1.10 Revelations

Amiee stood in the corner of her room in front of her wall to wall window windows which displayed a stunning view of the of the ocean that stretched beyond Bridgeport –and further. Tears trickled down her cheeks; no matter how hard she tried to fight them off…they continued to fall. One by one, slowly falling, torturing her more and more with every glide, every trail, every tear.

Suddenly she felt a warm breeze blow across the side of her neck…she jumped and shrieked as strong arms encased her body. She couldn’t move…she was frozen with terror –her heart racing a mile a minute, adrenaline pumping through her veins uncontrollably, until she heard a familiar voice.

“Big girls don’t cry you know.” Everett whispered softly in her ear. She waited a moment –still frozen, until it had all finally sunk in. His arms were strong and locked around her and for a brief moment she felt comfort in them, until she realized he had broken into her apartment. She jerked herself away from him, turning to face him.

“What are you doing here? Where I come from people don’t just bust into other people’s homes…unless they are being robbed, so if you don’t plan on robbing me…please leave!” She said!

He walked over to the dresser and hopped on it, sitting with his hands dangling between his knees, his eyes still locked on hers.

“Well where I come from, which is this lovely city of course, people don’t just leave their doors unlocked…it’s an open invitation to your home…you’re just lucky it’s me and not some robber…what kind of man do you really think I am?” He asked raising his eyebrow at her. 

“I…I…don’t…” She began to say. Her mouth just hung open, words unable to be spoken as she watched him pull out a perfectly cut and manicured long stem rose from his sock.

“This is for you…think of it as a congratulatory gift…for being showcased in the gallery…you’re very talented yourself Miss. Sullivan.” He said as he twirled the stem of the rose between his thumb and forefinger –then holding it out towards her.

She drew the flower slowly up to her nose, breathing in its intoxicating scent. Everything about it was just beautiful, it smelled so sweet, and so fresh…the color was bright and vibrant and oddly resembled the roses that she always stopped to smell just a few houses down. It’s the thought that counts I guess. She thought to herself…a stolen rose…was he really here to rob her?

“I know you didn’t just come here to say congratulations on my entries into the gallery…and hopefully you aren’t here to rob me…so what is it that you want?” Amiee said as she pulled the rose down from her nose and looked him in the eyes.

“Is it really that obvious?” HE asked. She nodded her head up and down vigorously.

“I came to explain what you witnessed at The Brightmore tonight…I know you said you didn’t want one, and I don’t think really think I owe you one, but I am here because I feel it’s the right thing to do, so please don’t interrupt me please just let me talk.” He said. He paused for a moment as to make sure she understood. She nodded and waited for him to continue.

“You see the reason why things with Anna are complicated is because not only is she my ex but also the mother of my child.” He said with a long sigh. Amiee gasped as waves of shock flooded her body.

“You have a child?” The words cracked as they exited her mouth.

“Yes a son…he is two…but you see she thinks that she is still entitled to spend time with me since she is my sons mother…forgetting that I told her I really wanted nothing to do with her when I broke it off before Nathan even came…unless it concerned him of course…she threatened me saying I would never see him…so I agreed to have dinner with her once a month. I didn’t bring her to the party…she just kind of showed up…uninvited.” He said.

“So why exactly did you break up with her…” Amiee asked.

“That is a long story…” He sighed as the memories came rushing back to him in waves. Amiee looked up at her clock, it was barely midnight and tomorrow she didn’t have to work.

“I got nothing but time…” She replied.

Amiee grabbed some pillows off the bed and plopped them on the floor beside the dresser, lit a candle and motioned him to join her. Reluctantly he sat down, crossing his legs and folding his hands together over them. Amiee could tell by the look on his face…that this story would be anything but a happy one.

“I met Anna on a photo-shoot, she was a model…and very beautiful…there was something more to her beauty than the average model though. She captivated me at first; oh I must have chased her around for weeks until she finally gave in and agreed to go out with me. After that it was like we were nearly inseparable. We did everything together.” He said with a half-smile. It was probably the only happy memory he had of Anna and him.

“Our relationship at first was great…but as time went on I began to realize that I really knew nothing about her…at all. It was like our connection was only on a physical basis. I decided to cut it off with her and she went ballistic on me and then dropped the bombshell that she was pregnant.” He said softly. There was a certain tone to his voice –pain.

