A Love Like Ours

by Christine L'Amour

  So, there’s always a positive to a negative.

  Chapter Eleven

  It’s not long before we get a taxi and head to the bus station. I thought the hours would drag on, instead they went by way too fast.

  We have our tickets in hand and climb aboard the bus. I thought that we were going to have a lot of layovers, but we only have to switch out on two busses.

  “At least it’s a nice day.” Vicky looks out her window and I nod my head, making sure that my bags are in the upper compartment so she can have her traveling bag at her feet.

  “You’re going to be okay to go home after all this?” I ask her, leaning my chair back as far as it can go.

  “Yes. Don’t worry about me.” She covers my hand with hers and I feel the smile coming to my face, the glow to my eyes.

  “You’re not going to just up and leave the second we get there.” It’s a question but it comes out more like a statement.

  “I won’t. I already told you I wouldn’t.” She reminds me.

  I don’t want to sleep I just want to relax and the heat coming from the bus feels good. We hear people looking for seats. I didn’t think that it would be this crowded.

  “I’m glad that we’re side by side.” I whisper to her.

  Opening my eyes, I see that she’s trying to mess with the television in front of us but it’s not working.

  “Who wants to watch it anyways?” She mumbles and smiles at me noticing that I’m looking at her.

  “Apparently you do.” I giggle at her.

  “I guess.” She smirks at me.

  We’re both tired, there’s no doubt about that. Not in the sense of not getting sleep but emotionally and I can see it in her face.

  “Has she called you yet?” She looks down at my phone that’s plugged into the socket on her side.

  “No.” I shake my head.

  I’ve already messaged Corinne and told her that the next stop is her house.

  Vicky nods her head and her eyes grow wide before lowering down to normal again. I know she’s frustrated at all this.

  She doesn’t say anything to me though and I think that it helps me to realize that she’s not upset that we’re going to meet Corinne. She’s just upset that she’s not answering my calls. That she’s not being attentive to me.

  It would be different I’m sure. Our story wouldn’t be playing out like this if Corinne was taking the time to get back to me.

  I wouldn’t have anything to say about her at that point.

  The bus rolls out of the station and I’m glad to see the sidewalks, people walking and chatting. Some going to work.

  It’s a different view. I’m not just looking at the clouds and I wonder as we roll by them if their lives are just as hectic as ours.

  My phone rings and I see that it’s an unknown number, it’s not Corinne. My heart races and I pick it up.

  “Hello?” I ask into the phone, feeling my head start to pound when I hear her voice.

  “Where are you honey?” I hear my mother ask into the phone.

  “Not home, I went on vacation. Are you there?” I ask her quickly.

  “I am for a few days.” She sounds happy, her voice clear.

  “What are you doing in town?” I ask her, knowing that there’s always a reason.

  “The house it’s going up for sale. I didn’t want to bother you with the hard stuff.” She explains quickly.

  “Don’t put it up for sale. Leave it be.” I glare down at the phone.

  “No one has lived in it for years. It’s been on your father’s side of the family forever and I don’t think that you’re going to want it.” I bet she doesn’t even know who my father is, but I know what house she’s talking about.

  “Leave it alone. I will handle it when I get home. I want it.” I tell her.

  “Seriously?” I can hear the surprise in her voice.

  “Yes, I will buy it from you.” I will say anything to make sure that she doesn’t take that house and hand it off to some stranger.

  She can make a lot of money and I know the only reason she’s selling it is because she needs the money.

  That’s when I realize that it’s the only reason why she’s calling me.

  “When are you getting back?” She sighs into the phone.

  “In a few days. It’s time that you wait on me for a change mother. I’m not going to be gone that long and I’m sure that you can stay there until I get back.” My voice is bold and before I can hear anything else come out of her mouth, I hang up on her.

  I quickly shut my phone off.

  Vicky is staring at me, seeing that my face is red, my ears are warm, and I’m pissed as hell.

  “Who was that?” She asks me.

  “My mother. It seems that you might meet some of my family when we get back.” I shake my head.

  Vicky is shocked to see that I can get angry as well. I sit and stew for a little while. I know that’s the only reason she’s called me. Once again just wanting to meet up for something before she vanishes into thin air again.

  This time I’m going to make her stay. That’s if she wants the money bad enough.

  Throughout the day I think about my mother, not trying to push Vicky away, but I think about all the times my mother left me alone, all the times that she said she’d be there.

  “Sounds just like my father.” Vicky whispers to me as we stand up to transfer to another bus. I realize that we have more in common than what she thinks.

  The rest of the ride goes smoothly. I want to make sure that the rest of the time we have together is enjoyable.

  We laugh, we think back on the time that we’ve met each other and what we honestly thought of each other at that point in time.

  Before I know we’re in Vegas and get dropped off at the last bus station. I don’t look for Corinne. I know that she’s not meeting me.

  “Are you sure that she’s given you the right address?” Vicky asks me when I get off the phone with the cab driver.

  “I hope so.” I grin at her.

