Chasing After Destiny

by Emma Easter

  “Good afternoon, Sheila,” Sofia said politely. She pointed at George’s former office. “Is George in that office now?”

  Sheila looked at her as though she were the stupidest person she had ever met. “Of course he’s in his office.”

  “So why is he there?”

  Sheila stared at her with a look of distaste. “Because that is his office! Where else would he be?”

  “I don’t understand,” Sofia said. “Is he here to get his things? He was fired, wasn’t he?”

  “What on earth are you talking about?” Sheila glared at her. “Who told you George was fired? He is the CEO of this company.”

  “But… he told me the chairman…” Sofia’s heart began to race. So George had lied to her. Why, oh why would George lie to her? “Can I see him?” she asked Sheila.

  “No!” Sheila said emphatically. “His wife and daughter are in there with him.”

  Sofia’s heart stopped. “His wife and daughter?”

  “That’s what I just said.” Sheila looked like she wanted to stand up and bundle Sofia out of the building. “I think you should leave before they come out.”

  Sofia’s stomach burned with rage. She wanted to barge into George’s office and confront him, but she would probably be escorted out of the building by security. She had to get herself together. She squared her shoulders and looked at Sheila. “I’ll wait for him.” She went to sit on the sofa facing Sheila’s desk.

  The secretary gave her an amused smile, as though to say Sofia waiting here would be at her own risk, and shrugged. “Your call,” she said, and went back to her work.

  For a long time, Sofia waited, simmering with anger. She hoped with all her heart that there was some reasonable explanation for why George was in his office, still working for a company he had told her he’d been fired from, and with a wife who he had purportedly left. She tried to think of a good reason why everything he’d told her seemed to be a lie, but she could not come up with any. Still, she kept telling herself to calm down and not to overreact. There had to be a good explanation for this.

  She crossed and uncrossed her legs, took deeps breath, and kept waiting. Finally, George stepped out of his office with his wife and their sixteen-year-old daughter, Allie. Sofia’s anger turned to rage when George kissed his wife fully on the mouth. Without thinking, she shot up from the sofa, marched over to George and the woman that had influenced him to throw her out of her apartment, and faced off with him.

  His mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened in astonishment and then fear. He started to shake his head and Sofia narrowed her eyes in anger.

  “George! You liar!”

  His wife turned around and glared at Sofia.

  “Please, Sofia. Not here. Not now. Please, let’s talk later.”

  Elena turned to him. “George, what is this? I thought this tramp was out of your life for good.”

  Sofia burned with fury, but she refused to react to Elena’s insult. It was not the woman’s fault after all. George was to blame for everything. He had lied to her and to his wife over and over again. He did not want her to make a scene in here? She would destroy everything he held dear, just like he had destroyed her life. “So you lied to me and told me you had left your wife and were going to divorce her and marry me. But all the while, you were lying to me and to her.”

  “Please, Sofia,” George pleaded.

  Elena stared at George and asked coldly, “What is she talking about? Did you tell her we were getting a divorce?”

  He began to plead with his wife, but Sofia was not through with him. So what if his daughter was here? She might as well hear what sort of person her father was. “We spent the night together,” she said to his wife. “Yesterday.”

  His daughter shrank back, and his wife gave him a death stare. “You told me you had to work all night at the office,” she said. “So you were with your mistress all along.”

  Before he could answer, Sofia nodded. “Yes. He was with me. And he told me he had been fired by your father because he asked you for a divorce.”

  “Sofia, please not here,” George pleaded again. “We can talk about all this later.”

  “No, we will talk about it now,” Sofia said. “You told me you would marry me; that you didn’t love your wife and had finally left her. But it was all a lie.” She laughed harshly. “I was a fool. Everyone warned me about you, but I did not listen.”

  George said to her, “I love you, Sofia, but I couldn’t just walk away from my wife. I could not afford to lose everything I have.”

  His face turned red as his wife slapped him hard. “Well, that’s too bad,” Elena said. “Because you are going to lose everything you have. You can have your mistress now, but know this — by the time I’m through with you, you’ll not be able to find work anywhere. And you want a divorce? I will give you one, but I will make sure I fight you for sole custody of all our children and win.” She turned to their daughter. “Allie, let’s go!” Turning around again, she marched out of the secretary’s office, Allie right behind her.

  George looked like he was going to melt into a puddle. He gave Sofia a pleading look, but she turned around and marched away, fuming. Anger, pain, and shame ran through her as she exited the building. She thought about Jude and felt like breaking down right on the sidewalk.

  What have you done, Sofia?

  She had pushed away the man who loved her and a chance for a great future with a guy like Jude for someone like George. A cheat and a liar.

  But you were a part of it all, Sofia.

  Once more, guilt threatened to suffocate her. She had ignored everyone who’d told her it was wrong to be with a married man. She had made constant excuses for George every time he promised he would leave his wife but never did. Why had she let him talk her into going back to him? But she could not blame him alone. She shared a large portion of the blame.

  She got back to the hotel room and packed up all her things. Why had she believed George’s lies? It was not the first time he had lied to her. Why had she chosen to believe that he would suddenly become honest?

