Chapter 6—Ruth’s Surprise

I woke up the next day late in the morning, it was almost noon. Looking around my room, I sat up in bed to find that Rory was gone. I wiped the sleepiness from my eyes and noticed a note was laying on my nightstand. It was from Rory:

My Love, I made sure that you would be safe, staying with you until the sun came up. But it is important that I hide this locket and find out everything that Asher knows. I must protect you.

Unfortunately, this may mean that I will be gone for a few days. I promise to explain everything when I return, my love.

Love, Rory His handwriting was sloppy, most likely because he wrote it in a hurry; some of the words were difficult to read. I let out a loud sigh of aggravation because I did not want him to go anywhere without me, and he knew that. I wanted to go with him as well as explain to me what was going on. There’s nothing I want more than to be with him right now. Maybe one of the reasons Rory felt compelled to leave without me was because of the way I freaked out last night when he told me that Silas was searching for me to use me.

After a few minutes of contemplation, I decided to get out of bed and take a shower. When I started to walk to the bathroom, I couldn’t help but notice how quiet the house was. My mother should have been at work, so the silence wouldn’t have been unusual, but something irked me about this silence. I started to search the house and found that my mother was at home. She was still lying in bed, most likely asleep and possibly depressed. My father must not have returned home last night.

I can imagine that my mother felt helpless because my brother left and now my father. She believes that he is not going to return, that he will just disappear as Andrew did, and she feels that it is only a matter of time before I leave as well. This made me feel guilty because it is true. I do not want to stay here alone with her, especially without others to diffuse her emotional rampages.

Slowly, I closed her bedroom door, so I didn’t disturb her. Since she wouldn’t allow anyone to help her, it’s better for me to stay scarce around here for a while so she did not take her emotions out on me.

I walked slowly to the bathroom to take a shower. The warm water felt really good on my skin. The steaming water seemed to melt my problems and thoughts away.

While I was in the bathroom, my mother had woken up and was in the kitchen, making herself something to eat. I ran to my room quickly before my mom could notice me. As I got dressed and brushed my hair, my stomach started growling. The smell of food made me realize I was hungry, but I really did not want to be in the same room as my mom. Thinking like this made me feel bad but I cannot help the way I feel.

Staying in my room, I skipped eating breakfast and lunch while I waited for Ruth to come over, hopefully with some food, or Rory to find a way to reach me. A part of me also hoped that my father would show up so I could stop sneaking around my mother and feed myself. I missed the days when I hid food and snacks in my room to avoid encountering unpleasant conversations with my parents. This had become a habit of mine when I was younger as I would try not to hear what they were thinking all the time.

I sat in my room for four hours watching television. My stomach started to growl more furiously at every passing minute. Suddenly, I noticed my mother leaving in her car, probably on her way to the grocery store or to buy herself something to eat at a fast-food joint. Thank God! I thought as I threw my blanket off me, jumped to my feet, and ran to the kitchen.

After I finished eating some chicken nuggets, there was a knock at the front door. I looked through the peephole and saw Ruth standing outside, visibly happy about something. Opening the door, she rushed inside without any greetings and started talking excitedly.

“Oh, Sarai, you will never guess what happened to me last night! After you left, I started walking home alone and guess who I bumped into! Asher!” My heart skipped at the mention of his name. “He told me that he was back in town for good this time and that he wanted to pick up where we left off…Don’t give me that look!” she said sternly to me as I looked warily at her. “I was skeptical about it too, but he was very sincere. I asked him where he had gone, and of course, he wouldn’t say, but I turned to him, looked him in the eye, and said, ‘If you cannot tell me something as simple as where you have been for the past three years, then how do you expect us to be in a relationship? I’m not dealing with secrets and lies from you anymore, and I’m certainly NOT keeping them from Sarai either! She is my best friend. Why I even agreed to it in the first place is beyond me!’

“He looked to be perplexed at first which turned into slightly upset. Then, after a minute or so, he told me that he wouldn’t keep any more secrets from me, nor would he request that I keep us a secret from you. After that, I questioned where he had been again, and he actually gave me an answer! Asher said that his parents were getting a divorce and they decided to tell him on the day of graduation. His father was moving to Florida and his mother was leaving for California, which put him in a difficult position because he couldn’t stay here with me with no money to survive on. He thought it rational that the only thing he could do was break up with me because he didn’t want to string me along in case he never returned.”

