She's With Me

4

The night sky had never looked so dull before, almost lifeless as the eyes that overlooked them. I've never felt my breath leave my throat like it did that night, as I plunged into the river, off the railing of the bridge. Water invaded my lungs, covering my body with a sting. The last thing that I saw was darkness, before actual darkness took over.

That was the first and last time I'd attempted to kill myself. For when I woke up ten minutes later, I met the most fearful eyes, as Poppy held my limp body...

That was over twelve years ago—the same day that Poppy and I met. When I saw her on the roadside, I handed her all of my pricey belongings, even the ring that my mother had given to me when I was a child—the only thing that I'd cherished at that point in my life.

I didn't allow Poppy to say a word before I walked off, and towards the park. I took off my jacket, and began to shiver. Throwing it onto the ground, I continued to walk, heading over to the bridge. I loved that park. I loved the trees and the animals that lived there. The ducks in the pond were fond of the pieces of bread that I would throw for them. And the birds would fly by without a care in the world. I'd visited that park ever since I was a toddler. My mother took me there almost every weekend. And we'd sit and watch the endless sky to pass time until we were ready for the driver to take us home.

I miss my mother everyday. After my parents died in a plane crash—a crash that took 206 lives in one instant, everything came crumbling down for me. My father was twenty-nine years older than my mother. And most of his family were already buried by the time she entered his life. My mother got pregnant with me till in her mid-forties, and it was a complicated eight and a half months, but luckily, I was a healthy baby girl. She didn't have much family either. By the time I was fifteen, it was just the three of us against the world. And we managed just fine. That's until even they were taken away from me.

My aunt, Wanda, took me in—my mother's half sister. For about six months, I lived in England with her and her family. But all that she was concerned about was my inheritance. Plus I wasn't the best kid to deal with. And on my eighteenth birthday, I moved back to the States.

She tries to keep in contact, but I know better than to become victim to her stingy hands. My parents' will and last testament had already provided her with more than enough to live a comfortable life.

Leaning against the railing of the bridge, I felt a gigantic emptiness inside of me, as though a permanent hole was punctured into my heart. It hurt. Goddamn it made me feel lifeless. I was empty, and drained. Nothing seemed right, and my life didn't seem as though it would get better. I knew that if I died, aunt Wanda would inherit everything. And I didn't care. She could have it all. The only thing that I wanted was my parents, but they were the only thing that I couldn't have.

If there was a heaven, I knew that they were in it. I thought that if my life ended too, maybe I'd meet them again. At that moment, it was a risk that I was willing to take. What was I living for anyway? I had no one and nothing, except loads of money. But I learnt from a young age that money couldn't buy my happiness.

I didn't know that Poppy had followed me into the park. She was curious about the strange woman who'd handed her so many things without a word. That's when she saw me lifting myself over the railing, and before she could even scream for me to stop, I'd already gone overboard...

I didn't know how to swim, and that was an asset in executing my plan of drowning. But Poppy was a swim champion. She won tournaments throughout high school, and owned a collection of metals and trophies. All of those prizes were left behind when she was kicked out, and probably thrown away now.

When her arms grabbed me six feet below water, and pulled me to shore, at that exact moment when my eyes opened to meet hers, I was given a reason to live again. She's the reason that I breathe and continue to everyday. They say that one should never depend on someone that much, but I do depend on her, and she knows it. It's the same way that she depends on me. We need each other's love to get by—it's the only thing that the two of us have in the world—eachother.

Lavish sums of money is something that we possess too. We have enough cash to fill the Atlantic Ocean, and then some. But money can only buy temporary happiness. And Poppy, she's permanent. The day we got married was the day I swore to protect her with my last breath, and to give her everything that she needs and deserves. But even with that promise, I couldn't give her the one thing that she wanted the most—her family's acceptance.

"Ma'am, the new executive chef is here," Quincy pops his head through my office door. My office is finally empty of all that junk, and now, all I need to do is furnish it to my liking.

"Let him come in," I advise, and sit up in my chair. I'm unusually nervous, and not a person to get jitters. Others get jitters from being around and talking to me, not vice versa.

"Miss Tape?" I lift my head and meet those small, blue eyes. I'm surprised to see that his beard is gone, and his jawline and chin are actually visible.

"Elijah Thorn, right?" He narrows his eyes at me, as he walks in, "please, take a seat," I instruct him, as his eyes continue to study me.

"Aren't you the woman from the park?" I smile at him and sway my hand forward, "I hope my medical covers this broken rib that you gave me."

"Sprained rib," I correct, "and no, you won't be on medical here."

His brows furrow. I really am not good at cracking a joke, "um—"

"I'm kidding. God, I'm so terrible at this," I rub my temples. I'm anxious and I feel so odd talking to him.

I close my eyes for a few moments, "I knew you looked familiar though. Your online pictures don't do you justice."

I raise a brow and bite down on my bottom lip, "thanks, I guess," he leans back and pulls out a folder.

"This is everything that you need to know about me."

"No need. I've already done a background check," fuck, I'm really sucking at this. I only earn a skeptical smile.

"Trying to make me laugh?" I take the folder from him and flip through it mindlessly.

"I'm not sure what I'm doing," I mutter. This is supposed to be an interview, but unknown to him, he's already hired for the job.

"You're supposed to be asking me questions and I'm required to answer them."

"Right," I close the folder and lean back. His hands are on his lap, and knees are closed together. I can sense that he's a bit nervous, but definitely not intimidated. Maybe it's because he's met me prior to this day, or because I'm so friendly with him, "do you have any siblings?" That doesn't pertain to anything work related, but I hope he'll answer. Of course he'll answer. He's going to try his best to get the job, right?

"Yeah," his jaw twitches, "two sisters."

"You're hired."

"Wow. That's the only question I had to answer to get the job? Cool."

"I want to start constructing the menu as early as tomorrow morning. You can get acquainted with the other employees in the meantime."

The designers are hard at work today. They're redoing the carpeting and wallpaper at the moment.

"Nice. But don't we have to discuss everything a bit more?"

"Yes, we do," I tap my fingers against the surface of my desk. You're going to end up loving the ground I walk on Elijah Thorn, even if it's the hardest thing to succeed at.