Elisabeth

Lisa walked out of the office a completely tired and confused woman. She'd felt skeptical about starting the day when she'd gotten out of bed that morning; she didn’t know why, but there had been a gloomy fog hovering over her when she got out of bed. But she'd checked her horoscope for the day and it had promised her positivity and bliss, so she waved the emotions aside. Now she knew why she'd sensed doom that morning. She doubled her pace when she got to the parking lot of the firm where she worked, put her files in the basket attached to the front of her electric scooter, and sealed the basket to prevent the wind from blowing her files out into the street.

She started the scooter and began her journey home. She prayed earnestly that the scooter would not break down on the way home even though she'd insisted on riding it to work that morning despite prior warnings from her mechanic, who had not yet finished working on it. As she drove on, her boss's words rang in her head: “I know you’ve been a hard-working and dedicated employee, but evidence suggests that you’ve been selling company secrets to contractors and criminals for your own personal gain. Three fraudulent organizations are now posing as us, and the evidence points to you as culprit…I’m sorry, Ms. Elisabeth, but we’ll have to let you go until the investigation is complete and you’ve been cleared of these accusations. Please do not attempt to travel or…” his voice faded in her head as she approached the roadside diner and brought her scooter to a stop.

Her boss, Mr. Romero, was a broad, antisocial man of Cornish descent. She'd worked with him for ten years, and that speech had been the most words she'd heard him speak at one time. He barely responded when anyone greeted him or informed him of new developments; everyone just spoke to him and kept it moving because they knew he'd heard and that was the most important thing. He gave feedback only when necessary, but Lisa regarded him as a nice man because he was soft spoken and respectful to everyone, even if his face lacked a smile most of the time. He was easy going and never abused his position in the company. When he had informed Lisa of her suspension, she'd felt numb. She had listened to all Mr. Romero had to say and had signed all the papers as required by the investigating officers without even reading them because she had been so shocked by the accusation. She had then been forced to leave with only her personal belongings and documents. Her office had been locked, and the key had been taken from her. She hadn't yet come to terms with the recent developments, and she was trying very hard to ignore them.

“Hey Lisa!” a husky male voice called to her excitedly as she stepped into the diner.

“Antonio,” she replied reluctantly, her voice barely a whisper.

“What’s wrong? You look terrible.” He pouted as he spoke to her with his typical gusto.

“Biscuits, gravy, and a milkshake please,” she requested politely, ignoring his question as she took her seat.

“Coming up,” he replied with a smile.

As she sat there patiently waiting for Antonio to get her meal, fear enveloped her body and dove straight into her soul. She felt her mind enter a dark and hollow cave. It was a fear she was used to. One that had made her body and soul its home. She'd made it a habit to stop at the diner every day on her way home from work so she could fight her fear before returning home. Her fingers trembled beneath the table, and she felt her thighs become warm and wet as sweat began to form in her pores. Her breaths became deep and slow, her shoulders hunched, and tears welled up in her large grey eyes.