The one you left behind

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Brrrr, brrrrrr,bbbrrrrr. The only person who would be calling this time of night is Bev. I pick up the call without checking the caller ID. “Hello?”… Silence on the other end again, I put the phone back on the nightstand but it falls on the floor with s thud. As I look down to pick it up, the floor is suddenly covered in dewy leaves and soil. What happened here and why is it so cold? I look up again searching for the lamp I find myself in a dark forest with only streaks of moonlight coming through here and there. I hear a familiar voice but I can’t make out the words. Why is my head hurting so much? BBBRRR, BBRRRR, BBRR the buzzing of my phone is still audible even though I can’t find it in this darkness… Brrrr,brrrr… I woke up in a cold sweat realising my cell phone is still vibrating on the nightstand. It’s raining cats and dogs, the big willow tree outside is casting monster-like shadows on my bedroom wall. This is the umpteenth time I’ve had this dream. I must’ve just missed the call, maybe the caller will think I’m asleep. I'm just so tired , my eyelids barely open as I just got cozy under the covers, the phone started up again. “Hello..” “Elle..., please come quick. I’m stuck in the rain with a flat tyre and I forgot my wheel spanner in your car, no one is around at this hour to come and assist me”. Wow so much for crashing my feminism. “Stay right there I’m on my way, get in your car and lock the doors” It took me fifteen minutes to reach her destination. Apart from the street lights you can’t see much of anything else in this rain. I won’t be able to do much either and we’ll have to wait it out. I signalled for her to get into the passenger side of my car and drove to the diner . “Thank you so much, what will I ever do without you?” She jokingly asked while flashing me a perfectly white smile. Sigh. By the time we finished our hot drinks the rain had no intention of coming down in buckets so we drove back to my place. “I will call Burt to fix your tyre in the morning, let’s get some rest”. After she changed into more comfortable sleeping clothes she immediately started snoring once her head hit that pillow. I wish I could fell asleep that fast. The next morning I woke up without my alarm. I turned around to wake Bev just to find her spot empty. She must be in the kitchen making coffee. After a few more minutes I strode over to the kitchen, just to realize she’s not there either. That’s weird even her clothes is gone and the borrowed clothes is neatly packed away as if untouched. Maybe she got a lift to where we left her car last night. I jumped into the shower feeling refreshed after. I’ll just call her later to make sure she’s sorted. As I was driving to work my phone rang through the car’s Bluetooth speaker. “Hi Burt, hope you sorted Bev’s tyre, did you pick her up this morning?” “ … Elizabeth, I’m not sure what you are talking about but I did tow in a car this morning, the one you phoned me about” That must be Bev’s car then. “ Okay good, thank you for letting me know”. I’ll phone Bev at lunch to give her a piece of my mind, she can’t be bothered to update me on anything, just up and left this morning without so much as a goodbye. Once I arrived at the office I sensed a weird vibe, people are giving me worried looks, some even outright stare. “Elle, please come to my office”. What now? I just got to the office and already I’m landing in hot water. “Please close the door and take a seat” Just spit it out David, the anticipation is killing me. “I’m surprised to see you back at the office, Elle you know we care about you and if you need more time off, take all the time you need” Oh no, where’s this coming from? Is he referring to the unfortunate event that happened at the wedding? Gossip sure spreads fast around here, I should ask Gladys where she put the pity sandwiches. “Dave, I’m fine. Really. Please don’t worry about me, it won’t affect my work performance in any way”. After a long pause he nods and gesture for me to go. Geez, nobody had a breakup in history before? When I got back to my desk Phoebe caught me up with the new projects and meeting schedules for the next few weeks. She’s been a blessing in my life and an excellent assistant. A little OCD, but I can deal with that. After a long week of back to back meetings, I can’t wait to take these heels of and kick back with a good book and a glass of wine. Tianno had good taste in wine and pairing the perfect wine with any occasion is the one thing he taught me. That and the fact that I’ll probably never love again. I’m doing better and I think less of him as the days pass. I haven’t heard of Bev all week, I will phone her over the weekend to go out and catch up over lunch.