Ruby's Secret

CHAPTER - 9

"Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings." ~ Anais Nin

RUBY'S P.O.V

Death.

It was inevitable. They say death is the only certain promise in one's life. Oftentimes, we forget death can greet us. Anytime, anywhere and any place.

Dying wasn't something I thought of all the time, but I knew death would come to me one day. Life isn't promised, whereas death can strike anytime.

The life I lived didn't guarantee I could enter heaven, I knew I wasn't worthy of heaven but the moment I stepped inside the courtyard. A sense of belonging consumed me.

I was home.

Home.

But where is my home? People often asked me that question and my answer is still the same.

Wherever my mother is.

And if she is lying on the ground buried ten feet under then my home is also there.

There was a certain silence bloom all over the air. Not the eerie kind, but rather the peaceful one, the type when all is said and done and nothing is left. That kind of silence.

Walking further through the concrete floor, a warm breeze whistled past me. The further I walked, the clearer everything became. Now as I stood before the metal door, leading inside towards the cemetery. A sense of helplessness consumed me.

Something was missing.

A kind of hollow eating me alive. I was falling into a dark hole.

Opening the metal door, a cold shiver ran down my spine as I slowly took the first step inside.

The woman's sweetheart shaped face and apple like cheeks that seemed to warn in summer as she laughed while cutting the vegetable. Her red hair keeps falling on her face and bright green eyes shining with happiness keep coming in my view.

Each time she looked up, she smiled and my breath hitch as I saw my replica.

But it was not me.

It was my mother.

My hand shook as I sat down beside her tomb. Leaves scattered all over and dry flower bouquets which I bought every year kept line by line. With a shivering hand, I kept the bouquet of fresh white Lilies.

Tears brimming in my eyes, and throat clogged up, I spoke with difficulty. "Hello mommy."

"I...I mi...miss you." Choking on my words I gulped down my breath.

My hands were shivering as I cleaned the tone and cried watching her name engraved on it.

Amanda.

Loving mother and beautiful soul.

And in that moment my tears burst out from my eyes. It was still unbearable reading her name like this. The woman who gave life to me, who taught me to walk, who took care of me in sickness, my best friend, my saviour, my super hero, my mother.

She is no more.

She left me, five year ago, taking away my happiness, my soul, leaving me all alone in this cruel world where I have to fight to survive.

I was crying, putting my head on the cold marble tomb as my body shook. I can't think properly now. Her face, her laugh, her eyes, her teasing me flashes in my mind and I cried remembering all the happy moments we spent together.

I didn't know when I fell asleep but the last thing I saw when I closed my eyes was her beautiful smile as she waved at me to come fast as I ran behind her.

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I frowned as the water drop hit directly at my closed eyelids. And again at my forehead. I was feeling cold as I tried to find comfortable positions but the more I tried to snuggle, the more I felt cold.

The droplets of water were now hitting all over my body as I groaned, opening my eyes. The blurry tree and the dirty floor came into my vision, making me rub my eyes as I took my glasses off.

Where the hell am I?

I groaned and looked around, making my eyes wide.

Shit. s**t.

I looked at my watch and cursed under my breath, it was ten in the morning, that means I have been sleeping for three hour.

I landed on Florida at six in the morning with a calculative mind that I will catch up the next flight back to New york which was in two hour so I could easily go to office till ten but now I can feel myself getting panicked as I hurriedly stood up and look at my mother for the last time promising to visit her again that mean one year later at this date and at the same time.

Walking out of the cemetery, I hailed a cab and asked him to drive me to the airport. I was lucky that I got the next flight which is in one hour.

I was nervously chewing on my bottom lips as I looked at my surroundings, some people running to check in, some were saying goodbye to their family and some happily drinking coffee at the cafeteria.

My one hour went on watching people as I didn't even bought my cell phone so that I could text a message saying I'll be late.

I was nervously tapping my feet waiting for the call to the New York flight, holding my breath as I remember it was the first day of that arrogant man as my boss and as his secretary I have to report to him about all the important clients and partners, business proposals, showing him reports, charts.

Oh God, I am so screwed.

The moment my flight reached JFK international, I rushed out from the airport and hailed a cab asking them to drive fast.

A heavy weight remained on my chest as I glanced around the moving vehicle, feeling my world halted for a moment thinking how he would react to this. My unprofessionalism.

My first impression is totally screwed.

The Pallis & Co building came into view as I didn't wait for the cab driver to speak about how much my bill was. I threw a fifty dollar bill and ran inside but stopped when the guard came running towards me with a sweat dripping from their forehead.

"Thank God, Ruby, you are here." They spoke with heavy breathing.

No smile, no greeting.

Red Alert.

"Wh...what happened." I crossed my fingers thinking something happened behind my back.

"Boss." His one word was enough for me to run inside as I saw all the employees with their cell phones in their ear and pacing around the lobby.

Each of them stopped as soon as they saw me. They took a breath but no one said a word. They were staring at me as if I was some angel that descended from heaven to save their life.

Punching on the elevator button, I rushed inside chewing on my fingernails. I was getting nervous as I came close to the floor.

Once the elevator door opened, I ran directly towards the C.E.O office and opened the door without knocking.

But he was not there, a cold sweat ran down my spines as I saw files scatter on his tables. The feeling of fear mixed with nervousness was there.

I immediately spun around. I was in a hurry to get out of this room and found him but my legs wouldn't cooperate to move faster, so I twisted one foot and lost my balance. I ended up on the floor, face down.

Feeling worthless as my days finally took a toll on me, my eyes blurred with unshed tears as I fisted my palm in humiliation.

I instantly knelt down, and tried to find my glasses as it fell down on the floor.

I tried to look for it, but everything was so blurred and the carpet was also the same colour as my frame, black. I couldn't see properly without my eyeglasses and on top of that my tears were making it difficult for me to see.

I heard the office door open and someone came in. Even though it was blurred, I could identify that it was a man, with a grey suit and black shoes. Then suddenly, I heard the cracking sound of glasses. I knew that sound.

That was my eyeglasses breaking.

Great!

"Bloody hell! What's this!" I heard a familiar voice exclaimed angrily.

Mr. Pallis.

"Ah..that's mine." I instantly looked up at him. My knees were still on the floor as well as my hands.

Although it was blurred, I saw him kneel down in front of me. The man I wanted to see.

"Ruby?" He surprisingly spoke. "What are you doing on the floor?"

I heaved a sigh of relief and offered a nervous smile. "I am your secretary." I blurted out without even thinking.

He rolled his eyes with raised eyebrows and I swear I saw a smile twisted on his lips but I can't confirm if it was a smile or not from my blurred vision.

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