Oh, you wont believe the day Emily had. She was swamped with work, didnt even have time for lunch, when her mum called.
“Everything alright, Mum? Im really busy,” Emily said, rushing her words.
“Love” Her mums voice was weak, like it was coming from far away. “I dont feel well”
Emily thought the line was breaking up, but then she heard a groan.
“Mum? I can barely hear youMum! Im coming right now!” She grabbed her coat and dashed out of the office.
“Cover for me, yeah?” she threw over her shoulder to her colleague before sprinting out.
Only outside did she realise she was still in her office heels. No time to go backshe ran to the car park. Her mums spare keys were in the glovebox. The ringing phone startled her. She drove like mad, breaking traffic ruleswhatever, shed pay the fine if she could just get there in time.
When she burst into the flat, her mum was curled up on the sofa, clutching her chest.
“Mum, is it your heart?” Her mum opened her eyes for a second, then winced.
“Just hold on.” Emily fumbled for her phone and dialled 999.
She thought about driving her mum to hospital herself, but couldnt risk moving herno lift in the building, and no neighbours around in the middle of a workday, just elderly folks.
While waiting for the ambulance, Emily rubbed her mums shoulder, murmuring reassurances. The paramedics arrived, checked her pulse and blood pressure.
“Were taking her in. Likely a heart attack,” one said grimly.
Emily followed them out, desperate to go with, but they told her to stay backshed only be in the way. Call the hospital for updates.
Back at work, her boss caught her sneaking in after lunch.
“Really, Emily? Another late return and youll get a written warning,” she huffed before striding off.
Emily exhaled. First thingshe rang her friend Sarah, who worked at the same hospital. Half an hour later (which felt like forever), Sarah called back: no heart attack, just a scare. Her mum was stable, on fluids, likely moved to a ward tomorrow.
“You alright?” Sarah asked.
“Boss is furious, got a flat tyre on the way back, and James isnt answering his phone,” Emily vented.
“Blimey. Hang in there, love.”
James never called back. When she got home, he was glued to his laptop.
“Where were you? I rang you a hundred times!” she snapped.
“At work. Had meetings all day,” he said, unfazed.
“And you couldnt call back? Mum was rushed to hospitalthank God it wasnt a heart attack! I raced home, got a flat, and youre what?”
“Shouldve driven carefully. Hows your mum now?”
They made up, but Emily couldnt shake the unease.
* * *
Shed met James two years ago in a café. Her mate Lucy had nudged her”That bloke hasnt taken his eyes off you.”
Emily looked over, locked eyes with a handsome stranger, and blushed. He walked over, grinning. “Mind if I join you?”
Lucy made an excuse to leave, and they talked for hours. Emily fell hard. Two weeks later, he moved in.
She kept waiting for a proposal, dropping hints. But James said living together was one thingmarriage was different. Hed do it properly, once he bought a flat. Two years passed.
Then one day, while tidying, she found a little red box in his jacket pocket. A ring. A diamond, no less! Her heart soaredhe *was* going to propose! She slipped it on, admired it, then put it back. She could wait a little longer.
But the next day, the ring was gone. She assumed hed hidden it better.
Her birthday came. James gave a toast, handed her a velvet boxher stomach flipped. But no proposal. Just earrings.
Her face mustve said it all, because James looked guilty. Later, she confronted him.
“Whose ring was that?”
“My friends. He asked me to hide it so his girlfriend wouldnt find it.”
She didnt buy it.
“Didnt realise you went through my things. Dont like the earrings? Fine, well get you a ring tomorrow.”
“Alright, lets go.”
He hadnt expected that. Next day, at the jewellers, the assistant asked, “Something wrong with the ring you bought her?”
Emily froze. “You *did* buy a ring?”
The assistant backtrackedmustve mixed him up with someone else.
“Ill explain,” James whispered.
“Dont bother.” Emily stormed out.
She drove off, shaking. Hed been seeing someone else. The flat excuse was just thatan excuse.
James called, but she turned her phone off. Tears streamed down her face. How stupid shed been
A tap on her window snapped her back. Shed pulled over where that kind strangerDanielhad changed her tyre weeks ago.
“Flat again?” he teased, then saw her face. “Oh”
They ended up in a café. She spilled everything.
“Maybe it was his mates ring?” Daniel offered.
“Doesnt matter now.”
He brought her ice cream. “Always helped me as a kid.”
* * *
She broke up with James. Daniel kept “accidentally” bumping into her, then asked her out. Weekends in Brighton, York Slowly, she trusted him again. Four months later, he proposeda modest ring, but given with his whole heart. She never took it off.
Sometimes she wonderedhow long would James have strung her along if she hadnt found that ring?
Moral of the story? Maybe some closets are better left unopened. And definitely dont go digging in other peoples pockets.
