Someone Hiding in the Shadows...

13 -Emily's Dried Tears

"When I first arrived at the train station, I didn't know where I was going. I had walked out of my home, my life, my job, the town I had grown up in. There was no choice but to start again. So, I ended up at the YMCA. It was cheap," said Emily.

"Yeah, I did the same, when I first came to London," I said, with understanding.

She raised her shoulders and stretched her arms in front of her and clasped her hands together as she clicked her fingers until the bones made a snapping noise. She put her arms back on the table and rested her elbows upon it.

"So...?" I urged her on.

She smiled a little enigmatically.

"So.... I started off by temping and ended up at Porters & Krew & Co a legal firm near St Paul's," said Emily.

Now, I was a little annoyed, "Emily, I why do I have a feeling you know I work there!"

She laid her hand over mine and grabbed it fleetingly, in a gesture of repentance.

"Sorry, I kind of got lost in the retelling," Emily said, a little awkwardly.

By now, I had missed my train and her story had echoes of my own and left me feeling a little uneasy.

I starred at Emily, willing her to get to the point, as she looked up at me and went red in the face. It was as if she could read my mind. She let out a sigh before she spoke again.

"It was a summer's day. It was hot. I collapsed in the main reception. It was so embarrassing. Jarod insisted on calling the company doctor and then I fainted again," said Emily.

She hugged her cup as she continued with her story. "When the doctor said he thought I might be pregnant, I almost passed out again in shock," Emily paused before she continued.

"I found out I was 3 months pregnant! I didn't know what to do," she shook her head in disbelief, as if still reliving it; "It was the worst scenario that could have happened. I had no security. No money behind me. Temporary accommodation at the YMCA. No family nearby to help me," Emily said with sadness.

Emily played with her hair at the ends, twisting it in her fingers as her blue eyes faced mine, as she continued to speak.

"So, when one Sunday afternoon, Jarod turned up to take me for lunch, you could have knocked me down with a feather. He was the last person I expected to see," said Emily, her eyes widening as if to emphasise the point.

"Jarod said he had an offer to put forward to me. He asked me to hear him out. With my shortage of options; I was willing to listen?" whispered Emily.

"Jarod told me, that he had wanted to divorce his wife, Theodora. He had pleaded with her for a long time but she was dragging her feet," said Emily, as her eyes looked in question, to see if I was still willing to listen.