CHAPTER 45
Invitation
Teresa was lying in her bed. She could hear her son running. The door opened and he walked in.
"Mommy, I'm hungry."
She turned to him and ran her hand through his blond hair. He looked more like Fox everyday. She sat up and picked him up.
"What do you want to have?"
He put his finger on his lips, thinking hard then he smiled.
"Pancakes?"
"With chocolate syrup?"
"Lots of it."
"Anything my little prince want."
She got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She got changed and then went back in her room where her son was waiting for her. She took his hand and they both headed to the kitchen where Ethan climbed on his high chair.
"Are you all settled, honey?"
He nodded with a smile.
"Mommy, when do I get to see daddy?"
Teresa didn't say anything. She busied herself at the stove instead.
"He doesn't come anymore."
She could hear the sadness in his voice.
"Does he hate me?"
Teresa looked at her son shocked that at the tender age of three years old he would ask a question like that. She felt devastated. She put a pancake in his plate and went to him. She sat beside him.
"Your father will never hate you. You are his heart."
"Really?"
"Really. He loves more than anything."
She kissed her son on his forehead and got up.
"Eat up."
He picked up the pancake in his hands and Teresa could see the chocolate dripping all over him.
"With a fork, Ethan."
"But I don't like it."
He looked at her, pleading with his eyes.
"No, use your fork."
He gave her a long sigh and picked up his fork.
"Maybe I can go see daddy after."
"We'll see."
"Can I call him?"
"Maybe."
"Why doesn't he live with us?"
She forced a smile on her face.
"Let's get you cleaned up before we go to the park."
He jumped off his high seat and landed on feet and hands. Teresa looked at the chocolate marks he left when he straightened up.
"Ethan, I think chocolate syrup is another thing we should add to the list of things you shouldn't have until you finally start using utensils."
They both laughed as she cleaned him up and they headed outside.
"Wait a sec, Ethan."
She reached inside the mailbox and pulled out some letters.
"Bills, bills, bills.."
She looked at the last envelop in her hands.
"Return address for the Crane estate. What is this all about?"
"Mommy, let's go."
He was pulling her by the hand. She put back all the envelops in the mailbox and kept the one from the Cranes in her purse. They walked to the park and she saw Ethan running to the slides. She took the envelop out. It was an invitation.
"You are cordially invited to join us for the wedding of Nicholas Foxworth Crane and Jennifer Robinson in a weeks time. The ceremony will be held at St-Mary's Church."
Teresa read it over and over again. She could feel tears coming to her eyes.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
She looked up and saw her son running to his father. He jumped in his arms and Fox closed his eyes as he held him in a tight embrace.
"I missed you."
"And I missed you more."
He looked up and saw Teresa standing near by watching them.
"Why don't you go back to the slide. I have to speak to your mom."
The child nodded, but not before giving his father a kiss.
"Mommy is always sad."
"Is she?"
Ethan nodded again as Fox put him down on the ground. He looked on as he son played then walked to Teresa.
"How are you?"
"Gee, I don't know Fox. Maybe getting an invitation to your wedding dampened my mood today."
"If we are like this it's your fault Teresa and no one else's. You want to blame someone? How about you take a long look in the mirror."
"How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't feel anything for him?"
He looked at her with anger flashing in his eyes and mirroring in her own eyes.
"You didn't feel anything for me either."
"That's not true and you know it."
"Maybe I don't."
She felt tears running down her eyes. Someone took her hand.
"Mommy, are you alright?"
She leaned and kissed her son's head.
"Yes darling, I'm fine. You can go back and play."
"Where's my ball?"
"It's on the bench."
He let go of her hand and got the ball. Both Fox and Teresa watched him as he ran after it. They looked back at each other.
"Look, Resa. This invitation was a mistake."
"Maybe it wasn't. Maybe your bitch of a girlfriend wanted me to be there to show me that she was successful in cutting us out of your life."
"Don't be like this."
"Why? Isn't it the truth? Do you know what your son asked me today?"
He didn't answer her question.
"He asked me if you hated him."
"What?"
"Yes, he did."
"And I bet you told him just that, been the vindictive person that you are."
He was shouting and she shouted back.
"You really think I would have done something like this? Vindictive? Your mother is vindictive. I hate you, Fox for what you are putting him through. You said that you would never abandon him and here we are."
"That's not fair. I didn't abandon him. You took him away the day you left Los Angeles. Remember. He is my son Teresa. My son! Just so it doesn't come as a surprise, I will be filing for sole custody."
"Over my dead body. You will never put your hands on my son. I will never let you take him away from me."
"Who's going to stop me...."
There was a crash noise in the street, breaks slamming. Both Fox and Teresa stopped talking and looked around the park. Ethan was no where. They looked at each other horrified and ran to the street.
"Oh my God!"
Teresa and Fox looked at their son's lifeless body. He had been hit by a car and it was gone. Fox knelt over the little body and searched for a pulse as Teresa called an ambulance. She kept looking at her son.
"Teresa, he's gone."
"No, don't say that."
He looked at her and she saw everything in his eyes.
