Layla Redd

Shining like a diamond in those hot spot lights. She gleamed from the sweat and the abundance of body glitter. White teeth sparkled from a ruby red mouth which is surrounded by golden brown skin. Catcall's, whistles, clapping, and cheering seemed like a blur of noise and excitement. She stood there, arms outstretched, reaching for the sky, chest heaving from her performance. She finally made it, after all the years and hard times she had finally made it. She thought to herself, "Not bad Layla, not bad."

She smelled them before toughing the handle to her dressing room and she knew and once again a sunshine melting smile broke across her face. That smile, as impossible as it seemed, grew brighter while looking at the almost kudzu like growth of Easter orchids filled every part of her dressing room.

"All for you my darling," a voice behind her declared. Her heart sank into oblivion at the voice for it wasn't the man she would have preferred to give her, her favorite flowers. As she spun around her bright smile came back to life but that same brightness never reached her eyes. Throwing her arms around him she just wanted to cry because the one she loves wasn't here.

"Thank you Fritz," she whispered in his ear and he pulled away.

"You are welcome my precious flower," Fritz said in his thick Austrian voice. "Now I will leave you to get ready for tonight I am throwing you a grandiose party for your last night of the play."

"Oh Fritz-"she began to start.

"Shhh my darling, I will be back later with a surprise for you. I'm going to talk to the director so dress quickly love for you know how I detest such a man as he," with that Fritz left, leaving her to slump on her vanity stool. Tears began welling up in her eyes as another knock at the door startled her and she began to wipe them away.

"Come in," she announced, not done wiping the tears away.

"Layla?" the male voice sounded puzzled. "What's the matter my precious?"

Layla's head whipped around to the voice. Her heard all but jumped out of her chest as the leapt off of her stool, "Oh Nicholas!" She leapt into his arms, reigning kisses over his face. "You came! I was so afraid that you wouldn't! Oh how I've missed you, please let me get dressed and take me away from here before that awful man Fritz comes back for me. I believe he's going to come back for me and ask me to marry him tonight at the party he's arranged for me. You can't let him do that Nicholas! I love you, please Nicholas, if you love me you won't let him take me away from you!" With that she broke out in a loud sob.

Nicholas held her tighter, stroking her hair, trying to calm her down. He was about to hurt her more than he'd ever hurt her before. He closed his eyes and for a moment prayed his news wouldn't turn her against him entirely.

"Layla, my love, sit down I have something to tell you," Nicholas coaxed her gently.

Layla sat and sniffled, torn between bracing her heart for the worst of letting it hope for the best.

"Layla I don't quite know how to tell you this."

"Just say it," she replied miserably.

He nodded in agreement and cleared his throat, "Layla I do love you, in fact, I have loved you since the moment we met, but at the time we met I was married-"

"What?!" Layla jumped up off her stool sending it to the floor. "You said you weren't!"

"Please let me explain," Nicholas started and held her back as she started to fight. "Layla I told you I wasn't married because at the time she was laying on her deathbed of tuberculosis. So I didn't exactly feel married. I never loved her; it was an arranged marriage so her parents could get ahead financially. She died soon after you left for . . . this." Nicholas stretched his arms out on the last word.

"So I'm a widower and by society's rules I'm still in mourning, which means tonight I can't stop you from getting married, in fact, I'm leaving for Ireland in the morning."

Layla sat there stunned for what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes, "So you're going to leave me here to suffer for the rest of my life all for looking good to society?" Then a thought hit her. "Wait if you're leaving for Ireland tomorrow why can't I come with you when we could be married after we arrived? I love you Nicholas please . . . take me with you."

"I'm sorry Layla, I love you but I still can't."

"Why not?"

A knock came at the door and then it slowly opened. Fritz walked in with a puzzled expression across his face.

"You did a wonderful ob tonight Miss. Redd. I hope to see you again on the stage, goodnight," Nicholas lied quickly then left in a solemn and humble state, making no excuse to Fritz as he exited.

As the door closed Fritz turned back to Layla and came towards her, arms outstretched. She refused his offer of comfort and sat on the stool she had knocked over earlier.

"My precious gem, why are you not dressed and ready? Why are your eyes red and swollen as if you've been crying? And who was that man? Did he hurt you because I'll have him killed if he did! Layla I demand answers!" Fritz's voice began to rise.

"Fritz I am not dressed because I was reliving my time on that stage tonight. That man was an admirer and his words moved me to tears. So no Fritz, I was not hurt at all, just give me a few minutes more and I'll make you proud to have me on your arm."

With a kiss on the cheek she sent him on his way and began dressing, shoving Nicholas and his words out of her mind.

She entered the ballroom in a figure hugging pale pink satin dress, with slender straps leading to a plunging neckline in front and back and a small train. With her hair swept up the jewels around her neck sparkled along with the ones that adorned her ears and made her the main attraction. She smiled while mingling wit the guests though she really longed to go home and cry. That feeling expanded greatly as she saw a face in the crowd from her past. Those same bland hardened eyes met her from across the room.

