One day I would love for him to be rattled a little and turn up missing something. We would never let him live it down! As serious as we all are about the business at the end of the day there was still the family ribbing that happened.
I hoped that never changes.
I looked at the eviction notice in my hand for Apartment fifteen and the name of the tenant read ‘Emily Jacobs’. She was the only person on the lease, which made me nervous. She was a single mother with children and I was about to evict them and put them out on the street. I would take plenty of punches from Mr. Espizido rather than go down and knock on Apartment fifteens door. I stood looking up at the sky for a moment, getting ready in my head what I was going to say before I headed down the path. Luckily, it was during school time, so at least the kids wouldn’t be home while I delivered the sad news. It would give their Mom time to get over the shock and upset before it was time to get them from school. I had only seen two kids, but I wasn’t sure if there were any others.
Digging deep and breathing in a big breath, I started down the path to the door and up the three concrete steps to the front porch where the two little sunshine faces had stood yesterday and made me smile.
As I raised my fist to the door, I hesitated, and my stomach clenched tight. I can do this, it is not anything personal and I will make sure she finds somewhere else to lease. I would never see a woman and her children on the streets or not safe. No one in the family would let that happen, ever. We took pride in our values, both in business and life. Looking after those less fortunate was one of them.
Okay. Man up, Zach, and get this over with.
I knocked three times and could hear a small amount of noise coming from the apartment, possibly from a television. Someone was home, so at least I could get this over and done with. I heard little footsteps running away from the door and a voice calling out to his Mom that there was someone at the door. I stood patiently waiting as I heard more footsteps, heavier this time. They were getting closer, which made my heart speed up with the anticipation of the door opening. I heard a sweet voice near the door telling the little boy to go back to the lounge room and keep an eye on his sister. No such luck to time it with no kids, but no backing out now. I could hear my heart beating in my ears, it was pounding that loud. The door opened, and my heart just stopped, and all my words frozen. Looking up at me was the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. They were soft and a gorgeous blue color that was like the sky on a summer’s day. When I looked deep into her eyes, though, I could see a sad soul. One who had lived a hard path. I stepped back because it took me by surprise. I wasn’t like that. I was never one to be caught off-guard like this. I pulled myself together long enough to introduce myself, as Emily looked up at me, wondering who I was and what I wanted.
“Hello, Ms. Jacobs. My name is Zach Stevenson, from Stevenson Developments and Constructions. We are the owners of this building. I am sorry to say I am not here with good news today. We are in the process of handing out eviction notices because the buildings are going to be demolished. A new apartment complex is going to be built in its place.” I stopped to take a breath because I knew I had been talking too fast, trying to get it all out and over and done with. I was going to crush the world of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. My life totally sucked right now, and I couldn’t do a thing to fix it. I looked back up from my feet, not realizing I had looked at the ground the whole way through my speech.
When I reached Emily’s face and looked back in her eyes, I knew I had taken a knife and stabbed it straight through her heart. It was bleeding all over the ground and the pain was killing her. Emily hadn’t said a word, but she didn’t need to. Her face told me everything I needed to know. I had just pulled her world out under her and she was free falling with nobody to catch her.
For the first time in my life I had that uncontrollable feeling of wanting to be the person to catch her when she was falling, take away her pain and make her safe. It was crazy as I had seen her for just under five minutes, but already I knew I couldn’t let her go. Life was about to get complicated, I knew it and there wasn’t a damn thing I would be able to do to stop it. But did I even want to stop it? That would be the question I couldn’t even begin to think about.
She hadn’t said anything and was just standing there staring at me. I could see the tears building in her eyes.
“Don’t worry though, Ms. Jacobs. We have given you plenty of time to find another apartment and I’ve included my phone number on the papers. If you have any trouble finding another place, I can step in and try to help relocate you.” Still, I was met with silence. I could see she was trying hard to keep her emotions under control before she opened her mouth to speak.
“I don’t know what to say,” Emily replied quietly, almost whispering. “I just don’t know what I am going to do.” The tears slid down her face. She looked like one of those little porcelain dolls with the painted tear drops on their cheeks. Her tears were quiet but making a constant trail down her face. She held her breath to keep the flood gates from opening up. Just as I was about to speak again, we heard a little boy yelling for his Mom.
Emily
I just stood there, frozen.
I couldn’t breathe, talk, move or even function. What the hell had I done in another life? What could I have possibly done that was so bad that I deserved this to happen to me and to my children? Suddenly, Sammy’s voice broke through my stunned silence and snapped me into action.
“Mommy, Soph is being sick everywhere! Come quickly, please, we need you.” Could this day be getting any worse, is it even possible? Nothing could possibly beat what had already happened and it wasn’t even past two o’clock yet.
“Shit!” I screamed. I turned and ran for the lounge room to find Sammy holding a bucket while Soph leaned into it, bringing up her lunch. I took over from Sammy, who looked upset. He starts rubbing Sophia’s back, just as he had seen me do many times to sooth her. I just can’t help it. In my head I am screaming as loud as I can. I am screaming, hitting walls, kicking toys and anything else I can think of to help me hold it together.
As I get Sophia settled and clean up her face with the washer, then wipe the bit up that got on the floor. I look up into the eyes of the man who just crushed me in a few simple sentences and one piece of paper. He looked down on me and the sight before him. I am sure all he saw was a mess of a life and felt pity for us. I could see his mouth moving but didn’t register what he was saying.
“Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said,” I mumbled, feeling very embarrassed at the whole situation.
“Is there anything I can do to help you, Emily. Please let me do something to help. You have had a big shock and look like you are already having a bad day.” His eyes never left me the whole time he was talking.
As he started to kneel towards myself and the kids he held out his hand. That simple statement about my day and the gesture of an offering to help broke the dam. I just couldn’t hold it together anymore.
I collapsed towards him.
I started to sob uncontrollably and fell against his shoulder. I didn’t even know this man, but something about his eyes told me not to fear him. I couldn’t control myself right at this time, anyway, and it all just came out.