Holding On
Chapter 11- Secrets
"Mommy, where are we going?" asked Maggie running to keep up with her mother's long strides down the street.
"It'll be fun." Lizzie replied, not answering the question. In truth she was taking Maggie to, as she liked to call it, a self-defense class. Lizzie thought that since she had decided she and Maggie would live in the city Maggie should learn some kind of self-defense, or at least that was what she was going to tell Maggie. Lizzie wanted to prevent Maggie from reliving Lizzie's life.
Arriving at the building Lizzie told Maggie why she had brought he there. "So its like karate?" Maggie asked, staring at the people inside.
"Yeah." Lizzie replied
It was surprisingly easy for Lizzie to drop Maggie off seeing as she was usually very clingy when it came to leaving her daughter somewhere. But it seemed right and Lizzie had to go with her gut feeling. Maggie was going to be fine.
After she left she met Jake to tell him about Gordo. Lizzie felt he had a right to know what was going on, especially after she had lied to him on their first date. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"He sounds.like an interesting person" Jake said struggling for words after Lizzie had poured out her whole story. Well, almost her whole story.
"Oh he is." She replied, wondering when to correct her lies.
"So, you're living with this guy when he gets you pregnant, then leaves you?" Jake asked, trying to get all his facts straight. "Sounds like its right out of a soap opera."
In spite of her rather serious situation with Gordo at that time, Lizzie laughed. "You know, in high school, Gordo wanted to start off by directing soap operas." She said with a smile on her face, remembering her carefree days. "He said that because his best friends were two girls he got so much drama he was sure he could direct it."
Jake smiled. He liked listening to Lizzie talk about her high school days, but they didn't have much time before Lizzie had to pick Maggie up so he pressed the subject. "Am I right then?" He asked her. Lizzie's smile flickered and she hung her head.
"Not entirely." She said in a barely audible whisper. He stared. "Gordo, didn't know anything when he left, and. he isn't Maggie's father." She said. "And I don't know who is."
Jake nodded, no longer looking at her, but at the floor. "Oh." He managed to say finally. Lizzie could tell what he thought of her now. She could see it in his eyes. She got defensive.
"I'm not a slut, you know." She stated rather forcefully. He looked somewhat taken aback.
"I never said you were." Jake replied. However, he questioned his judgment on Lizzie. To Jake, she had never seemed as if she had ever even been loose. But now he didn't know what to think.
"But you thought it." Lizzie cried, starting to tear. She had never been one to take insults politely. "It.wasn't my fault." Jake, being a quite perceptive person could guess what Lizzie hinted at. He remained silent.
After several minutes sitting in silence, Lizzie spoke up. "Look, I didn't come here to tell you my life story." She started. "I need your advice on how to discourage Gordo from coming back."
There was a pause before Jake answered. "Why do you want to discourage him from coming back?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Lizzie asked, getting of the couch and standing by the window. When she looked at Jake the only that was obvious was that he didn't understand. "I have my own life now." Lizzie continued. "I don't want anyone messing it up."
"Maybe you should give the guy a second chance." Jake suggested. "Just let him be a friend."
"How can I do that?" Lizzie questioned. "After what he did to me. And it's not him leaving me that is the real problem, its him thinking he can take Maggie away without my consent. First, he took her to a hotel overnight. Next, he might want to bring her to LA for three months while he's shooting a movie. Gordo no longer understands that he just can't do that."
"I'm just trying to see it from his point of view." Jake said.
"How can you even try that?" Lizzie asked, sitting back down on the sofa.
"I don't have to try. I know all too well what he's feeling." Jake said, choosing to give up hiding and start facing the truth. As far as he was concerned he had lied to Lizzie long enough. Now that she had told her story, it was his turn to tell his story.
Lizzie was able to guess he was about to tell her something about himself. She knew it would only end in him defending Gordo and she didn't want to start a fight then leave on an unpleasant note.
"I think I should just go." Lizzie suggested, standing up and grabbing her purse. "Maggie will be waiting. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She kissed him and left feeling awful. Lizzie knew she should have listened to what Jake had to say, but she just didn't want to get into another fight with someone.
I'll listen to what he has to say tomorrow. She thought. Tomorrow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Note Wow. I didn't realize it had been so long between chapters. Almost a month between each one! Anyway I'm really sorry and I hope that I'll be able to update soon, especially since I have a stretch of about a month between the end of soccer and the beginning of skiing with nothing but school. Hopefully I can get in at least two or three chapters there. Please review!
