(PRESENT TIME)
"Oh my god! … No! no! It can't be her. It's not her! It's not Dee… This is just my mind, making a fool out of me…this is impossible!" Marge repeatedly thought trying to stay calm.
"Dear, are you okay?" the old woman asked. "You might want to seat down first." She did not realize that she's been standing in front of the seat for quite some time now. She was still in shock from what happened earlier.
"Oh, no Ma'am. I'm fine. I'll just sit on the back." She politely answered after realizing that she's been standing too long even with all the empty seats around her.
She excused herself, and seat at the back. She just wanted to go home. After her long shift, she just wants to sleep and forget everything that happened.
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"Good morning!" Alex greeted, as she entered Raine' office. "Where's Dee?" she asked, seeing it was only her, Pat and Raine in the room.
"I don't know. She sent her complete report to me and her boss, around 2AM this morning. Her email just said that she wants to take an emergency leave and that she doesn't know when she can get back to work. She also said that she's willing to quit her job if she won't be to take her leaves indefinitely." Raine explained to them.
"This is absurd! This is Dee that we are talking about. What's so important aside from her work, that she will leave the situation like this?" Pat asked.
"I have no idea. I have a guess, but I'm not sure. Anyway, we still need to prepare for the meeting. The Board will be here in 30 minutes. Ellie will be here by that time too. Let's just get this done and over with. We can discuss about Dee's situation after that. Okay?"
"Yeah, sounds good." both Alex and Pat answered in unison.
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"Finally!!!" Alex yelled as she sat on the couch. "Whew, that was hectic!" she continued to whine. They've been attending meetings one after another the entire day, having just an hour for a break.
"You can't blame them. This is the first time that we have a serious potential fraud. My IT team is also busy trying to retrieve and collect all our transactional data from the last 5 years. We need to understand the extent of this matter before it gets out to the public." Pat explained before slumping in the couch as well.
"We're geared up for this! We can do this! Dee's actually the one who helped finalize our policy and procedures when something like this happened." Raine said trying to lift up their spirits. "Anyway, anyone got a message from Dee? I'm checking my emails now and still no update. I asked her boss, but he said that he did not received any further notice other than the report this morning."
"Nope." Alex answered. "Same here." Pat replied after looking into her phone.
"This is getting out of hand. This is very unusual for Dee. Since we no longer have any meetings, let's just drop by her house and check on her. I'm really worried with what is happening. I tried calling her home and rang her phone during lunch, but it went straight to voicemail." Raine continued.
"Wait, do you remember if Dee is using our company phone and if she's always taking it with her?" Pat asked, suddenly getting an idea.
"I think so, I think she's using it as her main phone." Raine answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Because we can actually track our company phones, but only for emergency and important purposes. We just need to report it to the HR. We have a control, automatically notifying the HR and me once we activated the tracking of someone's phone. We just need to clearly explain the reason for us not be held liable on privacy concerns or any legal matters. I'll contact my team so they can check Dee's location." Pat explained.
"Sounds good. Alex, make the memo now and submit it to the HR as a heads up."
"Why me? I done with work." Alex whined.
"Just do it! Instead of whining, why don't you put yourself to good use. Unless, you want to be the one answering the board's concerns, I'll be happy to switch." Raine said sarcastically.
"Fine., memo is it then." Alex replied reaching out for her laptop.
After 30 minutes…
"I got Dee's location, She's in a coffee shop somewhere on 24th street." Pat announced.
"HR memo sent!" Alex chimed.
"Great! Good work you two. Let's take my car. I'll drive." Raine said as they hurriedly walk out of the office.
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"There she is! That's Dee!" Alex yelled, pointing to the woman standing outside the coffee shop looking distraught. They've been circling around the 24th street trying to look for Dee.
"How long has she been standing there outside that shop?" Pat worriedly asked.
"Stay here you two. I'll go and ask her to come home with us." Raine instructed them.
Raine got out of the car and slowly walked to Dee's direction. She can't believe what she saw. She looks disheveled… tired… and if only, she's not wearing a suit, she almost looks like a homeless person outside the shop.
"Hey Dee, where have you been? Are you okay?" Raine asked as she got near Dee.
"What are you doing here?" Dee asked but still paying close attention to every person that's passing by.
