The new house was two-story and semi detached. It was only a mile away from the old flat and was closer to the police station for me.
I had paid an extra thousand pound to have the house remain furnished as I quite liked the modernist decor. There was a kitchen and dining room in one large room downstairs, the floors were real wood and the counter was marble. There was one grey wall and the rest were white, but I saw endless possibilities of photographs on the walls by the fireplace and the TV- Ruby and I hadn't had a TV before.
Upstairs there were three bedrooms and a bathroom. So Ruby would for once have her own room.
To my delight one of the rooms was already painted a light pastel pink colour, and had a white double bed in the centre of it with book cases either side. I had made up the bed with a pink and white flowery duvet cover and had bought some cushions and fairy lights to delicately decorate her new bedroom, I couldn't wait to see her reaction.
I have little care for my bedroom, I worried mostly for Ruby's room and the kitchen and bathroom.
For once in my thirty seven years of life, I had finally bought a home.
Before I knew it, it was almost three o'clock. I had a quick look around the house before I grabbed my car keys and drove to the school to collect her.
I waited outside the school door with a lot of the other parents who had dressed simply for the occasion of collecting their children.
I was dressed in an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt, not my worst, not my best. I definitely needed a shower after all that lifting and unpacking.
"Don't usually see you around here?" Began one of the mothers, I think I'd spoken to her before, she had obvious eyelash extensions and her hair was bleached to the point of no repair.
"Yeah I work long hours- it's usually my sister who collects her." I told her.
"What about her mother?" She asked me, "Oh, it's just me and Ruby at the moment." I replied, trying to remain with a polite and confident smile. Many people can stereotype people like me. I've been asked if I was gay multiple times, and on other occasions they've questioned me quite precisely on what happened to her mother and why doesn't she have a mother.
"Don't tell me it's you who does those beautiful braids in her hair?" She exclaimed.
"Everyone's got a hobby!" I laughed before Ruby exited the classroom and her eyes opened wide when she saw me waiting for her.
"Daddy?! I didn't think you'd be here!" She exclaimed as I lifted her up into my arms.
"You think I wouldn't be here on your birthday?!" I asked her, walking towards the door, feeling a few eyes watching us with happiness. "Come on, in the car, I've got a surprise for you!"
"What?! Why are we driving?" She asked, her face bulging with excitement.
"You'll see Rubster!"
We arrived outside the door of the new house. Ruby raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Why are we here?" She Asked, "who lives here?"
I bit my lip before taking out my house key and handing it to her.
"We do." I told her.
"Wait... is this our new house?!" She shrieked, trying to unbuckle her seatbelt.
"Surprise!" I laughed, climbing out of the car and helping her out of her car seat.
Ruby screamed with anticipation as I lifted her up and told her how to open the door.
I leaned against the door as she ran around the house, her eyes huge as she roamed through the kitchen and the living room, jumping on the sofa before making her way upstairs.
I was surprised to feel tears welling up in my eyes as I saw her so happy.
She screamed again with delight as she saw her new pink bedroom and the birthday banners on her door and wall. I decided to make my way up the stairs where I sat on her bed beside her and she wrapped her arms around me before I noticed her slightly red eyes.
"What's the matter, why are you crying?" I asked her, but she just laughed.
"I don't know- I'm not sad!" She replied,
"Happy tears?" I asked her.
"Is that a thing?" She questioned.
"Yep, that's a thing." I replied, holding her tight in my arms. "This an okay birthday present?" I asked her.
"Yeah, it was alright." She responded with a sigh before giggling and bouncing on the bed. "I love you, Dad!" She told me.
"I love you too, Rubster." I chuckled, standing up as she wandered excitedly through the house.
"I'm not finished unpacking yet- you can help me!" I invited her, kneeling back down on the rug in the living room and taking out some of the books to put in the book case.
"Can I look at the pictures?" Asked Ruby, opening up a photo album. The thing that shocked me was that I was almost going to say no, I didn't want this day to be ruined by the sad reminder that I've spent half a decade without my wife.
"Okay." I replied, willing myself not to look over at the photographs. But soon enough we were both lying on the rug flicking through the memories I had shared with Emma.
"Is that you?!" Giggled Ruby, pointing to an image of me downing shots in a bar, I must have been nineteen or twenty. My hair was so much longer and my cheeks were so flushed from my drunkenness.
"Oof don't be looking at those!" I laughed, flicking forwards a few pages until I found the pictures I had taken from Emma's and my holiday in Greece. Her skin had tanned a gorgeous golden olive colour and her blonde hair bleached even lighter in the sunlight while she sat on the beach in her long blue summer dress reading a book.
"Wow... She was beautiful." Said Ruby, seeing more photos of her mother that she'd never met.
I tried to skip the next page, but failed when Ruby flicked back to see the photos of me proposing to Emma then kissing her, laughing and hugging. It seemed like another world.
"How much do you miss her?" Asked Ruby, looking up at me with huge green eyes.
"I miss her more than- more.." it shocked me that I was beginning to choke up on my words, my eyes and nose were becoming tense. "More than anything." I managed to say as Ruby flicked to the wedding photos. I hadn't looked at these photographs since they were taken, a huge wave of emotion had just hit me as the door knocked.
"Can you go and open the door for Jessica and Morgan?" I asked Ruby, not making eye contact as I wiped away a tear that had fallen down my cheek. Meanwhile I heard the warm greetings from the threshold of my sister and her husband who truly loved Ruby.
It was five years without Emma today at this time, five o'clock. It felt like a lifetime ago.
YOU ARE READING
Did You Find Her?
Poviedky[COMPLETE] Robbie Daniels is a thirty-seven year old police officer, his main case was the disappearance of his wife, Emma five years ago, just one day after his daughter Ruby was born, a case of which he'd never solved.
