Alicia's Misfortune (8 page)

Jack was excited about his looming nuptials with Leila.
Despite his attempts at keeping a safe distance between them, she had crawled
into his skin and he found himself thinking of her often. He felt impatient at
the five days when she would be away. She had returned to California a day
earlier to wrap up her life as best as she could in five days.

He pranced around the house, feeling lonely. He had never
noticed how large the house was until now. He imagined it full of children in a
few years’ time and the thought warmed his heart. Unable to bear his own
company any longer, he decided to go out to his parents’ house. He glanced at
the time. It was noon, good. He would just be in time for lunch.

He drove at a leisurely pace, musing over how one’s fortunes
changed in an instance. He was about to get married and to a beautiful
  
and wonderful woman. Not to mention sexy,
Jack thought with a chuckle. Leila was a revelation in bed. Whatever
inexperience she had, she more than made up with her passion.

She was game to try anything and he knew that their future
together would never have a dull moment. He stopped his car by a large, wrought
iron gate, full of ivy interweaving itself between the metal rods. Before he
could hoot to make his presence known, the gate slid apart and he drove in.

It had taken years to convince his parents to have that
particular technology installed. It was silly to have someone come all the way
from the house or stop their chores to open the gate. Jack was surprised when
he saw his brother, Aaron’s car parked in the drive. His brother was a lawyer
in the city and it was rare to see him at this time of day.

He parked his car next to Helen’s and got out. He found the
whole family in the back garden, having lunch as he had thought.

‘Trust Jack to show up when we’re just about to eat,’ Aaron
said and stood up.

He hugged Jack and clapped him hard on the shoulder. The two
brothers were alike physical but the resemblance ended there.

‘Good to see you little brother,’ Jack teased.

He went round the table and kissed his sister Helen and then
his mother and father. He pulled a chair and sat down.

‘This is an unexpected treat,’ their mother said smiling
whilst looking at all of them. ‘Having all my children under one roof and at
the same time.’

‘What you doing here in the middle of the day Aaron? Got
fired?’ Jack said.

‘Partners don’t get fired big bro. I just felt a need to
touch base, plus I’m going to Washington next week and I might not get another
chance,’ Aaron explained.

‘Wow, you’re going up in the world! Washington huh?’ Jack
said.

‘Don’t be impressed. I’m just going for a meeting with a
client,’ Aaron said dryly.

‘They don’t just send anyone, do they?’ their father said,
speaking up for the first time.

‘No,’ Aaron admitted, smiling sheepishly. ‘It’s an honor.’

‘You work hard bro and you deserve it,’ Jack said, his
teasing tone gone.

It was true that his brother worked like a dog at that law
firm where he had recently being made a partner. He had broken the record as
being the youngest lawyer to ever being made partner. Of course the family name
helped but that was only a small part of it. His hard work had earned him the
position and Jack felt very proud of his brother.

They had been raised with a value for work ethic. It was
unknown in their home to be in bed past seven o’clock in the morning unless you
had a very good reason for it. His sister Helen, owned and managed several
executive salons in the city. They had all done well for themselves on an
individual capacity.

Jack served himself and returned to the table, enjoying the
feeling of belonging that he had taken for granted before he met Leila. He
couldn’t imagine how it felt like not to have his family around. Once they were
married, he hoped she would feel part of his family. They were wonderful people
and he knew that she would come to love them as he did.

‘What’s up sis, you’re very quiet,’ Jack said turning to
Helen.

‘I’m alright; you two never let me get in a word.’

‘I don’t remember you complaining about it before?’

Helen laughed and pushed back her jet black hair with
impatience.

‘How’s the agency thing going?’ she whispered. ‘Any luck?’

‘As a matter of fact I did find someone. She’s wonderful and
perfect for me. Her name’s Leila and we’re getting married in a month’s time.’
Jack said.

‘Married?’ Helen shrieked.

Silence fell across the table and everyone turned to him.
His mother looked particularly shocked.

‘Jack?’ she said.

He sighed and decided to tell them. He had intended to
introduce them to Leila and give them time to get to know her before announcing
their engagement. Now, thanks to Helen’s big mouth, he had to tell them now. He
glared at her and then focused on his parents.

‘I met this girl, her name’s Leila and yes I did propose to
her and she said yes.’

They were all silent. It was a lot to take in, Jack knew.
His father recovered first and he cleared his throat.

‘Where is this girl then?’ he said in an even tone.

‘She went back to California just yesterday. She’ll be back
on Friday and you can meet her then.’

‘How about dinner on Friday then? Your mother and I would
love to meet her,’ his father said.

Jack would have preferred to have Leila for himself for the
weekend but he felt cornered and he nodded.

‘Friday it is then. Will you join us Aaron?’ their father
continued smoothly.

‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ he said and winked at
Jack.

The topic was immediately dropped and for that Jack was
grateful. He loved his parents for that. They treated all their children like
adults. They never made negative comments even when some situations like
proposing to a girl weeks after you met her baffled them. They talked about the
Christmas plans and caught up with news of their other relatives.

The lunch stretched on and he left three hours later. By the
time he got back to the ranch it was three in the afternoon. He steered the car
to the left and in the parking lot he saw a silver mustang and groaned. It was
like a bad dream. Clarissa was back.

He found her lounging on the deck, her long fingers wrapped
around a glass of champagne. At three in the afternoon, Jack thought to
himself, shaking his head. She had not heard him enter and now he padded up to
her observing her and watching for those feelings he had had to return. He felt
as if he was observing someone he once knew a long time ago.

Yet it was months ago that he and Clarissa had been
engrossed in their affair. He knew the reason for his feelings disappearing was
Leila. Though he now questioned whether he had strong feelings for her at all.
Did you get over someone you once loved so fast?

She finally sensed someone and she whipped her chair round.
She smiled, revealing a pair of white even teeth. As usual, her tits were
hanging, squeezed into a tank top that was two sizes too small. Jack felt
absolutely nothing, just a mild irritation at what he viewed as invasion of his
privacy. His home was now a private domain belonging to his wife-to- be and
himself.

He looked at Clarissa and smiled politely.

‘Hi Clarissa,’ Jack said in a casual tone.

She stood up and with flair wrapped her hands around him and
then lifted one leg and wrapped it around his thighs. Still there was none the
heat, that months ago would have been warming up his body. Gently, he
disengaged her and she pouted.

‘What is it big boy? Aren’t you happy to see me?’ she said,
posing as though for the cover of playboy.

‘You weren’t so friendly the last time I saw you,’ Jack
commented.

Clarissa laughed and threw her head back, knowing that the
gesture was a sure way to turn him on. Only this time, he felt nothing. He saw
Carissa for the empty shell that she was. It was unfortunate that with such a
package that was her exterior, she had no substance. Her interest was one thing
only—money.

He shuddered with the realization of how close he had come
to marrying her. Jack sat down opposite her and observed her with amusement. He
was just relieved that Leila was not here. If Clarissa had found her here, she
would have gone out of her way to claim her possession of him.

He could take his time now and let her say why she had come
back.

‘You upset me very badly Jack and my feelings were heart,’
she said, adopting a little girl voice, which she resorted to when she was
determined to have her way.

Jack hated it. He could not understand why a grown ass woman
would want to speak like a five year old girl. Now he realized again, that her
tone did not upset him as it once did. She was part of his past, he knew
now.
 

‘I missed you so much Jack. There’s no other man like you
and I was a fool for leaving although you drove me to it,’ she said sounding
sincere.

‘What has changed about you Clarissa? I’m sure you still
spend money like it grows on trees, right?’

‘A girl needs some retail therapy to keep her going,’ she
said with a shrug.

‘You still don’t want children and you know that’s a deal
breaker for me?’

Her expression said and before she could speak, he lifted
his hand to quiet her down.

‘None of that matters now Clarissa. I’ll not waste your time
or mine,’ Jack said, suddenly tired of the games he and Clarissa were playing.
‘I’m not interested.’

‘You can’t possibly mean that?’ she said, clearly shocked.

‘I do I’m afraid. I gave you a chance and you fucked up.
I’ve moved on.’

She screwed her eyes and bore into his. ‘Who is she?’

‘It doesn’t matter Clarissa, what matters is that you and me
are done,’ Jack said firmly.

‘But we can’t be done,’ Clarissa said in a surprisingly confident
and strong voice. ‘Not by a long shot.’

Jack sighed. ‘We are Clarissa, let’s just both of us accept
that and move on.’

‘But we can’t Jack,’ she said.

He hoped she would not turn out to be one of those women who
got obsessed with a man.

‘Why the hell not? Are we not two adults of rational mind?’
Jack said, emphasizing the last two words.

‘Because I’m expecting your child Jack Farley.’

It felt as though the ground had opened up and was slowly
pulling him into its jaws. Pregnant? Jack’s brain repeated the word unable to
fathom what it meant. She couldn’t possibly be pregnant, not now! His heart
seemed to have stopped beating and his brain refused to formulate coherent
thoughts. This was not happening, Jack thought.

‘Yes Jack, I’m pregnant and I assure you that you are indeed
the father.’

Jack closed his eyes and wanted to weep. How could things go
so badly wrong when just a few hours ago he had existed in an orbit of
unbreakable joy?

‘How sure are you?’

