It Was Her

Writer's note: I would recommend reading my other story 'Gimme the mike!' first as there might be instances regarding the above mentioned.

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Those blue eyes, that melody filled smile, those beautiful curls in her hair, every memory is embedded like a pillar in my heart. The first day, I ever saw Noa, as I sipped the miscellaneous coffee with chunks of sugar still teasing my mouth. The blurred colours swirled in the sky pouring its shades to the July evening. 

She was partly sitting, her hips shallowly placed on the cold outer ring by which the skates drove by. A firm grip held the soda in her left hand, while her other caressed the milk hair. 

The few moments of staring as if seemed to bore me, I turned my heels the opposite way and marched forward. I stood in front of the dressing cupboard, lacing my fingers around my best casuals, my mind racing for a choice. It took me a while to choose the most appealing outfit, and my final decision found me well fitted in a white Hawaiian shirt, halfway buttoned-down and denim jeans.  

My trembling footsteps on the polished marble stairs seemed to justify the place of anxiety in my heart. The loud thumping echoed inside my brain, bringing every nerve on the verge to pop. I tried to rehearse few lines in the back of my skull which seemed pretty useless as my brain whacked to bring back the calmness.  

I had received many proposals and confessions before, though I doubt, it is quite normal for money bedded people to come across such instances, but It was the first time I would be doing this for somebody. It was the first time I fell in love with somebody, that too meeting the fate of first sight. A sudden fear jabbed my heart. What if she rejected me? What if she is already married? Instantly all the pain of the ones I rejected, flooded back in me. Shoot. 

I reached the skating rink, all exhausted, panting my heart out. But when I looked up, she wasn’t there. SHE WASN’T THERE! A thick layer of disappointment left me suffering and struggling for air. I tried my best to hold back the betraying tears as my mind displayed few fake words in front of my eyes.

 ‘It’s okay’ 

‘You’ll meet someone else’

‘It’s just your luck.’

‘You don’t even know her.’ 

And the poor me tried to keep the hold of these flickering words. 

The once excited footsteps now seemed too heavy on the same staircase. My eyesight suddenly felt so tired with my stomach doing a depressing somersault that I did not even notice the unfamiliar shadow lurking in front of my porch. 

“Looking for me?” The voice said and my ears stood up. My gaze met the concealed stranger and we interlocked emotions. 

It was her

“Y-You, but h-how?” I stuttered in absolute surprise. 

“You think I did not see you staring at me.”

I wish my cheeks weren’t so red as they felt. “Uhm, I did not mean to...uhm.”

A playful chuckle left her mouth. The best chuckle I ever heard. She advanced her right hand towards me which I replied with a firm grip. 

“I am Noa Rayn by the way. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, I am Joel Mason,” I replied, regaining my confidence again with balls of happiness sprouting in me. 

She glared at my IWC watch for a second, a spark ignited in her eyes and then she looked at me. “So, shall we moved inside?” 

I looked up at Adam, who was now shaking his head in disappointment. 

“What?” I complained, my voice filled with a short moan. 

“Nothing” he replied and took a deep sigh. 

My brother Joel has actually acquired his name in every dictionary. Just search up the word ‘Idiot’. I am elder than Joel, almost five years. Our dad was a very rich merchant who recently died due to a cardiac arrest. Our mother met the same fate a few months later as she died due to pneumonia. 

According to dad’s will, the property of his was to divide equally among both of us. I went to Phillippines to attend my university for the degree of accountancy and that’s when I met Carl. 

Carl could be counted as one of those cool handsome young adults after whom every girl was crazy but he never got bothered. Of course, a person like Carl wouldn’t even notice a nerd like me but we actually met by bumping into each other accidentally and I helped him get away with a little mischief of his (long story). After a few months, we were best friends and he had changed me completely leaving no trails of nerdiness(FYI: l I topped the class). 

