Chapter 14
The next day was going to be a school day for Thomas, Cassandra woke him up, and he left happily to his class, “mom, can I take my camera? We’re going to have show and tell today.”
“Oh, sweetheart I didn’t know I didn’t bring it…”
“I have it,” he took it out of his backpack.
“Ok, but listen to your teacher.”
“Ok mommy,” he got out of the car, and ran to his class, he turned and waved before he passed the gate, he ran through it, and stood in line with his class mates.
Cassandra left for home, her mother was there and Julie was in the study with her tutor, “Cassandra did you get your sister’s birthday present?”
“Mom, of course I did, I got it while we went out me and Thomas the first day, before the event…” Cassandra went out to her room, wondering where she placed it. There was so much in her mind that she forgot.
Finally she found it in her closet, “I found it, mom do you want to take it right now?”
“I think I should hold on to it, why don’t you pick up your sister from school today?”
“Wait a minute you convinced her not to take her car? I thought she drove herself to school…” she noticed her mother looking away, “what happened to her car?”
“Her car will not start today, because I had someone take out the starter, but luckily you’ll be there, right? I had no time to get her anything, I haven’t even prepared the party, and I’m stressing out here.”
Cassandra was shocked, “ok, I’ll pick her up, hey maybe I can go out with her to the mall I saw something there which I think she’ll love, at what time does she get out?”
“Let me see… in about three and a half hours,” she looked relieved, “good, I have to get back now, I called the bakery, and they should be delivering the cake, I’ll call you to know when it’s safe to bring your sister home.”
“O, I think I’ll ask Julie if she wants to come, the last time I couldn’t spend any time with her, I think it will be good for us to spend some time.”
“That’s fine, thanks sweetheart,” her phone rang, and she smiled and waved, “it’s your father, I’ll have to go help him.”
Julie walked out of the library, with her tutor behind her, “You are an excel student, Ms. Sullivan I have to agree with Mr. Thompson, he was right when he said you would be a great student, I was glad to have worked with you.”
Mr. Kendall gave her his business card, and she took it, “thank you Mr. Kendall, you’re a great teacher too, thank you,” they shook hands and Mr. Kendall left.
Cassandra went up to find out that Julie had completed her business studies, she was showing off, her certificate of her completed studies.
“We have to celebrate, guess what?”
“What?” Julie couldn’t stop smiling.
“My mom wants us to distract my sister, from going home early today, she’ll need us to give her a ride home. Since mom said her car won’t start…yeah, she had some work done to her car, and the starters were taken out.”
“But why?”
“She needed more time to get her birthday party ready, and she has a lot to do so… we can go out and we have a reason to celebrate, two reasons now, how about it?”
Cassandra wanted to talk to Rebecca she knew where she worked, but she didn’t want to get caught by either her friend or her sister, so she decided to give her a call, and meet her, after picking her son from school.
Cassandra searched her in the phonebook and found the Cambrian lawyer firm, Rebecca’s father owned the firm. Cassandra didn’t want to talk to her, but she needed to know the truth.
Since the day Rebecca confessed, to her what had happened between her and Thomas they never spoke to each other again. Rebecca had betrayed her, and so had Thomas, but she needed to know if she told him she was pregnant.
Rebecca might have betrayed her, but at least she knew that she wouldn’t lie, because now she knew her better, she was going to ask her plead her if possible to take Thomas again, but let her keep her son.
She left to pick up her son from school, “Thomas sweety, I’m going to drop you off at home, but I want you to do your homework, when I come back we’re going to meet aunt Cassidy, and we are all going out.”
“Ok mommy,” he looked at his mom, as they were arriving, she looked back at him, and smiled, “bye mommy.”
Cassandra waved at Thomas as she drove off, he went inside and shut the door. When she got to Rebecca’s office Rebecca was waiting for her, “Cassandra it’s been long, how have you and your kid been?”
Cassandra glared at her, “don’t ask questions that don’t interest you, I only came to ask you something, and I really need to know.”
Rebecca stood, “fine, but it’s my lunch time, so I’ll have some lunch do you want any?”
