Page 17 of Someone Like You

Giselle

I wasn’t sure what it was that woke me, but when I woke up groggy, I knew there was something out of the ordinary happening.

There seemed to be a lot of activity happening outside of my bedroom window.

It was lighter than it should have been at a little after four in the morning, and the acrid, thick smell of smoke infiltrated my senses before it caused me to start choking.

I jerked upright in bed from my previously prone position. I coughed and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I needed some water. I shoved my feet into my house shoes to get some water, and that was when I heard it.

Loud bangs were coming from somewhere in my townhome.

Confused, I ran to one of the bedroom windows and peered out.

Smoke filled the air, and several residents were out on the lawn across the street.

In the middle of the confusion were three large fire trucks, men scurrying everywhere, and water coated the street.

I heard the loud banging again, and it was more like a thud than a bang. I rushed out into the hallway and down the stairs to realize that the thud I heard was knocking, and my downstairs was filled with smoke.

The acrid smoke quickly filled my lungs and began to burn them. The coughing grew worse, and I could feel my chest grow tighter. I pulled my nightgown up over my nose, trying to block out the smell, but it stung my eyes too.

I spotted my keys hanging on the hook close to the door, and my purse that I had hung up the evening before was on the table beneath it.

I grabbed my keys and purse at the last minute, thankful that I had the presence of mind last night to leave them down here.

The coughing took hold of my body, and I felt myself crumple to my knees.

The door flew open, and two firemen rushed inside.

“Is there anyone else in the house?” one of the firemen asked as he lifted me into his arms.

I continued choking through the smoke, but I was able to shake my head no. A third fireman rushed inside as the first one carried me away, and the second one proceeded deeper into my house.

“Bury your face into my jacket. I got you,” the husky voice stated.

I had no idea what was going on, and I realized that was the result of my sleep-addled brain. I blinked several times as the fireman set me down on a gurney with two EMTs hovering and waiting for him to move.

“What’s going on?” I asked, trying to peer around at the situation.

I saw flames going up from the building, two units over from mine.

Angry flames licked at the night sky, filling it with thick, black smoke and creating a fog in the night sky.

It ate at the tree limbs that hovered over the building, and the beautiful leaves and the white blossoms of the nearby dogwood tree were no more.

“One of the neighboring units caught fire,” the fireman explained.

One of the EMTs followed that explanation with one of his own. “We’re just going to check you for any injuries. What’s your name, ma’am?” He looked as if he were barely out of high school.

“Dr. Champagne. Dr. Giselle Champagne,” I clarified.

“She may need some oxygen. She was choking when we brought her out of the house,” the fireman stated and rushed off to help his coworkers.

I watched all the activity as the EMTs checked me out to ensure that I had no injuries. When they were satisfied that I didn’t have any, they released me.

“What happened?” I asked a couple who lived across the walk from my unit.

“Apparently, the lady in 232 fell asleep with the stove on.”

“Oh my goodness. Is she okay? What about her babies?” I asked.

I recalled that she had a set of twins that were six years old.

“The little girl was unconscious when they brought her out, but the little boy was alert,” the man stated.

“I’m not so sure about the mother, though. She sustained some injuries from what I overheard one of the EMTs stating, but her mental state appeared even worse,” his wife stated.

“Oh my goodness. I can’t—”

Before I could say another word, an explosion went up in the building beside mine. And like dominos, the fire leaped from one building to the next. With my chest tight, my jaw agape, and my breath lodged in my lungs, I watched in horror as the flames ate up my unit.

“Oh, honey. That was your home. I’m so sorry,” the woman stated.

Even as she wrapped her arms around me in a comforting gesture, I could find no words. I was empty inside as I watched everything that I owned in the world go up in flames.

Everything that I had left of Elijah had just been destroyed. There was nothing that I had to hold onto him any longer except for the memories.

My heart shattered in my chest as I broke down sobbing in my neighbor’s arms.

“You can’t stay here like that.”

“I’ll be fine, Genni.”

“You can stay with me and Alex when we return. You know that we don’t mind.”

I hadn’t called anyone and told them what happened. After assuring the Red Cross that I would be okay and that their focus needed to be on those who were in more need than I was, I drove across town to my office.

I was thankful that it was early enough in the morning that I didn’t have to encounter anyone. I wasn’t quite sure how I would explain my disheveled appearance and showing up at the office in nothing more than a nightgown and some slippers.

Thankfully, I had my purse and credit cards.

