Abandoned but Not Alone

by Theresa L. Henry

  “Don’t remind me. I think I was just in a panic about singing in public and drank more than I realized.”

  “Well it’s a good thing Jason King rode up on his white charger.” Carlos said sarcastically, using Jason’s full name.

  Rolling her eyes, Aviva snorted at his sarcasm “Behave yourself, we’re all alone so you can drop the possessive crap.”

  “I care about you and I don’t want you to get wrapped up in some guy who’s going to use you as one of his playthings, then drop you when the novelty wears off.

  “For goodness sake Carlos…”

  “I mean it, you’re meant for better than the way this guy will treat you.”

  Feeling insulted, sick and tired of people sticking their noses into her business, Aviva started to get annoyed – again. “Why does everyone think I can’t hold his interest? You know what, don’t even answer that question – I don’t care what you think. This is my life and I intend to live it as I choose. So if this is what you wanted to talk about, I’m leaving. Grabbing her purse, Aviva pushed back her chair, muttering under her breath about people taking her for a fool, who was unable to run her own life.

  Standing just as quickly, Carlos snagged her arm. “I’m sorry. Please don’t leave. That’s not why I asked you to join me. Please Aviva, take a seat, I promise, not another word about Jason King.” He grinned, again using his full name.

  Taking him at his word, Aviva resumed her seat and picked up her coffee and took a sip. She could tell Carlos had something on his mind and was gearing himself up to broach the subject.

  “Have you spoken to Mackenzie lately?”

  “Mackenzie, no I haven’t seen or spoken to her for a while, maybe about six weeks, why?

  “She told me she was pregnant.”

  “Pregnant – why would she tell you she was pregnant?

  “Because I’m the father.”

  Shocked at his disclosure, Aviva sputtered out her next question. “What… when did this all happen, where was I when this was going on?

  “We hooked up the same week that I met you and we’ve been hanging out whenever I was in New York.”

  “Okay… so why are you asking me when I last spoke with her, haven’t you spoken to her?”

  Carlos lowered his eyes, ashamed of the look of disappointment settling over Aviva’s face at the negative shake of his head.

  “What did you do, what did you say to her?”

  “I sort of told her I didn’t want the baby – but I didn’t mean it, you have to believe me. I was just in shock. Women have tried to pull that type of shit on me before. I tried to call her to apologize, I know she wouldn’t try to pull a stroke on me, but at the time, I just wasn’t thinking clearly. By the time I got to New York, her phone had been disconnected and she had moved out of her apartment.”

  All that didn’t happen overnight, just how long had it taken him to contact her, Aviva wondered? Vexed at him, she grabbed her phone and dialed MacKenzie’s number. As she expected a mechanical voice informed her that the number was no longer in service. Ending the call she looked at Carlos, he had always struck her as a stand-up guy, so his reaction to Mackenzie carrying his child came as something of a surprise.

  “What is wrong with you, a woman does the right thing, tells you about the child you both made and you blow her off. You should have thought about covering your dick, then neither of you would be in this predicament! You have a nerve trying to give me advice about Jason. Don’t you dare mention him again, do you hear me?” Aviva threw comment after comment at a shame-faced Carlos who still refused to meet her gaze.

  “Look, I’m sorry about getting into your business – and you’re right, I’m certainly not in a position to sit in judgment of what you do.” At her still furious look he sat up straighter in his chair and changed the subject back to Mackenzie, he was worried. He had tried to find her and had repeatedly come up empty handed. In his line of business, he had to be careful of who he confided in, if word of any of this got out the media would have a field day.

  “I know I’m not your favorite person at the moment but I need your help.” Met by a blank stare he rushed on. “I need to contact her. I want to do the right thing; I just need to let her know that.”

  Aviva wasn’t happy with him, but she could see how desperate he was for news of Mackenzie. That fact alone softened her to his plight. She had met Mackenzie in college and they had become fast friends. Over the years Mackenzie had remained a loyal and up front friend who always kept it real, telling Aviva the truth, whether you wanted to hear it or not. Then would come the hugs that would take the sting out of her words. Aviva was genuinely worried about her, nobody should be alone at a time like this.