"Mommy, where are we going?" asked Maggie running to keep up with her mother's long strides down the street.
"It'll be fun." Lizzie replied, not answering the question. In truth she was taking Maggie to, as she liked to call it, a self-defense class. Lizzie thought that since she had decided she and Maggie would live in the city Maggie should learn some kind of self-defense, or at least that was what she was going to tell Maggie. Lizzie wanted to prevent Maggie from reliving Lizzie's life.
Arriving at the building Lizzie told Maggie why she had brought he there. "So its like karate?" Maggie asked, staring at the people inside.
"Yeah." Lizzie replied
It was surprisingly easy for Lizzie to drop Maggie off seeing as she was usually very clingy when it came to leaving her daughter somewhere. But it seemed right and Lizzie had to go with her gut feeling. Maggie was going to be fine.
After she left she met Jake to tell him about Gordo. Lizzie felt he had a right to know what was going on, especially after she had lied to him on their first date. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"He sounds.like an interesting person" Jake said struggling for words after Lizzie had poured out her whole story. Well, almost her whole story.
"Oh he is." She replied, wondering when to correct her lies.
"So, you're living with this guy when he gets you pregnant, then leaves you?" Jake asked, trying to get all his facts straight. "Sounds like its right out of a soap opera."
In spite of her rather serious situation with Gordo at that time, Lizzie laughed. "You know, in high school, Gordo wanted to start off by directing soap operas." She said with a smile on her face, remembering her carefree days. "He said that because his best friends were two girls he got so much drama he was sure he could direct it."
Jake smiled. He liked listening to Lizzie talk about her high school days, but they didn't have much time before Lizzie had to pick Maggie up so he pressed the subject. "Am I right then?" He asked her. Lizzie's smile flickered and she hung her head.
"Not entirely." She said in a barely audible whisper. He stared. "Gordo, didn't know anything when he left, and. he isn't Maggie's father." She said. "And I don't know who is."
Jake nodded, no longer looking at her, but at the floor. "Oh." He managed to say finally. Lizzie could tell what he thought of her now. She could see it in his eyes. She got defensive.
"I'm not a slut, you know." She stated rather forcefully. He looked somewhat taken aback.
"I never said you were." Jake replied. However, he questioned his judgment on Lizzie. To Jake, she had never seemed as if she had ever even been loose. But now he didn't know what to think.
"But you thought it." Lizzie cried, starting to tear. She had never been one to take insults politely. "It.wasn't my fault." Jake, being a quite perceptive person could guess what Lizzie hinted at. He remained silent.
After several minutes sitting in silence, Lizzie spoke up. "Look, I didn't come here to tell you my life story." She started. "I need your advice on how to discourage Gordo from coming back."
There was a pause before Jake answered. "Why do you want to discourage him from coming back?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Lizzie asked, getting of the couch and standing by the window. When she looked at Jake the only that was obvious was that he didn't understand. "I have my own life now." Lizzie continued. "I don't want anyone messing it up."
"Maybe you should give the guy a second chance." Jake suggested. "Just let him be a friend."
"How can I do that?" Lizzie questioned. "After what he did to me. And it's not him leaving me that is the real problem, its him thinking he can take Maggie away without my consent. First, he took her to a hotel overnight. Next, he might want to bring her to LA for three months while he's shooting a movie. Gordo no longer understands that he just can't do that."
"I'm just trying to see it from his point of view." Jake said.
"How can you even try that?" Lizzie asked, sitting back down on the sofa.
"I don't have to try. I know all too well what he's feeling." Jake said, choosing to give up hiding and start facing the truth. As far as he was concerned he had lied to Lizzie long enough. Now that she had told her story, it was his turn to tell his story.
Lizzie was able to guess he was about to tell her something about himself. She knew it would only end in him defending Gordo and she didn't want to start a fight then leave on an unpleasant note.
"I think I should just go." Lizzie suggested, standing up and grabbing her purse. "Maggie will be waiting. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She kissed him and left feeling awful. Lizzie knew she should have listened to what Jake had to say, but she just didn't want to get into another fight with someone.
I'll listen to what he has to say tomorrow. She thought. Tomorrow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Note Wow. I didn't realize it had been so long between chapters. Almost a month between each one! Anyway I'm really sorry and I hope that I'll be able to update soon, especially since I have a stretch of about a month between the end of soccer and the beginning of skiing with nothing but school. Hopefully I can get in at least two or three chapters there. Please review!
