by A. Mackin
***
Continuous chimes woke Kayla out of her sleep. Looking around in the dark room, she realized that it was Mark’s phone. Sliding from underneath his comatose like body, she quickly picked up the phone and silenced it. Not seeing the name on the Caller ID screen, her interest piqued. So she attempted to unlock it. After trying his birthday, her birthday, their anniversary, and address, she decided to try his safety net—his parents’ address. After typing in the four-digit house number to his childhood home, she was able to see ten new text messages. Kayla took the phone into the master bathroom to read the messages in secret. She figured she needed to sit down to read them. She sat on the commode and pushed the message icon.
I had a great time today, the first message said.
I’m sorry you couldn’t stay longer.
I wish you would tell her and get it over with.
Brunch tomorrow?
You could make up for leaving me early today.
You home yet?
You must be.
Talk to you tomorrow.
I love you.
Good night
Unable to contain herself any longer, Kayla stormed out of the bathroom and pounced onto Mark like a wild animal who had just stalked their prey. Surprised and caught off guard, he tried to get up and defend himself, but surprisingly, his strength was no match for Kayla’s anger.
“Who the fuck is she?!” Kayla screamed loud enough to wake up anyone in a two-mile vicinity.
“What? Who is who?” Mark asked looking confused and scared at the same time. “What are you talking about?”
“Her! Who the fuck is she?!” Kayla responded now with a pool of tears streaming down her face. “And why is she sending these messages?!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Kay! Just get off me so we can talk.”
“I’m not moving until you tell me who she is!” Kayla spat as they wrestled with one another.
“She’s nobody!”
“She has to be somebody! She’s telling you that she loves you, that she should tell me about the two of you, and that she had a good time today! A nobody would not have that much to say! Who is she?!”
Mark didn’t say anything. He just kept fighting to get up.
Seeing that Mark didn’t appear to have an answer for the question, Kayla continued. “Is she the same person you were with at the Marriot and Fogo De Chao?”
Instantly, he froze. Panic and fear came across Mark’s face, and Kayla knew that she was right. She had her answer. In a more calm tone, she asked the question that would decide the fate of her marriage. “Do you love her?”
Instead of answering her question, he simply looked away. That was it. That was all she needed to know.
Their marriage was over. There was no way to stay married to a man who loved someone else. So slowly Kayla got up and started up the stairs. Mark sat confused and in silence. Not once did he go after her, nor did he try to explain anything. He just sat there. Even when she came down with luggage the first time, he didn’t move. The second time she brought more bags, he still didn’t move. When she came to retrieve her cell phone from the coffee table in front him, he didn’t bother to make eye contact. Mark didn’t move from the sofa until he heard her car engine start and was sure she had pulled away. Finally, he went to the window to confirm what he already knew. His wife had left him.
Chapter 4
Kayla only made it to the bottom of the street before her emotions got the best of her again. Barely able to breathe, she didn’t know what to do. Going back home was not an option. There was no way she could look in the face of the man who had lied to her and deceived her for the last three years. Sitting in her car in the middle of the night crying was also something she could not do. She quickly grabbed a napkin from the glove compartment and wiped her eyes and face. Then she began driving again. A few minutes later, she found herself pulling off of Interstate 95 and into a Days Inn parking lot. Slowly she climbed out of the car and grabbed the smallest suitcase from her trunk. After checking in and paying with cash, she retreated to the room with the king size bed and full bathtub she had just rented for the night. Kayla had every intention of relaxing in a nice hot bath and then getting a good night’s sleep while she planned her next move in life. With so many emotions and nerves running through her body, neither of those things happened. She was too restless to bathe, and sleep did not come easy.
***
Mark awoke to the sound of his alarm going off. He rolled over and checked his cell phone.
Nothing.
There were no missed calls or text messages from Kayla. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t answer her question last night. After all, he did not love the other woman. In fact, it had started out as just the opposite. But somewhere down the line, after a few nights of sex and dinner dates, things changed. While he was certain he was not in love with her, he would have been telling a lie if he said he felt nothing for her at all. Presently, he was caught up in his own web of deceit, and he had no idea just how much Kayla knew about it. On one hand, he had his wife, whom he truly loved. Kayla was Mark’s heart. He just couldn’t understand why she didn’t accept that his career came first. He worked very hard so that she didn’t have to. He wanted his wife to enjoy life without having to work all day. Yes, he wanted three or four kids. Their children would attend private school and would require a nanny, chef, and a piano teacher. One couldn’t afford such luxuries without hard work. That’s exactly what he was doing. Kayla refused to quit her job, although her income did not matter very much in their household. Kayla could blow her entire paycheck on a single handbag, and it wouldn’t make a difference to Mark at all. He allowed Kayla to work in order for her to feel that she was contributing to their style of living. He hated when she brought her work home with her. Mark was tired of hearing about her hood rat clients, who were pretending to suffer from postpartum depression, or some form of bipolar disorder just to collect a welfare check. Although he grew up in an affluent community where he didn’t experience that life firsthand, he had heard of stories about women who gave birth to babies just so they could live off of the system. Some women depended on others for shelter, food, medical coverage, and money for their survival. Those types of women sickened Mark. He loathed the idea that his wife helped those kind of women for a living. In his profession, he offered revenue for the government, and jobs to people like Kayla’s clients. So at the end of the day, Mark wanted to come home to a hot meal and good sex. He didn’t want takeout from different restaurants and stories about Shaquita and her fifth fatherless child. Unfortunately, as of late, that’s all he’d been getting.
