•07•
I had been walking around the town for half an hour now. I had no idea where I was right now. At least I had digital wallet on my phone so I could call an uber when I wanted to go back. I just didn’t want to go back home yet. I don’t know what happened. We were doing fine till last night. It looked like a progress. But I couldn’t help getting angry when he started telling his plans for his day. For the first time he was angry too. He was angry too. He was losing patience with me.
I looked around myself. I was in front of a playground. There was a small café opposite to the playground. I was about to go inside the café when my eyes fell on a small kid sitting on a park bench alone. I walked towards him before I could see his face and almost snorted , despite my sour mood, when I saw his face.
“Why are you always alone, Ry?” I asked as I stood next to the bench he was sitting on. He jumped at the sound of my voice. A huge grin broke on his cute face as he hugged my legs.
“Ellie.” He exclaimed. I had to give it to him. He was an adorable boy. Today he was wearing a black jeans, black converse and a green sweatshirt.
“Nice to meet you too.” I laughed at his energy.
“Did you come to meet me?” his little grey eyes looked too hopeful for me to deny him.
“Of course. I missed your cute little butt.” The sweet child blushed and I wanted to pull his cheeks so much. Instead I kissed his cheek. “So, who are you here with?”
“Ms. Williams.” He said pointing towards a girl my age who was standing a little away talking worriedly on her phone.
“Oh!” I said, “Is she your nanny or babysitter.”
“Nope.” He said popping the ‘p’. “She works for Daddy.”
As if the girl could feel eye on her, she turned to look at them. Her eyes widened when she looked at me. Maybe seeing a stranger with her boss’ child. I took the moment to look at her. She was pretty. She had curly hair and tanned skin.
“Hello. I am Sera. You are?” she asked as she stood in front of me. She looked impatient.
“Elise Rivers.” I introduced myself with a polite smile. From here, I could see the freckles and her honey-colored eyes.
“Do you know Mr…”
“I know her.” Riley said impatiently. It was weird to see him behave so like that. He was so polite and well-mannered with me.
“Ry.” I said firmly. “That’s no way to talk to your elders. You should say sorry to Sera.”
He looked up at me with a pout which made him look even more adorable. This kid will kill me with his cuteness. However, I didn’t back down and gave him my stern expression.
“Okay.” He sighed in defeat when I didn’t budge. “Sorry. Ms. Williams.”
“That’s my baby.” I said ruffling his hair fondly. I liked this boy. He looked so happy at the moment that I wanted to hug him. I looked up at Sera to see her looking at Ry and me surprised.
“I-uh-you- Wow. How did you do that?” she asked after gaping like a fish for a minute.
“Get him to be so good to you. I have never seen him like that.” She admitted.
I looked down at Ry to see him glare at Sera. I could tell by his expression that he didn’t want me to think bad about him. I placed my hand around his shoulder and pulled him to my side.
“Ry is a sweet kid. I have never met a kid better than Riley here.”
“Really?” he asked hopefully.
“Really.”
Sera cleared her throat and looked down between us for a while. Riley was still standing sticked to my side. “I know this is very unprofessional of me and if boss knew he would kill me but can you look after him for a while?” she asked. “My niece is at her daycare and my sister is struck at work and couldn’t go. I just have to get Ana and drop her at my mom’s. I will only take an hour please.” She begged. I wasn’t sure if I should but then the little munchkin spoke.
“Ellie, I want to stay with you, please, please, please.” He gave me the puppy face and I couldn’t say no to it.
“Okay. Just be quick.” I told Sera and she squealed and without wasting a minute she ran towards the place where she parked her car.
“So, do you want to play?” I asked looking at the place where kids were playing. It was weird seeing him sitting alone while kids his age were enjoying themselves.
“no.” he said and looked away from the kids angrily.
I don’t know what caused his mood change but I didn’t want to spoil his mood so I offered him one thing that I knew cheered me up.
“How about cake? Do you like cheesecake?” I asked and immediately, the magic of the cake worked on his face.
Sera was an hour late when she came to pick Ry up. She apologized many times despite me telling her that it was all right.
“I lost track of time. My mother, I swear, once she starts talking there is no way to stop her. she started telling me about things and then before I could realise it had been late and I swear, I didn’t mean to trouble you. I know how difficult it is to handle Riley. I troubled you when it is obviously my job. I just…”
“Sera.” I exclaimed. I bet her mother isn’t the only one with talking problem.
Her eyes widened when she realized that she had been rambling.
“sorry.” She said sheepishly. I stood up with a sleeping Riley in my arms. In between waiting for Sera and talking with me, he had climbed on my lap and passed out. Maybe he was tired by playing but he didn’t look like he had been playing.
“He fell asleep and I didn’t dare wake him up. He looked cute.” I laughed.