Ruth continued, without allowing me a chance to cut in, “First, he lived with his father in Florida, finding odd jobs here and there until one day he and his father had a falling out. Then he left to live with his mother in California where he found himself a good enough job to save some money to live here until he could find a job to support himself here! Asher told me that he could not stand not being around me or not knowing that I was all right.” Ruth beamed with excitement as she remembered this statement. “We walked to my house but, I figured we could just wander around for a while before going home. I was mostly hoping that he would share more information with me by doing this.

“At first, it was just quiet, an awkward silence that made me so nervous, I had to say something, so I told him that after we broke up, I told Sarai—you—that we dated in high school, and we broke up on graduation day. He looked surprised by my comment but didn’t say anything to my statement for the next four blocks.

“That’s when he grabbed me by the arm—oh Sarai! I thought my heart was going to burst from my chest from his touch!—and he asked me in a grave tone, ‘Did you tell her anything else?’

“I figured he may have been talking about intimate encounters, or maybe the fact that I told you he was telepathic, so I told him no because I really didn’t say anything to you until yesterday. I wouldn’t be lying if he was speaking of our intimate exchanges.”

I slammed my head on the table, feeling my head grow hot from embarrassment, and let out a groan. “Ahh…I wish I could forget that I had ever seen that!”

Ruth just giggled and certainly did not seem bashful about it whatsoever. “After that, he told me all about his life from when he was little to growing up and moving around all the time, from place to place. Asher blames the constant moving around all the time as the reason why he is socially awkward since he was always the new kid at school, there was no reason to make friends because his family would just up and leave again. He said that in high school, that was the first time he had actually stayed somewhere long enough to make friends. We started to get into less serious conversations which then lead to us discussing stupid stuff. Then out of the blue, he grabbed my hand, which I had half a mind to pull away, but I just allowed him to. I know I shouldn’t have but men know how to break through a woman’s wall!”

“I didn’t say anything, Ruth,” I replied with a smile, trying to be happy for my friend but also remembering everything Rory had told me.

“Soon after, it started to feel like old times; we were laughing, popping off jokes, and just…happy. But there was still a fracture in my heart, which made this special moment hurt me and filled my heart full of guilt. I stopped talking by this point and the laughter I felt before, disappeared. I decided to sit down on a bus bench to rest my legs and maybe get rid of some of the hurt I started to feel. Before I could begin, Asher sat down beside me and noticed a few tears fell down my cheeks.

“He asked me what was wrong, pulling me towards him to hug me. He faced my body towards him, but I tried to keep my face hidden away from his. As I tried to hide my face, he slowly grabbed my chin with his fingers and moved my face upward until our gazes met. ‘Ruth, baby, tell me what is wrong.’ His eyes had softened, and I noticed a glint of guilt behind them. I could tell that he knew exactly what the problem was.

“'I’m just afraid to let you in again…I’m afraid that if I do, then you will just leave without any explanation once more…I cannot go through that pain again, Asher. It would kill me.’ I confided, ‘Asher, I’m sorry but my heart is still broken from you…Even when I had planned to go out on dates with other guys, I backed out of them last minute or entirely stood the person up. My heart still hasn’t healed because that day you stole it. There is nothing in my chest now. And being with you right now makes it hurt worse, like the old wounds are opening up again.’ Of course, by this point, you know that I was ugly crying.” Ruth added for theatrics.

“But he didn’t say anything. He remained seated on the bus bench, looking as though he were a toddler being fussed at by his mommy. I remained silent and watched him, waiting for him to say something, waiting for him to say whatever it was that hung in the air. But he never said anything. Feeling defeated, I stood up and started to walk away. I took two steps when he unexpectedly grabbed my wrist lightly. I looked at him and saw tears filling his eyes.

“Then, he said, ‘Ruth, I am deeply sorry for the pain that I have caused you. The reason I left was that I thought there were no other options. I don’t like the thought of long-distance relationships…A lot of people go into one thinking that they can make it…but far fewer people are with the same person. I only left you because I didn’t want you to go through life without finding someone better than I. Like I told you before Ruth, I came back to be near you. I didn’t know if you found a boyfriend, had been married, or anything. I only came back to make sure that whoever you were with was treating you better than I ever could have. If you just do not want me, I want to at least be your friend to make sure that you are ok.’ His voice was genuine when he spoke. I couldn’t help but believe him Sarai! Every time I think of it, my heart begins to melt!” Ruth stopped talking for a minute as she stole a couple of my chicken nuggets.

