CHAPTER TWO
1354 Words
Carlos sipped back saliva when they threatened to come out. He gazed on for seconds, opening his mouth to speak. He was short of words and kept the bottle next to him on the chair, not wanting to leave for the house anymore.
"Hello," her womanly voice caught him off guard. What was this angel? He wondered. He was not a man to get attracted to women, not in this way.
But this was the worst of all.
"Hi, good evening," he muttered after so many thoughts. "How are you today?"
"I am very well," she answered. "How are you, too?"
"I am fine," Carlos said. "Uhm, you work here?" He asked, suddenly. Her uniform caught his attention a second time.
"Yes," she said. "I came to pick up your bottle."
"Oh, bottle," Carlos scoffed. "I thought I would have to return this myself. I have forgotten the bar has workers here, pardon me."
Smiling, she bent to the chair level and picked up the bottle—placing it on the tray she had come with. "Would you want another bottle, or is this enough?" She asked, smoothing one side of the gown, worn underneath.
"No, I am fine. I'd just head back home."
He rose to his feet and reached for the main door after interviewing her body type from behind. 'Think, Carlos.' His instinct warned. No choice was left for him than to walk away. She was pretty, too pretty.
How did he not see her other days? Oh. It was his first day at the bar, and his first time taking the drink he had. He would hang out here again, with a few of his friends this time.
Carlos arrived home in the space of an hour, not because his home was far, but because of the time he would love to spend alone, still.
"How was your evening?" Elizabeth's voice jerked him off his world of thoughts. He turned from over the stairway to see her, seated on a chair in the dining area. "You are not sleeping, Mom." He said, walking to the spot.
"Yes," Elizabeth said, smiling. Carlos watched her closely, dragging a seat from the table corner. She was sad, it was written in block letters and a drop of tear threatened to come forth.
Why was she awake at this time?
"Why not?" Carlos questioned. "Why are you not asleep?" He asked again.
Where was his father?
"I can't sleep," his mother said, adjusting on the seat. "Where did you go?"
A faint smell of alcohol filled the room. One reason he stayed back on the road for almost an hour, before getting back into the house. "I had a bottle."
"Is it not late for a bottle, Carlos?" The woman asked, smiling. This time, her smile radiated in the dining area. It was genuine, the kind of smile she gave when she cooked in the kitchen.
"I don't know, I had to leave and cool off my head," Carlos mumbled. "It was getting hot in here, I'm not ready to die of heat. Do you like the heat?"
"Carlos—"
"Where is he?" Carlos cut her short. "In the arms of an escort, I'm guessing."
"Carlos—"
"I hate that man," he cut her short again. His fist turned into a ball, and there was anger written all over his face. "What did you ever do to him?"
Elizabeth let her tears flow.
This same question she asked herself and Manuel several times in the past. Even today. "I don't know. I don't know. I do not know what I did to him that is deserving of this punishment."
"Of all humans to do it with, an escort," Carlos muttered to himself, although Elizabeth heard him. "Get a divorce, Mom. It's better than an infidel for a husband."
"He is my husband," she wiped her face with one of her hands. "I love him, at least, a little bit more."
"Hate him, then ," Carlos advised. "Try to think of what he has done, his infidelity to you, right from when I was a kid."
"He is still my husband."
"He is my father, too!" He yelled. "And he is still undeserving of my love, even yours. I want to dig a sharp knife into his heart, and watch him bleed until he dies."
Silence.
"Have you reached out to the lawyer?"
"No." Elizabeth shook her head.
"When will you reach out to them?" He asked her this time, rising to his feet.
"Before the month ends," she answered. "I'd sleep already." Now, she rose on her feet and was headed in the same direction as Carlos. "I am certain your father does not know what he is doing."
"Oh, what a long spell," Carlos scoffed. He wrapped an arm around her as they climbed the stairs. "Did you have something to eat?"
"I lost all appetite, did you?" Elizabeth asked, leaving his embrace, and reaching the door to her room. "Hopefully, he doesn't come back tonight."
He did not answer her, did she have to bring Manuel into every conversation they had? f**k! He had already forgotten he had a father. Why was this woman as annoying as her husband?
"Good night, mom," he greeted. "Tomorrow is Monday, I'll be late for work."
Without waiting to hear her speak, he reached for his door. It was farther from his parent's room, the best setting for such parents.
Carlos stepped in, heaving a sigh. He reached for the bathroom after slipping off his shoes and slipping into a Dunlop. His silk-black hair was damp by the time he walked from the bathroom and back to his room—and for the second time since that day, he felt better.
No. The third.
The first happened when he had an early morning shower and the second when he met with her at the bar. Oh, he would visit once in a while, at least, to catch a glimpse of her beauty. Her skin must be smooth, softer than the softest part of his body. Who in God's name created the lady? He stopped to think for a moment; struggling with his memory and recalling her face.
The next morning, he awoke with a sour mouth. Carlos's head banged at the sound of his movement. This was a Monday, for crying out loud. Could he handle the day's activities at the office with the way he felt? He had to leave the house for his safe space—the office.
"Are you good?"
"Yes, Mom. Good morning." He said, storming off the room.
His arrival at the office was quick. The secretary, Amelia grabbed his briefcase, following behind to his office. "What appointment do I have?" He asked, settling on his seat.
"Zy Roch's manager booked a meeting yesterday evening," she answered. "You asked the staff to gather at the meeting room by 3 p.m. for a brief meeting."
"Just two."
"No, sir."
"Then be quick!" He cried. "I don't have all day."
"You have a lunch date with the woman from Diamonds today," Amelia said. "1 pm. A two-hour meeting."
"Date, you mean?"
"Yes."
"Cancel it," he ordered. "Tell her I have something crucial to attend to and fix a meeting with someone else."
"There is no meeting to be fixed, sir."
"I know you know what to do, Amelia," Carlos gave a smile. "Do the needful and save your job."
"A meeting will be fixed," Amelia declared, leaving the office.
Staying alone was what he wanted. A lot has been happening of late. The woman he called his mother would be divorced soon. God! Month end was close, Carlos thought, glancing at the calendar on his desk.
Was cancelling the date with Carolina necessary? He could have gone to cool off his head. Why was there a sudden revulsion towards a woman he asked out a week ago? Is there something he should admit? Or was it still too early?
Carlos kicked his back against his seat, and the face of the woman he had seen last night appeared, offering a smile.
- Writer
