Coming Home
© Ak 2007
Chapter 2
After their brunch, Louis had offered to wash the dishes while the kids decided to follow Jessica back to her apartment. There were several unsealed boxes lying on the floor. Some of the furniture was still wrapped in their protective cover.
Jessica said good-naturedly to the children, “Jessie’s place is still very dusty. Why don’t you stay in the living room today? You can play in the other rooms another day.” They gave her a nod. Jessica had noticed that the kids were rather quiet compared to others.
She then took out some papers and colour pens from one of boxes. She placed them on the coffee table. “Would you like to draw something for Jessie’s house?” She asked. Alex took a pen and pulled off its cap, and then he started drawing on one of the papers. Soon, Ashley followed her brother and started drawing too. Jessica gave them a smile and proceeded to clean her place and unpack her stuff. Nonetheless, she made sure she always had the children within her sight.
Jessica made small talk with the children as she went about her chores and she learnt quite a few things from them. Alex was seven years old and he was in first grade; Ashley was only three years old and she was attending some playgroups; Ashley liked Barney while Alex liked Sponge Bob; Louis was a lawyer. The children talked about themselves, a little of Louis, but nothing about their mother.
As Jessica took a ball of twine to tie up some old magazines, Ashley quickly ran to one of the bedroom doors. Jessica was surprised by her action. “Why are you standing there, Ashley?” She asked the little girl who looked frightful. Ashley pointed to her ball of twine. Jessica was puzzled. “You can come here, my dear.” She spoke gently to Ashley but the girl did not shift from her position.
“She thinks you are going to tie her to the door.” Alex told Jessica.
Jessica was shocked and asked, “Did your daddy tie Ashley to the door?”
“No. Mommy did.” Alex answered softly and he even sounded guilty. It was as if he was telling tales on his best friend.
Jessica walked over to Ashley and hugged the girl gently. She said softly but firmly, “No one will tie Ashley in this house.” Jessica felt a sense of pain and anger in her heart. How could someone do something like this to a three-years-old!
She carried Ashley to the sofa behind the coffee table where Alex was still positioned. She placed the girl on her lap and rocked her gently. “Why did your mommy tie Ashley to the door?” she asked Alex.
“I don’t know why.” Alex answered.
“When would she do it?” Jessica probed further.
“When she wanted to go out.” Alex answered in a shaky voice.
“Does Daddy know about this?” Jessica asked while keeping her voice steadily.
“Yes.” Alex replied and tears fell out of his eyes as he continued, “And, they fought.”
“Come over, my dear.” She said gently to Alex. When he reached her side, she pulled him close to her side with one arm while holding Ashley tightly with the other. Ashley had started crying too when she saw her brother cried. Her heart felt for them at this moment. She wanted to protect them. She wanted to erase these memories from them. “No kid deserved this type of treatment.” she said to herself.
Louis came over to Jessica’s place about two hours later. “Hi, do you need my help?” He asked in an almost cheerily voice but the grin in his face was wiped off the moment he noticed the gravity in Jessica’s facial expression. Louis was puzzled. “Did the kids do something wrong?” he asked.
Jessica almost wanted to tell him off but decided otherwise. What Alex had told her was in strict confidence and she was not about to betray this trust that they had. “No.” she simply replied Louis and let him into her apartment.
Louis saw his two kids sleeping on the sofa and he smiled. “You are really good with kids. Where did you learn all this from?” He turned and asked Jessica.
“From the parenting section in the ladies magazine that I had worked for.” She said spontaneously as a start but ended with a little hesitation.
Louis noted her hesitation but did not probe further. “I really don’t know what to do with them, especially Alex.” Louis said and let out a deep sigh.
“Just be a little more patient with them.” Jessica replied encouragingly.
He returned a forced smile and said, “What can I help here?”
Still feeling angry with Louis for what had happened to the kids, Jessica tasked him to one of the most laborious jobs. “Can you carry those boxes marked as books and place them on the book shelves in the study?”
Louis just gave a nod and moved on with his task. Jessica noted the similarity in the way he and Alex jerked their heads in their nods and she could guess where Alex picked his habit of nodding his head in response to questions from.
“Please also wipe the shelves before you place the books.” Jessica said from the living room while Louis observed her study in amazement. It was exactly how he had wanted his study to be. The room was in cream colour and well-lit. One wall was lined with shelves from floor to ceiling and there was a sliding ladder attached to them. The teak study table was in the middle of the room, with a high-back leather chair.
Being an ardent book lover himself, he opened the boxes and examined Jessica’s book collection. He was amazed at the range of books that she had. There were books on history, politics, philosophy, human behaviour, business management, marketing, design, cookery, gardening, etc. He opened a couple of them and noticed there were pencil markings in them. She was one highly intelligent woman. Louis was impressed by Jessica.
Alex and Ashley stirred from their nap. “Hungry.” Ashley said to Alex as she opened her eyes.
“Okay, I’ll bring you milk.” Alex said and got off the sofa. He went back to his place and he returned shortly with a bottle of warm milk for Ashley.
