My All

Part 33

As they drove, Deborah kept looking at him. "What?" He asked uncomfortably.

"You don't have to do this, you know?"

"What are you going to do if I don't? Where are you going to go?"

"They hurt you already once. I don't want to think what they would do if they get you again."

"They hurt me once? What do you mean?"

"Before they got me from your cabin, they went to the diner and beat you up."

"They are the ones that did this to me?"

"They made you forget all about me. I don't know where I am going to stay as soon as I get there. I don't know who my family is, I never knew my mother's maiden name. All I know is that her name was Mary."

"That's a common name. Well, you can stay in the cabin, that's where you were staying before."

"It won't bother you to have me there, a stranger?"

"No, it won't be a problem. We just moved out."

"We?"

"My wife, my son and I."

"Your wife? When did you get married?"

"Over two months."

"Who did you marry?" She asked, knowing the answer.

"My fiancé, July. Look, apparently there was something between us. I don't know how that happened because I'm not a cheater. I was engaged to the mother of my child and I'm sorry if I led you on."

"You were not engaged to her, Shawn. You broke it off with her four years ago!"

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?"

"Because it's the truth!"

"Hey, I know you're hurt. But I have a new life now. You're staying at the cabin until you find your family. I can give you your job back at the diner and I put away the things you left behind in boxes. I didn't feel like throwing it away in case you came back for them."

"Why did you move out of the cabin?"

"Because we needed a bigger place."

"Who's idea was that?"

"My father and mother in law gifted us a bigger house in town."

"You love the cabin. You built that place all by yourself with your own money. This is not you, can't you see? July is putting ideas in your head. That's the reason you broke up with her, because all she cares about is the money."

"Stop, I don't need you talking like that about my wife. I married her, we have a son and another one on the way. I have a family, nothing is going to change that."

"She... she's pregnant?"

"Yes." He said and rode in silence the rest of the way and she looked out the window and wept in silence.

"Where do you think he might've gone?" Wilma asked July as they hung up pictures on the wall in the new house.

"I don't know, Wilma. All I know is that the day before he received a call, he said it was a wrong number, but the look on his face told me differently. I'm worried. That night we were in bed and he stopped in the middle of it saying he had a headache. Then the next morning, he's gone."

"Do you think it was her?"

"I made it pretty clear to her last time she called not to call back ever again."

"It's not like him to leave the diner and us like that, without a word."

"Even after I told him I was pregnant! He better be back soon. He hasn't even called me at all."

"Hello, family." Shawn said, carrying a bag as he walked into the house.

"Shawn!" July said running to him.

"Honey, where have you been? We've been worried, and July, in her condition, shouldn't be worried." Wilma said, hugging him.

"You told her?" Shawn asked.

"She was with me when I found out. So, where were you?" July probed.

"Taking care of something, nothing for you to worry about." He said looking around the house. "This house is huge. Do we really need so much space?"

"Don't change the subject and yes, we do! I'm not changing the way I used to live, Shawn. That cabin was horrid. I felt like I couldn't breathe."

"That's good to know." He said upset.

"Tell me, what were you doing?"

"Yes, Shawn. You left the diner and your father without a word."

"July, mom. I'm back, that's all that matters. Okay?"

"I'm not stopping until you tell me." July said following up the stairs.

He abruptly stopped and turned around. "Drop it!" He yelled, making her jump.

"What has gotten into you? How can you yell at her?" Wilma said, reaching them.

"I have a headache, I need to lay down. Leave me alone."