  I see the worry in her eyes. She doesn’t sound worried, but she doesn’t have to. I just have to look into those green eyes of hers and know what emotion she’s feeling now.

  It’s not cold out, there’s barely any snow on the ground and the sun is shining higher in the sky. It means that it’s going to be a good day.

  I get in the front seat of the taxi when it gets to the bus station. Vicky rides in the back and she has a smile on her face.

  I sigh with relief, the stress leaving me when it should be building and it’s all because she’s right here with me.

  I don’t know how I would be if it was just me. I would be talking myself out of it. I’m sure, even though she hadn’t been the one encouraging me to go.

  We pull up to a nice house in a nice neighborhood. The weather is nice enough to sit on the front porch with a jacket on.

  “Looks like someone has some money.” Vicky whispers after a low whistle.

  I don’t care about that. I pay the cab driver and we get our things out.

  I go to the front door and knock on it. I don’t hear anyone inside the house but there’s her car in the driveway.

  “You’re sure this is the right place?” Vicky asks me, a little concerned for me.

  “Yes, that’s her car.” I nod my head toward it.

  Walking around the back of the house with Vicky hot on my heels I hear her voice! I feel a smile come to my face.

  It’s her house, she sounds happy. I’ve missed that innocent laugh of hers.

  I look at Vicky from over my shoulder and she rolls her eyes. I can tell that she doesn’t like being here already.

  Before I turn the corner, I feel Vicky’s hand on my shoulder, and she pulls me back toward her before we’re seen.

  I look at her and she puts a finger to her lips.

  We stand there for a few minutes and I find that Corinne is talking to someone.

  “You know when she gets here, I bet we could conv
ince her to have some fun.” Corinne’s voice is sassy, giggling.

  My heart almost stops. I want to think that she has a list of fun things for us to do.

  “She might be mad. I mean you’re going to tell her, right? That it’s an open relationship?” There’s another woman’s voice and I know for a fact that she’s not alone.

  “Oh yes, there’s no way that I could give you up. I’m not letting you go.” Corinne’s voice is strong, yet soft.

  I shrug Vicky’s hand off my shoulder and feel the heat coming to my face. I’m not embarrassed. Just angry.

  I turn the corner and see Corinne is in a bathing suit but she’s straddling the woman that’s in the hot tub with her.

  Their mouths are so close that I’m not sure if they are just talking or about to kiss.

  “I won’t do an open relationship. I am not the type that shares. You should know that I would never do something like that.” I glare at her, putting a hand on my hip.

  Vicky walks beside me instead of behind me and she’s just as upset as I am with Corinne and the situation that’s going on.

  “You couldn’t really expect me to drop everything because you were coming, did you?” She laughs at me.

  It’s not the same Corinne that I’ve been talking to, the one that has been looking at me, the one who’s been sharing her time with me on chat and video.

  “I did only if we were going to be together. I can now see that we don’t belong together. We don’t.” I tell her.

  “Don’t stand there and act like you’re better than me.” Corinne gives me an angry look of her own.

  I never should’ve come here. That’s what continues to go through my head. I’ve made a mistake. Vicky was right all along.

  I know what’s coming next and I don’t want to hear it. I never had the chance to tell Vicky about anything other than how I was raised, the things that I liked.

  My heart almost stops, and I should get the words out of my mouth before Corinne does, but I’m hoping that she doesn’t say anything.

  “Now because you’re here you think that you can put on air’s?” She laughs at me and I know for certain that she’s going to come out with it.

  “Stop it Corinne. This was a mistake. You could’ve told me that you didn’t want to see me. You didn’t have to waste my time like this.” I lower my voice, my eyes telling her to shut her mouth, but she continues.

  “Who’s your little friend?” She nods her head at Vicky.

  “Someone I met on the plane. We’ve been hanging out, not that it’s any of your business.” I state, looking at the woman that she pushes away from.

  She has a bigger smile on her face as if telling me that she’s won. I don’t feel anything at all. I don’t know Corinne like she does.

  Chapter Twelve

  There’s a moment of silence and I can see that Vicky is waiting for me to turn around and walk away and maybe I should’ve.

  “This isn’t about me.” Vicky finally speaks up.

  “You two look like you’ve known each other for a while. Have you told her? Or am I the only one?” Corinne laughs at me, hanging over the side of the hot tub to stare at me.

  I don’t say anything to her.

  “Told me what?” Vicky asks.

  “I will tell you when we leave here. She’s just trying to get us to fight.” I grumble at her.

  “She’s from the rich side of the tracks.” Corinne tells her.

  Vicky gives me a shocked look, as if it’s something that I should’ve already told her. She doesn’t move away from me though and she doesn’t throw a fit.

  Vicky just shrugs her shoulders at Corinne knowing that she’s looking for a fight. I’m surprised that Vicky hasn’t walked away.

  “She has everything handed to her. She works from home in the stock market.” Corinne hisses as she looks at me.

  “You know I thought that we could at least walk away from this as friends. I thought that if nothing else happened that we could become friends. Vicky was right, all the times you didn’t call me. All the times you didn’t text me. All this time I thought you were just busy.” I shake my head at her.