Fritz came up beside her, "Darling, what is it?" He followed her stare. "Who is that woman, a friend of yours?"

Layla broke her stare, turning towards fritz, "No Fritz, she is a woman from my deep past, a woman you must send away from here. I do not welcome her and I do not know how she found her way here!" Her body shook on the last few syllables, jerking her head towards the sport where the woman had once stood only to find her no longer there. Layla grabbed fritz by the lapels, shaking him rather violently. "Fritz! She's gone! You must find her and get rid of her! I know what she's capable of and she will ruin tonight and she will surely ruin me! Get rid of her!"

Fritz hurriedly removed Layla from the crowd because of the many heads that was turning her way.

"Where are you going Layla? You can't leave your own party? That would be very impolite," the woman said, stopping Layla and Fritz in their tracks. The woman had talked so loud that more heads had turned in their direction.

"What are you doing here?" Layla questioned as polite as possible, composing herself quickly.

"I'm here for you of course, silly. I heard about you on the rumor mills and just had to see it all for myself."

"Charlotte you know that you are not welcomed here," Layla growled under her breath.

Again Charlotte spoke loudly and soon all was silent, "Why Miss. Layla Redd I cannot believe that you speak in such manners."

"Don't do this to me Charlotte."

"Don't do what?" Charlotte smile deviously. "I want to propose a toast since we have everyone's attention." She held her arms up wide and looked around, Layla followed her.

With one last plea and the last shred of her composure she grabbed Charlotte tightly, "Please Charlotte do not spoil this evening for me you are not wanted here so please leave and never come back. You've had too much to drink-"

"Darling we are talking about you, not me. Besides I've stopped drinking years ago. Now back to my toast!" Charlotte raised her glass and Layla couldn't help but look on in horror.

"Let us all raise our glasses to a beautifully talented young woman. She's come a long way in life but I've know her for years. I've known her when she was rich off her parents, when she was out on the streets after her parents had been killed and the money was gone. I knew her when she sold her body for sex and money and danced nude as well. I knew here when she was in live with a man, a man who was married and fell astray because of her charms while his wife was on her deathbed. I now know her as the woman who conned Fritz into letting her become the star that she is tonight." She held her glass magnificently and swallowed every last drop.

"Layla, Layla," a hand shook her shoulder. Layla came back from her zoned out state.

"Yes I'm sorry, Fritz I can explain," Layla started with panic in her voice.

"Explain what my darling? Your good friend Elizabeth here was about to make a toast in your honor."

Layla's face turned pink as she realized what was really happening. "What?" She whipped around in the other direction and stood there facing Elizabeth. The few friends she still had from her dancing days. Relief filled her chest as Elizabeth walked towards her slowly.

"Layla are you okay?"

"I thought I saw Charlotte and I panicked. . . I don't know."

"You just stood kinda frozen and wide-eyed."

"I guess my mind just played the worst of what would happen if she came here tonight and I thought it was real."

"Well it's not; it's just me, Elizabeth."

"Darling, I would like to make a toast now, afterwards you and Elizabeth can play catch up. Come with me," Fritz walked up the grand staircase with Layla in tow. After obtaining everyone's attention he raised his glass. "Ladies and gentlemen, I want to first thank you for coming here tonight."

For Layla, Fritz's voice began to fade away. She scanned the crowd to make sure she had been daydreaming and hadn't seen Charlotte. There, right by the entrance, she caught a glimpse of a couple moving away. The girl on his arm turned and looked up at her smiling. It was Charlotte, the man stopped and looked up as well, and it was Nicholas. Layla's heart fell and she knew that this time she couldn't be daydreaming.

"Layla darling, you're doing it again," Fritz whispered under his breath. Layla returned her focus back to Fritz and smiled an apology through her teeth.

"Layla, my precious gem, my darling love," Fritz began loudly for everyone to hear. "Would you do me the greatest honor in the world for an old man such as myself and be my wife?"

Layla's eyes went wide with shock, "Oh Fritz!"

"Is that a yes my love?" Fritz turned to the crowd with a smile on his face.

She took a deep breath, "Yes. Yes I'll marry you." Putting on the brightest smile she could as Fritz slipped a ring on her finger. She looked out to the crowd and saw Charlotte laugh and rub herself closer to Nicholas. The smile faded slightly as she watched them leave. Fritz kissed her lightly on the cheek as he turned towards the crowd with an ear to ear grin. Layla looked for Elizabeth but she was no where in sight. Layla quickly made up an excuse to leave and find her; right now she needed a friend.

She stood in front of the mirror months later, tears in her eyes on her wedding day and her heart lay in her chest, broken. Layla, looking radiant in hr gown of white and the lace of her veil as it framed her hair and face. Elizabeth walked up behind her, putting her hands on Layla's shoulders, she was clad in shimmering silver satin with an elegant upsweep of her hair.