‘Very sure, I’ve gone to the doctors and he confirmed that
I’m three months pregnant,’ she said and patted her tummy. He looked at it
closely and saw that indeed her belly was a little rounded.

‘You don’t want children,’ Jack said in a flat voice.

She beamed. ‘Now I do. I can just see us as a family of three,
sitting around the dinner table or going for pizza.’

Jack’s head pounded and he knew the veins across his head
were dark and visible. He stood up and begun to pace.

‘Listen Clarissa, having a baby is not a big deal. Thousands
of parents are raising their children yet they are not together as a couple.’

‘I have no intention of having a baby out of wedlock,’
Clarissa said, her black eyes glaring at him.

‘Since when do you have moral values?’ Jack snapped and then
regretted it immediately. Infuriating Clarissa was not the best way to go about
solving the issue.

‘I don’t care what you say Jack, I’m not having this baby
alone. We love each other, don’t’ we?
 
We’re doing it together—’

The unspoken threat hang between them.

‘Else what?’ Jack said.

Clarissa’s face was hard and cold. He had ever seen her that
way.

‘Else you will never get to see your child, ever.’

All the air left his lungs. Jack felt as though she had
grabbed a knife and stabbed him with it, right in his ribcage.
His child, she was carrying his child?
His eyes strayed to her rounded tummy. His longing for children had intensified
over the years. Perhaps it was a sign of maturity but whatever it was, he
wanted that baby badly.

‘Yes Jack, this is our child in here. Mine and yours. We could
have a good life together,’ she said her voice now soft. ‘I think it’s a little
boy. A copyright of his daddy.’

At the word ‘daddy’, Jack’s heart twisted. His mind conjured
up the image of a little boy with black hair like him and a cheeky toothless grin.
What was he going to do, he thought, running his fingers through his hair. He
thought of Leila and her loveliness. He thought of his proposal and his dreams
to spend the rest of his life with her.

Though he had never acknowledged it before, he understood
then. He loved Leila. He had loved her from the moment he had laid his eyes in
her sundress. He shook his head, as if ridding his brain of cobwebs. He wasn’t
ready to give up on his dream of marrying the love of his life. But the image
of a black haired boy haunted him.

How could he turn his back on his own flesh and blood?

Both Leila and Susan cried a little as they held on to each
other outside Leila’s condo.

‘Texas is not that far you know?’ Leila sniffed, stepping
back to look at Susan.

‘I know and besides we’ll come down for the wedding.’

Everything was happening so fast. She had packed away all
her things in a storage facility and the condo was on the market for rent. Her
friends at the shelter had thrown her a last minute going away party the
previous day. She looked back at her condo building without regret. She had not
been happy here and she was glad to leave it for good.

‘Are you nervous?’ Susa said, as they got into her station
wagon, packed tightly with Leila’s luggage.

‘I’m nervous as hell!’ Leila admitted, belting up.

‘Then perhaps you should postpone the wedding, get to know
each other a little better.’

‘If you met Jack, you would understand. He’s perfect in
every sense of the word and the chemistry between us is amazing,’ Leila said.

‘Sex does not guarantee a happy marriage,’ Susan commented.

‘Neither does lack of it,’ Leila quipped and they both
erupted into giggles.

‘Seriously though, I’m really happy for you and I can’t wait
to meet Jack. I can’t guarantee that I’ll think he’s hot…’

They both laughed at that and the Leila reached for her
friend’s free hand and held it.

‘I’ll miss you so much,’ she said with feeling.

‘Me too.’

Soon they were at the airport and hugging goodbye for the
last time. Leila got into her flight and as she sat there waiting for the plane
to take off, she contemplated the life that awaited her. She hadn’t yet met
Jack’s parents and family and she looked forward to that. She knew that they
were nice people, after all, they had raised Jack and he sue was ice. The plane
soon taxied down the runway and with it her spirits also lifted.

She couldn’t wait to see Jack and this time he had promised
to be waiting for her at the airport. She had teased him about that first time
and he had had the grace to look embarrassed. They hadn’t spoken at all during
the five days she had been away and now she felt as though she had not seen him
in years. She couldn’t settle down during the journey and it was with great
relief for Leila when they finally touched down in Lainley, Texas.

She saw him as soon as she walked through to the waiting
bay. His presence startled how. I the five days she had forgotten just how
devastatingly handsome Jack was. She stopped pushing her trolley and paused to
just admire him. She pinched herself and grinned like a fool. The gorgeous man,
looking slightly worried was soon going to be her husband.

He seemed distracted, with his hands shoved inside the
pockets of his pair of jeans
. He must be
worried about her.
The thought warmed her heart and she pushed her trolley
towards him to relieve him of his misery. He turned, sensing her promise and
Leila let go of the trolley and ran into his arms.

‘Oh Jack!’ she cried out.

