Chapter 15 syaminhazam

“where are we going mummy?,” Leo asked for I don’t know how many times already.
“Cala Sant francesc, Blanes,”

After calling in sick and packed a bag for just a day trip, I booked a cab. Its not that there is no bus going to the place that I intended to take Leo, but time constrains and  I want to make the best of the time  I have today.

Checking my phone, I saw his message from last night until today.

A new message popped out.

I know you are reading this. I’m on my way to your place. Joe informed me that you called in sick. Was the cut bad?. Get ready. I’ll take you to see the doctor.

I smiled. He’ll be surprised knowing that I have left. Lucky for me, we already halfway away from my house, close to the destination that I want to be. The cut yesterday is still aching, but the hurt in my heart, none of the doctor in the world can mend.

True to my instinct, the phone dinged again.

Where are you?. Hospital?

Love, where are you, i have looked everywhere?. Leo’s teacher told me that you called telling them that he is not coming today. Please tell me.

The last message amused me, a bitter smile crept on my face as  I read it.
Where the fucking hell are you?. I’m worried sick.

Throwing the phone inside the bag, I looked outside. All are his false facade he is putting on after his lie blew out on his face yesterday. Worry my foot,  I thought to myself.
Taking a cab means higher cosy but the situation I’m in now, I’m not prepared to travel in a bus packed with people.

Taking the cab also mean that I can sit and think on my own. Thinking about the decision that I almost made last night. I was about to give him benefit of doubt, thinking that he might be different. He might not be what the news portraying him, it might be false.

Claire, that blonde, hugging him tight and planting kisses all over his face. She might be one of his favourite not the history that he labelled her in the message. I should have known better. A man of his status wouldn’t want me as a permanent thing in his life.

My phone dinged again. I am not in the mood to read the messages. It must be him, cursing and maybe throwing his angry word at me again. I don’t even care about him finding out the truth that I lied about being sick.

His sweet word and the glint of adoration and affection in his eyes, he is a master of it.  He had faked it so many times, that it becomes so natural for him.

I was falling for him, at the cost of Leo’s happiness. The worst thing he had done was involving Leo in his scheme of having me as his flavour of the month.

“You are so stupid. So stupid,” I cursed myself.
A small touch of small finger on my shoulder brought me out from my reverie.

“Mummy, blue... sea,” he jumps in his seat.
The cab stopped just a few metre away from the beach. After paying the cab driver his fees, both of us walk towards the beach.

The view was as just as breathtaking. The clear turquoise water and the rolls of waves crashing on the shores and then pull backwards before crashing again is like my heart.

Heartbreak. The pain is still there when I painfully joined all the cracks back. Putting it together, piece by piece.

At that time I vowed that, that was the first and last time that I’m going to let man step over my heart and trample over it.

Vows are made to broken

Sighing,  let go of Leo’s grip on my hand. Allowing him to be free but still under my watchful gaze. Watching him run and playing with the sand, took away my grief.

Fishing out my phone from my beg, I checked my message again. Tons of messages from him and a few from Mel. Opening up hers , I read the latest message.

Marcel is like a raging bull babe. Where are you? Are you okay?. He came barging into the staff room looking for me... he asked me about you Please tell me, is something going on between both of you?.

Deciding that it’s better that I call her, I dialled her number. She answered after a few rings.

“Where are you?.” Mel screamed on the line.

“Gosh.. do you need to scream?” I barked back.

“ Are you sick? In the Hospital?.. I’m dying down here woman. Marcel is going like a complete lunatic.” She paused.

“Is there anything between you two. Don’t lie,”

Sighing, I answered her question “ The current status is nothing but complicated” my eyes watching Leo.

“Where are you, I can hear a faint sound of waves, are you near the beach?”

“ Near a beach, correct.. somewhere near a beach, that’s all I can tell you”

The voice that talked back to me later, didn’t belong to Mel. It belongs to the man with a pair of grey eyes “ Which beach, Ella?”. Anger evident on his voice.

Startled by his voice, I ended the call. I was thinking of bolting away from here but again as usual, Leo makes me stands here rooted to the sand.

He was like a artist, expressing his newfound freedom on a canvas. His canvas however was different. The sand is his canvas. The brush is his leg, where he runs and jumps on  the sand, leaving his footprint.

He then scooped up a handful of that fine sand, turning it into his best masterpiece yet, a sandcastle.

He squealed in delight as the warm water pooled around his ankle with his feet buried in sand. Carrying him behind my back, I walk further into the sea, stopping when the water reaches  a few inches down my waist. Dropping him behind me, I turned around facing him.

It’s time to focus on him, so we played together, splashing water occasionally at each other.

“Mummy, buddy not coming?” he asked after burying me in the sand, piling up the sand on me.

I gulped. My son has took so much liking to that man. I shake my head, averting my gaze so he couldn’t see the tear that threatening to fall down.

“The blonde aunty naughty” my head snapped back at him as my brow furrowed.

“You saw her? She did anything to you?” I inquired. He was crying when he woke up yesterday. I had my doubt, but the need to leave Marcel apartment overpowered my doubt.

“ She pinched me here,” he showed his upper arm, a bluish mark visible. I saw that this morning but didn’t ask because I was thinking maybe he was playing with his friend, knocked over something and too scared to tell me.

“she also asked me to get up..and  I don’t know the funny word she speaks,” my eyes widen as he says that it started with f and b.
He tried to pronounce it first but then he said, the word is so hard to say, so funny but felt so wrong.

Anger boiling inside me as I hugged my Leo. How could she? He is just a small innocent boy that is so naive about the world and especially the cursing word.

She will surely hear from me tomorrow but for today, I want to spend this day with the only man in my life, Leo.

We reached our place late evening, the Sun has settled down. Bouquets of flowers with a sorry card attaches to it lined up at the front door.
Opening the door, I went straight to the kitchen, taking with me a large black plastic bag.

“Aww, such a waste,” Mrs knight, my neighbour speaks as I was placing the tons of flowers into the plastic bag.

“you can take it if you want” I offered her.

“you will?. Surely I want.. not everyday a man will give you flower especially this much,” she said while choosing few bouquet which may got her attention. Taking out the sorry cardfrom the bouquet that she chose, I placed the rest in the bag and throw it at the garbage place.

I don’t know what tomorrow might bring or mean to me but one thing for sure, Claire is going to answer me.