Title: Heartache
Author: Ryoko
Email: RyokoVenus@yahoo.com
Rating: PG


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Heartache

(Part 1)

February 3, 1998:
I never thought I would say this. Teeny Jasmine was right. I DO REGRET WHAT I DID. That's right. ALL of it...I never thought I would, but I can't take this anymore. I can't be with her anymore.

Aladdin closed the book. After sliding the journal back in his bottom desk drawer, he closed his eyes and stood up. He grabbed the sweat band from the bed and got ready to run. He knew Es was going to read it. He caught her reading it the other day. As he came out of the shower he could heard her crying. Aladdin peeked in the room and there she was; with his journal on her lap. She apparently didn't think he knew.
He left the room. He quickly went next door to his daughter Mari's room. Aladdin hated to leave her in this kind of state. He hung my head over the crib. She was sleeping...again. Her yellow bunny was gripped between her small little tan arms. Aladdin just stared at her. He tried to turn away but couldn't. As he watched her he realized how much like him and Es she really was. She had their tan skin, Aladdin's straight hair, Es' tone of voice... She had both of their eyes: half green, half brown. Everything about her was the two of them combined. And as much as Aladdin loved her, everytime he looked at her all he could do was think about Es. And that was the last thing he wanted to do. He started to leave the room. But before he did he turned around and took one last look at Maribelle.

"Daddy? Why you sad?" a little voice was heard from the crib. Aladdin smiled and walked back over to her. She started at him with her big brown/green eyes.
"Aww Mari," Al started and picked her up. "Mari, I love you very much...you know that?" She smiled.
"Daddy I love!" she cutely remarked.
"Well Mari I might have to leave." Mari stared at him cutely. He knew she didn't understand it, but he wanted to tell her everything anyway. Aladdin explained the whole story and eventually she began to get tired. He put her back in her crib and silently left the room.

Aladdin headed down the stairs and creeped out the door. He started jogging in place for a sort-of warm-up. Just then the door opened behind him...It was Es.

"And just where are you going?" she scolded. She put her hands on her hips and smiled at him. Aladdin just stared at her. She knew he was going to run, so he didn't know why she bothered to ask him. However she was smiling...

"I'm running again..." Al answered slowly jogging a few steps ahead. She followed him and slung her arms around his neck.

"Why don't you come upstairs for a bit..." she began to stroke his face.

"Well I was going to go for a jog, ya know." He tried to sound serious, however he knew that spending time with Es was always fun. She began to slide her hands around his waist and started to run her fingers along his waist line. Al turned around and raced her into the house.

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Al rolled off of Es. Both of them were breathing heavily. Es began to laugh. She often did after sex. He couldn't hold back his chuckles either. Just then Mari bellowed out a scream. Es stopped laughing immediately. She pulled the covers up around her and sighed. Aladdin slowly sat up and slid his pants on. As he was heading to the other room he could hear Es venting.

"Mari Mari...you always cry at these moments...it's as if..." Just then he stopped talking to her. He knew what he was going to say and it seemed to be true. But such a young innocent little girl could never really do that...could she? Aladdin shook his head. Minnie must have been playing games with his mind. Aladdin picked up Maribelle. Her little arms wrapped around his neck. She began to giggle. It was so cute that he had to smile. But he wasn't smiling inside. Just then Es walked by the door and head down the stairs. Aladdin sighed...then shouted because Mari bit his arm. He pulled her off and stuck her back in the crib. She was laughing at him. Something was weird...really weird. Mari had never bit him before.

"Maribelle Nicole!" Aladdin shouted. Her eyes shook with fear and became teary instantly. Soon she was screaming. Es was in the room in a second. She stared at Aladdin in awe. Never before had Mari been crying and screaming so loud when he was in the room. Esmeralda walked over to the crib and picked Maribelle up. She stopped crying. "What the hell is going on here?" Aladdin shouted. Esmeralda's eyebrows went down. She put one hand around Maribelle's ear.

"Aladdin!" she shouted at him. Aladdin covered his mouth, not realizing the language he spoke while Mari was present. "Not around her..." She stared at Maribelle. Mari was intently staring back. It was a mother-daughter moment. Es and Mari had never just held each other like this without any kind of yelling or screaming...or kicking, pinching, biting...etc.; then they were smiling at each other.

Aladdin put his hands on the side of his head and closed his eyes. Minnie was messing with his mind, he could tell. She was one helluva powerful mouse. Just then he left the room, busted out the door and ran! His feet were blazing across the ground. Familiar people from the city were saying their hellos as usual but he wasn't answering them. He wasn't stopping to talk. He was running too fast. Not even paying attention where I was going he stopped dead in the middle of the road...right in front of a whistling trolley car. The people in the cars behind it began honking and Aladdin could hear shouts all around him. He quietly slid his way to the pavement. He continued to walk until he came to the park. Aladdin found a bench and settled himself down for a bit, then he just stared at the green grass.

"What is going on here...what am I doing..." He said aloud. He had never felt so lost before. The last time he was feeling like this was after he kissed Es for the first time. It was the exact same feeling. He didn't know what was happening around him. And he didn't care. All he could think about was her...was Esmeralda...his Es. He had wrote this morning in his journal that he was going to leave...but how could he now? So many things were running through his mind...so many, many, MANY things...

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