‘Leila, Leila, I missed you.’

She had missed his manly scent, Leila thought happily,
snuggling into his arms. She looked up and kissed him right at the mouth. A
shot of desire went through her. To her surprise and slight disappointment,
Jack pushed her away gently and took hold of her trolley. She followed him out
to the car park obediently.

He was driving himself and after he had stowed her luggage
in the boot, he came to the passenger side and opened the door for her. In the
car, jack was rather quiet and she noted with concern that the look of worry
had not left his face.

‘Is everything OK Jack?’ she ventured.

He looked at her, his expression grim. ‘Not really Leila.’

Leila went still. ‘What is it?’ she managed to ask.

‘We’ll talk about it soon,’ he said and focused his eyes
ahead.

Leila noticed then that they were not heading to the ranch
but to the other side of town. She curbed her curiosity and sat stiffly
waiting. She could not fathom what the matter could possibly be. Jack steered
the car into the parking of a small restaurant and Leila jumped out before he
could open the door for her.

She noticed nothing of the establishment as she followed
Jack to a table by the corner. When they sat down opposite each other, Leila
saw that he had worry lines at the corners of his eyes. He ordered water for the
both of them and when the waiter left, he focused his attention of her.

‘First of all Leila, I want to tell you that I love you so
much. I loved you from the moment you stepped out of the car that first day,’
Jack said, giving her a tired smile.

Leila gave him a strained smile in return. She felt happy
that he had finally expressed his feeling but it was not possible to be
completely joyful not with what was to come, which she could not guess at. Her
whole self was suspended waiting for something unpleasant.
Was he sick? Were his parents alright?

‘I love you too Jack, so very much,’ Leila said with
feeling.

He reached across the table and took both of her hands in
his.

‘That’s why this is so hard,’ Jack said and he swallowed,
his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

Leila was aware of all his movements, no matter how slight.

‘Before I met you or even registered with the mail order
bride agency, I had a girlfriend called Clarissa but we broke up and I moved
on,’ Jack said, keeping her hands in his.

Leila closed her eyes. This would not end well. Any mentions
of past girlfriends in the present was not a good thing.

‘We broke up and she left. Anyway, she returned two days
ago. Leila, she’s pregnant with my child. I’ve told her that there’s no future
for us but she insists that if she goes, I’ll never see my child.’

It was just as well that she was seated because her whole
body had turned to water.
Pregnant? How
could another woman be carrying Jack’s baby?
A mixture of anger and
jealousy ran through her. She snatched her hands away.
Oh God, what were they going to do?

‘What does she want?’ Leila said, even though she knew the
answer.

Jack looked at her, sadness echoed in his eyes.

‘Marriage,’ he said simply, shattering Leila’s world when he
confirmed her suspicions.

Leila shivered and rubbed her bare hands. The Texan sun was
out but she felt cold which started deep inside her core. Her future, which had
seemed so secure had fallen apart. What was to become of her?

‘Will you marry her?’ Leila asked, fearful of the answer.

‘How can I marry her? I love you Leila,’ his voice spoke of
the anguish that he felt.

She could not summon up the energy to feel any sympathy for
him. She was the one who had just uprooted her life from California and moved
across the country. Still a part of unwittingly admitted his dilemma. He was
faced with stark choices and despite her own sacrifices to be with him, he too
was squashed into a tight corner.

‘Why not just tell her that you won’t marry her?’ Leila
asked, knowing how unfair the question was.

‘What about the child?’ Jack said.

His voice was rugged as though he had stayed up for several
nights in a row. The child? Leila closed her eyes. She knew how much Jack
wanted children. It was unfair of her to suggest that he give up the child. She
looked up into his blue eyes, now dark with anguish. She understood then that
Jack had two choices to make.

It was either her or the baby. She shook her head unable to
believe that they were in such a situation. Didn’t the woman use
contraceptives? Which woman in this day and age did not know that unprotected
sex equaled to unwanted pregnancy or STD’s? Leila’s shook her head. It did not
matter now. None of it did.

It was up to Jack now. Then something else crossed her mind.

‘Where is she staying this woman?’

‘Her name is Clarissa and you’ll meet her shortly because
she’s at the house.’

There was nothing more to say after that. They left the
restaurant for home. When they took the road to the ranch and the house came
into view, Leila saw her immediately. She was seated at the front door steps
and when she saw the car she stood up. Leila’s mouth filled with bile. The
woman standing in front of them was nothing like she had imagined.

With dismay, Leila saw that Clarissa was drop dead gorgeous.
She had red flaming hair that flowed to her shoulders and a bosom that took up
most of her upper body. She wore tiny shorts that rode up her thighs and Leila
was sure that if Clarissa turned, they could see part of her ass.