Evangeline emerged from the hellish ordeal of a two year coma with few remaining friends if any. The best friends, close colleagues who regularly visited her bedside during the beginning of her ordeal stopped coming by a long time ago. The world around her had also changed – some for the better like the election of first African American President; some for the worst – the global economic crisis that saw many people losing their jobs and homes. On the lighter side, Llanview featured its own slice of personal gossip – Nora married to Clint although madly love with his brother, Bo not to mention her sister Layla dating Christian ‘Caveman’ Vega…whatever. Clearly her main focus lied in regaining the full movement of her physical body emotionally her mind, intelligence stayed intact.

She spent six months at an Inpatient Rehabilitation Center located next door to the hospital enduring intense physical therapy. There were days when the road ahead seemed daunting but her mother or Uncle Clay always gave her the encouragement she needed to press on.

When it came time for her to return a semblance of her life in Llanview Lisa resisted.

“Cookie, you’re not ready,” a half-hearted attempt by an anxious Lisa to dissuade a determined Evangeline, “Especially returning to Llanview…why?”

Transitioning from a doting, protective mother to hands off parenting wasn’t going to be easy. One of the happiest moments came when Evangeline first opened her eyes, saw her then simply mumbled the word mom. Tears of joy streamed down her face. The strain of those long two years evaporated. She vowed to take her baby through every step on her way back to a sense of normalcy.

Evangeline sighed as she continued packing. “I had a life there,” she insisted, “And I choose to go back to it.”

“To see so-called friends who turned their back on you who will be asking how you’ve been, nice to see you again…asking dumb ass questions.”

“And me giving dumb ass answers.” Lisa gave her an irritated stare. “Mom I’m truly indebted to you and Uncle Clay for helping me through this difficult process but it’s time to allow me to move on. How can I start to feel whole again unless you let me? Those racist cowards tried to take away my life. I’ll be damned if they succeed in taking away my independence.”

“But baby, why can’t you live here amongst your family and true friends.”

Evangeline resigned that her mother will never understand and returned to her packing. “Mom I love you but I’ve made up my mind. I’m going back to Llanview with or without your support.”

“Why do you always have to be so damn stubborn?”

“I’m my mother’s daughter,” she cracked a smile.

Lisa reluctantly accepted her baby’s decision with a head nod…that was that. She took Evangeline’s hands into hers, squeezing them tightly. “Call me whenever you need anything.”

“I will. Don’t worry mom you’ve taught me how to take care of myself.”

“I’m curious as to actually how you will handle your sister.”

She really held no real malice towards Layla but it felt weird. Layla understood the callous, abusive way Christian treated her months before the horrific accident yet she chose to become his girlfriend. 

Dreadful crisis makes for strange bedfellows. “We’ll work things out mom…blood is blood.”

***

During her first year back in Llanview she switched career paths from defense lawyer to top-notched consultant which entailed flying all over the world at a moment’s notice to assist her troubled clients. Sometimes she may spend a week yet other times she’d stay away for a whole month. It made the possibility of reconnecting with old supposed friends virtual impossible…she liked it that way. Everyone had their lives to lead without her being forced back into the fold. The exception, of course, was Todd. He’d gotten back with Blair telling her he was committed to his sorry-ass marriage blah…blah…for the sake of the kids blah…blah... She’d heard all that bullshit before but she couldn’t care less about that other side of his life. He kept a careful eye on her choices of male companions which she liked in a way because it kept the bad apples at bay.

“You’re probably waiting around for me,” one day he teased.

“You wish.” She’d laugh at his silly conjectures. Whatever romantic feelings there were before the coma had long since dissipated – he wasn’t there. At some point he should have been there for her. Upon her return the first few months she bitched about his glaring absence. Todd being Todd did everything possible to regain her friendship. In the end she’d forgiven him somewhat but their relationship would never be the same between them.

The biggest failure, mistake or whatever it is called was that period of time. After all those moments she’d been there for him, risked her life, career… he chose to stay away carrying on with his stupid marriage. Now he was paying the ultimate price for his disloyalty.

“You’ve changed a lot,” he observed quietly.

“I know. Maybe the Evangeline you once knew may never return again.”

His blue eyes gazed into hers reflectively. “Well at least I’ll have those memories.” Yeah some good, some bad, some in between… she wouldn’t change any of them. It created a long, enduring friendship that no one could take away – rare to have this type of relationship with a man. “Part of her is still here with me,” he touched her cheek. She withdrew her face and he changed the subject.  “So where are you spending Christmas?”

“In Maryland of course…”

“Along with the hypocrite...of course...”

“Todd, she’s my sister. There’s nothing to forgive or look back on…that’s life.”

“I consider some things unforgivable…like my little sister becoming involved with an abusive jerk that roughed up me up.”

“Well you’re not me and I can’t dwell on it. I woke up to a different world. The world will not change to accommodate my wishes. It is I who must change to live in it. Life’s too short.”

He noticed she stopped caring about many things that were once important in her life before the coma. The most obvious being that she and Nora were no longer friends rather passing acquaintances who said hello on a chance meeting. He liked that change most of all.