“No, I just wanted to know, did you tell Thomas that I was pregnant? If I told you it was because I never imagined you and he were…”
“What? Did you think, Ms. Popular was the only one with the hot guy in high school? I loved him, but you… came in between us.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t know if you remember you told me, you couldn’t help me, when I told you I was pregnant, because you and Thomas had been dating, don’t you remember your pictures?!”
Cassandra took out the pictures of them together, Rebecca glared at her “Thomas told me, how he really felt for you. He never loved you, he loved me, not you!”
“I came to talk to you about my secret, if you want him, he’s yours I don’t want him! I just want to know if you told him about my pregnancy?”
Rebecca looked into the pictures she had thrown, “you know, the only thing I loved about myself was having my hair like yours, I had it so beautiful didn’t I?”
Cassandra was growing impatient, “did you or did you not tell him, that I was pregnant?”
“No, she didn’t!” They turned to his familiar voice, and Thomas was at the door. “I found out later, from someone else, and you should’ve come to me.”
Cassandra glared at him, “I couldn’t… I don’t trust you!” She was walking out the door but Thomas stood there, blocking her way, “get out of my way, or I’ll, I’ll…”
“What? Are you going to jump out the window to exit this place? There’s something I needed to talk to Rebecca about and it’s for you to hear as well.”
“I have nothing to talk to the two of you about…” Thomas grabbed her wrist, “what? Wasn’t it enough? Now you want me to watch you with her, go talk to her. You don’t need me here.”
Rebecca walk towards Thomas, “Sweety, I already told her the truth, the day she called me to ask for my help, I turned her down for you, I told her how we dated and…”
Cassandra freed herself and glared at him, and back at her, “at least she’s honest, how could you tell me that you loved me when you loved her? And you, you were my friend, this is why I can’t trust either of you.”
She left and Thomas was shocked, what had just happened? And what was Rebecca talking about? Thomas left after her but Rebecca noticed that Cassandra was coming back, she had left her purse in the chair where she was sitting, and it wouldn’t take her long.
Rebecca stood in front of the doorway blocking him. “If you weren’t going to be mine, you weren’t going to be her’s either,” she leaned too close to him as she wrapped her arms around him, and planted a kiss.
Cassandra watched, as they kissed, when Thomas noticed it was too late, she had already seeing them. “I just came for my purse, I didn’t mean to…”
“Wait! This isn’t what it looks like…”
“I think we’re both adults now Thomas, and I understand what a kiss means, oh but wait a minute you don’t,” she said sarcastically, as she grabbed her purse and ran out the door.
He beat her to the door, and Rebecca was glaring at Cassandra, “why her when I love you,” she tried to kiss him again.
But this time Thomas separated her from him, “but I never loved you, I’ll never be yours. Rebecca I don’t know why you did this but you and I we never went out. You broke my heart when you gave those pictures to Jacob.”
Rebecca looked nervous, her face went pale and she was speechless, Cassandra broke the silence, “pictures? What is he talking about Rebecca? You wouldn’t do this to me, would you? When you were talking about my hair, you didn’t mean?”
Rebecca glared at Thomas, “you fool! You’re lying! You lied to us both didn’t you?”
Cassandra stepped away from them both, I knew it was too good, “let me out I want to go home, please I don’t want to hear any more.”
Thomas ignored her pleads, he grabbed her wrist as he walked beside Rebecca, “why don’t you tell her what you told me?”
Rebecca was wide eyed, she had never been so nervous, “Thomas first of all, I can explain…”
“Explain it! Why did you lie to both of us?”
“It’s not like it matters now, Cassandra doesn’t trust you, and as far as I’m concerned, love does not work out without trust. I said before, Cassandra he’s trying to fool around with you, he…”
“STOP THAT! TELL HER THE TRUTH!”
“Stop it both of you, I want to leave! Now let go of me,” she freed herself and walked away, she ran to her car and started to cry. How could he still lie to her? Hadn’t it been enough with the first time?
