(Lydia)“I’m Greg, miss,” said Greg, straightening up.“Oh,” I replied, “I’ve been told you’re clumsy.”I smiled. But, a pit formed in my stomach. Somewhere deep down, I could tell that something was not quite right.Was this the same man that I had seen that night outside the mansion? Or was that whole thing just a figment of my imagination?“Can I help you with anything, miss?” Greg asked hesitantly. He was visibly nervous. His small frame was shaking a little.“No, no,” I replied, shaking my head, “I just came here to check in on the noise, that’s all.”I turned around and walked all the way up to the lobby.***Thomas came to the theater.“Lydia!” he exclaimed, approaching me, “I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry with me.”I crossed my arms over my chest. I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t want to talk to you,” I sneered and turned to walk away.He grabbed my hand. “Listen to me, Lyddie,” he said. I turned my head and glared at him.“I didn’t mean it that way,” he pleaded, “I just w
(Jack)I was overjoyed these days. Ruby was beautiful, smart, sweet, gentle, and kind. And things just worked naturally between us.I wanted to pop the question but I was a little apprehensive of what Mama would say. And, besides, I had wasted so many years partying and flirting around the world on my adventures that, perhaps, now it was time to double down on my work.I had originally not wanted to be a businessman. That had always been Thomas’s dream.I had, instead, been interested in driving race cars.But my life was just naturally moving towards passion and my heart’s desires now.And, last night, when Ruby had been lying in my arms, I had talked to her about it.“What’s on your mind?” she had murmured, looking up at me.“It’s just…” I had said to her, “I see how passionate you are about your art and your work and you design such beautiful clothes. I’ve always been good at my work but it has never really felt as deeply satisfying as it should.”“And what feels satisfying to you?
(Lydia)When I heard the doorbell, I felt butterflies fluttering through my belly. It was Thomas. He had come to pick me up for what Ruby was calling our ‘First Date 3.0’.“Complete it this time!” she said to me, put her arm behind my back.I nervously walked up to the door and opened it.He was standing there, clutching a bouquet of flowers.“These are for you,” he said.“Thank you,” I said, taking them.I turned back towards Ruby.“Good luck!” she mouthed at me with a wide smile.She shut the door behind me.It was a clear night tonight with a hint of breeze. Above us, stars were glittering in the sky.“It’s so beautiful…” I gasped.It felt a little surreal, being out here in so much joy.Thomas opened the car door for me.I stepped inside.There was so much silence. And it was only just the two of us.I had put on a deep emerald dress tonight and tied my hair into a ponytail.I nervously touched my gold earring.“You look perfect,” Thomas said quietly to me.We drove over to a rest
(Lydia)I was sobbing when I got back home. “What happened?!” Ruby asked. She was sitting in the living room with Jack, where Mama was watching television with the children.“Nothing!” I exclaimed. I turned around, embarrassed that Jack had seen this.I walked up the lobby and then began running up the stairs, taking off my heels and tossing them behind me.“Lydia!” Jack said, running after me. Ruby was running with him, too.They caught up with me just as I had reached the top of the stairs.“Hey,” said Jack, gently taking a hold of my arms.Ruby put her arms around me.“Shush,” she said, stroking my hair. But I could not stop crying.***“Now, will you please tell us what happened?” Jack said, placing a hot cup of tea in front of me.My head was in Ruby’s lap. She was sitting on the sofa beside me.Tears were streaming down my cheeks and into her jeans.“I don’t think,” I said, my voice sullen, “I don’t think that Thomas and I are ever going to be a proper couple again!”“What are y
(Thomas)I could not understand what I had done to make Lydia so upset. I had noticed her withdrawing a little from me during dinner last night but I had not been able to pin-point what the exact reason for that was. I had thought that we would have a really good time. I had reserved the entire restaurant for the two of us because I wanted to be alone with her and spend some quality time together. But things haven't worked out that way. During dinner, I felt her clam herself up.I understood her concern about the distrust that she felt because of the rift that had been created in our relationship. I felt guilty for wedging this divide between us. But I was trying to push it away; I was trying to make it go away. Why were none of my attempts successful?And then, she would not pick up any of my calls either. I had driven over to her house. I had tried to fix things. But, Ruby and Jack had answered the door.“She’s too upset,” Ruby had said, “It would be best if you left her to herself
(Jack)I wondered if Thomas already knew everything that I had meant to tell him. If he did, I did not think that he should be driving right now. Because what I had uncovered yesterday was too horrifying to be shared under casual circumstances. I had been meaning to talk to Thomas about it, but he had been preoccupied first with his date with Lydia and then with the aftermath of it.I had not even, in fact, shared this information with Ruby yet. ***Matthew had had a very worried look on his face when he had sat down with me in the conference room yesterday.“Tobacco?” I had asked, extending my box.He had hesitated but then took one. With the cigarette shaking in his quivering gingers, Matthew had set his palms down on the table and then looked up at me. “It happened four years ago,” he said to me, “I had just graduated and was working as an engineer at an oil and gas organization. I understood a lot about automobiles and people frequently started coming up to me and asking for ad
(Thomas)“What are you talking about?!” I exclaimed when Jack had finished. My head was spinning. This was too much information for my brain to handle all at once.Axiom had been one of Lombardi’s core partners right from the very beginning.“They were father’s friends!” I yelled.Jack let out a deep sigh. “I know,” he said.“How do we know that this Matthew guy isn’t lying?” I said.***Greg and Matthew stood before Jack and I. I peered at them, eyes hard and narrow, a cigar dangling from my fingers.“Do either of you have any proof,” I said, “for anything that you’re saying?”Greg nodded. He put his hand in his inside coat pocket, extracted a small bottle and placed it on the table.“It’s poison,” he said to me, “I was told to give it to Mrs. Lombardi.”I banged a fist on the table, furious.“Don’t say my wife’s name!” I yelled.Jack stood up, put a hand on my shoulder, and said, “I’ll handle this.”“It’s Greg, is it?” he said, turning towards the small man in front of me.Greg nodd
(Ruby)“Come on, babies,” I said, strapping them into the backseat, “Let’s go and get some ice-cream!”. Mabel and Miles had caught a faint glimpse of Lydia’s teary eyes. Mama had pulled me to the side and said, “Take them outside while I take care of Lydia.”I had nodded and immediately grabbed the car keys.Lydia had been devastated since last night. She might not be able to forgive and forget all that had happened with Thomas but that did not mean that she did not love him, nor did it mean that she did not want to be with him.But for the twins to witness this much drama and chaos would be absolutely terrible for them.I put on some nursery rhymes in the car.“The wheels on the bus go round and round!” Mabel and Miles sang along as they clapped.“Aunt Ruby?” Mabel called out to me.“Yes, dearest?” I asked with a bright smile.“Why does Uncle Thomas not tell Mommy that he loves her?” she said.“Yeah, please tell Uncle Thomas to tell Mommy,” Miles said, “Because if he don’t say it, Mo