by Tyla Walker
He then looks puzzled.
"Were you meeting them at the train station? They already left," he says.
I feel stirrings of hope spring from my chest.
"Did they happen to say where they'll be going?" I ask.
"Hudson Valley, if I'm not mistaken. That's where Ms. Lynx's sister lives," he informs me.
I swear I could just kiss the man! Overwhelmed with emotion, I give him a hug.
"Thank you," I let out appreciatively before running towards my car.
"They left around 10 minutes ago!" the doorman shouts. Relief instantly floods me. I might just be able to make it.
I need to catch them at the train station. This isn't a game anymore. Because this is the real deal. And no matter what, I'm going to prove that to Sonya.
I practically take off like the fucking batmobile. I drive like a madman in an attempt to get to them in time.
I've violated a bunch of speeding laws, but I don't care. She's leaving. I don't want her to leave without first hearing me out.
I hear my phone's message alert tone. My heart beats like crazy at the idea that it might be Sonya. I open the message, and my heart drops. She wants to call the whole thing off.
I try to call, but she's not answering.
"Fuck!" I curse out loud, throwing my phone to the back seat.
Suddenly, I hear a siren from behind me and see the familiar red and blue lights flickering, a reminder that I need to stop.
"Fuck!" I curse again. This is not my day.
Reluctantly, I pull over to the side. A few seconds later, an officer is tapping at my window.
I lower my window and got a good look at the officer.
She's a woman with blonde hair that looks to be in her fifties.
"License and registration, sir," she says with authority.
I have no issues with complying to any of her demands. I just really want to get this thing over with so that I can get to the train station on time.
She looks at my information and raises an eyebrow at me.
"Grant Fields. Are you related to Gloria Fields?" she asks.
I look at her, slightly confused at her question.
"Yes. I'm her son," I say.
She gives me a megawatt smile, which I've got to be honest, is a little creepy. She opens the car door and pulls me in for a hug.
My body freezes from the sudden contact. Okay? This is harassment. I know that I'm hot as fuck, but this lady takes the word aggressive to a whole different level.
She then grabs me by the shoulders and pushes me away at arm's length.
"Grant! It really is you! You've gotten so big!" she exclaims excitedly, pinching my cheeks.
I look at her, even more confused.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. But do I know you?" I ask hesitantly.
She chuckles and gives me a strong slap on my back, "I'm your Aunt Millicent! I haven't seen you in ages. Your mom and I are really good friends. Of course, we haven't had a chance for a get-together. She's a real workaholic, that woman."
I wrack my mind to find an Aunt Millicent in my memories. Suddenly, memories of a blonde woman who used to play cops and robbers with me when I was a kid enters my mind.
"Aunt Milly? Is it really you?" I ask, giving her a hug.
She chuckles.
"I'm glad you remember me, Grant. It's probably been 20 years since I last saw you," she says with a hint of affection in her voice.
She then pulls away. The previously happy expression on her face is replaced with a stern-looking one.
Uh oh. I know that look. It's how she used to look before giving me one of her lectures.
"I plead the fifth!" I joke, waving my handkerchief in surrender.
She smacks the back of my head. "Ouch!"
"What were you thinking, breaking all the traffic laws of the United States?!" she shouts.
I scratch the back of my head, feeling slightly ashamed.
I decided to explain to her my current predicament. I tell her all about Sonya and Lauralee. I even tell her about my plans to make a charity for women and children.
She just nods her head, trying to understand why I was driving like a madman.
After finishing my story, she punches me playfully on my arm.
"My little Grant is all grown up!" she says happily, looking slightly teary-eyed.
"As happy as I am for our reunion, Aunt Milly, I really need to get going. You're going to let me go, right?" I ask, giving her a pleading look.
She smiles.
"I'll give you one better. Follow me," she says, getting inside her car.
She escorts me to the train station, making sure that I get there on time. I park my car and give her a huge hug.
"Thank you, Aunt Milly," I say.
I give her my number so that we can stay in touch.
She chuckles.
"No problem. Now, go get your girl," she says before driving off.
I hurry into the train station. I check the schedule of arrivals, and to my relief, her train doesn't arrive for at least thirty more minutes.
I look around, flowers, balloons, and toys in hand, but see no sign of Sonya, or Lauralee.
I decide to wait by the train platform, feeling hopeful and undeterred. She's going to come here eventually if she's going to board the train.
I stand firm, waiting for Sonya and Lauralee, the two people who taught me just what love is.
Twenty-Three
Sonya
"When are we going back, Mommy?" Lauralee asks me innocently. I'm closing our apartment door for the last time. This may seem really drastic, but for the sake of my daughter, and my sanity, we need to go away.
Lauralee's hugging Teddy as tight as she can as the sun just rises. She yawns and rubs her eyes, never letting go of her best friend. At least out of everything that happened between Grant and me, Lauralee got something good out of it.
"It might take a while, dear," I say as I lock the door. A deep sigh escapes from my mouth. This was the apartment that I got when I first started working for Gloria.
There were a ton of hurdles back then, but at the end of the day, I'd always go home, get back to my safe space here in our old apartment.
