Lexi

For the past week, he had tried checking for a job that could keep him busy as he stayed here before he met with his mum. He hadn’t decided if he would stay here after meeting with his mum and that is whether their meeting went well or not.

He was quite satisfied with the population of people that lived on this side of town and the fact that he wasn’t known here was tempting him to just reside here forever but at the same time, he needed to see how things went then he can decide.

Cade had gone to the tavern his mum worked in but never actually entered to confront her, mainly because he was worried about how it will end and he kept getting flashes of the dream he had days back so, what he does is walk in front of the tavern and try to spot her from outside but he couldn’t and wondered if she really worked there or not.

‘If you went there to ask, you might at least know’ an inner voice said and he brushed it off and decided to go to meet with her by the end of the week and hoped that she would be around else it might raise his concern.

A frown made itself to his face as he sat up and skimmed his eyes over the paper, he was reading to see the thing that caught his eyes. When his eyes found them, he read it properly and a smile made itself to his lips as he felt joy with what he saw.

“This is a starting” he stated and wrote down the address and phone number that was written there then he set the pen on the table beside him before he continued reading the newspaper in his hand.

This could keep him busy till he has met with his mum and maybe if he decides to stay here. He could actually start a new life that didn’t classify him as the son of a wealthy man then he can have that simple life he always yearned for.

After almost an hour of reading the newspaper and he couldn’t find any other opening that suits his course of study, he settled for the one he found earlier and then went to the provided website to read the job description.

“I think this should be okay, I just don’t have enough experience for this role,” he said to himself then went ahead to apply with the hope that he will get selected into the company.

He was hoping no one knew of him or his family that will make them favor him because of that. That was the last thing he needs right now, he wanted to know what the struggles of getting a good-paying job were like, something he wants to experience.

“This better be good” he closed his laptop and check the time then went to his room to get dressed properly so that he can get those groceries he promised himself to get at the beginning of the week.

…

“Hey! Big Mark,” Lexi called out to the bug bulky guy who was screaming at a fellow customer and she was sure it was for meaningless reasons.

She didn’t want any more fights and these were days when one or two fights would have broken out. She was feeling so fatigued in the past few days and didn’t want to take any sick leave because she enjoyed working and this was one of the many jobs, she ever worked that keeps her on her feet.

There was nothing that would make her not want to head to work or anything, she would always make sure that she is okay before work starts and would rest as much as she could during her leave days.

The happenings with constant reminder that everything she had given up might actually be over and taken from her makes her scared she felt like something was going to happen but wasn’t sure if it was good or not but she brushed it away and just focused on her work.

“Can you stop with your whining already? I really don’t want you guys to fight over nothing anymore” she chastised and Big Mark turned to her looking like he would burst anytime soon.

“Why don’t you give us something to fight over?” he asked sarcastically and she glared at him.

“if that would give me a reason to ban you from here then why not” she retorted and he stared down at her small frame.

He knew he could easily throw her about but was aware of the kind of power she possessed here. She just wasn’t anyone that you could talk to or do something to without getting a taste of your medicine and that was one of the things that made him respect her a little.

“I need my drinks served now” he grumbled and she rolled her eyes and then called for one waitress to be on stand by and answer his every need.

“You very much know that you came later than most customers here but I will let this get past you, for now, a day will come when you will learn to wait for your turn and stop using your heights to bully people” she states then turned to the waitress “Please make sure that he has no reason to shout, I can’t take any more of this,” she says then walked behind the bar to take a seat and rest her head.

“You okay Lex?” Damien asked when he was through with making the drinks that were requested.

He saw her lay her head on the counter and heard her sigh.

“Just feeling a little bit tired but I am good” she answered then stood up on her feet and offered him a smile when he kept looking at her.

Although not convinced, he nods and continues with his work while she heads out of the bar to the lounge area made for the staff.

Just as she was going to get inside, she heard her name being called and she turned to look at one of the waitresses points behind her as she spoke.

“A cute lad is here to see you,” she told her “He said it was rather important and now that I see it, you both have the same eyes,” she said when Lexi raised her brows and pointed out the last part.

“I am not the only green-eyed human in this world” Lexi remarked and walked toward the lady.

“Yeah, but I can se-”

“Katie, I do believe you have some tables to wait?” Lexi spoke in a rather strict voice as she looked sternly at Katie who nods and went back to work.

Lexi looked at the far corner of the building and saw the back of a brown-haired man whose physique wasn’t familiar but from her last encounter with that man, she was so sure of who this was.

Hoping deeply in her heart that he wasn’t who she thought he was, she slowly made her way to his sitting figure and when she was some steps behind him as if the man sensed her presence, green eyes turned to meet with hers and she felt her heart melt.

