"Babe I thought you claimed you'd be back after a week? It's practically been two weeks since you left where are you? I've been trying to reach your phone for a week now. I'm worrying, call me back when you get this message." Milani hung up the phone and exhaled. Chris hadn't spoken to her at all since he left and it was making her paranoid. The front door opened and Caesar strolled in with Alana on his back and Romeo holding his hand. With a grin, Milani giggled, "You'll crush Caesars back. Why must you insist on him carrying you home from school?" Milani stood up, walked over to Caesar and picked up Alana off of his back. Walking upstairs with Caesar following.
Caesar was being a tremendous help for the past week, helping Milani with the kids whenever he was off work. He helped with driving them from school back home, and carrying the kids into their bedroom, and bathing them whenever Milani couldn't. "You've been such a wonderful helper, how can I thank you," commented Milani as she bathed her two kids. "You can thank me by going out to dinner with me tomorrow night?" His eyes were glowing even more than usual and his smile was wider than before.
Milani cleared her throat and dried off Romeo and Alana. "I'm sorry Caesar but you know I can't go out to dinner with you." Caesars smile wore off his face as he handed her the kids change of clothing. "What... come on are you serious why not?"
Sighing, she told her children to go play in the other room before shifting her attention back to Caesar. "You know I'm seeing someone now please quit acting like we can go back to the way things were, because we can't." Caesar knew Milani would refuse him, but couldn't help stop feeling misery after hearing the words. But it was understandable why would she offer him a second chance? Wasn't the first chance enough evidence that he wasn't suitable enough for her. "Can you at least just go out to dinner with me for old time sake? Just two friends having dinner?" He sighed in defeat.
Milani couldn't help but pity Caesar, seeing him beg her to go out on a date; his eyes bags were visibly dark, it looked as if he hadn't gotten a proper nights rest in months.
Milani glanced at her calendar and sighed, giving in. "Fine, one date, that's it we're strictly friends." When Milani was still a teenager and dating Caesar, she would have been ecstatic to go on a date with him. Whereas now she knew in her heart that he was just a memory and that she could never go back to the way things were when they were teens. It saddened her because she genuinely loved and cherish Caesar before their divorce, and now he was nothing but a memory and the father of her children. Maybe that was how fate worked, maybe that was her destiny, to marry Caesar, have children with him, get divorced and live a happier life with someone else. Suddenly Milani's phone began to ring in her pocket, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"Chris, where were you? I've been trying to get ahold of you for the longest... You were busy? Didn't you say you'd only be at work for the week and you would come back the next week. But it's almost been two weeks since you said that? Who's that in the background? An old friend... so you're not at work right now, but out with friends. Oh, you're out with work friends having a drink... where am I? I'm at home right now. Romeo and Alana's father picked them up from school and brought them home... yeah that's what I've been meaning to tell you. But you weren't answering the phone, I wanted to tell you that their father and I worked out our differences... when do you get back? Next week... what's going on? Why is it taking you so long? When you come back, you officially would've been gone for a month... okay whatever, bye." Milani hung up the phone and exhaled sharply.
Caesar sat down on the bed next to his children's mother. "I didn't mean to pry into your conversation but are you okay? It sounds like your boyfriend isn't coming back soon, I can stay back and help you with the kids for the next week if you want." For a second the two of them shared direct eye contact, Caesar leaned closer to Milani's lips almost as if he was mesmerized by them. The woman next to him jumped up off the bed with her eyes narrowed and a glare visible. "What were you doing just now?" she said through clenched teeth. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." Caesar felt a pang of guilt for not thinking before trying to kiss Milani and knowing she didn't have feelings for him anymore. "I think you should go," Milani clenched her arms, crossing them against her chest in a defensive gesture.
"I'm so sorry, I screwed up again but please don't push me away again I want to be in the kids lives." Caesar cried dropping down to his knees. Milani looked at Caesar noticing how broken he truly was. "Caesar get up, I'm not going to push you away." The guy in front of her was fully conscious that the woman in front of him in which he used to love so deeply would forgive him. He has long known her characteristics and how she dealt with situations maturely. But what stung him in the heart was how disgusted she looked when she refused his advance as if he was a parasite. "I'll be going then, I'm sorry if I disturbed you," Caesar sighed before standing up and walking out the room. "Hold on Caesar, the weather outside isn't safe, it's raining, and I heard there would be a thunderstorm this afternoon." Shaking his head Caesar smiled indicating that he rejected her kindness. "It's fine I'll be going now," Milani observed as the father of her children walked outside.
"Mommy Romeo isn't feeling well, he said his tummy hurts." Without comment, the mother shifted her attention to the kitchen where her son was staring at his plate. Romeo picked at his beans flicking them off his plate. "Is everything okay baby? Your sister told me your tummies hurting," Romeo nodded his head while his mother checked his temperature. "You don't look like you have a temperature, maybe it's something you ate?"
