Page 5 of Drawn To You
“She already had the epidural and I’m doing everything I can, but she needs to push or we are going to have to do an emergency C-section” the doctor yelled back before he could control his anger. Another spasm caught Shannon, and her scream turned their attention back to her.
Joshua took hold of his wife’s hands. “Just a little longer. It will be over soon.” He continued to whisper encouragement to his wife. The physician turned to the nurse at his side and said. “Prep the operating room. We can’t wait anymore.”
* * *
Hours later Joshua’s heart was overflowing with love as he gazed at his second-born son, Ethan, who was now quietly napping when he heard a knock at the door. He turned and saw his best friend Josh and his fiance Lily and smiled. “Hey…Congratulations!” Josh said and promptly hugged Joshua, smacking him on the back.
Next Lily embraced him and congratulated them both as well. “We ran into your neighbor downstairs,” Josh said, looking a little confused, and Joshua was immediately annoyed at hearing that his wife’s new friend Robert had arrived. It wasn’t that Joshua was a jealous man but he had to admit that his wife’s recent attachment to their neighbor was starting to make him a little uncomfortable.
Shannon assured him that he had nothing to worry about and that she just really needed a friend. Especially because Joshua worked out of town so much and she would go out of her mind without another adult to talk to when it’s just her and their three-year-old son Zander at home alone. So Joshua accepted their growing friendship even though it made him uncomfortable at times.
“Knock-knock,” Robert said as he entered the room and made a B-line to Shannon. Flowers and balloons in hand. Joshua couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed as his friends watched on, confused expressions on their faces as his neighbor embraced his wife, and the two of them painted such an intimate picture.
Lily tried to break the uncomfortable tension by engaging Shannon in conversation and asking her to hold the baby. After everyone had a turn holding baby Ethan, Shannon said, “Honey, do you think you could bring me something to eat that isn’t hospital food when you come back in the morning?”
Joshua looked at her questioningly. “I don’t mind getting you food but I was planning on staying here with you and the baby tonight,” he said a little confused that she thought he was leaving her alone with their newborn after she just gave birth.
“Oh, but you need to go and pick up Zander from my mom. They can’t keep him another night. Besides, wouldn’t you rather sleep in a comfortable bed? I’ll be just fine.”
Joshua couldn’t help the sinking feeling that his wife was trying to get rid of him. But she wouldn’t do that, would she? He was starting to feel crazy. He felt Josh grip his shoulder. “Since it looks like you’re leaving anyways, have a beer with me to celebrate, yeah?” he asked with a smile, but Joshua didn’t miss the look of concern in his best friend’s eyes and suddenly a beer sounded like a good idea.
Shannon smiled up at him and playfully said, “Yeah go on and get out of here. Have a beer with your bestie and let me catch up with mine.”
Joshua continued to stare at his wife and her friend. Once again, confused at the terrible feelings seeing them together invoked within him. This isn’t right. He should be the one staying here with his wife and their son, not her friend.
When he finally lifted his gaze and nodded to his best friend, his eyes showed his torment. He shook his head then, a silent denial, perhaps, of what he was starting to suspect more and more, and he kissed his wife goodbye and abruptly left the room with them. Not happy about leaving, but at the same time, suddenly in need of some space to clear his head and think. What the hell is going on?
* * *
“So, let me get this straight. Shannon is spending time with another guy, when you’re out of town, working, and you’re seriously OK with that?” I hear Josh scoff when he’s done asking. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here thinking about the fact that my wife is back at the hospital with our newborn son and the fact that she wanted Robert, our neighbor there with her instead of me.
“I don’t know brother, you seriously don’t think there is anything going on there?” he questions and I let out a sigh. “If you’d heard a single word I’ve said the last couple of hours, you’d know it doesn’t matter what I believe. Shannon swears that nothing is going on between them and I have no evidence to prove otherwise. Besides, if I don’t play along and… I can’t let that happen.”
