Chapter Author:
Blazelove
This was originally going to include the dinner as well, but I decided against it.
Enjoy, and Merry Christmas. ~
The afternoon of the following day, I found myself rummaging through my dresser. Our bedroom carpet was littered with blouses, shirts, and dresses that I had thrown behind me, not suitable for my plans this evening. I was going to see Stan Marsh… I was going to have dinner with him. I don't think that any other happily married woman on Earth would be this ecstatic to see her ex-boyfriend and his wife.
I finally felt a silky texture on my fingertips, and yanked out a black, satin dress with spaghetti straps. Simple, but it was the best I could find. I couldn't think of the last time I had gotten all dressed up.
"Mommy, clothes!" Little Eric squealed and picked up two blouses in either hand.
I had no idea he was behind me. He was so silent that sometimes I swore he was some sort of ninja.
"Y-yes, honey… could you give those to Mommy, please? She needs to put them back," I persuaded and reached for my blouses.
"Okay," he chirped, and put them in my hands.
I managed to fold everything I had scattered into equal stacks in my top drawer, pleasing to the eye. I wasn't a neat freak, but it was nice to see some organization in our household untouched by Little Eric.
I laid my black dress flat out on the bed, and went to our bedroom closet to look for shoes. My belongings were mixed with Eric's, so it became increasingly difficult to find what I wanted in our makeshift closet. I found one silver shoe with a heel and cross straps, and was practically inside the closet searching for its twin.
After several minutes of tiresome searching, I had found the matching shoe as well as the necklace that Eric had gotten me on our anniversary, a small, cut crystal gem in a sterling silver setting. I treasured it dearly, and it filled me with delight when worn around my neck.
The necklace and the shoes coordinated perfectly with each other, and I recall wearing the combination on one of my nights out with Eric. I was still frantic about seeing Stan's face again, in the presence of a celebrity…
I then was focused completely on Stan. I had hurt him tremendously, and I wasn't sure how he or I would react to seeing my face again. One of us would probably end up in tears at the dinner table.
I knew that I couldn't break down like that in front of Eric, and I formulated distractions that normally overcame my sadness to think about if I was encountered with that situation.
Then the paparazzi factor struck me… Stan was a celebrity. There would be no privacy, at least depending on our eating location. They may be used to this and have an undisturbed place in mind. I squealed as I pictured the restaurant, a chandelier dangling above the four of us, dimly illuminating our table as we savored our expensive meal.
"Mommy, I'm hungry…" Little Eric whined.
I sighed, and my fantasy faded. "But you just had lunch."
"I want a snaaack!" he demanded.
"Okay, okay…" I responded hesitantly and walked out of the bedroom, Little Eric trotting behind me.
I headed towards the kitchen and found a box of pretzels that was half-empty, and poured a handful into a plastic bowl.
"Here you go," I muttered, and set the bowl on the coffee table. He ran over like an animal and began nibbling on the pretzels.
I looked at the digital clock built-in to the cable box, which read 3:14PM, giving me four hours to get ready before Stan and Lila arrived. Eric's work now ended at 6PM, rather than his old job that would sometimes keep him out past 10. It was nice to have him home earlier, and very convenient for plans such as this.
"If I put on Dora, will you sit here while Mommy takes a shower?" I asked, hopeful.
"Dora, Dora!" he squealed and nodded.
I turned on the TV and started one of the recorded episodes stored in our DVR, hearing Little Eric chime in to the theme song as I walked into the bathroom to take my shower. I couldn't help but giggle. He was so adorable.
It was 5:49PM now, and I had done my hair, makeup, and gotten dressed. I stopped at every mirror in the house, always feeling conceited as I admired how I looked in my dress.
"Mommy, you look pretty!" Little Eric chirped.
"Thank you, sweetie," I replied and picked him up.
I was still overwhelmed with the fact that I was going to see Stan in an hour. It still hadn't hit me exactly, like when you get a gift you've always wanted but aren't nearly as ecstatic as you imagined or know you should be. I was too stunned.
Eric would be home any minute, and I put down Little Eric so I could sit on the couch. I flattened out the few folds in my dress as I sat on the edge of the couch, and waited patiently.
After a few minutes, the doorknob twisted and Eric walked in the door.
"Daddy!" Little Eric shrieked and ran to his feet.
"Hey, champ," Eric smiled and ruffled Little Eric's hair, and then looked over at me. His face lit up immediately.