One night, I got a call from Joel, informing me that he was marrying a woman named Noa Rayn. It did not take me long to understand how his new wife was related to Carl Rayn. But the river’s flow started to change when I invited Carl to my brother’s wedding, assuming his sister must’ve told him about it. But I was proved wrong. Carl and his sister were like the same poles of a magnet. He warned me about the unstable nature of Noa and her masked greed. She has cheated innumerous times with her ex-boyfriends and cannot be the one on whom the brick of trust can be built. His words pierced right through my heart and the fear overlapped every nerve of my brain. I couldn’t let my brother destroy his life. A lot of days passed by with me trying my best to make Joel understand but even the sharpest rays of truth gets lost in the dark clouds of love. Joel did what he thought was the best. 

Okay, fine. I admit. I should’ve listened to Adam but now what’s done is done. I and Noa married straight away and also had a son named Judah. It was all going just perfect until that one night. The hands of the clock struck at exact 2 am and found my desperate eyes staring listlessly at the main door. Noa had gone to meet one of her old friends and still had not returned. 

Finally, my ears met the chime they’ve been begging to hear. I sprinted towards the door but I saw something I wouldn’t prefer to. 

It was definitely her

But she was drunk. She stumbled through the entrance and hugged me. A powerful scent of liquor reflected through her clothes. 

“N-Noa! What happened?” I asked, the words boiling up in my throat. It was unlike Noa to get so drunk. 

“Y-You! You Bastard! Get out of my sight!” An uncontrolled voice spoke as she sat on the sofa with a loud thump. “No, wait! Who will praise me for the wonderful acting I’ve done all these years. I love you bwahh! Harris is so much better than you! And so much rich.” She said and puked herself out in the nearby vase.  

I froze. It felt as if all the roses I had grown were actually heaps of thorn continuously drafting holes in my bed without me even noticing. So after all, Adam was correct. Tears spluttered down my face, my knees folded beside the unconscious betrayer while my heart churned and twisted in a way it can never be mended. I was ruined. 

I don’t get Joel. Like at all! First of all, he ignores the truth and brushes me off and once he knows it, he just lets it go! I can’t believe he actually bought the shit Noa told him. After getting recovered from the last night’s alcohol invasion, Noa convinced Joel in believing that all she said that night was a lie and an unconscious soul can speak nothing but nonsense. Like are you kidding me? Ever heard of the saying ‘Only truth comes out of drunken people’? Where had you lost your mind, brother? 

Joel actually decided to forgive Noa and they both agreed to never bring that topic up. Things started to pile up and I thought that maybe, maybe, Noa has learnt her lesson but nope. After six months of the ‘drunken’ incident, I got a call from Carl. Carl had then been married and lived in New Zealand. I picked up the call expecting some good news or a happy story but all my hopes came crashing down as I heard Carl’s sobbing sniffs from the other hand. 

“What happened?” I asked in alarm. 

Thereafter I came to know about the misshapen with Carl’s wife. Carl’s wife who was practically pregnant got murdered by his own sister. And his sister was not in suspicion round, she was a proven imposter due to the note she left saying ‘You never told you were marrying her - your sister’.

 I was devastated. I immediately called Joel and spilt the uprising crime. After being disengaged from the continuous anger sparks I left, he just sighed deeply. 

“What?” I asked half panting from the long story talk.

“Noa is pregnant. We can’t file a case against her right now.” He replied bitterly. 

I deeply regretted my choice of marrying Noa, as I got lured into the fake trap of beauty without realizing the growing beast inside. 

Her nine months were about to complete. Any time and I would hold the pure little being in my hands. I had also given a thought to the names. If it’s a boy then Elijah and if a girl then Ella. I was so excited, I did not notice the continuous beep of my phone. 

I was sitting on my office desk, scanning through some deals and assignments when my client called. 

“Hello,” I greeted.

“Oh Mr Mason, I am afraid the time has passed through its barriers.”

“No worries Mr Kell, 30 million dollars are ready. I was just about to transfer them to your account”

“Good” he replied and hung up. 

I bit my tongue lightly. How can I forget to transfer? I immediately turned to my laptop and began the process. 

Money amount, 30 million dollars, okay and I rolled my cursor to the option ‘done’. 

