Chapter 26 - Gen 7 - Cello

I made my way round to see Crystal after a few days, I was feeling pretty nervous when I knocked on the door, knowing what I am about to do is really not going to make her very happy at all!!

Cello:  "We need to talk."
Crystal:  "Too right we do!!"  she snaps at me  "and not about the baby either!!"
Cello:  "Thanks for telling me about the baby like you did by the way!!"
Crystal:  "You deserved it ... if you'd answered my calls you would have known two days earlier!!"
Cello:  "Sorry ... he's been difficult!"
Crystal:  "Don't use Chad as your excuse Cello ... if you'd wanted to you would have found a way ... you always do!!"  I am really not fooling her am I.

Cello:  "I'm sorry okay ... my head really is all over the place at the moment!!"  I took the wads of money out of my back pockets and handed them to her, she took them off me and just stood staring down at them for a moment.
Crystal:  "What the hell is this?!"
Cello:  "It's the least I can do ... cover your maternity leave ....."  she tried to give it back to me
Crystal:  "I don't want your money!!" she snapped at me  "You can't buy me off!!"
Cello:  "I'm not trying to buy you off ..."
Crystal:  "Well you could have fooled me ... !!"  she started flicking through the bundles of notes  "These are $50 notes ... just how much is here?" she looked at me with wide eyes
Cello:  "$50,000 but if it's not enough, just say and I'll get you some more!" I wander if Chad has told her how much I'm actually worth, she might be thinking $50,000 is quite an insult, especially if she knows I'm having to give Annie a Million for her baby.
Crystal:  "I don't want your DAMN money!!  This has never been about money!!!"  she threw it at me and went to storm off.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards me to stop her from storming off.  She smacked into me quite hard, she wasn't expecting me to grab her and before I realise what's happening we are making out.  I seriously need to stop this, why am I so weak, I came here to talk to her about breaking up with Chad and finish our affair.

I know exactly where we are going to end up .. upstairs .. and I'm too weak to stop it happening, I really don't understand what she does to me that no other woman does.

My head has completely gone now, I forget why I'm hear, and I end up missing work completely again, and I don't really care because we won't budge now until the alarm on my watch goes off, which is set for an hour before Chad gets off work - that's when I'll leave so I can get home and showered before he gets home.

Crystals phone started ringing, at first we ignored it and it stopped then started ringing again almost immediately.  She grabbed it off the side.

Crystal:  "Shit it's Chad!"
Cello:  "Yeah, he's probably looking for me, I've gone awol and missed work again!!  Just ignore it!!"
Crystal:  "You don't think he'll come round here do you?  I guess he'll be suspicious of us now!!  He never usually rings me when you go awol!!"
Cello:  "I doubt he'll come here, he'll be at work ... but maybe I should go just in case!!"

It wasn't until we got out of bed that I realized we were in Chad's old room, I looked out of the window and I was smacked in the face with the sight of Mallow's house.  What made it worse Mallow and River were outside on their front garden talking.  I stood there watching them talking to each other, I felt sick just seeing him and even from here I can see he doesn't have that usual smile on his face.

Suddenly I remembered what Forrest had said to me - I need to get rid of the baggage.  The baggage being the main reason I'd come here in the first place ... and now look at what I've gone and done ... slept with her again!!  What I have to say to her really is not going to go down very well now is it!!  I kept my eyes on Mallow, after all he is the reason I have to do this.

Cello:  "Crystal ... we can't do this anymore!!"
Crystal:  "WHAT!??"
Cello:  "This affair we are having I can't do it anymore!!  It's got to stop"

She punched me in the back making me spin round .... she blew her top!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm standing in the music room watching Jake playing the drums.  I'd come down here looking for Cello, but he isn't here, I know he hasn't gone to work today because Chad has phoned me having a hissy fit because yet again he hasn't bothered to turn up to work, he's done one of his disappearing acts and Chad is off on one accusing me of being with Cello, but of course I'm not.  No doubt when Cello does rolls home stinking of somebody's perfume or aftershave, all hell will break loose and Chad and Cello will spend the rest of the night screaming at each other.

When I'd heard the drums I'd thought it was Cello.  I was surprised to find Jake sat behind them, he's pretty good at it too, almost as good as Cello.

I laugh to myself as I watch him eyeing me warily.  I'm not surprised that the kid feels uncomfortable with my presense in the house, I used to be his form teacher, I will still be his form teacher when I go back to work after the baby is born.  It was just a bit of bad luck for the both of us that he landed in my form this year. Jake has pretty much avoided me most of the time since I've lived here, and I suppose I can't really blame him, it must be very awkward for him.  I've even wandered if the other kids in my form have been giving him any stick because I'm living here and having his brothers baby.

He suddenly jumps off the drums and he looks upset.  He looks at me sheepishly then bursts into tears.  I wander for a moment if it's my fault.

Annie:  "What's wrong Jake?"
Jake:  "Nothing!!"  he snaps at me
Annie:   "Well it doesn't look like nothing to me, you are crying!!"
Jake:  "Just leave me alone - I'm not at school now Miss, I don't have to talk to you if I don't want to!!"
Annie:  "Jake you don't have to call me Miss, I'm not your teacher at home am I!!"
Jake:  "This isn't your home!!"
Annie:  "At the moment it is, and we are virtually family now because of the baby."

He carried on sniveling, I automatically went to put my arms around him, I thought he might push me away, but he didn't, he let me hold him while he cried.

Annie:  "What's wrong Jake?"
Jake:  "My girlfriend dumped me!!" he said suddenly
Annie:  "Oh dear!!"  I didn't know what else to say to him
Jake:  "I miss Mom." he said quietly which surprised me, I'm sure Cello has told me that Jake's Mother died when he was a baby and he never knew her, Cello said he could only vaguely remember her himself.

Annie:  "I didn't think you remembered your Mom."
Jake:  "I don't .... Not my Mom, I mean Melon .... Cello's Mom."
Annie:  "Well maybe you should tell your Dad or Lyric, I'm sure they'll arrange  a visit."
Jake:  "I can't tell them, they'll kill me .... they hate her!!"

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~