"…Wends, you look…" he went on, searching for the right word. "…gorgeous."
He walked towards me and I stood up to kiss him.
"Thanks, honey," I replied, beaming. "How was work?"
"Not bad, easier than I'm used to," he explained, still in a trance on me.
"Good," I grinned.
"Well, uh…" Eric began, and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd better get ready, right?"
"Yeah, we leave in an hour."
"Alright," he replied and kissed me again before getting ready.
Little Eric walked to my feet.
"Where you going?" he asked and tilted his head.
"Mommy and Daddy are going to have dinner together. You're going to stay with Mommy's friend's daughter, I told you, remember?" I explained, playing with his hair.
"Oh," he mumbled.
"Don't worry, honey, you'll have fun with Penelope and Tara," I attempted to convince him.
Little Eric smiled.
By the time Eric was ready, it was nearly six. I wrapped my arms around Eric as he came out in a tuxedo, one that reminded me of when we were first dating.
"I love you," I cooed, so delighted with everything. I was hardly ever this happy, and it was a great feeling.
I went over behavior rules with Little Eric before there was a knock on the door. I went cold. Stan.
I sprinted to the door and flung it open, greeted by a man in a tuxedo.
"You must be Wendy Cartman," he smiled.
I nodded, and Eric walked up behind me cautiously.
"Y-yes, that's me," I replied nervously.
"Your ride is here," he chimed, and gestured behind him. In front of our driveway was a slender, white SUV limousine, stretching down the length of the entire sidewalk in front of our house.
I was breathless, and looked up at Eric.
"Holy shit," he said under his breath.
"Go right ahead," the man invited, and I assumed he was the chauffeur.
Little Eric ran up to the door, and I held his hand as we made our way to the limo. We needed to drop him off at Stan and Lila's house before we went out, so he had to tag along briefly.
"Wow! Big car!" Little Eric squealed.
"…Yes. Big. Car," I replied, stunned.
We stepped back as the chauffeur opened the door to the limo, and I sucked in my breath. I was about to see Stan Marsh.
The chauffeur opened the wide door, and I stepped in, followed by Eric and Little Eric. The floor was carpeted dark red, and the seats were covered in shiny, black leather. There was a long seat, almost like a booth in a restaurant, that curved around the middle of the car. Softly playing in the background was a radio station playing alternative music. The windows were tinted slightly, but no one could see in from the other side. I scooted in so that the three of us fit on one side of the car.
I gulped, and hesitantly looked up.
He was seated directly across from me, next to Lila who was clearly very excited.
Across from me was Stan Marsh.
He was in an all-black tuxedo, the bangs of his sleek black hair greased back. He was a lot more toned than I could recall, and his blazer looked amazing on him. I knew that if I looked into his eyes that I would surely lose it, and in front of Eric. But at that moment, I didn't care whatsoever. He was right there. Right in front of me.
I couldn't take it anymore, and gazed straight into the deep ocean blue eyes that were Stan's. His expression was empty, almost like he had no emotion. But from his eyes, the eyes that brought back a rush of painful as well as delightful memories, the eyes that brightened every day I was with him, I could tell exactly what he was feeling.
Pain.
I felt like I was going to burst, right then and there. I bent over and clutched at my chest, the same feeling as when I had left him.
"Wends? Wendy, baby, are you alright?" Eric asked softly, and put his hands on my shoulders.
I nodded and bit my lower lip as I sat up. I decided to focus on Lila. Stan was not there. It was just Lila.
"Wendy!" Lila chirped, and put her hands together. "I finally get to meet you!"
"N-nice to meet you," I replied and faked a smile.
"Nice to meet you too, Eric," she continued, and grinned at Eric.
"The pleasure is mine," Eric greeted.
Lila then turned and elbowed Stan in the chest. He blinked slowly and looked at Eric.
"Hello, Cartman," Stan greeted, darkly.
"Hi, Stan," Eric muttered.
Lila looked at Stan again, almost looking like she was begging. Stan sighed and I swore I could hear him gulp.
"W-Wendy," he managed to get out, his voice cracking.
"Stan," I replied and looked down at my feet.
I saw Lila smile at Stan, relieved, and then turned to Little Eric.
"Hellooo! You must be Eric Cartman, Jr.," she beamed.
"Yep! Eric, Eric, Eric!" he squealed, making Lila giggle.
"Wendy, he's adorable," she went on.
"Thank you."
