NICKNAMES [1], jj maybank

CHAPTER 11

Smart Sarah Cameron.

"Oh! Come in! I'll grab them out of the kitchen." When Diana finally opens the door behind her I'm amazed. The two staircases that lead to the same fucking floor are lined with flowers. The floor is some nice tile—I have no idea but it looks rich. Family pictures line the walls up the stairs. I try to remember any of the kids but that's when I realize—I had never even seen a fucking picture of one of the kids to determine if it was them. Fuck.

"So, you do know her. I said her last name—you didn't make the connection?" I ask Sarah who stands  waiting for Diana. "I don't know her last name. She just shows up to my house once a week." I roll my eyes at her. I start looking at the family photos and that's when I see it. A picture of Simon I recognize. It's how he looked in 1990 and who stood next to him—Diana. Who looked like his fucking daughter.

So she was just always really pretty, huh?

"Sarah!" She struts in with the strawberries in tin foil "I am about to go out but—it was nice seeing you AND meeting you." She smiles again and I can't even be annoyed because she is so fucking pretty—to the point it annoys me. Not out of jealousy. Out of annoyance for Jessie. She was just as pretty as Diana.

"Diana—" She hums in response so I continue "—your skin is amazing! How old are you? Sorry, that might've been rude—"

"No, no! It's a compliment when you can't tell my age! I'm 49! You should see my husband—"
Bingo, tell me the age gap come on "—He's 67!"

I stop myself from gasping out loud. They're 18 years apart—

"Wow, really? You both look amazing for your age!" Sarah compliments her as I still stand in shock trying to do the math.

"I met him when I was quite young but even with the age gap, I knew he was the one for me." Was she aware that he was married with kids? If she was that's extra fucked up—

"I was 20 y'know. He was 38. He had—a lot going on but we found comfort in each other. We were from two different worlds yet thought so similar."

I assume 'a lot going on' was his whole ass wife and kids. The way she's avoiding admitting her own fault is  now annoying me and her looks are not helping me not hate her. Sarah's just going along with it for our sakes and to not get us in trouble. I zone out by now as Diana goes on and on. At this point it feels she was trying to prove to herself more than anything that he was her soulmate. It's obviously a bad time to confront him even if I figured out a way to do it.

"Well we're going to go! I'll tell Rose you said hi!" Sarah grabs  my forearm and pulls me closer to her. "I'll show you guys out." The clicking of her heels reminds me of my teachers, the ones you hear when you're smoking in the bathroom and panic. She leads us to the doors as Sarah and I give each other looks.

"Have a good day Diana!" Sarah waves at her.

"Bye girls." She smiles at me so I smiles back. As soon as the door closes I turn around and head down the driveway for the car. "Sam! Sam!" Sarah tries her best to run with the strawberries. "She knew, Sarah!" I finally get to the car and yell. I'm so mad at this lady for letting him leave his wife when she was at her worst. Sarah fumbles the keys but gets the car unlocked.

"Did she know the whole story though?" She put the strawberries in the trunk.

"She said a lot going on. She fucking knows." I hop in the passenger seat with my arms crossed. Sarah eventually gets in the driver's seat texting who I assume to be Rose. "Listen, I understand why you're so attached to this but there's nothing you can do. He's not going to leave her simply because you tried to yell at him. You got your confirmation that they're both assholes." She starts the car and I know she's right. I huff in my seat and sulk down.