The First of Many

                                    

                                          
Copyright © 2013 by Ladylurve
                          
All rights reserved.
                          
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“Why are we leaving Daddy, Mommy?” Jake asked. Lisa looked at her son and saw his confused look. She had postponed breaking the imminent divorce news to her son, thinking it was better for him. But seeing the confused look on his face, she felt it was time to tell him. I’ve got to tell him something at least, she thought. She stopped folding his clothes and took a long deep breath. But before she could manage a reply, Jake interrupted.
                          
“Is it ‘cause Daddy’s been naughty again?” Jake asked. Lisa hesitated, and then managed a small smile. She was not sure what made her smile. Jake’s question seemed light years away from his age in her opinion. He is only five years old, yet he is acutely aware of her marital problems. She felt embarrassed and strangely comforted at the same time. In a world where no one else understood her, she found comfort in her own son despite his young age. Yes, he is the best reason for me to continue living, she said to herself.
                          
“What did you say, Mommy?” Jake asked her, yet again. She reached out and placed both her palms on his shoulders. Arching and lowering her back so that their eyes were leveled, she said softly, “Jake, Mommy and Daddy need some time apart. Do you understand what that means?”
                          
She tried to maintain a calm look despite the turmoil inside her. Jake tilted his head and looked at the ceiling briefly before closing his eyes, deep in thought. His answer came slow, as though he was stringing the words in his mind before saying them out loud.
                          
“It means…we will live…with Papi!” He said the final two words excitedly. He opened up his eyes and smiled. She wished she could return his smile at that moment, but the prospect of living with her father, even temporarily, was not something she looked forward to. Her father, a gentle man in his sixties, was a goal-driven person who basked in his children’s achievements. She could only assume the disappointment he felt must have been monumental when she called asking for assistance last week. As far as Lisa knows, none of her siblings have ever failed at anything. If she could wish for anything in this world, she wished she could crawl into a dark space and disappear forever. But she knew that was not an option. No, that would be unfair to Jake, she thought.
                          
The troubles in her marriage began even before the marriage consummated. Lisa should have seen it then but her lack of experience with boys could never have prepared her for this. At one point in her life, she even thought it was a good thing to argue in a relationship. Apparently, couples who did were supposedly passionate lovers who throve in such dramatic and emotional scenarios. Lisa huffed at the memory of their first fight. How she wished she was not so naïve then. How she wished she could have known then. That was the day she almost left him. She should have left him. What a different world she would be in now if she did.
                          
“Shit, I’ve missed the turning!” His anger was audible as he flicked the lever. Horrified with what he was about to do, Lisa said, “You can’t make a U-turn here. It’s a double line!”
                          
He shrugged her off. Far too easily, Lisa noted.
                          
“This is a busy road. You might get caught,” she added.
                          
“You worry too much. I know what I’m doing. Just watch.” He replied as he rotated the steering wheel quickly and pressed the gas pedal. Just as Lisa thought they were going to make it, he lost control of the steering wheel. Lisa watched in horror as he lost grip of the steering wheel, causing the car to swerve violently on the opposing road. In the same instance, she heard loud honks. But before she could grasp the unfolding situation, a sudden bang from the back caused the car to jerk violently and come to an abrupt halt.