“At first I just thought it was one of those scams women pulled to keep their men, but I made her go to the doctor and she was indeed pregnant. So I decided I was going to stick by her…I mean what kind of man would I be to leave a girl who was pregnant with my child?” He said as he looked up at Amiee. She could see his eyes were glassed over; the light from the candle intensified this effect. He dropped his head slowly and continued.

“I came home early from work one night, determined to make an effort to get to know her…maybe it would revive what we once had…only when I got home she wasn’t waiting up for me…the apartment was dark and the only light on was coming from the bedroom…I opened the door ready to surprise her…but I was the one that go the surprise.” He said.

Amiee reached her hand up and drew it lightly through her hair…she was pretty sure what was coming next…she wasn’t sure how to respond to it, so she decided no matter what it was…even if it was she was thinking…she would remain silent and let him continue.

“I opened the door to the bedroom to find her in our bed with another man…of course it couldn’t be just any man…it was my own father of all people, now I knew she liked older men…but somehow it still shocked me…after that…it didn’t matter that she was carrying my child…I wasn’t going to stay with her. I let her have the apartment, even paid the rent in advance for a year, giving her plenty of time to find her own ways to pay after that. I pretty much disowned my father and that was that.” He said wiping his eyes with his forearms.

Both Everett and Amiee shifted themselves on the floor, changing positions simultaneously.

“And what makes it even more complicated…” He began to say before Amiee could cut into the silence.

“Is that no matter what…whenever she needs something…I am right there…because if she ever goes without…then my son goes without…there is no escaping it…and she knows it, she uses it against me. She knows I will come running at the drop of a dime.” He continued.

“She never apologized for what she did, she acts as if she did nothing wrong…that since our relationship was circling the drain it gave her a right to find comfort elsewhere…There was a point where I was willing to forgive her and take her back…for the sake of Nathan, but she made it clear that since I left it was over for good. There was no changing her mind.” He said.

Amiee looked at him with soft and kind eyes, searching for the right words to say to Everett.

“Well would you really want to live like that? Would you really want your son to grow up like that? I don’t think that Nathan deserves to live amongst a relationship that is held together by him, rather than what it should be –love.” Amiee interjected.

“So if you’re beating yourself up over whether or not you made the right decision…I believe you did. I mean it’s more than obvious that things can’t be changed now, so maybe it’s time to let go of that and move on?” Amiee said lifting her head, her eyes finding his.

“Trust me I have tried…though I promised myself after what I went through with Anna…that I would never allow myself to get close to another woman…I mean I wasn’t even that close to her emotionally…so it could have been a hundred times worse…but if were to allow myself to get close to a woman I hate to see how I would feel if it were to happen again.” He said softly.

“That has to be a risk you are willing to take…not all women are the same you know, if love is something you want in your life…you have to be completely open to it, if you don’t take the risk Everett, you will be alone for the rest of your life wondering what if.” Amiee replied to him in the same soft tone.

“Then you come along and it seemed like the pattern had begun all over again…” Everett said as if he wasn’t even listening to what Amiee had just said. She didn’t know whether to be insulted or flattered. He obviously just admitted to her in a roundabout way that he feels strongly connected to her, but on the other hand he was assuming that she would just turn around and do the same things to him that Anna did.

“I really need to be going now; it’s pretty late…thank you for letting me spill that all out.” Everett said as he got up from the floor and headed to the door. Amiee stopped him just before he left.

“I am sorry she did all that to you Everett…but you really can’t let one bad experience with a woman jade your entire perception of all of us…we aren’t all evil backstabbing cheaters you know.” Amiee said. Everett nodded his head.

“Oh and no more stealing roses from up the street!” Amiee said placing her hands on her hips flashing him a playful smile.  Everett laughed.

“How did you know I plucked it from up the street.” He asked her, still laughing.

“I stop every day I pass by them to smell them.” She replied.

“So one of those people…” he said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Amiee asked.

“Exactly what I said…you’re one of those people who stop to smell the roses…literally.” He replied. They both let out a little chuckle and said goodnight.

Amiee shut the door –remembering to lock it this time and leaned herself against it. Suddenly Mr. Mysterious wasn't so mysterious to Amiee anymore. He had opened himself up and allowed her to see the weakness in his revelation. Amiee was being pulled in two directions after the conversation tonight, she was saddened by his horrible experience, yet she was thrilled to gain more insight on Everett.

 How could anyone be so cruel to someone like that…especially Everett…she thought to herself. She searched for the answers but drew nothing but blanks. Everett seemed to be so well rounded, respectful, and a man with standards and moral values…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bonus Picture

And now for those who would like to participate once again Chapter 1.10 Q&A