| The next morning Maria was woken by the pitter, patter of feet coming across her bedroom floor. She then felt a person lifting back the covers and a warm body cuddling into her. Maria opened her eyes slightly to see her daughter looking up at her with big brown eyes so very similar to eyes that she used to gaze into nearly seven years before. Cassie had under one arm her teddy and the other she had thrown over her mother in a half hug. Maria rolled over and pulling Cassie on top of her as she giggled Maria smiled up at her daughter thinking to herself how beautiful she was. “So princess,” Maria said with a grin. “Tell me all about yesterday.” Cassie then proceeded to tell her mother about all the beautiful dresses, the dancing, and the cameras. She then told her mother about the different people she met. “I met someone that daddy said was my Aunt Isabel.” Maria nodded. “She was really pretty mommy. Not as pretty as you though.” Maria laughed and began to tickle Cassie making her squirm and tickle on top of her. “Mommy, stop it.” Maria stopped rolling onto her side, rolling Cassie down beside her. “You had a good time then?” “A great time but I wish you could have come.” “Another time baby,” Maria said playing with Cassie’s hair. “You wanna get some breakfast?” Cassie nodded her head. “Let’s go get some pancakes.” “Yea!” Cassie said jumping up and down on the bed before jumping off and running to her room to put on some clothes. Twenty minutes later mother and daughter walked into IHOP and were seated in a booth. “What can I have mommy?” Cassie asked hesitantly knowing her mother couldn’t afford that much. “You have whatever you want baby,” Maria told her with a grin. “Mommy got her pay packet yesterday and we can have a treat today.” “Cool,” Cassie said and began looking through the menu. She was very advanced for her age. She could read very well due to the encouragement from her mother of buying her books and getting them from the library due to them not having a TV up until recently. Cassie decided on chocolate chip pancakes in the end whilst Maria settled for a black coffee. Maria smiled happily as Cassie ate into her pancakes happily. Maria couldn’t help but think how many times would they get to do this. She knew that if Michael took her to court she’d never be able to afford the bills. And especially if she lost. It was likely the courts would see her as incapable of looking after Cassie due to her job, Olive the next door neighbour and the apartment block she lived in. From what she could see and Michael had implied it seemed he had the money to take good care of Cassie. And maybe he was right. Maybe he could give her more than she could. Maybe it was selfish to keep Cassie when she could have a much better life with her father. He could give her the nice clothes and the nice toys. But Maria didn’t know if she could give her up completely. She couldn’t bare not seeing her daughter every morning. Oh if only she had taken heed of the psychic. Thought that maybe she meant something else other than what went on between her and Michael. She could feel her eyes starting to fill with tears. “Mommy?” Cassie’s voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up at her blinking her tears away. “Yes sweetheart?” “Are you okay?” “I’m fine baby.” Maria set down her coffee and took Cassie’s small hands in hers. “You know I love you, right?” Cassie nodded. “And I only want the best for you.” Cassie nodded again confused. Her mother didn’t continued and she didn’t know whether to question her further so decided to leave her mother be. If she wanted to say more she would. “Okay,” Maria said as she got out her purse. “Let’s pay this bill and go home, okay?” Cassie nodded, pushing her knife and fork together just as her mommy had shown her and taking her mother’s hand followed her to the till. They walked home slowly stopping off at the park for a while to swing on the swings together. When they arrived back at the apartment block they saw a taxi pull up outside and a tall, glamorous lady step out. Maria squinted her eyes to see who an earth it could be and was surprised when the woman turned around and called her name. When she got nearer she was surprised to see Isabel walking quickly towards her. She was even more surprised when she was enveloped in a hug and Isabel whispered in her ear, “Oh, it’s so good to see you Maria.” “It’s good to see you too,” Maria said slowly. “And not to sound rude or anything but why are you here?” “Michael told me where you lived and I just wanted to see you. I’ve missed you.” Maria smiled sadly and said, “You don’t hate me too?” “Goodness no!” Isabel said in shock. “You’re one of my best friends.” “Well then, do you wanna come up for some tea?” “That sounds great!” She turned to Cassie who was standing shyly behind her mother. “Hello Cassie. You must be exhausted after your late night!” Cassie nodded but was too shy to say anything in reply. Maria pulled her out and said, “Now Cassie, I’ve never known you to be shy. This is Isabel, my friend.” “Hi,” Cassie said in a small voice. They made their way up to the Maria’s apartment and Maria left Cassie in front of the TV to watch a video and brought Isabel into her room. “Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess,” Maria said with a rueful smile. “No worries,” Isabel said sitting down at the end of the bed, pulling of her shoes to sit cross-legged on the bed. Maria sat at the top in the same position. “So tell me what happened,” Isabel said getting straight to the point. “All I know is one morning we all woke up and your mother told us you’d left her a note and gone.” Maria set her coffee down beside her bed on the small table there and started her story. “Well Alex, Liz and I had gone to visit this psychic for a laugh to get our fortunes told. She told me there was no hope for me and Michael and that we had only the next 48 hours. So I told Michael this but he of course had no interest and was more interested in Courtney.” Maria said the name with distaste, the name still after nearly seven years able to make her back crawl. Isabel nodded for her to continue. “So anyway I was getting quite