After seeing the mystery car outside the gallery. Grace hailed a taxi and went back to her flat. she didn't feel safe walking back home.
'could it be a coincidence?' but why was the car showing up in places she went to? she guessed who was responsible for the car following her but she did not see any reason why would he, given the fact that he had not bothered to reach her after telling her about his engagement.
*
When she arrived at her flat she locked all the doors. her flatmate's light was off, which only meant one thing: she was working the night shift again. they had a special language. if their lights were off, they were out.
she went through the kitchen looking for any leftovers from during the week. she did not plan on cooking that night, she had already made a note to eat out after visiting the gallery. she realized as she opened the fridge that her hands had a slight tremor. the car from earlier had raffled her feathers. she found a slice of pizza and warmed it up. This was not how she had hoped her last night in London would be. alone and terrified. She went to her room and locked her door. She sat on her bed thinking about her coming trip and how easy it was to start all over again. It was at times like these that she thanked herself for being wise with her pennies. when she started working, she saved every cent. The money from her parent's life insurance was still there. She was keeping it for rainy days, And now that rainy day was here, it was pouring. Her nestled egg would give her enough years to raise her baby before she went back to work if she ever wanted to. She Picked up her book and tried to read a few chapters but her heart wasn't in it tonight, her mind kept on wandering to random sounds outside. Defeated she left the book and stood by the window. It was a cloudless night and the stars shone brightly. the scene before her was calming, she remembered her time on the ship. their time on the ship. suddenly she felt angry with herself for even letting the thought cross her mind. It was as if her life revolved around Nicko. If she was not thinking about him, she was crying about him. And he was probably at home preparing for his wedding. she tried to push the thought away from her mind. And focus ahead on the new life she was going to start tomorrow. She was not sure as to what shape the house in Culmore was in but knew it was a perfect project to keep her occupied until the baby arrived. the thought of renovating the house. that alone excited her. she already had a few projects in mind that she wanted to do.
her phone beeped. interrupting her thoughts. she picked it up and noticed it was a message from an unknown number. as she opened it she noticed it was from her doctor's office reminding her about her checkup appointment the following day.
she let out a sigh of relief.
she forgot about the appointment. she had to squeeze it somewhere before her check-in time at the airport. now she had something to do in the morning. her day was fully booked. she got into bed. she wanted to tick everything that was on her to-do list the following day. but tonight's sleep was not easy to come. she started counting sheep and she was out like a light.
*
The Next morning. when she stepped into the doctor's office she was in a sober mood, her farewell with her flatmate that morning was an emotional affair. she was ready before her flatmate got home because she wanted to say goodbye in person. she knew when she went back home to get her bags, she would not be able to see her. pulling up a chair to sit, she was relieved. she was now done with London. from this point on she was going to focus on herself and her baby. no one and nothing mattered anymore.
the doctor looked at her file and asked her to go lie down on the examination table. she applied a cold gel to her tummy as she prepared her for the ultrasound. Grace was focused on the little screen where she knew her baby would pop up.
a loud sound filled her ears and she saw movement on the screen. the doctor did some measurements and asked her if she wanted to know the sex of the baby. when she nodded, she made a printout for her and wrote on the back of the scan. she wanted to give Grace some privacy.
She had waited so long. at first, she had wanted to share the news with Nicko. but now that he was out of the picture. she didn't see any reason to wait.
She left the doctor's office holding the printout of the baby. feeling stupid for being so emotional. she sat on a bench in front of the doctor's office to compose herself, and put the picture safely in her bag. she needed to catch her breath just for a few minutes before she rushed home. she had a flight to catch still. From the corner of her eye, she could see a car parked. it was the black Cadillac again. this time she didn't panic or run around. she knew they had followed her there and she didn't care. she got up, hailed a taxi, and went home for the last time.