  Picking up her phone once again, Aviva dialed another number and waited for the call to be connected. “Hi Mama Mae, its Aviva, how are you doing?”

  “I’m doing fine Aviva, how are you?

  “I'm good, thank you. Mama Mae, is Mackenzie there?” Aviva asked holding her breath for the response. Mama Mae hesitated, Aviva could hear noises in the background as Mama Mae informed her companion of who was on the phone.

  “She was baby, but she left about two weeks ago.”

  “Do you know where she went or could you please give me a contact number for her?”

  “I’m sorry baby, Mackenzie specifically asked her daddy and I not to give out any details if anyone called. Aviva, do you know what’s going on with my baby? She wouldn’t tell her daddy or me anything.”

  Aviva had the greatest respect for Mackenzie’s parents but it was not her place to fill them in on their daughters’ situation. Evading answering the question but unwilling to lie, Aviva settled for saying that she had not spoken with Mackenzie for six weeks and wanted to touch base with her. Aviva ended the call by asking Mama Mae to have Mackenzie call her as soon as possible.

  At the conclusion of the telephone conversation, Aviva returned her attention to Carlos who had heard everything that had been said. “I’m sorry; I don’t know what to tell you, I’m clean out of suggestions. If she didn’t tell me or her mother about the baby, I don’t think she would have told anyone else or confided where she was going.”

  Carlos lowered his head into his hands and blew out a long breath laced with regret. “What have I done, I really messed up this time.”

  “I can’t lie, yes you did, and I have no idea how you’re going to get yourself out of this one.” Staring at his bent head Aviva reached out her hand and rubbed Carlos on his arm, a means of offering him what comfort she could, her anger at him forgotten. “What are you going to do now?” Aviva asked in a gentle voice.

  “Keep looking, what else can I do? Will you promise me that if she contacts you, you’ll let me know?”

  “Sure, but I’ll tell you now, I’m only willing to do as Mackenzie dictates. If she doesn’t want me to give you her number or tell you where she is, I will respect that completely, okay?”

  “What choice do I have? It’s all about the sisterhood right, fuck the guy!”

  “Grow the hell up, this situation right here, this is your doing and has nothing to do with the sisterhood. You had an opportunity to do the right thing and you blew it, that’s on you, so deal with it!”

