1 Unsettled Emotions

Sarah Stone was a compelling and successful woman. She was an event planner and had built her company from scratch. Her chest swelled with pride when she remembered her parents and siblings beaming at her when she established her business and opened her office in downtown Manhattan. She was sitting on her leather couch contemplating what to do as a storm brewed outside and rain started splattering her windows. She didn’t want to miss a day of work but rain had made her pause in planning her day. She picked up her phone, thinking of calling her best friend Hannah when it started ringing. It was her boyfriend, Eric. Annoyance flashed on her face for a moment before she smoothed her expressions and pressed OK. “Hey, darling! What are you doing?” Eric asked her in a neutral tone. He had a way of asking questions without sounding too interested in the answer, but she knew better. He always wanted to know where she was and who she was with and it had started bothering her more than she wanted to admit. Checking up on someone was one thing but keeping tabs on them at all times was a bit too much and Sarah was beginning to feel frustrated. “I am at home, Eric. How's work?” She asked casually, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She loved Eric; they had been together for two years, and she didn’t want him to get hurt. “At home?! What are you still doing at home? I mean, don’t you have business at the office?” He answered quickly, ignoring her question altogether. “Of course, I have work to do but it started raining heavily and I didn’t feel like driving in the rain. I am waiting for it to stop. Meanwhile, I can work from my laptop too. Anyway, I have to go; I have a meeting in a few minutes,” She replied, exasperated, an edge in her tone that Eric sensed immediately. “Oh alright honey, I’ll let you go. See you tonight?” he replied a little sheepishly, knowing that he’d irritated her. “I’ll call you in the evening Eric. I have to prepare for the event that’s coming up next week, and I won't be good company tonight. Let’s take a rain check on dinner?” She told him curtly. “OK. Talk to you later then. Love you, Bye.” He mumbled. She cut the call and instantly, guilt consumed her. She hadn’t meant to be so dismissive and lie to him about a meeting, but Eric had been getting on her nerves lately. Every time she was traveling for work or had to have back-to-back meetings with clients, he would start interrogating her like she was up on a stand for some suspicious behavior. Feelings of unease swirled in the pit of her stomach, and pain throbbed at her temples. Great! It's not even nine yet, and I have the beginnings of a headache already. She thought to herself. She contemplated making breakfast for herself but settled on coffee and took it to her office. She had recently moved into her three-bedroom penthouse with huge windows and panoramic views of the bustling New York City. All her life, she had wanted to make it big in this city. Being successful and doing well for yourself had been a mantra for her in college. She had been a good student and daughter and had done her best to make her family proud. Meeting Eric at a posh restaurant and falling in love wasn’t in her plan but it just happened. He was good-looking and a prosperous banker. It was effortless to fall for him, but now she was beginning to feel like she had rushed into this relationship without thinking it through. His charm had completely disarmed her, and it still made her heart beat faster to see him smile. After answering a few emails and reviewing the project details with her secretary she remembered to call her mom. It was her younger brother’s birthday tomorrow, and their mother had planned a party for him. It rang a few times before her mom answered. “Hello? Sarah, I am glad you finally had the time to call dear.” She said breathlessly. Sarah cringed inwardly at her mother’s words. She had been meaning to call but couldn’t take the time out of her busy schedule. “I am sorry Mom, I wanted to call before but you know with the new event coming up, I have been swamped. So, how’s the party coming along? Do you want any help?” Sarah asked smoothly. “I understand dear. I still have a lot to do, but hopefully, everything will fall into place on time, and Michael will love it.” Mrs. Stone responded with a sigh. Sarah rolled her eyes. Their mom had a tendency to overdo everything, even the simplest of things like arranging a birthday party, but this is precisely what inspired her to become an event planner. A childhood full of colors and games, party streamers and balloons, cakes and dancing for the tiniest achievement felt like living in a Disney movie. She had loved every minute of it. It also meant a crazed, wide-eyed mom who was organizing and re-organizing everything until it was perfect. Sarah smiled at the memories, “Well, I would happily offer you my services if it makes you feel a little better, but I know you won’t accept, so--” She trailed off, knowing her mother’s answer before she said anything. “Oh dear! It's just that I have already made quite a headway and it won’t be practical to make any changes now if you don’t like them.” Mrs. Stone sputtered, cutting Sarah off. She didn’t like people interfering with her plans, and Sarah could feel her discomfort over the phone, too. “Relax Mom, I was just asking. I am sure you’ll do great. How’s Dad? I can’t wait to meet Michelle and Michael tomorrow.” They chatted for a while, and then Sarah said Goodbye. She had wanted to talk to Hannah about Eric and his developing possessiveness, but an email caught her eye, and before she knew it, it was lunchtime and her stomach was growling. She went into the kitchen to rummage through her fridge and found it nearly empty. Time to go food shopping Sarah. She told herself and pulled her coat over to stop against the October chill. It had stopped raining some time ago, and the sun was up, casting everything in a subtle brightness that was pleasant. The smell of fresh mud from the rain hit her as she stepped out and Sarah smiled, all her annoyance washing away. Paying at the till, she realized that she would have to grab something to eat before going back home as she had no energy to cook at the moment so she went into a deli around the corner and ordered herself a pumpkin soup with garlic bread and feta. As she ate, she analyzed her relationships and promptly felt terrible. She shouldn’t have hung up on Eric the way she did. He was her boyfriend. He was just kind and caring to the point where it became annoying for her because she was fiercely independent. Her siblings, Michael and Michelle, were twins, eight years younger than her and still in high school. Her dad was a retired clerk, and her mom was an art teacher. She had never had anyone question her whereabouts and keep a check on her, and it was suffocating. But maybe there was a miscommunication somewhere, and she wanted this relationship to work, so she would call Eric over tonight and discuss her feelings in detail. Having decided the course of action, Sarah felt a bit better and drove back home in a happy vibe. However, as soon as she exited her car, she saw someone standing by her apartment building waiting for her. Her heart missed a beat as the person turned around, and she saw tears running down her face. She had dirt all over her clothes and a cut on her lip, bleeding onto her chin. Sarah’s hand flew up to her chest to stop the erratic beating of her heart. She stared at her friend for a moment before crying out. “Hannah? What’s wrong? What happened?”