Ecie & Esme III: Forever and a Day

Seven

'Where are we going tonight?' Ethan asked as he walked hand in hand with Lauren.

'We're going out,' Lauren smiled. 'I promised Verd that I'd show my face.'

'Right,' Ethan nodded. 'So we're going to that bar? You're not even old enough to get served.'

'Does it look like that's ever stopped me?' Lauren laughed. 'It'll be fine.'

'I'm worried about how much you drink,' Ethan said looking at Lauren. 'You drink way too much.'

'No I don't,' Lauren replied. 'You should see how much I used to drink when I was a teenager back home. My mom told me she was worried then.'

'Well I'm pretty sure she'd be worried about you now,' Ethan said. 'I swear every time I see you, you're either drinking or really drunk.'

'That's because you never see me during the day,' Lauren replied. 'If you did, then you'd see I hardly drink anything.'

'Well I'm not going to let you drink tonight,' Ethan said. 'I'm going to tell them all how old you really are.'

'Verd will still serve me,' Lauren said. 'He's a good friend like that.'

'Is Esme not working tonight?'

'I think so,' Lauren replied. 'But she's been up in Calabasas visiting Ecie.'

'What's wrong with her?'

'I don't know,' Lauren replied. 'I think she's having a break down or something. I don't know.'

'Aren't you supposed to be best friends?'

'Yeah, but all relationships need to have some secrets,' Lauren replied. 'It keeps things interesting and keeps the relationship fresh. It's nice to always find things out about the other person.'

'What secrets do I need to find out?'

'I don't know,' Lauren replied. 'There's loads of stuff about me. But I think it'll take a while before I reveal them to you.'

'How about I start so that you know I'm always ready to hear, and I won't be judgmental?' Ethan said.

'Go ahead.'

'When I was eight, my mom got cancer,' Ethan said. 'I really thought she was going to die and I was going to be an orphan.'

Lauren looked at Ethan. 'That's terrible.'

'She got better,' Ethan said. 'Now she's doing really well.'

'What happened to your dad?'

'Well,' Ethan said uneasily. 'I never knew my dad, in fact neither did my mom.'

'Oh right,' Lauren said. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry.'

'Its fine,' Ethan said. 'I don't usually tell a girl this so soon into a relationship; in fact I don't think I've ever told a girl this before.'

'What?'

'My mom was raped by some guy,' Ethan said slowly. 'She got pregnant and I guess that she didn't get an abortion, because here I am.'

'Oh my god Ethan,' Lauren said stopping and looking at him. 'How...? What...? Huh...?'

'I know,' Ethan nodded. 'It's a lot to take in.'

'How did your mom manage that?' Lauren asked. 'To look at you every day always knowing, always being reminded of what happened. That's terrible.'

'I know,' Ethan nodded. 'There are days when I can't even look at myself knowing that the blood of a rapist runs through my veins. There are days when I can't talk to my mom because I'm scared that I'll upset her. I even remember growing up and just thinking that I should be killed because of what happened.'