WHERE OUR HEARTS BELONG

The day was beautiful, not rainy, not too sunny, just the perfect day. But not for Jenna

Cos as she sat there at the office, staring at nothing in particular hers was ruined. She couldn't remember a worse day..... Oh yeah, there had been the day Mike had broken up with her, that had been the worst day of her life but that had been six (6) years ago and ever since then, she has managed to put her life together and move on, which had been going on well until today.

Seeing his face again after six long years was something she never prepared herself for, so here she was completely traumatized over the meeting experience. She has a staff meeting in the next five (5) minutes but she couldn't bring herself to attend. Seeing his face again brought back all sorts of memories. Memories she had tried so much to forget and lock up somewhere and now, they all came washing up back to the surface as fresh tears ran down the corners of her eyes.

"Miss Jenna the meeting is about to commence, and the new supervisor will be introduced so everyone is expected to be present." Said Clara

Who worked as the company's secretary.

Those words jerked Jenna back to the present and she hurriedly took up her writing pad and headed to the meeting room.

"Grow up Jenna and stop behaving like a kid, what happened, happened 6 years ago so you've got to get over that now"

She knew that was a lie. But it always made her feel better, she had gone too far to lose control now. She planted a beautiful smile on her face as she walked into the meeting room.

A smile that fled as soon as she saw Mike, the cause of all her pains sitting right next to the boss.

"How could this be"

she thought to herself as she sat numbly on her seat

"The new supervisor will be introduced today so everyone is expected to be present"

She remembered the secretary saying

" Oh no "

She said out loud

"I'm sorry, were you talking to me"

Someone said beside her.

" No please, I was just thinking out loud"

'Could it be that Mike was the new supervisor?'

"Erm Erm, good morning everyone"

The boss said as he started his speech distracting Jenna from her troubled thoughts

"I'm glad you all could make it to this very important meeting. I called for this meeting so I could introduce someone very important to us all, I am talking about..... Mr. Mike Thomas...

Our new supervisor who just completed his training in Nebraska and has been sent to work with us for a space of 1 year and 6 months. He will be the one in charge of everything from now on and except he can't handle anything before it should be sent to my table.

Mr. Mike, you are welcome to VISION SWIPE, we know for a certainty that we would enjoy working with you"

"Thank you ".

As the applaud kept rolling out and everyone was smiling, chit-chatting, and making friendly welcome chats with Mike, ...Jenna froze in her seat

After work she packed up her things into her small portable handbag ready to go back home to nurse her troubled heart, she thought of putting in her resignation letter but she had gone through a lot to get the job

"Jobs are not easy to come by these days"

She thought to herself as she walked out of her office, she stopped right at the door and turned to look at what used to be her solace.

Oh how much she used to enjoy walking into her office but now she dreads the idea of coming to work the next day.

she turned to leave with her mind made up to avoid any personal meeting with Mike for her sanity, she may lose her mind.

Everything seemed to be against her at that moment because right ahead of her was Mike walking towards her with that same smile that had drawn her years ago but now tore her instead. All she wanted to do was wipe it off his face.

"Hi Jenna Austin, it's nice to meet you again it's been ages since we last spoke and you still look as lovely as I can remember as though nothing has changed"

'Bastard'

She thought to herself

'How can he look so relaxed as if he has forgotten what he did to me 6 years ago?

Maybe the two years we spent together meant nothing to him'

But contrary to what was going on in her mind, she managed to smile

"Hello Mike it's nice to meet you too"

"I doubt that". he said

'Oh well he's still a pompous jerk'

She thought but because he was now the new supervisor and she needed to keep her job she said instead.

"And you haven't changed that much either only now you are my new supervisor, who would have thought"

She said as she rolled her eyes.

"Jennie ......while he was yet to speak, she interrupted ...

"The name is Jenna Austin and if you don't mind I've had a really long day and would love to get home to rest. Do have a nice day sir "

Jenna thought she would break down at that point...

"Did he just call me Jennie as though nothing had changed? How dare he ......

She thought as she stormed angrily out of the passageway and threw herself behind the wheel and zoomed off.

Who gave him the right to call me Jennie, after all the pain he caused me, he dared to open his stupid mouth and call me Jennie .....

"I wish you'd choke on that name,

I wish you'd just die,

Why did you come back ......."

She finally let lose her anger as she angrily hit the steering

"I can't do this anymore, I need to talk to sapphire"

She immediately took out her phone and placed a call to sapphire her therapist 6 years ago who became her best friend.