“Thomas don’t follow her! It won’t work out, she was a waitress, like her friend Julie but we got her fired,” she laughed, “you should’ve seen the look on her face when I saw her working at that cheap coffee shop.”
“How could you? I’ll never forgive you for this, now you can live for the rest of your sorry life knowing that I love her, and I always will! Because of you we’re separated now but it won’t be for long, I’ll tell her the truth.”
“No! you won’t! and if you do I’ll make sure she doesn’t believe you, you’ll never get to call your son yours I’ll make sure of that!”
Thomas left ignored her, as he left after her, she was still in her car, and when he caught sight of her, crying it made his insides churn. He walked to the side of the car, and bent down knocking on her window.
Cassandra wiped her tears, she thought it was security, “I’m sorry, I’ll leave right now, I’ll just need to… Thomas?” Great! Now he caught me crying, “look what happened between the two of you, I really don’t need to know, it’s none of my business, as I said before I was an idiot to think that I could’ve a life with you.”
“Cassandra I need to talk to you, this will be the last time…”
“I don’t have time for this!” Cassandra turned her car on, and Thomas walked around it, going into the passenger side, he got in and grinned at her, she glared at him.
“Well, I knew it, I kept on telling you, you should always lock the passenger door but you didn’t and didn’t I tell you that a stranger could come in?”
“You have no idea, get out!”
“Not until you listen to me,” he took the key off the ignition.
Cassandra opened her door, and walked away, “fine! I’ll walk all the way, I’m so mad I can do it!” She just wanted to get away from him, and his lies, she was to eager to know the truth.
Thomas walked along side her, “look I just want to talk, ok?”
Cassandra turned to him, still not knowing if to trust him, she stared at him sternly, “what are you doing? What do you really want? Who told you I was pregnant? Why Thomas? Why did you do it?… I’m sorry I know you’re not going to really answer me, you’re just here because I happen to have visited your girlfriend, why are you here with me?”
“Will you shut up? I needed to know a few things for myself, and I came to talk to Rebecca…”
“Then why aren’t you with her?”
“Are you jealous?”
“No, I just can’t believe that after all this years, even after I know the truth you still lie to me. I thought you were just afraid, I mean yeah we were young and all, but after today, how can I trust you?”
Thomas looked hurt, “look I’m just as confused as you are, but I know…I just found out what you went through, my mother told me a bit of everything, and I got some out of Rebecca but I still don’t know everything for sure…”
“What do you mean your mother told you, I never told her?”
“She told me of the time when your friend came to her asking for a…”he sighed.
“What?”
“Julie got her hours cut off when she was working for a coffee shop, and she needed a job. She babysat Nick for a while, my mom called during the time I thought…”
“That he was someone else’s, of course you told me, but if you think he’s…”
“That’s what I came to figure out but…”
“The day that I found out you betrayed me for my friend was the worse day of my life. I should have never called her, if I would have known. I wouldn’t have asked for her help.”
Thomas looked down, “I know, I’m sorry this doesn’t cut it, if you could forgive me…”
“I forgave you two a long time ago, I had to as Rebecca something, I already got the answer to, and now I’m leaving.”
“But if you forgave me…”
“Means I’m not wasting my time on being mad at you or her, just stay out of my way, and out of my sight. I don’t even want to see you I’m no longer angry at you, I just can’t trust you. I guess I’m angry at myself, god I was so naïve!”
“I want to tell you that I believed that he was mine, but I was waiting for you to call me, once I didn’t receive your so waited call. I figured he wasn’t.”
“You were like everyone else, making their own assumptions, I expected too much from you, now can you give me my keys or shall I ask security to get them for me?”
“I left them in the car, I put them back in the ignition.”
“Good, now don’t follow me,” she walked towards her car, and he followed her, “what are you doing? I said don’t follow me.”
“I need to tell you something, and I’m not leaving until you listen to me…” his phone rang, and he reached for it, he turned to answer his call, “hey, Jason can I call you later? I’m…”
Cassandra walked towards her car and drove off, Thomas was wide eyed, he should have known, “Thomas, you won’t believe this but… we got a problem, I think you’ll have come.”
