Authors: Nikki Rittenberry
* * *
Cassie arrived at the airport in New York shortly after sundown. She ever so swiftly fetched her luggage from the conveyer system at baggage claim and hustled outside to find a ride. She hailed a taxi and gave the cab driver the address
to Jacob’s apartment.
Traffic
was
horrendous
; everyone appeared to be
making a last minute effort to get to their
destination before Thanksgiving the
following day. She was anxious to get to his place—anxious to get some answers. Aside from the traffic, it seemed as though it was taking an unusually long time to get there and she wondered how many tourists were ripped off regularly by taxi drivers taking a longer route than necessary. Because her surroundings were alien to her, she had to trust that
the stranger currently chauffeuring her to
her destination was honest. A few
minutes later she began to recognize familiar landmarks and the vehicle came to a halt in front of the old neighborhood store below Jacob’s apartment.
The cab driver got out of the car and opened the trunk to retrieve her luggage. She reached into her wallet and handed the driver two crisp twenty dollar bills and asked if he had any change. The
driver glared back with a blank expression on his face as if he didn’t
understand what she was asking of him. After gesturing for a few moments to illustrate what she meant, she reached
back into her purse and rummaged
around for a smaller bill. Realizing she
was wasting valuable time she finally
conceded and told the taxi driver she no longer needed any change. He bowed his head and thanked her in a thick, foreign accent and then drove away.
Cassie rushed to the apartment building door and gave it a firm tug;
it
was locked
. “Damn it”, she mumbled
softly. She finally acknowledged to herself for the first time since she came up with the demented idea of flying to New York, that she hadn’t taken the opportunity to thoroughly think everything through. She sat down on her suitcase and wrapped herself tightly in her coat, contemplating her next move. She watched person after person stroll by and thought to herself how silly she must look to them; all alone on a bitter night with nothing but the clothes on her back and a small, ragged suitcase that probably should have been retired several trips ago.
It was beginning to get late and she
questioned what she would do if she
wasn’t able to locate him. She reached into her coat pocket and retrieved her cell
phone. She tried calling him and
unfortunately, was once again greeted by his voicemail. She had all but given up hope when just then, the main apartment door swung open and a young lady with a pink-spiked Mohawk and an infinite number of piercings adorned to her face stumbled out, almost tripping over Cassie and her suitcase. The punk rocker looked down at the many large holes in her black stockings and then glared at Cassie as if she was the one responsible for all of the damage. Cassie quickly apologized and the girl simply shrugged her shoulders and disappeared into a nearby alley.
At once, Cassie sprung to her feet
and reached for the door before it
slammed shut. She held it open with her
foot, reached for her suitcase, and
journeyed upstairs to the third floor to Jacob’s apartment. She stood in front of his door and placed her luggage down
beside her. She ran her fingers through
her long, blonde hair and took in a few
deep breaths, trying to gather the courage
to face him. Just as she raised her hand
to knock on the door she heard some commotion coming from the old, rickety elevator. At first she heard giggling and
then a man and a woman’s voice. As the
elevator approached the third floor, Cassie recognized the man’s voice…
Jacob
.
In a panic, she quickly snatched her suitcase and raced down the hall. She hid around the bend, peeking around the corner to catch a glimpse.
What was she doing, she thought? When she awoke that morning in New Orleans, she would have never guessed that her current circumstances would prompt her to board a plane to New York City; sneak into Jacob’s building and then spy on him!
How on earth did things get so
com
plicated, she wondered? This was
ridiculous! At that moment, she decided
she was going to step out from behind the
corner and reveal herself. He did an incredibly juvenile thing by sending her that text message earlier in the day and she figured the very least she could do was be the mature and classy woman she knew she was.
Suddenly, the rusted accordion-styled elevator door opened and Cassie froze; bewildered by the two forms in front of her. Jacob and a mysterious brunette were kissing lustfully as they withdrew from the elevator. They couldn’t keep
their hands off of each other, even
bumping into the walls of the narrow corridor as they made their way toward his apartment. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his keys.
“Oh Jacob—I’ve wanted you since
the first day we met”, the woman
breathlessly exclaimed. Jacob smiled
, grabbed her waist and began kissing her again while simultaneously struggling to unlock his door. A few moments later the door slammed shut.
Cassie stood still in disbelief as if the stress and the overwhelming fatigue she felt had caused her to hallucinate. She turned around and placed her back against the wall. Gradually she slid down it until she was sitting on the floor with her knees bent and her hands covering her distraught face. How could she have been so naive, she wondered? What could
have happened in the last forty-eight
hours that would have caused him to
betray her like this?
He’d told her that he loved her and
like a fool, she’d bought his sales pitch. He’d told her about his past and reassured her that those days were
behind him. She had actually believed
him when he told her that she was
special; that she’d saved him from
himself; that
he loved her.
