Destined to be

Chapter 2

 Emerald had just landed at this foreign place and it was unexpectedly cold. The red sweater which was a Christmas gift from her best friend last year and the thin white shirt underneath was the only saving grace at the moment as all her other thick clothes were in her luggage bag which she would pick up soon. She was also thankful to God that the knee-high boots she was wearing currently provided much-needed warmth to her jeans-clad legs.

She was very excited about this trip, her love, her boyfriend Jake had been the one to plan this but because of work, they had to travel separately. But Jake had promised that he would be there to pick her up and then they would go and see around this majestic beautiful city of Russia. Emerald couldn't wait to be back in his warm embrace. She was so cold.

After collecting her luggage she went to sit near the coffee shop as she was in desperate need of something to warm herself. She ordered a coffee and went to sit at a table.

She had already drunk two cups of coffee with croissants but still, there was no sign of her boyfriend. Where was he? Why didn't he call if he was going to be late?

Her body didn't even register the sticky liquid that splashed on her body until it was too late and it was already seeping into her gloves and the sleeves of her sweater.

She didn't know why but this small incident which she would ignore on any other day and instead give a smile to the offender, brought tears to her eyes that day. She held back a sob and blindly rushed towards the washroom to clean the spill.

She faintly noticed a tall man standing there with his cup of coffee on the floor but didn't pay any attention to him. Once inside the airport restroom she took off her gloves and cleaned her hands and the coffee. When she looked in the mirror sad yet angry emerald eyes stared right back at her. She held back a scream and tried to make herself understand. "Relax Emerald; he must have gotten busy somewhere. He wouldn't leave you stranded in an unknown country." She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "Yes, that's it. He must be on his way now. You'll go back Em, order yourself a coffee and wait outside what if his phone battery is dead and he's waiting for you, looking for you?"

Emerald made up her mind plastered a smile and walked outside to her luggage. She picked up her suitcase and walked near the Exits. Her eyes kept moving in all directions looking for that familiar face but she couldn't spot Jake. She dialed him again but his phone was once again not reachable. Never had she felt so lost and not known what to do.

Just then the wind picked up and she shivered violently. She rubbed her hands on her arms trying to generate some friction and heat but it brought little help. Suddenly she felt a deep stare near the side of her face. On turning in that direction she saw a man getting into the car. Oh, how she longed to get inside a car and get under the blankets in her old bed. But she wasn't in her old apartment in the US. In fact, she was so far away from her home, away in a different continent. She didn't even know the basics of Russian, unlike Jake who was fluent. She had tried learning the basics of this language but it worked only in the familiar place of her home. Where she needed the most it had left her just like her boyfriend. Finally, after waiting for so long she decided to get to her hotel. She struggled a bit in hailing a taxi. After a while, a car stopped near her and a tall man in a suit got out of it and started keeping her luggage at the back.

Shock filled her body. Who was this man? Was he sent by Jake? "Umm...hello ...Sir?" The man ignored her and finished putting her luggage at the back of his car. Finally, when he turned around, there was a smile on his face.

"Hello, beautiful." Emerald opened her mouth to interrupt him. She didn't like a complete stranger giving her names. But he didn't let her and continued with a warm bright smile, "You'll be okay Miss. I saw you standing for so long in this cold weather that I didn't feel comfortable leaving you to freeze." Emerald noticed that he had a slight accent in his English. "And anyway it's our duty to help foreigners feel safe and comfortable in our country."

He seemed to be a nice man so she felt okay going with him. It wasn't like he would just kidnap her out of nowhere or other sorts of things. Maybe he was God-sent to help her. That must be it thinking that she sat inside the car. The warmth of the car immediately enveloped her and she felt like heaven. She took a deep breath.

The man sat on the driver's seat and spoke in a jolly voice which Emerald didn't feel, "I am Sergei by the way." He turned back briefly when she didn't respond.

Emerald didn't feel like giving her name but out of courtesy she said, "Umm...I am Emerald."

Sergei smiled and said, "Just like your eyes."

Emerald felt the conversation was a bit intimate for her taste and she just nodded her head and turned to look outside. The city was very beautiful at night. The dome-shaped buildings with beautiful colors were just more beautified by the lightings. It hadn't snowed yet but Emerald had guessed that it would start sooner. She was soaking up all the beauty that she didn't realize how much time had passed inside the car. The beautiful buildings had passed and she could see a long stretch of road with trees and vegetation along the highway.

She was confused. Were they not supposed to reach any nearby hotel by now? Something was wrong. "Hey." Emerald tried to stay calm despite her heart racing so fast. "Where are we going? Which hotel are you taking me to?"

The man, the driver, Sergei didn't speak anything. It was like he couldn't hear her. Emerald could feel her eyes burning, her cheeks warming. The car suddenly felt too warm. "Sergei", she tried to speak sternly, "Where are you taking me?" She looked out the car. There was nothing. It was her guess that they had long left the city.

Emerald felt so lost and scared of what was to happen to her. Her heart cried whereas her mind tried blaming her for this entire situation she was in. Finally, it was all too much for her to handle and she broke out crying. Loud sobs filled the car. She was so much in a panic that she didn't feel the car stop and hands on her. When she finally felt him, she scooted to the other side and screamed louder. At that moment she just was not in control of her body. Her arms flailed and she kicked at the man who was just trying to calm her at the moment forgetting about all his plans of taking her to some place of his and rob her.

Emerald took hold of her sling bag and hit on his face, anything to keep him away. Finally when it was too much for Sergei to handle; he opened the car door to push her out and after climbing to the front, drove away as fast as he could, leaving the poor girl in the cold.

Emerald felt her body hit the concrete road which caused pain in her body along with the biting cold weather that made her look around. She realized that she was no longer in the car with that bastard but she also didn't have her luggage with her except for the sling bag that was still wrapped in her palm.

She slowly stood up and saw that she was away from civilization but wouldn't be completely lost as there were lights she could see which would be approximately a mile away. She was never good in Mathematics though.

She sighed and started her dreadful trek towards those lights which the weather was making intensely hard. She was feeling too cold. Suddenly an idea hit her. "My phone?" she hurriedly opened her sling and started searching for the device. Cards, lip gloss, passport, some money, visa, some useless papers, her contact lens case, her glasses, everything, and finally her phone. She had never been so relieved to see that thing.But again her relief was short-lived because it was dead. She was on verge ofhaving a panic attack. So alone in a different country; at that moment sheforgot about the cold and sat on the side of the road on top of some grasscursing her life. "Always, always. Never have I remained happy for more than an hour. Why does this always happen to me? WHY?" She stood up and started walking towards the light. Not a single vehicle passed on the road so that she could ask for help.

"Why Jake, why? Why would you abandon me like this?" She screamed out loud. Then she was more irritated and angry than sad and hurt. "I was happy in a relationship. You were such a perfect boyfriend. But like they say no one is perfect. Jake, you bastard, proved that right." She gritted her teeth trying to keep down the second scream bubbling inside of her. After stringing a line of curses, tears came back again.

"Oh no. what'll happen to me now?" She tried wiping her eyes but the tears wouldn't stop. "Shit shit shit" She was alone in a foreign country, without a phone, without enough money, and also without enough solution for her contact lenses.

Her frustrated scream filled the silence of the environment.