When Stars Align

Front page news again.

More than a week had passed since their journey into the city. To Amanda’s relief, no rumours of their date had circulated, neither in the newspapers or tabloids. The man at the gelato shop might have just been a tourist taking pictures of the ice cream shop for all she knew and they’d gotten scared for no reason.

She sat at her usual spot at the terrace, basking in the glow of the setting sun on the horizon. Sitting indoors had become boring to her, she longed to stretch her limbs in a studio and feel the burn of her muscles as she danced. She couldn’t wait till the cast came off, then she could start therapy to get her leg back in shape again.

Luca had left a day after the paparazzi scare, to a place unknown to her and hadn’t been back since. She hated to admit it but she’d gotten so used to having him around she missed him. A sight from afar had her sitting up in her seat, Lucas’s black Jeep sped down the dirt road, spewing dust and debris in its wake.

Her pulse pounded excitedly at his arrival, she sat up then sat back down. She couldn’t rush down to meet him that would just betray how eager she was to see him. Besides he’d left her all alone without a word about his whereabouts, not even Isabella and Graciela who were such gossips and knew the ins and outs of the villa said a pip about his whereabouts.

No, he would be the one to come to her. She steeled her resolve and waited with bated breath as the car drove into the driveway. She couldn’t see his face as he came out of the car, the garage was on the other side of the building, away from where she sat. She heard the commotion downstairs as Celesté called out to him and frowned. He didn’t seem to be in a good mood, she swallowed. She felt nervous all of a sudden as his footsteps echoed down the hall.

Her door swung open and she jumped at the noise it made as it hit the wall. Luca barged in like a raging bull, his face a mask of pure fury, his gaze locked on her. Her heart palpitated with every step he took towards her, he reached her in a flash and threw a newspaper on the coffee table in front of her.

“What’s the meaning of this?” he bellowed.

She looked down at the picture in front of her, she’d made front page news again but this time she wasn’t alone. The picture of Luca stating at her affectionately as he wiped off her cheek with his thumb stared back at her but it wasn’t the picture that made her gasp in shock, it was the headline. The words were emblazoned in bold letters on the page: Famous Italian designer Luca Rossi and his baby mama Amanda Edewor on a romantic date. Next to their picture was a smaller one of a little boy’s smiling face, her son.

“How...where...where did you get this?” she stuttered. She picked up the newspaper and read the little article written about her. The newspaper itself was the Italian gazette, they never wrote any article without a proper investigation.

“Is what they’re saying true? Do I have a son? Answer me.” He yelled when she gave no reply and she nodded dumbly.

“Yes,” she whispered as her eyes clouded with tears.

“How could you do that Amanda? How could you hide that from me all these years?” he questioned.

His words upturned her emotions and she stood up, eyes blazing with fury. “How could I? Did you forget how you left me all those years ago or do I need to refresh your memory.” She spat at him and he winced.

“But you could’ve–“ she didn’t let him finish.

“But what Luca? You left me after taking my virginity without an explanation or a goodbye. I was just nineteen and you filled my head with lies and the promise of love and took advantage of me.” She cried.

He shook his head and grabbed her face. “No, that’s not true. They were all true, none of it was a lie.”

“Get away from me.” She shouted and jerked out of his hold.

“No Eku, you don’t understand. I had my reasons for leaving, I was bound there was nothing I could do.”

“You were bound? Do you know what the consequences of that night with you was?” she yelled. Hot tears spilled down her face in rivulets. “My mother died that night and I wasn’t even there to say goodbye to her.”

His face paled at her words, his mouth gaped open in shock. “What?”

“I got home the next day to the news of her death. She had gone out looking for me that night and had gotten hit by a car, she died on the spot and it was all your fault.” She pointed an accusing finger at him and his face crumbled in pain.

“No that’s not true, it wasn’t my fault. How could I have known that would happen? I just wanted you to stay with me that night. I didn’t.... I didn’t....” unable to finish his sentence, he covered his face and wept.

The death of her still haunted her till this day, she blamed herself more than she blamed Luca. If she had gone home early that night instead of spending the night in his bed, her mother wouldn’t have been compelled to go out looking for her, she’d still be alive today.