Chapter 12
Mother and son were reunited, “oh, sweety where were you?”
“Mommy, I went to look for you, but this man didn’t let me he thinks I’m too little to be by myself! And he kept calling me a kid!” He looked mad with his hands crossed over his chest.
She looked at Thomas, and couldn’t help but smile at the child’s bravery of wondering off alone just to get lost, and finally wanting to find his mother him self.
Cassandra was astonished, he had been with his father, they had really been together. She left Thomas with Mrs. Shultz, “it’s ok sweetheart, just stay here, I’ll talk to him.”
“I’m sorry I kept asking for his mother’s name, we could have found you sooner but…”
“Thank you, so much I thought he was lost…” her eyes filled with tears, and her voice broke down.
“It’s ok, the important thing is that he’s back right? Well look at the time I have to go, it’s the end of the event.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you I need to talk to you,” she left with the rest of the models.
Thomas’ words kept going around his head, ‘my name is Thomas like my dad,’ but he knew it couldn’t be true, yet he felt edgy since he heard those words, she sounds so familiar.
After they left Thomas waited for Mystique, she arrived. “Is your son alright?” She was still wearing her mask.
“Yes, he is, I know why you wanted to talk to me, trust me I would have preferred to keep my secret. But since you’re the host for this company, I know you’ll find out sooner than later of my true identity.”
“I understand you didn’t want to tell me, especially if you have a son that young…”
“Thomas, I want to thank you for finding my son, I’ve told him not to talk to stranger’s…”
“I know but…”
“I’m glad he trusted you, now you know my real name is not Mystique, that was just to protect my identity, but what you don’t know is that you already know me…” Thomas turned to look at her, “it’s me Thomas, Cassandra.”
He took off the mask, “Cassandra? I had an idea, but… wait a minute, your son said something to me, he’s my son!”
“No! He has no father, because the day you decided to leave you were dead, I didn’t lie to you, now I forgave you for leaving me but don’t expect me to forgive you for leaving my son!”
“Our son.”
“You never wanted him, you knew I was pregnant and you left us both. I couldn’t believe you knew! But don’t worry, this is the first and last time you’ll ever see me again and my son again.”
Thomas was speechless, he stood there watching her leave, he heard the voice of his head, go get her, don’t let her get away! He finally got his feelings together, “wait! You can’t leave!”
Cassandra didn’t turn back, she kept walking away, he caught her hand, “what are you doing?”
“Wait, I didn’t know you…”
“Don’t do this again Thomas, you don’t want to do this again do you? Don’t worry if you think I’m going to take your money I won’t. I don’t want it!”
“Cassandra don’t…”
She needed to get away from Thomas, hoping Charlie would appear and somehow get her away from Thomas.
Luckily Charlie was walking towards them, he looked serious, is that bastard hitting on her?
“I’m going to leave you Thomas, you just wanted to know my real identity, you’ve got it! I have to meet a friend before I go back.”
Wanting to put distance between them she freed herself and took a step back, Charlie stood behind her, blocking her way. Oh my, she turned to look at him, she gasped as she saw the man looking directly at her.
Charlie sauntered past her, oh no god! She closed her eyes, but the foot steps force them open, the men met eye to eye, she couldn’t understand why the attitude, just made no sense.
“I’m Charlie, I’m sure she’s mentioned me.”
“I’m Thomas, and no she hasn’t had the chance to introduce us properly,” their knuckles were turning white in the force they were putting into the hand shake, Thomas smiled angrily.
Men! Cassandra shook her head as she walked up to both of them, “Thomas this is Charlie, and Charlie this is Thomas. And we should be leaving,” she took a hold of Charlie’s arm, and tried to pull him away but he wouldn’t budge.
“It was nice meeting you,” Charlie finally let go, the men were glaring at each other. But they were standing there glaring at each other.
“Charlie we should leave why don’t you come?”
They left and Thomas stood there, speechless, was this going to be his life? He couldn’t just stay here and find out, he had to do something. “Cassandra, I need to talk to you, please it’s about my son.”
“Excuse me? He’s my son you don’t deserve to call him son! You left him before, you didn’t need him. You didn’t love him, you left him before he was even born, so now you know how I feel.”
Thomas wasn’t expecting it, he was shocked as she walked away, he walked up to her, before she closed the car door and held it open. Charlie went around to face Thomas.
Cassandra noticed, what was about to happen she got out and turned to Charlie, “Charlie, it’s alright I need to talk to him, I’ll talk to you later?”
Charlie looked at her and back at Thomas, “are you sure?”
Cassandra looked back at Charlie, “I’m sure, I’ll be fine Charlie.”