"If it's any consolation you look beautiful," Elizabeth tried to console.

"It's a small one. I just wish it was Nicholas I was marrying not Fritz. But he has done so much for me I guess this is a way for me to start paying him back but I can't believe charlotte would betray me so badly."

"Layla you should be expecting that from her but not from Nicholas, I wonder what she has against him?"

"Other than her body, who knows? She was always manipulating people into being in her favor," Layla guessed. "Oh well let's finish getting ready and get this over with." Layla wiped the tears away and put on a smile.

"I admire you Layla," Elizabeth said.

With a little laugh Layla replied, "Why?"

"Because no matter how hard life is for you, you never seem to let it get you down."

"Yes I do."

"Well you don't let it show for very long before covering it up with a smile. You're a very brave woman Layla, holding your head up high when you probably want to crawl in bed and bawl your eyes out."

"It's something my parents taught me before they died. I think they knew what was going to happen but they just didn't have the time to figure it all out."

"Well they raised you pretty good," Elizabeth praised. "Now let's get you married off into the fabulous life of the rich and famous."

Together they finished getting ready, smiling. Layla proceeded to walk down the aisle alone, tears refused to stop flowing down her cheeks. She didn't bother to scan the crowd because she knew there was no one she would know except the people standing ahead of her. She reached the end and stood between Elizabeth and Fritz. The preacher stood looking at them with one eyebrow raised in an otherwise expressionless face as Elizabeth fixed her dress. The preacher droned on reciting what people have had to hear for centuries. He came to the part where anyone can object to the wedding and to Layla's misery no one spoke up like she had secretly hoped and the preacher continued on.

"Excuse me preacher!" a female voice called out from the back. "I have an objection to this wedding!" Charlotte moved towards the front of the aisle, Layla's face drained of any color.

"Why are you here Charlotte?" Elizabeth hissed under her breath.

"Isn't it obvious? Why do you get all the breaks in your life? You were rich but you lost it all after your parents were murdered. Nicholas came to your rescue even when you were selling your body for sex and dancing naked all for money. He was always there for you, leaving his wife on her deathbed to die. Then this old geezer comes along to keep making your life wonderful," Charlotte pointed to Fritz sharply. "You sleep with him for one night and he makes you a star and now you're marrying him, never having to work again. You don't even love him, you love Nicholas! But no mater what happens to you, you just smile through it all." Charlotte had been crying through it all.

"I took Nicholas away from you because I wanted to crush you. I wanted to be you and I was the reason he wouldn't take you to Ireland. I was the reason he wouldn't rescue you away from this ancient man but you win. I can't keep Nicholas, I can't. He loves you too much so don't waste your life away with this man. Go, find Nicholas and be truly happy for once." Charlotte held up a revolver to her head that she had been hiding and pulled the trigger.

Men rushed to her aid as some ladies fainted. Layla sat on the first pew, Elizabeth came to her side. They both were stained with blood along with Fritz and a few guests.

"Wanna make a run for it? We can go to Ireland and find Nicholas so the two of you can be happy finally. You have some money left over from what Fritz gave you. Let's go, Charlotte just ruined your entire life here, Fritz won't want to marry you anymore. What do you say?"

Layla had been shaking her head the whole time, "No Elizabeth, you know I've never ran away from anything."

"That makes absolutely no sense Layla there's nothing here for you."

"Layla, we need to talk," Fritz walked up to her with a grave expression on his face. "I think you need to leave, you're friend has damaged my reputation and I don't believe you and I should be married. I will give you some money for you to not go hungry and homeless. I wouldn't stay here; I'll have to smooth things over here. Meet me at my house tonight; now leave so you and your friends may pack. Go Layla and do not argue with me."

Elizabeth and Layla stood at the bow of the ship. For the first time they felt free, smiles broke their faces in half as they sailed to Ireland. Fritz had given them a handsome sum of money, enough for the both of them to live on for a while. Now they ere going to find Nicholas at last so they could be happy at long last. They arrived in a couple days at a harbor that's right below Northern Ireland. Layla knew exactly where he love would be, he'd talked about it all the time.

Months had passed; Layla and Nicholas were married as soon as possible. For a time they were happy, Fritz's money had gone far by bypassing expensive luxuries. They lived in a middle class part of town. Soon Layla found out she was with child. Nicholas worked harder to provide for his now growing family. Elizabeth helped out with the house as much as possible. Next you the baby came and with the arrival of life came the passage of death. Layla never got to raise her baby boy die to complications. Years after the grief faded to lesser, more manageable, grief he looked towards Elizabeth for companionship. They were married later and raised Layland together. They were able to tell him of his mother and her life. The three of them never forgot her because her ghost still walks the earth in unrest to make sure her loved ones are happy.