Branch One Hundred and Thirty Nine
“So here is what we would do, what is bothering us we say it here and now. I mean we are friends so why are we hiding anything from each other?” Jessica said as she sat down.
She distributed the ice cream to each of them and Alicia wasted no time to open hers and begin to lick. “Ahh brain freeze,” Alicia said tapping the left side of her head.
“Let it sit fit a few minutes” Jessica advised.
“Why won’t you get a brain freeze? Were you ice cream starved before now?” Leslie asked.
The three ladies looked at each other and a brief laughter fell out their mouths. The room became dead silent and they all looked away uncomfortably.
“I will start first then,” Jessica said dripping the bowl onto the small table before them.
“I discovered recently that I am falling in love with Xavier. Before you gasp or whisper about it. I just discovered it. These days he has been such a nice and kind person. Not the same person I met at the start of the marriage. He has been considerate. I know I have to leave after a year but I am having second thoughts. I don’t know” she said rubbing her palms on her face in frustration.
“So you don’t want to leave?” Leslie asked. She has been the greatest supporter of their love. She wanted it to bloom and for them to end up together. She has told Brian a couple of times that Xavier and Jessica did look good together.
“I know I’m supposed to….”
“You are not supposed to. I do not know what is wrong with you and Xavier. Marriage is not for going in and out. You are not supposed to wed and then set a divorce date” Leslie said. Her voice sounded scolding enough.
“It’s…” Jessica found herself stammering. All that Leslie had said was true. “What do I do now?” she asked confused. “I fear that if I leave, he might find love and get married to her and live happily”
“Ever after? Is that it?”
“You are so frustrating” Alicia did dropping her spoon for the first time. “What you need to do is tell him how you feel”
“It’s like you don’t actually understand. We signed a contract stating that none of us can fall in love with the other”
“What does a piece of paper have to do with this? This is about your feelings for one another. Who knows he might share mutual feelings” Alicia said.
“Do you think so? I have been scared of losing him and being on my own again” Jessica said picking her bowl back.
“Then you have to do what we advised,” Leslie said. “Is it my turn then?” she asked as she looked around the room.
“As you all know Brian and I have been married for a while now. It’s not news” she said as she shrugged.
“Well, we have been trying to have kids and it’s been taking a toll on me. Brian says I’m doing too much and I should just let nature take its due course. I do not know what to do” she sighed.
“Maybe three of us should free ourselves from men and become the power couple. After all it seems the men are the problem”
“Alicia” Jessica and Leslie cried out. Alicia gave a small laugh with a half-hearted smile.
“Come on Alicia,” Leslie said.
“I am sorry,” Alicia said pouting. “It just seems like you both have minimal problems when compared to me. I just broke up with my boyfriend of barely a month. Your problem is that you don’t know how to confess your feelings” she said turning to Jessica before turning to Leslie
“While you, your problem is that you want to have a baby but can’t”
“I’m not trying to belittle your problems but I wish those were my worries. If the media gets a whiff of us breaking up they will write all sorts of articles blaming me because it has to be the girl’s fault every single time” she went on ranting.
“I never wanted to break up, I have had that crush on him for a while but we can’t even stay together,” she said as the tears fell to her cheeks again.
She was even shocked at herself. She did not know that her tear ducts produced so many tears. She had been crying for such a long time that she felt a headache coming on.
“You’ll give yourself a headache,” Leslie said her hand going to get shoulders and rubbing them lightly.
“Do you want to get back with him?” Jessica asked.
“Yes,” she said without missing a beat. “Or no, I am not sure,” she said bowing her head and then bawling her eyes out.
“It’s just that I want to be with him because I love him but at the same time that would mean giving up all I had worked for”
“What matters to you? Your work or Jason?” Jessica followed with a question. “It’s not too late to reverse the break up if that’s what you want”
“I don’t know what I want,” she said amidst the full-blown tears. “I hate my life,” she said dropping her back to the bed and staring up at the ceiling.
“I have an idea,” Leslie said suddenly as if a light bulb went off in her head.
“What is it?” Jessica asked when Leslie did not follow up with any more words.
“Alicia has always wanted to go international. I think your marriage might be a good way for you to do so. All you have to do is transfer your headquarters to Crescent Bay”
“It’s a long shot,” Jessica said.
“But it can work. Yes, it can definitely” Alicia said as she sat back up. “Leslie” she cried as she went in for a hug.
“Did you just give me a grand solution?”Alicia continued with the cry while hugging her. “I better call him and tell him about it now,” she said breaking the hug and searching through her bag.
When she pulled her phone out of her bag she saw a lot of missed calls. “He has been calling nonstop. I am sure he must be regretting letting me go” she said in a cute voice.
“Same with you. Now I call him” Jessica said pushing her off the bed.
She stood up and called him. “Hello,” she said when he picked up.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
“Hello, this is the bar attendant at Moonlit Bar, he is passed out here, can you pick him up?”
“Sure,” she said before cutting off. “He drank to get over me,” she said facing them. Her face said it all. She loved his actions so very much. “How do I look? I need to go pick him up now”