Farewell to the past

Emile sat in the airport lounge waiting for her flight. This was the first time in three years that she felt peaceful. She took a deep breath and exhaled … in an effort to exhale the last three years of her life as a bad dream. She didn’t want to be resentful; She chose to forget and start anew. That was why she wanted to travel somewhere new… somewhere she didn’t know anyone.

She wasn’t running away. She would eventually come back. This is where her most cherished people .. her parents and grandfather rested. She would not give up on them for the sake of someone who didn’t cherish her. She needed to heal. She would come back when she was ready to face this place without resentment and regret.

“Dring… dring… dring…” Emile’s phone broke the tranquility of the moment.

“Girl, where are you?” Abbey screamed as soon as the call was answered.

“I am in the VIP lounge of the airport.” Emile responded with a smile as a warm feeling crept up her heart. Some friendships never change. No matter how far you go or how you try to distance yourself.

In truth, when she was forced by Daniel, Emile had distanced herself from Abbey too. But Abbey never took no for an answer. She calmly told her that she would always be at the other end of the phone, should she ever need. It was precisely these words that gave Emile the courage to message once she got her freedom.

“E—M—I—L---E” Abbey screamed as she ran towards Emile with one hand tugging her trolley bag and the other outstretched.

“What are you doing here?” Emile asked as she came out of her shock.

“I am going with you.” Abbey put on a ruffian expression after giving Emile a warm bear hug.

“Don’t be silly.”

“Not silly…” Abbey pointed to her bag “I am all set.”

“Do you even know where I am going?” Emile asked with a distressed smile.

“Doesn’t matter.” Abbey shrugged before adding with a smirk “Considering what I do for a living, do you think it would be hard for me to find out?”

“Are you serious?”

“More serious than gold!”

“Alright.” Emile giggled. She knew she couldn’t talk Abbey out of it once she sets her mind on it. They were similar in that respect.

“It feels good to have you.” Emile smiled happily once they settled down and Abbey told her about her new assignment.

“So, what the plan?” Abbey asked as she hugged Emile’s arm.

“No plan is the plan.” Emile giggled.

“I am going to travel around the globe for three months and then throw the dice. Wherever it lands, I will stay there till I get bored.”

“I like this plan.” Abbey rubbed her hands and raised her eyebrows tauntingly “Imagine how much material I will have?”

The overhead announcement came for them to board as the two sat bickering and making plans.

Back in Daniel’s office-

“Boss, Emile has booked for a tour around the world and will setting off in about 2 hours’ time.” George informed Daniel as soon as he got Emile’s information. No one had ever called Emile Madam… and so it wasn’t hard to address her even in this awkward situation.

“Let’s go.” Daniel stood up to head to the airport. Even he didn’t know why he insisted on finding her. Once he thought of the problem, he pacified himself saying he just wanted to end things properly. Afterall she was a lady and one that would suffer the social stigma.

However things didn’t go as planned; Daniel’s departure from the office was delayed due to a last minute emergency meeting and by the time he reached the airport, Emile’s flight had already taken off.

“Maybe this is best.” Daniel sighed as he sat back in the car and looked up at the sky “This way she can calm down and we can have a reasonable conversation.” There was no way he could explain the pang of loss he felt in his heart. Maybe he was just too used to her being around… waiting for him to get home.

At the same time, Emile looked down from her flight window at the receding scenery and sighed ‘This was goodbye to the last three years.’

Back at the house, Michelle was feeling very pleased with herself. The first thing she did when got there was go to the guest room that Emile occupied with the intention of throwing everything out. But her determination wavered as she saw the cupboard filled with designer clothes and jewelry. She tried them all on patiently and sent the once she liked for dry cleaning and the rest, she simply put for sale online.

Next, she called an interior designer and changed everything to the style she liked including the master bedroom. She didn’t even hesitate to think if Daniel would like the change. After finishing her instructions for the designer and getting the designer’s confirmation that the work would be completed in 3 days, she walked out of the house haughtily.

Walking out of the house, Michelle exhaled deeply with a satisfied smile; Her dream of 10 years was finally coming to fruition. 10 years ago, she came to the city from a small town where both her parents had white collar jobs and lived a comfortable life compared to her peers in town. She lived in a bubble where she considered herself above everyone; considering her good looks and grades in school everyone envied her and rushed to be in her company. However, coming to the city burst her little bubble.

She only realized how insignificant her economic conditions were once she reached the city for her university education. The looks she was proud of seemed to be only average; The academic scores she was proud of seemed to only barely make it to the below average group. To make matters worse for her self -esteem, she couldn’t afford to stay in individual condos that students in middle class families stayed in.

To Michelle’s credit, she was never one to dwell in on her situations. She decided that she would change her destiny no matter the cost. As a first step, she made friends with the students from affluent families, learning their etiquette and mannerisms. She didn’t care how they viewed her. She had a goal; She knew that this was the only way she could only get in touch with this closed society.

She even started working in a night club to supplement her income to match up with her high-end socialite friends. This was where she met Daniel. Did she fall in love with him? Of course, she did! Who wouldn’t? Who wouldn’t fall in love with a handsome young master who was heir to one of the most promising and powerful families in the country?

Lady luck shined on her when she met a wasted Daniel after one of her shifts; She kindly took him to his bachelor pad and took care of him through the night without taking advantage of him. Again, to her credit, her EQ was much higher than the average person; she knew the pulse of this society that she wanted to be part of. She bid farewell to Daniel the next day with a smile and without care pretending to be unaware of his background. Over time, the unexpected and coincidental encounters led to friendship and then love.

The biggest roadblock in her otherwise smooth sailing love affair was Grandpa Holston whose eyes were sharper than those of an eagle; He could see through her at first glance and never gave her a second one. No matter how Daniel jumped, he wouldn’t bulge. It was also around this time that the vibrant and gorgeous Emile entered Daniel’s sphere of acquaintances.

She hated Emile who had everything she wished for without lifting a finger; Emile also belonged to the same social class as Daniel, added to that fact that she had campus beauty and a top scholar. But the thing that made Emile her number one enemy was the friendship between Emile’s and Daniel’s Grandpas. This was Emile’s ticket to Daniel’s life.

A smile bloomed on Michelle’s face as she drove to the shopping centre thinking how she was the final winner. Regardless of every advantage Emile had over her, she was miserable through the last three years and ended up being a divorcee who was sent away without a penny.  Michelle laughed out loud when she thought of Emile’s miserable plight, a divorcee at an age when everyone their age was immersed in pink bubbles and getting married.