“She,” on the other hand, was different. She had a job that made sense. Her income allowed her to live a comfortable lifestyle. It was also one of her biggest pitfalls. With the other woman, Mark didn’t have to listen to stories of underprivileged women while eating takeout meals. Instead, he had the luxury of hearing stories of million dollar ads being put together over homemade dinners. The best part was usually before he could finish his meal, she had his dick in her mouth. He loved the wild, kinky, spontaneous sex he shared with his secret lover. There was no nagging, no hair rollers, or cuddling before and after sex. It was just sex. Mark knew it couldn’t go on forever, though. Eventually, the other woman would want more, and he wasn’t sure she was worth it. Recently, he had started taking her out on dates. Before cutting ties with her completely, he needed to make sure that she wasn’t someone who he could be with long term. Lord knows she would be easier to take home to his mother. To Mark’s surprise, she wasn’t bad outside of the bedroom. She was also nothing like Kayla. No matter where they went or what they did, she didn’t hold a candle to his wife. Kayla was humble and down to earth and even though he didn’t approve of the type of women she helped, he admired her kind heart and warm spirit. Mark wondered why he had allowed Kayla to leave last night when she was the one he truly loved.
Maybe his affair with his mistress meant m
ore to him than he thought.
***
It was almost noon the next day when Kayla finally woke up from her slumber. The growling of her stomach reminded her that she hadn’t eaten since yesterday at the Cheesecake Factory. Her lack of food also caused her to feel queasy and dizzy. She almost fell when she stood from the bed. Realizing that she had to eat soon, Kayla quickly showered and threw on some sweats and sneakers. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, grabbed her bags, and headed out of the room. After checking out of the hotel, she went to Panera Bread café and ate a bowl of soup and a half of sandwich. Although she was famished from the day before she wasn’t quite ready for a heavy meal. While wallowing in self-pity over her meal, she made up her mind about her next destination. She decided not to call her parents. She wanted her visit to be a surprise to them.
Kayla checked her cell phone, hoping that Mark had called or sent her a text message. He hadn’t tried to reach her at all. His lack of interest helped Kayla come to a much-needed conclusion. Her mind was officially made up. Kayla called her boss and requested a week off to deal with some personal issues. Because she rarely took time off from her job, Mr. Nicholson approved her request. He told her she could take as much time as she needed and offered her his support. After speaking with her boss, Kayla left the café to start her journey to Pittsburgh.
A few hours and a couple bathroom breaks later, Kayla finally arrived at her parents’ home. It felt good to be in a familiar environment. The deceit in her home and Mark’s betrayal had left her emotionally drained. Kayla grabbed her bags from the trunk of the car and walked to the front door of her childhood home. Her mother had made very few changes to the house since she was a child. Kayla’s room was pretty much still the way she had left it. Because she lived closer to Pittsburgh than Courtney did, Kayla visited her parents often. Courtney had moved to Atlanta right after nursing school, and she only came home on the holidays if her work schedule allowed her to. Her bedroom was now Vivian’s home office where she prepared her students’ lessons and graded their papers. It was also where she’d go to get away from William from time to time. They had been married twenty-nine years, and even though they were still madly in love, Vivian needed a break every once in a while.
Kayla rang the doorbell and waited patiently for someone to answer.
Vivian came to the door wearing her favorite apron with a spoon in her hand. “Kayla, baby, what are you doing here?! Come on in!” She turned and yelled over her shoulder, “William, guess who’s here? It’s Kayla!”
Kayla hadn’t visited her parents since Thanksgiving. She and Mark started alternating holidays between their families when they first started dating. Since Kayla’s parents were out of state, there was no way they could see both families on the same day, so they spent Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh and Christmas in Maryland.
Finally, looking up from the Steelers versus Browns game on TV, William got up and gave his daughter a hug. He truly admired the woman his baby girl had grown up to be. He always took pride in bragging about her to his work crews.
William knew that something was wrong the minute he laid eyes on Kayla. He had made it a point to keep smiles on Kayla and Courtney’s faces. It had been his desire to show his girls how a man was supposed to love and treat a woman. He sent Vivian flowers all the time and took her out on dates regularly. He also helped her with the housework and cooked meals for her often. Vivian never complained about being bored or alone. William did those things out of love for his wife, who he truly adored, and to show his girls what their future husbands should do for them. Kayla didn’t have to tell William about Melissa’s ill feelings toward her. He’d noticed her bad attitude the first time they met. He wasn’t one to pry, so he didn’t push or make a fuss about it. But he never forgot it either. Now, as Kayla stood before him looking heartbroken, he wondered if Melissa was the reason for his baby girl’s visit.
