Bring The Rain

Chapter 16

Mike's POV
I decided to leave work early, all the simple paperwork that I had to do was completed and I was no closer to coming up with a solution for how I could get my promotion back. I felt defeated, however it wasn't like I was unable to accomplish my plan. Even though I wanted to be in Florida to be closer to my retired parents, I didn't need to move out of state just to get away from Heather and her antics. I could still get my son out of there and file for divorce and full custody. I was just disappointed that my hard work was being looked over and that pay raise would be going to a non deserving low life such as Laroux. I also didn't want to be anywhere near Heather once she received the divorce papers. I knew her temper was dangerous and although she herself was tired of being married to me I knew she couldn't stand to go through the embarrassment of a divorce.
My head hurt too much to think about what my next step should be and at the moment I just wanted to get home. Seeing my son always put me in a good mood, he was a constant ball of energy and made me laugh or smile anytime I was around him. I needed to go home and be with him and after seeing the pictures that Ara sent I only missed him more. Once I finally got home I walked into the door expecting a whirlwind of toys to be spread around the house and a hyperactive toddler to come running to me. Although I was extremely grateful that I didn't walk into a house full of race cars, legos, and action figures everywhere I was saddened that Zahir wasn't there to greet me. I checked his bedroom and saw him sleeping peacefully. He usually naps for an hour or less so seeing him asleep this late was unusual but I could only imagine that multiple hours of playing in the heat must have tired him out.
I assumed that Ara must be in the pool house and she too may have been asleep after putting in all the work that went into cleaning this place. I was impressed with everything that she had accomplished today, especially after walking into my own bedroom. The hamper was now completely empty and all my clothes neatly folded and put into laundry baskets, the bed was made and the closet was now much more organized then how I left it this morning. I could hear the shower turning on and from where I stood in the bedroom I could see Ara's reflexion in the large mirror as she washed off the last remaining cleaning solution from the tile floor and glass shower door. She looked exhausted as sweat gently slid down her neck and chest disappearing down her shirt. I hadn't meant to scare her as I made my way to the bathroom door. I didn't realize how close she was to the doorway until we bumped into each other and Ara jumped away from me as if I were on fire. I didn't understand why she was always so on edge around me. I reached out to grab her hands in attempts to calm her. Her skin felt velvety smooth against my own and I couldn't resist the urge to hold onto her as I apologized for scaring her. After a little convincing she finally agreed to have dinner with Zahir and I, she deserved more than that after cleaning the house and watching him all day. She continued to go above her job requirements and I felt the need to show her how much I appreciate what she's been doing for us.
Once she left me alone in my room I stripped out of my suit and tie and took a quick shower to relax myself before getting dressed. I chose a casual all black Nike tracksuit and I picked a matching outfit for Zahir to wear. The temperature was scheduled to drop soon and although today had finally brought warm weather tonight would be as low as fifty five degrees and I wanted to ensure that Zahir wouldn't get cold while we were out. I expected him to finally be awake when I entered his room but he was still sleeping. I gently woke him and cleaned him up before changing his clothes. After getting him dressed I gave him a snack and a cup filled with juice to tide him over until dinner. "Did you have fun at the park today"? He shook his head yes without bothering to remove the sippy cup from his mouth. Once he was finished with his juice I took him to the now spotless family room to watch TV and play. Of course he wanted to take out every toy that he could but I tried my best to keep the room just as organized as Ara had left it. By four in the evening he was starting to get bored with his toys, "Ah-Ah!", he screamed. "Zahir do you want food"? He only sighed and grabbed my hand, I knew that it sometimes bothered him when I was unable to understand what he wanted but I had taught him to show me what he was referring to and I would usually give him whatever he requested. Hand in hand we walked through the house until we were in the kitchen standing in front of the glass doors leading to the pool. "Ah-Ah", Zahir repeated and pointed outside. I stood confused for a moment before I realized what he was asking for. "We'll see her soon buddy". I tried to redirect him to the family room but he wouldn't budge, "we can watch Paw Patrol until we see her later, how does that sound"? He stomped his feet in typical tantrum mode "no!", he shouted. He began to scream and I knew a melt down was coming. I hated when he had these screaming fits and I had a problem of giving in to his demands just to quiet him down but I refused to let him bother Ara, she needed her rest. I was trying my best to reason with him when Ara herself came through the basement door carrying another neatly folded basket of laundry. "Zahir", she said sternly. "You do not have to scream just because you don't get your way". She knelt down in front of him so that she was eye level with him, she softened her voice before asking "now tell me what's wrong". He whined and stretched his arms out toward her and she embraced him in a hug. "He's been asking for you but I thought you were still in the guest house and I figured you could use some rest".