  Oh, Jude! He would never forgive her for this. He was probably back with his ex already, while she would be left to rue losing him and making the biggest mistake of her life.

  She finished packing and rolled her suitcase out of the suite. What future did she have now? She was going back to stay with Edith and Flynn, but it would not be long before Flynn convinced Edith to send her packing. Where would she go then? She still had the money Jude had paid for the first installment. Flynn and his friend had gotten part of it, but the little she had would be enough to rent a tiny apartment and live on for a short while. It was better to find an apartment of her own than go back to Edith’s only to be thrown out.

  Congratulations, Sofia. You have ruined your life in a matter of days.

  The overwhelming hopelessness that she had felt when George had broken up with her and taken everything from her settled over her again. For a short moment, she embraced it, wishing she could end her life. And then she shook it off. Even feeling like this was pointless. Trying to escape the awful way she felt now, which was a direct consequence of her stupid choices, was the coward’s way out.

  She had never taken control of her life and had depended on others — George, Edith, and in some ways even Jude — to do that for her. Now, she had to find a way to live independently. She didn’t know how she would do it, but it had to be done. Great difficulty awaited her in the future. She would constantly live in regret for letting go of Jude, who she could now admit she loved, but she would have to find a way to go on and dig herself out of her problems. She had to try to make some sort of life for herself, no matter how hard it would be.

  She got into a taxi outside the hotel, still thinking about Jude; about the awful mistake she had made in letting him go. She remembered what Lily always said whenever she had a problem: Ask God to help you. He will. Sofia couldn’t remember the last time she’d prayed. Maybe it was when she w
as a kid.

  She prayed with uncertainty. Not for herself, but for Jude. She asked God as best as she could that everything would ultimately work out for Jude and that he would be able to marry his ex so he would not have to go back to his country where his life would be in danger. Most of all, she prayed that one day he would find it in his heart to forgive her.

  Chapter 18

  “Man, I’m telling you, there will be no wedding!” Jude said, pressing his cell phone to his ear. “The deal is off.”

  “What do you mean there will be no wedding!” Shaffar yelled on the other end of the line. “Listen, Jude, you owe me money, and you’re going to pay up!”

  He pushed aside some of his clothes, which were all over the bed, and sat down. Shaking his head, he said exasperatedly, “I am not marrying Sofia anymore, Shaffar. That means I don’t owe you any more money.”

  He began to pack his clothes into his suitcase, holding his cell phone between his ear and shoulder. He frowned as Shaffar swore loudly and insisted once more that he had to pay the rest of the money.

  “Man, you are crazy!” he said to Shaffar. “How can I keep paying you when I’m not getting married?” A thread of pain went through him as he thought about Sofia and the fact that their wedding was off.

  “Listen, I don’t care if you’re getting married or not. We had a deal, and you have to pay!”

  Jude sighed wearily. How was he supposed to explain to this unreasonable guy that this “deal” had not worked out, so he did not have to pay?

  “I know exactly what to do if you refuse to pay!” Shaffar said. “ICE is only a phone call away.”

  Jude shook his head and hung up on Shaffar. The guy’s threats meant nothing to him at this point. Not when his heart was hurting and he was going to leave the United States in a few hours. He had a flight booked to Guinea, and Ben had promised to take him to the airport in about an hour. A friend of Ben’s who lived and had contacts in the Guinean government had kindly promised to host Jude in his home temporarily so he didn’t have to go back to his war-torn country. Ben and a few friends had lent him money for his plane ticket. Of course he would not be able to stay in Guinea indefinitely.

  Though it was a temporary arrangement, it had given Jude some hope. At least he was sure to survive, even if it was just for now.

  Overwhelming sadness settled over him as he continued to pack his clothes into his suitcase, and he told himself to look on the bright side. But at this moment it was almost impossible for him not to dwell on what he’d lost. He and the woman he loved would have been married if not for circumstances beyond his control. She would be married to someone else in no time, and he would be miles and miles away from her.

  Samuel walked into the room as he continued to pack. Sitting on the bed, he looked at Jude and said, “I cannot believe you’re leaving today. I’m going to miss you.”

  Jude reached out and pounded his friend’s back affectionately. “I will miss you too, man.”

  “Will you ever come back?” Samuel asked.

  “I don’t know,” Jude said. “But I will definitely not be allowed back into this country if I am caught and deported. In fact, since I overstayed my visa for months, I don’t know if I will be allowed back… at least for a long time.”

  Samuel said, “I’m really sorry about how everything ended, you know, with Sofia.”

  Another wave of pain hit Jude at the mention of Sofia. He sighed and tried to focus on his packing. “I can’t think about her right now, or I will start to drown in self-pity. I have to concentrate on finishing my packing and making sure I leave for the airport on time.”

  “We’ve had a blast in school together, haven’t we?” Samuel smiled at him.

  Jude chuckled. “Yes. We had some good times.”

  “We had a lot of fun, Jude.”

  “Yes,” Jude said. “I just wish I’d had less fun and concentrated more on my immigration status. Maybe, just maybe, I would not be leaving America now.”

