Warm sweat pours down me, jogging on our treadmill trying to discharge the excessive tension from my body. I still haven't heard back from Eliot, and the only positive is that Leo left last night after getting a notification from his bank about a hotel charge in some little town in Georgia. He presumed it was Brooke. I wonder if it was an honest mistake to use the card or are they playing a cat-and-mouse game?
I persist in jogging when Laura enters the home gym. She seems bothered to learn she is not alone, sighing at the sight of me. I lower the volume of my music, in the rare case she wants to even speak to me. My gazes follow her through the reflection of the wall mirror, she clutches her yoga mat and lays it on the floor on the other side of the room.
"How did you sleep?" I ask her, finding the quietness to build uncomfortable tension.
"Good as I could." She answers with a stubborn attitude "This will be the first time Leo will ever miss Christmas, coming to terms with that won't be easy." She complains I hate that I even asked, and she behaves like he is dead. "And all this over some girl." Her inner thoughts are no longer quiet, it's interesting how much people break when under pressure, but I know I am no saint, still regretting and trying to move on from my disturbing voicemail, it was in a moment of desperation and confusion. "But I only want my grandchild to be born into a happy family." She corrects herself, remembering she playing a game of politics. "That is if, she is pregnant... I mean honestly using a baby is low." And there she is again, the ruthless Laura. "There is no ultrasound evidence... I mean when I was pregnant with the boys, I carried those pictures everywhere. They were in the ID section of my wallet." She brags while holding the tree pose. "I mean honestly, there is nothing more beautiful than getting to show off your future bundle of joy, that you created with the man you love." My face cringes the more and more she talks, thankful she is posing the downward dog, her sight is limited.
"Sure, but times have changed." I reply, defending Brooke, while keeping 'Agree to disagree.' alive. But another possibility is that Brooke no longer loves her son.
"That's where you're wrong, Maya." She finds herself correcting me, for when is she not correcting someone? "And you will realize that when you have kids yourself. Trust me." She says starting to stand up again, before transforming into another pose. "How's Eliot anyway?" She asks, catching me off guard not sure what she is insinuating. I stop the treadmill immediately, not even going for the cool-down aspect of the workout. "Careful! You will break it." She stresses referring to the treadmill.
"Sorry," I say, walking off the machine. I walk past her, to fetch myself my towel, still thinking about how to answer her question. I know within the last couple of days, Andrew had to have brought up my story of not coming home to Laura. And to have talked all night, to being disconnected days later doesn't make any sense and by far embarrassing. "He's good, just really busy with baseball. There is no such thing as rest in college sports." I lie taking a long sip of water when the doorbell rings. I am pretty sure one of the other three has to be up, or maybe I should get the door to get away from this conversation.
"Well, maybe with the extra seat available, invite him over for Christmas dinner." She offers, tricking me for only a moment. She sounds sincere, but truthfully her motive sticks out more than she knows. In such a small town, she loves the buzz around the Keller name, and what's better than having a Keller at your dining room table on Christmas night?
"I'll ask him. But he does have a family." I answer. But she only laughs at my response.
"Those people are never home. Besides, it gives him the chance to obligate that raincheck of his."
"Fine. I will ask." I reply, already thinking about my next excuse. "But-" Andrew comes inside, seeming a little anxious.
"Maya, could you come here?" He asks. It's like he knew I needed, a get-out-of-jail-free card.
YOU ARE READING
He Had To Go
Mystère / ThrillerTwo college students, Maya Tarver and Eliot Keller seem to have nothing in common. She was born into a broken home, and him and an all American baseball player. But as time goes on, they become nearly inseparable, that is until Eliot's strange and s...
