m. found her already sorting out things to be packed and things to be sold. Being very careful not to lift anything heavy, Abby worked methodically through her whole apartment. By the time the banks were open she was at the door. She cashed the cheque as well as withdrew all her savings. She had taken out several thousand in traveler’s cheques, several hundred more in cash, paid out her small credit card balance, and the rest as a bank draft.

  Harry had been quite generous over the years with a substantial bonus each time she secured him a new contract and she had saved most of it. She had just over eighty thousand in all. Abby sighed as she left the bank. It wasn’t much considering where her career could have taken her, but it certainly was enough to get her a fresh start.

  From the bank she went to a courier’s office, bought some boxes and arranged for pick up the next morning. She even paid a young fellow from off the street to carry the boxes and tape back to her apartment for her. The rest of the day was spent in packing and just before four; the man came from the second hand store. All her furniture plus her TV and stereo went for three hundred dollars. “Looks like I’ve been screwed again,” she thought bitterly as they carried her prized possessions through the door. Once they were gone she took her over night bag, and locking her two larger bags in the now nearly empty apartment, caught a cab to a nearby hotel for the night.

  It was early the
next morning when the courier arrived to pick up her boxes. He was barely out the door when there was a firm knock. Abby opened the door to see the man from the immigration standing there. “You again,” she said coldly. “Afraid I might slip through the fingers of the law and jeopardize the security of the nation?”

  “I’m sorry Miss,” he said evenly, not a flicker of emotion on his face, “I’m just doing my job.”

  “Fine, then you can carry these heavy bags for me,” she said as she took up her over night bag and stepped through the door. He dutifully seized the other two and followed her out. Abby left the door open and threw her keys through onto the floor.

  “Not going to lock it?”

  “Why the hell should I?” she asked as she got into his car. “Apparently I’m not coming back.” She didn’t speak another word all the way to the airport.

  “Yes ma’am,” said the pleasant young woman as she checked in Abby’s baggage, “visiting Halifax?”

  “Being sent home to mommy,” replied Abby shortly. She was definitely feeling the pain in her body now. Her escort waited until she was on the plane and in the air before checking in with his boss that she was airborne. Completely emotionless, he went on to his next assignment.

  It had been a long and grueling day for Abby, but she was home in Canada and safely in a hotel room in Halifax. Bone weary, she dressed for bed and took another handful of vitamins. She had not even called her mother and was determined not to just yet. That would keep until she was feeling better. She stayed in the hotel and rested for three days before taking a cab back to the airport. “Give me a one way ticket on the first available flight out of here,” she said as she reached the Air Canada check in counter.

  “Yes ma’am,” smiled the tiny brunette in the snappy blue uniform. “Do you have your passport with you?”

  “No, I’m afraid I don’t, I guess we’d better make that the first domestic flight.”