“Is Max the one?”
She looks at her son and smiles when she says, “Yeah.”
“And there’s never been a question or hesitation about it?”
Turning back to me, she tells me, “No.”
“And what about the others you thought you loved? Any hesitation there?”
When she nods her head yes, I add, “That’s the difference here. Never was there a question or hesitation. And she wasn’t just someone I loved.”
She doesn’t respond as I lie down next to Bennett with my camera to get some close-ups of his facial features. Traci and I have gotten to know each other better since the baby came along, and I started spending more time over here at their house. At first, I was just trying to keep myself busy, but in the process, I’ve connected with Traci, and Max and I have become closer as well. I have a good bond with Jase, and even Mark, but it’s hard to be around them at times because it only reminds me of how it used to be. But having this with two people that don’t have that connection with Candace gives me a reprieve.
I head up to the bar to give Max the prints of the photos I took of his son a few days ago, and when I walk in, I see Jase sitting at the bar, talking to Mel.
“Hey, Ryan. I didn’t think you were coming in today,” Mel says as I walk over to them.
“I just needed to drop some stuff off with Max,” I tell her and then look at Jase, asking, “How are you doing, man?”
“Good. Just waiting on Mark to get out of an interview.”
“How’s all that going?”
“I got a job offer yesterday, so I’m good to go. Just hoping that Mark gets this one because it’s the firm he really wants,” he tells me.
“Congrats, man. That’s great. So when do you start?”
“Next week.”
Knowing that Candace should be moving soon, I ask because I guess I like to torture myself, “When does she move?”
I don’t even need to say her name when he tells me, “Friday morning.”
It’s hard to imagine that she’ll be in New York City, all alone, in three days. It’s always been her dream to dance with the company that she signed on with, and I’m happy that she’s doing this for her and no one else. It’s something she’s always wanted and to have this opportunity in life, to see your dreams through, is an amazing thing, and I’m so proud of her. I honestly never thought she would ever move away like she is, all by herself. It’s hard for me to imagine her in a place where she’s okay to do this on her own. The girl that was always so scared of crowds and going out. Timid and paranoid. I worry about her.
“Could you do me a favor?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“Are you taking her to the airport?”
When he nods his head yes, I ask, “Will you give me a call when she’s gone?”
The pity in his eyes irritates me, but I expect it. There’s no doubt that this girl makes me weak. She always has. She softened me up because she was so delicate, and I loved that about her, that she could do that to me.
“You sure?” Jase asks.
“I’m sure.”
“Alright,” he says as he stands up. “I gotta get going. Mark should be at my place soon.”
As he walks out, Mel comes back over after giving the two of us space to talk.
“Mel,” I sigh out on an exasperated breath.
“You look like you need a drink.”
“When did life get so damn depressing?” I ask her with a slight laugh.
“You’re asking me?” she responds as she hands me a beer. “All I know is, I’m over it.”
Her expression mirrors mine, and I know something is weighing on her.
“Talk to me.”
The place is dead with it being early in the day, so she takes a seat next to me.
“Zane wants a divorce,” she tells me.
“What?”
She nods and says, “Yeah. I got the papers a few days ago.”
“Shit,” I mutter. “I’m sorry.”
When she shrugs her shoulders, she tells me, “We just grew apart, you know? Maybe it was me. Music was always his life; I just never thought that he would make anything big out of it, so I never considered it in our path in life. But that’s not the life I want.”
“So now what?”
“I don’t know,” she mumbles.
Taking a swig of my beer, I say, “Yeah, me neither.”
It’s Friday, and I’m sitting around dreading the call that I asked for. Why do I do this shit to myself? I tried to keep busy by working on some photo editing from a shoot I was hired to do for a portfolio, but my head just wasn’t in it. So now I’m killing the minutes, surfing around on the internet when my cell finally rings, causing a quick drop in my gut.
Seeing Jase’s name on the screen, I take the call that I should have never sought.
“Hey,” I say quietly.
“Hey, man. I just got back to my apartment. Sorry it took so long to call; I had to take Kimber back home.”
“So you got her dropped off?”
“Yeah. She should be boarding now.”
“How was she?” I ask.
“Nervous as expected, but this is what she’s been working so hard for, so I know she’s excited.”
Feeling the welling of sadness, I rush off the phone, needing to just drown in this for a while.
“Thanks for calling, I’ll catch you later,” I tell him before hanging up and leaning back in my desk chair as I stare up at the ceiling.