"Awww you missed me"! She picked him up and placed him on her hip as she spoke to him gently. She let him know that he couldn't throw a fit just because he wasn't getting what he wanted. I sat at the kitchen island as I watched the interaction between the two of them. He genuinely listened to what she was saying and I could take some lessons from her. She calmed Zahir quickly and easily in situations where I struggled to settle him. "Are you going to be nicer now"? He shook his little head yes and she set him on his feet, he grabbed her hand and stood closer to her as he whined, "eat please".
"I don't know how you get him to behave and ask for things politely". Ara just shrugged "it's easy when you've worked with kids all your life. I've been babysitting since I was a kid myself". That would explain how she was so well adapted to dealing with Zahir's special needs where I had no idea what I was doing most of the time. "I finished up all your laundry and folded it for you". She handed me the basket that she had carried upstairs, "do you need anything else"? The laundry basket contained the rest of my now freshly washed clothes as well as some of Zahir's. I was definitely behind on getting all of our clothes washed but Ara had taken care of the entire house in a day; I needed to figure out what Heather had agreed to pay her, then increase that amount.
"Ara you've done more than enough work for the day. Do you ever rest"? I asked jokingly but she looked saddened as she responded; "I'm used to being the only person taking care of everything". I hated to think that she felt compelled to do so much for our family constantly. Although everything she had done today was amazingly helpful I didn't want her over working herself. "Well tonight we get to take care of you. What do you think about going out a little earlier for dinner"? Her sad expression vanished as she happily stated "I'm starved!".

Ara's POV
Once back in the pool house I immediately stripped off my grimy clothes and jumped in the shower. All the cleaning I had done caused me to sweat profusely and my once stretched twist out was now shrunken to a tiny Afro. While in the shower I let the water run through my hair and added a good amount of conditioner to it while finger detangling. After years of experimenting with my natural hair I had finally figured out the best wash-and-go for a cute style quickly and that would definitely be my style for tonight. Before I got out of the running water I sectioned my hair and applied my leave in as well as a little gel and raked my hands through my coils again until I was satisfied that the products were evenly spread. I blow dried it until I was satisfied with the style and headed back to the bedroom in hopes of finding something to wear.
Thankfully Mr. Taylor said that dinner would be casual because I had nothing to wear. My wardrobe was already sparse but even less appealing now that I had only what I was able to grab during my escape. Javier didn't allow me to wear jeans, he felt that they showed off too much, so the only options I had were more sweat pants and t-shirts. I rummaged through my clothing and finally settled on a pair of high waisted black joggers. While searching I found a long sleeve fitted Nike shirt that belonged to Javier and I must have grabbed it in my rush to leave. I held it up to my wider frame and thought that there was no way I would be able to fit into it but the only other options I had were unflattering sweatshirts so I took a chance. After struggling to get it to stretch over my boobs I finally had it pulled down far enough to meet the top of my pants and together they cinched in my waist and gave me the look of perfect curves. I loved how the outfit made me look and I promised myself I would be getting new clothes once I got my first paycheck.
With my hair and outfit now in place I decided to finish up the laundry that I started earlier. I didn't see anyone as I walked through the back doors and I decided not to bother Mr. Taylor for now, he could use some quality time with Zahir. It didn't take long before I had dried and folded all of the remaining clothes and separated them into two piles, one for each man of the house. I neatly placed them in the basket and carried them upstairs. Before reaching the top stair I heard Zahir's screaming and although I had only been here a few days I knew all too well that those screams meant a melt down was starting. I saw him have the same tantrum with Mr. Taylor when he needed to return to his meeting and Zahir knew he could get away with things if he behaved like that but he was not doing it while I was around. I made my way through the basement door that led directly to the kitchen to straighten out his little attitude.
