The Apparition || Bad Omens || Noah Sebastian

Chapter five

Ruby’s mother opened the door for him shortly after. The house was simply furnished, and it was clear that it had once been filled with love, now overshadowed by a veil of grief that would never go away. Everywhere Noah looked, he saw photos of Ruby.

Ruby on her graduation day. Ruby as a child at one of her hockey games. Noah smiled. Seeing the face he had come to know, but fifteen years younger, made him feel strange. It made Ruby more real.

This girl wasn’t just a fan who had died during one of his concerts. She had been a child, as in that photo, smiling with a few missing baby teeth; she had been a student, then a teacher. She had been a daughter, a friend. Maybe someone’s love.

“I’m sorry I made you wait outside. I just wanted to tidy up a bit. The last few days haven’t been easy,” apologized the woman, and Noah felt a pang of sorrow inside.

He could see such dignity in her grief that it became impossible for him to look at her for long.

“Can I offer you something? I was making tea, would you like some?”

Noah didn’t want to inconvenience her further, but he sensed that if he refused, it would be an enormous offense.

He nodded in response to her question, and Ruby’s mother invited him to sit at the kitchen table. How many dinners had they had in that house? How many memories were soaked into those walls?

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.”

“My name is Noah, ma’am.”

“Oh, please, call me Katie. All of Ruby’s friends call me by my first name,” she said, sizing him up from head to toe as she handed him a steaming cup of tea and made one for herself as well.

“I remember your face. Ruby always shared her passions with me. She was so excited when she finally got tickets to your concert. She showed me your photos, some videos. She couldn’t wait to see you live,” she said, sipping her tea delicately. “You’re the singer, right?”

Noah nodded. He had thought he would need to pretend to be one of Ruby’s friends, but this woman had already figured him out. He only hoped this wouldn’t hinder his mission.

“Why are you here, Noah?”

“It’s hard to say, but... I saw Ruby that night. She was already on the ground; there was nothing more that could be done. I... it might sound selfish, but I want to know more about her.”

Katie nodded, as if she fully understood what Noah wanted to do, even though he didn’t really know himself.

“You know, I’m a therapist, and I know damn well what trauma can do to our minds. You don’t have to feel guilty or embarrassed with me. Wanting to know more about someone we saw lose their life in front of our eyes is more common than you’d think.”

Noah smiled faintly, relieved he didn’t have to explain all the thoughts racing through his head at that moment. “I heard she was a teacher.”

“The best, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my daughter.” Katie stood up and went to the adjoining room, returning with a handful of photos.

When she showed them to him, Noah’s heart skipped a beat. Ruby’s face was in all the pictures, and she was always surrounded by adoring children. Those kids loved her, and the photos showed that she cared deeply for them too.

“She had a heart of gold. She was always helping everyone, and that caused her quite a few problems.” She handed Noah a photo, which showed Ruby smiling while hugging a child. “She was attached to all her students, but Michael held a special place in her heart. His father had just been released from prison and he was her best friend growing up. He and his wife were trying to reestablish some balance, but they needed help, so Michael would sometimes spend entire afternoons at Ruby’s house. They’d do homework together, and sometimes she’d take him out for ice cream,” her voice broke, and Katie had to bring a hand to her mouth to keep from crying.

Ruby had been a wonderful woman, and now she was gone.

“Can I ask if Ruby had any health problems? What do you think might have happened that night?”

Katie shook her head. “Ruby was perfect. The doctors and the police mentioned a heart attack, but my Ruby had no heart problems.”

“Is that why you requested the autopsy? Do you think there’s more to it?”

Katie shook her head again. “My husband requested it, and we have no idea when we’ll get the results. The police haven’t taken us seriously, so they won’t pressure the hospital to get them to us any sooner,” she said, wiping away a tear from her tired face. “I just want closure, but John won’t hear of it. He wants to be sure that Ruby was fine and to sue the concert venue. To find out if Ruby could have been saved.”

“That sounds like a way to torture oneself,” Noah whispered, and Katie nodded.

“It is. My husband can’t find peace.”

“Is there anything I can do? I’d love to commemorate Ruby’s memory in some way.”

“I don’t really know about these things; you could ask her colleagues at the school. A few days ago, they came to me saying the same thing. They want to create something to remember her by, something permanent. Talk to Emma, she was her best friend during college, they work together”

Noah held the photo of Ruby and Michael tightly in his tattooed fingers, trying not to let the lady notice that she had used the present tense to talk about her daughter. "Can I keep this?”

Katie looked at the picture for a few seconds, then nodded. “Yes. Honestly, I don’t want to see that child again. He reminds me of everything I’ll never have. A grandchild... my daughter’s happiness.”

Noah hadn’t taken a single sip of the tea Katie had made for him.

They had said goodbye as if they were old friends, and Noah realized that he had found a place in the woman’s heart. He got into his car and started the engine, but not before placing the photo of Ruby and Michael behind the rearview mirror.

He would find a way to give that family some peace. To give Ruby peace.