As Lauren walked the foggy streets of downtown Bristol, she realized that her head was as unclear as the mist in front of her face. The haze was so dense that she couldn’t read the ‘Bristol’ sign ahead of her, even though it was well lit with thousands of tiny light bulbs, creating a glow in the late morning sky. Is that where she was headed? Photos of happier times kept popping in her head. Photos of Ryan kissing her in front of the sign, one hand holding his phone while his arm was wrapped around her neck, holding her close as he kissed her cheek. She had never been happier. She thought Ryan was the perfect guy, until he wasn’t. She thought he could do no wrong, until he did. She thought he loved her, but it was all just a lie. Ryan wasn’t perfect. Ryan was a cruel, unscrupulous, and dead to her.
Lauren stopped on the sidewalk and began to mentally shake her head, trying to clear it of all things Ryan. She practically jumped out of her skin when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. A tiny, older lady was looking at her with concern in her face. “Are you okay, dear?”
Lauren closed her eyes and clenched her fists, shaking her head. “No. I am not okay.” She looked at the kind face staring back at her. “It’s been a horrible day.”
“My name is Ruth. Will you have a cup of coffee with me? I think you need a friend right now.”
Lauren nodded while Ruth took her arm and they walked into one of the newly renovated downtown restaurants. They found a small table and ordered coffee from the server. While they waited on their drinks, Ruth smiled. “If we’re going to be friends, I think I need to know your name.”
“Lauren.”
Ruth’s hand went to her chest. “What a coincidence! My granddaughter’s name is Lauren.” She opened her purse and began to search through its contents. “I’ve got a picture of her in here somewhere. You actually remind me of her.” Before she could produce a picture, the server came back with the coffee. Lauren added milk and sugar to her drink, stirring absently, while Ruth did the same. The picture forgotten; Ruth looked at Lauren with alarm. “You’re as pale as a ghost. Is there anyone I can call for you?”
Lauren shook her head adamantly and whispered, “No.” Tears that she had been holding back, began to spill down her cheeks. Seeing the kindness and care on Ruth’s face was all it took for the anguish to spill out. “I have no one. Not now. He’s gone.”
“Who’s gone, dear?”
Lauren gasped and then put her fist to her mouth. “Ryan’s gone. I thought he loved me.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Ruth placed her hand on top of Lauren’s. “Is that your husband or boyfriend?”
Lauren sniffed. “He’s my, I mean he was my boyfriend.” Taking a deep breath, she continued. “I thought we were going to get married. He was the love of my life, and I don’t know how I’ll go on without him.”
Ruth patted her hand and then took a sip of her coffee. “I know it may seem like the end of the world, but sweetheart, one day you’ll look back and wonder why you ever wasted one tear on him.” Before she could say anything else, her phone began ringing in her purse, but she ignored it. “My granddaughter is also in a relationship. I can see that although she loves him, she’s not happy. She thinks he’s seeing someone else. I told her to listen to her intuition.” Ruth shook her head. “Time is too precious and there are too many good men out there to waste on one that is not faithful.” Ruth smiled. “My Henry was a good man and the love of my life. He died two years ago, and I miss him terribly.”
Lauren took her napkin and wiped under her eyes. “How long were you married?”
Ruth looked thoughtful. “We married in 1959. I was only 18 years old, and he was on leave from the Navy. We had just celebrated our 62nd wedding anniversary before he passed.”
“Were you always happy?”
Ruth chuckled. “No, I wouldn’t say that we were always happy. We had our ups and downs like most married people but, the love we had for each other always brought us back together through all the disagreements and misunderstandings.” Looking sheepish, Ruth smiled. “I’ll tell you something I’ve never told another soul.” Before she could continue, Ruth’s phone began ringing but once again, she ignored it. She talked softly so no one else could hear. “I actually left Henry when we had only been married a couple of years. He had gone out after leaving the ship one night, to a bar with some of his buddies. He came home a little drunk with lipstick on his cheek.” Ruth shook her head. “Well, I had a fit and accused him of all kinds of misdeeds. I packed my suitcase and went to a motel on the outskirts of town. I stayed there for two days, and nobody knew where I was. There was a man staying next door. He was traveling on business.”
Lauren noticed a faraway look in Ruth’s bright blue eyes. Surely Ruth and this traveling businessman didn’t have an affair.
“By the time I got home, Henry was beside himself with worry. He couldn’t apologize enough and promised me that nothing had happened. The girl that had kissed his cheek was the wife of one of his friends. He said she left lipstick on all his friend’s cheeks that night.”
Dabbing her mouth with a napkin, Ruth asked, “Do you want to talk about your Ryan? Did you break up because he cheated on you?”
Lauren hesitated. “I actually caught him in bed with another girl.”
Ruth’s eyes grew round, and her hand went to her mouth. “Oh, my goodness.”
Lauren stood up. “Look, you’re really sweet but I know you have better things to do than listen to my sad story. You go on with the rest of your day but please know how much I appreciate you.”
