Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Ana thanks her and gives her a kind smile.
“I’ve heard this place is good,” she says, as if I’ve invited her to stay for a spell. She takes a drink and then sets her mug down. “You asked why I’m here.”
I nod.
“You already knowing who I am sort of throws me for a loop because I had this big, long speech planned, but I’ll just start.” She inhales deeply. “I feel like I’ve known you for, what’s it been eight years? Anyway, I’ve always known about you. Wade has never kept his love for you a secret, nor his desire to be with you. At first, I was a bit jealous of you, this person I had never met before, because I wanted the man I once considered the love of my life, to talk about me the way Wade talked about you. Everything he did in his, heck everything he’s done in life, is because of you and Goldie. I know it may not seem that way, but it’s the truth.
“Wade’s my best friend,” she says and then pauses to take another drink. “I think you should know that. He’s a friend. Nothing more. Never was. We spent the one night together and there you have it. When I found out I was pregnant and had to tell him I thought for sure he was going to kick me out of his room, shun me, but he didn’t because Wade is a stand-up guy. Ironically, instead of him holding me while I cried, we held each other. Neither of us were ready to become parents, but there we were. He was honest with me, he said he’d take care of the baby, but that he was in love with you. And then he said the most breaking thing I’d ever heard.”
“What was that?” I don’t know why I ask her. It’s like I need to know.
“He said, ‘finding out you’re going to be a dad is supposed to a joyous moment, but telling the woman you love that she’s not the mother of your child is also going to destroy the woman I love.’”
“Why are you telling me all of this?”
“Because you’re going to see Wade later today and he’s going to give you, what he feels, is news that will make you run from him again.”
I’m uncomfortable and tired of this conversation. I sigh heavily. “What does he plan to tell me?”
“That I’m moving to Magnolia Grove.”
I swallow hard and shake my head, clearing the noise I don’t hear because certainly I didn’t understand her correctly. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Did Wade ever tell you how Goldie ended up here?” Ana looks down at the table and shakes her head. “No, he wouldn’t betray me like that.” She leans forward. “I’m married, well actually on my way to getting a divorce. Franco and I met in college, halfway through my pregnancy. Somehow, we made it work. We got married after graduation and moved to Jacksonville. There, we started raising Goldie and co-parenting with Wade. Things were good, or so I thought, or have learned after copious amounts of therapy.
“What started as jabs and pinching, turned into rough grabbing and scratching. Then one night, Franco snapped. He’d lost his job a couple weeks prior and I thought we’d be fine. We both worked and have made decent money over the years. But then foreclosure papers arrive at the doorstep, and I ask him about it. The first smack across the face took me by surprise and when he came near me, I thought he was coming to apologize. I thought he was coming to give me a hug.” Ana wipes at her cheeks.
“My husband hit me, again and again. He threw me against the wall, breaking my arm. I couldn’t hide and all I could do was think about my daughter, in the other room crying. She could hear him yell at me, hear me cry out, and there wasn’t anything she could do. This wasn’t something she’d seen before or something we talked about. When Franco left, I called the cops. The ambulance came and took me to the hospital. Thankfully, they let Goldie come with me or I don’t know if I would’ve gone. The cops later arrested my husband . . . well, he’s my ex now.
“Wade is my emergency contact, so the hospital called him. When he showed up, I asked him to bring Goldie back here so I could figure things out, but I promised him I would leave Franco. I know if I didn’t, Wade would take me to court for custody of our daughter. I went back to Wisconsin, where I’m from, and filed for divorce.”
Ana accepts the refill while I ask for two glasses of water. One is definitely for me and while I had no intention of offering this woman anything, the other is for her. She needs it or probably something stronger.