Continuous dashed hopes could lead to numbness. This was the case of Lily who lay awake lost in thoughts.
"Bzzzzzzz," came the sound of Lily's alarm clock which didn't serve it's purpose of waking her as sleep has been elusive towards her for a while now. With a sigh and practiced shrug, she got up to prepare for work.
Her eyes caught the two framed pictures standing on the drawer beside her bed.
A young, handsome man with neat black hair and a goatee was smiling with all his teeth visible in one, while the other was of Lily and the dark-haired man on their wedding day. She just shook her head and refused to allow any sad thought occupy her mind.
The sun gave a warm glow as she stepped into the streets. She strode into a small coffee shop where she normally visited before heading for work.
"Morning, Lily," came the voice of a young girl who was behind the counter.
"Morning, Sophia. Can you please prepare the usual?" Said Lily, smiling at the young girl.
She sat down at a table close to a large glass window after collecting her cup of coffee, thinking about the pile of work awaiting her in her office. But her thoughts were interrupted when she looked outside the window and locked eyes with a strange man standing on the opposite side of the street, staring straight at her. She immediately looked away, but after giving several glances over her shoulder, the man was still staring at her. Her heart started racing. He was wearing a shabby-looking jean trouser and a faded black hooded jacket, which was drawn over his face, making it hard to make out the face under it. She emptied her cup quickly, ran out of the shop, and boarded a taxi straight to her office.
As she strolled down to the coffee shop the next day on her way to work, she stopped some distance away from the shop. The strange man was once again standing across the street staring at her. Is it just a coincidence or what? She didn't let herself think about the question for long as she boarded a taxi and headed for work out of fear. On her way back from work, she spotted the man again, now sitting on a bench on the side of the street. She increased her pace and hastily ran home.
"Lily! What's the problem?" Asked Lily's mom as she ran into the house panting. She requested water, and after drinking, she explained to her mom about the strange man who had been appearing since the previous day.
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"It's just a random guy. Maybe he's interested in you, that's all. Stop giving yourself these unnecessary headaches. Besides, he didn't look like he could harm you." Said Lily's mom, patting her daughter on the back.
"Mom, something's strange about him."
"It's alright, dear," said Lily's mom, still patting her on her back.
She decided to take another route to work for the next few days, and fortunately for her, she didn't come across the strange man for the next two days. But on the third day, she saw the man standing, staring at her on her way to work. This time around, he made an attempt to approach her. She took off her high-heeled shoes and sprinted home. Her mom tried to calm her down as she got home, but she was crying profusely out of fear.
"M.....Mom, I'm going to call the police," she stammered, tears streaming down her face. "This is too much,"
"Ding-dong," came the sound of the doorbell as Lily's mom headed to check who it was. She looked through the peephole and saw a hooded man standing in front of her door. She too became scared at that instant but summoned up courage and opened the door.
"Who are you, young man!" Lily's mom barked at the hooded man.
He pushed back the hood of his jacket to reveal a gaunt face with bushy hair and a beard of faded black.
At that moment, Lily ran to the door after hearing her mother's shout and froze immediately after setting her eyes on the man standing before her.
"Lily, It's me," said the man in a very low and frail voice. "I...I'm really sorry for all that happened. I was abducted and trafficked all these years. I didn't know how I'd walk up to you. T...they coerced me into doing cybercrimes. I just managed to escape." Said the man, now falling on his knees, with tears trickling down his face.
Lily stood agape, her eyes wide open, heavy tears pouring down from them as she continued staring at the man. A heavy silence hung between them, broken only by the sound of Lily's mom's sobs.
More Tears trickled down Lily's cheeks as she continued gazing at him. The man standing before her was her husband who had left for work three years back but never returned home. They had searched for him, reported to the police, and informed broadcasting houses, but everything proved futile. This left her shattered and broken, and she had to go for therapy to cope with her mental health. In these past years, she had lacked the courage to fall in love again, let alone consider marriage. After the incident, she then moved to live with her mom, seeking companionship and comfort.
"J... Jonathan!" Lily shouted as she ran forward to hug her husband.