Aquilla never spoke one word. She stared out the small plane window and said nothing. Seri tried to offer her something to drink, something to eat, her iPad, but nothing. All she did was stare quietly.
What the hell did Seri think she was going to do? Did she really think she was going to act like they were going on vacation? She didn’t want to live in the United States. She didn’t want to go to fucking Bridgeport, Connecticut. She didn’t want to live with a family that she didn’t know. Nobody was giving her a choice in any of this fucked up mess. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and jump off the small plane.
She wasn’t staying. As soon as Seri left her, she was out of there. With the envelope of money she stowed away, she was sure that she had plenty of money. How much she had, she wasn’t sure she hadn’t had the opportunity she needed to count it yet. It was currently stuffed in a jacket pocket buried in her suitcase, but she was sure it was enough to get her the hell out of there.
“Jesus, Conner, its 6:30, Get up, Reese is going to catch you here,” Liz yelled, grabbing clothes and throwing them on. She knew she shouldn’t have let him stay. He could never get up and get out of her house. It was always the same thing, every freaking time. This man was worse than trying to wake Reese. She shouldn’t have let him stay. She should have just stayed awake, worrying the entire night. BUT NOOOO. She just had to fall for the whole distraction thing. It worked…for a while.
“I don’t know why you think we have to keep our relationship a secret from Reese,” Conner complained, getting dressed. “We don’t have a reason to hide, nobody cares, and Reese is not a child,” he assured her. Half the faculty knew about them anyways.
“Can we maybe talk about this later?” They were not in a relationship. They were in a sexship. She didn’t have time for this. Reese needed to be up in ten minutes. Shelby would be there in four hours, and her ex-husband was arriving sometime. Shit, she forgot to call him last night.
Conner kissed her at the door. “Call me later, and let me know how things go.”
“I will, don’t be mad at me,” she begged. She knew she was being obstinate about the whole hiding thing. There was no reason for it. It was her insecurities, not his.
Liz opened the door to her ex-husband with his finger an inch from the doorbell.
Damnit.
“Um, good morning,” Emmanuel said from the door, looking from one to the other.
“I’ll see ya later,” Liz said, rushing Conner out the door. She didn’t even introduce the two men. She didn’t feel the need to introduce her...her…whatever he was to her ex-husband.
“Well, that’s sweet. You’re kidnapped daughter is coming home after 14 years and you’re entertaining a guest,” Emmanuel started as soon as he was in the door.
“Don’t Manny,” she warned, tightening her robe. “What are you doing here already? She’s not going to be here for four more hours.”
“I thought maybe you would want talk about things. I was unaware of your other obligations.”
“You know what, Manny? You have no room to stand there and judge me for a Goddamn thing. You’re the one that___.”
“STOP!” Reese yelled from the stairs right before she turned and ran back up. She didn’t even remember her parents being married, and this is still how they acted around each other. Even when her dad came to pick her up for the weekend they couldn’t go without a screaming match. He wasn’t about to stay in the car and wait for her to come out. No, he had to use the bathroom, get a drink, or ask her mom about something. He just needed the five minutes to fight with her. She swore they both secretly had an addiction to their fighting.
“Happy?” Liz said, turning to Manny.
“Me? I didn’t start that, you did.”
“Manny, let’s stop this. Our daughter is coming home today,” she reminded him as it sank in again. “Do you want coffee?”
“Yes, but I’m going to go drive Reese to school first. I’m sorry, no fighting for the next few days, deal?”
“Days? Are you staying here tonight?”
“I was planning on it. I took three days off. Cody can handle things. Is that okay with you?”
“Um, yeah, it’s fine. Go take Reese to school.”
Shit, this was just great, like she didn’t have enough to deal with, without throwing Manny on the pile.
Conner nodded to Emmanuel as he walked past his car and into the school.
“Who is that guy, Reese?” he asked, pulling to the walkway.
“Mr. Sheffield. He’s my math teacher, and yes, mom is doing him.”
“Oh, that’s just great. I’m glad you have such a great role model in your life. Maybe we should enter her in like some sort of mother of the year contest or something,” Emmanuel angrily spoke about his ex-wife and Reese’s mother.
“I’ve got to go, I’ll see you later.” Why did she have to say that? Now he was going to go right back to the house and start all over. Her parents were exasperating. Thank God he lived almost two hours away.
“I hope you showered before you dressed. My daughter just told me that you were doing her teacher. Really Liz? Do you think maybe you could abstain from bringing guys home when my daughter is here?” Of course they were going to do this. Why would she expect anything less? It wasn’t like they were about to see their daughter for the first time in 14 years. This made more sense.
Let’s fight about things that are none of your business. “Maybe if you had YOUR daughter every other weekend like you are suppose to, you wouldn’t have to worry about that.”
“Some of us actually have to work a real job,” he disputed.
Great, of all times for the flood gate to be lifted, it had to be now, with him.
“Jesus, Liz. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
Liz wiped the uninvited tears with the back or her hand and shoved his hands away from, trying to caress her arms. “Don’t flatter yourself. You didn’t make me cry. You don’t hold that power over me anymore. My daughter is coming home. I am scared to death of who she is. I am scared to death that she’s not going to be able to handle everything that has gone on in her life. I don’t know her. Oh God, Why?! Why did this happen?” she wailed and then sucked in unavailable air.
Emmanuel made her sit down and take slow breaths. He poured them both a cup of coffee while she tried to calm her asthma, it wasn’t working.
“I need my inhaler,” she requested, holding her heavy chest.
“Where is it?”
“On my night stand.”
Emmanuel took the stairs two at a time and grabbed the nebulizer, right next to the empty condom wrapper. It was all he could do to keep his mouth shut.
Liz breathed in her medicine, immediately feeling relief.
“Can you still get pregnant?” he asked.
“What?” Now what the hell?
“I was just wondering why you were using condoms. I figured you would have taken care of that by now.”
Liz rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee. It was no wonder she divorced this man. “I’m not talking to you about my sex life. We’re supposed to be discussing Shelby. Why do you give a shit whether or not I can get pregnant?”
“I’m just curious, can you?”
“Oh my God, Manny, yes, yes, I can still get pregnant.”
“Don’t you think you’re a little old to be taking that chance?”
Liz dropped her head as it shook back and forth. Her head hurt; he made her head hurt. He needed to get out of her house before she stabbed him in his throat… 20 times.