I revisit the many conversations I’ve had with Shannon on this topic and her threats whenever the mere mention of a divorcee is even tossed out, and I get pissed off all over again. I get that she is entitled to have friends and she gets lonely with me working out of town so much, but my gut is telling me that there is something more sinister going on. But I know if I were to file for divorce she will end up getting custody of our boys because I have to work so much to provide for them. Plus I know she will use them against me as she has already threatened to do. Unfortunately, I’ve come to realize what kind of person my wife truly is and the thought of her actually keeping my kids from me scares me more than anything.
I know that there’s absolutely no reason why her Mom or even her sister couldn’t watch Zander for us while she is in the hospital, which is why I know there’s a deeper reason behind Shannon sending me away, something she isn’t saying. But despite her keeping the truth to herself, there’s one thing I know for certain, I hate every second of this.
The music playing in the background turns to something more lively and the tune doesn’t fit my current mood. My shoulders are tense, and I can’t get over how royally screwed I am, how stuck I am.
“Well, look at the bright side,” Josh chimes in again. “At least you have your boys.” “Yeah, as long as I continue to dance to Shannon’s tune,” I mutter and I see him flinch out of the corner of my eye. Hearing his mention of this fiasco’s ‘bright side’ serves as a reminder of how little he really knows about the situation. If he had any clue, he’d know there is no bright side if I choose to leave Shannon. That she has already threatened to take my kids from me if I do. His rationale also reminds me of the lies Shannon feeds me almost daily, the explanations for why Robert is always at our place when I get home. The idea of her and Robert just being friends is fucking laughable at this point. How I ended up married to a woman like her astounds me most days. I know it’s mainly because she got me into her bed before I was even old enough to drive. The next thing I knew she was telling me that she was pregnant and we were shopping for rings.
I feel Josh grip my shoulder and squeeze. “I’m sorry you are going through this brother. If there is anything I can do for you, let me know and it’s done.” “I know. " and I did, I knew I couldn’t ask for a better friend than Josh. Just as I knew he was feeling this with me. Josh is more than my best friend, he’s more like a brother to me and there is no one else I’d rather have at my side right now, at one of my lowest moments. No matter what, I know that he will always have my back and that I can count on him.“Thank you,” I said simply and we sat in silence for a while before Josh ordered us another round and we moved on to another topic.
Six
Java Co
Abigail - age 19
La Mirada is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California, and is one of the Gateway Cities. The population is about forty-eight thousand. The city was even once listed on CNN Money Magazine’s “Best Place to Live” list. But none of that is important to this story. What is important to note is that La Mirada would later become home to me. It’s where I will choose to spend most of my time, where my friends live, it’s where everything happens. It’s where I meet him.
Java Co., the local coffee shop in La Mirada was not only a great coffee shop, but it had become somewhat of a hub for social interaction. It’s a place where people can go to feel more connected and less stressed, where friendships are formed and strengthened, community problems are solved, and business deals are struck. Java Co was always filled with locals and smiling faces.
Over the years I had become a regular. It was my home away from home. Or more accurately it was where I went to escape my home. My friends and I met up at Java Co most days, if not every day of the week, and spent endless hours talking, and laughing at our table. We jokingly referred to ourselves as JavaCo Junkies. Simply put, Java Co was my happy place and today I needed to escape to my happy place more than ever.
The minute I walked in through the door my eyes immediately went to my two best friends Rain and her older sister Lily sitting at the counter, they both winced as they took in my disheveled appearance, and embarrassed I brushed my messy red hair away from my forehead. “Knowing you as good as I do, I’m ruling out the possibility of sex hair and placing all my bets on clumsiness,” Lily teased, shooting me a questioning and slightly sympathetic frown. I exhaled and squeezed my eyes shut. I opened them slowly, blinking away the rush of frustrated tears.
“I just got kicked out of my house. I don’t know what I’m going to do now.” “Oh, sweetie.” Rain pulled me into a tight hug. Normally I’m not much of a hugger but Rain had become an exception, over the years she had gotten past my defenses and I had gotten used to her hugging me because she wouldn’t allow otherwise. Accepting the hug I let my forehead fall to her shoulder, and I heaved a sigh. I was still upset from the latest blowout at home and I found her embrace comforting. I am so glad they were both here. They would help me figure out what to do.