Jessica saw the whole proceeding and her heart felt a pull for Alex. He was doing what a seven-years-old would not have done. He had taken over the responsibility of looking after Ashley. She asked him, “Are you hungry, Alex?”
Again, Alex gave a nod similar to Louis’.
“Jessie’s house has no food. Why don’t you grab a cookie from your place first? Jessie will ask Daddy to bring us to McDonalds for dinner.” Alex nodded and went off to his place again while Ashley trailed behind him.
Jessica walked into the study and saw Louis placing the books on the shelves diligently and carefully. She noticed that he had sorted the books by topics and by their titles. She did not remember giving him these instructions. She could not help but beamed at the well-organised shelves. “Why don’t you take a break?” she asked him.
He turned around from the ladder. She noticed there were beads of perspiration on his forehead and her heart skipped a beat when he answered in a low husky voice, “Just another two boxes to go.” Now that she had a good look at him and when he was not in anger, she noticed that Louis was a sexy man with extreme good looks and built. He was tall with broad shoulders. His jaw line was strong and his tan gave him a sense of manliness and danger. His eyes seemed to be speaking to her.
“Is there something wrong with me?” Louis asked and broke her trance.
She realised that she had been staring at him and her cheeks turned pink. She quickly looked away and mumbled, “No, nothing. Just wanted to ask you if you can drive me to do some grocery shopping and whether we can bring the kids to McDonalds for dinner. We can unpack the remaining books on another day.”
Louis was amused by Jessica’s mumblings. For the first time, she was embarrassed in front of him. He wondered how many sides of Jessica were there. She was one fierce woman who stood up to him yesterday, a caring woman when it came to his two kids, and she was also resourceful and intelligent. “Sure, let me have a shower and dressed up the kids first. See you in an hour then.”
He climbed down from the ladder and he caught the lavender scent from Jessica’s hair as he walked past her to exit the study.
Dawn had just broken into the orange sky. Jessica had woken up early after a good sleep. As she walked past the main door to enter her kitchen, she heard some sounds outside her door.
She looked into the peephole and saw Louis carrying a sleeping Ashley in one arm and another two children backpacks and one briefcase in another. Alex was carrying another backpack on his back and he pushed the elevator button. Alex’s action looked familiar to Jessica, and then she recalled that he did the same thing when they sent Ashley to the hospital. “Do they do this everyday?” she wondered.
The elevator door opened and they walked in. Jessica broke away from her thoughts and started her new day.
It’s already past noon. Jessica took a break from her work and went to the kitchen to fix up a simple lunch sandwich.
She looked at Alex’s drawing posted on her fridge as she nibbled on her sandwich. There were a house, a man, a woman, a boy and a girl. There were clouds in the sky but no sun. Had he not finished drawing it? Or, was there no sunshine in his world?
She recalled her dinner with the Koos at McDonalds two days ago. Louis and Alex were almost at each other’s throats again. This time it was about an ice-cream that Ashley wanted but Louis had refused. Alex was about called Louis names when Jessica stepped in and promised to make them ice-cream on another day instead. She was perplexed why the father and son were so hostile with each other.
She took the ice-cream maker out from her kitchen cabinet and the ingredients from the fridge. She mixed the egg yolks with the honey. She heated the milk to boil and then put it to simmer. As the milk was simmering, she stirred in the egg yolks and honey mixture slowly and evenly. She removed the saucepan from the stove and left it to cool. She then blended in the cream and vanilla essence and pour the smooth mixture into the ice-cream maker.
Jessica placed the maker into the freezer with a wide grin on her face. She could imagine the kids’ delight with the home-made ice-cream.
Jessica lifted her face from her laptop and looked at her shelves. Her glance shifted to the ladder against the shelves and the image of Louis floated into her mind.
An incoming e-mail alert broke her reverie. She looked at the time displayed on her laptop and wondered long she had been thinking of Louis. Her cheeks warmed up at her own thoughts and she quickly shook her head.
It was already 7pm. She wondered if they were home. She took out the ice-cream from her freezer and scooped it to a Tupperware container. As she walked out from the kitchen, she heard a door slammed from outside.
Jessica walked quickly to the Koos’ apartment. As she stood at the door, she heard loud yelling from the house again. Did they do this every day?
“YOU WON’T BE THERE!” Alex screamed.
“I SAID I’LL BE THERE.” Louis shouted.
“I WANT MOMMY TO BE THERE!” Alex yelled.
“SHE IS NOT HERE. WHY CAN’T YOU UNDERSTAND?” Louis bellowed.
“YOU MAKE MOMMY GOES AWAY! I HATE YOU!” Alex wailed.
Jessica turned the door knob in her rush and fortunately the door was unlocked. She saw Ashley hiding and crying under the dining table, Alex standing on the sofa with both hands gripping the sides of his waist, and Louis striding towards Alex with a raised hand. She ran towards Louis and placed her hand on his forearm.
