Risky Layers

WORK AND COMMITMENT

‘Josh, I have been working back to back for the past two months, I can’t oversee a construction site right now’

‘You owe me one bro and besides its our company which you haven’t attended to in three months’

‘False Josh, I made the f*****g architectural designs of the top three contracts we have right now and you got the approved plans back seven weeks ago’ Ryan sighs then turned to face the window trying to keep an eye on his daughter and niece.

‘Our client will be meeting with us tomorrow and you have to be there, Amelia is 15 minutes away from your place, she has the printed plans of the site’

Ryan knows he can’t get out of this, Josh was presently in New Jersey, so he needs to take one for the team, hopefully the supervisor will be back from visiting her sick mum by Wednesday so he can breathe for some few days.

‘Who is coming to pick up the girls? The past 48 hours has been awesome and quarrelsome’

Josh chuckles, he knows Ryan is contemplating on confiscating Cara’s phone from her because a boy called her last night.

‘She is just eleven years old for Pete’s sake and her growth rate is making me feel like locking her up in a tower’ Ryan stops pacing and looked at Cara lovingly.

‘Ryan you trained her well and my wife and I are also doing a great job, remember your niece is almost the same age’ ‘Cara can handle them you know, she is a bad ass like her mum’

She better be, it took him five years to get Camilla to go on a date with him and he was the first and last guy to achieve that feat, she was the most beautiful, most loving and most stubborn woman in the world.

‘Amelia can give me a ride to drop the girls at your place then I need her to drive me to the site, you know I prefer to see these things physically’

‘You can inform her yourself, man w***e’ Josh started laughing at my expense and he hung up.

I know I am a man w***e, if I got paid for the number of women I have ever slept with, I’m sure I will have more billions to my name. Amelia was the second serious relationship I ever had but I just couldn’t bring myself to commit to her, I was faithful but I was not ready for more and she wanted more. We broke up three years ago after dating for 2 years and she has hated me ever since but right now business is business. I changed from my shorts to a jogger, left my tank top on and wore my favourite hoodie. I picked up Cara and Aria’s backpack from Cara’s room and made my way to the garage to wear my sneakers. I walked up to the girls playing basketball at the back of the house-our girls are not your typical girls, they chose sport over doll houses. I dribbled them for the ball and made a jump shot,

‘Dad!’

‘Love you too baby, but we need to go, do you have all your stuff in your backpack’

‘My iPad is in the library’ Aria ran towards the house 

'Dad, why can't we stay over like we usually do and you drop us at school'

'I don't have my truck yet angel'

We walked inside the house; I was setting the alarm for the back door when i heard the doorbell ring,‘it’s Amelia’ I heard over the speaker. I walked towards the door to open it and gestured for Amelia to come in.

‘Hi Amelia, how is your mum doing’

‘I honestly don’t know; I need to get to the hospital so my sister can go home to her kids’

‘I wish her quick recovery’...she forced a smile, ‘do you have an hour to spare? It could be less’

‘I just came to hand you the plans Ryan’ she hands me the plan.

‘I need a ride to Josh’s so I can drop the girls and I need you to walk me through the site’

‘The site is out of my way; I still have to drive for about 30 minutes before I get to the hospital’ she stood up ‘I can drop you off at Josh’s and I sent you a very explicit report via email’

‘Girls lets go’ The girls came out of the library and said hi to Amelia, I was the last one out so I could set the security alarm.

The girls chatted away as I checked my email, Amelia starts to slow down and I know we are at Josh’s, I locked my phone and looked up. I turned to Amelia as the girls thank her for the ride and race for the door.

‘You know I’m really good at my job and we have capable hands so there is no need to worry’ ‘we should start with the interior décor next week’

‘I’m not worried, I just don’t want to look like a fool when the client is asking questions’

‘Just look through the plans and the email' 'Also try and get there two hours before the meeting to check out what we’ve done so far’ ‘I should be back by weekend’

‘What!’ Amelia totally ignored me while her expression told me I was wasting her time if i was going to argue.

‘Drive safely and my regards to everyone’ I alighted from the car clutching the plans to my chest as I walked inside.

I said hi to Aria’s mum and went to Josh’s study, I needed to familiarise myself with the plans. I designed them so I definitely know what I am looking at but Josh mentioned a slight change two weeks ago and from what I hear the client was a perfectionist. I yawned, I should be sleeping, I have been on video calls at odd hours with my patients and Manager back to back for the past seven days because of the time difference. I finished my analysis in forty-five minutes, for the past few weeks I have been dreading going home to an empty place and the last time I felt like this was eleven years ago. The first 3 months after Camilla’s death was hell-he could not sleep, he was always drunk, he starved until his mum or brother brought him food and practically force fed him.

He did not even hold his daughter before storming out of the hospital after the doctor calmly informed him that his fiancée died of complications from preeclampsia during child birth. I walked aimlessly for hours till I got home, my brother met me passed out on the porch of our family house at midnight, he practically dragged me to one of the guest room downstairs because there was no way he would get me to my room upstairs. Mum brought Cara home 3 days later, I was still locked up in the guestroom, Josh had to break the lock, made sure I had my bath and forced me to eat. I followed him like a robot as he led me upstairs to mum’s room, the first thing I saw was Cara’s cot as I inhaled the wonderful baby smell, I could not move anymore; Josh picked up Cara and placed her in my hands. One look at her and my eyes welled with tears, she had the shape of Camilla’s eyes and probably her nose but she was all me-the baby had the same blue eye colour like we had in the Edwards family, Camilla left me the most beautiful gift which was actually meant for her from the onset.

Camilla was an orphan and grew up in a foster home, she wanted a house full of kids both ours and adopted children. Cara was not planned; she was the product of our excitement the night I proposed to Camilla. Her joy knew no bounds when she found out she was pregnant; I was indifferent about kids but I was happy because Camilla was happy. Our two years together has been the best of my existence so far, carefree, adventurous with sweet and heavenly s*x and I have never felt that connection again. Maybe I almost did one night nine months after her death, too bad I never saw the young lady again but realistically I could have seen her after that and never knew because she had a blindfold on that night.

After 3 months of going downhill, one night my brake failed and i swerved my car into a pavement while I was drunk, I was thankful for not hurting anyone and ending up in jail or leaving Cara an orphan-that was my wake-up call. At few weeks to thirty-six maybe its high time I give commitment a chance, I need to put in effort in getting to know these women instead of just screwing them. I hear my phone buzz, checked it and smiled.

‘At s*x Cave…you coming?’