***

Spring, summer, fall… another year was coming to an abrupt end. Layla moved on to the other Vega brother… Antonio. Evangeline was still flying around the world with a few stops in between at her lavish penthouse apartment. Todd often joked that she was trying to copy his style of living to which she’d reply, “you should be flattered.”

The end of November, she’d just flown back from an important business trip to South Africa when she received a visit from Layla.

“So how long are you staying this time?”

Layla recognized their sisterly relationship hadn’t quite been the same. She made a huge mistake hooking up with Christian. Initially she judged him to be so kind, loving but as time went by he turned into a Neanderthal…very jealous. The way she dressed became a huge issue. She couldn’t go anywhere or be around anyone that he didn’t recognize. Fortunately Antonio was there to pick up the broken fragments not that Christian didn’t raise a huge stink about it in the beginning. Christian moving away to another city was the best thing that ever happened.

“I’ve taken a month off,” she replied, “but I won’t be going to Maryland this year for Christmas. I’m staying home.”

The announcement came as a surprise. Layla blinked twice then said, “Alright…is this because of what happened last year?”

“Please, Christian and I were over long before you found comfort in each other.”

“So why choose to be alone. Vange you should be amongst your family for Christmas. We’ve already missed you for Thanksgiving.”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’m very tired Layla and I need to rest after such a long flight.”

Layla gave her a quick hug. “I’ll call you later.” It was much too early to get into any sort of disagreement with Evangeline. She hoped as the days past that she would be able to convince her to change her mind.

***

During those 3 ½ years Kevin Buchanan took up residence in London and gained freedom from his volatile relationship with Kelly. She has since remarried but moving on with his life didn’t come easy as it did for his ex-wife. The few relationships he chose to become involved in after the divorce were mainly a way to satisfy his innate sexual urges. Women, well, they were a means to a sexual end. Although he implicitly informed all of them that he wasn’t interested in anything long term some failed to comprehend this concept and were quickly cast aside for the next lay.  His only true passion laid in his successful, multi-million marketing partnership B&B which he set up with an English compatriot named Elliot Braxton. The two met around three years ago. Both had the dream to create this firm along with the capital to back it up.

Working all the time physically kept him away from his family. He planned this holiday trip back to Llanview as a chance to reconnect with them.

***

Llanfair…  

When he heard Vicki and Jessica approaching down the hallway he ducked behind the corner. Jessica became a sisterly nuisance constantly attempting to hook him up with one of her single female friends a few of which were her wild-eyed teenage girlfriends with huge crushes on older brother. Now all grown up they felt they had more of an opportunity to get with him but given his current record with women he wasn’t interested for the sake of her friends and their relationship. Rather than be deterred by his noninterest it spurred on her cause for concern.

“Mom have you seen Kevin this morning?”

“No maybe he went out early.”

Jessica’s brow furrowed. “I’m worried about him. He hasn’t been the same since he divorced Kelly.”

“How do you know that?”

“Ask him about the longest relationship he has been in since his divorce.”

“Honey I don’t think we should interfere in his life. Just be glad that he’s home for a long visit. We rarely get an opportunity to see him these days.”

“Humph…still sometimes he looks so depressed.”

“Maybe we can ask him to help us out with the charity event this weekend. That’ll keep his mind occupied.”

“If I can track him down…”

Their voices trailed off. Kevin came out from his hiding place. Depressed? He carefully examined his reflection in the mirror. His features looked tired. It took a lot to get that business up and running. It also took many late nights to keep it successful. He became tired of it all. A point came when everything seemed meaningless. When he first went to London Kelly meant everything to the happiness of his life but the relationship turned out to be a catastrophic disaster no matter how many times they tried to make it work. Lies after lies after lies and her damn cheating reminded him of crazy ass Blair. Those Cramer women were poison to any man.

“Man in the mirror,” Natalie interrupted his trip down memory lane.

“What?”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing…”

“You should appreciate when your…”

“Natalie, just leave me alone,” he cut her off, walking away not in the mood for any lectures from Natalie. He tolerated Jessica more than Natalie. Since John walked out on their relationship she felt everyone needed to be as miserable as she was.

“Kevin!” she yelled but he didn’t look back.

***

Mira’s Restaurant/Bar 

Outside the forecast called for snow flurries. Evangeline stayed cozy inside the bar section sipping on Chteau Petrus. Mira’s had a good crowd for a Tuesday night the majority of whom seated themselves in the restaurant feasting on their famous Italian cuisine. The tables were adorned with red, silken table cloths; candles surrounded by fall flowers sat as the centerpieces and Christmas decorations popping up here and there.

Marco, the bartender, kept Evangeline’s company periodically questioning her whenever he had a break from serving drinks.

“Not feeling it huh?”

“Not this year but it’s still early,” she confessed with a slight smile in the midst of stirring her wine, “You never know. You can start off being in a funk about the holidays when something or someone comes along to alter that mood.”

“Hey beautiful…,” an unwanted admirer came her way.

