Kurtis was in a local pub in surrey called 'The flying Monkey' with Lara and Dani. The pub was buzzing, and the atmosphere was euphoric. He had been knocking back the dry martini and vodka shots at an alarming rate, and was now consequently completely pissed.
Feeling his cell phone vibrate in his pocket and faintly registering the muffled ringing tone, Kurtis removed his phone from his pocket and glanced down at the display screen.
Not recognizing the number he answered it warily. "Hello?"
"Hello. Is this Kurtis?" A female voice replied in an accent he couldn't place due to being so badly drunk.
"Yes."
There was a long pause the then woman continued in a voice thick with tears. "My little baby Kurtis, I've finally found you after all these years."
"What?" Kurtis shouted incredulously. "Look, if this is one of my Ex girlfriends then I'm sorry but I'm screwing someone else who is so much better than you ever were!"
"Kurtis!" The voice sounded appalled. "This is not an ex lover, I am your mother!"
Kurtis laughed. "Yeah right! Good one lady! Look I know this is just a prank so I'm gonna hang up now. See ya!" He pressed the cancel button on his phone then slid it back into his pocket.
"Who was that?" Lara asked curiously, slurring her words.
The frown that was on Kurtis' face quickly disappeared as he looked up at his lover and smiled widely saying in a cheerful tone, "No one babes. No one important anyway. Just a prank caller."
The Next Morning…
Kurtis woke in bed the next morning and felt like a truck had just drove straight through his head. He reached across the bed to Lara but she was not there. Then suddenly there was a sound downstairs, it was someone speaking but he couldn't figure out who.
He jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. Dani was stood at the bottom of the stairs and Lara was by the front door. Stood outside the door was a beautiful lady with big blue eyes and long dark hair.
"Hello," the lady addressed Lara in a posh and rather polite American tone. "My name is Maria and I was wondering if I could have a word with a Mr Kurtis Trent. Is he available?"
"Depends," Lara said eyeing the woman before with a detached wariness, taking in her charcoal grey knee-length pencil skirt, matching jacket and white blouse. "Why do you want to see him?"
"I need to have a word with him, its rather important."
Lara's expression softened slightly. "How do you know him?"
Maria hesitated for a second then answered, "He's my son."
Lara's astonishment was evident in her expression, her mouth fell open and her eyes were wide like saucers as she stuttered, " Wha- what did you say?"
"I am Kurtis' mother." Maria repeated herself.
"Yes of course you can come in. I'm sure he'll be dying to see you!" She opened the door wider as she spoke, allowing Maria to enter the house.
"Thank you." Maria said warmly as she stepped out of the cold and into the hallway that in itself looked as big as her whole house back in Utah.
Lara took Maria's jacket then instructed her to wait there while she fetched Kurtis for her.
"Kurtis?" Lara called up the stairs but stopped as she saw him trotting down the steps towards her.
"Who's the woman?" he asked groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"She's erm… a relative of yours."
"Oh?" Kurtis was instantly alert. "I don't have any living relatives."
"Yes," Lara acknowledged with a nod. "She claims she's your mother."
Kurtis nearly fell over from shock. "She WHAT?"
Ten minutes later he was showered dried and dressed in his usual attire of khaki combats and layered shirt with long white sleeves and black body.
About a minute later Lara approached him, followed by a woman who looked similar to him a female version. She had the same dark hair that flowed down to her shoulders and the same piercing blue eyes. However the deep lines on her face looked more pronounced, but she was still a very attractive for a woman for her age.
"Um, hi?" he said dumbly, not sure what else to say.
"Good afternoon." Maria replied then introduced herself. "I am Maria, your mother."
An awkward silence bestowed them and shifted self-consciously, Kurtis mumbled in a tone devoid of feeling. "I thought you were dead."
She hung her head low. "I thought the same about you."
Lara, seeing they obviously had the last 30 odd years to catch up on, silently left the room, hustling Danni out into the kitchen as she went.
Noticing that Lara had left, Kurtis glared at his new-found mother and speaking sharply to her, cut to straight to the point. "Look you can cut out the charade now. You're not really my mother are you?"
His mother was perplexed at his change of tack. "Wha-what do you mean? Of course I'm your mother!"
Kurtis gave a laugh of spite. "Oh Come off it! My mother died giving birth to me! You're just some sick bitter old lady who's duck into my past a bit and has decided to get back at me for some reason. What, did I kill your son or something, is that it?"
"No, no…"Maria shook her head furiously, her eyes welling with tears of confusion. " I would never do such a thing. You didn't kill my son…you ARE my son! Why wont you believe me?"
Kurtis wasn't listening to her. He was firing on all cylinders now. "Don't start the crocodile tears with me woman, it wont work! What do you want from me? Money? a laugh? Is that why you're doing this!"
"NO!" she was fighting desperately to keep the upset from her tone. "I just wanted to meet my son, and thought you'd like to meet me."
Kurtis was about to reply when he heard the faint yet persistent wails of his baby daughter, Maddie from upstairs.
'Great,' Kurtis thought, rolling his eyes skyward in aggravation.
Lara burst into the main entrance and sprinted up the stairs.
Maria obviously heard the commotion. "Is that a baby crying?"
Seconds later the crying ceased and looking in the direction of the noise, Maria saw Lara croft descending the stairs, a tiny baby rested on her shoulder, her arm wrapped around the pink bundle's bottom, protectively. Her other arm supported the babies neck. Maddie whimpered slightly then snuggled into the warmth of her mother's neck, feeling reassured by the sound of her mother's heart beat.
Maria smiled from ear to ear as Lara approached her, softly cooing her baby back to sleep. Her excitement was evident in her voice as she squeaked with glee, "is this your child?"
Lara nodded proudly as she admired the infant who was now sucking her tiny thumb. "Yes. She's mine and Kurtis's."
Kurtis wanted the floor to open up and swallow him. "Lara," the turned to face her; a fake grin on his face. "Maddie looks hungry. Perhaps you should take her into the kitchen, while I talk to my mother?"
Lara agreed as her child began to sob again, and wasting no time, rushed out into the kitchen. Maria mother whined in protest, clearly eager to spend to time with her grand child, but Kurtis was having none of it.
Turning on her he waved a hand objectionably and ordered her to leave. When she didn't move, he grabbed her arms in a vice-like-grip and dragged her unceremoniously towards the entrance.
"Get off of me!" she wailed, tears streaking her cheeks as she clawed at his hands to try and free herself. "You're hurting me!"
"Shut the hell up you stupid, selfish gold-digging cow," he bellowed as he threw open the front door and flung her through it with such force that she tumbled onto the gravel pathway, tearing holes in her jacket sleeves and cutting up her elbow's in the process.
She whimpered from the pain as her hand went to her grazed elbow.
Kurtis had no sympathy for her and it showed when he slammed the door shut in her face.
Seconds later Maria was pounding her fists frantically against the door and pleading with him to open it. Kurtis simply laughed to himself as he watched the door knob rattle dangerously.
"It's no use sweetheart. The door is locked!" He shouted from the other side as he removed the key from the keyhole. Spinning the key ring round his forefinger he stuffed his hands into his trouser pocket. Turning he found himself face to face with an angry looking Lara.
She had obviously heard all the commotion and from her expression he could tell she was clearly not impressed. The infant, sensing her mother's discomfort, began to howl, as big tears rolled down her chubby cheeks.
"What was that all about?" Lara hissed, rocking Maddie from side to side to try and soothe her.
He grinned stupidly. He had a bit of explaining to do.