She suddenly felt emotional and wanted so bad to pull him into her embrace and tell him how much she missed him and loves him, he just couldn’t understand why she made such decisions years ago, it was for his own good and she hopes that he forgives her but for now, she had to maintain the cold shoulders she would give him and not mind how hurt he would be.

‘All for your good Cade, all for your good’ those words chanted in her head, and she closed her eyes then opened them and went to sit opposite him.

Cade felt a presence behind him and as if he knew it was her, he turned around and met with the pair of green eyes he stared at for a long time when he knew of her being his mother. The pictures did no justice to her beauty and he could see clearly that he looked so much like her but he had more masculine features since he is a man.

He wasn’t sure what his dad looked like and what features he took from him but when he and his mum stood together, you would know that they are related in some way, she was in her late forties but she looked like she was rocking her late twenties.

When their eyes met, he could see love and adoration in them, and at that point, he thought that maybe he was overthinking things and that his dream was just there to deceive or make him scared of meeting with his mum but when she closed her eyes and opened them, they were cleared of the earlier emotions they held seconds ago and he thought ‘Maybe his dream was right at this time’ but he wanted to keep a clean and positive mind towards this meeting.

His eyes followed her till when she sat opposite him and they said nothing aside from staring at each other. He wanted to say something, anything to start a conversation but his words were stuck in his throat and he couldn’t voice out the words that formed in his head.

Could be because he was staring straight at her and he was just in some temporary shock so he managed to look away to collect his thoughts then when he looked back and opened his mouth to say something, she beats him to it and it gave him chills.

“Why are you here?” her voice sounded cold, so cold that no amount of warmth could conceal.

He was surprised with her choice of tone but decided to let it slide and go straight to what he came here from, it was more than he expected but he wouldn’t let it hold him down.

“I came to the knowledge that you are mum so I wanted to meet with you,” he said and she sighed then shook her head.

“You’ve seen me, so you can leave now,” she said then was about to stand up when he spoke again.

“You really didn’t want anything to do with me?” she sat back on the chair and looked at him with no emotions playing on her face, just staring straight at him and she didn’t look as apologetic as she really felt.

She didn’t want him around her or anywhere in this vicinity and wondered how he was really able to get him to come here to find her. It wasn’t safe for him here and wanted him out of town as soon as possible.

“Cade, I have my reasons for leaving you with Pat, why do you need to look for me and come all the way? This was totally unnecessary and it's an absolute waste of time, what you did” she scolds and he felt a tinge of hurt in his chest with what she said and how she put it.

Now, he felt bad for making an effort to meet with his mum. He just wanted to meet his real parents and know their true reason for leaving him with his now parents, and he wondered if that was too much to ask.

“I just wanted to know why you left and wanted nothing with me,” he said and she looked away from him and shook her head “I want to know who my dad is and where I co-”

At the mention of him meeting with his dad, she whipped her head so fast in his direction, that he thought her neck might snap. Her eyes were wide with what he could read as fear and anger, her mouth left slightly parted and he noticed her hand shaking when he looked closely at it as it formed a fist and released it.

What she feared was coming and she knew that with this question he was asking about if he comes to know of it, it would put him in more danger than he was in already. He didn’t need that kind of information, she can’t spend almost all of her life protecting him from it only to have him come into the lion’s den majestically.

“Don’t” she began then pointed a finger at him “I repeat, Don’t. You. Ever. Ever. Think. About. That. coming here is enough trouble already and I don’t need you to be around here” she sounded really harsh as she said those words but what exactly she felt was fear.

Fear of what he was going to do to her son but no amount of explaining will make him understand the reason behind what she did. He just didn’t have to be here.

“So, I was unplanned?” he asked with hurt written over his face, he had tried to conceal it but her last statement broke the façade he put on.

‘All for your good Cade, all for your good’ she chanted those words in her head before opening her mouth to speak her next words.

“Yes,” she said as coldly as she could “Yes, we never planned you but you just came and I couldn’t get you off that’s why your dad… left and I had to give you to the ones that would treat you as their own” she completed while resisting the urge to cry and apologize to him and let him know that she didn’t mean anything she said.

Cade couldn’t hide how hurt he was and just nods his head then stood up while still looking down at her.

“Can I at least know my dad? Any picture to just get a glimpse of?” he asked and she shook her head.

“You got the information you wanted now, I want you out of this town. Don’t come here to see me or get any information about your father because you are not needed here, you have to leave this town”

“I stay if I want and I go wherever I wish,” he told her still trying not to let the tears out.

“You don’t know what you are getting yourself into,” she told him and he rolled his eyes then let out a short laugh. “You leave and everything would be under control,” she said then stood up too “You are not needed here, please leave” with that said, she brushed past him and walked towards the bar.

“Well, I guess I would have listened to my dream” he muttered to himself before blinking several times and walking out of the tavern.

Half of his plan to come here was achieved and he promised himself to at least get all the information he needed before he left this place and why she wanted him out, he was going to get to the root of it.