Chapter 5
Five
“I’m ready to come back home,” Nhuri mumbled to Natalia over the phone.
It was the first time she’d said the words aloud, and they felt good.
“You know you always have a room here,” Natalia said. “Why the sudden change? I mean, I’m not complaining, just wondering.”
They snickered.
“You need me, and Dru is just . . . He’s not the same anymore. I don’t think either of us are.”
“Is he putting his hands on you?” Natalia asked with grit in her tone.
“Of course not,” Nhuri reassured her. “He’s just extra controlling all of a sudden and manipulative.
I don’t know what happened, but I’m over it, sis.
I miss the old me. The woman who didn’t have to tiptoe around her home and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.
I just feel trapped. Does that make sense? ”
Nhuri was tired. She’d contemplated ending things between them for months now, and she was done being indecisive just to save face and his feelings. Dru no longer seemed to care about hers, so why should she care about his?
“It makes perfect sense. You don’t have to stay anywhere you’re not wanted or loved. Come home. I’ll pay for whatever you need. Ship some things here a little at a time, and then hop on a one-way flight.”
Natalia had made it sound so easy. And that’s because it was. Two months after their conversation, Nhuri had her things packed and ready to go. Whatever midlife crisis Dru was experiencing, he could go through it alone. Nhuri was no longer his punching bag.
The car she requested to take her to the airport was five minutes away, and Nhuri couldn’t believe she was finally doing this.
Adjusting the strap of her carry-on and rolling her two large suitcases toward the door, her fingers tightened around the handles.
She hated the way her stomach twisted in knots, and the ache in her chest almost made her question if she had made the right decision.
But then, she thought about their last argument .
. . and the ones before that. How Dru had spewed words that cut her so profoundly, Nhuri knew it’d take forever to heal.
Every concern she voiced was twisted into making her seem like she was attacking him when all she wanted was for them to make it work.
Not for Nhuri to feel like a shadow in her own life. That’s who she’d become.
Four years.
That’s how long she’d poured into him—into them. And now, she was ready to pour into herself. The only way to do that was to leave. She exhaled sharply and slightly turned her head when she heard the garage door open.
“Nhuri,” Dru called out.
His voice was softer than she’d ever heard it. She didn’t turn to face him. Nhuri couldn’t stand to see the expression on his face; whether it be regret, anger, or the same smugness that always made her doubt herself, she didn’t care. Dru could no longer control her life, and she meant it.
“You really just gon’ up and leave like this?”
Like this? Nhuri thought, scoffing under her breath as if he hadn’t given her every reason to leave. Dru and his audacity. The love they once shared had become suffocating.
“Yes,” Nhuri answered steadily, even though her heart was everything but.
Dru tried taking hold of her hand, but Nhuri snatched it away.
“Don’t,” she warned, trying to keep her composure and face him.
“I already know how you want this to go. You’ll say all the right things, even though it’s the wrong time.
Make it seem like I’m the problem, and I stay, hoping things will get better,” she said, shaking her head. “But it never does, does it?”
Dru flexed his jaws. “Nhuri, I love you. I’ll do better.”
“Love isn’t supposed to feel like this,” she countered.
Her phone vibrated, alerting her that her driver was outside. She glanced down at the screen and then at the man she had once planned to spend the rest of her life with.
“Take care, Dru.”
His nostrils flared. “Let me at least help you into the car.”
“No. It’s fine. I got it,” Nhuri said.
She wanted nothing from him but to let her go in peace.
Knowing Dru, he’d use the helping hand he gave her against her if he could.
Lugging her belongings that she could fit into two suitcases, Nhuri exited the home they shared.
She didn’t bother to look back or give any more parting words to Dru once she was in the backseat.
“Hello. Earth to Nhuri,” Shareece, one of Nhuri’s coworkers, sang.
Snapping out of her daydream of her past, Nhuri glanced her way. “My fault, girl. What’d you say?”
“I asked if you wanted to ride with me to Wingstop for lunch.”
They were having a late lunch today, and Nhuri hadn’t realized it was almost two o’clock. She wasn’t in the mood for wings but decided to ride to get some fresh air.
“Yeah. I’ll ride with you. We still have that meeting at three, right?”
Shareece nodded. “Yep. I wonder what it’s about.”
“Me too,” Nhuri mumbled.
Working for one of the biggest retail giant companies had its perks.
