BROKEN AND BRAVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The three women had lunch. There was akward silence, so akward, even Porsha couldn't break. Lucy didn't much realise she even had company at the table. Her eyes were fixed on her meal, which she barely realused had to be eaten.
Porsha passed little glances at Kate and Kate to her. They all seemed to know what was wrong.
"My dear, are you alright?...Eldena.."
"It's Lucy."
"Well you shoulda responded the first time.how are you doing?" Kate asked.
"Doing? I'm doing great! Never been better."
"Hmm, so it seems.How are you and Jayson?"
"It'd be better if we didn't mention his name, I might just choke on my food." She said and gulped down a glass full of wine without breaking to catch her breath.
Kate dropped her cutlery and focused on Lucy who hadn't touched her food but only drank wine. "What's tge use of not mentioning his name when all you do is see hus face in that casserole?" She chuckled and giggled. She didn't kniw how hard Lucy was taking it.Maybe she thought it was nothing since she'd been forgiven and left out of it. Porsha too giggled and a fierce look from lucy shut her. "Sweetie,try ta lighten up a little.I feel responsible for Jayson. I was the one who started all this.I just thought you'd be calmer if you had a friend."
"How far it got you." Lucy forced a smile which took no time to fade. She shoved a spoon of casserole in her mouth.
"Forgive him."
Lucy paused on her chew and looked at Kate. "That's his problem." She said and munched on, now eating as though her happiness depended on it, for that was the one thing she never had.
Kate smiled at her.
"Lucy dear." Her smile brightened.
"Hmm?"
"You're just so in love with him."
That casserole took a wrong turn and Lucy choked on her food, she reached for some wine and sipped. Then she gave her mother that look.
"Wtf..."

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She had just taken a bath and was in white bathrobe. She stared at the mirror, lost. Then an incoming call brought her to realisty. It was Jayson. How she wanted to see him, how she wanted to smile at the moment he said he loved her...how she was still filled with so much pride, but not everything was about pride.Sometimes we're just too scared to make another mistake, to take another risk. She let the phone ring for as long as he cared to wait, then a voicemail.
"Lucy, I hope you'd see the actual reality.you're not the only one hurting.I know you're hearing me right now. I miss you too."
She didn't know why she was crying. She didn't know what to think anymore. She didn't know what she wanted anymore.
The phone began to ring after a while, she let it ring for a while and then answered. He hands quivered as she brought it up to her ear.
"Lucy!!" He exclaimed from the other end of the line. "Thanks so much for picking.please tell me you're gonna forgive me.I'm tired, you're breaking me." He said sympathetically. She felt shivers run down her spine. "I'm sorrt...Please say something, Lucy, a word or two...anything!"
She dropped the phone on the table and walked away as though she'd  been hypnotized.
"Lucy! Lucy,Are you there? Please..."

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"Forget her, boy. I can't see you hurting like this over some girl who's too blind to see how much you care." Lorraine said over tea in Chicago. She always had tea. The woman wanted to live forever.
"She's just got a lot of probs,mum. I just can't stop thinking about her." Jayson sihged. "None of this was supposed to happen. I just wanna go back to the way we were or even better."
Lorraine looked at her son. The stress was all over him. He got up excitedly. "I know whatta do." He kissed Lorraine goodbye and left.

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