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“Ms. Doyle, I understand how things with Mr. Preston seem now, but I assure you, this was...”
“Dorothy, please get out of the way,” I began, glaring at her, even though I knew that none of this was her fault.
She looked around and then back at me, “Maria, I understand that you’re upset, and rightfully so. But please… For my sake if anything, juststay, and maybe we can talk this out, figure out a way to fix things, to move forward.”
I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards me, then shoved her aside and out of my way. “If you stand in my way again—I don’t care what we had in the past—I will make you regret it.”
She rubbed her arm and seemed to understand, standing firmly out of the way as I got to the doors. I pushed through them and stepped back out into the city on my own.
The lights all around, the sound of traffic moving ahead, the low hum of electricity… I felt a wave of relief rush over me as I finally stepped out.Freedom, or something of the sort. I looked around and realized just how far away from home I was. I had taken a taxi here, and there was no way I could walk back home on my own.
But I had no money on me, and I certainly could not get back upstairs to get my purse. I looked around the busy street for a moment, seeing other pedestrians walking by. Walking seemed to be my only option, but it was late in the day, and I certainly was not looking to amble through several parts of town on my own at night. A taxi pulled up in front of me and the driver rolled down his window before turning his head to the side, looking right at me.
“Are you Maria Doyle?” The driver asked.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“What do I look like? A cab driver,” the man replied. “I just got a call from Dorothy, said I should take you wherever you wanna go, so hop on in. I ain’t got all day.”
I turned around and looked through the glass door to see Dorothy nod her head at me. The look on her face hurt me, and I realized that even when I had treated her badly, she had still looked out for me, just as she had always done. I would find a way to apologize, but that was a problem for later. For now I had to get away from the building, and away from Angelo.
I got into the cab and gave the address for my home, and the driver took off, taking the same route that I had gone through on my way to the penthouse. We drove past Merriweather hospital, and I looked at the building. It felt like gazing into the past, like it was an entire lifetime ago. It was late, and most of the staff that I knew would have gone home for the night, and there would be a few from the night shift. I looked at the lot and noticed Vanessa’s car was still in the lot.
Hopefully, karma had made its way around to her and she would be paying for all the troubles she caused me while I still worked there. My heart sank as I realized the truth: I had lost my job there, and the man behind it was the same one I had just walked out on. If I was going to survive away from Angelo, I needed the job back, or any job. I felt the tears again as I realized that I would have to go back and beg for my job. Return to hell and hope the devil had had a change of heart in my time away.
I hated him. I hated Angelo for ripping my life out by its roots and doing with it as he pleased. He had taken everything from me, and now I had nothing. I would have to work twice as hard to get everything back.
The taxi approached my house and came to a stop just outside of it. I thanked the driver and jumped out of the cab, rushing inside, and heading up the stairs. I noticed a few other people staring at me as I ran, but they were not important in that moment. I had to see my mother, and I was hoping that she had returned from the hospital.
I slammed against the door, knocking quickly as I tried to get her to respond. I knew she would be asleep, and so I knocked as hard as I could to wake her. Surprisingly, I heard the lock turn a few seconds later, and a man peered from behind the keyhole at me. I stared for a second, not knowing who he was. I looked past him into the house, and it was a lot different from what I remembered.
“Sorry, who are you?” The man asked, looking worried.
“I’m Maria, Candice’s daughter. I live here,” I replied.
The man shut the door, removed the stopper and then opened the door entirely. “Well, I knew about the old woman who lived here, but she moved away. I don’t know where. When I came by to buy the place, I saw a moving van and by the next day, she was gone.”
“Do you have any idea where she was taken?” I asked, my heart beginning to beat faster as I realized that this was what Angelo had meant when he said he was “taking care” of my mom. Where had he taken her now?
“No idea. Though, the woman in charge of moving was talking to the landlord, so maybe you can ask him what they discussed. But as for me, I got nothing for you.”
“Thank you,” I replied, then I remembered that the landlord did not live in the same building, and I did not have my phone to call him, I did not have my phone to call anyone. I looked at the man who I had just entered his home, “Sir, I know this is odd, but would you mind if I called him on our phone?”
“Sure,” he replied, pulling out his smartphone.
I dialed quickly, then put the phone against my ear and realized that the call had gone to voicemail. I swore, shaking my head. I knew no other numbers off by heart, and so there was no one else I could call. Then it hit me: Johnny. He basically lived on the same street, and he had my mother’s number in case he needed to reach me. He would be able to give me some answers to the questions I had, or, at the very least, could help me on my way.
“I couldn’t reach him, but I will be back tomorrow. If he calls, tell him it was the woman who used to live here. My name is Maria. Just tell him I came here, okay?”
“Yeah, I will but uh... Are you sure you’re okay?” The man asked, looking at me strangely.
I smiled at him weakly. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied.
I was a wreck. I had no idea where my mother was, and somehow, in my delusion, I had been fool enough to trust Angelo to handle it. What sort of a person was I becoming? To put the life of my sick mother in the hands of a stranger, just because of sex and a lavish lifestyle? I was more than selfish. I was beyond terrible.
Heading out of the house, I saw that the cab was gone, and the roads had become a lot lonelier. But Johnny’s place was just at the end of the block, and as long as I walked quickly, I would be fine. I kept my head down and hurried through the streets, not bothering to make eye contact with anyone. Walking there again felt so foreign, as I had not done it in so long, or maybe I had started to think I never would again. I had grown too accustomed to the lifestyle that Angelo forced me into.
I had no idea why I had gone along with this insanity for so long. I could have ended it; I could have gotten out of my own head and faced the truth. Angelo and I were not meant to be. We led incredibly different lives, and what he wanted from a woman was simply not what I could offer. I hated that he had made me think I meant something to him, but I hated myself more for choosing to believe the lie, for letting myself be caught up in him. Angelo was a horrible person, but I was even worse for believing him.
