Dark Future Cold

This case took place six months ago. This was about a couple so much in love. It was her idea for the both of them to come to me. The couple, Alex and Rashida, looked so awkward in front of me.

“Tell me your story,” I said. Neither spoke at first. I waited patiently as Rashida lifted her chin.

“We’ve been dating for two and a half years,” she said.

“Okay.”

“We moved her to start a new life and get married.”

(Why would they do that here?)

“I was born here,” Alex said.

(Buddy, you should know coming back was a bad idea. I’ll stop now.)

“Excuse me, why did you move here if you don’t mind me asking?” I cut in. The couple looked at each other.

“My mother,” Alex said.

(From this point on, I will change up the formatting to show my notes.)

A: She got sick last year. I’m all she has left. Dad left ten years ago. I have no siblings. Mom had a sister, but they haven’t spoken in years.

T: Any grandparents?

A: Nope.

R: We decided to move because, hey why not?

He lowered his gaze.

A: I t was supposed to be for six months!

T: How did you two meet?

They sat up.

R: It was just after college. I had just graduated. At the time, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. My friends had their plans for the future. Some were already married. One of them was pregnant. I had my degree, but that was it.

T: I see.

R: I thought about going for the summer. What choice did I have? I made it home by morning.

She broke into a little smile.

R: I was born on a small island. Only fifty people lived there. It’s much less now. Anyway, I went to the mainland for a better life.

T: I see.

R: After I got settled in, I took a walk on the beach. There wasn’t much to do at home. I didn’t have plans that morning. I thought I was going to be alone.

She turned to her fiancé.

R: That’s when I saw him.

Alex sat up straight like he was prompted to.

A: I was on vacation at the time. It was a work thing.

T: What did you do?

A: Ocean research.

T; Ah. I see.

A: I was enjoying the morning on the beach. I happened to look up and see her.

They held hands.

R: I spoke first.

A: Yep.

T: What did you say?

She giggled.

R: I asked him what he was doing out there.

A: Yep. I said I wasn’t doing anything.

R: I thought he was cute. Something just clicked, you know? I had to know about him.

A: Once she set her eyes on me, the others didn’t stand a chance.

She broke into a laugh.

R: That day was magical. And that night was even better! I didn’t want that day to end.

T: What did you do?

Rashida giggled. I looked up as I waited.

R: Not much. We walked along the beach. Talked and got closer to each other.

T: All in one day?

R: Uh-huh. I remembered what I said the night he walked me home.

She broke into a huge smile.

R: I turned to him at the door and said, “Let’s promise to not forget tonight.”

A: I kissed her.

T: So… What happened?

A: Everything was good over the years. But then, Mom got sick.

R: I insisted on moving to the city with him. Alex was against it.

A: She wouldn’t take no for an answer.

R: In the end, we came here.

T: And what do you want? Why did you come here?

The couple looked at each other. She squeezed his hand.

R: We are struggling to keep everything together. We want a baby and a happy life.

A: Money is tight. Trying to keep our apartment is a nightmare. I just lost my job and it’s a headache to find another one.

R: My parents are running out of patience and want me to come home. I’m trying to find a job too.

Alex sighed and lowered his head.

A: We don’t know what to do here.

I have seen this before. So many relationships met their demise in this city. I’m surprised these two were still together. They had so many hopes like others before them.

But still, I have hope for Alex and Rashida. They hadn’t turned jade yet. They still had hopes and dreams. I decided to keep tracking them to see how their story will unfold.

I just hoped this story would turn out to be a happy one.