Chapter 5 Back In New York

“Home sweet home,” Allison said as she came out of the airport with her twins which their names James and Juliet, he named the male her father’s name and the female Juliet who reminds her of the most trusted assistant in her jewelry store. After her divorce, Allison moved overseas. She sold nearly everything to provide for her children. For five years, her life was a mystery to most. Only her close friend, Elizabeth Anderson, managed to visit them occasionally in Italy, she lived with her aunt, her mum’s younger sister. Now that the kids were older, and understood Allison's desire to resume her career, Elizabeth had assisted her in securing a job as a jewelry designer. This opportunity brought Allisom back to the United States. She brought her phone and decided to call Elizabeth. She told Allison that she was outside waiting for her, but to Allison’s surprise, she couldn’t find her car. “Hello Lizzy where are you?” Allison inquired curiously, eager to see Lizzy. “I’m right in front of you. I’m the one in the blue Audi car opposite you,” she explained, I looked at the car opposite the road and saw a blue sleek Audi car as she had described. I grabbed the twin's hand and we crossed the roads leaving our luggage behind. Lizzy hopped out of her car, the twins ran to her. She bent down and embraced them with a hug. “I’m so happy to see you,” she said. She opened the car and helped them settle down in the car. She gave them some handmade biscuits she bought for them. She embraced Allison with a hug and they both crossed the road to carry the luggage. After they were done with the luggage. They both entered the car, Elizabeth sitting at the first seat and Allison sitting at the seat beside her, leaving the twin at the back both of them savoring the handmade biscuit. While they were on their way home, Allison noticed no change or development in the streets. “There are no real changes here, it was just as if I left New York yesterday,” she said. “There are actually new changes but you just didn’t notice it, we passed about three new buildings and some new stores a few minutes ago,” Elizabeth clarified. Elizabeth and Allison were chin-wagging and they were engrossed in the chin-wagging, Elizabeth was loading Allison with updates including Billy’s new marriage. "I'm over it. Even if he marries someone important, it's none of my business." Elizabeth held the steering wheel tightly, sighing. "You two were so happy once. Hard to believe how things turned out. You were the least expected person I would ever think would have a broken marriage, you guys were so perfect together." "Life's full of surprises. I'm doing okay now." "True. But why would someone from a wealthy family like Claire go after Billy?" Initially, Allison appeared unbothered by the news. But on reflection, she still felt disgusted by his actions. "Billy always had a way with women. I just didn't see him remarrying so quickly after our divorce." Elizabeth said with disdain, "I bet they were together before your divorce. It all happened too quickly." It had been five years since their divorce. Reflecting on it, Allison started to think that Billy might have planned it all along but still not sure about that, if he was truly in a relationship she would have discovered. She asked, "Do they have children?" Elizabeth tilted her head in Allison’s direction, “ No they don’t.” Allison put a smile on her face, Elizabeth caught her smiling and asked, “You look happy about them not having children yet.” “Yes, I’m so happy. He must have been rejecting not accepting the twins as his children by now.” They continue their ching wag, shifting from one topic to another till they reach their final destination. The apartment Elizabeth rented them, and Elizabeth paid six-month rent, to ease Allison for a while so that her salary could be put into important things she needed in the house. It was already dark when they got home, they both entered the kitchen and prepared a meal for dinner. They all ate dinner and went to bed after they were done. It was a very stressful day, they all fell asleep as they lay on the bed. It was another day, a day Allison had always anticipated, the day of her job interview; meaning a day she would be permitted to work as a jewelry designer again. Elizabeth hurried Allison for her job interview. "I took today off to help. I'll watch the kids." "Alright, I'm coming." Allison hadn't been this rushed in years. She quickly did her makeup, changed, grabbed some toasted bread, and left. Allison left her home while James and Juliet were still sleeping. This made her morning easier, as they usually needed her attention for a while. She came out of the apartment and stopped a taxi. She hopped in the car and described where he was going to the taxi driver. The taxi driver drove off, heading to her destination. While she was in the car, she tried to compact herself. She starts to rack her brain for possible questions and answers she would give. The taxi man noticed her behavior and asked if she was going for an interview. She was shocked and didn’t know that she was speaking loud. The taxi driver gave her some and built a little confidence in her. When she arrived at the company and strutted inside the company. An employee guided her to meet the boss, Mark Cole. Mark was Elizabeth's business partner. He needed a jewellery designer, so Elizabeth suggested Allison. Following Mark's assistant, Rachael Ederson, Allison felt a bit nervous when she arrived at Mark’s office door. She strutted inside the office, showing a little bit of confidence. "Good morning, I'm here for the jewelry designer job. Elizabeth recommended me," she said. Mark, poised and sophisticated, nodded. "Please, sit. I saw your resume. You redesigned the ring of heart right?" "Yes, that's my work. But I've been focusing on my kids for years. I might need to relearn some things," Allison replied modestly. “So you stopped being a jewelry designer because of your children?” he asked curiously. “Yes sir,” she said. “How were you able to feed them?” Mark inquired curiously. “I was working as a waiter in a local restaurant in Italy, it gave me more time for my kids but now that they are grown up a little, I had to resume my job to be able to give them the life I had planned for them.” "Wow. Well, I have gone through your works and finding designers as skilled as you are rare. I'm honoured to have you here. Start by getting up to speed with current trends. We have an experienced designer here who can help you." As Allison observed Mark, he looked so familiar but she couldn’t recall where she met him. After a few seconds, she understood why he seemed familiar; his looks and demeanour were strikingly similar to her son's. In her mind, she marvelled, 'What are the odds of such a coincidence?' She said, "Thank you for this chance to learn and grow. I'll do my best and won't disappoint." Mark responded with a calm nod, "Let Rachael give you a tour. We've set up an office for you. Check it out and tell us if you need anything, we will get it before your arrival tomorrow." "Thank you."