I took this break in the conversation to say my piece on the situation. “Ruth, don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t want anything more in this world than to see you happy.” My statement was true, but I was worried about what Asher will do to her, and I found myself troubled by what Rory had told me. I was not sure whether or not I should even share anything that Rory told me regarding with Asher. I was not even sure if mentioning Rory at all would be a good idea since they were friends at one point in time. I wished Rory were here so I could have information or a strategy on how to deal with this situation. “But do you feel it is a good idea to date him again? Please do not misconstrue what I am saying because I have nothing against the guy, and I enjoy his company. I just want to make sure that you are safe. No one knows what could happen in the future. What if he just leaves again without giving you a valid explanation?”

She held my hand and gave it a squeeze, which made me disoriented for a minute. Ruth was thinking only of Asher: his face and a whole collaboration of words assaulted my mind, rendering me disoriented for a minute. Ruth dropped my hand quickly and smiled. “Sorry about that. I forgot I can’t touch you.” A giggle escaped her lips.

“You are very excited about things,” I said after coming to my senses. “Jeez, you gave me a headache,” I stated, getting up to find some medicine.

“I’m sorry…Oh, Sarai! I am in such good spirits! Asher is going to take me out on a date tonight!” she stated ecstatically as she finished the rest of my food. “I asked him to walk me home, and as we walked, I thought over everything that he had said. My thoughts were interrupted when he decided to speak, ‘Ruth, I am going to be undeniably honest with you from now on. I will not disappear without letting you know where I am going and why…I know I broke your heart, and it is something that I have regretted ever since the day I decided to do it. You are an amazing woman,’ he stopped to look me in the eye before continuing, ‘I love you. I will never love another the way I do you. That day, I thought I was saving you, doing something good for you, but now…Now I realize that I have only caused you pain and damaged any attempt of you ever finding true happiness. If you won’t take me back, I understand…I probably wouldn’t take me back either. But I am being completely honest with you right now. I will never leave nor hurt you like that again Ruth. I would be wary of it too. Trust me, I don’t blame you. But I love you, Ruth.’

“By the end of the conversation, I was so excited and filled with wonder, but I was also extremely nervous and scared. When we reached my house, we gazed into each other’s eyes for a few seconds before I finally worked up the courage to ask him to dinner with me. Asher looked shocked by my request, but I told him that for this to work, he cannot ask me to keep our life a secret from you and that we have to treat this relationship like a new one. It would be impossible for us to pick up where we left off three years ago.”

Ruth finished her recollection of the night before, so we left the kitchen and walked into my room, shutting the door behind us. She sat on my bed, and I joined her. “So, did you get any sleep last night?” she asked abruptly.

“Yeah…Why?” I asked a bit defensively.

Ruth stared at me inquisitively. She was eyeing me, knowing I was hiding something. “I was just wondering if you slept all right. No dreams with the shadow man?”

“Oh…No, I didn’t have any dreams with him in it.” I tried to sound normal, but I was sure Ruth could see right through it.

“Well, that’s great! So you must be well-rested…Would you like to come with me and Asher tonight?”

“No…that’s fine. You know I don’t want to be a third wheel and all.” I made up an excuse as quickly as I could. I couldn’t tell her anything about Rory or Asher if she was going out with him tonight.

“Sarai, now I know something is going on that you do not want to tell me. Just come out and say it,” she began defensively.

“How can you be so sure that I have anything to hide?”

“For one, I can tell something happened to you last night that you are cautious about and two, you never pass up an opportunity to not be at home.”

I let out a sigh as I struggled to find a way to explain everything that’s going on, but there really wasn’t any way to do so. “It’s something that I cannot talk about, especially if you are going to see Asher.”

“Why?” she asked in a hurtful tone.

“Because he is telepathic, and I cannot risk him finding out…Not at least until I understand what is going on exactly in my life now…”

“Well, then I will pretend this conversation never happened and never think of it again.”