Alana whispered to her mother, "big brother ate a lot of chocolate candy while you were talking to uncle Caesar." Milani tried not to snicker as she attempted to figure out a way to tease her son. A ding went off in her head, An idea bringing a mischievous grin to her face.
Milani walked to the pantry and pulled out a chocolate bar. "Romeo I know that whenever you have a tummy ache, your favorite chocolate bar helps you feel better." A panicking look crossed Romeo's face as he shook his head no vigorously. "Serves you right for devouring all the chocolate Caesar bought me," the mother started to giggle and lowered the chocolate bar away from her sons' eyes.
The cell phone's ring pierced Milani's laughter. She shuffled back to the living room where her phone was and answered the call. "Hey Chris, I thought you were busy?" Milani sat on the couch flipping through tv channels. "Hello is this Milani?" An unfamiliar voice questioned through the line. "Yes, this is she. Who am I speaking to?" Milani set the channel on a cartoon after noticing that her children wanted to watch tv.
"My names Nikki, I'm a model and I work with your boyfriend Chris." The woman on the other line slurred her words, it was noticeable that she had been drinking. "Well, I'm calling you because I'm Chris' ex girlfriend and I wanted to let you know that I'm back in the picture and he's mine." A faint sound of a male moan lingered across the line, sending a chill down Milani's spine. "You see Milani darling, Chris informed me that you haven't been satisfying his needs for a few months now. Also, he told me that you're a mother of two kids and you don't have enough time for him. I'm going to be real with you, when Chris called me wanting to be back in the modeling business I was so confused. You see, six years ago he said that he was done modeling. But thanks to your negligence he's back in my arms so really I have to praise you." Milani closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. She hung up then dropped the phone on the floor, sinking onto the living room chair.
"Mommy why is uncle Caesar's car still outside?" Alana asked staring outside. Milani whipped her tears and walked to her window. Bitter and confused, Milani slide on her rain boots and walked outside to Caesars car. She tapped on the driver's window noticing through the fog that his head was lying down on the steering wheel. How could he fall asleep in this position, she thought. Milani pulled on the driver's door. Locked. She walked around the car and tried the passenger's side. The door opened, and she climbed inside the car. "Caesar what are you doing sleeping in this cold ass car?" Milani shook him. No response. Annoyed that she had to deal with this at a time like this, Milani twisted his face towards her then screamed. White foam was coming out of his mouth that she hadn't noticed before.
Milani looked at the line of white powder on the dashboard in front of Caesar. "He's been doing cocaine?!" Milani screamed whipping off the remainder coke from the dashboard.
"Caesar this isn't funny wake up," A feeling of panic overwhelmed her as she searched for Caesars pulse. "He's still alive," a breath of relief escaped from Milani's lips. Taking out his phone Milani called 911. "Hello... my ex husband is foaming out his mouth and he won't wake up. He still has a pulse but it's very faint and he's not breathing... cpr? Yes, I know how to do it... ten minutes away? Okay, I can stay with him until you get here... thank you." Milani hung up the phone and lifted up Caesar head. "Stay with me okay Caesar, don't die on me, you still have a promise to keep. Who'll buy me all the cherry blossom trees and tulips in the world if you leave me." The woman reached across her ex husband and unlocked his door before getting out of the car. She opened the driver's door and struggled to pull Caesar out the car before eventually getting him down on the ground.
"If you die I won't forgive you," she declared giving him a breath. "Come on, baby stay with me," Milani kept giving him cpr in the pouring rain until the paramedics finally showed up after eight minutes. The paramedics strapped Caesar on a stretcher and carried him to the ambulance. "Miss you can come with us if you wish," a man told her. Milani glanced at Caesar's lifeless face, he almost looked dead, she wanted to go with him badly but couldn't leave her children at home by themselves. "I'm going to drive behind you," she choked up running back inside her house. "Mommy why are you crying?" Romeo and Alana asked her. The mother picked up her car keys and kneeled down in front of her kids. "It's Caesar, he's hurt, and the ambulance is taking him to the hospital. Now I need you two to be good and come with me to see him okay?" The Twins nodded following their mother to her car.
Milani sped up, following the ambulance to the hospital. Throughout the whole drive all Milani could think about was the picture of Caesar's lifeless body on the stretcher and how helpless she was. "We're here," she choked watching as the men rushed out the ambulance and into the emergency room. Milani ran out her car and gripped her children's hands as she rushed into the emergency room. "Code blue, we need to resuscitate this patient now!" A nurse yelled before climbing on top of Caesar. "Get the EKG now!" The doctor yelled.
The woman watched as her first love was being shocked by two EKG strips. "Ma'am you have to get back," a nurse said pushing her out of the room. "No! That's my ex husband in there," she cried begging the nurse to let her see him. "Miss we're doing everything we can to bring him back but I need you to stay behind this door." Milani settled down and watched Caesar getting shocked again before the nurse shut the door.