I knew that I could shop online, but the things that I would immediately need wouldn’t arrive in time.

I had settled down to wait for Imani to arrive at the office.

I would ask her to run an errand to pick up the major items that I needed to start my day.

Then I would eventually wander out on my own to purchase more items.

Although I hadn’t called my family to worry them in the wee hours of the morning, I had forgotten that my sister was an early riser.

She always checked the news, even when she was away from home.

Although she and her husband were on a two-week vacation in Tahiti, she still checked the news back home, and she had seen the fire on the news and instantly called me.

I couldn’t ignore her phone calls. Whereas my parents would be worried, and my father would rush to wherever I was to save the day, Genni would worry, but she would also respect my privacy. Thankfully, our parents had just left two days earlier on a ten-day cruise and couldn’t be reached.

“No, Genni. You two have that two-bedroom condo, and he uses that as his office.”

“And he’s offered to let you stay in there. He can work from the living room, dining room, or his actual office.”

“I appreciate your generosity, but I won’t put Alex out like that. Your husband always drops everything for everyone, and I’m not allowing him to do that again.”

“It’s not about allowing him to, Gigi. You’re family.”

“I appreciate that, but I’ll be fine here in my office for now.”

“How? You have no place to sleep.”

“My couch works just fine,” I muttered, tapping my ink pen against the edge of the desk.

My eyes were gritty and bleary from the lack of sleep I had gotten.

“That’s no way to live, sweetie.”

“Trust, Sis. When I get tired of office dwelling, I’ll get a hotel room.”

“What about your insurance?”

“I’m still going through the paperwork. Once that is all completed, the insurance company will cover everything.”

“What about a rebuild?”

“No. I’m not doing that, but they will cover the expense of me moving into a new place. I have to set up an appointment with a realtor later today. I’m sure that I’ll be able to find something.”

“Do you have a realtor?”

“No.”

“I have a name for you. He’s a great guy, and he is in high demand. Do you want it?”

“Sure,” I replied softly.

“I’ll text you his number when we end the call. His name is Jude Rome, and he’s a friend of Alex’s. I know that he’ll drop everything and come assist you without a second thought.”

“I don’t want anyone doing that for me.”

“See, that’s your problem, Sis. You never allow anyone to help you. You’re always helping everyone else and being there for others. You listen to people’s problems all day and carry the burden of other people’s problems, but who do you allow to be there for you?”

I sighed but didn’t respond. My sister’s words reminded me of Casimir Perez’s words.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the way I felt when he said those things to me.

The only thing I succeeded in doing was seeing his smooth dark skin, those penetrating, beautiful inky black eyes, and those thick, sexy lips.

That led to me remembering our dance in the club.

I shook my head when my sister asked, “Did you hear me?”

“No.”

“I said that I’m going to send you his number, but I’m getting off the phone with you now so that I can call him. I’m not trusting you to handle this. And if you haven’t found a place when we return, you’ll be staying with us.”

“Fine,” I muttered.

“I knew that I should have made you take a copy of my key when we moved in here last year.”

“You two need your privacy. You don’t need your baby sister barging in on you.”

“And you wouldn’t have. But it would have sooo come in handy right now. You could be staying there while we’re out of town.”

“I’ll be fine, Genni.”

“I love you, sweetheart.”

“Love you too.”

I knew that I couldn’t call my parents, but I did wish they were here.

I knew the moment that I heard their voices, I would break.

My parents always made me feel like their little girl again.

My daddy’s big, comforting arms and my mother’s soothing words were just what I needed but more than I could handle at the moment.

I had to be strong and figure out my next move. I knew that I would be okay as it related to housing. Yes, I could check into a hotel, and yes, my insurance would cover moving expenses when I found someplace new. That wasn’t what had me rocked, though.

I was devastated because I no longer had anything left to remind me of my one true love.

It was as if he had never existed, as if we had never been.

I felt like the universe was tired of me holding on to something that could not be and burnt it all down to the ground.

Everything about him had been ripped from my hands.

It was as if the universe and God Himself were mocking me, saying, “If he didn’t love you enough to stay around, why are you still holding on to him? Let him go.”

I knew that was foolish thinking, yet, even with all my education and training, nothing rang truer at the moment than I was a victim, and everything that I had left was taken from me.

I grabbed an Afghan and pillow from my closet, walked to the couch, and dropped down on it. I turned my phone on vibrate and set it on the table at the other end of the couch, and then I lay down to rest.