  Corinne moves away from the side of the tub and goes back to the woman that she’s apparently been having a lot of fun with.

  She knows that I’m watching her, and she kisses the woman hard on the mouth. I roll my eyes and turn away from them.

  I call a cab and see Vicky coming up beside me.

  “Why didn’t you tell me? Was all that you told me a lie?” She asks me, I can hear the hurt in her voice.

  “No. I didn’t lie about anything. How was I to know that we were going to be close? We were random strangers. I didn’t want you judging me.” I shrug my shoulder as I get on the phone with the taxi company.

  ***

  Our bags are with us on the side of the street.

  “I wouldn’t have done that. You could’ve said something.” Vicky points out to me.

  “By the time that we got to know each other and realizing that we had so much in common. I didn’t have the time to bring it up. Money is nothing. Living in a mansion where a mother never stayed home. A father I don’t even know. A maid that was just there to do their job and then a nanny that refused to stay. She moved out when I was ten because mother wasn’t paying her. I kept it quiet so that I wouldn’t move away.” I quickly tell her.

  I feel the tears springing to my eyes. Staring at the ground I just can’t wait to get out of here. I can’t wait to get on the bus and go home.

  “You could’ve said something.” She shakes her head.

  “Are you mad at me? Is this what’s going to keep us apart?” I don’t want to lose her as a friend. As a lover.

  “No, I’m not that petty. I believe that people can work through things. I know what it’s like to be left too. Remember?” Vicky grunts at me.

  We sit on the sidewalk waiting for the taxi.

  “I should’ve listened to you. We should’ve just turned and went home.” I mutter.

  “You never would’ve known. You would’ve been wondering how it turned out, punishing yourself. Maybe even punishing us.” Vicky tells me, taking my hand.

  I smile at her and nod my head. I’m glad that she’s not going to leave me.

  “My mother only comes to me when she’s out of money. I don’t know how she runs through it so much. I believe that my father gave her the mansion, gave her money to shut her up about who the father was. I mean could you imagine maybe a one-night stand and I came about? There was a trust fund for me that was locked away until a certain age. He must’ve known that my mother was going to drain the account if she got her hands on it.” I mutter.

  “At least at one time he was thinking of you. Wanting to make sure that you were set through life. How did you get into the stock marketing?” Vicky asks softly.

  “I can’t really tell you. I have clients, they trust me to put their money where I think it should go. There’s ups and downs. There’s always a gamble and yet it just comes to me. I feel it in my bones when I put money into it.” I shrug.

  I have never been able to explain it.

  “That’s good enough for me. That house that’s getting sold?” She asks remembering the phone conversation.

  “The house that my father left behind. He has many mansions that are abandoned. He gave my mother that so that we could live. It’s where I grew up. I want the mansion to turn things around. To prove that I can break the cycle.” That’s the intent anyways.

  You can always break the cycle.

  “So right now, you live in an apartment with roommates?” Vicky gives me a strange look.

  “Yes, I have money that I can live off, but I don’t. I like my job. It’s not a struggling job for me. I don’t have to sweat to make a paycheck but that doesn’t mean anything. There are some out there that don’t want to be pointed at as being too ‘good’.” I grumble.

  I’m one of those people.

  “That’s something right th
ere. You could’ve been one of those people that didn’t care about anyone but what you want when it comes to money. The way you grew up, I think that says something about you. You know what it feels like to be poor, no family, being alone.” Vicky explains to me.

  “I don’t want to go back to that. I told you more important things about me than I ever did Corinne.” I stand up when I see the Taxi coming.

  I throw my things into the trunk and so does Vicky. When we’re settled is when I see Corinne coming around the side of the house with a towel wrapped around her.

  She doesn’t even look our way as they run into the house. They have smiles on their faces. She looks happy.

  Though she came out with what I didn’t want anyone else knowing I wish her well. I pray that she has a good life. It’s not up to me to say what she deserves in this life. It’s what she makes of it.

  I get on my phone and block her. I block her number so that she can’t call me anymore. Not that she would. She has her life and I have mine. I just thought in the beginning it was fun, we were going to spend a lot of time together and maybe by the time that I left from seeing her that we were going to become more than just online friends.

  Everything happens for a reason and that’s all right. I didn’t walk out of this heart broken. If it was Vicky who had walked away, I know that I would’ve run after her.

  It’s not who you know the longest or who you think you know because of something as simple as an online connection it’s about the things you go through, the things you talk about, the things you stay true to.

  When we get back to the bus station, I know that it’s going to be a long few days before getting back home.

  “I want the house and if she wants the money, then she will wait for me.” I shrug my shoulders.

  “If she’s not there?” Vicky asks me.

  “If she’s not there and there’s a for sale sign up, I’m taking it and calling the number. I will pay the realtor myself and not have to worry about it being gone.” I don’t want to go that route. I know that mother isn’t as smart to sell the house under herself. She doesn’t have the licenses to do so.