Dangerous Games

THE PAINS OF DISTANCE

"I understand where you are coming from, truly, I do, but my hands are tied. We have planned this thing for weeks. You know you play a major role, the clients are comfortable with you more than they are with any other person on your team. I don't doubt any of their capabilities, but you can't leave now."

Ember sat down, interlacing her fingers as she calmly tried to explain the seriousness of the situation. "Look, the news of my brother's wedding was also a great surprise to me, which is why I am offering to pass the work to Melvin and Vera. The clients know them just as well."

"Yes, but they can't wear your face, and it's your face, your image, that we have been using with these people. That is what I am trying to make you understand here. They listen to you. Not to be rude, but there have been many family celebrations you've missed for the past four years since you started working here."

"Yes, but not a wedding. Not my brother's wedding. Birthdays are every year, so are Christmas and easter, alright. A wedding is different. I should at least be there to show him my support, and as soon as that's done, I would be on the first flight back."

"I know of your dedication, but this meeting is happening on the same day and time as the wedding. There is no way you attend that wedding without missing this, and we can't have this fall through our hands."

Ember left the office a few minutes after other failed arguments and pleas. Samuel was getting married; it was all so sudden, and nothing in her schedule allowed her to be present for her younger brother. She felt like she was leaving him on one of the most important days in his life. It was a big deal to her, she wanted to be there. Of course, it was a surprise that he wasn't marrying Flora and an even bigger surprise that he was marrying so quickly, but she still wanted to be present.

When she called Samuel an hour later to relay all the information to him, he basically told her it was alright. He assured her he knew that she would give everything to see him get married, but he understood that the wedding came at an inopportune time. He stayed on the call for a while longer, and they spoke a little about his bride. He promised to send her all the wedding pictures and videos they took so she could see the entire ceremony.

"Sam," she had sighed, resting the back of her head on the chair's cushioned headrest. "Are you happy?"

There was no help for it, she just had to ask. Whenever Samuel spoke, she could hear the underlying tone in his voice. It carried a sadness she couldn't pinpoint. Her brother was a compassionate person. He could be strong-headed and detached when situations called for it, but mostly empathetic. Leaving Flora would have been difficult for him, and she was willing to bet that the decision weighed heavily no matter how much he loved this new woman. At least she hoped he was marrying her for love and not some fantasy.

"I just wish there was not so much heartbreak surrounding this," was his simple reply to her question.

Their call ended with her feeling no less relieved than when he picked up the phone. Ember went through her day as best she could, trying not to think about how she felt until she was out of her building, and standing by the balcony of a restaurant, looking out to the river. She spent a few nights in the week eating out with friends to wind down from a long day of work, and today of all days, she needed that distraction more than anything.

"Here you go."

Ember turned to her right, where her colleague and friend, Harriet, was handing her a tall glass of chilled fruit juice. She accepted the drink with a muttered thanks, fiddling with the spiral straw for a bit before taking a generous sip. The cool evening breeze had chased the warmth of the afternoon away even while the sky was still lit by its ever-fading glow. She had watched so many sunrises and sunsets since arriving all those years ago. She remembered the first sunset she experienced after her arrival. She sat on her woven porch chair, legs tucked beneath her, body wrapped in a shawl and eyes bright with excitement. It was her first full day outside her comfort zone, living in another country, by herself, without her family nearby.