“Don’t let that cute face trick you. He is a little devil.”
I didn’t like her calling him devil. Riley was a little angel. She must have seen apprehension on my face as she said.
“You won’t believe me because he is so good in front of you. Let me tell you, he had gotten thirteen nannies kicked out. I thought he would get me kicked out too. But you saved me today. So thanks. I don’t know how you do it but only you can do it.”
“Do what?” I asked.
“He is the weirdest kid I know. Sometimes he behave older than his age.” I nodded remembering him glaring at her. “Sometimes he come to work and let me tell you, that kid doesn’t say a word to anyone not his father or his friend.”
“Really? That’s surprising.” I said remembering the two times I have seen Ry and how he told me stories just a while ago.
“Yes, with you he is totally a different kid.” She said and then her rang.
“Yes sir.” She said her voice shaky. “He fell asleep in the car, sir. Um. Yes he ate.” I mouthed cheesecake at her. “Cheesecake. In a café. Um. Okay sir. We are on our way.”
“I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Elise. And thank you.” She said hurriedly taking Ry away from me. It was difficult to detach him since he had a strong grip around my neck.
“Same. Sera.” She waved at me and then I was left alone in the café. I guess its time to face Lee now. For hours I had pushed a question to the back of my mind which had started resurfacing now that Riley had gone.
I walked back home to delay facing the inevitable. When I went back, Lee was sitting on the couch with his head in his hand.
“Elliot.” I said as I stood infront of me.
His head snapped to look at me so quickly that I was afraid that it would detach from his neck.
“Ellie. You are back.” The way he said it made me feel so horrible and his red eyes weren’t helping either.
“I am sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” He started apologizing but I held up a hand to stop him.
“I want to know something. Something you said.”
“What?” he asked and by the thoughtful look on his face, I could tell he was trying to remember what he had said earlier.
“You said you tried to come back and I didn’t let you. What did you mean?” I asked. His words were haunting me and I had to ask him. When did I not let him come back? What did he mean?
“When I called you Ellie. Every time I called you. I only wanted my little sister but you never gave me a chance to explain. Your anger was justified Ellie. I know. I ran away from you. I don’t blame you for being angry. I just hoped you could forgive me all those years. I missed you so much.” He said cupping my cheeks in his hands. He looked so sad.
“what do you mean? You never called me. I waited each day for you to call. I waited on our birthdays. I always waited until I gave up two years ago. How can you say you called me when you never did?”
ELLIOT’s POV
I looked at her tearful face I my hands. What did she mean I never called her. I remember clearly Mom telling me each time that she didn’t want to talk to me. How can she… unless… Shit!
“Ellie. I called. It took me a month to get a phone but I couldn’t get your cell after that. I called on the landline everyday for months but Mom would say that you never wanted to talk to me. She said you were angry. You hated me. I never believed her and I kept calling you everyday until that day. How could I keep trying to reach you after that audio you sent me. I would be heartless if I didn’t walk out after that.” I told her to see her face morph into confusion.
“You called? You called and she… why did she do that Lee?” she sobbed loudly and my heart broke for her but I was so happy that she was calling me Lee again. I hated hearing her calling me Elliot. “And what audio? I never sent you any audio.” She said.
“Wait you didn’t?” I asked. It wasn’t possible. It was her voice. I know it very well. Maybe she forgot about it. I pulled my phone from my pocket and played the audio. I hated listening to it but maybe I could finally get my closure. Finally, she would tell me why did she sent it. I looked at her face as emotions flashed through them. Confusion. Shock. Anger. Grief. Hatred. It hurt to see hatred on her face. She still hated me.
“Lee, I-I didn’t. I hate her. I hate her so much Lee.” She fell on her knees as he hid her face in her hands and started crying.
Her?
“What do you mean Ellie?” I hadn’t expected this reaction.
“She did this, Lee. She broke us. She broke me. I hate her. she is evil.”
“Who?”
“Mom. Teresa.” She spat the name as if it was acid and burnt her tongue.
“What did she do Ellie?”
“She recorded it Lee. I was-was talking to someone else and she fucking recorded it.” I felt my blood boil thinking about what the woman we call our mother did. All these years, I thought Ellie hated me, she didn’t want to talk to me, I hated this audio and still I heard it numerous times to stop myself from calling. All these years, she was playing us? How could a mother do this to her children? Ellie didn’t hate me. She never hated me. I pulled her in my arms and this time, first time in five years she hugged me back.
“I am so sorry Ellie. I shouldn’t have left you alone with that bitch.”
“I am Sorry Lee. All these days I had been so rude to you. I-I can’t believe. How can someone be so heartless? I never thought I can hate someone as much as I hate her.”
We sat like that for a while.
“How about that movie?” she asked pulling back. She looked a mess and I hated seeing her like that. I knew things could only go up from here.