"Hello Saph, you wouldn't believe who I saw today saph I saw Mike ...

Mike has been transferred to our company and he is our new supervisor and he called me Jennie...can you imagine that Saph?"

"Whoa Jennie calm down you are talking too fast I need you to calm down okay?

Take a deep breath"

"I'm fucking calm Saph. Wait, did I say I'm calm? No.

I'm not, I'm not calm, how can I be calm? I just saw Mike After 6 years and He called me Jennie as if nothing had changed. Who gave him the right to call me that? I just felt like scratching his face with my nails"

"Okay Jenny I know you are upset and trust me you have every right to be but come on why are you giving him access to hurt you all over, You've been fine all these years without him though and just a few hours of meeting him you are already blabbing. Come on now Jenna, That's too low even for you, you can sure do better

"You are right, I can do better, I can do better without him. I don't need to give him access to hurt me"

She took in long breaths and continued

"Thank you so much Saph, I feel so much better. Can we meet up and have a drink? I'm in my car driving home, but right now my house is the last place I want to be and the thought of being alone really doesn't seem appealing to me. Can we please meet up?"

"Jennie, I would really love to meet up with you...but you know Steve and I traveled to spend some time with his parents so I could get to meet them. Remember?

"Oh yeah, that's true, it slipped my mind, How is it song over there"

"Far more enjoyable than I expected, his parents are so sweet, Jennie.

"I'm glad it is working out for you too, be sure to give me all the juicy details when you return"

"Sure Jennie. Don't worry everything will be Okay".

Alright Saph, let me leave you to enjoy yourself, it's obvious I'll be spending the rest of the week alone, it's a pity it's just Wednesday"

"Oh Come on now, don't sound so sad, you'll pull through"

"Yea right"

Jenna scoffed

"take care saph"

"Please Call me if anything goes wrong okay?"

As the call ended. Jennie sighed in relief, she couldn't be more grateful for the gift of Sapphire in her life. She thought of all the times Sapphire had come through for her in the last 6 years. How she was there for her when she was losing it and how She had helped her get her life on track. Even now, A call to her had done the trick and had helped her get back herself.

But as the engine of her car started again, and she steered her car back to the road she couldn't help worrying about how the rest of her evening would go.

She decided to grab something to eat on the way because she knew she would not be able to prepare anything to eat-nott for that she had any appetite for food anyways. She got two bottles of wine, which she later made three

"I sure would need those tonight if I am to make it to tomorrow.

The house felt too big and empty for Jenna for the first time in 4 years Since Jenny had brought it, too quiet and unwelcoming but she managed to work into her room

She got changed and decided to watch her favorite show "Be yourself" while eating but even as she sat there staring at the TV, one could tell she was not following the show, she was lost in her world.

"Thank God for wine"

she thought as she poured herself more wine, the took the first sip slowly and as it burned down her chest, she could feel the hurt boiling up slowly.

She couldn't hold it in any more. Hot tears streamed down her eyes, she poured in some more wine into her glass and gulped down everything at a go.

Soon she could feel the room spinning alongside her head. She was drunk but that didn't seem to calm her heart neither did it slow the ache in her chest.

As she sat on the floor with the third bottle of wine and with tears now flowing freely like a fully opened tap she wondered what she had ever done to fate that it should choose to pay her back this way.

Just when She was getting back her life in order, Fate choose to bring back Mike just to cause her more pain

"Why, What did I do wrong, what wrong did I do then, What wrong have I done now, Why do I have to go through so much pain, why"

As she closed her eyes, she could see everything replaying before her as though it was yesterday.

Six Years ago.....

This year had brought a turnaround to Jenna's life, though the year had started a bit rough for her. She had a date with a guy she met some time ago, this was supposed to be their third date but those dates had never happened.

Something always came up.

She was always stood up on all those dates and this time around she had had enough, she had felt even before she left the house that he wouldn't show up just like every other time, but she still decided to give him the benefits of the doubt It's been 45 minutes since the time the agreed and she was yet to hear from him.

"Oh well, I'm glad I wasn't Sam, I mean not with the way you just spoke to Sam?"

"Look, I don't have the time for small talks right now, was there something you needed me to do for you?"

"Oh, I almost forgot, you left your phone on the table."

He pulled out the phone from his pocket and handed it over to her

"Oh, thank you so much. God bless you, I guess I was too much in a hurry to leave there, thank you so much for being a good man"

"You are very much welcome. It is a pleasure to be able to help a beauty like you"

"I'm not too sure about the beauty part, I mean a beauty wouldn't be stood up on three dates".

she said the last part with a sad smile.

