IVY RIVERA APARTMENT
“Don’t worry too much Ivy.” Emily said few hours after they came back from the hospital. “I am sure they are doing fine.” She added.
“I know.” Ivy replied glancing out the window for what had to be the fiftieth time in many minutes.
There was still no sign of a Blue BMW pulling up in front of the house. Still no sign of her son and his dad.
“They were due to be back from the movie at 5:30 pm.” Ivy lisped with a worried look on her face.
“It’s not even… seven o’clock yet… or maybe they stopped for hamburger or something.” Emily tried to help Ivy calm down.
Ivy nodded in agreement. She had thought it would be good for Leroy and his dad to spend the time together without her.
“But why are they still not home? It’s running late -” Ivy pursed her lips.
What if there had been an accident? Or what if Ace has taken Leroy away from her? Ivy thought deeply, part of her felt physically ill and she started pacing to and fro.
“Should I call him? Shit! I don’t even have his phone number.” Ivy grumbled.
“That’s a crazy idea. Relax Ivy, I am sure they will be back very soon.” Emily said as she flipped through some pictures on Ivy’s laptop.
“I can’t believe how good you are. I mean all these pictures are looking great.. I can never handle a camera this much even if I was taught.” Emily stated trying to distract Ivy from worrying sick about her son not being back home with his dad.
Ivy sighed deciding to calm her nerves down. “It’s practice…. no big deal,” she said, settling down on the couch opposite Emily.
Emily’s head snapped up to look at her sister. “It is a big deal! You left home with nothing and put yourself through school as well as taking care of a baby and work. That’s great!” Emily blurted out.
“Seriously stop making it sound like I am some kind of-”
Emily interrupted her. “An inspiration! Yes that’s the right words to describe you. Ivy, you are an inspiration to many women out there.”
Ivy laughed. “Inspiration? Me? Even after giving myself to a man barely know. Emily, I slept with a man I knew nothing about but with the hope that everything we shared meant so much to him. I was a fool not an inspiration.” She countered.
Emily rolled her eyes. “Forget about the past Ivy… if that didn’t happen you would still do something worthy to be called an inspiration. You can’t just stand it when anyone notices how awesome you are.”
Ivy nibbled on her bottom lips. “Well what can I say? Some people would have done better than me.”
Emily shook her head in disapproval. “No… I mean not everyone can survive what you went through.. someone like me.” Emily face palmed herself.
Ivy was strong-willed and determined.
Ivy laughed. “I am not a super hero. And after everything that has happened to me, I am just glad that my son is incredibly happy now that his father is by his side. But.. at the same time.. I am scared.” She admitted.
Emily forehead creased. “You are scared of what?! The fact that he is getting married to someone else? I mean who knows he might decide to call of the wedding to be with you and Leroy.” She said with a shrug.
“No. No. No. I don’t want that to happen. That makes me a bad person if he leaves Camilla and it will spell trouble for me and my son which I don’t want. I can’t stand the chance of my son getting hurt.” Ivy objected to Emily’s thoughts.
“Should I be honest with you?” Emily sniffed.
Ivy shook her head as she hummed a positive response.
“One thing is certain in this situation with that look on Ace’s face earlier, I bet it he is never going to give up on you and Leroy.” Emily said.
Ivy nodded. “His son, yes he won’t give up on Leroy but me in the picture is out of it.” Ivy demurred.
Ace wasn’t doing these things to get to be with her. He was right in their lives because of Leroy. That seemed to be Ivy’s thought.
“Why don’t you get what I am saying?” Emily grown deepened.
Ivy has to think back about her sister’s words. “Are you saying I should prepare myself for Ace wanting to be in our lives forever? I mean as one family?” She mumbled the words that came with thinking deeply on her sister’s thought.
“Exactly! Seriously Ivy I can see it… Ace really loves you!” Emily exclaimed.
Ivy couldn’t help but laugh. “Ace loves me? Never! That’s not happening. You know what? I totally disagree with that point.”
Emily scratched the bridge of her nose. “It’s fine if you don’t agree with me but let me ask you this one question, did you ever regret it? I mean making love with Ace?” She asked.
Ivy nodded. “Yes… for the first few months after I left town. It was very hard for me since I was still young and I kept blaming myself for being stupid but my unborn child kept me going.” Tears shimmered in her eyes. “And every regrets I had disappeared after Leroy was born.” She let out a low laugh. “And Look now I have Leroy by my side.” She smiled happily at the thought of her son.
“I can’t simply imagine what you went through.” Emily whispered.
“Enough about me.. let’s talk about you.” Ivy pointed out.
“Me? My life is a mess as you can see. It’s an eyesore. I got married to a man I thought loved me and could trust me. Let me just say I got married to the wrong man and now I am left with nothing but a broken heart. I thought I knew the man I was married to for five years but I was all wrong.” Emily summed up her story.
Ivy wasn’t asking about her marriage. She wanted to hear fun things her sister did even before she got married.
“You know what? I can give you some money to go anywhere around the world. You can go to Paris, Italy, Greece or anywhere in Africa to help you relieve this tension from your divorce. Believe me, it would really help you.” Ivy offered.
“Well that’s sound nice.” Emily mumbled.
“Will you?” Ivy asked with a smile on her face.
“No Ivy! I don’t want to wander around the globe. I just want to be with the people I love, like you and Leroy and people that love me then I will be fine.” Emily rejected Ivy’s offer.