Reluctantly, Charlie went back in his car turning the car window down, “I’ll be close by, call me if you need me to pick you up.”
“Thank you Charlie, I will,” Thomas glared at her, she watched Charlie drive away across the street. She went to a table and Thomas followed sitting in front of her.
Thomas looked back at Cassandra “are you two dating?” She wouldn’t answer, she looked straight ahead with a steady gaze, finally she turned to him, who was glaring at her.
“I don’t want you fighting him, he is just trying to…”
“To what? Protect you? From me? Well, I’ll give him a reason,” he grabbed her from her wrist.
“Thomas what are you doing?”
He pulled her and grabbed her other wrist, he leaned near her and she wanted to pull away. Thomas bent to her ear, “I don’t care if you date, I want my son, to know me,” he let her go.
Cassandra looked at him, “you should’ve thought of that before you left him!” she glared as she sat on the bench of the table.
“What? I never left him!” he glared back sitting next to her, “I knew you were pregnant, but I thought he wasn’t mine…” he sighed, “I thought he was someone else’s, you were unfaithful.”
“So, you left him, you thought he wasn’t yours and you left him… for years I wondered why you did what you did, and now I know, your so called love was not love. Why do you feel you deserve him now?”
Cassandra turned to not look at him, “as you said I was unfaithful…” her eyes filled with tears, and she wiped them away, she hated herself for crying now, “he’s not yours, he’s mine! You should leave we have nothing to talk about.” She forced a smile for him, “after all, that’s what you’re good at!”
Thomas looked confused, “no, I didn’t leave you, you left me by being unfaithful…”
“You know, I use to think… nevermind, what matters is that I woke up and I saw you for what you really are. I expected you to trust me! But that doesn’t matter anymore. I could’ve expected that from anyone, but you! If anyone was ‘unfaithful‘ that would be you.”
“What?!” Thomas turned red while she stood, “what are you talking about?”
“I should leave before I…” she took out her cell phone and dialed Charlie’s number. “Charlie I’ll drive myself, but thank you… ok talk to you soon.”
She put her cell phone on the table next to his, while she took out her purse, and grabbed the cell phone to put it away. Thomas looked confused, but she was tired of having to explain herself to her so called friends, Julie was her only friend.
Thomas was confused, he remembered the pictures that his friend Jacob had shown him, ‘Rebecca caught her and gave this to me, I’m sorry but I wish it weren’t true…’ he remembered getting his heart broken, and he remembered how it felt, no! I won’t fall for it again.
Cassandra walked to her car and left Thomas standing there confused, he decided to stay another week to figure out if, Thomas was his son.
Cassandra drove away to the hotel, got the suitcases ready, Mrs. Shultz and Thomas were already ready and they drove around the city before going to the airport.
Thomas called Mr. Swan, “hello Cassandra? Did you tell him?”
“Mr. Swan, it’s Thomas, yes she told me…”
“Thomas why do you have Cassandra’s phone, well nevermind that…are you ok?”
“Mr. Swan, I was calling you because, I’m staying a week more if you need me for anything else I’m there.”
“Thank you Thomas, hey did Cassandra leave to the airport I forgot to tell her she should call me, I just wanted to ask her something.”
“Wait! She’s leaving? I have to go get her, she took my phone by mistake,” he knew he wasn’t going for the phone, he wanted to see his son. And maybe he wanted to see Cassandra too.
When he got to the airport he looked around nervously, he didn’t want to lose them. He ran to the counter, the lady at the other side of the counter, told him that the plane was about to leave.
Thomas ran towards the security boarding the passengers, he was looking around trying to find Cassandra and her son. He saw her with a woman must be Mrs. Shultz, Thomas was holding her hand with a smile on his face.
Cassandra was talking on the phone, she turned and saw him, she bent to
her son and he walked towards the passenger gate while she went to Thomas, “Thomas, you’re here, I’m sorry I took your phone by mistake, here it is.”
Thomas took his phone and handed her, hers, “Cassandra I…”
“I’m sorry I have to go, my son’s waiting for me,” Cassandra walked through the gate and Thomas stood there not knowing what to do.
The security, told him to move aside, he did he saw the security walking away, he had an idea! He ran through the gate, and went in the plane. Crazy idea.
The flight attendant saw him standing, “I’m sorry sir, but you’ll have to sit down we’re about to lift off.”
Thomas wasn’t expecting to leave, “sure I’ll just look for my seat.”
He went through looking out to see if he saw Cassandra or her son, but he sat in an empty chair, when the pilot announced that they would be leaving. He hit his head in his hand, and ran his fingers through his hair.
