Kathleen Shmidt was cuddling her three year old son, Xander Devin Shmidt, as he had a nightmare that sent him to her room. He had calmed down and was sound asleep in her arms.
Life was a mess, she was sixteen and had a young child all because of a very lustful relationship she had with a man named, Devin Trevor Yang.
"I'll pull out, Katie. I promise.".
"You obviously didn't pull out, dick head." She thought, quietly, to herself. She stroked Xander's jet black hair and set him beside her, giving him a quick peck on the forehead. She loved Xander but she couldn't get over the fact he looked a lot like his father. She was also scared that he was beginning to get curious because the other kids at his daycare had a mommy AND a daddy but he only had a mommy, an auntie, and a grandma. She couldn't tell him that his daddy had left because he didn't love his mommy anymore, even though that was true, it wasn't right.
She then couldn't get the thoughts of Devin out of her head, they were screaming at her. She couldn't help all of it, they were driving her nuts. She soon began crying, she missed Devin, she missed him so much it hurt. Tears began racing down her plump, pudgy cheeks as she quietly began gasping for air.
This, of course, awoke Xander. The small child woke up and hugged his crying mother. "Mommy, why are you crying?".
Katie clutched Xander closed and cradled him, pecking his face and just whispering out Devin's name.
Xander giggled and kissed her back, "That's MY middle name, mommy!".
Katie smiled and let out soft, trembling gasps as she held her son close. He was just so young and innocent, he always made her smile. "Th-That's right, Xandy. Devin is your middle name.".
Xander giggled innocently and clung to his mother, giving a large, goofish grin as his large, green irises sparkled in the dim moonlight.
The question that Katie dreaded answering came up, out of her son's mouth,
"Mommy. I love you, grandma, and Auntie Ashlie but, why don't I have a daddy?".
Katie shook her head and sighed, "Xander. You don't need to know about your daddy. Your daddy... he..." She then stopped, refraining from saying that his father had left.
Xander began hiccupping as he threw himself into Katie's arms and began sobbing and gasping for air, "Doesn't he love me?".
Katie grasped her son and started bouncing her crying toddler in her arms, trying to hush him as she was humming one of her favorite songs, in lullaby version.
Her mother rushed to Katie's room and saw Xander bawling in her daughter's arms. She walked over and touched Katie's shoulder, mouthing, "What's wrong?".
Katie was still cradling the tyke in her arms as she turned around and responded with, "He wants to know about D-e-v-i-n." She whispered in her mom's ear as Xander was squealing in her grip.
Mei, her mother, cupped her hand over her mouth and used her other hand to motion for Katie to give her Xander.
Katie nodded and complied, wincing softly from seeing her baby cry.
Mei coddled her grandson and started humming to him as well, taking him out of Katie's room.
Katie plopped onto her bed, causing it to bounce. She threw her head into her hands. This whole issue wasn't Devin's fault, it was Katie's as well. Katie never told Devin about Xander, she never told him about her pregnancy, but she didn't think Devin would even care. He was with Carrie and of course, Carrie was his true love, or lust, or whatever, she was just better than Katie, somehow.
She couldn't say that Devin didn't love Xander, he didn't even know about him, but he left her for Carrie, after all they've been through. They made love, didn't that mean anything to him? It was something, not even Katie, understood. He worshipped her body like a temple and then up and changed his worship to another temple. What did Carrie have that she didn't?
The crying then became less of a scream and more of a sad, heartbroken whimper.
As Xander's heart broke a little, Katie's died just a bit more. She would do anything to be with Xander's father again. He was crazy for him, she wanted the whispers of sweet nothingness, the stories and dreams of the future, to sit with her family and go to places or just sit and watch movies at home.
Katie laid back down, shutting her eyes, knowing her mother would tuck Xander back into his little bed. She soon fell asleep as only crickets were the only sound that made the nighttime silence less of an agony.
"Many hours later. May Twenty-Eighth; Seven Thirty in the morning."
Katie's sister, Ashlie Jenna Shmidt, was taking Xander over to a play date with her two girls. Ashlie picked up the youngster as he was cheerful and giddy to play with his cousins, Daisy and Tiffany. She gave Katie a quick hug, "See you for lunch, sis. I love you.".
Katie nodded, accepting her older sister's warm embrace, feeling Xander's tiny hands wrap around her shoulder. "See you at lunch, Ash.", "I'll see you later, alligator." Katie responded.
Xander let out the little, innocent giggles, "In a while, crocodile.".
Ashlie took Xander and some of his toys out the door and into her little four door car. They left after a good fifteen minutes and Katie went as plopped onto the couch, seeing a cooking show was on.
Katie settled into her seat before another knock came upon the door. Katie shouted at the door as she scrambled to get up, "Hang on, I'm coming!". She opened the door, slowly, expecting for it to be a Girl Scout troop that was selling cookies or a church group that wanted a moment to preach about Jesus. She stuffed her hands in her sweatpants pockets, "Hello there. I'm sorry about the-" She stopped, dead in her tracks as her hands fumbled in her pockets, spilling change.
A tall, Asian male was standing in front of her, it was all too familiar. He had the sexy, gelled up hair, the deep, dark eyes, the chiseled jaw, the groomed beard, the built, body builder arms, the sexy, muscular chest. It was none other than, "-D-Devin?".