Chapter 4

"Mullady, where's Melanie, have you seen her?"

It was Melanie's sweet-sixteen party and she was nowhere to be seen. All the children and folks were asking for her.

After she had opened the gifts she had walked in the direction of the stables saying that she would be right back.

Carter Marington, a young suitor of Melanie's, had been asking Franklin if he knew where Melanie was.

"I'll find her, sir I think I know where she might be."

Mullady worked his way around the smiling teenagers and their parents who were milling about on the lawn engaged in pleasant conversation.

As he got near the stables he saw the throng of youngsters as they played with some of the horses that had been let out into the fenced-in yard.

Some of them were actually riding the horses and messing up their fine clothes that they had worn to Melanie's party.

Franklin Barker had spared no expense in entertaining his daughter. There was a ton of food and liquors he had ordered for the children and their parents.

There were over a hundred people invited to the shebang. The sweet-sixteen party was a ritual in these parts.

Especially if you were someone as renowned as Franklin Barker. It was your duty to impress with nothing but the best.

And Franklin Barker had spared no expense. He had hoped that the affair would have a positive effect on his neurotic daughter.

But so far it had been an extreme failure. Carter Marington had brought Melanie a corsage, which she brazenly threw to the floor. It was a strange happening because Franklin was sure that deep down Melanie was impressed with the gift.

But something inside her made her refuse it. Carter was embarrassed at the time because there were people around who had witnessed it.

With a hundred people milling about and asking for the star of the party, Franklin Barker was getting riled.

He was beginning to lose his paternal concern for his daughter. His temper was rising and he was filled with a father's wrath.

He was going to tell her right out that it was her duty to perform up to expectations, especially at her own party.

She had no right to go running off and to get lost at her moment of glory when people from miles around had come to celebrate her grand event.

Mullady entered the stables and found Melanie exactly where he thought she would be--with Lightning.

She was brushing his mane and whispering sweet cooings into his big ears. The horse was nuzzling his face into her.

"Melanie, your father's looking for you. You better come right now."

"Mullady, I can't be bothered."

"You must, all the guests are asking for you. Especially Carter."

"Oh, the hell with Carter, he's just a boy."

"And you're a girl. Come on now, be reasonable."

"But Lightning's mane needed to be brushed."

"You go back to the party and I'll take care of him."

"But you don't know how to do it. He likes it a certain way."

He approached her and gently took the brush from her hand and looked at her with caring eyes.

"I've been taking care of horses for twenty years. I'll do it, Melanie, you go back to the party before your father gets really riled."

She knew that when her father's dander was up he could be very surly. Rather than risk his wrath she gave way to Mullady's prodding.

"Oh, all right, but make sure you don't ruffle the mane. He hates when the strokes aren't long and sweeping."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. Now you get back to the party, okay?"

She turned about and made her way to the exit. But not before giving her steed one long, last penetrating look.

When she left the stables and began to make her way back to the scene of the gaiety the throng caught sight of her.

"Melanie, where have you been. We've all been looking for you."

She smiled graciously to hide her bored feelings. Her beautiful, long-flowing white chiffon dress blew in the cool breeze.

They were gathering around her now, all of them asking how she had liked their presents that they had picked especially for her.

She politely answered to the best of her ability all their probes and questions. Above the adoring throng she could see her father.

Gone were his feelings of rancor. He was all smiles now as the group of people surrounded his daughter and gave her what he considered to be her just due.

If only she would accept her station. She was a beautiful girl and the inheritor of everything Franklin Barker had strove for in his life.

But she was so introverted and prone to bouts of terrible depression. He was glad that Mullady had found her.

She seemed to be actually enjoying herself. Despite what she said about being bored by the attention she always responded favorably to it.

She knew that she was beautiful and that people just naturally gravitated toward her. But instead of enjoying it she rejected the role.

That was a facet of her character that her mother could have instilled in her had she been around to advise her.

Everyone was vying for her attention. She was radiant and brimming with enthusiasm as she answered all their questions.

Franklin sighed in relief at the sight of his daughter enjoying their favors and the people likewise enjoying her.

Melanie found herself giving way to their attention and becoming more charming than she had ever been before.