  Embarrassed at his outburst Carlos took Aviva’s hand and apologized. Accepting his apology he paid for their coffee and escorted her from the coffee bar. Seeing her ride, he whistled but wisely refrained from passing comment.

  ~~~~~~~~~

  It was 8pm and Aviva had still not arrived home. Jason was worried. The Bugatti was a powerful car, the type of car that if not held with a firm hand, could get away from you. You needed to take control, caress it, and handle it as though it were an unpredictable woman. Jason conjured up an image of Aviva as the thought ran through his mind, only to be distracted once by his worry concerning her whereabouts. Picking up his cell he looked at the screen to see if he had any missed calls, still nothing.

  It was 6pm before Aviva realized she still
didn’t have a contact number for Jason, otherwise she would have informed him she was meeting Carlos. He probably wouldn't have been too happy with the information, but as she was staying at his house, and driving his car, Aviva felt the polite thing to do would be to inform him of when she would be back.

  Driving through the gate of Jason’s house Aviva’s thoughts were still very much on Carlos and Mackenzie, hoping that Mackenzie was safe and would soon be in touch. Parking the car at the front of the house, she wearily walked to the door and turned the handle. The door was ripped from her hand as she stood confronted by a very angry Jason.

  Looking her up and down, assuring himself she was unhurt, he stood back to allow her to enter the house before closing the door. “Are you okay Aviva, you’re not hurt or anything, right?”

  “I’m fine, why would you think I would be hurt?” She answered, puzzled by his question and the anger he was displaying.

  Then all hell broke loose. “The reason I thought you were laying in a gutter somewhere hurt, is because it’s after 8pm and I didn’t know where the hell you were, I was worried But by your own admission, you’re fine. Therefore I can only conclude it must just be bad manners on your part as to why I received no call from you.” As Jason came up for breath, Aviva rushed in to defend herself against his verbal attack.

  “Now you wait just a minute Jason King. If you were so worried, why didn’t you call me?”

  “I didn’t call you because I don’t have your number!”

  “You don’t have my number because I didn’t give it to you and you didn’t give me yours.” Aviva shouted back. Lord this man was infuriating, she was normally a calm person who seldom raised her voice but being in his company, she felt as though she were constantly shouting in order to be heard.

  Her comment must have registered with him because a sheepish look crossed his face, accompanied by his dimples. 'Oh yeah Mr Big Bad Somebody, go right ahead and break out the dimples and see where that gets you'. Reaching over Jason slipped a long muscular arm around Aviva’s waist, pulling her towards him. Not yet ready to let him off the hook, she resisted, to no avail. Against his superior strength she was always going to be the loser. Snug against his chest, Jason bent his legs and tried to look into her eyes, she averted them, her gaze fixed on the parquet floor design as though fascinated.

  “Sorry Angel, in my defense I was worried about you, forgive me?” Jason asked placing tender kisses along her hairline and face. Tired from having to control that blasted car all day, Aviva really didn’t want to fight with him, plus those butterfly light kisses got to her every time. She gave in and accepted his apology as he led her towards the living room.

  “I thought you only had three viewings, so how come you’re so late?”

  Reluctant to give an answer Aviva sat down and pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing he awaited a response and he wasn’t going to like her answer. Maybe the omission of Carlos' name was the way to go, yes that’s it, she thought, don’t mention Carlos’ name. “I met a friend for coffee.”

  “What friend?” Jason asked suspiciously, taking a seat beside her.

  “Just a friend Jason, what does it matter?”

  “Well if it doesn’t matter you can tell me this friend’s name, can’t you.” Jason insisted, not liking the way she was evading answering, what to his thinking was a simple question. “Who did you meet, Aviva?”

  “It was Carlos, alright! There you go; it was Carlos, seeing as you always have to be up in my business.”

  Jason was slightly shocked at her words. “Up in your business…Lady have you lost your mind? I’ve been sitting here worried about you and you were out gallivanting with Carlos!”

  “No, I have not man, as a matter of fact, I would say I’m the only sane person currently in this room!” There, he could take that and stick it up his nose Aviva thought childishly. Jumping to her feet, determined to make a hasty exit. Jason headed off, catching her by the arm, spinning her around to face him.

  “What is going on with you and that pretty boy, and I want the truth, because I’m telling you now, I have no intention of sharing you – with anyone!”

  Aviva couldn’t believe his audacity, where did this guy get off thinking he owned her, could dictate to her. Fed up with his alpha male crap and having just dealt with Carlos’ nonsense, she was at the end of her patience, so she came at him hard and low. “Let’s get this straight right here and right now. You-do-not-own-me, and for your information, and as I understand it, slavery was abolished in 1865.” As soon as the words passed her lips she wanted to take them back. Ashamed, she threw her hands over her mouth to hold back the sound of her distress, she had hurt him, his eyes told her that.