“Listen bozo I’m not in the mood tonight,” she replied without turning his direction.

“Come on give a guy a break.” Allen, a Mira’s regular, could be described as a white, middle-aged man, lean 6’0”, dark hair with gorgeous green eyes. His propensity for keeping more than one woman in his life gave him a bad reputation with the ladies around town.  

“I’ll give you a fat lip if you don’t leave me the hell alone,” she replied angrily. Allen raised an eyebrow after hearing the threat.

“Move on Allen can’t you see the lady has better things to do,” Marco assisted. Allen tipped his head then moved on to his next conquest. Preferably she’s from out of town.

Suddenly Marco’s eyes brighten. “Hey Kevin long time no see.” The two men clasped hands.

“I need to pay Llanview a visit sometime.”

“Yeah you’ve been gone a long time.”

Some things never change. Kevin Buchanan looking very debonair in his suit – hair neatly cropped, underneath that polished look must be a lean, muscular body. His masculine scent sparked her innermost desires. She quickly drank down a mouthful of her wine to suppress that type of emotion. At the corner her eye she observed the two men conversing.  

“So how are things going?”

“Hey Mario two cosmos,” a female customer yelled from the other end of the bar.

“The name is Marco,” he complained under his breath. He passed Kevin a glass of beer saying, “We’ll chat later.”

“Sure.”

On cue Kevin turned her direction and smiled at seeing a beautiful, familiar face. While in London he heard of Evangeline’s miraculous recovery. She looked absolutely stunning with smooth, black tresses cascading over her shoulders.

Evangeline Williamson, a dark beauty capable of driving men’s heart wild. Yet she still emanated grace, class and beauty unlike any other woman he had met before or since. His heart momentarily skipped a beat while his throat went dry. He took a swig of his beer saying with a sparkle in his eyes, “I would say fancy meeting you here but that’s too cliché.” Evangeline showed him a huge smile. “Evangeline Williamson, it’s great to see you again.”

“Kevin Buchanan, it’s nice to see you too,” she remarked extending a welcoming hand. “Still the smartest Buchanan?” she joked.

“Don’t forget the most handsome,” he grinned accepting her soft hand, pressing his lips against the top.

She must have drunk too much wine because she actual felt a tingle course through her body at the warmth of this touch. Immediately she recalled her last relationship ending about two months ago…yeah that’s it.

“You are looking quite lovely this evening.”

“Thank you…And so are you.”

“Thank you as well. When I first got back I asked about your whereabouts. Most people said they rarely see you around Llanview.”

“It’s because I’m busy doing my job well. In order to create a successful career you must put in the hard work. No one has to tell me that I’m damn good at what I do or whatever I set my mind to doing.”

“Same here…” He thought he sensed a bit of tension in Evangeline’s words at such an innocent observation.

“I know…you and Elliott Braxton run a successful marketing firm in London.”

“I’m flattered that you’ve taken notice of me,” he boldly declared.

Yep still the undercover slime ball. “Just using your firm as a model,” she said easing off her seat. “Marco!”

“Yes Ms. Williamson.”

“Could you please call me a cab? I’m ready to call it a night.”

He perceived her slipping away from him. “Leaving so soon I thought we could catch up some more.” Part of her couldn’t grasp this comment because they were merely acquaintances. “How long have you been back?”

She paused briefly then replied, “Just arrived two days ago. So how is everything in London?”

“Kelly and I are divorced about 3 ½ years now. She’s since remarried but I’m still looking,” he replied in a suave tone.

Why was it so necessary for him to tell her that? “Oh I’m sorry to hear about your divorce,” she quickly said feeling a little uncomfortable yet she actually found him very interesting. Cut the crap Evangeline Kevin is a damn handsome man, smooth operator and very slick. “But like I said before I must be…”

“Wow…I can’t believe you’re shooting me down.”

“Excuse me?”

“But as I recall you don’t go for nice guys,” he remarked taking another swig of his beer.

“Ha don’t make me laugh. I’m definitely not in the market for a relationship Kevin if that’s where your thinking is leaning towards.”

“A beautiful woman like you shouldn’t be in a bar sitting alone on such a cold evening. Don’t you think it’s time to give Llanview men another shot?”

Who the hell had this bastard been talking to? She slapped him across the cheek and stated, “It’s my choice!” Thereafter she poured out the remainder of his beer over the top of his head hurriedly walking away.

Kevin endured the curious stares, suppressed laughter as well as the beer dripping over his expensive suit. He massaged his sore cheek. Marco shook his head, giving him a pitifully stare while offering him a towel. “You don’t need to tell me Marco.”

“Another beer to replace that one?” he asked.

“Make it a scotch.”

***

The cab came shortly after she exited Mira’s.  On the ride home Kevin Buchanan filled her thoughts. Nice guy indeed. At least Todd showed others his true colors unlike his nephew who was the devil in disguise, dressed in expensive business suits and playing out a charming disposition. She prayed they never bumped into each other again for the duration of his stay.

Really Evangeline? 

“Oh just shut up,” she admonished herself.