Sharing Sandwich in the car

A loud siren caught Emily's attention. Finally they were here. She tried to lift Meera in her arms and with a little bit of difficulty, she did. She ran towards the elevator and pressed the button to the ground floor, praying for Meera and hoping Gerald had cleared the floors.

The elevator seemed to be slower than usual. She wanted to smash a descend button, if there were any. But unfortunately, she could only wait. She set Meera down to stand on her own feet and leaned her head on her shoulder. She couldn't carry her all the way.

Meera's head lolled back as soon as the elevator reached the ground floor. Emily's forehead and back was covered with a thin layer of sweat.

She gasped for breath. Thankfully all the workout she did, paid off. She dialed Gerald's number and said, "Do you know Meera's family? I think we should call them."

"I don't think she'll be glad if we did."

"Why not?"

"That's not important now. Where are you?"

"In the elevator."

"I'm coming to get you."

"Umm… Is the coast clear?"

"Mm hmm."

They did not hang up. A peaceful silence descended between them and none of them dared to break it.

Emily stared at Meera. Gerald leaned against the wall with his phone still on his ear, staring at his shoes which reflected the lights from the chandelier.

He closed his eyes and smiled.

The elevator arrived. Emily held Meera by her waist. She placed Meera's left arm around her shoulder. She gripped her and dragged her out of the elevator when Gerald came to her rescue. Holding his coat in front of Meera, he helped shield her as the paramedics arrived. They helped Meera into the ambulance.

Gerald and Emily took Gerald's car and followed them to the hospital.

As soon as they reached the hospital, Emily said, "You stay here. I'll keep you updated."

Gerald nodded. He knew his condition. He didn't dare enter. He stood by the side of his car and lit a cigarette.

He leaned on it and saw Emily running behind them.

Gerald closed his eyes. She shouldn't have gone to the company and insulted Emily. Suddenly he remembered what Meera told him before the whole fiasco happened.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and took a puff from the cigarette before throwing it on the ground and stomped on it with his shoes, putting out the fire.

"Hey mom," Gerald said.

"Hey," came Becky's voice from the other end. She paused and then said, "Did she actually go to your company?"

"Yeah. It is also the reason I got delayed in calling you. Before I could call you, she came in and caused a huge ruckus. What does she get out of all these, Mom? Is it really fun?"

"What can I tell you, Son? I guess it is her little way of taking revenge for blocking her credit card."

"Mom, you know what she did with her credit card. I am not gonna pay for all those stuff, no. And, her boyfriend… All he wants is to leverage on her and get the money out of us. He was using her card for everything. Forget it, Mom. Besides, do you have any idea what she did here?"

"What did she do this time?"

"She poured hot coffee on Meera. I assume the coffee was intended for Emily. Somehow, Meera became the target. We are at the hospital now, treating Meera's wounds. I threatened her and sent her back. I have no idea what she's gonna do next. You all should've listened to me and sent her to rehab."

The mother and son pair sighed. They knew that they tried, but all they could do now is to try and reduce as much collateral damage as they could.

"Mom, I gotta go. I may not return home today. Finish your dinner and don't wait for me. Okay?"

"Mm hmm," Becky said. Gerald needed some time and space to accept it. This was the reason why he left his house and stayed away for so many years and nothing had really changed. She could understand what he was going through, but she had nothing to do other than sit and watch.

Gerald got inside the car and was going to start the ignition when he heard his cell phone ring again.

"What is it again, Mom?"

"Hey Gerald, it's me, Emily."

"Oh hey. What happened? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I mean, no… I mean… umm.. I left my purse on your table and I don't have the card with me. So… umm… I was gonna ask you if you could fetch it or…?"

"Oh, no need to bother about it. I'll be there to make the payments. Just call me when everything is done."

"Thank you, Ger."

"What? What did you call me just now?" Gerald couldn't believe his ears.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm sorry, Mr. Whitmore."

There she was. Why did she have to distance herself again? Gerald wanted to explain, but he couldn't.

"Emily… Can you call me that once more?"

"Call you what?"

"Nevermind." Gerald heaved a sigh. When was she going to open up again? When was she going to give him another chance?

Gerald leaned back on his seat. It was a long day. So many things happened. It was a roller coaster ride of his emotions.

Turning the stereo on, he found some unfamiliar music from a lesser-known rock band that had recently become famous for their unconventional music. Come to think of it, he had liked this band from their initial days. He closed his eyes and let his mind vibe with the soulful melodies.

A knock on the window pane brought him back from the dreamland.

"Hey Mister. This is my parking spot. Why did you take up my spot?"

"Who the hell are you again?"

"That's none of your business. Mind your own instead."

"Okay."

Gerald closed his eyes and went back to sleep again. The lady started screaming, but Gerald paid no heed to her.

"Hey Gerald, open the door," Emily knocked on the other side of the car.

Gerald wondered why everyone was hellbent on trying to stop him from sleeping. With an irritated expression, he opened the door for her.

Emily entered the car with two sandwiches in hand.

"I thought you must be hungry, so I brought these."

"These are for me?" Gerald asked and pointed at himself. Seeing Emily looking at him with a smile, he lowered his head, took the sandwiches from her hand and said, "Thanks."

He opened the wrapper of them and handed one back to Emily and said, "Eat."

Emily smiled and started chowing down on it.

Gerald laughed silently, seeing her. She was the same when it came to food. When food was in front of her, she couldn't see the world.

Gerald took a bite from his sandwich and slowly chewed on it to savor its taste. So many people were running to save their loved ones' lives. Some were crying for them. Some were laughing because of the arrival of new members in their families. And, here he was sitting with the love of his life, sharing sandwiches.

Gerald smiled. At least the end of the day turned out to be better.