Other Man-9

9.

Ruth was jolted awake by a whispered plea to rise from her bed. Her cousin Rose was already asleep, exhausted from a day of job hunting. Despite Ruth’s weariness, she couldn’t find solace in sleep. Worry and thoughts overwhelmed her, making drowsiness elusive. Slipping on her slippers, she walked to the door.

“Ruth…”

She turned to her cousin, who was wide awake and concerned.

“I’m just going out for a bit, Ate Rose. I need some coffee.”

“Coffee won’t help you sleep. Have warm milk; there’s some in the jar.”

Ruth nodded, “Okay, sorry for waking you up.”

“Don’t worry. We’re all worried about you. Mom keeps asking about you. She’s afraid you might do something drastic.”

She scoffed, “Tiya Mening is exaggerating. I’m not thinking about that.”

“Well, we don’t know. When a person is depressed, rational thinking goes out the window. Depression is a formidable foe, Ruth Mirabelle.”

Her older cousin's words made her frown. She had mentioned her full name, including “Mira