  Taken aback by her response, Jason recoiled as though he had been slapped, blood rushing into his face. Without comment, he turned and walked away, continuing out the front door, slamming it shut. The sound of a powerful engine roaring to life pulled Aviva from her stupor, he hadn’t deserved her angry words and she desperately wanted to take them back. Ashamed and wanting to apologize she returned to her seat to await Jason’s return.

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  Jason was angry, he accepted he may have come over a little too possessive where Aviva was concerned, but he couldn’t seem to help it and if the truth were told, he didn’t want to change that aspect of how he felt. The sooner she accepted that was how it was going to be the better. She could fight him as much as she thought necessary, she may be unwilling to admit what was already between them but, he wasn’t and he would take every opportunity to ensure she knew where he stood.

  It was the comment about slavery that had so angered him, she knew better than that, and Jason was resolved not to even think about its absurdity. Oh he would definitely be calling her on the comment and getting an assurance that it wouldn’t happen again. He also didn’t like that she had been so evasive about meeting Carlos. He intended to get an answer as to what was going on between them, and if he didn’t like her answer, he would take matters into his own hands.

  Feeling pissed off and out of sorts he drove with no real destination in mind, his thoughts moving from Aviva, to Steve who was still missing and then jumping to his long lost family and the meeting he had promised Aviva he would have with them. Unable to resolve any of the thoughts churning around in his mind Jason headed home.

  Aviva didn’t know when she had fallen asleep; she was still on the couch where she had begun her vigil when she heard the front door close. Jumping to her feet she ran into the hall to see Jason looking back at her, clearly surprised to see her still awake. Unsure of his mood Aviva took a hesitant step towards him, nibbling on her lower lip in an attempt to arrange her thoughts as to how to begin her apology.

  Jason had no intention of making it easy for her, they both knew she had overstepped the mark, so he waited while she bit her lip and wrung her hands in an attempt to formulate her words. If he were honest he wanted to take her in his arms and offer her comfort. But he knew that to do so would be to set a precedent that could have a destructive effect on their relationship. He knew his temper sometimes led to his being unreasonable, and was resolved to try and keep it in check but he would never speak words that would deliberately hurt her feelings. So he waited, he wanted Aviva to acknowledge that she had gone too far.

  Drawing in a deep breath she looked at Jason and spoke in a soft voice. “I’m sorry, please accept my apology, I didn’t mean any of those terrible things I said to you earlier.”

  “So why did you say them?”

  “I…” Aviva was reluctant to answer his question but knew she had no choice. “I suppose I was just tired, and frustrated at you and Carlos. Carlos at the way he has treated a girlfriend of mine and you for thinking it’s acceptable to boss me around. You can’t keep doing that, Jason.”

  He knew she was right but he was unsure how to stop. So he made a promise based on what he thought he could live up to. “I can’t promise you not to react in the same way as I did earlier, bu
t I will promise to try not to react before I think about how my words may affect you and I need you to do the same for me. As for Carlos, if you guys are just friends, don’t hide the fact that you are spending time with him. I need to believe that I can trust you no matter what.”

  “Carlos is just a friend, more like a big brother actually and I really think he’s in my life to stay. I think you’ll like him when you get to know him, he can be a bit full of himself sometimes, but he’s good people, and Jason, I can and do promise not to say such horrible things to you, ever again.”

  Knowing immediately to what she was referring, and seeing her sincerity, he dismissed it. As for Carlos, he would reserve judgment until he spent more time with him. Turning towards the stairs Jason looked over his shoulder at a still immobile Aviva. “Well are you coming? I think we both need some sleep.”

  Walking hesitantly towards him, she slipped her hand into the one he offered as they both climbed the stairs. Jason stopped outside her room with a question in his eyes. Aviva realized he was leaving the decision up to her of whether she would spend the night with him. Yet to slake the shame of her comments, she kissed him goodnight as she opened her bedroom door and went inside.

  Disappointed she wanted to sleep alone; Jason knew he needed to give her time, knowing that pushing too hard could backfire on him. The thought of her not being a part of his life was something he was unwilling to contemplate. Turning he headed for his room resolved to spend the night alone.

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  The next morning Aviva awoke to a single red rose lying on her pillow. Below the rose was a folded note, reaching for the cream colored parchment, she opened it and read its content.

  Good morning Angel,

  I hope you slept well.

  I’m afraid I will be out for most of the day attending to outstanding business matters.

  I did quite a lot of thinking last night, and came to a realization. If I am to move forward with the life I want to spend with you; I will first have to come to terms with this new family I seem to have acquired.