THE REASONS
It was the first day of December. The alarm on her phone started desperately screaming in her ear, so she shook off the tiredness of the long hours she had to work the previous days and the ones that she had ahead.
A little over the sound of the ringing noise, she heard giggles that soon were accompanied by soft, cute voices.
The reason for her trying every day had just woken up.
Or more like, the reasons.
And they giggled as their small feet hit the carpeted floor of the place they were renting. Siel could never sleep with her bedroom door closed. The little humans that inhabited the room right next to hers might need her, or even just might want to go and jump on top of her tired body as a good morning greeting.
James and Rose were her twin toddlers, just turned three, and she still called them babies. They were truly her babies anyway.
Even if they could already take their crayons to put a few letters together and draw basic figures, like the many drawings in the fridge that showed their mom running around, in all of them…
Still, babies.
Her children rushed into her room as soon as they heard the alarm. They ran on their cute onesies - white with red dots pajamas - climbed the bed, and threw themselves on each side of their dark-haired mommy, warming her up with their love and their little bodies that she was still amazed to see and feel. Their little faces, their almond-shaped, light brown eyes, black, straight, messy hair…
They were her small miracles.
Their tiny hands caressed her face and made her smile, even if she felt tired and desperate for an opportunity that kept her looking for better work… and an opportunity that had never been given to her. And yet, they were the reason, after all, that she never lost hope of a finer life for her little angels.
If it was just her, she would have just given up on everything when her ex-husband started hitting her… But she had them.
"Oh no, I'll be late!"
She jumped off the bed, took each baby in one arm, and ran to the kitchen. They were comfortably and skillfully placed in their high chairs while their mom sprinted around to make a quick breakfast for them.
After feeding the three of them, she cleaned the food that they spread on their faces and changed them into their little and charming day clothes. Later, at night, the three of them would take a relaxing and bonding bubble bath, but in the morning, that was out of the question.
Cleaned and dressed, they were placed in their playpen and kept looking at their mom as she rushed from the dining table to clean up, then the bedroom to the bathroom in quick succession.
The doorbell announced the babysitter’s prompt arrival. Nella was just in time, but Siel was too late for work to even say a proper hello.
My boss is gonna be up my gut again, for sure. He really doesn't need much to get mad at me anyway… always threatening to fire me just so he sees me getting scared… yet, he never really has followed through on it… Shit! I need to go, or he might actually fire me today!
"Bye, Nella! The usual stuff is in the microwave and the fridge… Mommy needs to go, my lovelies… Goodbye, love you! I'll see you all late tonight… "
Just once, I wish I could say early evening instead…
Finally, out of the house and into her small, red Prius, she took two deep breaths to calm herself and focus. She needed to get back home safe so getting into an accident due to panic is definitely out of the question.
She arrived at a very hectic, almost toxic, office atmosphere. That was the day of the monthly meeting with the company executives, but she had no time to worry about that.
"SIEL!!!"
Screams exploded from her boss's office as soon as she stepped into the department's area at 7:01 A.M.
It didn't help her either that she seemed to have stepped on chewing gum on her way into the building, and her right shoe kept getting stuck on their office’s gray carpet. She was so annoyed, fighting with her four-inch-high heels and the offending piece of gum, that it was obviously a losing battle for her.
As a matter of fact, Siel was so engrossed with her personal footwear war, that she didn't notice the 6 foot 2 handsome man in a black suit right in front of her, who was greeting other two well-dressed gentlemen…
Until she crashed into his muscled chest with full force!
She lost her balance, and still out of herself, didn't fully notice what had happened until she felt two strong hands holding her firmly by her arms, and saw a pair of dark blue eyes, staring deeply into hers.
"I'm… I'm very sorry, Mister…"
"Vincent Riegel. V for my friends," he said with a sweet smile that could melt stone.
She could not understand why he was looking at her in that peculiar, dreamy way at her or why he would introduce himself like that. However, the stunned secretary crashed back to reality upon hearing the approaching screams coming from the other side of the muscular, good-looking dirty blond executive in front of her.
"Siel, are you finally here? The contracts! I need the contracts to be signed today in the afternoon! What are you…"
Roderick Wright, labeled by many as the worst boss in the whole of Silvercrest Enterprises, was barreling towards the group when his face suddenly got ashy. Also, his voice, and steps, came to a complete stop…
He finally got close enough to notice who was holding his employee upright, since her knees seemed to have turned to jelly due to the recent "accident".
This man was not just a visitor. Not even his direct boss…
It was the CEO and owner of their company! The very same one who decided to join the executive meeting and had only informed everyone about it at the last minute.