Decisions

Part 5: The Friends We Help

Part 5: The Friends We Help

There is a dull ache in Emma's chest the following morning. Her head has begun to hurt, as well as her heart, as it always does when this specific topic is brought up and by the very person, she is conversing with on the phone. She sits like a stone in one of her kitchen chairs, trying not to cry as the voice over the phone pours his heart out to, and for, the wrong woman. Her left-hand covers her eyes, hoping to physically stop the tears from streaming down her face, and failing, with her elbow on the table. Her right-hand grips her cellphone with shaky numb fingers up to her ear. She had heard the night before that Brooke had returned, and though she was glad her friend made it safe, deep in her heart Emma wishes her friend had just stayed away. As expected, Brooke had been given the job nearly upon her walking into that office door. Now begins the trouble as Patrick began calling her in a panic at early hours this morning when he too had heard Brooke's happy news. Emma cries now because Patrick has revealed that if Brooke shares his affections, which she undoubtedly will, he will go with her and leave their small town behind for their future together. Emma might never see either of them again.

Emma wonders if perhaps it would be better that way, but she can't get rid of the feeling in her gut of losing everything. "Emma." Patrick's tone has changed over the phone, pulling Emma out of her depressive thoughts and back into her phone conversation. "Emma, what do I do?" She can hear him losing hope, and she hated herself for a moment in thinking that if he was losing hope, perhaps there was hope for her after all, but that moment was short-lived. She would never forgive herself if she cost Patrick his true happiness, even at the cost of her own.

Emma takes a deep breath, rubbing her temple as she releases it, knowing exactly what she needs to say. She doesn't know how, for her own experiences in this department are slim, but she was always the one everyone seemed to run to for advice. "You have to go big, Patrick." She finds herself saying. "The little things are not going to work anymore. You have to do something drastic. Tell her exactly how you feel. Show her. Make her see it and understand." The pain in her heart prickles again, knowing that she could never take her advice and show Patrick how she felt. Emma drops the hand covering her eyes and opens them. The morning light is peering in through the windows, casting a yellow glow about her small rental. Emma takes another deep breath, as she forces herself to stop. She knows she can never have Patrick now, and right now she can't feel this pain for it will distract her from everything she does. She has to stop feeling. She has to stop hurting. At least for now.

The sound of the doorbell causes Emma to jump, startled by the sudden noise though it wasn't very loud. "Patrick, I got to go. Someone is at the door." She hangs up before he can protest, and she places her phone on the kitchen table. She rises from her chair and moves to answer the door, which has now rung for a second time. As she opens the door she sees a man standing in front of her with a sharp suit. Her first thought is that this man must need something for the wedding. "Can I help you?" She asks, studying the man in front of her. He is slightly taller than her, possibly in his late fifties though it is hard to tell these days, with greying hair and round glasses which reminds Emma of the kind only Harry Potter would wear only silver. In his right hand, she spies a black leather briefcase.

"Are you Ms. Cassidy?" The man asks politely with a wide smile.

Still dazed from her conversation with Patrick and her lack of sleep, Emma tries to get rid of the man, feeling too tired to do much of anything. "Um...look, if you are here for the wedding, Hannah won't be back for a few hours at least. I recommend trying her phone." She moves to shut the door, but he places a hand on it, stopping her without much force.

The man chuckles in a light-hearted way, making Emma almost laugh at how contagious his good mood is. "Oh, no. I am not here for a Hannah Cassidy, or with any wedding companies. I am looking for a Ms. Emma Cassidy. I was told she lived here."