She looked over the heads of the people surrounding her and caught sight of the pleasing appearance of Carter Marington.

But he was not alone. He had not joined the members of the adoring throng who had run to meet her.

He was way back from all of them. He was engaged in conversation with Flossy McArdle who flashed her eyes lovingly at him.

Melanie was now very sorry that she had dismissed Carter's fine corsage with such obvious distaste.

But he had approached her at a moment when she was thinking about going over to Lightning and brushing his mane.

Right at that moment Carter had brought to her his present and a box with the corsage inside of it.

She hadn't even bothered to open his present. Now that she saw Flossy getting his attention at her expense she was sorry she had acted so dastardly towards him.

As she espied them enjoying one another, she was convinced that Carter wished that it was Melanie standing there talking to him.

But his ego had been bruised by her insensitive treatment of his gifts, and he was listening to Flossy intently.

When she first saw them engage in pleasant chatter, Carter was visibly nervous and made an excuse to go.

But then Flossy grabbed his arm and pulled him back to a position next to her and began to talk to him with a heated animation.

Melanie could see her waving her pretty, red-painted fingers and looking at him deep in the eyes as she chattered away.

Carter began to respond to her avid interest. In a few moments he was returning her gestures with those of his own.

He was talking to her with a renewed interest. He was smiling and enjoying himself. Melanie felt a pang of hurt in her heart.

Up until this moment she did not realize how strongly she felt about Carter. Now that another person was aptly paying him attention, the truth she had hidden from herself came home...

She realized now that she liked Carter immensely. She wished that he would stop talking to Flossy and join the mob that was all involved with her.

But then her hair stood on end when she saw the both of them take off together and walk away in the Opposite direction.

She tried to maintain her composure and not let the crowd know that her stance had been shaken.

Her eyes remained glued to the fading figures of the two people that were causing her heart to cry out in pain.

She swore that she could see them hold hands just as their figures faded from view and they entered the dense woods.

Bravely she managed to keep her smiling disposition. As she walked to toward the house they followed her every move.

Someone handed her a small glass of wine they were raising a toast to her and celebrating this moment of symbolic womanhood.

She wanted to rejoice along with them but the memory of Carter and Flossy receding into the woods remained in her mind's eye.

The wine, which should have tasted cool and sweet burned in her palate and left a bitter taste in the back of her throat.

She could hear her father's voice above the sound of the throng that voiced its adoration of her with one toast after another.

"Melanie, now don't get lost again. Soon it will be time to cut the cake."

Oh, where was Carter. She wanted him so much to be here now with her. She never realized she liked him so much.

If only he would show himself now. She yearned to see his handsome figure coming out from the woods with or without Flossy.

She was handed the knife to cut the cake. It was a fabulous three-decked affair with sixteen candles burning atop it.

Everyone was smiling and egging her on to do the honors. She grinned falsely for she yearned for Carter to come back to her.

Franklin Barker watched his daughter and she sliced the sweet cake with a graceful motion and her eyes twinkled in delight.

There was no way for him to know that the twinkle was the vestiges of the tears that welled-up inside her from the absence of Carter.

Her moment of crowning glory had turned out to be a bitter pill indeed. She hated her father for putting her through this.

After the first slice the knife was taken from her and then the delicious cake was cut into slices and sent all around.

Everyone cooed about how her father had spared no expense in making sure that his daughter's party was worthy of her beauty and charm.

While the adoring throng busied themselves in eating the delectable cake, Melanie took the opportunity to fade from the scene.

She ate her cake, which was tasteless and went down like chunks of lard and slowly backed off to the side of the house.

When she was hidden from view she dropped her cake on the ground and ran to the back of the house.

She searched the dense woods with her eyes, but could find no trace of the couple who had wandered off into them.

She sat down on a pile of chopped wood and began to cry. Soon she was sobbing and she held her head in her hands.

Her self-pity began to transform into an angered glow. How dare Carter do this to her, didn't he understand her at all?

She hadn't meant to act so terribly towards his wonderful gifts. It was just the mood she was in.

She didn't want Lightning to think that she had forgotten him. She always brushed his mane at that time of day.