Affairs of the Heart
PART TWO: Love is Life
Chapter ten
I picked Abby and Charlie up at nine and told CeeCee I would just watch them for the rest of the day. I mean I didn't care, I had nothing else to do; I was currently jobless until the county called me and set up an interview date for me, I applied for a social worker position.
"Suze, are you sure you don't mind?" Cee Cee said while putting things into a baby bag for me.
"CeeCee, I don't care, I mean, what else is there for me to do? Besides, I want to get to know these little ones, I mean I haven't been here for Abby's first two years! What and outrage I say." I said to her as I played with Charlie on my lap and watched Abby play with her rag doll that had a wind up on the back.
"Well, than maybe you should do this more often for me. Then Adam and I can have more…quality time." She passed me the bag and gave Charlie a kiss goodbye.
"Ha-Ha." I put the bag on my shoulder.
"Alright, Abby, be good for Auntie Suze. You are going to have fun today."
"Bye, bye." She said, giving CeeCee a hug.
"See you later Suze." Cee Cee said giving me a hug.
"Bye, Cee." I put Charlie and Abby in their car seats and pulled out of her drive way.
The doctor's appointment was at ten and by the time I got out of Cee Cee's house it was 9:45. I got to the office building by 9:50 with ten minutes to spare. I carried Charlie and walked Abby into the office and let Abby play with the toys they have provide. But really, those toys are probably worse for the kids than before they come in here. I signed them in and waited for the doctor.
"Abby and Charlie Mc Tavish?" the nurse called. I picked up Charlie and Walked Abby into the back. We followed the nurse down the hall and into a room and waited once more for the doctor. I looked around the room, there were borders of cartoon character's all around the top and middle of the wall. And it was painted soft pastel colors.
Finally, I heard the door open and I turned around the see the doctor, when I got a good look at him my mouth dropped to the floor.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! OMG! My mind was hyperventilating.
"Okay, Abby and Charlie, we are here for out check ups-…Susannah?" I doctor was a tanned, Spanish man, who's hair was black and crisp. He wore a nice shirt and pants with a tie. He had a white lab jacket over top of his clothes and his clipboard hung limp in his hand. And his handsome face had a look of disbelief.
It was Jesse De Silva.
"Oh my god." I said still holding Charlie in my arms.
"Susannah, ho- how are you?"
"Fi-Fine, um, ho- how are you?"
"I am good." He stepped a bit closer to me, making my heart beat about ten times faster and gripping Charlie a but tighter.
"Are, theses your kids?" he asked, looking at Charlie and Abby.
"Abby and Charlie? Oh no, no,no,no, they are CeeCee and Adam's."
"Well, they look very much like CeeCee. May I take a look at Charlie please?" He said looking into my eyes. Shit, don't look into the eyes Suze, that is what gets you, the eyes don't look…shit you looked.
"Ye-yeah, here." I handed him Charlie. He took him and set him on the table. Abby came over to me and tugged at my leg. She had her hands up motioning to pick her up. I picked her up and stared at Jesse. He was checking Charlie's heartbeat as Charlie, babbled. He was listening very closely. He then checked his eyes and ears and all that jazz.
He turned to me and said, "He is a happy and healthy baby." And passed him to me, our skin touched a bit and my heart jumped. Whoa, calm down Simon, calm down.
"How are we today?" He looked at Abby who playing with a button on my shirt.
"Fine." She said, looking up at Jesse, he gave her a smile, which made her loosen up a bit.
"Do, you care if I take a look at you? To make sure you are okay?" he asked, nicely to her.
"Okay." I took Abby over to the table and set her down; she sat kicking her feet off the edge of the table.
"Can you go, ah?" Jesse asked.
"Ahhhhhh" she stuck out her tongue.
"Okay, now I am going to take a look in your ear."
She stood still as he looked inside her ear.
"You look all good in here, Abby, you did such a good job. You get a treat." He said grinning.
She smiled up at him and said, "I always good girl."
"Come on then good girl." I helped her down from the table and she stood up holding on to my hand. I followed Jesse out into the waiting room. Abby looked in the treasure chest of toys for a treat for being so good. Charlie was still babbling in my arms.
"So, I take it you are back in Carmel?" Jesse asked as he put Charlie and Abby's files away.
"Yeah, I am."
"What do you do these days?" He didn't look up at me.
"Um, I am in social work."
"Helping people? You made your hobby your job?" He closed the drawer and stood up straight.
"Ha, yeah, I guess."
"So, I see you are engaged." He said nodding to the ring on my finger.
"OH! Um, yeah. Dean is my fiancé, we met in college."
He nodded with his arms cross across his chest.
"Well, would you like to go get some coffee some time? Just to catch up and everything?" he asked being very polite. Yet, acting like we were old friends and not old lovers.
"Uh, sure I guess."
"Well, you can just leave me a message on my phone anytime." He said with a small smile and gave me his cell phone number.
"Okay. See you around then." I got the kids and left.
"Suze, where we go now?" Abby asked from her car seat while I was driving.
"We are going to go to the park honey."
"Okay."
We got to the park and I let Abby play as I sat Charlie on my knee bouncing him up and down a bit as I thought.
Why was he being so nice? Why did he act like…nothing happened?
"So, Suze, watching Cee Cee's kids?" I looked up and say Paul standing there with his hands in his coat pocket.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
He shrugged, "it is my lunch break, what messed you up on the insides?"
"I took Abby and Charlie to the doctor. Guess who the doctor was."
"Let me see…A Spanish man who was once a ghost?"
"Yeah, Jesse. But, he acted like nothing happened! Like he didn't leave me and I ran off to New York!"
"Maybe, he just doesn't want to relive the past. Bring up bad memories."
"I don't know, and he asked me to go get coffee sometime. What is up with that?"
"We go get coffee and we have made out before. Well, except you had sex with Jesse and almost married him."
I gave him a glare.
"Anyways, the point is what is so wrong trying to be friends? I mean we just got over the bad things that happened, why not do the same with Jesse?"
I sat there and pondered that thought.
"I don't know."
"Well, I am meeting Nicole for lunch. I'll talk to you later Suze."
I watched Abby play on the jungle gym from the bench. What was I holding back?
I debated back and forth the rest of the day if I should go have coffee or not. Finally, I got up the courage to call.
I heard the phone ring and ring, and finally into a voice mail.
"This is Jesse, I am sorry I am not here right now, but you can leave me a message and I will return your call." Beep!
"Hey, Jesse, It is me, Suze. I am sorry I called late. But, is Friday morning good?"
Edited by: the ever-so-lovely Nicole.
check out Nicole's (Frolicking Bannas) stories!
Love,
Lauren