Mistaken Perception

Chapter 6

Sometimes, if she closed her eyes hard enough, she could almost feel it was a dream. A nightmare she would never wish upon her worst enemy. And in those blissful few seconds, she could feel whole or at least a fragment of what she had always felt but never known. 

That the five pieces missing from her heart were back in their rightful place. She felt peace and security, yet when reality knocked against the door to her mind and heart, it all fell apart. In those heart-wrenching moments, she felt as if she was suspended in air while she drowned. The only way she was ever able to come back from the panic and fear was to push it away. She never faced it... could never let her self-relax against her pain, she feared she would not be able to move past it.

Her phone rang a shrill sound cutting the gentle quietness that had settled around them. Aisha glanced at her phone, reading the name on the caller id, she relaxed when she saw Justine's name. She quickly reached over and answered it.

"Hello?" said Justine's voice.

"Hello, darling. I hope I'm not disturbing you," she said gently.

"No, you aren't, I was just doing a bit of research about those event planners," Aisha replied.

"I see..." she paused for a second as if debating with herself.

"What is it?" asked Aisha with concern.

"I hate to ask you of this...but would it be possible for you to take some documents from the office to Gabriel's place...You can, of course, say no, and I would understand...I feel horrible asking you," she said her voice small.

"Are they important documents?" asked Aisha but felt stupid for asking. Why else would Justine ask her if they were not important?

"I'm afraid so...I can't seem to get a hold of either of my sons and I have to take my daughter to an important doctor's appointment...but if you can't or you don't want too...I understand I'll stop by the office later and pick it up for him," she said.

Aisha could hear the fatigue in her voice and she wrestled with herself. She really didn't want to see that man or be anywhere near him but she was his secretary...it was her job to do these things.

"By delivering... do you mean I can just stick it under the door?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes. You can just chuck it under the door with a sticky note saying to read them. You don't have to hand deliver it to my annoying son," she chuckled relief evident in her voice.

"I suppose I can, I guess... just send me the address," Aisha said with a sigh.

"Sorry love, I'll make it up to you," she said earnestly.

"Don't worry about it, its part of the job," Aisha replied.

"Thank you," was all Justine said her voice gentle and warm.

Aisha suspected that if Justine and her mother had ever met, they would have gotten along splendidly. There were moments that Aisha found herself seeking the company of the older woman and she always welcomed her with open arms. She made it a point to check on her at work and always brought her lunch down to eat with Aisha, not her sons, something that made Aisha feel warm inside. 

She left small cheerful gifts on Aisha's desk, she shielded Aisha from her son and fought against him plenty where Aisha was concerned, so it made Aisha happy that she was helping Justine. Despite the fact that it involved Gabriel. She was doing it for Justine's sake she rationalized as the text came with Gabriel's address.

"You're going to the office?" asked Musa as she drove.

"Yes, to pick up some documents for my boss," she replied turning on her signal before switching lanes.