FALLING SLOWLY

3

Mira woke up the following morning as she stretched her arms.

Another day and another round of cleaning but this time, she was happy because she woke up 9am on the dot.

She had started her cleaning when Valentina, Andrew and Dwayne walked in.

"Good morning" she greeted them with a smile.

"Oh, Mira. You are in a bubbly mood this morning. Did something good happen?" Valentina teased.

"No. Just woke up on the right side of the desk today"

Andrew stiffled his laugher but Dwayne caught on.

"Hey, just laugh". Andrew immediately straightened his face.

"I'm not laughing"

Mira resumed her cleaning while humming to a lullaby her mother used to sing to her and her sister when she was still alive.

"Good morning, boss" Valentina, Andrew and Dwayne greeted as Kyle walked in but he was to busy reading over a file in his hand that he just waved at them.

Nothing could steal his attention from the file because it was urgent and needed his attention immediately but he came to an halt as he heard Mira humming.

That song. It reminded him of his childhood again.

It was a song Mirabel's sister sang for him on that rainy day.

"Hey, are you going to wait for my sister under the rain!?" 10 years old Mira shouted.

"Yes, I will!" Kyle had replied.

Mira went into the house. "Mirabel, aren't you going to answer Kyle?"

"No"Mirabel had replied while taking selfies on her phone. "That fat pig needs to know how to handle a rejection. Even though he waits for me under the rain, I won't meet him!"

Mira went into her room and took out an umbrella. She ran outside and put the umbrella over Kyle's head.

"I wish I wasn't fat" Kyle said in tears. "I wish as I was here, the rain would just wash away every insults I've ever heard."

Mira had brushed Kyle's tears with her other hand. "Do you know what can actually brush away those insults?"

"What can?"

"Music. And not just any music but good music.Listen to this" Mira said as she started humming a song to him.

Back to the present, Kyle tightened his fits. Why was she humming that same song? Was she trying to remind him of his painful past?

"Stop humming that song" he said with a strong voice.

Mira turned around in shock. She hadn't realized he was behind her. "Good morn-"

"Don't ever sing that song again, is that clear?" Kyle didn't even wait for her response before heading into his office.

Mira felt rage boil within her. She could accept anything he wanted to do to her.

But who was he to tell her that she couldn't sing the one song that reminded her of her late mother? .

"That's it! I've had enough" she muttered under her breath before barging into his office.

"Are you insane?!" Kyle shouted at her sudden entrance.

"Yes, I'm insane but you are the worst! Who are you to decide what I can and cannot sing, huh?"

" I could put up with the way you treated me and all that but I have to say, I'm disappointed to see that you have grown up this way"

Kyle rushed towards her and grabbed her angrily "And whose fault is that, huh? Don't act like you don't know Mirabel. You think just because come back 10 years later with new hair and new name, I'll forget about the past? Don't be delusional"

Mirabel? Mira thought. Wait, all these while did he think she was her sister?.

"Let go off me!" Mira said removing his hand from her as she submitted a paper on his desk. "Enough is enough"

She turned around as she walked out of his office. Kyle moved towards his desk to see what she had left there and lo and behold, it was her resignation letter.

Their screaming and shouting at eachother had drawn the attention of some of the coworkers so as Mira had come out of his office, it was no shocker that eyes followed her.

No sooner had she gone than three minutes later, rain started to fall.

"It's raining"Valentina said. "Oh, my poor Mira. I hope she doesn't get caught up in the rain"

Kyle had clenched his fist hoping that Valentina's words wouldn't get to him but it did. He found himself rushing out of his office with an umbrella in his hand.

When he got to the lobby, he searched  around for Mira but he didn't seem to find her.

"Did she go out in the rain already?" He muttered.

"Sis!" A voice cried out. A familiar voice.

He looked for the voice and saw that it was Mira. He was about to approach her but stopped frozen in place.

The person she was hugging looked exactly like her. "Sis" she had said.

Does that mean? Kyle staggered backwards in disbelief as the umbrella fell from his hand.

All these while it was Mira that was right Infront of him and not Mirabel. It was the same Mira who had showed up and comforted him while he was younger but he couldn't recognize her.

He'd blindly given into his rage for Mirabel that he couldn't stop to tell them apart even though all the clues he needed were there. Right before his very eyes.

Her hair, That song, her name...

He reached out for his phone and called her. "Please, pick up". Her phone rang once , twice before he was being forwarded to voicemail.

He rushed back to his office where he brought out the paper she'd filled that day the got the job.

He scanned for her house address, took a picture of it before heading out into his car and headed for her house.

By the time he got to the road leading to her street, he saw that the rain had blocked it off and it won't be clear till tomorrow.

He banged on his wheels in frustration. He'll just have to wait here all night till tomorrow then.

***