Fated to Love You

The blackness fading, Abigail stared at the school ceiling, her back to the floor. She sat up and feeling a dull throbbing at the back of her head she rubbed the spot hoping to calm the sensation. The hair was stiff, but tangible compared to what she had felt for the past two weeks. Standing, she stared down at worn-out tennis shoes as she watched the feet rock back and forth, her body swaying from the motion. She began to put the pieces together as she examined her outstretched hands. The fingers, on the shorter side and slim were new to this perspective. Abigail ran up the stairs and down the hallway seeking refuge in the girls bathroom. She cleared the corner and froze when she saw her reflection. The boy she had been shadowing for the past two weeks was staring back at her. She moved closer to the mirror, her nose just inches away, seeking to validate what she was seeing. She had become Joshua.

Abigail lifted the over-sized glasses up to her forehead, revealing dull brown eyes, then lowered them back down to rest on her nose. She did this a few times as she looked around the room. She realized that the glasses had no prescription, her vision constant throughout the experiment. She was contemplating the reason behind the unneeded glasses when she heard a voice outside the bathroom. She realized explaining her predicament to a stranger was out of the question as she searched the room frantically for a hiding spot.

In less than a second, her eyes followed the row of pale-pink ceramic hand sinks, the wall lined with mirrors, till she reached the corner of the room. On the adjacent wall was a medium-sized frosted window. She tried opening it, but the window was sealed shut and realizing she was on the second story, jumping was not an option. Across from the sinks was a row of stalls. The doors in matching pale-pink, were aged, the paint peeling and cracking from years of use. She chose the stall closest to the window and slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind her. After locking the door she turned around to face the toilet. There were no seat covers on the toilet, but she knew that if her feet were seen from under the stall her khaki pants would give her away. So in lieu of the desperate situation, she placed one foot on each side of the toilet seat and crouched down just as she heard the clicking of high-heels on the tile floor.

The sound of the heels hitting floor mixed with murmuring grew louder as a lady entered the bathroom, the clicking stopping in front of the mirror. Abigail could see the woman perfectly through the crack in the stall door, she recognized her as the teacher who had been speaking with Freddy earlier. As Abigail watched the woman bend toward the mirror to fix her make-up, she clenched her teeth hoping the lady wouldn’t notice her presence. The woman was talking on her cell phone and, with the conversation now audible, Abigail listened in trying to focus on something other than the growing pain in her legs from the awkward stance she had taken.

The teacher was obviously speaking with a man because a flirty tone came across even over the phone. The topic was pretty generic as she questioned what time the man would be home that night. He must have asked why she was late because she began to talk about Freddy. It seemed he was having difficulties in her class, but she also disclosed how he had tried to make a move on her that day. As Abigail rolled her eyes at the predictable situation she could feel the strength in her legs continuing to fade.

As her balance weakened she placed her finger-tips on the stall wall trying to keep steady. With her balance now restored she remained still as the teacher’s conversation continued. Abigail had to suppress her laughter when she heard the woman refer to Freddy as a clingy momma’s boy. With this newly acquired information Abigail began to picture what had happened in the classroom that day that could have caused the conversation she was hearing now. She was so wrapped up in the fantasy of Freddy’s embarrassment that she almost didn’t notice the woman standing back up. With her attention re-gathered Abigail watched the teacher run her fingers threw her hair and do a final mirror check before she finally moved to exit the bathroom. Abigail sighed heavily in relief, but her sudden relaxation caused her to lose balance on the toilet seat as her left foot hit the water with a plop. Abigail wrinkled her nose in disgust as she stepped down from the toilet seat shaking the excess water from her tennis shoe.

Trying to regain her composure Abigail pushed the stall door with her open hand as she glanced around the room confirming she was alone once more. She was cautious when exiting the bathroom and was sure to check the surrounding area before she left her hideout completely. When all was clear she briskly walked through the hallway and down the stairs toward the large glass double-doors at the front entrance. She had walked the same path numerous times over the past two weeks, but the significance of this time was not overlooked. She could actually feel the path she was walking, and although she wouldn’t admit it to herself, she was happy to be alive.

The sun gleamed brightly as Abigail crossed the threshold of the entrance cupping her hand to her forehead as she looked up at the sky. She could feel the cool wind blow through her thin uniform which caused her to genuinely shiver. The small things she had taken for granted in her lifetime had been returned to her and, although she had to actively halt the moment that took place in the stairwell from re-playing over in her mind, she felt grateful at the second chance she had been given.

Abigail, continuing her brisk walk, made it across the grey stone path and past the enormous gate that enclosed the entire building. She had been disconnected from the world for a while and her mind raced with the fear that things may have changed in her absence. In order to quell the insecurities that refused to subside, she mentally listed the places she had to visit before the day was through. Her first destination was the café. She needed to see Mr. Henry and reassure herself that he was okay and functioning normally without her in his life. Her walk was still fast-paced as she followed the familiar concrete sidewalk until she reached the front windows of the shop.

She took a deep breath as she tugged on the brass handle of the café door. To Abigail’s surprise the door was locked. Checking her watch she felt her chest tighten when the door would not budge. The store should be open right now, school only ended a few hours ago she said trying to stay calm. Putting her forehead to the glass she looked inside hoping it was a simple misunderstanding. The café was dark and the once humbly decorated shop was completely empty.

Abigail turned around quickly and placing her back to the glass door she tried to allow the situation to seep in. What happened while I was away. Where is Mr. Henry, is he okay? Abigail was arguing with herself about the whereabouts of Mr. Henry when a group of teenage girls came chattering up the side-walk. They eyed Abigail in her over-sized uniform and after exchanging glances with each other they decided to speak to her.

“Hey boy,” said a red-head with long curly hair. Smacking her gum as she spoke she said, “That café shut down,” then directing her words toward her friends, “with good reason,” she smirked.

“Do you know what happened to the owner,” Abigail responded quickly ignoring the girl’s indifferent attitude.

“I heard he moved back to the country-side,” said another of the girls, her short blonde hair bouncing as she spoke. Abigail sighed, relieved at the news.

“Yea, I heard his daughter died or something,” the red-head added happy to share the gossip. Without waiting for a response from Abigail the girls continued on their way.

Abigail felt a wave of guilt wash over her once again as she looked at the café that had been a safe haven for her over the years. She felt she had failed Mr. Henry in succeeding the shop and ultimately let him down, but she knew feeling sorry for herself was not something he would approve of. Although she was sad to see the cafe that Mr. Henry loved come to end, she knew that he was all right and that was the most important thing.