HOMECOMING
Days grew into months and months into years, it was finally time for Janet's homecoming
"Is it your first time in New York ma'am?"
"No." She answered absentmindedly, her gaze focused on the screen in front of her.
"Ah, I see. Are you visiting or something?"
Janet raised an eyebrow in annoyance, staring at the receding hairline of the cab driver.
"Or something." She answered curtly.
"That's nice, you can see that the city is busy as always." The man continued, seemingly unbothered by her attitude or choosing to ignore it.
"Hmm." She let out a hum, finally diverting her gaze to the outside world as they navigated through the ever-present traffic.
"Still the same as before." She thought with nostalgia and a hint of bitterness, gazing at the slowly moving traffic; pedestrians walking swiftly on their lane, everybody in their own world, always in a rush, never pausing for even a second.
Of course, five years was not enough time to change the city's traffic. It seemed to be even more congested than in the past.
She rolled her eyes at the loud cacophony of honking cars that surrounded them.
"As if that would make them move any faster." She mocked under her breath.
"Did you say something?" The driver asked from the front, sparing her an inquisitive glance.
"Not to you." She answered loud and clearly. Showing her obvious disinterest in engaging in any conversation with a man she barely knew.
It was all the same. But Janet was not.
She mindlessly tapped her fingers on the back of her phone as they drove to a familiar neighborhood. They were on their way to Ruth's house.
Truth is, she had lost contact with her friend a couple of years ago. But she was unable to return earlier since she threw herself into her studies, rearranging her courses so that she could fit a seven-year program into four years. All to make a hasty return to the City.
She barely had any breaks which did not stop her from graduating as the best student anyway.
Afterward, she was offered a job that she couldn't refuse in a successful law firm. She finally got her chance when the company decided to establish a new branch in the city, transferring her in as an associate.
Her first course of action was to search for her friend, since she already had her things moved to her new residential address,
"We're here." The driver announced stopping in front of the house.
Janet quickly alighted from the cab after paying him the fare and shutting the door behind her.
She stared at the familiar structure before her as she heard the driver speed away.
However, she squinted her eyes at the sight, as the house looked oddly different. Something seemed off, but she could not tell what it was.
Shrugging off the feeling she thought was unimportant, she made her way to the porch, immediately rapping her knuckles against the door.
She paused in her movements as she heard footsteps close to the door. She watched in anticipation as the door was unlocked and slowly pulled open.
"Hi, can I help you?" A young woman greeted me as she stood by the door that was opened halfway with a curious but welcoming smile.
"That is not Ruth."
Janet tilted her head as she stared at the unfamiliar woman.
"Hello, my name is Janet Forger; I am looking for Ruth Ruth Chapman." She answered, thinking that the woman could have been a relative or something.
"I'm sorry, I don't know who that is; you might be at the wrong address." She explained with a slight frown.
"No, it is not the wrong address. She lives here, or she used to a couple of years ago." She reiterated, growing unsettled by her response.
The woman remained silent for a few seconds, staring at her thoughtfully until her expression morphed into something else, something that made Janet feel uneasy.
"That must have been the previous house owner…" she started.
Janet maintained eye contact, urging her to continue.
"I heard that the previous owner passed away a couple of years ago; I think she had a daughter. There were some children's toys that we found after we got to the place." She explained with a sympathetic tone.
Janet took a step backward, shocked at the information she had just heard.
"Ruth is… dead?" She reluctantly asked.
"Yes, at least that is what the housing agent said," The woman answered with a shrug, looking perplexed at her reaction.
Janet shook her head in disbelief, she could not believe what she had just heard,
"There must be a mistake somewhere." She thought to herself.
"Thank you, but I think you might be mistaken." She mumbled to the woman before turning on her heel and walking away from the house at the fastest pace she could, ignoring the voice of the woman calling her back.
"No, I refuse to believe that; she said she would always be here for me. Ruth is not dead." She concluded in her mind as she boarded another taxi, heading for her apartment.
She mindlessly handed the driver a couple of bills as they arrived, which was exaggeratedly more than the original fee.
"Have a nice day ma'am." The driver beamed, eyes widened at the sight of the money.
She barely heard his words as she walked away from him, stepping into the building and heading to the reception desk.
She impatiently requested for her apartment keys, not making an effort to return the receptionist's smile.
"Thank you." She muttered as she collected the key before striding to the elevator and pressing the button for the top floor.
Normally, she would admire the elegance and luxury around her, but her mind was distracted. She thought about any, and everything that could have happened to her friend, but she came up with nothing.
"I need to find Ruth. What if that woman was right? What happened to my baby? No, I refuse to believe that." She adamantly muttered as she paced back and forth in the open space.
"She could have simply moved to another place or another country. It doesn't matter where I will find her."
She was awaiting a call from her private investigator. She had instructed him to find information on Ruth and Sonia as soon as she left that house.
He had a reputation for getting the needed information within minutes; now, she just had to wait. However, she could not stay still as her nerves fidgeted.
Her phone rang out in the silent space, and she jumped on her feet, quickly scrambling to the coffee table and snatching her phone. It was the PI.
"Andrew, what do you have for me?" She asked immediately.
"Ma'am, the woman was right. Ruth Chapman passed away two years ago at Sinai Hospital. She had been diagnosed with cancer and battled with it for a while until it finally took her life." He explained plainly.
"What?" Janet stood in still shock, appalled by the news.
"Yes ma'am." He confirmed solemnly.
Janet let out a heavy breath of air, her heart saddened by the news. She wondered why Ruth had not informed her of her illness if she had been indeed, battling with it for a while.
She now felt utterly alone, having lost the only person that she could consider as family after the loss of her parents.
"And the child-"
"What about her?" She quickly asked, cutting him off.
Her heart thudded aggressively against her ribcage as a bad feeling coiled in her stomach.
"She…"
Andrew stammered in reply, making Janet's heart jump into her mouth.