“Ruth, you know as well as anyone that that doesn’t work. Anytime someone tells themselves they are not going to think of something, that’s all they think about. And besides that, you know that he can pick any information that he wants to from your head, even if it is a memory long forgotten…”

She didn’t respond. Ruth sat there immobilized for a few minutes, thinking. “I guess I should just reschedule our date then,” she finally stated, defeated.

“No! Ruth, you really want to go out with him, and I’m happy for you. I don’t want this weird thing going on with me to prevent you from seeing him. Please, go on your date and I will find some way of letting you know what is going me. You are very excited for this second chance and I’m not going to be the reason you let it pass by.”

“But you are my best friend…Something is going on here dealing with you and Asher. I will always choose you over him; no matter how I feel about him…I want to know what is happening with you. Asher can wait…”

I let out a sigh of relief, but I still felt extremely guilty for putting this on her. “If I tell you everything, I do not know if or when you could see Asher again. I cannot risk him knowing anything about what is going on because he is a part of it somehow.”

“If that’s the way it has to be then that’s the way it’s going to be.”

I didn’t respond because I was worried about what Rory would say to me about sharing stuff like this with Ruth.

“Sarai, you know I am in love with Asher, and if whatever you are going to tell me could jeopardize you or Asher, trust me, I will never utter another word to him. I will stay away from him if I have to.”

“But Ruth, that’s exactly what I do not want you to do! I know how you feel about him, and you have my blessing, truly. But I just…I just do not have enough information on what I can or cannot say that would keep us safe…” I paused to think of what I was saying before muttering, “See…he isn’t the person to fear…”

“Oh, Sarai, cut to the song already!” Ruth demanded through her aggravation.

I sat quietly for a minute or two contemplating if I should actually tell her everything or only some of what I was told or nothing at all. “Ok…” I finally agreed with a deep sigh, not quite sure where to begin. Soon, I told her everything Rory had told me about Silas and Asher. Then interjected that I think the reason why he would only talk to me when Ruth wasn’t around was that he knew she was associated with him in some way or another. Next, I told her that Rory was telepathic as well and had other abilities he had yet to show me, and this made me nervous because what if Asher had them too? Along with this, I told her that Rory and Asher were from the same place and once being best friends a long time ago. When I was done explaining that, I started telling her about the necklace Asher “found” for me and what Rory told me about it. After that, I shared the note he left me. “See, he has more to explain to me. That’s why I wanted to wait to tell you everything. He left this morning to get rid of the locket and find out what else Asher knows.”

When I finished my lengthy speech, Ruth only stared at me, awestruck. “Ok, Sarai, I’m not saying that I do not believe you, and I’m not saying that I do believe you. There is just too much information for me to process without something you can give me as proof.”

“But what about this letter? You know this isn’t my handwriting…” Ruth’s disbelief made it feel as though a red-hot dagger had been stabbed through my heart. I understood that all of this was too much to believe, hell, I would have the person who told me all of this committed. But Ruth never questioned anything I had to say before. Everything that has happened to me, especially my best friend’s skepticism was entirely foreign to me. I know that all of this sounds crazy, but she never doubted my crazy stories before, and just as I thought it she read my mind she said:

“I see that, Sarai…Everything that you have been through, I stuck by you, all throughout your life has been absolutely crazy…But this…This is just completely absurd to me.”

I looked down at my feet, entirely defeated as I tried to choke back tears that were forming in my eyes. It felt as though a rock was starting to form in my throat because I just felt like crying from everything. At this moment, I started to doubt myself. All of this indeed sounds insane.

Ruth sympathetically looked at me before saying, “Since you told me all that you know, I’m going to call Asher to reschedule our date, but Rory better come back soon to explain everything that is going on with you!” She paused for a minute in deep thought. “I don’t know what to tell him though…”

Half-heartedly, I said, “Just tell him that I am very upset and alone because my dad ran off last night. You wouldn’t be lying exactly, because he never did come home. Mom and dad supposedly had some sort of a fight.”

Her eyes widened by the mention of their fight. “Really?” she asked, intrigued.

“Yep. When I got home last night my dad was gone, my mother has no idea where he is and refuses to talk to me about it. I’ve been hiding from her emotional tantrums all day. She didn’t even go into work.”

Ruth was dumbstruck. “Wow…”