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MIA
SIX MONTHS AGO …
I lovespringtime in New York. Everything about it makes me happy.
I catch a glimpse of the blooming flowers surrounding Central Park as I wave goodbye to my friends as we leave hot yoga.
Spring always puts me in a better mood. Maybe it’s the sunshine, or the way summer peeks just around the corner, promising new things on the horizon. I don’t know, but there’s just something about seeing the explosion of color around the city that puts a smile on my face.
There’s a chill in the air, so I pull on my lightweight hoodie and head to Café La to meet my sister, Rayne.
We haven’t been able to catch up that often, since the advertising firm I work at has been crazy. Rayne fears I may be running myself into the ground, and she’s probably right. She’s worked for Christie’s for years and is kind of a big deal in the auction world. Personally, I don’t know how she stands up there in front of hundreds of people presenting items up for bid worth millions of dollars. But I have to hand it to her, she never blunders. She’s a true professional. I’m sure if it were me, I’d be a blubbering mess.
Rayne has looked out for me ever since we were little. Our parents died in a car accident when I was young, while driving me to my choir concert.
They died when a drunk driver crossed the center line and hit us head on. I was in the back seat but survived with minor cuts and bruises. None of the doctors knew how I lived; they said it was a miracle.
I owe a lot to my big sister. I am able to tell her anything and everything, not just because we are sisters, but because she’s my best friend.
After our parents died, we went to live with our aunt, only the environment wasn’t the most pleasant. In fact, it felt like we were a major inconvenience. As soon as Rayne was able to, she gained custody of me and worked two jobs so we could stay together. We’ve been on our own ever since, only having each other to turn to and rely on.
I’m excited to see her today as I haven’t seen her for over a week, and that’s a long time for us.
As I walk up to the café, I see her standing outside waiting for me.
We are pretty similar in appearance. Neither of us is really tall, and we both have the same green eyes. Where we differ, though, is that she has long, golden hair, and I have dark hair with blunt cut bangs.
“Rayne!” I holler out as I get close. She turns her head, and a huge smile spreads across her face.
“Sis!” She opens her arms, and we hug each other like we haven’t seen each other in months or years.
“You look good,” I say, stepping back to look at her. “How are things?”
By that, I mean her divorce.
She smiles, but it doesn’t touch her eyes. “The same, nothing exciting. What about you?”
I shrug, looking down at my yoga gear. “I was with Ashley and Caroline. I had to get a session in before I forgot how to do a downward dog. It's been a crazy week.”
“Let’s get a table, and you can tell me all about it.”
“Let me get a selfie first,” I say with a girlish giggle, pulling my phone out of my pocket as I grab a shot of us outside the ‘Café La’ sign.
We both order Cobb salads and some potato skins along with sparkling water.
I can see under Rayne’s smile that she looks tired. She peers over her glass at me while we wait for our food.
“So, what’s happening at work?” she asks.
“Same old, same old.” I shrug. I work as a marketing assistant for the hottest advertising firm in New York. “You know what it’s like, it never stops. More importantly, have you settled the divorce yet?”
Rayne was married to her college sweetheart, Dane, and they had married right after graduation. He was her first love, except he turned out to be an asshole. Freeloading off her because he was too lazy to work. She left him when he started getting abusive and filed assault charges.
“Well, I’m not withdrawing the restraining order, what can I say?” She shows no real signs that this is all causing her stress, but I know better.
She has an apartment on the upper east side which is being sold, and most of the money and possessions are hers. Still, he’s being a real dick about things with alimony. She fears it may drag on for the rest of the year.
“You haven’t seen him have you?” I ask suddenly.
