A new face after the race
Chapter 10
Emily sat at the kitchen table, hard to work on a term paper due next week. She had finished her other work and she figured it was better to get work due in a few weeks done so if the professor added on she wouldn't be so pressured and overworked. She would also get more time to rest and hang with Lucky along with her work and school schedule. It would make up for her ditching Lucky and their plans yesterday afternoon. She hated to do so, but she hated asking for money too. Her tuition was paid with scholarships, there were no costs of boarding or bills, her books were long in paid, and she didn't have anything she wanted to save up for, but saving money for next semester's books couldn't hurt. It could only come back to save her.
A hard knock on the front door of the penthouse interrupted her train of thought and she got up and put her pencil down. She walked toward the door and opened it. Elizabeth was standing in the doorway dressed in a black and white spaghetti strap dress that fell to her knees. A pair of black heels with a decent heal matched the dress and her brown hair was in a stylish ponytail.
"Hey Liz. Nice dress." Emily greeted and stepped away from the door to let Elizabeth through.
Elizabeth walked through and closed the door. "Thanks, I found it at Black and White at the mall last week."
"They do have good prices." Emily agreed and walked to the kitchen to clean up her work. She would have to finish later when Melissa was in bed.
"Yeah, they are having a sale this weekend. We should plan to go shopping Saturday. I'm not working, are you?" Elizabeth said, making herself at home.
Emily finished gathering her papers and answered. "I don't think so. I was scheduled, but Phoebe is supposed to fill for me because I took her shift yesterday afternoon. At least that's what Bobbie said."
"What Bobbie says is usually right. So is it a plan?" Elizabeth said and mentally put it in her mind. She tended to sleep late on the weekends.
"Seems like it. I'll give you a call if it isn't." Emily responded and put her papers in her backpack lying on the kitchen tile floor.
"Okay, sounds good." Elizabeth replied and stood from the chair she was sitting on as she heard footsteps that she assumed was Jason's.
"Ready to go?" Jason asked as he got to the bottom to the stairs and entered the kitchen.
"Yeah just chatting with Emily." Elizabeth walked over to where Jason stood in a button-down shirt and slacks.
"I have no problem with that." Jason said as he and Liz kissed and pulled away, a wide smile on his face. He turned to Emily. "Melissa is still napping, but she should be awake soon. She'll want something for dinner too. Think you can handle that?"
"I got it all Jason. You and Elizabeth have fun. Everything is under control." Emily said reassuring him. With a couple byes, Jason and Elizabeth left and Emily started to look what she could make for dinner that Melissa would eat. She is a very picky child when it came to food. She soon found some macaroni and cheese and decided to make that. Melissa usually enjoyed it.
As she got the water boiled and the noodles in, Melissa came down the stairs. "Emily, what's for dinner?" She asked sleepily and sat down in the chair Elizabeth sat in minutes earlier.
"Macaroni and cheese. Is that okay with you?" Emily asked as Melissa rubbed her eyes of all the sleep.
Melissa didn't disagree and Emily served two bowls of macaroni and cheese. As they ate they made small chit-chat. Talking about school, work, and other topics of interest.
As they were almost finished Melissa asked something out of the blue. "Is Lucky coming this evening?"
Emily looked up from her meal and looked at Melissa. "No, he had to work." Emily answered simply and as they finished, put their dishes in the sink.
"What does he do?" Melissa asked curiously and helped Emily clear the table.
"He is called a computer specialist. He works with computers and figures out problems when they misbehave." Emily explained and ran some water and added some soap. Bubbles formed and Emily put in their dishes. No need to do a dishwasher. There wasn't enough to do that.
"Does he like doing all that stuff?" Melissa continued her questions a little too eagerly.
"I assume he does. Would he be doing all that stuff if he didn't like it?" Emily answered, and ashamed she didn't exactly know the answer. But there was stuff Lucky didn't know about her, so they were in a similar boat.
"Daddy is doing that." Melissa said out of the blue. Emily looked quizzically at the dishes and water. What did Melissa mean by that? She didn't know, but it was causing Melissa some pain. She could tell.
"How so?" Emily asked as she turned to face Melissa. Melissa was twisting her bottom of her dress nervously.
"By seeing that woman." Melissa answered and Emily raised a brow. Melissa was mistaken for the most part. Jason wanted to see Liz and he enjoyed her company. If he didn't like seeing Liz, they would have broken up or else he would have never asked Liz out.
"Jason likes seeing Liz, Melissa." Emily stated, not knowing what to say. Melissa wasn't old enough to understand really. She was already six and probably felt like she was in a soap opera.
"Daddy liked seeing mommy too." Melissa said.
Emily's face fell at Melissa's comment. She couldn't deny it. It was hard to say though. Emily didn't know what to do. She was obviously in turmoil about her dad dating Liz, while legally married to her mom. All she could do was explain the situation, but she didn't know what to do beyond that. She would have to talk to Jason later.
"Melissa, let me explain the situation a bit." Emily said, ditching the dishes and sat on a chair. This would be a long conversation. As Emily settled in the chair, Melissa sat on her lap.