"Okay," Lauralee yawns. I thank God every day for giving me such a beautiful child. Most kids her age would be yelling fits right about now. Why, I remember when I first dropped her off daycare, all five of her other classmates were wailing their lungs out as their parents dropped them off.
But Lauralee? She just went down to the playpen and jammed out to her pretty xylophones.
As I'm walking Lauralee down to the car, I can't help but remember that on the same day I took her to daycare, it was also the first time I got to work with Gloria. It didn't take me to lunch to have my soul sucked out of me.
But don't get me wrong, I loved being there. The stress, the anxiety, the rush, all those things made me want to jump out of the window, but those were the times that I really felt alive.
I was next to my life-long idol, the woman who inspired me to take risks and be independent. It didn't matter to me that people were laughing or talking behind my back as I delivered her coffee. I'd been given other opportunities to show my skills to her as well.
Especially when Grant and I started to work together.
Bah. Here I go again.
I put my bags on the back of our car and ask Lauralee to put Teddy back there also.
"No, Teddy will get cold back here," Lauralee complains.
I try to give her the stare of doom, telling her that I was not taking 'no' for an answer. But all I got in return was her puppy eyes watering in front of me.
"Sigh, you win," I say. "Come on, let's get going before we miss our train."
"Yey! Train!" yells Lauralee as she runs and sits on the passenger seat. The things we do for our children.
The road is quiet and serene. The sun had just risen, but the air is still minty fresh, my favorite part of the day. Lauralee, who'd spent the first twenty
minutes singing to Frozen soundtracks, is now snoring peacefully beside Teddy. The more I look at her, the more she reminds me of me.
The me who usually slept at the office once a week, slaving over one of Gloria's projects.
From the moment I set foot out of the elevator and into her office, Gloria had always assigned me to some of the most challenging tasks at hand. In fact, there were some times when I'm pretty sure she had assigned ALL of her duties to me, while she just relaxed at her lovely corner office.
But the more I think about it now, Gloria never took a leisurely day off. She was there, watching me whenever she had nothing else better to do.
The more I think about it now, the way Gloria talked to me, the way she always tasked me around, and even the way she observed me even when she thought I was looking. She was nurturing me.
She wasn't just lazying around at all. It was like she was preparing for war with all the things she had me do. And I can't believe that I only realized it now.
She was planning on giving me the top job instead of her own son.
I almost hit the brakes the moment it dawned on me. I had been worthy enough for the Saint of Fashion, more so than her son. What more could I ask for as her greatest fan?
But the high in my brain soon fades as I also realize that it was too stressful.
There's no need for me to follow Gloria and replace her. No, there are many ways to surpass your heroes. I think to myself. One of the many ways is to look for other positions in the company.
Find a much suitable job for me that I can thrive in, without having to sacrifice my time and health. And especially get my self away from that tall, handsome, ripped, and intelligent son of hers…
Here I go again.
Why'd Gloria have to have such a beautiful demi-god of a son?
As I make the next turn on the road, I notice the ring on my hand, the ring Grant gave me for his fake proposal to me. Those days all seem to me like a blur. The guy just basically walked up to me and asked me to be his wife?
I know he's rich, but no one is that rich. Then again, civil wars and hostile takeovers are really just run of the mill rich people problems. But I digress, those matters not.
I need to get away from them, and especially from him. But to do that, I really need to return this gorgeous ring on my finger.
But I don't really need this ring, nor their money. Everything I need is in this car right here, sleeping. But I really need to get Grant off of my mind once and for all.
I need closure.
As I'm nearing the train station, I turn on my phone and dial Grant's number. It takes a while for me to actually press Call, but after a few deep breaths, I manage to shiver my finger to press it.
"Go for Grant!"
"Hello, Grant––"
"Sike!" Grant bellows from the phone. "I'm not on my phone right now, but feel free to tell me a message after you hear the beep."
The call goes beep and then silence.
Well, this is much better. Now I don't have to deal with Grant interrupting me midsentence, I thought to myself.
"Hey, Grant," I finally speak. "It's Sonya."
I clear my throat before speaking, "It's Sonya. Sorry about not calling you beforehand. I just… I don't think I could leave if I said anything to you. Also, I'm sorry for breaking our agreement. I can't go through with fake marrying you. Things…have gotten complicated, Grant.
I'm sure you already know what I'm talking about. And I'm not sure I could do that to Gloria. She's your mother for chrissakes Grant. Talk to her. Anyway, I'm going to be taking an indefinite leave from the company for the moment. Get some fresh air, you know. I need this, Lauralee needs this, and you need this. I'm tired, Grant. I hope you'll at least respect Lauralee's decision along with mine. Don't try to follow us. Thank you for everything. We'll always have my time in the apartment. Good––"
But the phone beeps before I can finish my message. I think about re-writing the letter. But to hell with it. It's time for him to finally know how strong I can be.
"Who were you talking to, Mommy?" asks Lauralee as she slowly wakes up from her slumber as we finally arrive at the station.
"No one, baby," I reply. "No one important."
