by Clare Morgan
We both realized that it was not just sex. Instead, it was love. What we had was something special and I didn’t really want to let go of it. I took my dick out and went up just to steal one more kiss. I tasted her mouth and her essence still lingered at the top of my tongue, even after I let go of it. What we had was irreplaceable and we knew that no one else, except the two of us, was able to fill the void that we had in our hearts for each other.
“I love you so much, Elaine!” I said as I lay my body on her. We were still entwined together and had no intentions to be a part. We were a part of one entity and even though we were breathing with a separate pair of lungs, but our hearts were still the same.
“I love you so much, Andrew!” she whispered in my ear and as her voice echoed in the atmosphere, I knew I have found my happy ending. It was with her. I was content and whole again by being with her. I was exactly where I belonged, where I chose to be. I didn’t want to go anywhere else.
We both closed our eyes as we bid goodbye to that beautiful day. It was indeed a great day and gave us a lot of things. The moment I closed my eyes, I started to count my blessings. I had a loving family, caring friends, a fit body, and a healthy mind. I didn’t want anything to change. I was happy with the life that was given to me and thanked the almighty for his grace as I closed my eyes and slept.
Chapter 6:
When the entire town came to know about Janet’s news, everyone was delighted. They were all hoping for Janet to tie the knot and couldn’t wait for the celebration to begin. The date was coming close and almost every resident of the town was ready to help. The next few days passed in a whoosh as everyone was busy completing some or other task that was given by Janet.
“Hi! Andrew, I need your help with something!” Janet said as Elaine and I were busy double checking the band and playlist that would be played at the reception.
“Yes, Janet. You look really stunning!” I said as I saw Janet wearing her wedding gown. I don’t know whether she was wearing it in order to double check its fit or if it was just to please herself, but I knew that she deserved a compliment.
“Oh! Thank you!” she said and started to blush, forgetting why she called me.
“You were saying something…” I said in order to make her remind.
“Oh yes! My sister is coming from Houston to attend the wedding. She is coming with this guy she is dating these days. My house is a mess and she doesn’t really like to stay with my mom because they have some difference. So, I have booked a suite for the both of them in Hotel Rockford. She has no idea about this place as she would be coming to visit us after almost five years. Although, the city hasn’t really changed in years, but she is not good with directions,” Janet said as she kept going on and on about her sister and how hot she thinks her boyfriend was. She told me all about their childhood stories and why she thinks her sister doesn’t deserve a “hot piece of ass” that her boyfriend was.
“Janet, what do you want me to do?” I finally asked her, knowing that she won’t stop at all.
“Oh yes! I want you to pick her from the bus stop and drop her to the hotel. She and her boyfriend!” she said, finally letting me know what she needed me to do.
“Okay. I will leave right now. You can just text me her number, because I won’t be able to recognize her,” I said as I passed a kiss to Elaine and took my car keys in order to pick Janet’s sister.
“Wait! What’s her name again?” I asked Janet as I was leaving the house.
“Her name is Nancy. Just imagine! Such a pretty name she has. My parents named her after having a thoughtful discussion about it. But what about me? I deserved a better name than…”
“See you later, Janet!” I said as I stopped her halfway and let the house, knowing that I have ignited a monster. That was a sensitive topic and I simply didn’t want to be around Janet while she would discuss the history behind her name.
I arrived at the bus stop a few minutes before the scheduled time and called Nancy in order to let her know that I would be there to pick her up. After waiting for a few more minutes, I saw the bus that came from Houston. I started looking for Nancy in the crowd, but that I saw just left me baffled.
It was James. My eyes were finding it hard to believe that the same guy who ruined my life was here. As I saw his face after years, my mind took me back in time. There was a time when James and I were best friends. We attended the same school and were completely inseparable. I never thought that I would go into drugs or would be a part of the mafia until James introduced me into all of that.
I wanted to have an ordinary life as I was one of those people who could find happiness in the mundane, but James was definitely not like that. He wanted me to do the same things that he was doing. He wanted me to have the same dreams and aspirations as him. I knew that I was an adult and was accountable to make my own decisions, but James definitely influenced me to take the wrong path.
He introduced me to various drugs and even before I could realize, I was addicted to them. I wanted more and James told me that in order to obtain these drugs, I was needed to make my own money. He introduced a quick and easy way of making a significant amount of money to me, which I was not able to resist.
He made me a drug dealer. I used to take drugs from him and would supply them to various places. I thought that I would get away with it. I would be able to earn some money and after having enough cash would be able to start my life once again from the scratch. Although, at that time, I had no idea that starting a life from square one is not that easy as it sounds.
The more I tried to come out of it, the deeper I went. With drugs, I was soon accustomed to the vicious ways of the mafia. I had this thing – I wanted to make quick and fast money and I was ready to do anything for it. The best way to a millionaire in just a few seconds in by betting and that is what I started.