Some days, Nhuri’s workload was as light as a feather; other days, she was ready to pull out her hair.
Since her position as a marketing research assistant was part time until she found something she truly loved, Nhuri wasn’t too stressed about the hours.
The job paid well, but she still chose to bartend on the side and fill in the gaps for Natalia’s workload.
It was . . . a lot, but Nhuri knew to keep herself busy. Working was a distraction she welcomed.
While scrolling through her emails, Nhuri frowned when a new one from her boss appeared. After clicking on it, her frown deepened at the contents of the email.
“What’s the matter?” Shareece asked, noticing her perplexed expression.
Nhuri didn’t answer right away. Her eyes read the email again to ensure she wasn’t misreading it. Sure enough, she hadn’t.
“Ms. Thorsen is trying to send me to another state to work,” Nhuri said as if she couldn’t believe it.
“What? Why would she want to do that?” Shareece wondered.
Nhuri wanted to know the same thing. Instead of emailing Ms. Thorsen back, she picked up her work phone and dialed her office number. She needed answers immediately and couldn’t wait for an email.
“Good afternoon. This is Missy Thorsen.”
“Hi, Ms. Thorsen. This is Nhuri. I just read your email. Can I swing by your office to discuss this in person?”
“Of course. Come right on up,” Ms. Thorsen instructed.
Nhuri told her she’d see her shortly and hung up. Grabbing her cell phone, she pushed away from her desk.
“You may have to grab lunch without me,” she said.
Shareece nodded. “That’s fine. Want me to grab you something while I’m out?”
“No. I’m okay. Thank you, though. I’ll let you know what she says.”
Nhuri was a ball of nerves as she climbed onto the elevator.
She’d only moved back home to Kansas City seven months ago.
There was no way she was ready to relocate for a job she wasn’t even working full time, especially not with her circumstances.
She knocked on Ms. Thorsen’s office door and was told to come in.
“Hi, Nhuri. How are you?” Ms. Thorsen questioned, greeting her with the type of energy she always gave.
Nhuri smiled. “I was doing okay before I received your email,” she said, chuckling.
“I can certainly understand that. Have a seat, and I’ll explain everything.”
Nhuri slid into the black chair and sat stiffly.
The plush leather wasn’t uncomfortable, but she was.
She felt put on the spot and didn’t like it one bit.
Anxiously, Nhuri tapped the acrylic nails of her fingers against one another.
Ms. Thorsen gathered a few files and a manila folder and met her gaze. She gave her a soft smile.
“You seem nervous,” Ms. Thorsen acknowledged.
“I am.”
There was no need to beat around the bush.
“No need to be. A high-profile client specifically requested our firm, and I need my best people on it. I consider you one of our best.”
Nhuri’s stomach dropped. She appreciated the compliment and hoped that’d suffice for her following words.
“Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity, but I—” She swallowed, then tried again. “I can’t commit to this assignment.”
Ms. Thorsen’s eyes slightly narrowed as her blonde brows dipped. “What do you mean you can’t commit?”
“The assignment is for two months. I can’t just up and leave. I have a family that depends on me.”
Ms. Thorsen considered her response before speaking. “I understand family obligations, but you knew when you accepted this job that travel was a requirement. This is what you signed up for.”
Nhuri’s chest tightened, and she exhaled as her leg bounced. “Yes, it is what I signed up for, but I wasn’t expecting traveling duties to happen so soon. I can’t leave my sister and niece for that long.”
Nhuri thrived at her job and loved it, but not enough to leave for a two-month assignment when Natalia’s health fluctuated daily. The thought of something happening again while she was hundreds of miles away made her stomach flip.
Ms. Thorsen’s expression shifted into a sympathetic one. “I get it. But we all have personal lives, Nhuri. We all have things that pull us away. When you were first hired, you told me you could see yourself making this your career. My question is, how much are you willing to sacrifice for it?”
Nhuri inhaled sharply. She had sacrificed enough.
Long nights, last-minute deadlines, endless projects, and four years without being in the same state as her sister and niece.
There’d be other opportunities in her field; there wouldn’t be with her loved ones, and she knew that.
As much as she cherished her job, she loved her sister and their bond more.
She lifted her chin. “I’m not willing to sacrifice my sanity.”
Silence stretched between them, and Ms. Thorsen sighed. “You’re damn good at what you do, Nhuri. I don’t want to lose you, but I need to know now if you can’t fully commit.”