  “Stop blaming yourself, dude. Everything that happened was out of your control. Your father’s death, the war in your country… Sofia’s betrayal. How would you have known that everything would turn out the way it did?”

  “I should have taken responsibility when things started to go bad and realized I needed to do something so I could remain in this country.” He shook his head. “Anyway, it’s all too late now. I will miss everything. My life here…” He wanted to say Sofia, but stopped himself at the last minute.

  They talked about school and their friends and studies until he finished packing. He left the room, rolling his suitcase, and Samuel followed. Before he could sit down in the living room, a loud knock sounded at the door. He looked up at the clock on the wall.

  “Who is it?” Samuel called out.

  “Probably Ben,” Jude said. “He is thirty minutes early, though.” He strode to the door, opened it, and blinked in surprise. Edith was standing there, looking at him with a worried expression on her face.

  His stomach flipped with concern. “Hey, Edith! What is it?”

  “It’s Sofia, Jude.”

  Fear gripped him. “What about her?”

  “I really don’t know. I have not been able to reach her since yesterday. Normally I would not worry about it, but I received a troubling message from her saying that she had lost everything dear to her and that she wasn’t sure she could go on living anymore.”

  He winced and his heart began to race.

  “I am worried about her, Jude.”

  Before Edith spoke again, he dug his hand into his pocket, brought out his phone, and dialed Sofia’s number. It did not ring. He looked at Edith. “Her phone isn’t ringing.”

  “I told you I’ve been trying to call her, but her line is not going through,” Edith said. “I am terrified that she may have done something to herself.”

  Jude blinked, confused. “What do you mean?”

  Edith sighed. “She has tried to kill herself before.”

  Jude stared at Edith in horror. Fear snaked itself around him, and for a moment, he could not breathe.

  “She didn’t tell you?” Edith asked with a surprised look.

  He shook his head.

  “Just before you met, I went to her apartment and found her lying on the floor, lifeless. She had taken some pills to end her life. If I had not arrived and called 911, she would be dead.”

  Jude began shake his head. “No, no! Edith, we have to find her!” He felt like the wind was being sucked out of him, but he took a deep breath to try to gain control of his emotions. They needed to act.

  “I’m so worried about her, Jude,” Edith said. “But I really don’t know where to start looking for her.”

  “We need to start somewhere; anywhere,” he said. “We have to go right now.” He swept past Edith.

  “Where exactly are we going?” she asked.

  Jude turned to her. “I don’t know… Someone has to know where she is.” He looked up thoughtfully. “I have never met her other friends and acquaintances. Do you have any of their numbers? Their addresses?”

  “We have a few mutual acquaintances and I have their numbers,” Edith said. “I have called some of them, but we can call more.”

  “And George?” Jude asked. “Do you have his number or do you know where he lives? She might still be with him.”

  “I don’t have his number or his address,” Edith answered.

  He shut his eyes briefly as another wave of terror went through him. Sofia, where are you? He opened his eyes again. “Let’s start calling all your mutual acquaintances while we look in your house for any clues of where she might have gone.”

  They started to leave Samuel’s apartment together, and Samuel called, “Jude, what about your flight? Ben will be here any moment now.”

  “I need to find Sofia, Samuel,” Jude said. “I need to find her right now.” He hurried out of the house, with Edith on his heels.

  “You drive while I make the calls,” Edith said, handi
ng Jude her car keys. He got into the driver’s seat of Edith’s car while she sat next to him on the passenger’s seat. She called her and Sofia’s mutual acquaintances as he sped down the road toward her house. Every call she made ended in disappointment, as none of the acquaintances knew where Sofia was and none had George’s phone number or address.

  Edith called a final acquaintance, and the girl told her she did not know where George lived, but she knew where he worked. She texted Edith the office address, and Edith showed it to Jude.

  Jude nodded and changed directions.

  The traffic light above turned red, and he bit his lips and nearly screamed in frustration. He thought about running the light, but it would be a really bad idea, especially considering his immigration status. The last thing he needed was to be pulled over by a police officer. He kept looking out the window, hoping the light would turn green. Sofia’s face was etched in his mind, and he felt like throwing up as an image of her lying lifeless on the floor appeared. Once again, he prayed silently that she would be protected and that she would not harm herself.

  The light turned green, and he heaved a sigh of relief. He raced down the road until he finally reached George’s office, a huge building with the words, “Impact Investments” emblazoned at the top of it. As they walked into the building, anger raced through Jude. This was where George worked, the man who had evicted Sofia from her apartment and taken her job. But Sofia was not without blame. The man was married, and in spite of everything he’d done to her, she had still gone back to him. Jude gritted his teeth. It was beyond his understanding.

  Settle down, Jude, he told himself. He was not here to fight with George. All he wanted to know was that Sofia was okay, even if she was still with the man.

  At the front desk, they asked the receptionist if they could see the CEO of the company. The girl was on the phone and seemed distracted. She nodded at them and pointed at the elevator. “His office is on the last floor,” she said, and went back to her call.