It only took a few moments to get Zahir to stop his meltdown and tell us what he wanted. I should have guessed that what he really wanted was more food but I was also hungry and thankful when Mr. Taylor agreed to an early dinner. " I just need to grab my purse and I'm ready". I ran back to the pool house to get a small crossbody bag and give myself a final check in the mirror. The shirt was still in place, probably because it was so tight it couldn't budge but I looked good and I liked that the three of us were in matching colors and name brands. That's exactly how I wanted to dress my future family, even if it was over the top my husband would have to deal with it. I smiled at the thought and ran off to catch up with the boys. Mr. Taylor was just finishing putting Zahir into his car seat when I made it to the garage. He opened the passenger door for me allowing me to step inside, "thank you Mr. Taylor". Before I could sit down fully he leaned into me, "Ara, will you ever just call me Mike". He was close enough that I could smell his cologne and his childish smirk made him that much more handsome. I couldn't resist him but I rolled my eyes jokingly, "thank you Mr. Mike" I said sarcastically. He only laughed and closed the door behind me.
I made myself comfortable in the seat as we drove in silence but I soon started to kick myself for not bringing a jacket and hugged my arms closer to my body. "Are you cold"? I shook my head yes and Mike turned a switch that immediately had my body humming with warmth. "The seat warmers are only in the front seats but Zahir already knows how to turn on the heat and air in the rear and use the WiFi". He glanced in the rearview mirror to check on Zahir who was busy playing something on his tablet. "He's definitely an intelligent child, but I think I may love this car more than him". The car was a perfect luxury family vehicle, an all black Cadillac Escalade and it must have been the latest model. "Before Zahir I was driving a candy apple red two seater Porsche; I loved that car".
"If you loved it so much why did you give it up? You could have kept it and got a regular family vehicle; this thing looks like it could carry a whole school of kids". He thought for a moment before answering; "I guess that would have made sense. I could afford the two vehicles but I think I got to the point in my life where I don't wanna be a two seater guy. I'm ready to be the family man, twenty year old Mike planned to have nine kids by now". "Nine!" I looked at him like he had lost his mind. The man probably could afford it but what woman was gonna push out nine kids, even I only wanted four or five. He threw his head back in laughter, "I want a whole baseball team of kids"! I looked back at Zahir and I pictured him being the eldest to eight siblings. I remembered the way he helped little Alauna on the playground and how he cradled her when she fell and skinned her knee; "He would make a great big brother". I hesitated to ask my next question but I couldn't help myself, "why is Zahir your only child then"? I saw a mixture of sadness and anger in his eyes as he thought over the question. "I've asked Heather that same question, she's fought me almost our entire marriage on the subject. She knew I wanted kids from the beginning and she said that she did also but I think she just wanted to fit in; she wanted a successful husband like all of her friends and I think she only liked the idea of a family, not the real hurdles and everyday issues that it brings. Looking back on it I think it's a blessing that she never got pregnant; she's not cut out to be a parent. I thank God for Zahir, and I'm not done with kids, I still hope I can have more in the future". My curiosity wouldn't let the discussion die; "Do you think you'll remarry?" I didn't want him to know that I was aware of his plans to leave Mrs. Taylor but I wanted to know what he saw for his future. "I would love to get married to someone real, someone that has actual goals and dreams; and of course someone who wants a family. I wouldn't mind having some kids of my own but I want to adopt more children too. I never realized how bad the system was until my son came into my life". Could this man be anymore perfect? The perfect family man and father figure to his child, I don't understand what more Mrs. Taylor needed to get her act together. But I realize you can't force love; you can't beat it into someone, or do everything perfectly in hopes that someone will realize the love you have for them. I stared at Mike as he drove and realized we were more alike than I imagined. He has tried as hard as possible to gain Heather's love by being a provider and staying with her through all of her addictions and hateful words. I did all I could to be a loving girlfriend and stayed through the physical and emotional abuse in hopes of loving Javier through his anger. It's past time for the both of us to let go.

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Hope you all enjoyed this chapter ☺️ Please tell me what you guys think of the multiple POV's