"I see what's going on here now, the Sam guy right, well take it from me, it's his loss".

"mmm, thank you for saying that. I am Jenna by the way"

She said as she extended her hands, "

Hi Jenna, I'm Mike"

he grabbed her hands in a gentle handshake

"You are really beautiful and I'll like to buy you a drink please"

His hands were smooth, and for the first time since they started talking, Jenna noticed how handsome he was, tall, dark and handsome. He had this lovely smile that reached his eyes, his dentition was beautiful and his accent was perfect.

'Gosh this man is handsome, How come I never noticed until now'

she thought

"Assessing me to know if I'm good enough to buy you a drink?"

"No, I'm so sorry"

she felt embarrassed to be caught in the act

"Not that, I was just wondering why I never noticed how handsome you were until now, I guess I was too angry to see".

Wow, so you think I'm handsome?"

She was even more embarrassed now.

I am sorry, I am starting to spill rubbish, let's get that drink"

One glass turned into two glasses, then three, and then they lost count.

They talked for more than 5 hours until they were interrupted by the servers

"Excuse me sir, but it's 10 pm and we would like to close for the day."

It's 10 pm already? oh Mine. we are so sorry, I can't believe we have spent that much time"

That was how they met. One meeting turned two, then they went on dates, then they became inseparable and a year later Jenny and Mike got engaged.

It was too beautiful. As she sat drunk with tears still running down her cheeks, she could not help the smile that formed as she remembered that day.

On 6th June 2015, Her 25 birthday, She had woke up to see 2 texts from Mike on her phone. One had been her birthday wish text and the other had said he wouldn't be around to spend the birthday with her, he had some work to do somewhere and would explain

when he returned on the 10th.

That had dampened her mood

"so much for my birthday"

she said as she got ready for the already not so-good-day.

At the close of work that day she headed home to rest before heading out.

Her cousin Ann was coming to take her out.

"At last, I don't have to spend my birthday alone after all"

She had said her colleague was having a hangout and she needed someone to go with her, Jenna had been glad to be the chosen one.

At 5 pm Jenna was already set waiting for Ann who came a few minutes later, they drove down to where Ann said was where the event was being held.

"Ann?"

"mmm"

Ann replied absentmindedly as she turned off the engine of the car

"Are you sure we are not too late, Because I can't hear a sound coming from in there"

"Come on Now, maybe we are too early"

Ann pulled her and they both walked into the hall that was still disturbingly quiet

Ann held the door knob, turned to Jenna, and asked

"Are you ready"

Jane looked at her suspiciously

Ann opened the door and as Jenna stepped into the lights came out a loud HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

"OH WOW"

That was the only thing Jenna could say.

Her family was there, her colleagues were there, and she could see everyone she knew there. She felt so overwhelmed and couldn't hold back the tears that fought to show themselves. Her Only sadness was that Mike wasn't around to share in her joy.

Just when she thought she had seen it all, the saxophonist immediately stopped playing the happy birthday song and instead started playing 'Marry me by Bruno Mars.'

Then Mike walked in with a beautiful cake and some guys with some placards that read ' Marry Me' and the saxophonist.

It was just too much.

She was smiling and crying at the same time.

And at that moment Mike Went on his knees before Jenna

"Oh no I'm dreaming"

Jenna Said

"Jennie, Remember the first day I met you, I have been ever grateful every day for that day because that day gave me happiness. Remember when I said it was Sam's loss?

I meant it, Jenna I gained that day.

life with you has been the most beautiful adventure.

I can't imagine doing life with any other person Jennie, Please do me this favor, Marry me, Jennie".

and she had

YES.

How could she say No, she was too in love to ever say no.

Now years after, those same words that had made her feel so loved and treasured, brought so much pain to her.

It caused this squeezing in her chest that wouldn't just stop.

3 months Later, they had gotten married, the perfect marriage it had been, they were so happy in Marriage. Or so Jenna thought, she knew no marriage was perfect, there were going to be fights, arguments, and all Just Like every other person's marriage. Just like Jenna and Mike's marriage, but that was marriage and what it came with, and she was learning to deal with it. They always settled their fights and went back to being happy again until a year after.

Jenna had woken up to a note from Mike

I'm sorry Jennie, I can't do this again".

And that was all. Mike had left her with just those few words, no explanation, no reason, Nobody had heard from him, not even his family- that is if they were being truthful-It was like he had disappeared, He didn't even get to hear about Jenna's pregnancy.

That had broken Jenna.