One: Amoura
“We’re sorry Mora, you’ve been a great asset to our team, and I wish we didn’t have to let you go, but the budget cuts require lay-offs, and we had to decide what positions made the most sense,” Rachel said.
She looked at me with sincerity, and I knew this wasn’t easy for her. I knew when I went into event planning that the market could be variable.
“I understand, Rachel. Thank you for the opportunity here.” I stood to shake her hand, and she stood with me.
“I’m more than happy to give you a great reference for your future employment opportunities,” she said, releasing my hand.
“I appreciate that, Rachel."
“Best of luck.” She flashed me a small smile.
We parted amicably, and I headed back to my office to pack my personal items. I’d only been with the company for a year, while everyone else had been there much longer. They were a great company to work for, but they were smaller and had been feeling the effects of larger organizations providing more at a faster and cheaper rate.
Everyone made a point to come by and tell me goodbye, and it was overwhelming and sad.
After I was finally out of the office, and safely in my car, I let out a deep breath, and began to mentally update my resume. Now, I had to drive home, and break the news to my fiancé, Jacob.
As I pulled into the driveway, I noticed Jacob’s car was already there, and anxiety gripped me. I sure hoped nothing was wrong. I took a couple of slow, deep breaths before exiting my car. I was both disappointed and frustrated that I had to start all over again.
When we first moved to Sioux Falls, it took me two months to find this job. I’d ended up working at a convenience store until I stumbled across the one.
I turned the key in the front door and pushed it open. As soon as I stepped across the threshold, I stopped abruptly, the sight in my living room bringing me to standstill. My best friend, Ashley, was bent over my couch, buck ass naked while Jacob had one hand on her hip, and the other wrapped in her hair, pulling her head back. He kept thrusting away, and between her moaning and his grunting, they'd clearly not heard me come in.
For several seconds, I couldn’t move or speak. The image of their naked bodies connecting was burning into my mind, and I knew that it was a sight I’d never be able to unsee. A few more seconds passed, and I shook off the fog of shock. Then, I realized the front door was still open, and I gave it a hard push, so it slammed shut.
They both startled and looked my direction. Quickly they pulled apart and Ashley began grasping for her clothes.
“Mora, what are you doing here?” Jacob asked.
“What the fuck, Jake? I live here or did you forget?” I replied, putting my hands on my hips.
“I thought you were at work?” he asked, pulling his underwear on.
"I thought you were too?" I narrowed my eyes at him. They both should've been at work.
"I... we..." Jacob stumbled over his words, unable to formulate any kind of excuse.
“And here I thought you wanted to marry me,” I said, glaring at him.
“I did. I do. I didn’t mean for this to happen, it just did.” He shrugged, as though it were no big deal.
Feeling the sting of betrayal, my heart sank, tears threatening my eyes. “Of course it did. And you!” I turned to Ashley. “I thought we were friends – best friends. What the hell?”
“We were friends, Mora, but...” she glanced at Jacob. "We're in love." Ashley replied a small smirk on her face.
“Love?” I said, taking a step toward her but Jacob moved in between us.
“Come on, Ashley, I need to talk to Mora,” Jacob said, motioning for her to leave.
“Fine, you know where to find me.” She pulled on her clothes, and gave him a kiss before she left.
Moving toward me, Jacob held up his hands, pleading with me. “Mora, look, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Too late for that. Just go, Jake. I can’t even look at you. I’ll get my stuff out of here by tomorrow evening.” I looked away from him, disgust rolling through me.
“Please don’t do this. We can work this out.” Jake reached out to touch me, and I swatted his hand away.
“Don’t you dare touch me.” I glared at him.
He shook his head as he took a step back. “Fine. I’ll stay out of your way. Just leave the key and ring on the table when you go.”
I stared at him in utter disbelief before I stormed upstairs, slammed our bedroom door, and locked it. I didn’t even know him anymore.
Did I ever even know him?
He was crazy if he thought I was leaving the ring he gave me. I would be taking it to a jeweler and getting as much for it as I could. Call it compensation for emotional damages. A cheating severance package.
Once I heard the front door close, I threw myself down on the bed and started crying. Today was quite literally the worst day of my life. First my job, and now my fiancé. Oh, and my home.
Where the hell was I going to go?
