Déjà Vu Part 2
"I wanted to talk. Can I come in?" Sam asked. Maddie looked at David nervously. 'I'm finally in a happy place in my life and with David. Why does he have to ruin that?' Maddie thought. "I'll get dressed and we can meet in the restaurant downstairs in fifteen minutes," Maddie said. Sam nodded and walked out as David closed the door. Maddie started grabbing her clothes for the day. "It shouldn't take long. After our talk we can still…" Maddie started to say. "I'm going with you," David said cutting her off.
"What? Why?" Maddie asked.
"I don't want you alone with him. I don't trust him Maddie."
"You don't trust him? Or you don't trust me, David?" Maddie said as she got dressed.
"What do you mean?" David asked confused
"Are you worried that I'll fall under his spell or something? That I'll suddenly realize what I let walk away and leave you?"
"Maybe a little. I mean look at how fast things happened between you two the last time. You did say once he was perfect for you." David said looking down at the floor. Maddie walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Both things are true, but look at what has happened since then. Or should I say, what hasn't happen."
"What do you mean?" David asked confused.
"When Sam left with just a note, did I chase after him? Did I track him down and beg him to be with me? When I came here to Chicago for months, did I contact him? Did I contact him about the baby when I thought it was his? Did I try to go back to him after it seemed like our relationship was fizzling out? No, David. Because I didn't want to. If I wanted him, we wouldn't be where we are now. I would've said yes to his proposal with no doubt. But I didn't." David just stared at her listening. "You have nothing to worry about, David. If I wanted Sam, I wouldn't be here now." She said. She kissed him softly. She turned put on her makeup as David smiled and sat on the bed.
A little while later, Maddie walked into the hotel restaurant. 'Wow. She's still beautiful,' Sam thought as she walked over to him. He stood to give her a hug and a kiss but she just sat down. "Well that's not the greeting I expected."
"Really? And what exactly did you expect, Sam?" She said flatly.
"A warmer welcome than that.."
"So what did you want to talk about, Sam?" Maddie said with her hands folded on the table.
"I wanted to talk about us, Maddie. I want us to be us again, Maddie" Sam said trying to hold her hand.
"What us, Sam?" Maddie said with a hint of annoyance pulling her hands away from Sam.
"What do you mean what us? What about the few days we spent together at your house? Our dinner? The nights we spent together in bed? The dancing? The dinner I made?"
"Oh I get it. You think that you can just crawl back into my life every few years and everything picks up where we left off?" Maddie asked. Her annoyed tone getting stronger.
"Well no. I didn't expect your crawl back into your life every few years. I expected to stay in your life as your husband and the man you love." He said trying to grab her hand again.
"Oh really?" Maddie snapped back pulling her hand away again. "And you expected me to just happily jump at the opportunity after seeing each other for only a few days?"
"Actually, yes I did. I know you Maddie. I know I'm the guy you want. I know you've stayed single all these years waiting for me. I'm the best thing around," He said trying to grab her hand again. This time Maddie slaps his hand away. He quickly pulls his hand back. "What's wrong with you? I thought you'd be ecstatic to get a second chance at us," Sam said rubbing the back of his with his other hand.
"You're what's wrong, Sam. You honestly think I'm going to jump back into your arms the first chance I get. If you really thought that's how it would work, you don't know me at all. I don't do things like that."
"Seemed to work that way with that bum upstairs in your room." Sam snapped back angrily.
"Don't you dare talk about David like that," Maddie said angrily while trying to keep here voice down to not draw attention to them.
"Maddie you're not thinking straight. I know your better than anyone else does. You never would pass up a life with me for that,. I love you and always have," he said pointing up.
Maddie flashed a look of anger, then suddenly looked surprisingly calm. The calm scared Sam a little. "I passed you up? Really? That's how you see it? Who left without waiting for my answer, Sam? You didn't even have the guts to talk to me first. You didn't even tell it to my face. You just left. You left a note. Like an angry teen who was running away from home because he didn't get what he wanted. You never even reached out to find out my answer. You went from wanting to spend the rest of our lives together, to never speaking again in less than a day. That's love, Sam?"
"Well you never reached to tell me your answer. I waited for you to contact me but you never did." Sam said calmly.
"And how was I supposed to do that? I didn't know where you were? I can't reach you if I don't know where you are. I could have decided that I wanted to marry you. But you wouldn't have known. You didn't give me a chance to decide. You just left. You weren't there. You know was? David. That guy you say is a bum. That's why my decision back then and now is to be with him." Maddie said.
"Oh come on. You can't honestly tell me you're passing on a second chance with me to be with that bum." Sam said in total disbelief.
"Let's look at the fact here. I admittedly put David through hell since you left. Treated him horribly. And guess what he's still here. He's still fighting for me. Still willing to try. Looking at me with love in his eyes. And you? Well you got one answer you didn't like and took off. He's gotten at least twenty answers from me he didn't like, and guess what. He's still here. He never left. He didn't storm out of my life like a child throwing a tantrum. So you tell me, Sam, who is the him?" She asked. She was shocked and relieved she was staying so calm.
"Come on Maddie. He won't stick around. He won't be there for you. Do you expect him to settle down, be a good husband and father? He won't give you those things. I will."
"Oh he won't? Let me ask you, where were you five years ago when my life changed, Sam? Where were you when I lost my money? It was at that time the hardest thing I ever went through? Were you there for me? No, Sam. Not long after you left Sam, I found I was pregnant…"
"Was it…"
"And before you ask, it was David's baby. I was of all the things you just mentioned. I was scared. I was scared of my feelings for him. Scared about becoming a mom. Scared of the fact that he was he father. I tried pushing him away. I left for Chicago for months. I asked him not to call. I didn't contact him. And you know what? During all of that, he wasn't running around with every good looking mini skirt in LA. He was preparing for fatherhood. He read books. He got books for me. He signed up for Lamaze class when I was ignoring him thousands of miles away. When I went back to LA, he made sure I knew he was committed to me. He made sure we were prepared for parenthood and our life together with our baby." Maddie said. Sam just stared at her.
"Now, let's look at it with you. Let's say I had married you back then. And let's say we did have kids. Where would you be Sam? Would you be at the Lamaze classes? Reading books about fatherhood? No. You'd be half way to the moon or wherever. I'd be in those classes alone. I'd be in that hospital room giving birth hoping you'd be there in time. And even if you were, you wouldn't know what to do. With all the ups and downs, my life is much better with David. He might have his faults, but he's stuck by me when he had every right not to. So how do you expect me to leave him for you.," Maddie said as she stood up. "He stuck around and worked for my love, you didn't," she said. She turned around and walked out of the restaurant.
Sam just sat there stunned.