"Your mom, as you know, is sick. Has been for a couple years, but that doesn't mean your dad can't see other people. Your dad will always love your mom, but he has to move on. While your mom is hopefully recovering her marbles, Jason needs to be happy and Elizabeth does that." Emily explained, as easily as she could. There was much she didn't know herself.
"What happens when Mommy comes back with her marbles?" Melissa asked, using Emily's words, which now seemed odd. Melissa was thinking the literal thing. The game she played with Lulu often.
"Well," Emily started. "Jason would have to break up with Elizabeth, but that is only for sure that they could stand each other. I don't have any answers beyond that. It is up to Jason and Brenda. We could only watch and see what happens."
Melissa's face fell. "If I ask daddy about it, do you think he will say the same thing?"
"Chances are, but you are free to do so." Emily said, being very vague. Melissa had every right to ask, but it really had nothing to do with Emily. Her explanation was a bit of a lie though. Much to Jason's, Melissa and sometimes her hopes, Brenda wasn't making progress. The doctor's reported that she wasn't getting any better, despite therapy and medication. But that didn't mean she wasn't getting worse either. Jason took that as a good thing.
Emily herself, stayed out of it. Brenda was hard to explain. They weren't exactly close in the first place. Brenda just looked at her more as a responsibility besides anything else. No one even knew what made her get depressed in the first place. Everyone just supposed it was biological, which put Melissa in danger. A hard concept to swallow. Melissa was a delightful child, to think she had potential to turn like Brenda scared Jason and her. A few other people too, but it was really none of their concern just yet. Melissa was just six years old after all. Almost seven.
A tense silence fell between them and Melissa, taking all what Emily said in, excused herself. Not feeling like doing homework, Emily just lounged on the sofa and lost herself in a romance novel she got from the library. She gave anything not to be in the present at the moment. She had just crushed a six year old's heart while trying to not do just that. Lost in thought and her book, Emily barely heard the phone ring. With a heavy sigh, she answered it.
"Hello?" Emily said, sitting back on the sofa.
"Hey, Em. Something wrong?" Lucky asked from the other line. He could tell something was wrong they were too close not too.
"Yeah, I just had a joyful talk with Melissa about her mom and in the end broke her heart unpurposely." Emily said sarcastically. My as well come out with the full story. Maybe Lucky would make her feel better. He usually lifted her spirits, and after that conversation, she needed some lifting of spirits.
"Ouch, how did you even get to the topic?" Lucky asked, feeling for her. That must have been a hard conversation if she is being sarcastic.
"She was asking about Liz and Jason's relationship." Emily answered, and closed her book. No need for the binding to get ripped or pages ripped out.
"She has a right to." Lucky commented looking around. He was on an unofficial break. He still had a lot of work to do, but his mind is overloaded and he couldn't stop thinking of Emily. He needed to hear her voice.
"I know, but I shouldn't have tried at all. Just told her ask Jason." Emily said, listing her options. Any would be better than the option she chose.
"You were just trying to help, Em. No one can blame you because of that." Lucky remarked, trying to comfort her, but it was hard over the phone. He wished he could be there, but he couldn't.
"Yeah, but I still feel bad." Emily said, feeling a little better. She could try to talk to Melissa again, but she had a feeling it would do no good.
"No one expected you not to." Lucky replied. He needed to get back to his work, but he needed one last minute with Emily.
"Okay, change of subject. What are you doing?" Emily insisted. She needed to forget that conversation for just one second.
"Taking a break. There was a small virus going around the offices and I had to go all around getting rid of them. Took forever." Lucky exclaimed desperately.
"All the viruses gone though?" Emily asked, now comforting Lucky.
"Yeah, just have to mess with a couple of things with each computer. Recover documents and other important things." Lucky said, grimacing at that fact. It was going to take all night. This was one of those times where he hated his job.
"So I take it you're not going to be home anytime soon?" Emily asked and inwardly moaned at all the work Lucky had to do. Poor Lucky.
"No, and caffeine and sugar isn't helping any. I'm exhausted." Lucky groaned and prepared to say goodbye. He didn't want to, but he had a job to do.
"I wish I could help." Emily said, speaking her thoughts and almost fainted that she spoke those words.
"You have by just the sound of your voice." Lucky spoke, too speaking his thoughts.
Emily felt a blush grow. "If you say so, glad I could help. You should get back to work though." Emily didn't want him to go; he was too much of a comfort. Then remembered she had dishes to do. She had to go do those.
"I know, I was just thinking the same thing. Bye, love you." Lucky said and stood up from the comfy chair he previously sat in.
"Love you too. Bye." Emily reversed Lucky's last words. Moments later she put the phone back to its previous place and made way for the kitchen.
The evening passed quicker than she thought. She did the dishes and checked on Melissa, whom she found fast asleep. Emily put an extra blanket on her because the days were becoming colder, and quietly stepped out of the room. Finding some inner peace, Emily set to work on her term paper and finished it as she heard the front door open. Jason was home. He happily trudged up the stairs and Emily looked at the clock. It was time for bed she had an early class tomorrow. Even though she still had much work to do, Emily fell into an exhausted sleep. She would have to finish tomorrow or another day. Right now all she wanted to do was sleep under warm blankets with a fluffy pillow under her head on a comfy mattress. Things she didn't have when she was Melissa's age.