Ruth motioned for Lauren to sit back down. “Now, I don’t have to be anywhere until my doctor’s appointment at 2:30.” Ruth looked at her watch. “I don’t have a thing to do until then so sit back down.” Ruth smiled. “Sometimes, all it takes is to talk about it and it makes you feel so much better.
Lauren hesitated, and then slowly sat back down. “Okay, if, you’re sure.”
Ruth relaxed and took another sip of her coffee. “Of course, I’m sure. You need a friend. I may be a lot older than you, but you can tell me anything. I won’t judge you and I won’t give you any advice unless you ask for it.”
Lauren took a deep breath. “I met Ryan in college. He was the most handsome man I had ever met. He had these gorgeous brown eyes with long sooty eyelashes. His hair was so dark, it was almost black.” Lauren smiled just remembering their first encounter. “He actually winked at me when he held the door open to our Economics classroom. I was hooked right then. He found me in the hallway after class and asked me to go to lunch with him. There were no awkward moments; we hit it off as if we had known each other all of our lives. I knew, I knew right away that we would be together always.”
Lauren stopped, realizing that she had rambled on. Ruth had such an encouraging look on her face, so Lauren continued her saga. “Things were perfect, actually too perfect. Ryan knew of my past. He knew I had been abandoned as a baby and that my adoptive parents were not the best or most ideal people. He knew of my insecurities and my faults, but he loved me anyway. Or at least, I thought he did.”
Ruth took the opportunity to wave at the server for a refill when Lauren paused. After both cups were filled with steaming black coffee, Lauren continued. “Of course, there were moments when we would argue but I thought it was just normal, nothing to worry about. I tried to brush the nagging feeling that things weren’t exactly right when Ryan suddenly seemed distant and distracted.”
Lauren closed her eyes, and her fingers pinched the bridge between her nose. “I realized I had left my cell phone at Ryan’s apartment this morning, so I decided to go and get it.” Lauren covered her mouth and looked at Ruth with absolute anguish in her eyes. “I walked in the apartment. There was soft music playing in the bedroom, which was unusual because Ryan was supposed to be at work.” Lauren sobbed. “I opened the door and there they were.” Lauren was gasping, trying to catch her breath.
Ruth looked at Lauren with pity. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.” She shook her head. “You can cry. Just let it out.”
Lauren’s tears began falling in earnest. “I stood there in shock. This girl was in Ryan’s bed and in his arms. I lost it.” Lauren wiped her eyes, sobbing softly.
Ruth’s phone began ringing again. “I don’t know who this is. Let me make sure it’s not an emergency.” Ruth fished in her purse for the phone. Once she found it, she looked at it with concern. “It’s my daughter. Let me check the voicemail she left.”
Lauren watched Ruth’s eyes grow wide with alarm. She reassured her and said, “Go ahead and call her. It’s okay.”
Ruth nodded. “Yes, it sounds important.”
Ruth’s daughter began talking as soon as the call went through and the longer she talked, the paler Ruth became, until she was almost as white as a ghost. Lauren became concerned for her new friend, fearing she would pass out, so she got up and walked around the small table. As Ruth ended the call, she slumped forward, her forehead against the table.
Lauren put her arms around her. “What is it, Ruth? What’s wrong?”
Ruth finally looked up, her eyes red and bleak, as if the life had gone out of them. She whispered, “It’s my granddaughter, she’s…she’s been murdered.”
Lauren’s eyes grew wide, and she covered her mouth. “What?”
Ruth picked up her purse. “My son-in-law is on his way to take me home. I have to leave.”
Lauren stood speechless, not knowing what to do or say. “Let me help you, Ruth. You’ve been so kind to me, let me help you now.”
Ruth nodded. Lauren left some cash on the table and helped Ruth to her feet and walked her outside, where they waited for her ride. Lauren could see that her friend was in shock, but she tried to comfort her anyway. “I’m so sorry, Ruth. Do you know what happened?”
Ruth spoke as if in a daze. “She had gone to her boyfriend’s apartment, and someone broke in and stabbed them both. Lauren is dead but her boyfriend is in an induced coma. They don’t think he’ll make it.”
Lauren gasped. She held on to Ruth until her ride came and then helped her into the car. Lauren began walking aimlessly down the sidewalk, trying to clear her racing thoughts. Somehow, she made it back to her car and unlocked the door. She was cold, so she turned the heat on high, noticing the spots of blood on the console. Taking a disinfectant wipe from the can laying on the passenger seat, she wiped it clean.
She thought of Ryan and Lauren, Ruth’s granddaughter, tangled in gray sheets, covered in blood. Was it a coincidence that she ran into Lauren’s grandmother today?
She warned Ryan. He knew what she was capable of. Why didn’t he listen to her?
Lauren began driving down the street, under the ‘Bristol’ sign that claimed that it was a ‘good place to live.’ Lauren would miss this sweet small town, and the people, people like Ruth.
Photo credit: Elaina Raines
Karen G. Bruce 