Teresa was lying in her bed. She could hear her son running. The door opened and he walked in.
"Mommy, I'm hungry."
She turned to him and ran her hand through his blond hair. He looked more like Fox everyday. She sat up and picked him up.
"What do you want to have?"
He put his finger on his lips, thinking hard then he smiled.
"Pancakes?"
"With chocolate syrup?"
"Lots of it."
"Anything my little prince want."
She got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She got changed and then went back in her room where her son was waiting for her. She took his hand and they both headed to the kitchen where Ethan climbed on his high chair.
"Are you all settled, honey?"
He nodded with a smile.
"Mommy, when do I get to see daddy?"
Teresa didn't say anything. She busied herself at the stove instead.
"He doesn't come anymore."
She could hear the sadness in his voice.
"Does he hate me?"
Teresa looked at her son shocked that at the tender age of three years old he would ask a question like that. She felt devastated. She put a pancake in his plate and went to him. She sat beside him.
"Your father will never hate you. You are his heart."
"Really?"
"Really. He loves more than anything."
She kissed her son on his forehead and got up.
"Eat up."
He picked up the pancake in his hands and Teresa could see the chocolate dripping all over him.
"With a fork, Ethan."
"But I don't like it."
He looked at her, pleading with his eyes.
"No, use your fork."
He gave her a long sigh and picked up his fork.
"Maybe I can go see daddy after."
"We'll see."
"Can I call him?"
"Maybe."
"Why doesn't he live with us?"
She forced a smile on her face.
"Let's get you cleaned up before we go to the park."
He jumped off his high seat and landed on feet and hands. Teresa looked at the chocolate marks he left when he straightened up.
"Ethan, I think chocolate syrup is another thing we should add to the list of things you shouldn't have until you finally start using utensils."
They both laughed as she cleaned him up and they headed outside.
"Wait a sec, Ethan."
She reached inside the mailbox and pulled out some letters.
"Bills, bills, bills.."
She looked at the last envelop in her hands.
"Return address for the Crane estate. What is this all about?"
"Mommy, let's go."
He was pulling her by the hand. She put back all the envelops in the mailbox and kept the one from the Cranes in her purse. They walked to the park and she saw Ethan running to the slides. She took the envelop out. It was an invitation.
"You are cordially invited to join us for the wedding of Nicholas Foxworth Crane and Jennifer Robinson in a weeks time. The ceremony will be held at St-Mary's Church."
Teresa read it over and over again. She could feel tears coming to her eyes.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
She looked up and saw her son running to his father. He jumped in his arms and Fox closed his eyes as he held him in a tight embrace.
"I missed you."
"And I missed you more."
He looked up and saw Teresa standing near by watching them.
"Why don't you go back to the slide. I have to speak to your mom."
The child nodded, but not before giving his father a kiss.
"Mommy is always sad."
"Is she?"
Ethan nodded again as Fox put him down on the ground. He looked on as he son played then walked to Teresa.
"How are you?"
"Gee, I don't know Fox. Maybe getting an invitation to your wedding dampened my mood today."
"If we are like this it's your fault Teresa and no one else's. You want to blame someone? How about you take a long look in the mirror."
"How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't feel anything for him?"
He looked at her with anger flashing in his eyes and mirroring in her own eyes.
"You didn't feel anything for me either."
"That's not true and you know it."
"Maybe I don't."
She felt tears running down her eyes. Someone took her hand.
"Mommy, are you alright?"
She leaned and kissed her son's head.
"Yes darling, I'm fine. You can go back and play."
"Where's my ball?"
"It's on the bench."
He let go of her hand and got the ball. Both Fox and Teresa watched him as he ran after it. They looked back at each other.
"Look, Resa. This invitation was a mistake."
"Maybe it wasn't. Maybe your bitch of a girlfriend wanted me to be there to show me that she was successful in cutting us out of your life."
"Don't be like this."
"Why? Isn't it the truth? Do you know what your son asked me today?"
He didn't answer her question.
"He asked me if you hated him."
"What?"
"Yes, he did."
"And I bet you told him just that, been the vindictive person that you are."
He was shouting and she shouted back.
"You really think I would have done something like this? Vindictive? Your mother is vindictive. I hate you, Fox for what you are putting him through. You said that you would never abandon him and here we are."
"That's not fair. I didn't abandon him. You took him away the day you left Los Angeles. Remember. He is my son Teresa. My son! Just so it doesn't come as a surprise, I will be filing for sole custody."
"Over my dead body. You will never put your hands on my son. I will never let you take him away from me."
"Who's going to stop me...."
There was a crash noise in the street, breaks slamming. Both Fox and Teresa stopped talking and looked around the park. Ethan was no where. They looked at each other horrified and ran to the street.
"Oh my God!"
Teresa and Fox looked at their son's lifeless body. He had been hit by a car and it was gone. Fox knelt over the little body and searched for a pulse as Teresa called an ambulance. She kept looking at her son.
"Teresa, he's gone."
"No, don't say that."
He looked at her and she saw everything in his eyes.
