ACCIDENTAL LOVERS

3: CRY BABY

On her way to Fred’s place, she kept on crying. She could not believe what happened to her. She could not even explain why she was crying. She quickly stopped a taxi to stop the onlookers who had refused to stop looking at her with a puzzled face.

The taxi ride to Fred's place felt like a journey through a fog of emotions. The driver kept asking her if she was okay. She did not know how to respond because she knew she was not okay though she was acting as if she was strong enough to take all that had happened to her squarely. Her eyes were filled with tears and, not to make them drop, she would dab them with the little napkin she had with her.

Shay crumbled onto the worn-out couch as she entered Fred's apartment. It became her sanctuary and turned witness to the unraveling of her carefully constructed world. The tears held back in the polished façade of opulence, now flowed freely. Each drop carried the weight of uncertainties, lost opportunities, the haunting echoes of her recent struggles, and most especially the event that took place that night.

The door creaked open, revealing Fred's shadow as he stepped into the room. His eyes once filled with warmth, now reflected concern and confusion when he saw Shay crying. He rushed to Shay's side, wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her before asking any question at all.

"Shay, what happened?" Fred's voice, a mixture of worry and compassion, sought to pierce the walls Shay had erected around her pain.

Amidst sobs and fragmented sentences, Shay attempted to convey the unraveling of her world. She didn’t even know where to start telling her story. Was it the loss of her job? Or was it the unexpected encounter with Terry, and the subsequent intervention that left her phone in Terry's possession?

Fred listened, with every attention and calmness until Shay finished narrating her ordeal that day. He had become a witness to the storm that had taken residence in Shay's heart.

Fred's attempts at comfort fell short as Shay's anguish proved insurmountable. In a moment of desperation, Fred reached for his phone, scrolling through contacts until he found Abigail's number.

Abigail was Shay’s gist partner and colleague. Fred thought that she would be a beacon of solace in times of distress, as Shay continued to cry uncontrollably. Fred knew that the day’s event was too much to bear for Shay, who is normally a strong character at handling mishaps. Abigal would be nice to have around her at his moment, Fred thought.

Abigail, a confidante who had witnessed the peaks and valleys of Shay and Fred's relationship, answered the call with a mixture of concern and curiosity. Fred, his voice tinged with urgency, explained the fragmented pieces of the night's events, leaving Abigail to decipher the complexities hidden within Shay's tears.

“Fred, can you please explain when you say Terry hurt Shay? I don’t quite get it,” said Abigail from the other side of the line.

“I think you should be here to console your friend, and maybe she could tell her story in her own words. Right now all my pleas are falling on deaf ears,” Fred said.

“I am on my way to your place, please give me a few minutes,” Abigail said.

Within moments, Abigail arrived, a calming presence in the midst of chaos. Her eyes, seasoned by life's unpredictable turns, met Shay's tearful gaze with understanding.

As the three sat in the dimly lit apartment, a fragile sense of camaraderie unfolded, it was a shared acknowledgment of pain, confusion, and the intricate dance of relationships.

“Shay, please tell me what happened exactly. If that loner hurt you I am going to make him pay,” said Agbigail as she tried to wipe away the tears from Shay’s eyes who had now resorted to sobbing.

Shay, with a shaky voice and teary eyes, told her story. She told Abigail how, after she was laid off from the coffee shop she decided to treat herself at the High Standard Restaurant only to find out after eating she did not have enough to pay.

She explained how she thought she had found a helper in Terry who told them that he would settle the bill.

“Wait a minute, is this why you are crying?” interrupted Abigail.

“I have always told you to calm down, can you allow me to finish,” Sahy said as she started sobbing all over again.

“I am sorry Shay, please continue,” replied Abigail.

After paying for my meal, Mr Terry right there seized my phone and I will have to pay him back before I get my phone,” Shay said.

“Abigail wanted to laugh but held it inside of her. She knew if she laughed it would hurt her friend more.

The night wore on, conversations punctuated by quiet sobs and shared silences. Shay, still gripped by the emotional maelstrom, found solace in the presence of those who had become anchors in her tumultuous journey.

She was grateful to Fred and Abigail for agreeing to stay with her until she got back on her feet.

As the first light of dawn began to paint the sky, the fragile bonds between Shay, Fred, and Abigail faced the dawn of a new day. It was a day that held the promise of healing, understanding, and the resilient spirit needed to weather the storms yet to come.

Shay stopped crying after Abigail told her that instead of crying they should look for a way to get her phone and secure a new job in no distant time.

As they sat in Fred's room, a plan began to take shape. Abigail, suggested they confront the source of Shay's current turmoil head-on; Terry, and the only address they knew was his office. Everybody knew Terry’s office. The building of Platinum Industries stood high above other buildings in the town. No one would miss it for anything. Fred agreed to go with Shay to plead with Terry.

In the morning, they got themselves ready to visit Terry. Shay was no longer in tears and just wanted a fresh start. She refused to bring herself to think of the events of the past day and told Fred not to talk about it as they prepared for Terry’s office. Abigail wished them success and went to the coffee shop.

“Do you think it is too early to go to his office?” asked Shay.

“No, I don’t. What kind of wicked man would seize the phone of a lady he assisted in paying her bills?” Fred replied.

“Fred, I just asked you not to talk about that. I want to move on. I want to get my phone and go home. My mother does not know where I am as I did not tell her I was coming to your place. Please can we focus on the phone?” Shay said.

Upon arrival, the polished exterior of the building mirrored the composed demeanor Shay had encountered the day before. Shay, her expression a blend of determination and seasoned intuition, led the way through the lobby with an air of familiarity that hinted at past encounters with formidable challenges.

As they approached Terry's office, in the Penthouse of the building. Terry had seen them from the security cameras and had instructed the receptionist to grant them access without hesitation.

Terry's office door stood closed, a symbolic barrier between the two and the answers they sought. Shay, her gaze unwavering, knocked with a confidence that hinted that she wanted her phone at any cost.

The door opened, revealing Terry who sat on a well-decorated table, each pack of documents carefully placed in a fanciful way. The table was made of glass tinted with gold and the air of the office feels different. Shay thought to herself ‘If I stay here longer than expected I will fall asleep here.’ Terry put down the document he held when they entered the office, as his eyes met Shay's, the unspoken understanding lingering in the air.

"Shay," Terry acknowledged, his tone measured. Shay and Fred stood there looking at Terry without saying a word. While Shay was, for the first time, acknowledging how handsome Terry was in her head, Fred was filled with anger and jealousy. He thought that Terry was acting with pride and must be filled with ego to have seized Shay’s phone. But they both stood there looking at Terry without saying a word.