Deadbeat Mother

Questions

~Natalia~

The audacity…..the f**king audacity! Who the hell does she think she is?! She wants to worry about Evan and how he’s being treated, but what about what she did to him? She left him broken and beyond sad. I had to be the one to help him pick up the pieces. She didn’t call or reach out once.

I know I’m sounding crazy right now because I wanted it that way. I wanted her to disappear to give me the opportunity to get Evan to love me. I know I did that, and I know that she doesn’t know what I did, but how dare she come at me like this? “You are such a b***h! I hope you get everything you have coming to you.” I rush out of the tent, using the back flap. I need to get as far away from her as I can, or his precious model is going to ruin his photos.

I take a few steps, trying to clear my mind. When I look up, I stop dead in my tracks. “Evan?” F**K! How long has he been here, and what did he hear? “What are you doing here?” It was a stupid question, but I had nothing else to say.

“I…. I’m working. What…..what was that, Natalia? What did I just hear?” I gulp and look away. He heard way more than he ever should, and I have no idea how to make it make sense. “You…. you’re sleeping with Neela’s husband?” F**K!!!!!

I refuse to look his way, not wanting to see the pain in his eyes. I wish a hole would open up in the ground and swallow me. I don’t want to be here right now; I don’t want to have to answer his questions or see him look at me like I know he will. “Natalia! Are you sleeping with Neela’s husband?!” Do I lie? Do I deny it, or do I admit to it? I have no idea what to do right now, and all I WANT to do is rip that b***h’s face off for even putting me in this situation.

“I….I…. don’t know what you mean. I have no idea what you’re asking me right now.” Lie and deny it is, I guess. I finally drag my face up to look at Evan, and I instantly regret doing that. He’s looking at me with disgust and anger. I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t believe me at all. I’m going to keep riding that train, though, because he has no proof.

“So Neela’s lying then? Is that what I’m supposed to believe?” He takes a step toward me. “How the hell did you even meet her husband anyway? How long have you been f**king him?” He takes another step, and I notice him clenching and unclenching his fists at his side. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this angry, and I don’t know how to fix it. “Have you known where she was this entire time? Have you spoken to her over the years?” Wait, what?

“No! No, no, no. What do you mean? Why would I have known where she was? I had no idea, and I haven’t talked to her, I swear. This is my first time seeing her since she left.” That is the truth with a slight omission. I could have found out where she was if I really wanted to. It would have only taken one phone call, and I could have eased some of his pain. I will never tell him that, though. I will never let him know that I wanted him for myself, so I finessed the situation to make it turn out in my favor.

“But you’re sleeping with her husband? How does that work, huh?” Evan looks away from me, and my heart aches. He turns back, and the sadness is all but gone. “I don’t even know what to say to you right now. I don’t even want to look at you. The fact that you would sleep with someone’s husband is bad enough, but having it be Neela’s husband…….” Evan turns away. “I just can’t.” Evan walks away from me, and a frantic feeling blooms in my chest. I can’t lose him; I can’t lose my chance at the man I’ve loved for so long.

“Evan? EVAN!” It doesn’t matter; nothing I say makes him turn around or answer me. My heart drops, and the pain is overwhelming. I turn and see Neela looking at me. She slowly turns away and walks back into the tent.

~Neela~

The yelling is what got my attention. I peeked outside the tent and saw him; I actually put eyes on him. He’s just as beautiful as he’s always been. My heart skips a beat, and I can’t believe what I’m seeing. My body reacts, and I want nothing more than to go to him and put my arms around him.

I keep ducking back into the tent every time it seems like he might see me. I don’t need to set him off any more than he already is. I didn’t know he would have heard our conversation, and I feel bad about it. I never wanted him to hurt.

I watch Evan walk away from Natalia, and it feels like he’s walking away from me. My heart aches, and I fight the urge to run after him. I watch Natalia slowly turn around and put her eyes on me. I walk back into the tent, sure that she’s going to come after me and blame this all on me.

It takes a few minutes for the tent flaps to open, and I steel myself to get ready for her wrath. A big, rough hand grabs my wrist and spins me around. His mouth is planted on mine before I can even see it coming. His tongue probes my mouth, and I feel the bile rise in my throat. I have to concentrate hard to keep everything down.

He finally removes his mouth from mine and pulls back to look at me. He runs a hand down my face, and I fight every urge to flinch away. He’s really going to be here with me as if last night didn’t happen. I mean, I’m sure it isn’t the first time he’s come to me after a fling, but this is different. This is someone that’s right there in our faces. “Hello my wife. I’m glad I got here in time to watch your photoshoot.”