TOBY.
"He couldn't have disappeared from the face of the Earth, or could he?" I asked myself as I drove home empty-handed again. With all the police Officers, private investigators and a team of well-trained security personnel deployed we still couldn't find my little boy.
How he got missing in the first place resembles something out of a movie. How someone could replace a baby out of his stroller with a plastic toy dressed in his clothes and leave the mall without anyone noticing was beyond me.
I couldn't imagine not finding him, I'd go to the ends necessary just to find him. I'd hoped we would have found him by now. I needed it to be soon because Ruby and I were getting to the end of ourselves. I dreaded going back home without him again. Ruby could hardly say a word to me after I got back last night. I wish she would share her pain with me but I could feel her shutting me out.
As I drove down the private road that led to our estate I spotted a basket, just beside the gate. I parked my car in front of the gate and got down to investigate as the motion-sensitive and smart automatic gates flew open. As I moved closer, I noticed there was movement coming from within the baskets.
I came face to face with a content Jeremy waving his hands from out of the baskets. I picked him up and saw that he was wearing the clothes he had been abducted in, Jean overalls and a white undershirt. I could never forget the description because I had repeated it over and over again. He looked excited to see me. I hugged him to my chest not knowing what to do, whether to cry or holler.
Tears streamed down my eyes while I just held him.
In my excitement, I didn't notice a crowd of our staff had gathered until they began to clap and cheer. The crowd parted and Ruby made her way to us, she plucked an excited Jeremy, who was soaking up all the attention from my arms and I hugged her from behind, embracing the both of them.
That night, Jeremy slept between us, with Ruby's protective arm thrown over him. I watched them, thinking everything was right with my world again but I was wrong.
I slept in late the next morning and when I woke up, Ruby and Jeremy were gone. I panicked, thinking they were both missing until I noticed she had left the divorce papers I had prepared and signed a few weeks back, on her side of the bed. She had signed them, Ruby had divorced me. Her things were also missing from the room. Most of her clothes were gone, the only ones left behind were formal and expensive clothes she hardly wore. How the hell did she find those papers? After seeing the papers she must be thinking this was what I wanted or some sort of rubbish. I sprinted to the nursery to find that Jeremy's things were missing as well.
I had to find her and clear this misunderstanding up. I was out of bed and dressed faster than I thought was humanly possible. I was on the road before I realized I didn't know exactly where she was. I knew for a fact that she wouldn't go back to her father's house, she hated her stepmother and things with her father were strained. So where would she go? I found myself driving toward our apartment so I went with the flow. Like her, I still had access to the apartment so I headed straight up.
"Ruby, Ruby," I screamed at the top of my voice. Desperate for an answer.
"What the hell, if you want me to leave then I will." Relief flooded through me the moment I spotted her at the top of the stairs, Jeremy on her shoulder. I was star-struck and frozen in place as they made their way toward me. I gained the function of my legs and rushed to meet them. We met at the landing of the stairs. I was about to embrace them but the look on her face stopped me in my tracks, it was the opposite of mine. She looked at me with disgust, causing my excitement to see them drop.
"You have to understand me, Ruby, I was coerced into preparing and signing those papers. I meant to destroy them…"
"Save it," she said, cutting me off.
"Ruby," I pleaded.
"I've managed your sorry self enough but this nonsense," she said pointing between us, "it ends here." Jeremy reached for me but she held on to him.
"No, you can't do that to us, not after all we've shared these past few days."
"All we've shared these past few days is nothing, we've shared nothing. I was just pretending to be into you." I shook my head in disbelief at her words. "You can't fake the feelings we shared," I insisted.
"Well, I did."
"I know you're lying. For some reason, you're trying to push me away. If not that then why would you fake feelings for me?"
"I did it for the fame, the money and not because I care about you. I was only telling you what you wanted to hear."
"That's not you," I said, still refusing to believe what she was saying.
"Believe what you want to but this is the real me, now get out," she said, heading toward the door.
"Even if what you're saying is true, wouldn't you at least try to work on us for his sake?" I followed after her, Jeremy was getting irritated at this point. Tried to fly out of her hold but she held on firmly.
"Look, we have joint custody of him so that's not a problem. Get any ideas of us out of your head because I'm sick and tired of tolerating you. I'm as rich and famous as you, so why do I have to keep up with you when there are better men out there."
"So you'll just kick me to the curb."
"Yes, I don't need to be with someone who can't keep his son safe." That line hit me hard, she was right. I failed to protect both of them so I turned away and left through the door she left open behind. Jeremy's loud cries ushered me out but I didn't look back, I just walked straight into the elevator. It was only when the doors had closed and the sound of his crying had died down that I turned. I slid down in a corner of the elevator and wept.
She was right. I wasn't even man enough to fight for my family.