"Are you looking for someone Dee?"
"I saw her Raine! I saw her yesterday! She was here, right in front of me! I saw her face. I heard her voice. I held her hand… I tried not to let go but I did!. She was here, so I thought I needed to wait… I need to be here, if she comes back. I might see her again, Raine."
"Dee, how long have you been waiting here? You looked so tired."
"I… I sent out the report to you around 2AM, I just showered and got dressed. I think I was here around 4 in the morning… I tried asking around, but they didn't know her name. They didn't know any Marge or Margie Tuazon. I went inside and went back out again because I wanted to see all the people passing by. That's why I need to be here, standing. So, I can see who goes in and out…" Dee lengthy explained, as if everything that she was doing was normal.
"Dee, I don't think you'll find her this way. You've been standing here almost the entire day, but she didn't show up."
"I don't have any other choice Raine. I cannot give up just like that. I'm sure it was her. I'm very sure. I just feel so stupid that I did not went after her last night. I'm so stupid." Dee repeatedly whispered, feeling guilty of what happened.
"Dee, come on. Be sensible here. You've asked everyone inside, and they outright denied it. I'm sure that they are not allowed to divulge any personal information, or maybe Marge, just instructed them not to tell. Besides, you've been standing here outside the shop for so long, but you can't get any result. You know what's the right thing to do. Dee. Go home, rest and think of the best and most efficient way to do this. I know you regret what happened yesterday and I can't even imagine what you are feeling right now. But please! Let's think of a better way. How about leaving it with the professional? Have you contacted your private investigator? Have you told him what happened? With this new information, he can probably track her better and faster than you. Waiting the whole day won't work Dee…' Raine explained trying to talk some sense out of her friend.
"Yeah, maybe you're right. I… I'll get a hold of the investigator now."
"Let's do that in my car, okay. Alex and Pat are waiting too, we are all worried about you."
"I'm sorry Raine… it's just that… this is important to me… I've felt that it was worth a try… She means the world to me… more than life itself." Dee whispered, going back with Raine to the car.
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"Marge, yeah! She's still here. She's outside… She's been standing there the entire day." her colleague answered over the phone.
"You mean, she stay there the whole day!?"
"Yeah, she did. She asked everyone around. Good thing you already gave instructions to everyone. If you didn't, for sure one of us might have tipped you off, even me!" her colleague laughed on the other end of the line. "Oh wait… wait, she's leaving, some woman came to get her. They're leaving now."
"That's good." Marge replied, feeling relieved.
"Marge, are you sure you don't know her? I mean she doesn't look like a stalker. She handed out her card to us and it says she's an IT Compliance Manager in some company. She's wearing a suit and all."
"No, I don't know her okay. I'll talk to our boss, see if I will be able to work with my usual shit, if not I'll switch with the graveyard shift next week."
"Okay Marge, take mine, please… I'll call you tomorrow to update you if she'll come again."
"Sounds good, thank you so much. Later."
"So, it's her. It's really her." she mumbled. Her eyes did not betray her yesterday. It was really Dee who she saw. But she doesn't want to see her anymore. She doesn't want to relive everything. She doesn't want to think of what it could have been if they have stayed together.
She doesn't want to think… she doesn't want to hope… she doesn't want to remember…
Last night, even though she was dead tired after her shift, she couldn't sleep at all. That few seconds in the bus kept running in her mind. Holding her hand…all their promises… the letter and the gift, the BIG TREE... came rushing back through her head. She remembered everything. And all the feelings of guilt, hurt, and sadness that she buried and tried to forget came back in a flash. But she still remembered everything so clearly.
"Everything is different now. Things can't go back to the way it was…" She's sure that Dee is different now. Someone like her doesn't deserve to be in Dee's life. "She did not become an accountant, and I'm sure, it was her girlfriend or her partner who probably went there and got her."
Marge doesn't want to feel the pain anymore. She knows that it's her fault. That she was the one who left her. But she cannot stand it. Even in the slightest, she doesn't want to imagine that Dee is with someone else now.
But it's better if she just forgets everything… Treat that it didn't happened. She lived this way for almost 10 years now. She can do it for sure, do it for the rest of her life…
But can she really call it LIFE...