Not only that, but he looked pissed.
I wished I could return and walk away, but I couldn't do that now. I turned around, and those blue eyes were piercing my soul. I opened my mouth to say hello, but he beat me to it.
"For a second there, I thought you wouldn't answer to Jade."
I frowned in confusion, not sure what he meant by that.
"Or maybe that's what you just go around telling people," he added.
His voice was full of hostility, and I was shocked and confused why it was directed at me. What a reunion this was turning out to be.
"What are you talking about, Michael?" I asked.
The blue eyes that had once shone for me now looked at me like I was an enemy. It was like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on my face and the feeling was not pleasant.
8
Michael
I had to give it to Jade. She was one damn good actress. She stood there, pretending she had no idea what I was talking about and looked at me like I had lost my mind. This acting only angered me even more. It was one thing to lie and another to stick to that lie as if it were the truth.
She was almost the same as I remembered her, only a little older now. Her face was free of makeup, but she looked so gorgeous it was almost painful. I wondered if she had continued with her modeling; she certainly had the face for it. And that hair was sure to land her many shampoo commercials. But then again, her beauty and my attraction to her had never been the problem. It was her integrity.
"Mommy?"
The little voice brought me back to reality, and I looked at the little boy next to Jade. When I had left the restaurant, I had seen her bend over to talk to the child, but funny how I hadn't paid him any mind once I finally came face to face with her. It was like the world around us had disappeared, and it was only us. It was easy to forget everything else because I hadn't expected my day would end like this, with me finding Jade again.
She quickly turned to him, blocking my view of him. "I'm sorry, baby, we'll go home soon, okay? Mommy is just saying hello to her friend."
Her voice was as sweet as syrup as she talked to the little boy, and it reminded me of the Jade, who had been nervous and sweet the first time we met. It was hard to reconcile that young woman, the woman in front of me now and the woman I now knew her to be. So many versions of the same person, but which one was real? When she turned back to me, I noticed she held her son to her side protectively, and the little boy almost hid behind his mother's legs.
Revelations about Jade just kept coming. I couldn't believe that she was a mother, too! Was she married? I felt the heavy weight of disappointment in my chest as I thought of the man that got to hold her every night. Was that the reason why she had left me that night? To rush back to her husband and child, or maybe children? Had Jade used me and then run back into another man's arms? The anger that started dissipating came back in full force, and I couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Is this why you left?" I asked, wanting answers but not sure that hearing the truth would make me feel better.
Jade gave me a look as if I were the villain here. In truth, I felt disgusted that she had made me a part of her infidelity. An accomplice to her betrayal. Her silence spoke volumes, confirming all my suspicions. After all these years, I was finally learning the truth of why she'd run, and it was not what I had imagined at all.
"You have a family that you forgot to mention, huh?"
She didn't say anything again, not to tell me what I was saying wasn't true. I wanted her to give me an inch, to tell me that it wasn't true. To tell me that I was mistaken, she'd had an exceptionally good reason to leave me without saying a word. None of that was going to happen, though, because the evidence was right there in front of me, and Exhibit A looked to be about seven or eight years old. I didn't know much about children but judging from the height, I would say I was correct.
"Guess it all makes sense now," I said, never taking my eyes off hers. I wanted Jade to feel the impact of my words, to make her feel shame for what she had done.
Jade quickly shook her head. "Please, Michael, can we not do this here."
"Why?" I asked with a mocking tilt of my head. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you want a more private conversation? The last time we were alone together didn't end so well now, did it?"
She narrowed her eyes at me. "Not in front of my child, Michael. You are better than that."
She was right; I was better than that. But I also had never been in this situation before, and I needed an outlet for the anger I was feeling. I had no precedent for dealing with being used by a married woman or any woman for that matter. I didn't have a code of conduct book on how to handle matters delicately in front of the children of the women I had slept with, so Jade was going to have to deal with this just as I was dealing with it.
"Do you really think that I owe you any favors?" I scoffed.
"Michael-" she started, but I stopped before she could tell whatever lie she was thinking of.
"Does your family know the kind of person that you are?" I asked.
She had certainly fooled me and made me believe that she was different. That must have hit a nerve because her eyes darkened in anger, and I knew she wasn't pretending to be civil anymore.