It was blatantly obvious to her now that Jacob wasn’t fazed by their separation—he’d clearly moved-on.
Cassie did her best to wipe the tears from her cheeks and mustered enough strength to stand up. She covered her mouth for a moment in an attempt to prevent her sobs from returning and after regaining her composure, she picked up her suitcase and traveled down the
slender corridor. She slowed as she
neared Jacob’s apartment, trying to determine if she should make her presence known and then abruptly realized there was really no point. After nearly eighteen
months of dating, she concluded she
hadn’t known who he truly was at all and
sadly, there was nothing left to say. She
continued down the narrow hall and followed the stairs down to the exit. After adjusting her scarf, she buttoned her coat and placed her arm in the air to hail a nearby taxi.
Cassie spent the rest of the evening
at the airport. She paid a hefty fee for
changing her return flight, but no longer
saw any reason to stay in the city until Friday morning. Her savings were
drained; unable to afford a hotel room, her exhausted body stretched across an empty row of lumpy seats at her departure gate.
* * *
One advantage of traveling on Thanksgiving Day was that most everyone had already arrived at their destination and the airport was eerily deserted. She glanced at the television and watched the two news anchors commentate on the famous
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
which was set to begin shortly. This was supposed to be a happy time: A time of togetherness and a time to be thankful for all of the important people in her life. Cassie acknowledged she felt more alone
than ever before. This was without a
doubt a Thanksgiving she would never
forget, no matter how desperately she
wanted to. While waiting patiently for her flight to depart back to New Orleans, she
declared first thing Monday morning, she
was going to call the director at the Denver Therapy Institute and officially claim her position.
* * *
Jacob felt an intense pulsation in
his head. He placed his fingertips on his temples and began massaging in a
circular motion before finally opening his eyes. The details from last night were a little fuzzy to say the least, but he was intelligent enough to put the puzzle pieces together. He was completely naked and lying next to him was one of the fellow interns from the firm, Vanessa. She was
an exotic beauty and under different
circumstances he knew he would have
chased after her long ago. He’d known from the moment they were introduced
earlier this summer that she was
interested in him.
Jacob stumbled out of bed and
slipped on a pair of jeans. He made his way to his tiny kitchen and swallowed a few pills to alleviate his aching head. He poured himself a cup of coffee and heard a squeak as Vanessa opened the bedroom door. She was fully dressed now as well
and suddenly seemed shy and embar
rassed as she traveled toward him.
“Coffee?” Jacob offered while raising his mug.
“Sure. Thank you”, she replied. Jacob poured her a cup and handed it to her.
They both stood with their backs leaning against the counter facing each other in silence, deliberately avoiding eye contact. This was awkward, he thought. Jacob decided to break the ice.
“So, about last night… Look, you’re
a very sweet and beautiful girl, but we
work together. The last thing I want is for there to be this… you know… weirdness between us—”
“Absolutely—I completely agree! I was just about to say that myself.”
Jacob studied her expression and body language. He knew deep down this was not at all how she really felt. “Well good, I’m glad”, he added.
Silence fell upon them again. Vanessa took a few more sips from her coffee mug and then gently placed it down on the counter. “I should probably go. My parents are expecting me back home in Jersey later this evening for dinner.”
“Here, let me walk you out.” Jacob sat his coffee mug down and headed for the door. He accompanied her to the elevator and opened the accordion gate.
“Drive safe… and ah… I guess I’ll see you around.” Jacob gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek; the kind you would expect to receive from a distant
relative, nothing like the passionate
kisses they endured the evening before. Vanessa smiled and made eye contact one last time before stepping into the ancient elevator. Jacob closed the gate and took a step back as it slowly lowered. She turned her head away from his and looked down, clearly disheartened by the peculiarity.
Once the elevator was out of sight Jacob returned to his apartment and sat at the side of his bed. He opened his nightstand drawer and retrieved the black ring box. He opened it and gazed at the precious token of commitment inside. “God, what have I done?” he mumbled.
Just two short days ago, he’d purchased the ring and was ready to ask the woman of his dreams to marry him and there he sat, disgusted with himself over the choices that had led him to this point. He’d purposely pushed the only woman he’d ever loved away and feeling
sorry for himself, he’d managed to get
drunk and bring home Vanessa—as if a one night stand with
any
woman would remedy the pain of losing Cassie.
He closed the ring box and placed it back in his nightstand and in a moment of weakness picked up the phone and
began dialing Cassie’s number. He
wanted so badly to hear her voice; he
needed to know she was alright. Jacob paused for a moment, finally coming to his senses and then launched the phone
across the room. It shattered into an
array of tiny pieces as it struck the
exposed brick wall. “Damn it!” He shouted angrily. He ran his hands through his
black hair and let out a deep sigh. He
couldn’t call Cassie. The decision had already been made; he had to let her go. He vowed from that moment on to stay out of her life. She was far too good for him.