Ephram spent two hours at the gym trying to determine what he was going to say or do if Madison was still at his apartment when he got back. He was hoping that she wouldn't be there when he got back. When he got back to the apartment, he walked in and didn't see Madison. He thought he was in the clear until he saw her purse on the chair and heard the water running in the bathroom.
Madison came out of the bathroom. "The dumbass returns." she said sarcastically.
"I'm gonna take a shower and when I get out you better not be here." Ephram explained as he headed towards his room.
Madison quickly followed him into his room.
"Dammit, Ephram. This is nuts. There is a little boy that needs both of his parents."
Madison yelled at him.
Ephram turned around and looked at her, "Did you just hear yourself? You said Jake needs both of his parents. Pretty funny, how you didn't think he needed me around for the first four years of his life."
"You are so focused on being mad at me, you're forgetting one thing."
"What's that?" Ephram exclaimed.
"We love each other." Madison said.
"Is the bleach in your hair killing brain cells? Did you not hear me the other day? I am not in love with you."
"I don't believe you. I can see it in your eyes. It's killing you being mad at me." Madison walked closer to Ephram was standing next to his dresser by the bathroom door. "You said you loved me the other day. Feelings like that don't just go away, not when there is so much history between two people. Am I wrong?" Madison was now standing right in front of him.
Ephram just looked at her taking deep breaths. He thought to himself that Madison was calling him out. She was calling his bluff, but then he shook his head. "You're wrong. Now if you don't mind, I need to take a shower."
"Will you stop acting like a child?" Madison yelled at him.
"I may be only 21, but I am more of an adult than you are."
"How's that?"
"I wasn't the one who got herself pregnant by a 16 year old."
"You, bastard. No, I'm the one taking care of YOUR child for the past four years all by MYSELF."
"And whose fault is that?
"Mine."
"Exactly. It's your fault. It's your fault for not telling me about Jake. It's your fault that I feel this way right now. And more importantly, it's your fault that I can't take you in my arms and..." Madison's expression became frozen. Then Ephram realized what he said. He took a deep breath and looked at her and said calmly, "Now please go."
Madison stood there for another second and walked out of his bedroom, grabbed her purse and left. When Ephram heard the door close, he walked over to his window and watched Madison come out of the building and get into her car.
By the time Madison got home, it was late and Mindy was reading Jake a bedtime story. Madison gave Jake a kiss goodnight and Mindy and Madison went into the kitchen to talk.
"I have no clue why I ever thought we could work this out amicably." Madison said as she was pulling a bottle of gin out of the cabinet above the refrigerator.
"What happened?"
"We got into a hellacious fight – full of screaming and harsh words." Madison pulled to high ball glasses out of the cabinet and slammed them on the table pretty hard.
"Easy, chicky. Let's talk; not break glass."
Madison sat down next to Mindy at the table and took a deep breath, poured them some gin and told her about all that happened with Ephram.