I take off my ring as Lauralee gets off the car. I place it inside one of the envelopes that came from an old electric utility bill.
"Fits like a glove," I say as I put the ring in the envelope and seal the contents. I get out of the car as quickly as I can and write a note on the envelope.
To: Grant Fields
From: Sonya
Thanks for lending me this ring. I hope you find someone actually worth wearing this ring.
I grab Lauralee and search the stalls outside the station until we finally found a post office. After filling up the necessary requirements, the envelope was gone from my hands and towards Grant.
I should have felt relief.
I should have felt happiness.
But no, instead, I feel empty as Lauralee drags me along, guiding me back to the car, Teddy still in her delicate arms.
"Let's go, Mommy," Lauralee begs. "Let's get the bags and head up to our train."
That's right! I have you, Lauralee, you are all I need. Now, let's go have the next part of our adventure.
And far away from Grant.
Twenty-Four
Grant
“Where is she?” I whisper to myself as I’m standing in on the train platform. The train is going to arrive in ten minutes. I’m pacing around the floor, dozens of people are already passing me by, giving me weird stares as they pass.
I arrive at their destination before her.
“Yeah, yeah,” I say to the onlookers. “There’s nothing to see here.”
I try to wave them off but only aggravate the situation by having the balloons wrapped on my wrists sway with unfettered silliness. I hear some of the people around me snicker, it must be funny to see a man holding presents for a person who probably already left.
I check my watch and say to myself, “Nope, she really should pass through here; there’s no other way through from the train unless they decided to get on the tracks. What’s keeping her so long?”
A loud ding fills the air, Please be advised, the train will be arriving in five minutes.
I’m losing my crap as my heart is bursting from my chest.
I feel my shoulder slump as I let out a deep sigh, It’s no use, she must have found out that I was coming and may be changed to another train or something––
It’s only then that I see the clouds part from the heavens, allowing giant rays of light to beam down from the windows high above the station. And where the sun met the floor, there they were. Lauralee and Sonya, walking hand in hand, towards me, oblivious to my presence.
I could have fixed my hair, cleaned up my coat, checked my breath for any morning nastiness, but no. In the peak of my wisdom, I just stand there, staring the whole time at Sonya as they hurriedly walk from the entrance and to the platform.
It isn’t until they were a stone’s throw away that they finally stopped. Lauralee, who hugged Teddy as she stopped walking. Sonya’s rummaging through her purse, still unaware as to why she and her daughter just stopped.
“You know you might bump into something if you don’t look at where you’re going,” I calmly greet. “Hi, Lauralee.”
“Uncle!” Lauralee gleefully says as she runs towards me with arms wide open, until of course, Sonya stops her dead in her tracks.
“Don’t,” Sonya warns her daughter as she pulls her back.
“I missed you too, Sonya,” I casually say, trying to lighten the mood. But I guess after everything that Sonya and I have been through, a light mood might be a terribly impossible idea.
I open my arms wide to them, releasing all of my celebratory surprises in store for them, all of the flowers, balloons, and finally, the toys that some of my handy dandy servants helped carry here.
“Wow!” Lauralee exclaims.“Mommy, I want one
!”
“Not right now, dear,” commands Sonya.
I take a few steps towards them, with a smile from ear to ear. But Sonya responds to me by taking two steps for each one that I make, with a sense of fear and pain in her eyes.
For the last time, I try to take a step closer towards her, but she takes a step back with her hand inside her purse.
“Don’t make me…” threatens Sonya.
“Woah!” I quickly retract, before carefully placing my wonderful presents down on the floor, all intended for Sonya.
“Good, now please, move aside,” Sonya again commands. If it were a different time, I’d be turned on by Sonya’s firm handle on the situation and how ready she is to fight me. But I digress and hope that there’ll be plenty of time for that later.
“I’ll do so but only in under one condition,” I begin the firmest way possible.
“You have three minutes,” Sonya informs.
A ding reverberates around the station, Attention to all passengers. The train will be arriving in two minutes.
“You have two minutes,” Sonya informs strictly.
“Okay, okay!” I scream. “You win.”
I take the deepest breath of my life, trying to remember just a word of I used writing my speech for this special day. Sonya is wearing her trademark red coat and silver scarf.
“God, you are beautiful,” I whisper out loud.
“Say what now?”
“I said you are the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever had the luckiest of luck to meet, Sonya!” I scream. The people all around me stop and stare at Sonya and me. But they can stare all they want. They are entirely inconsequential compared to the love of my life, standing before me.
I continue to talk, desperate but now more confident, “You have always been beautiful. Not even Gloria’s entire roster of supermodels can’t even hold a candle to you, Sonya. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they are on par to you with a face like that. But what they don’t have in spirit, you have in spades.”
I try to take one step back, but Sonya still decides to move away from me.
I cut my losses and continue, “Because that’s who you are, Sonya. Your will is as indomitable as your heart. It’s always been that way with you. It shows in the simplest of ways too. How masterfully you perform under pressure, how you take each job seriously, and most of all, how you never changed in spite of all that you’ve been through.”
