Little Wonder (Phan)

Chapter Fourteen.

Trying to decide between Crunchy Nut and Fruit Loops was harder than I'd originally thought, especially when Winnie was swinging on my arm, trying to get my attention for something else she wanted, pointing frantically, but by now I just ignored her and tried to keep in mind how much I was spending, and how that would affect our weekly budget. "Papa! Papa! Look! It's the princess from the coffee shop!" And that's when I snapped to attention, turning around faster than I'd thought humanly possible. There she was, the same woman who we had met at the coffee shop, Bea. The one whom I had caught Phil with, and suddenly, my blood boiled.

"Winnie, let's go. /Now/." But she didn't seem to be listening, she was beyond excited upon seeing Bea again, not that I blamed her, she thought she was a princess. Not some man stealing skank. Clearing my throat, I tried to stand my ground. "Winnie, we're leaving." She still didn't respond to my voice, trying with all her might to pull me towards Bea, but I wasn't having any of it. "Winnie Mae, stop this right now. We're going home, /right now/." And with that tone, she stopped any movement, and looked down, her arms falling limply by her sides.

But by now, it was far too late, Bea had spotted us and was coming closer. "Daniel! Princess Winnie." She gave a little curtsy, before looking back at me, her smile bright. Too bad I hated her, or else I might've smiled back. "It's been so long, how are you doing?" Why was she acting so sweet, she should know what she's done. She torn our family apart, made us unstable, and more rocky than a car driving on a road full of potholes.

"Hello, Bea." My greeting was curt, and she noticed, narrowing her eyes at me, but keep a smile plastered on her face for Winnie. "How has life been treating you?" She almost seemed glad that I asked, like she was already prepared to answer that question. But I was also afraid of how she would answer it, and who she would mention.

Putting her hands on her hips, she looked me straight in the eyes. "I've been great! I met a great guy, though I haven't heard from him in awhile, he's super cute. I do hope he is alright, he just up and left one night, without telling me a word, it was quite strange." Did she not realise what was blatantly obvious? "Then I found out, he's married! The poor sucker, but that doesn't mean I care for him any less. His wife must not love him enough for him to want to stick around, I mean, that guy gives nothing but love." Her eyes were sparkling, and I was gritting my teeth, trying not to snap at her. I didn't want to explode in public.

"Oh really? That's so nice! But, don't you think his wife must be worrying were he is? Scared that he might not come home? That /he/ might not love /her/ anymore?" All these questions hit close to home, and I took a deep breath, trying my best to not let my emotions been seen, to not allow my expressions to betray me. "I mean, maybe his wife was having doubts, ya know? And then thinking he might be cheating, wow. That's gotta be rough!"

Her expression told me she was thinking, and I suddenly knew I'd given to much away, until her eyes landed on my left hand. My ring, she was looking at my ring. "Well, what would you do if you were in his position? I mean, think about this, do you think you're wife would ever cheat on you?" And that's where it struck, she knew. She knew exactly what she was doing, and what she was saying, and how it affected me. She was twisting around words, trying to get me to crack and come out with the truth, and the fact that she stole him from me.

"I would be devastated, and wouldn't talk to them. But I would also listen to their side of the story, every story has two sides, and maybe they weren't cheating. Maybe they were forced or something, who knows. Lots of evil people out there, you gotta be careful." And now she knew I was talking about her, she wasn't stupid. Glaring at me, she clearing her throat, licking at her lips before trying to shoot out a snarky reply. But I had already turned around, pulling Winnie along with me, ignoring her protests. If she was smart, she wouldn't follow me. And thankfully she didn't, we bought our items, and even walked out without so much as a hassle, until we walked right into Mae, who was just as surprised to see me as I was her. "Mae?"