Thomas looked sleeping on his mother’s lap, “Mrs. Shultz I think we should cover him with the blanket now, he looks tired and…”
Thomas turned to the familiar voice, “ha, ha, ha I can’t believe it, you’re here!” He looked so happy to see them both there.
Cassandra was shocked, her color had drained from her face, and Thomas looked at them both with a smile.
Her son was sleeping soundly the window outside had a view so peaceful yet she seemed so agitated and at the same time she felt scared, of losing him he was her son after all. No! she was going to be strong about this.
Cassandra looked at her son in shock and back at Thomas, and back at him again, “I love you sweetheart,” she smiled nervously.
Thomas noticed that she had a fearful expression, and she hugged her son tightly, while she put the blanket on him.
Thomas didn’t know what to do, she was keeping him away from his son and what’s worse. What would she be scared of? Why separate him from his son this way?
When the plane was on the air he looked back at Cassandra her son was sleeping and she held his head on her lap. Thomas seemed hurt, he walked over to her.
“Cassandra I need to talk to you, I want to know why your protecting him from me. I would never hurt him!” He glared.
“Never? Are you sure?” She glared back at him, “why don’t we ask him, how it feels to have a father who never loved him? Should we ask him? Or how about, why was he crying on father’s day when he saw all the kids in his class bringing their fathers? Should I go on?”
Thomas legs weakened as he fell back to the chair across from her, “Cassandra I…”
“Don’t worry,” she looked at her son who was peacefully sleeping, “he understood, when I told him you were dead!” her eyes filled with tears, “why him? Why did you leave him? What happened between us...wasn’t his fault.”
Thomas was speechless, he extended his arm, but she stopped him, “Cassandra… I didn’t know, I swear, if I should‘ve...” he looked at the child on her lap.
“Don’t speak, you’ll wake him up, but look at me!” she lifted his face to her’s, “when the plane stops, I want you to leave, you’re so good at it, I know you’ll figure out how…”
“Cassandra…”
“If you don’t leave, I’ll have security stop you! Got it! This is not your son! Your excuse was that I was unfaithful. Fine! I was unfaithful, now that you heard it from me, get out of my and my son’s life, you’ll live knowing he’ll never see you as his father,” her tears went down as she wept her face.
Thomas wanted to cry along side her, but most of all he wanted to console her, for the first time he was seeing the huge mistake he made five years ago. None of it was true! But what about those pictures? Were they fake?
“Cassandra what happened to us? If you loved me like you say, why were you with him?”
Cassandra wouldn’t answer, she looked at her son, and moved away his hair from his face, and smiled, tears running down, looking away as she wiped her face.
“Don’t you remember? It was so nice when we were together, I want to understand, why? What happened?”
Cassandra stared at him, “when I get off this plane with my son, I want you gone!”
Thomas sighed, “I wish I understood why do you feel so far, even when you’re near. It’s like you don’t hear me,” his voice was breaking.
“I’m tired Thomas, I talked enough, there’s nothing more to say, I said it all, the things that were in the past should remain in the past, now all that is history learned and never to repeat again.”
“Are you that stubborn? Are you seriously closing your heart just like that?”
“I’m not stubborn just being realistic, thanks to you. I have my joy in this little life and I will never go back to the days when I was naïve, I was too trusting in your arms thinking I belonged, but I was a fool, now never again!”
Thomas leaned forward, “you’ve grown cold, Cassandra, it’s like you’ve given up on your own life!”
“I spoke to Rebecca you don’t need to lie any more, it’s ok as I said before we were young. Tell me, did she kiss you like I did? Was it the same when she called your name? I would’ve never interfered if I knew you loved her, you must have thought of me as your game.”
Thomas was speechless, he didn’t know what to say, or most importantly, what was she talking about?
She cried, “I’m sorry, I’ve no right to say that to you… I promise I’ll stop.”
Thomas had his head in between his hands, and his tears were falling, “I apologize, if I made you feel so bad, I understand…”
The pilot announce that they had arrived, Cassandra stood and tried carrying her son in her arms, but he was getting heavy.
Thomas carried him, “I’ll help you,” he lifted him in his arms and carried him out to the taxi, she seemed amazed as she followed him.
Cassandra looked at him sternly, “thank you, I should leave now,” she extended her hand to shake his.
He pulled her in his arms and hugged her tight, “I’m sorry I had no idea, all you went through, but please let me explain…”
“I have to leave now Thomas,” she tried separating herself, “your five years too late.”
He pulled her towards him, and kissed her, and she kissed him back for a moment forgetting everything. Reality hit her and she freed herself, she slapped him, “what are you doing?” What was I doing?
He was stunned by her actions, but what astonished him more was what he had just done, but she had return his kiss for a moment or was that his imagination? Cassandra got in the taxi, and the taxi drove away.