The casinos became my second home as I used to spend everything I had in order to get lucky. I used to spend it all until there was nothing left to spend any more. There came a time when I was broke, had nothing left in me and had no idea how was I supposed to go back. I came so far from the life that I had imagined that it looked like an impossible dream to me.
I went to James in order to ask for some help. I just wanted my old life back and I was ready to pay the price for it. I was ready to do anything to be better. I wanted to be drug-free and have a chance of happiness. I knew that no one would be able to help me but James. After all, he was the one who introduced me to this life and I knew that he was able to make things right again.
Though, things didn’t really go the way I expected. James bluntly denied even to recognize me. He said that he didn’t even know me and that my money problems were none of his business. That is how I got into deep shit and was simply sold from one party to another. I thought of James as a friend, but what he did to me was unforgivable. I had never really trusted anyone in my life, but James was an exception.
I thought that he could support me and will always be there to have his back, but he let go of me, the moment I got into trouble. I would have never done that to him, but that was the difference between the two of us, I guess.
My mind was traveling back from my past to my present, as I kept looking at James. He was still the same person – had the same clever face and the kind of eyes that you would not like to remember for all the bad reasons. He just became a little leaner in the last few years and got a great built.
Others could have admired him for he would look or act, but I knew the real person who was behind that mask. I knew how evil James was and his presence was certainly a matter of concern. Both, Elaine and I, moved to this town to get our second chance. Nobody here really knew about our past, which gave us a perfect opportunity to forget everything that happened to us in the past and start our lives all over again. We were able to do that and for the last four years of our lives, we stayed here without any trouble, but that all was about to change.
If James was really here, then it only me
ant one thing. He came to get me. I was the only reason for his visit to Wimberley. Otherwise, why else would he be here! He kept walking towards my car as if he already knew that I’d be waiting for him inside. There was a girl who was walking with me. She was tall, lean, and had blonde hair. She stopped by just nearby and I stepped out in order to face him. I knew that I could not hide from him if he was already in my town. Sooner or later, he would get to know about me and it was high-time when I would see him face to face.
“Hi! You must be Andrew. You called me a few minutes ago. I am Nancy, Janet’s sister and this is my boyfriend, James.”
As Nancy introduced herself and James to me, I realized that maybe James didn’t really come to my town in order to blow my cover. He was there to attend the wedding. That was a strange coincidence. He was dating Janet’s sister and was even able to accompany her in order to attend her sister’s wedding. I wanted to believe it, I really did. But if there is one thing that my life has taught me so far is that there is no such thing as coincidence. Everything in this world happened for a reason and sometimes, we are just blinded or are not able to see the reason behind the occurrence of that one outlandish event, which we often term as “coincidence”.
“James!” I said as I greeted him and looked him in the eyes. For a moment, neither one of us really said anything. I knew that James was a clever guy and he was able to know what was happening. I knew that I was there to pick them which only meant that I was a local resident of the town. He was able to read between the lines and make sense of my disappearance.
“Andrew,” he said after taking a long pause and greeted me while giving an “I know it all” look. I knew that deep within James knew who I was. He decided not to make a scene. I didn’t know if he was being kind or if he was waiting for the right time. All I knew was that someone who knew my entire past was in my town and I could not allow him to ruin my future at any cost. Both, Elaine and I have worked really hard to start our life once again here. We have given everything we had from our past in just to have a better future. But we simply failed to realize that sometimes, it just doesn’t matter how much you run away from your past, you can never really outrun.
Your past has a way of coming back to you. My past was staring right at me as I looked at James and realized that all those sins and crimes that I had committed in my life were back. I was not able to run from them anymore – not when I had James standing right in front of me.
“Let’s go!” I finally said as I helped them with their luggage and took them to the hotel. Throughout the ride, James didn’t even say a word to me. We drove to the hotel and all, this time, it was only Nancy who was making a conversation. She asked me about the weather and how do I know Janet. I don’t know why, but she was certainly interested to know me.
“So how long have you been living here?”
“It has been four years now,” I said while looking at James, knowing that I was giving him everything away. Though, I knew that I didn’t have anything to hide. If he really came to my town after following my tracks, then chances are that he already knew about every essential thing in my life. Even if he had come here without knowing a thing about me and that if it was all a coincidence, he would have no trouble in finding crucial pieces of information about me. The entire town knew about Elaine and me, and he simply had to ask it from anyone.
He was just supposed to mention a thing about me and Janet would let him know everything about me without even asking. I knew that I couldn’t hide anymore. The cover was blown away and it was all up to him. James could go to the local police and inform the authorities about us. He could also tell Janet and the rest of the town about me. He could even ask the social services to take Rosie away from us. There were some endless possibilities and I knew that my thinking won’t let me anywhere. I knew I had to meet him in order to discuss the reason for his visit. Till then, I won’t let my mind wander and come up with various worst-case scenarios.
