Laura’s dark legacy

"Oh shit! I gotta go" laura blurted out as she fumbled trying to grab her coat and purse from her desk while accidently bumping into an empty chair. She sent it spinning towards the door. Her co-worker Angie, snickered, "See you guys Monday". "Have a good weekend and stay safe". "Wear your mask and be social distant cause Covid is a killer!", she bellowed as she exited the office. Today is friday and I have nothing to look forward to. My life has no freaking excitement. Just work, she mumbled to herself pushing the down button on the elevator. I guess I'll go home, drink some wine and watch the lifetime channel. She felt the presence of somone standing behind her and turned to encounter a sight she would have never expected "What the fuck are you doing here?" she half whispered, looking side to side and hoping no one else was in the hallway. Thoughts raced through her mind, to a time in her life she wanted to forget and bury, dark times that brought her shame and so much pain. God why? she sighed and why now of all times, it's been 30 years and I was just a kid. Her attention quickly turned toward him "How the hell did you find me?" Oh this can't be happening to me she thought, not now. I put that life behind me years ago. Her thoughts raced as she went back in time to her childhood living on the streets, smoking crack, turning tricks and living in abandoned buildings. The ding of the elevator's arrival brought her back to the present. She quickly entered, pressed the close button, and stood directly in the doorway, blocking the entrance and hoping he wouldn't step forward. But he did. Her hands started sweating and she could feel her heart pounding. What now? What the hell does he want? she thought. She refused to say anything to him in the hopes that he would just disappear, if I don't acknowledge him he doesn't exist. "You look amazing", he said in that raspys voice she knew all to well. "Thank you" she blurted out without looking his way. "Laura could you just give me ten minutes of your time? There is something I need to talk to you about?". She quickly spun around with her finger pointed directly between his eyebrows, "Listen Derrick" she almost screamed and had to cut her sentence short as the elevator stopped abruptly in the lobby and she rushed out onto the street with Derrick in tow. "Laura please!" he begged," just a couple of minutes is all I need". She stopped dead in her tracks and waited for him to catch up to her. "Derrick I got a good job and I'm happy with my life. We were kids in a fucked up situation. Now all of that is behind me and I want it to stay that way". "I know Laura, I know", Derrick said to her as he put his hand in his pocket and slowly retrieved a small tattered black book, "I just wanted to find you and it took me almost five years. Remember that night I almost died from an overdose? You were the only one who took me to the hospital, the only one who cared and saved my life. Laura, after I got clean I wrote it all down in this little black book and vowed to find you. I want repay you some how in some way. I have a small trucking business. I'm no millionare but I have a few dollars save and I wanted to thank you for what you did to save my life and hope that this 20 thousand dollars will help you, so thank you Laura thank you for giving me a second chance at life. Laura couldn't believe what she was hearing and burst into sobs as Derrick slowly walkec away.