Second Chances (ON HOLD)

Chapter 12: Quidditch Pitch

“Who are you?” the sweet, timid voice asked him. Something churned in his heart at the innocence wafting off of her in waves.

He knelt down, so that his face was right before the little girl’s. At that point, he did not know what to say. He did not know how to answer the question that was still hanging in the air around them.

“I’m…” he said. For a minute, he just stared awkwardly at the ground before the full impact of his words hit him with such ferocity he would have almost stumbled.

I’m your daddy

There. Those were the words he wanted to say out loud but somehow the words invading his mind like a pack of wild hounds wanting to be freed, just couldn’t make their way out of his mouth. A lump the size of his Mercedes he’d left there in the car park was lodged into his throat as he continued to stare at the infant standing before him with a ragged, worn out doll tucked safely under her arm.

“Cory! What are you doing outside and who is this?” A woman came up behind her and then narrowing her questioning eyes at Mitch who was still on his knees looking like a twit for sure.

Mitch cleared his throat rather awkwardly before getting up and eyeing the petite woman with chipped off bangs and a pair of spectacles resting on her nose.

“I’m sorry… I’m… “ he paused briefly in thought and continued, “I’m Mitch Callaghan,” he stood up and brought forth his hand for a shake at the woman who continued to stare at him quite indignantly with her arms folded across her chest. Realizing his hand was going to go unshaken by this brooding woman before him, he retracted his arm, a little embarrassed.

“So…?” the woman questioned again, waiting for him to elaborate a bit more on his identity and his reason for being here. Which by the look of things, Mitch had no answer to.

He took in a deep breath and glanced down at the pair of strikingly familiar blues staring at him with the same intensity, he answered, “I’m… I’m a close friend of Vanessa’s. She told me to go ahead upstairs while she followed after a while.”

The lie seemed to tumble out of his mouth with such ease and conviction, he actually would’ve wanted to pat himself on his back, hadn’t it been a deceitful act on his part. The stiffness left the woman’s shoulder a bit as she glanced at her wristwatch and she finally smiled looking up at him.

“Oh, great! I was wondering why she was so late tonight. I guess I should be leaving now, I’m Esme Holster by the way.”

Was this the kind of a baby-sitter Vanessa had been leaving Cory with? He could have had been anyone, he thought as Esme withdrew her purse from a nearby cabinet and moved past him, towards the set of escalators leaving him standing alone with Cory.

…

Vanessa frantically jabbed onto the buttons inside the elevators hoping they’d miraculously open a tad bit quicker than usual.  The thoughts of what might be happening right now with Cory and Mitch there, were making her heart throb wildly along with her fingers which wouldn’t cease to shake. She knew a determined man when she saw one, and the Mitch had been that when he’d stormed away from her.

She glided out of the confines of the walls surrounding her as soon as the doors slid open walking hastily towards her apartment doors down the corridor. Her heart was beating fast and her eyes were transfixed on the passageway ahead. Her nerves were in her throat as she reached the ajar door leading into her apartment.

The lights of the living room where dim, and there was an eerie silence that greeted her. Her daughter’s giggles were unheard of. Momentarily horrified out of her mind at the prospect of her ex-husband taking her daughter away from her, she let out a whimper as she moved towards her daughter’s room as her heels clamped against the floor filling the quietude.