Unrequited Love

9

"You look like you didn't get enough sleep."

"No need to point that out." Genaelle removed her sunglasses and winced. "I wish we could dim the brightness of the world."

"It didn't make you get buzzed when you knew you had to resume work the next day so please let the world be."

"I never knew being mean was on a morning list you had to check."

"Sorry about my sharp tone." Dana smiled apologetically. "David kept me up all night with his beats and the baby couldn't sleep because of that so I had to rock him to sleep with ear plugs."

David was Dana's high school sweetheart who was a handsome man in pictures but a jerk in Gena's books, they had run away from their little town in West Virginia after Dana's father refused to let them get married at eighteen. David was the lead singer in a group that comprised of other kids their age in their town, they always played at the local bars and brought in quite a crowd; 'The town's jewels' they were called, in other words they were definitely going places. He was a big dreamer and he sold that dream to Dana and the next night they found themselves on a train headed for the big apple where dreams turned out to be what they were- mere dreams. David realized quickly that there were other aspiring 'lead singers' who roamed the streets of New York. Despite the absence of hope, he dragged poor Dana along on the long road for his dreams totally displacing hers.

Five years after and a three year old son Brian now in the mix, Dana had gotten tired of his bullshit and single handedly gotten a diploma in business administration, he was too engrossed in his selfish dreams to even realize she was chasing hers. Graduating at the top of her class was enough to snap her out of her fairy tale life and face reality, their marriage fell off along the line.

David went off to chase his career leaving Dana and their son without a backward glance, Dana pushed through the endless nights and days of hardship before her big break. An interview she had gone for several weeks before, the company needed her to head one of their branches. That was the starting point for the sunrise people usually spoke about.

Brian was eight when David magically appeared back into their lives, unaccomplished and unknown like the moment they jumped on that train in Wheeling. Accepting him with open arms Dana quickly allowed him fit into their lives like he didn't disappear when she needed him the most. Like he wasn't the biggest bastard in history to be born, sweet David surprisingly rose to fame several months later after meeting with one Dana's 'contacts' who loved his music and wished to promote him.

Gena called bullshit, connerie! The next months following his sudden arrival was filled with tours and global recognition. David was now a big name and Gena knew how he got there, Dana was just too slow to get the memo. Their second and third child were born in rapid succession like he was given a limited time frame on earth to plant seeds. Gena saw it as a ploy to distract Dana from seeing him for what he had become and it was a masterpiece. Dana was completely oblivious.

Now here they were on baby number four.

"Oh! Your loving husband." Gena said dryly.

"I can sense sarcasm." Dana rubbed her puffy eyes. "He's amazing, I'd just appreciate it if he toned it down a bit."

"Ever thought of ever him telling that?"

"He 's working on a project right now so I understand how much he needs to work. I can take a few nights of the sounds of banging drums."

Excuses fell off Dana's lips like a waterfall, it was never a yes, no or even a maybe when it came to David. It was never anything but a mouth ready to spill out the next excuse. "As long as you're fine my friend."