Charles sat in a restaurant, waiting for his divorced wife, Helen. They had both agreed to meet because of their son and nothing more.
He took a peek at his wristwatch and saw it was almost noon.
“This is one of the reasons why I get so mad at her. Why didn’t she just choose noon for the meeting if she would keep me waiting till this time?”
He picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip. He looked out of the restaurant through the transparent walls.
He soon sighted a car park outside the restaurant. The car door opened, and he saw Helen alight.
She looked as beautiful as ever. Charles gulped heavily and looked away. He picked his cup of coffee and took another sip.
“I am so sorry! I got a bit delayed at the airport,” Helen uttered and sat.
He looked up and stared at her face. There was no difference from the last time he saw her. She looked so beautiful and young.
“Airport?” Charles asked in surprise, and she bobbed.
“I just got back from Malaysia. I’m sorry I kept you waiting for so long. My driver is so annoying.”
Charles nodded and heaved a sigh.
“I bet you are too busy. So let’s get straight to the point.”
He tried avoiding her face as he spoke, and Helen noticed it. She smiled softly and bounced her head.
“Before we get straight to the point. How are you and James?”
Charles scoffed and shook his head. “You don’t care, you don’t have to pretend you do.”
“What? C’mon, Charles. You know I do care about the both of you. You are my family.”
“Your other family, you mean? Listen to me, Helen. I called you here because you are the one James listens to every time. Even after all you did to us, he still loves you so much. You should be grateful for that.”
“Of course, I am grateful. And I thank you for not letting him hate me. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t have…”
“You had a choice, Helen. You should have fought for our love, but you didn’t. You let your father get in the way of our marriage, and you divorced me. He hated me because I wasn’t rich, and you allowed him to ruin our marriage.”
“I’m sorry, Charles. I know you hate me for it, but I had my reasons. If I didn’t leave, then you would have…”
“I don’t want to know. You have a family now, you are wealthy, and thank God I also became wealthy after you left. There are no rejects.”
Helen gulped hard and nodded.
“So, you told me you have found the perfect wife for James. I’m so happy you are getting me involved in this,” She uttered excitedly.
“I didn’t have a choice. He is so stubborn.”
She let out a little laugh, while Charles kept his cold look on.
“So who is this perfect wife you have found for him?”
“Her name is Amelia Cooper, the niece of a very good friend of mine. She works as his secretary now. Believe me when I say, she is the best. She is so innocent and quiet.”
“Wow. Do you think James likes her?” She asked, and Charles shook his head sadly.
“He doesn’t like her a little bit. He keeps complaining about everything that has to do with her. I would have taken it up myself, but I would never succeed…”
“So you thought of contacting me so that I can help you talk to him and convince him to get married to her?” Helen butted in, and he nodded.
“Yes. It seems hard asking him to marry a lady like her. But I prefer her because she isn’t like the other girls he f**ks. She is everything we can ever wish for our son.”
Helen smiled widely when he said “our son”. Charles noticed she was smiling, and he creased his brows.
“What’s so funny?”
“You said ‘our son’. I’m so happy we still have something that brings us together.”
Charles gulped and looked away. He picked up his cup of coffee and gulped everything that remained at a go. He was beginning to feel nervous.
“So, what do you think we can do?” He asked.
“Ermm. First things first. I’ll have to relocate to Alabama for the meantime. I am on Vacation, so I’ll spend it at home because of James.”
“At home?”
“Yes. At your house. Where else do you want me to stay, Charles?”
“Anywhere, apart from the house, okay? You have been gone for eighteen years. You can’t just walk back like nothing happened.”
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