Another Talk
"So what do you like besides cutting hair?" Mark asked me two nights later. Ever since he opened up to me a little more, we had been having deep conversations every night after the kids were asleep. I found that he was a great listener and I was great at giving him advice. We were sitting in the backyard on the pool chairs watching the stars. I had my legs pulled up to my body with my arms folded while he laid stretched out on his chair. Between us was a small table with a few vanilla candles lit on them and some hot tea that I made for us. It was a warm, starlit night…a perfect night for talks like this.
"I don't know. I did want to sing at one point but then I decided to dance….of course Shane came into the picture and ruined those dreams."
He chuckled, "They don't have to be ruined Leah. You could still dance if you wanted to."
I smiled, "That's true but I have kids now. I love being a mom."
"Well that's good." He said. "Do you find it strange that I like helping you out with them?"
I glanced at him, "No of course not. Honestly I think you would make a great father someday."
"Really?" he asked as he looked over at me.
I nodded and then poured myself some tea. My throat had been bothering me a lot lately and the only thing that seemed to help was the tea. I didn't want Mark to know though. He seemed to worry a lot about me.
"Wow and here I was thinking that kids weren't my forte." He said. "I always thought that my job would get in the way of me having kids or any type of relationship with anyone….maybe that' why Michelle resented me."
I sighed softly as the wind blew through my hair. "Mark…Michelle wasn't the one for you. She's the type of woman who was only there for the money. Seeing as how Shane makes more money than you do, it was pure opportunity for her to jump the gun and leave you."
"Yeah I see…maybe I shouldn't date for awhile. I'm sure the right one will come to me like a thief in the night."
I giggled, "I was thinking the same thing for myself."
His eyes lit up, "Really? Even after all the hell you've been through?"
"Well yeah. One of my fears was growing old and alone with no one to share my life with." I said. "It really sucks just thinking about it."
He sat up and looked at me. "Wow…that's a deep thought."
I smiled, "Most girls think about it."
"True. Us guys always take things one day at a time. We never think about the future." He said.
"Why is that?" I asked him as I turned onto my side. "Why are men so afraid to think ahead in life?"
He leaned his head to the side, "I don't know about other guys…but I've never thought about the future simply because I'm afraid of what I might see."
I nodded, "That makes sense but what if that one person you've been searching for is right in front of your face and you don't even realize it…then what?"
He shrugged, "I hope I don't miss her I guess."
I shook my head, "You're afraid of commitment now…aren't you?"
He sighed and rested his hands on his head, "Yes….listen there is something I never told you."
I sat up and positioned myself in Indian style. "Go on."
He looked up at the stars and then glanced at me, "Alright…I was married once before I got with Michelle."
I raised an eyebrow, "Really? To who?"
He laughed, "To this woman named Sara. We were together for almost 7 years or so before…she told me that she couldn't deal with the stress of me being away all the time. She seemed to think I was cheating on her with Michelle."
I shook my head, "That girl has quite a rep going."
He laughed, "That she does…but anyways I don't think being with someone is a good idea for me."
I sighed, "You shouldn't give up Mark. You're a great guy and any woman would be lucky to be with you."
He smirked, "Would you ever date a guy like me? You'd be here all the time with the kids, I'd be gone off to work, maybe home three day out of the week…"
I smiled and gave it some thought, "You know what…I would date someone like you."
He chuckled, "No way."
"Yes way." I said. "As I said, you're a great guy who's wonderful with kids, you're a dedicated worker, a great friend, an awesome listener-"
"-Don't forget good looking," he said with a wink that made me burst into laughter.
"You are something else." I said. "But yes…I would totally date you."
He nodded, "Well that's a good thing to know…people already seem to think something is going on between us."
I chuckled, "That doesn't surprise me."
"Damn paparazzi." He said sarcastically, making me laugh again. I then started coughing, so I took another sip of my drink. "You alright?"
I nodded, "Yes I think so…"
Shortly after I started coughing again, only this time I felt like my airways were closing on me. I held my chest and kept coughing alarming Mark immediately.
"Leah? Leah what's the matter?" he asked as he hurried to my side.
I tried to tell him I couldn't breathe but I couldn't get the words out. He helped me lay flat on the chair before pulling out his cell phone to call 911. Within seconds, the paramedics arrived and whisked me off to the hospital. I was kind of scared at first when Mark didn't ride with me, but I remembered that he couldn't leave my babies all alone. I had no idea what was happening to me, but I prayed that it wouldn't interfere with our revenge plot.