“What happened?”
“The bank wants to take over the business, they don’t want to give us more time… Mr. Thompson is trying to come up with new ideas before the end of the month, but he doesn’t know if it will be enough.”
“I knew we couldn’t trust them, I’ll leave today, I’ll have to speak to Mr. Thompson, and get our lawyer in it, they’re not respecting what says in the contract.”
“He is, I’ve called him, and he’s on it, but you have to be here,” they had opened a loan from a bank, three months ago. Now they wanted their loan paid in full, but they had signed a contract where they were suppose to pay it in six months.
“Ok I’ll leave tonight and I’ll give you a call, when I get there,” he hang up and called Cassandra he had to tell her, and he wanted to be a part of his son’s life. She didn’t answer it went straight to voice mail.
Cassandra got her sister’s phone call, as expected, “hey Cassandra, I’m sorry but are you busy? It’s because my car won’t start, and I haven’t been able to turn it on, can you pick me up?”
“Of course, I’ll be there… I’m on my way ok?” she tried not to sound gloomy, which was how she felt after meeting with Rebecca. Cassandra was crushed yet once again.
Thomas had only made it worse, she hated herself for not been stronger, but why did she feel this way? Seeing them together had impacted her more than she’d expected.
When she got to her sister’s school, Cassidy was waiting for her, “Cassandra, you’re here,” she got into the car, “when I was talking to you on the phone you sounded a bit gloomy, is something wrong?”
Cassandra tried to smile, but Cassidy knew when she was lying, “come on I know when you’re trying to lie to me, what’s up? And don’t even try to say it’s nothing ‘cause it’s my birthday.”
Cassandra sighed, “I saw Thomas today, he and Rebecca had been seen each other… I wasn’t looking to find him, but he walked in on us when we were talking, I had to know if she was the one to tell him my secret.”
“I wasn’t surprised, how could she?”
“It wasn’t her, it was his mother, he caught me talking to Rebecca, and he heard me asking… he came in saying he heard it from his mother.”
“But…”
“I know I didn’t tell her, but the worse part was when I went back for my purse, I saw them kissing, can you believe that? He’s still the same immature traitor he was five years ago, and he has the incivility to lie to my face.”
“I knew it, you still love him…”
Cassandra turned red at her words, “no, if I had to describe my feelings for him it would be repugnance… and yet I don’t know why I’m so, nevermind everything’s going to point out to being in love. I need a stable place for my son, not some stranger to father him, especially not him!”
“What do you mean some stranger to father him? I’m not talking about…”
“I know, and I know mom means well, but… she set me up on a date, with this guy, of course I didn’t have the time, but he expects me to call him, I can’t go out with someone I don’t feel anything for.”
“I knew mom was worried about you not dating but… I never expected for her to set you up on a date, did you at least see him?”
“How could I? no time to, anyways I have to start thinking about my son more, you should have seen how happy he was, you know it was his first trip alone with his mother, I would like to do this with him all the time, and dating will only take my time off.”
“Cassandra, I love you you’re my sister, but you need to live more it doesn’t mean you’ll lose time with your son, it just means you’ll make more time for yourself.”
“But I don’t know him, I can’t date someone just because my mother thinks he’s a nice guy, I don’t love him! Anyways, I don’t want my son to see his mother with a strange man, what example will I be setting for him?”
“Well, first of all you can’t just know him if you don’t take time to meet him, about your son I don’t know what to tell you, but if y our not happy neither will he be. And this man doesn’t have to be a stranger, if he really likes you then your son is a part of you. Who knows they’ll probably like each other. Do it for your son, he needs a father, he needs a stable place…”
Cassandra was silent the rest of the way, reflecting on what her sister told her, and at the sights as she was driving her sister home. Cassidy looked at her sister, and back out.
She noticed that a family of three, were crossing the street, she knew that Cassandra was still in love with Thomas, but he wasn’t for her, “it must be hard, but once you give yourself a chance, you and your son will be happier.”