The hotel finally arrived and I helped them in order to check-in. James was not even looking at me, and for a moment, I started to think that he was not able to recognize me. Maybe, he simply wanted to ignore me. If he was with Nancy, then chances are they could be in love with her. He could be a changed man too, just like me. Love has this power to change even the most evil of souls. Maybe, Nancy’s love was able to change James and she could have brought him back to life. She could have saved him and James was just too embarrassed to look at me, because in me, he was able to see his past.
Maybe, he was going through the same phase as I was. He just didn’t want his cover to be blown as well, since, in front of Nancy, he was not the criminal or the drug addict James. He was a mature and responsible guy who loved his girlfriend and didn’t want Nancy to know things about his past. Maybe, he was scared of me too – that I would blow his cover by telling Nancy about us. After having some thousands of negative thoughts, I was finally able to have one positive thing in my mind.
As hard as it was to imagine, maybe James was also changed. He could be a better person now and there was only one way to really find it – I had to talk to him.
“Thank you, Andrew. I will see you around!” Nancy said as she started to walk towards her room.
“Central park at seven,” I whispered into his ears as I left the place, as I had to discuss things about his visit.
“See you around, Nancy and James. Have a pleasant stay!” I said as I greeted her and left the hotel. I was looking forward to meeting James and discover his true intentions. There was only one way to know that – I needed to have a thoughtful conversation with him, something which we both were avoiding for the last seven years of our lives.
Chapter 7:
It was already seven as I kept sitting at one of the benches that faced the lake. I didn’t tell Elaine a thing about James as I didn’t want to trouble her. I didn’t want to make her concern about anything and wanted to first clarify what James had in his mind before coming up with any plan of action.
I kept looking at the lake and could see the see the same orange boat which was used by us a few days back. It was the last time when all three of us were out in the past and spend a great time together. At that time, we didn’t know what it all could come to an end just like that. That’s the thing about life – you can never really have an idea about the last time. You never know your last breath could be your last breath, until it’s all over until it’s all taken away from you and you have no way to go back.
I wish I could go back in time and undo the mistakes that I had committed, but I couldn’t. I was not able to face the same circumstances or could make different choices in my life. They say that life is all about choices and it is pretty true. Everything we do, no matter how big or small it could be, makes us who we are. Every choice that we make in our life brings us to this moment. Right here.
I could have halted at any other place. Both, Elaine and I, could have chosen any other city. We could have eloped to another country and settled in some other town. But there was just something in the universe that guided us here. We became friends with Janet, and although, she didn’t have the best first impression, but we tried in order to know her better. We gave it a try and after knowing her from deep within, we realized that she was certainly a great person. God had a bigger plan for us and he wanted us to connect with Janet on a deeper level. There was a reason behind everything, but I was just not able to figure it out. I was blindsided and had no idea where my life was taking me. I wanted to take a tighter hold of it and figure it out, but the more I would try, the harder it would become.
In the back of my mind, I could hear Rosie’s voice as she was having a great time during that boat ride. Both, Elaine and I were happy to paddle it and for a moment, Rosie started to believe as if she could float on water. I wanted to go back in time only to relive that moment. I wanted to be with family and wished to take them somewhere else. I knew I had to talk about it to Elaine, but it was too early for that. Firstly, I needed to talk
to James in order to know his intentions.
“I am sorry for being late. It was really tough to let Nancy believe that I wanted to go for a walk all by myself. We don’t really go anywhere alone!” I heard his voice as James walked toward me and sat right beside me.
It was after years when he was sitting right there. I had thought of that moment so many times, but I never really imagined that it would be true one day. I never thought of meeting James again and that too in the most unexpected manner.
“Cut to the chase, James. I have no time to know your personal life. Why are you here? What do you want from me? Are you really in love with Nancy or are you just using her? Is this a part of some plan of yours? Tell me!” I said and bombarded everything on him all at once. I was thinking a lot and didn’t know where I was supposed to begin. There were just too many questions and I knew that only James was able to answer them.
“What are you saying, Larry? Or should I call you Andrew? What do you prefer?” he said while mocking me as I realized that the devil was back.
“It’s not funny, James.”
“I am not mocking you, mate. If we are going to have a conversation then I should at least know what I should call you, right? I want to know you. I want a second chance, man. I really mean it. I am ready to answer every question of yours. But before we commence, you need to tell me who you are – Larry or Andrew,” he said while looking at me. He wanted to make me believe that he had changed, but I was certainly having a tough time believing him.
“I am Andrew now. Larry doesn’t exist anymore. And I want some answers now!” I demanded in order to clear the air.
“What do you want to know, tell me? I can’t answer all your questions at the same time. Let’s take it one step at a time, Larry. I mean, Andrew. I am sorry; this is really tough for me.”
“I want to know why you are here, James? How did you come to know about me?” I asked him.
