Member-only story
Cracked
A short story about painful goodbyes
“That’s it,” Alessandra said stepping on the emerald ring and breaking the beautiful glass stone, “we’re done.”
The elderly lady in black standing by the grave on Alessandra’s right stared at her with her mouth open and eyes widened. That wasn’t a normal sight in a cemetery. Normally people bring flowers and small souvenirs. They weep a bit and place their hands on the rough concrete enclosure that now houses their loved ones.
But not Alessandra. She didn’t care as she left the smashed ring behind her fiance’s grave. She was beyond mortified. She had witnessed the previous existence of the man who had promised her the world — just to tear it apart.
Growing up as a kid in the streets of East Harlem New York, Alessandra had to learn how to stand up for herself from an early age, fighting off bullies and thugs. Daughter of a family of immigrants from Mexico, she’d also become the first one to go to college, giving path to her sister to do the same.
Alessandra was the cherry pie of her father’s eye, who couldn’t be any prouder of his daughter’s path. She had finally become a social worker who helped the local community with housing and jobs.
A few years after she’d finished college, she met Rick Olivieri at one of her multiple social events. When their eyes met for the first time, time vanished, and the earth shook.
Rick had become Alessadra’s world. Although he didn’t speak much about his family, she knew he’d come from a family with money. His parents had retired in Switzerland after selling their multiple businesses.
They could be from different backgrounds, but that did not bother Alessandra. She had a great time with him. Her salary couldn’t have given her any of the experiences she had with her boyfriend. From exciting nights in the city, to spontaneous two-day trips and private jets, he made sure Alessandra was happy.
Whenever she asked about his job, he kept his answers vague, and she never thought she had to explore much. Some people, she thought, didn’t like to talk about their jobs. She just knew he worked for a big company in Wall Street, in their financial department as he had an accounting degree.