Kayla stood nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She knew her dad was aware that something was wrong. She could fool her mom, but not her dad. Kayla was closer to her dad than her mom. Growing up he spoiled her rotten, often giving her things after her mom had refused to. Therefore, naturally, she confided in him more. She could never lie to William because he always knew the truth. She stood in place and waited for him to get up. She fidgeted and hoped he didn’t ask too many questions in front of her mom. She wasn’t prepared to tell either of her parents why she was really there, but definitely not her mom. If she had to talk at all, she’d prefer to speak with her dad.
“Baby girl!” he said excitedly after turning around and reaching out to her.
“Daddy!” Kayla said, almost matching his tone and stepping into his embrace.
This was the most comfort Kayla felt in a long time. William sensed it too and let her rest on his chest a little longer.
“What brings you here, sweetheart?” he finally asked, sitting back down in his recliner.
“Nothing much…just missed you guys. I’m off work for a few days, so I decided to come spend some time with you guys.”
“But it’s Sunday, baby girl. You know we have to work tomorrow. Why didn’t you come Friday?”
“Oh, William hush,” Vivian chimed in. “It doesn’t matter what day she came. I’m just glad she’s here.” She smiled from ear to ear. She was obviously happy Kayla had come to visit them. “Come help me in the kitchen, baby. I’m making pork chops, macaroni and cheese, and collard greens for dinner.”
“Sure, Mom. Just let me wash my hands, and I’ll be right there.”
Vivian headed to the kitchen to finish dinner, and Kayla carried her bags upstairs. After plopping down on her old bed, she checked her cell phone again. Still nothing. She wasn’t sure if she should’ve been angry or worried at this point. She decided to be neither. Instead, she washed her hands and went to help her mom in the kitchen.
“So…are you excited or worried?” Vivian asked as soon as Kayla sat down and started grating the block of the cheese she’d found on the cutting board.
“Am I excited or worried about what?” Kayla asked confused. She hoped that Vivian didn’t notice that something was wrong.
“The baby…” Vivian whispered.
“What baby?” Kayla asked with a confused look on her face.
“Oh, child, please! You may be close to your daddy, but I’m a woman and a woman always knows. Sweetheart, you’re pregnant!”
Chapter 5
Lying across the bed sad, confused, and heartbroken, Kayla had no idea what to do. She had gone to CVS Pharmacy after dinner to get some toiletries that she’d left behind in haste to leave home. She also picked up a home pregnancy test after having that talk with her mom. Initially, she had dismissed the idea of being pregnant altogether. Then she explored the possibility. At first she contributed her constant sleeping to stress. She blamed her sudden dizziness and queasiness on her poor eating habits. The vomiting, she believed, was a reaction to Mark’s unfaithfulness. But nothing could explain the positive result she got from all three pregnancy tests she’d taken in her parents’ bathroom. Kayla didn’t know what to do. She was pregnant with an adulterer’s baby. Her husband had not only met someone else, but he’d lied to her about the woman. He had been keeping secrets. And he had obviously fallen in love with another woman. His wife is now at her parents’ house heartbroken and pregnant with his child.
“Could things get any worse?” Kayla asked aloud after letting out a long, exasperating sigh.
***
It had been three days since Kayla left Mark. She still had not heard a word from him. She was up packing her things, preparing to leave Pittsburgh that evening. Her parents had been respectful by not asking her any questions about Mark during her visit. They assumed when she wanted to talk about it she would. In the meantime, they went along with her little game.
Kayla knew she had to leave that day. There was no way she could explain why she was still there when her parents got home from work. She would ha
ve to tell them the truth, and she had no intention of doing that…at least not yet. She hadn’t confirmed her pregnancy to her mom. She still hadn’t accepted it herself. Of course, she wanted kids. She and Mark had even discussed it, but the plan was to wait until he took over his family’s company. Then she would cut back on her work hours so that she could raise their kids. Kayla didn’t believe in nannies, so no matter what, Mark had agreed that she would be allowed to raise the kids and work. It hadn’t been easy convincing Mark to agree to her terms because he was a firm believer in nannies and housekeepers. He had been raised that way. He’d only accepted Kayla’s idea in order to get the children he wanted. He wanted three little ones running around the house. He was sure that eventually, Kayla would change her mind and welcome some help. After packing the last items in her suitcase, she loaded it in her trunk. She went back inside to make a sandwich before her drive back home. Now that she knew that she was eating for two, she was much more conscious of her eating habits.
***
Mark was going crazy. It had been three days since Kayla had left. He was lost. At first, he thought she was just blowing off steam. He also thought she was trying to teach him a lesson. But now he was convinced that Kayla was really gone. It wasn’t supposed to have gone this far. Mark sat in the living room on the sofa in complete silence. He was truly lost. He hadn’t eaten, slept, showered or worked in three days. All he’d done was watch his phone, hoping she’d call. She hadn’t. Mark wanted Kayla back, but he just didn’t know how to get her. His pride was so strong that he couldn’t even imagine begging her to come back. His ego was so big that he couldn’t bring himself to make the first call. The walls were closing in on him. He couldn’t live without her, so he had to do something soon.