We sat there awkwardly for a few minutes, Lila attempting to make conversation, when Lila gasped with delight as a song began on the radio.
"Stan, it's your song!" she squealed.
"You mean your song," he grinned, wrapping his arm around her.
I recognized it from the first few seconds. It was Dear Lila.
I watched painfully as Lila attentively listened to Stan's melodic voice, every lyric, one after the other, praising her. Each lyric had symbolic meaning behind it. It was beautiful.
"This is you singing, Stan?" Eric asked, curious.
Stan nodded.
"Damn," he mumbled.
The song playing in the background was a nice, lilting melody. The lyrics intermittently and subtly referenced me, mainly about him going through Hell and becoming suicidal. I tried to tune out the lyrics and I studied my black nail polish as the song carried on, my heart pounding so hard that I shook when it did.
Eventually, we came to a stop in front of two golden gates, and the chauffeur got out of the limo. He entered a code onto the panel next to them, and they gradually opened, allowing us to pull into the driveway.
The driveway wound around several pine trees, the trees nearly forming a tunnel above us. There was a creek that flowed through one of the masses of pine trees and further down the hill, adding to the already beautiful setting.
"Pretty trees!" Little Eric cried.
The tunnel of trees abruptly stopped and revealed the courtyard of an enormous mansion. I gasped and held my hands over my mouth. …Was this Stan's house?
The building was mainly white, consisting of several pillars. The courtyard was mainly bricks, with a patch of grass and a large fountain surrounded by circles of hedges. The sunset behind it made it a picture perfect scene.
"…You live here?!" Eric gasped.
"Yep," Lila chirped. "It's… big."
The chauffeur stopped in front of the stairs that lead to the front entrance, and he got out once more to open the door for Little Eric. He hopped out, and Lila and I went out after him to arrange the babysitting. Stan and Eric waited in the limo as we worked it out, which worried me. They never got along, and especially after what happened, I assume it would be much worse.
I ushered Little Eric up the stairs, my heels clicking with each step, behind Lila. There was another panel alike to the one near the gate, and she hit a red button that activated a camera.
"Mrs. Marsh, welcome," a distorted voice greeted from the speaker, and the panel buzzed. Lila opened the front door, revealing the interior which was absolutely breathtaking. The floors were all marble, reflecting the light shown down by the enormous chandelier hanging above the room. A spiral staircase wound around the first room and above, leading to higher levels.
A teenage girl in a green sundress approached the front door.
"Mom, is this Wendy?" she asked, her voice soft.
"Yes, this is Wendy," she grinned, and looked at me. "Wendy, this is Penelope, my daughter. She will be looking after Eric Cartman, Jr. with the help of my sister!"
"Nice to meet you," I greeted, and reached out to shake Penelope's hand.
"A pleasure," she responded.
Little Eric looked up at Penelope.
"Hiiii!" he waved.
"Hello," she cooed and waved slightly back.
"I've already gone over rules with Little Eric, and here's everything you'll need," I began, and handed Penelope a diaper bag full of snacks, toys, and other things.
"Thank you. He'll be safe with us, I frequently babysit," she replied and wore the bag over her shoulder.
"Thank you so much for watching him. I don't know what we would have done," I thanked gratefully.
"Oh, it's nothing," she laughed.
"We'd better be on our way now. Good luck, sweetie," Lila chimed, and hugged Penelope.
"Have fun, Mom," she waved, and we shut the door behind us.
Lila laughed delightfully.
"This is going to be such a blast. It's so nice to get to know you and Eric, Wendy," she squealed as we proceeded down the stairs.
"I'm so glad we get to spend time together… and did I mention how amazing this place is?" I grinned.
"Aw, thanks Wendy… it was all so crazy making the transition to…" she paused and looked around. "you know, this. It was really overwhelming."
"I would imagine," I mumbled softly.
We came back to the limo and climbed in again. Eric's face was red, and he seemed enraged. He stopped in mid-conversation as I climbed in.
"O-oh, hey honey," he greeted nervously.
"Hi…" I responded, suspicious.
I glanced briefly at Stan, noticing that his teeth were clenched. I hope to God that Eric didn't say anything to him.
"Are you alright?" I heard Lila whisper to Stan, followed by a brief nod by him.
We continued to drive forward to the restaurant, the rest of the drive rather quiet and awkward without Little Eric's cuteness to break it. I looked at Lila nervously, and she shrugged.
I hoped that the dinner would turn out alright.