“Okay you can move in with us permanently. I can get you a job here in LA.. like you could work in a bank. I can help you with anything sis.” Ivy asserted.
Silence fell between them for some seconds before Emily spoke up. “I am sorry sis, I am not planning to move to Los Angeles.” Emily lisped.
Ivy furrowed her eyebrows. “So you are going back to that town? I thought you wanted to forget about everything that happened? Emily, going back there will stir up memories.”
“You are right. As much as I do like to move in with you… I can’t. Yes that town won’t make me forget everything but I still I have a well paid job over there.” Emily replied.
“You can get a better one here.” Ivy retorted.
“I know. But I want you to know that mom and dad are there. I know you hate them – and you have every right to because of the way they treated you was bad and I am sure they are regretting it now. They were good parents to me and now that they are getting older, I don’t feel comfortable leaving them alone.” Emily admitted to the truth of not wanting to stay in Los Angeles.
As minutes pass, Ivy kept quiet but she knew she needed to talk. To say something, knew Emily was waiting for her to say something to respond the rejection but if Ivy should talk right now Emily would possibly get mad and decide to leave and she didn’t want that to happen. Not now that she had finally gotten to meet her sister after ten years.
Emily couldn’t move in to Los Angeles because of their parents. She cared so much about them because they were good to her. Ivy knew she would have done the same if they had treated her nicely. And just the mere memory of what they did to her welled up tears in her eyes but she tried to hold them back.
“Are you okay Ivy?” Emily asked.
Ivy stood up and cleared her throat. “Yeah… I’m fine.. but I am worried about Leroy.” That was partly true.
“I didn’t mean to make you mad but-”
“No.. no I am not mad. I’m not mad at you but Ace and if he doesn’t get my son here soon, I feel like I am going to go nuts and lose my mind.” Ivy whispered.
Ivy thought of her parents, the way they had hated her. She knew no matter how good she was, she would never be good enough for them. Right at this moment nothing else matters to her than her son. When Ivy left town, she had worked as a waitress in a restaurant, going to night school and waiting for her child to be born. Her life had turned out right thanks to a man who lived next door to her small sized apartment – Mr Leroy.
Ivy shoved away the thought of her past and walked to the window. And this time Ace blue BMW was parked in the drive way.
“Leroy is back!” She headed for the door at a close run.
Ivy met Ace and Leroy hanging out on the porch when she opened the door.
“Mom!” Leroy screamed and threw his hands around her waist.
“Hey baby..” she closed the door behind her. “So how was the movie?” She smiled and kissed her son’s curls.
“It was great mom! Dad got me popcorn, ice cream and we went to get hamburger after the movie!” He recounted.
“Oh that’s lovely.. I’m sure you had a great time.” She patted his curls gently.
Leroy let go of his mom. “I sure did… I am so tired.. I need to rest.”
“Yes.. you should go in and change up and then prepare to sleep.” Ivy replied.
Leroy nodded in agreement. “So what do you say to your dad?”
“Thanks dad! I had a great time!” Leroy said, throwing his hand around his dad waist before entering the house at a close run.
“I am sorry for being late, Leroy insisted on having more fun after the movie. I should have -”
“Thanks for that.” She cuts in.
“You don’t have to thank me. And I am really impressed with what you have done with him. Leroy is a great kid.” Ace admitted.
“He is pretty wonderful.” Ivy smiled.
Ace nodded. “Absolutely wonderful and I am indeed grateful to you for having him. Leroy talked about you every time, all the way to the movies, at the diner, and on our way back home. He didn’t stop talking about you.”
Silence fell in between them for several seconds that stretched into a minute. “Would you like to come in and have some coffee?” Ivy asked.
“I’m afraid not – I have to get going but… will you like to go with Leroy and me to the fun fair? It might be fun if we all go together.” Ace asked.
“Ace you know the risk of people finding out that-”
Ace interrupted her. “Yes I do… I know people would stare and whisper but I don’t care.” He moved closer to Ivy.
“Ivy.. I really don’t care about what others would think about us. I just want to be with you and Leroy.” Ace lisped stepping closer until his body was only inches from her – so close – she knew it was stupid to stand like this or even open herself up to him again.
She should stop him but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Maybe she wanted the connection too.
Several seconds passed in silence before Ace voice could be heard. “Ivy?” He trailed her jaw with his fingertips and stroked his thump over her lips.
Then he was inching her forward, bending his head as he lowered his mouth to hers – once – twice and she opened up to him. He lost himself in her softness. He kissed her and kissed her until their lips felt swollen and just that was enough for him. Ace forced himself to pull back slowly, he wasn’t a teenager who couldn’t control himself.
The relationship between them was going fine and he didn’t want to do anything stupid to threaten it no matter how good it was to hold her in his arms again. Ace pressed gentle kisses to the corners of her mouth then he let her go. He kissed her forehead and watched as she slowly came back to herself.
“Ivy.. I meant every word I said.” Ace whispered.
Ivy nodded.
“I should probably go now.” Ace stepped away from her.
“Yeah… thanks again for taking Leroy… to the movies.” Ivy stuttered.
“I already told you I enjoyed every bit of it.” His cellphone beeped, he checked the caller’s identity it was their family house chef. “I really have to go. Goodnight.”
“Good night Ace.” Ivy mumbled.
Ace rushed down the stairs, answering the phone as he went. His family chef only calls him whenever his mom and dad are having a fight.
It’s about to get exciting!