My Pretend Wife

Chapter 1

You Left Me

I was standing on the side of the slide in front of the stairs trying to catch Emma.

"Okay, I'll count to three, ready? One... I'm giving you three. Two... oh, you're taunting me, aren't you?" I tell her trying to get her while she's at the top of the playground.

"Yes, I'm taunting. You're trying to trick me, aren't you? Oh, no." she say as she slides down the slide.

"Trick you." I repeat. As I watch Emma run around the playground on the other side of the stairs, I think I hear someone call my name but I only pay attention to my little girl.

"Okay." I tell her surrendering. Then I hear it again.

"Olivia"

I turn to see the woman I loved who am I kidding the woman I love standing in front her car smiling at me as my smile is wiped completely off my face.

When I realize this isn't a dream I've been having since the night of July 4, 2009, I walk out of the playground gate and as Emma starts to follow me I say,

"Be right back, 'kay? Stay."

Walking towards Natalia in complete and utter shock, not only that she's here but also that she's real.

"Hi. I just got back. I went by the Beacon. I was looking for you." She say as if she hasn't been gone for a full month and a half.

"I was picking up Emma. She was visiting Ava in San Francisco." I tell her, almost forgetting I was furious with her.

"Oh... She have a good time" she ask me with a smile. I was still forgetting about my anger with her.

I smile back and say "I think she did."

"Sorry, I know that you've been wondering where I been...." she sighs and don't continue so I continue for her, remembering my anger at her and her choice of words.

" Yeah, I was uh.. wondering at first. Father Ray said that you went on a retreat. I tried finding you, but I...I..."

"I'm... I'm so sorry that I worried you. I thought about you every minute." she say smiling back at me as if that was gonna make this any better.

"I thought about you, too." Okay maybe it did because this is what I say back to her. She smiles at me and then compliment me saying.

"You look beautiful." and widens her smile showing her dimples.

Then I remember my anger again and as I'm about to reply I hear a child and I look back and then turn back to her and ask.

"Why... why did you leave?"

She looks at me biting her lip before saying

"I had a lot that I needed to think about, and I needed to really decide what I want. And... and figure out what I felt was... was best for everyone." she said then nodding.

"I thought we were pretty good. What did you have to figure out?" I asked completely confused.

She sighed and nervously put her hand on her forehead and say

"I'm..."

Then walk from behind the car and say

"I'm pregnant."

I look up to stare into her eyes as she walks completely from behind the car and walks in front of me.

"You're having a baby" I say looking back and forward between her eyes and stomach. She nods.

"Yea I found out just before the bar..barbecue. When I was sick, throwing up, had no idea why. It finally occurred to me, and I took a test. And..." she says nodding again.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask almost in tears.

"If I told you, it would be real and I really... I wasn't ready to face that at all. I mean, I couldn't figure anything out. And that is why I had to go away and really think." she tells me.

"You left me. You didn't say... anything." I tell her.

"I know. I'm so sorry. I never meant to..." she tries but I cut her off and yell

"You left me." and she shuts her mouth.

Once I realize I'd yelled so close to Emma I walked away. She followed close behind and said

"It's Frank's baby," I turned to face her and she continued. "You know, the one time but..." ending her sentence nodding again.

"Congratulations." I tell her, giving her a smile.

"I'm actually very excited about it. I wasn't at first. I kind of looked like you look right now. But that's why I went away because I had to really think. I had to finally just figure out what I really want. And that's why I came back. Because I know what I want. I do..and I just.....I want to be with you." she says as she walks up to me grabbing my face, then sliding them down the my hands and Emma runs towards us saying.

"Natalia, Natalia, you're back."

"Hi, sweetie! Hi, I missed you." Natalia say as she kisses her.

"Are you okay?" Emma says sensing something's going on.

"Yeah, I'm...I'm...I'm going to have a baby. Just um...You know, it's... it's little right now but..." she explained to Em as she kept looking at me.

"It looks big." Emma tell her.

"Well, it's going to get bigger and then it will come out and you can see the baby and play with the baby." Natalia tells Emma and is carrying on as if she hasn't left both of us for a month and a half.

"Honey, we have to go." I tell Emma, needing to get away.

"Can Natalia come?" Em ask innocently not knowing whats going on.

"Nope, you and I have to go, okay?" I tell her nicely.

"Olivia..." Natalia tries but I cut her off by saying.

"I'll call you."

Then me and Em leave her standing there like she left us.

The End