The sun went down sooner than expected. Even my deep sadness couldn’t deny Grand Canyon’s majestic sunset. Jake never came back for me. Dejected, I couldn’t believe he left me waiting for him. How could he not know I’d wait? How could he not believe all my declarations this morning? At this very moment, I understood my relationship with Jake was over. A dream, a nightmare—this was not what I had pictured. How would I salvage my relationship with Jake? Would there be a second chance?
Jake’s silent walk out of my life signaled his gracious way of letting me go. Whether he was letting me go because he was tired of me and my roller coaster emotion, or so I could have a life with Max, I didn’t know. What I knew for sure was that he wouldn’t want to see or talk to me. My biggest fear had come true. Today, Jake woke up and realized he didn’t want to love me anymore. Yes, it was my fault this time—but the fact still remained, I had been abandoned again.
The ironies of life were unending. My two offers of marriage within a week spoofed a comedy and a tragedy, as neither was viable at this point. Max’s love for me destroyed my love for Jake. I could write a Shakespeare play based on my life—only child loses both parents, loses first boyfriend, first boyfriend pushes away second boyfriend, girl ends up alone, again. Almost comical…
Feeling tired and beaten up by life and love, I couldn’t cry anymore. I didn’t want to fall apart this time. I wanted to be strong, accept the curve ball life had thrown at me again, and move on. Of course, this was easier said than done.
“Miss? Excuse me, Miss?” I awoke to find my body still crouched in the middle of the Skywalk.
“Are you OK?” a park ranger asked. “You’ve been here a long time. Do you need help?”
“What time is it?” I asked, dazed and a bit confused.
“It’s 6:00 p.m. We need to close the Skywalk. Are you with anyone? Do you need a ride somewhere?”
The ranger woke me up to my living nightmare—Jake had never come back for me. I was left stranded in the middle of the Grand Canyon.
“Sir, could you take me to the nearest rental car place?”
“Sure.”
During the car ride, I did everything in my power not to break down and sob. I couldn’t believe the man who said he wanted to take care of me the rest of my life abandoned me. I was sure he saw my friends leave. Didn’t he wonder how I would get home? How could Jake leave me?
“Miss, here you are.” The ranger kindly dropped me off. “Take care.”
“Thank you.”
At the car rental place, the first call went to Sarah.
“Sarah?”
“Emily. Where are you? Did you and Jake go back home?”
I started to cry.
Frantic, Sarah started crying with me. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Sarah, I’m still in Arizona.”
“What? Why are you still there?”
“Oh, Sarah!” My tears continued. “Jake never came back for me. He left me here by myself.”
“WHAT?” Sarah yelled loudly. “Where exactly are you? Charlie and I will come get you.”
“I’ll explain it all when I get home. Right now I want to go visit my parents in Texas. Could you book a room for me at that hotel near their gravesite? You remember, the one we stayed at last time?”
“Emily, it’s too far for you to drive alone. Let me go with you.” Sarah was always a kind soul. She would go to great lengths for me and for that, she would always have my thanks.
“I need to be alone and figure out a few things. I’ll call as soon as I get home.”
“Why don’t I fly out and meet you there? Let’s do that.”
“Thanks, Sarah but I need to do this on my own.”
Chapter 10 Visiting Mom and Dad
Today was New Year’s Eve, and having no one to turn to, I wanted to see my parents. As grateful as I was for Sarah’s friendship, I needed to be with family. After leaving the rental agency, I drove all night, eager to be with my parents. If timed perfectly I could be there by New Year’s Day and spend New Year’s with them. That would give me just enough time to get back for school. This would be a great distraction from my sorry life.
Struggling to smile, I tried not to think about the pain that lodged back into my heart. I wondered if Jake was worried about me right now. Would he call soon to reconcile? Or was he so angry he simply stopped caring?
The drive through Arizona was a peaceful one. It was a bit windy at times but the serene setting was much needed and appreciated. To distract myself, I marveled at the beauty and diversity of plant life. One would never find such huge cacti in Southern California, but Arizona was filled with them at every turn. My stomach growled, signaling that it was running on empty—a highly unusual occurrence for me. Jake and Max would have both laughed at this notion.
I forced myself to think about everything but Jake. Unfortunately, when not thinking of Jake, my mind wandered to the confusion I’d caused with Max. What would I tell Max when I turned him down?