Louis turned his head and looked at her in fury and before he could told her not to interfere in his disciplining of his son, she looked into his eyes and shook her head gently. He saw the plea in her eyes. At this moment, it struck him that she was not pleading for Alex but for him. He lowered his hand and kept it on his side.
Jessica stride towards Alex and stood in front of the trembling boy. Like father, like son. Alex was filled with anger too. His face was red and covered with tears. He was obviously testing his father’s patience and he had gone too far to just back down. He looked pleadingly at Jessica.
“Can you tell Jessie what has happened, Alex?” Jessica asked.
“It’s Parents Day next Friday.” Alex replied and almost choked on his saliva and crying.
“And?” Jessica probed.
“I don’t have anyone coming with me.” Alex choked on his words this time.
Jessica could feel Louis approaching them. She swiftly handed the box of ice-cream to him. “Can you please put this into your freezer?” For a second she was worried that Louis would not do as what she said. She almost gave a sigh of relief when he took the box from her.
Jessica turned back to Alex and pulled him down to sit next to her on the sofa. Ashley had crawled out from the table and walked over to them. She cuddled next to Alex the moment she reached them.
“Why do you say that no one is going with you to Parent’s Day?” Jessica tried to restart the conversation.
“Daddy will be too busy and Mommy is not around.” Alex replied more clearly this time as he was calmer.
“I thought Daddy said that he would be going.” Jessica said to Alex.
“He is lying. He never keeps his promises. He will be busy that day.” Alex said to Jessica with a fit of anger.
Jessica could see that Alex believed in what he had just said. She wanted but was unsure if she should ask him about his mother. Before she could decide, Alex asked timidly, “Will you come, Jessie? Everyone else has someone with them.”
Jessica looked at Alex’s pleading eyes. She could not turn him down. She replied reluctantly, “Okay, I’ll be there.”
Alex’s face brightened instantly. When Ashley saw her brother smiling, she sat up and smiled too. Alex gave Jessica a tight hug, wetting her white T-shirt, and Ashley quickly followed suit. Jessica hugged both of them back.
“Now, let me clean both of you up.” Jessica said gently and warmly to them.
Alex led her to their bedroom and they took the towels and sleeping clothes. He then brought her and Ashley to the bathroom. Jessica helped to clean Ashley while Alex cleaned himself. Soon, the kids were ready for bed and Jessica tucked them in.
Jessica walked out of the children’s room and closed the door quietly. She saw Louis’ hunched back, his head bowing low and supported by his both hands, and his elbows resting on his lap. He looked so deflated that she felt sorry for him.
As she approached him, he quickly brushed away the tears at the corner of his eyes, thinking and hoping that she did not see them. But she did.
She sat herself next to him. Silence came over them. They could only hear each other’s breathing.
“Do you want some desserts?” she asked him. He gave a nod without looking at her.
She soon returned from the kitchen with two bowls. She handed one to him and sat next to him again.
“I made it myself. Try it.” she said to him with some enthusiasm hoping to raise his spirit a little.
He scooped a spoonful and put it into his mouth. “Do you believe that you must pay for life for some mistakes?”
Jessica was taken aback by his question but obviously he was not waiting for her reply.
“I made a mistake when I was young and I’m paying for it.” Louis continued.
“I was only twenty-seven when I met their mother. Tavia was seventeen then. We met in a club. I was celebrating my promotion with my colleagues.”
Louis placed another spoonful of ice-cream into his mouth. “She was wearing a skirt so short that it barely covered her modesty and her top was so flimsy that it fell off with just one tug. She had dyed her hair red and her make-up sparkled in the dimness of the club. She was a striking hot lass and she was getting all the attention in the club.”
Jessica observed him quietly. He seemed to be looking into a long ago memory. “My colleagues challenged me into picking her up for the night to top off the celebration. I was damn arrogant then. My head swelled when I managed to pick her up and bedded her that night. We continued to see and have sex with each other on and off. We had never thought of being together.”
He paused and ate another mouthful of ice-cream. “Then one day she told she was pregnant with my baby. I didn’t believe her initially. How could I be sure that it was my baby and not someone else? Then, she told me that the only time she had unprotected sex was when we had a romp in my car. I remembered that one time. I was so foolish to give in to my animal instincts and so foolhardy to think that I would not be so unlucky.”
He gave himself a sneering laugh. “We were way too young to have kids. But, I can’t possibly ask her to go for an abortion. I can’t let her go through the guilt and terror of an abortion.” Louis said with resignation.
His words struck a cord in Jessica’s heart. She was silent for a moment, engaging in her own thoughts. “We can’t keep the baby, Jessica.” HIS words kept ringing in her mind. She closed eyes and shook her head, trying desperately to shake them off.
“You are a good man.” Jessica finally said to him.
Louis heard the anguish in her voice and sought her face closely for her emotions, but it was void of any.
“Are you okay?” Louis asked her with concern.
“I’m fine.” She replied and took a spoonful of her ice-cream. “What happened next?” She asked to return to Louis’ story. Tonight was about his story, not hers.