Promptly, two words started to display on my screen ‘ZERO BALANCE’ and left me sculpted with molten steel, unable to believe what was before my eyes. That’s when I lost it. I knew who it was and this time I would not let her get away with it. But a brick of my heart spoke Not yet. Let the child be born and then we shall deal with his/her mother. It was hard to keep calm with all the anger boiling inside. I had just been robbed! Now it’s over, I am going to sue this woman once I am sure that she is the culprit. No one knows my code except her. 

I got up from my chair, my knees still throbbing and called Adam. 

Finally, I heard the knock that I had been expecting for long. I opened the door to the midnight chirping among which stood Joel, with two little godlings in his hands. His children, Judah and Ella. I took the sleeping Ella in my hand who was not even a week old and welcomed Joel.  

He had filed a case against Noa, eventually coming to his senses. We had decided that now I was responsible for the kids as their father was too strangled in law matters. 

I admit, handling kids is not an easy job, and all they do is poop, sleep and puke. Disgusting business. Guess that’s the disadvantage of not having a wife. 

After a month or so, Joel came back, his hands all clean, ready to let his children meet their father. Noa had been stalled behind the bars for her long list of crimes announcing a few years in jail and a big fine. Joel also got his money back while Carl enjoyed his justice.

It was all driving back to its place until Carl told me about the weather report. A hurricane was on its way. I immediately called Joel to come over to my place. 

So, Joel has been sitting in front of me, both of us arguing like dogs without supervision. I have been constantly trying to make him understand and warn him that Noa had been bailed by his boyfriend or someone and now she would be after him for revenge. Joel should be careful, especially now as a father of two young kids. 

He kept on saying he has to pick the kids from school himself, even when I offered to do it. 

I left Adam’s house around midnight, my mind feeling emotionally drunk. I could not just hug my life with fear and live like a damped person. Judah and Ella think of me as a hero, and it’s time I prove to be a real one. Tomorrow, I’ll pick Judah and Ella from school, no matter what.  

I parked my car in the parking lot. Ella was sitting behind in the passenger’s seat while we waited for Judah. The children were still unaware of how evil their mother was but that day was Noa’s birthday and they both knew that. Usually, Ella and I would laugh together on random topics but no one said a word that day. 

My foot hit the accelerator as soon as Judah got settled. I was a bit relieved as we cleared our way home. Our home was just a few minutes apart. 

As if my thoughts acted as a cue, a loud harsh noise filled the air. My eyes darted towards the left and I saw a big black van tracing our path. An involuntary jolt shot up inside me and I swerved to my right. Instantly, I regretted my choice of protesting Adam. Now, I had risked my kids’ lives too. I turned back and saw their horrified faces. “Duck” I yelled as the upcoming triggers shot the bullets but kept my hands firm on the steering wheel. I had to keep them safe. Before I could react or think of anything, an immense pain bursted in the side of my head, as I felt my skin tear apart. So much pain, that I couldn’t bear it. I took an unconscious look at my little souls and then everything went blank. 

I knew it. I knew something was going to turn out wrong. For the former reason only, I followed Joel’s car. I was a bit relieved when we crossed halfway through but then only, the terror rained. A black van tugged along with their car and released loads of bullets. Beside the driver, she was sitting, smiling at the poor fate of my brother. How can a person be so cruel? Cruel enough to kill their own blood? 

After the car lost its control, it tumbled down the street. Windows shattered and in it two unconscious bodies laid. As soon as the coast cleared, I rushed forward towards the car with the gathering mob. Immediately, I opened the driver’s door and a bloodied carcass fell directly on my arms. Tears cornered my eyes but something else was more important right then. I got up and scrambled through the back seat. Ella’s head was all scratched up, every cut chipped with blood. A deep wound accompanied her elbow, an endless stream of blood flowing through it. I grabbed the handkerchief from my pocket and tied it around her elbow, hoping it might offer some help. Judah’s forehead did not look any better. Bruises covered his feet while his nose and mouth bled with red corpuscles. 

But both of them were breathing.

I hurtled them in an ambulance. After a few days of treatment, both of them healed back to life and I decided to take them under my care. I might not be a father to them, but I’ll try my best as a guardian and a friend. And about Noa...I never heard any news of her, just one day, when Carl called me to attend her funeral, briefly explaining how she got into the drug line and suicided.