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She still did not understand what was happening. Of all the reasons Roger could have trumped up to get rid of her, she hadn’t expected something as nefarious as this.
“Yes Raina,” Roger said in a mocking sing-song tone. “Posing as a supplier and diverting money from the Del Mar to your off shore accounts. Your scam has been discovered. Get the hell out of here! You have five minutes to clear out your things.”
Kelly stared at her, mouth ajar.
“I didn’t do it!” Raina said to her friend. She begged Kelly to believe her.
“I know, Raina.” Kelly said her voice miserable. Her head hung low, avoiding looking at Roger.
“Do you want me to get security? Move your fat ass now. And don’t let me catch you within 500 feet of the Del Mar ever again.” Roger threatened.
Raina scrambled to her feet and then took her time straightening her skirt. She knew it would give Roger great pleasure to have her hauled out by the security in front of her staff.
It hurt.
She knew his cruel pettiness did not reflect on who she was as a person or impeach her integrity, but her heart sank at the stories she knew he would tell about her.
She walked out of Kelly’s office with as much dignity as she could muster. To her chagrin, members of staff hovered around the hallway. Damn, Roger! He had no doubt ensured that her exit would be as humiliating as possible by calling the staff to witness her departure.
She smiled bravely and blinked away the tears. The staff watched her in ominous silence, their faces grave. Many of them avoided her eyes. What must they be thinking? She wondered. Raina hoped they would know her well enough to figure out the truth. She went into her office, picked up her handbag and a couple of photos from her desk and walked out. She didn’t give a damn about any of the rest of it.
She began the long walk of shame down the hallway where the staff was still lined up.
“We’ll miss you Raina!” someone called out.
“We know it’s not true!” another said.
“You’re the best, girl! Don’t let ‘em get you down!”
“No one can replace you, Raina!”
The voices were clamoring in unison, growing ever louder.
She turned, and looked at them, the tears that had been threatening to fall chose that moment to spill over her cheeks. She smiled back at them and waved. “I love all of you too.” she said simply, her hands over her heart. She blew them a kiss.
The more than twenty staff members started to clap slowly, then faster and louder, until it became a crescendo. Her eyes landed on Roger who was standing at the end of the hallway with a self-satisfied grin on his face. She felt a smidgen of glee as she watched his face start to crumble as the staff continued to shout praise at her.
“That’s enough! Get back to work or you’ll all be fired,” he snarled at them.
She felt nothing but contempt for him. The silver lining was that she would never have to lay her eyes on his grotesque face again. He was an evil man.
In the car, Raina’s control broke. She cried and hugged the steering wheel. After all the years at Del Mar, it hurt to leave under a cloud of shame. Where was Christopher when she needed him? When the tears subsided, Raina started her car and drove home. She was glad it would be hours before the children got home from school.
In the hallway, a letter had been dropped from the mailbox. She took it with her to the kitchen. She smiled sadly. It was from the hospital. She now owed them nothing. It was odd to have so much money in her account, yet she felt as though pieces of her had broken away.
She had identified herself with her job for so long. It would take getting used to not going to work in the morning. As for Christopher, it was time she faced reality. He was not coming back and the sooner she got that into her brain, the better it would be for her. Raina made herself a scalding cup of coffee and sat in the kitchen sipping it.
It was time to go into survival mode. Since she had received the check, Raina had idly gone through properties for sale in the paper and circled those that interested her.
But now? Now it was time to think seriously about her future. It was a future that didn’t include Christopher Smith.
The following morning, after the children had gone to school, Raina left the house, walking towards her car with a renewed sense of purpose.
She’d let herself have a good cry the night before. One of those times when you find yourself crying for everything and nothing all at once. She cried for her sister and brother-in-law, for her nieces and nephews, for losing the Del
Mar, for being wrongly accused … but most of all she cried for Christopher. She cried for believing that a fairy tale might come true for her for once, for thinking “happily ever after” was going to be in her cards.
But after her good cry, she had wiped her face and gotten down to business.
