Peripheral Vision: A Supernatural Thriller(7)

“Tom, I know I haven’t been myself lately, but I’m just working through some stuff and I’m great at my job.”

“I know you’re good at what you do, but your mind is somewhere else. It’s better to end it on a good note than to let things degrade any further.”

“I can’t believe this! I have given this firm the last seven years of my life. 60 hours a week, weekends, holidays, this job is my life!”

“No one knows that more than I do, but maybe that’s the problem. Sarah, you’re young, smart and talented. You’ll find something else- another director position somewhere. I’ll give you a stellar recommendation. In the meantime, why don’t you take this as a blessing in disguise? You’re getting a generous severance package, so go on a vacation, enjoy your time off. Get your head together, and look, maybe our paths will cross in the future. My guess is you will be up and running full speed again in no time.”

“Is this effective immediately?”

Tom was silent. He nodded in the affirmative.

“Okay. I’ll start packing up my office.” Sarah stood up, her knees felt like they may give out beneath her.

“I’m going to miss you around here, I really am.” Tom reached out and wrapped his arms around her in a short embrace.

“Thanks.” Sarah left the office stunned. She walked emotionless, down the hall to her office, grabbed a box and began to put her belongings into it.

Rebecca walked in and eyed the box. “Sarah, what’s going on?!”

“I’m being let go… effective immediately.” She said with little inflection in her voice.

Rebecca’s eyes welled up. “They can’t do this to you, you’re the lifeblood of this company!”

Sarah stared at the box on her desk. “Apparently they are ready for some new blood. How depressing is this? Seven years of work reduced to one box.”

“This is terrible, Sarah. I feel awful.”

“Don’t feel bad. I’m just glad you get to stay. I’ll be fine. I’ve gotten through worse than this.” Sarah gave a reassuring smile.

“What are you going to do?”

Sarah shrugged. She looked down at her desk, fighting back a tear, and at the same time trying to find something to say. That’s when she saw it for the second time, the envelope from Homewood. She put that in the box too.

“Maybe I’ll leave town for a bit. Take some time to find myself.” She looked around the office, now feeling betrayed and foreign in a place where she had spent the better part of a decade. “Well, I think that’s it. Call me if you have any questions, I don’t know who my replacement is, but I am sure they will have questions.” Sarah started to choke up a little, but quickly sucked the tears back down.

“I’m going to miss you.” Rebecca said.

“I’ll miss you too, but hey, we’ll keep in touch. Come here.”

Sarah reached out and gave Rebecca a hug. Then she quickly put on her sunglasses, picked up the box and walked down the hallway, never saying a word to anyone and never looking back.





Chapter 4




At a Crossroads



Sarah sat across the kitchen table from her best friend, Emma, who was enjoying her nightly after work glass of cabernet sauvignon. Sarah’s glass looked untouched as she was once again reading over the letter from the law office in Homewood, Nebraska.

“Those shits!” Emma fumed. “They can’t do that to you, Sarah. You should sue!”

“Emma, the thing is, everything they said was right. I am burnt out and I am not the same woman they hired. I lost my passion somewhere along the way and I’ve been floundering for months. I think I actually feel relieved. I would never have had the guts to leave and I haven’t been happy there for a long time.”

“But, are you’re really going to Nebraska? Come on Sarah, you’re not cut out for farm life.”

“Maybe not, but what’s keeping me here, Em? I have no job, no boyfriend, no family....” the last part of that sentence filled her heart with longing.

“You have me?”

“I know and that’s a lot. But this inheritance, it’s the only connection I have to my real family.”

Emma thought for a moment and then nodded. “Then you should do it. Maybe it’ll be good to get back in touch with your roots and reconnect with your past.”

“Yeah, but my aunt is gone... it’s just an empty house now.”

“I’m sure there is some history there. Maybe you’ll meet someone who knew your aunt. Maybe someone even knew your parents… your mother?”

A glimmer of hope sparked up in Sarah’s eyes. Maybe her best friend was right? Sarah felt a new resolve build inside her.

“Tomorrow then…I’m going.”

“Tomorrow?! What the hell? Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Why not? It’s not like I have work or anything,” Sarah laughed awkwardly, “and it’s not like I’m leaving for forever. Just a few weeks, or however long it takes to drive out there, check it out, and drive back.”

“Okay, well in that case we’d better finish off this wine, so you can pack and go to bed. That’s a long drive, honey.” Emma took a large gulp and then looked back at Sarah who still hadn’t picked up her glass. “Ahmmm.”