1
Vivianna
“HELLO? Why won’t you answer me? This is your cell phone! HELLO?! What? Do you think you’re not going to answer me? I’m not going to continue to ring forever here, you know.”
I quickly sat up when I heard my cell phone go off. Glancing over at the clock beside my bed, I groaned. I’d only been asleep for three hours since I had gotten off my fifteen-hour shift. The ringing stopped, but a moment later, it started again. I threw back the covers and went in search of where I’d left my phone. I eventually found it in the kitchen under a pile of mail that I’d finally remembered to get out of my postbox.
I didn’t get there fast enough before the call ended. I’d assumed it would be the hospital calling, needing me to come back to work. We’d lost a doctor in our Accident and Emergency department or as we Londoners call it—the A&E. When I picked up the phone and looked at the number on the screen, I didn’t recognize it. I decided since I didn’t know who called, I was going to go back to bed. But just before I set the phone down, it rang again, with the same unknown number.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Good evening, is this Miss Vivianna Beck?” a chipper woman’s voice asked.
“Yes, this is Vivianna. Who may I ask is calling?” I asked curiously, no one called me by my full name but my father.
“I’m Annette, the Ambassador’s secretary. He asked me to call and request that you come home for a visit.”
I took a moment to gather my thoughts. This was the first time in fifteen years that my father had asked to see me. “Is he alright? He isn’t sick, is he?” I asked, thinking that would be the only reason that he would call me home.
“He is in perfect health, Miss Vivianna. He didn’t tell me the details as to why he wanted to see you,” Annette answered.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that he’s in good health, but I’ll have to see when I can get time off from the hospital. Can I call you back at this number once I find out?” I asked, searching for a pen and paper to write a note to myself.
“That won’t be necessary. He called and talked to the director of the hospital. They are aware that you’re going to be taking some time off starting tomorrow. The Ambassador thought this was best since he’s residing in your family's summer home in Bournemouth for the season,” Annette stated.
“He did what?” I snapped, wanting to crush my phone.
After twenty-seven years of practically ignoring my existence, he now decides that he can just summon me home and tell my boss that I’m taking a few days off? Sorry, dear ol’ Dad, but that’s not going to fly with me. I successfully got out from under your thumb, and I’m not going to let you start directing my life now.
“Ambassador Beck knew that it would be challenging for you to get time off, so he called and asked if they could spare you for a few days,” Annette said, trying to calm me down.
“Of course. How magnanimous of him! Please tell my father that if he wants to see me, he can work around my schedule, not the other way around,” I said and ended the call.
Frustrated, I glared down at my phone. “It’s not like I’m that far away. It's only a two-hour drive to get here from London. How could he think that he could just pull a stunt like that after all this time?” I demanded from the device. Getting no response, I groaned and rubbed my hands over my tired face. “Now that I’m this angry and talking to myself again, there is no hope of going back to sleep. Guess I’ll go let my boss know that I’m not going anywhere, and he can put me back on the schedule.”
Sighing, I headed off to shower and get ready for the evening, well at least what was left of it. It was already eight o’clock. I looked at myself in the mirror and began to unbraid my long brunette hair while I mulled over the phone conversation. I eventually had to look away. All I could think about was the haunting memory of my father’s disapproval and me as a little girl, begging for his attention.
I quietly walked up to the imposing wooden doors that I was never allowed to enter unless I had been summoned. Reaching up to knock, my small hand was shaking, and I was afraid that I would be ignored once again. I managed to rap twice on the door, hoping it was hard enough to be heard from the other side.
“Enter.” My father’s voice was muffled by the thickness of the wood.
Struggling to pull the heavy door open, I slipped into the imposing office with Father’s desk center stage. I walked forward and made sure to keep my head down while I waited to be acknowledged. I knew better than to speak before he addressed me. Last time I’d been sent to bed without dinner for being what Father called impertinent.
“Vivianna, do you know why I wanted to see you?” my father asked, his voice void of emotion, not giving me a hint of his state of mind.
“No, sir, I don’t,” I answered back, keeping my eyes on the floor.
My father huffed, making me cringe because I know I hadn’t given him the answer he wanted. I wracked my brain as I tried to think of anything I’d done to displease him. It had only been two days since I had arrived home from boarding school.
With a hint of annoyance in his tone, Father continued, “I have been appointed as an Ambassador for the UN. One privilege of this role is that you will be attending a new boarding school in the United States. You will be leaving at the end of the week,” he informed me.
My head shot up in surprise. “That’s so far away! Can’t I go to school here?!”
“Silence!” he said, slamming his fist on his desk, causing me to jump. “How dare you talk back to me, Vivianna! I have already made my decision, and you will be going whether you like it or not! End of discussion!”
Pulling my gaze down to the floor, I felt my body tremble with fear. Tears began to pool in my eyes. I knew to not let them fall because they would mean nothing to him. Crying only made him angrier. He would tell me I was weak and worthless if I cried.
“You may go now,” he dismissed me.
Without a word, I shuffled out and shut myself away in my room, where I let the tears fall freely down my cheeks . . .
Shaking myself out of the memory, I stepped under the steaming hot water of the shower and let it wash away the anger and pain. Once I felt a little better, I walked out of the bathroom and heard my phone ringing again. I ambled over and looked to see who it was. Surprise, surprise, it was the same number as before. I walked away and let it ring. I wasn’t going to give in to his request now after following every demand my father asked of me growing up. I’m sure this was coming as a shock to him, but I was a grown adult with a steady job that I got on my own merit. I rented this lovely terrace house on my hard-earned income, and I don’t touch the monthly allowance he provides for me. So, sorry, Daddy dearest, I no longer have to play by your rules.
I pulled on my favorite pair of jeans, found a clean T-shirt, and slipped on a comfy green cardigan to fight off the evening chill. The spring weather had been mild so far, but the ever-present humidity forced you to layer up. I snatched my purse off the hook by the door and headed out. Once down the front steps, I took a deep breath of the fresh air and headed toward the bus stop that was just a few blocks away.