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“Worst of all,” she sobbed. “Worst of all… I’m pregnant.”
Her admission feels like another smack in the face and immediately shocks me back to reality. I pull back, lift her chin and look her directly in the eyes. “How could you let that happen?”
“I was having issues with my old birth control pills; they made me puffy and bloated,” she explains. “I switched pills and we were careful, but apparently not careful enough.”
“I would just hate to see a kid brought into the world with his dad headed for prison,” I say without really thinking.
Vanessa immediately breaks down again. “I just pray that he had nothing to do with it.” She sobs, in a resumption of her emotional release. “I’m sorry Trey. I should’ve chosen you years ago. I have always loved you.”
What? I’m honestly speechless as she grabs a Kleenex and wipes the tears from her eyes. I have been completely obsessed with her for as long as I can remember. Now she tells me that she has always loved me? She’s has to be saying this out of sheer desperation.
Our conversation is cut short when the door handle rattles and Tyler comes stumbling into the entryway. He regains his balance and stares at the two of us, obviously completely trashed out of his mind. “What the fuck is going on here?” he howls, stumbling toward us and focusing in on Vanessa’s face. “Why the fuck are you crying?”
“Because you didn’t come home and I couldn’t reach you on your phone,” Vanessa says, in an attempt to cover her ass. “Where have you been?”
His gaze falls to the floor. “I was upset, so I stopped off at the Monkey Bar for a couple drinks. Obviously it was a bad idea to mix booze with these new pain pills. I got totally fucked up. I have no idea where my phone is at.” He turns and stumbles into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
“Well, at least that mystery is solved.” I give Vanessa a subdued grin.
“I’m so tired of dealing with his issues,” she whispers. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I’ll talk to Mom about it. We are getting together for dinner tonight,” I tell her. “Maybe she can get him into rehab and on track for a knee replacement.”
“She’s still in denial,” she says, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “I’ve talked to her several times.”
“She’ll listen to me. I’ll get her to talk with his doctor so she can see how many pills he’s taking on a daily basis,” I tell her. “This is unsustainable, especially for someone his age.”
“I hope she will do something to help him.” She wraps her arms around me and squeezes me tight. “I’ve really missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” I whisper, before backing off and making my way to the door. I would rather not be here when Tyler comes out of the bathroom. That is, if he’s not passed out on the floor. Riding the elevator down to the lobby, it occurs to me that my feelings for Vanessa might finally be fading. When she said that she has always been in love with me, for the first time I didn’t really feel anything other than disbelief. If she thinks she can toy with me again, she has another thing coming. I’m done with one-way love affairs.
Mandy
While getting ready for the day, I realize that I must have muted the ringer on my phone. Picking it up, I see there are two missed calls and several Facebook notifications. I click on the Facebook app and there are several tagged images from Liv. When I open the first one, it looks like a picture of her and Trey, but his hair is different. Scrolling through the rest of them, I quickly realize that it’s her and Tyler. What the hell? There are also several pictures of the two of them with Tommy. It looks like lots of partying and a general lack of clothes were the main themes. She definitely didn’t waste any time moving on.
Next, I click on my voicemail. One is from my father, wondering if I attended the funeral and asking when I am heading back to California. The second is from my boss, Harris, who asked the same exact questions. I took all of next week off, thinking that we would still be in Geneva so there is no reason to go back early. I send them both a quick text letting them know that I did attend the funeral and that I’m not going home for at least another week. I’m having too much fun right now.
“Are you ready, babe?” Trey shouts as he swings the door of the suite open.
“I am.” I quickly finish putting my hair up.
“You look great.” He brushes past me to check his hair and spray on a fresh shot of Sure Fuck. “Just needed a little insurance.” He chuckles and gives me a wink.
