Loving by the rules.

Emily's point of view. Regrets. It seems that I’ve been having lots of those lately, my current one being not having an umbrella to shield me from the pouring midsummer rain. The weather this morning was a typical summer one: hot and humid, so I hadn’t thought I’d need one. But here I am, running in the pouring rain to my car while several minutes late to my next part-time job. Great. Now in the sanctuary of my second-hand Toyota Corolla 2014 model, I lightly shiver from my wet t-shirt and jeans while relaxing my muscles that were sore from working all morning. Now I regret not having a change of clothes, I could smell a cold from a mile away. And I absolutely can’t afford that. When the familiar ding of my phone rang out, I fish it out of my jeans pocket, groaning when I read the message: Boss Faye: where r u Emily?? I could already see the scowl on her face while typing this. I hurriedly thrust the key into the ignition and turn it on, only for it to make something between a clicking and grinding sound and then dying down. Damn it! Not now. I try again two more times before I give up. I could keep trying till it responds, but that would take too long. Pocketing my phone and other things, I step out of the car and back into the still-falling rain, locking the door behind me. I decide to hail a taxi, but it seems like the universe is against me today. The taxis would either speed past me or another person would get in as it inched closer. The rain had already soaked through my clothes, the chill settling in my bones. Guess I won’t be reaching Faye’s today. I was about to text her the same when a message from her beat me to it: Boss Faye: don’t bother coming. You’re fired. No. No. This can’t be happening right now. It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten fired but unlike now, the weight of all the unpaid bills and eviction threats weren’t as severe. With my soul feeling as gloomy and depressed as the weather was, I head back to the car. The kids must’ve closed from school ages ago, I’d better go get them. I sink into the driver’s seat, the old leather absorbing the wetness from my clothes. Pouring all my pent-up frustration into my fists, I bang on the steering wheel, feeling the angry tears stream down my face. How could life be so cruel to me? It just isn’t fair! If someone had told me that my life would derail so fast in just a month, I would’ve laughed it off and asked to get their head checked. But now, even my non-existent nightmares are coming true. Could it get any worse? *************** I walk through the lobby and past other parents of the Chapin School, my head up and make up reapplied. I absolutely refuse to let any sign of weakness slip from me. My children need a strong and emotionally stable mother. Not one that can’t handle a couple of bills despite having a college degree. Making my way over to the first grade, I peer through the medium sized window into the colorfully decorated classroom where children who hadn’t gone home waited for their parents to arrive. I search between and across the throng of parents and children, hoping to spot lily’s favorite pink star hairpins that distinguished her from other kids with the same jet black hair as hers. But even after combing through the scene twice, there was no sight of her. My breath catches in my throat, the oxygen in my lungs being replaced by panic. Where the heck is my baby? She’s supposed to be here, I didn’t send anyone to pick them from school. I barge into the classroom, marching straight to the teacher’s desk. “W-where is lily? She’s not here” I stutter, frantically gesturing to the crowd behind me.“Mrs. Dahlia, please calm down” the teacher, Bethany blew out a sigh. “About an hour ago, a man who goes by the name Mark Davis and also claimed to be a friend of yours picked lily up. She seemed to be familiar with him”. Mark Davis? Could he be... “Alright. Thanks” I didn’t want to waste time telling her how irresponsible of her it was to hand over my daughter to some random person who claimed to be my friend. I have to confirm if it really was Mark. After all, I hadn’t seen him in four years. And depending on the situation, I might end up suing Bethany. I also stopped by Jake’s class, who was in grade three, and got a similar response from his teacher when I didn’t spot him in the class. That’s one more teacher to add to the suing list. Storming out of the school and into the now drizzling rain, I throw myself into the car once again, feeling the frustration and tiredness seep through my damp clothes. I wanted nothing more than a hot bath and to sleep for a good twelve hours, but I know that I wouldn’t be having that anytime soon. Not until I make sure that my babies are safe and sound. After tolerating the car’s shenanigans for a good fifteen minutes (which made me regret not selling it earlier), I begin the forty-five minute drive to Mark’s apartment which he stayed in during our college days. It’s all I really have to go by, as he suddenly stopped texting me about three months ago and I wasn’t able to reach him at all. I just hope he hadn’t found a new place to live. Yet. The sun hung low in the sky, the orange glow not doing much to light up the incoming darkness. We’d have had dinner by now already… I park the car in an empty spot in the parking lot and basically sprint into the building with all the strength I had, rushing into the elevators and furiously tapping the button that led to the third floor. ‘Please let him be there’ kept playing on repeat in my mind, the elevator walls suddenly feeling suffocating. I press on the doorbell, anxiously rocking on the soles of my feet. I was given a spare key by Mark, but it’s back at home, probably in a random drawer. I haven’t been here in years, what if this place belongs to other people already? How will I start looking for my babies? “Emily?” A familiar voice broke me out from my thoughts and I craned my neck up a bit to see the owner of the voice. My eyes widened. It really is him, although he looks a bit different from how I remember him. He definitely became a lot more muscular, as the thin black top he wore did nothing to hide his chiseled frame and toned arms. He looked more tan, and also had a bit of stubble dusting his jaw as well. The only thing that never changed was his adorably curly black hair and his warm hazel orbs which always seemed to draw you in. The same ones which were currently making me tear up because of how much I missed them. “Mark…” I sobbed, crashing into his arms and inhaling his familiar scent of peppermint and expensive cologne. He merely rubbed my back in a soothing manner while I cried myself away, just like how he used to in high school and college. He was always there for me, even more than a best friend would. “Jeez Emily, you’re freezing. Let’s get you in” He said after I had calmed down, leading me into the warm apartment. And just like that, it felt like all hope hadn’t been lost. It felt like… everything would work out. Somehow.