suspicious of Courtney because Michael had been saying he reckoned she was FBI so I checked her locker out when she had finished her shift. Inside her locker I found this picture and it had Michael in it, his head was circled. It was really weird, like a surveillance photo or something. Anyway, I headed over to her house, to check her out and guess who I find there! Michael. He said he was investigating her and I was annoyed he was with her, alone but I thought ok he’s checking her out too and he has his powers to protect him anyway. But then she calls out he’s a really good kisser. I didn’t know what to think. Then she comes out in a towel! A towel! I was so angry and hurt I just left telling him that there was no chance for us. I couldn’t forgive him for that, not in a million years.” “I know Maria,” Isabel said sympathetically. “But there’s something you don’t know about Courtney. She was a skin.” Maria gasped. “It was okay though, kinda. She was like a good skin. The skins, they’re divided into two groups. Both think Max shouldn’t be king. One group though, the one Courtney was in, believed that Michael should be king. That’s why she was so infatuated about him. He told us nothing happened though. Alex told us what you’d said to him. Even went and hit Michael for you,” she said with a laugh. Maria smiled and said softly, “Good old Alex, hey. I know what I saw though. They …” She drifted off, tears coming to her eyes. Isabel crawled over to Maria and wrapped her in a hug and said, “Alex never told us about the towel though. Just said you’d found him there.” “That’s because in my letter to him I asked him not to.” “Oh,” Isabel said going silent. “Tell me what happened next then.” “So I went home after seeing Alex in the Crashdown and I just couldn’t bear it. I had to leave. I wrote my mom a note, left it on the table and made my way to New York. I got myself a job as a waitress, then a month after I realised I was late. I got a test and discovered I was pregnant. I couldn’t bear to go back. I thought with the FBI and everything it wouldn’t be ideal either. I was also still too cross at Michael and just didn’t want to be near him or have him near our child so I stayed. When I had Cassie I realised a waitress job wasn’t going to pay for everything. So I was talking to one of the girl’s at work, she told me about her other job and I thought to myself it seemed like the only option. I needed the money Isabel you’ve got to understand. Cassie means so much to me, I’d do anything for her. Even something I hated. So they gave me my first job. It was with another girl, to give me a little bit of ‘confidence’ as the guy put it. Apparently they loved me and the money was great and I get great tips as well. Way better than I ever do as a waitress. So I strip three nights a week, one at the club and two wherever they call me. Then whilst Cassie is at school I work at the diner. Olive, my next door neighbour, she’s been great. She has her moments, when she drinks but she takes good care of Cassie, and treats her well. I couldn’t do without her. She takes her to school and collects her and looks after her for a couple of hours when I’m working. Sometimes I take Cassie with me but I hate her having to be there cos I feel obligated to feed her their and I hate her eating junk food. Isabel I love her so much. You can’t imagine. She’s the one thing that’s kept me going. And now Michael’s threatening to take her away. Isabel I couldn’t live without her. I know I was wrong to keep her from him, but don’t you see why I did it. Isabel hugged Maria wiping away the tears that had come to her eyes. “I know Maria, I know. But I don’t agree with him. He knows that but I don’t know if he’s going to change his mind.” She sighed. “Maria, I hate that you had to go through this alone. Why couldn’t you have phoned one of us? Alex and I would have helped you. And we wouldn’t have told Michael if you didn’t want us to. It’s horrible. Whilst you’ve been living here and struggling the rest of us have actually been living quite well off.” “I couldn’t Isabel. I just couldn’t,” she said with a sigh. Isabel sighed as well. “Maria, I don’t know what we’re going to do but please come and live with me and Alex for the meantime. I hate to think of you living here and you know we’d love to have you.” Maria bit her lip and said, “I don’t know. I don’t want to impose.” “Look think about it, okay?” Isabel asked. Maria nodded. “I’ve got to go Maria but here’s my cell number and Alex’s and our home number,” she said scribbling numbers down on a page and hading them to her. “And call us whenever you like and we’ll come pick you up, okay?” “Okay,” Maria said with a nod. “Thanks Isabel I really appreciate this. It’s nice to talk to someone.” “No worries,” Isabel said hugging Maria again before they made their way out to the living room where Cassie sat animatedly watching the TV. “Bye Cassie,” Isabel said walking over to her and giving her a hug and a kiss. “I’ll see you soon gorgeous.” “Okay,” Cassie said in a small voice. “Bye Auntie Isabel.” “Remember what I said,” Isabel said giving Maria a look as she walked out of the door pulling out her phone to phone for a taxi. As she waited she dialled Michael’s number. “Michael Guiern speaking.” “Hi Michael. It’s Isabel. I’ve just seen Maria. I can’t believe you!” she said angrily. “What!?” Michael exclaimed. “You slept with her?” “Who Maria? Isn’t that obvious!” “No! Courtney!” “I never slept with Courtney,” Michael said angrily “What has she said?” “She said when she went over to Courtney’s house that Courtney came out in a towel and the two of you were all… well not how you should be,” Isabel snapped. “I can’t believe you never told us. No wonder Alex hasn’t talked to you much since! You’re lucky he was sworn to secrecy by Maria!” “Look,” Michael said his temper starting to fly. “I never slept with Courtney! I’ll talk about this later. Someone’s at the door. Bye.” And he hug up leaving Isabel speechless. “Wait till I get my hands on you Michael,” she murmured as the taxi pulled up and she got in. “Just you wait!” TBC |
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| Part 4 |