Chapter 4
I picked up my wine glass and went back to haggling with the sponsors.
Curtis caught the look of defeat on his buddy's face and asked, "What did she say?"
His buddy shook his head. "Curtis, she hung up on me."
"Fuck!" Curtis hurled the pillow across the room.
He had moved too hard, and the IV line in his arm had backed up with blood.
His buddy, freaked out, called for a nurse, but Curtis yanked the needle out himself and bolted straight for my apartment.
There was no point in going there.
He had been there countless times before.
I had moved out.
Someone else had already moved in.
I had canceled my old phone number, making it clear I never wanted to talk to him again.
It was only because his buddy managed to dig up my new number that they were able to get through to me tonight.
Curtis couldn't wrap his head around it.
His chest felt tight, like it was filled with cement. Every time he thought of me, a wave of emotion crashed over him, too strong to stop.
It hurt so bad he could barely breathe.
How had things ended up like this?
He had thought I had been so in love with him.
How did things get so messed up?
Before Curtis could even process it, a sudden cramp hit his gut. He clutched his stomach and dropped to his knees.
Years of heavy drinking had given him a bleeding stomach ulcer, and the fight he had gotten into that night had made it worse.
His buddy hadn't been lying.
He missed me like crazy.
No, he refused to admit that.
*****
It was Julius's routine check-up day, so I came back and wheeled him to the hospital.
Being bedridden for so long had left his skin with an unhealthy, sallow, dull complexion.
He was so thin that when I lifted his hospital gown, his ribs stuck out, sharp and defined, just like a rack of ribs laid out on a butcher's block.
My mom had told me Julius and I used to play together all the time when we were kids, but I had almost no memory of him.
When I was five, my family went bankrupt, and my dad ended up in prison.
The mom I remembered, who had always spoken to me in a gentle voice, and the glamorous, wealthy lifestyle I had grown up with, felt like a dream.
I'd get random fragments of memory now and then, but it all felt like it had happened to someone else.
"Kaylee. I knew you still cared about Curtis. Come on, I'll take you to see him," Curtis's buddy said.
"Curtis?" Malia echoed, a hint of confusion in her voice.
As soon as Curtis's buddy saw her, he instantly clammed up and bolted.
Malia looked at me. "What was that about?"
I shook my head calmly. "No clue. Maybe they just mistook me for someone else."
Malia told me not to go back to the troupe just yet. She had arranged for a few days off for me.
Tomorrow was her younger son's birthday, and she planned to announce my marriage to Julius at his birthday party.
She said it was a double celebration.
I nodded.
I was really looking forward to it.
I couldn't wait to see Curtis's face when his lies got busted.
Most of all, I couldn't wait to have him know that I'm Julius's wife now.
*****
Curtis blocked me right at the hospital entrance. Malia headed back with Julius first.
She had pulled some strings to get me an appointment at the OB-GYN clinic.
She was such a dutiful mother.
Her son was in a vegetative state, and all she cared about was having an heir for the family.
That was where I ran into Curtis, right outside the clinic doors.
I didn't bother asking why he was there.
Maybe June was pregnant.
Or maybe it was some other woman.
Who cared?
When Curtis saw me, his eyes lit up for a second, but anger took over just as fast.
"Where the hell have you been? Why did you ditch your number? Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to find you?" he snapped.
I shrugged. "What do you want from me?
"We broke up, remember?"
"Don't you ever say that again!" Curtis shot back.
Curtis walked over and pulled me into a hug. The cologne I had once liked now smelled sour and overwhelming.
I frowned and pushed him away hard. He doubled over, clutching his stomach. "Kaylee, my stomach hurts so bad."
"Just give me a hug," he said. I didn't have time for his games. The doctor had just called my name.
Curtis finally realized where we were. He grabbed my hand, his voice sharp. "Why are you here?"
His eyes dropped to my stomach, his expression unreadable.
"Are you pregnant?" he blurted out.
"Curtis." June ran over, and Curtis immediately let go of my hand.
I glanced between the two of them. "You two know each other?"
Curtis nodded. "Yeah, classmates."
June latched onto his arm, staking her claim. "What are you doing here? Didn't you and Curtis break up? Why are you back? Don't tell me you regret it."
"Oh, wait, aren't you with—" June started, but I cut her off.
I wasn't about to let Curtis know I was already his sister-in-law.
That would totally ruin the fun, wouldn't it?
I asked, pretending to be curious, "Which school did you guys meet at?"
"Wellington Academy. What's up?" She let her guard down and answered without hesitation.
Curtis's lips pressed into a thin line. He looked a little annoyed.
"Wellington Academy?" I echoed.
I crossed my arms, feigning confusion. "Curtis, how could your family afford to send you to a private school that expensive?"
June caught on right away.