Present Day
"Mom!" Marco ran to her and gave her a wet kiss on her cheek. "Where are the cookies?" She can't help but smile at his shining eyes waiting for the cookies that were for him.
"Can I have another kiss?" and she offered her other cheek for another kiss. And he did comply. "Another one?" this time her forehead. "One more." she offered her chin this time.
He noticed that she wasn't serious and made a face. "Mommy. Are you teasing me?"
She laughed. He is too precious. "Sorry. Here it is." He reached out for the cookies, and with a happy "Thank you," he ran towards Marion, who greeted her with a nod. Marco really likes Marion and sees him as the father he has never known. She whispered a "Thank you" to Marion who just smiled at her before answering Marco's question about the chocolate chips on the cookies.
She sought Richard out and found him in the kitchen. He is busy cooking. She can tell that it will be delicious from the smell. She still cooks, but not as often as before. In fact, she actually taught Richard how to cook. He wanted to learn how to cook for Marion. Now, even if she finds it hard to admit, he cooks better than her now.
"Hey, handsome," she called out. "what are you cooking?"
A scrunched-up face was what he welcomed her with. "I am cooking the sauce for the lasagna. Marco requested it for dinner." He turned around again and began adding fresh parsley and basil to the pan. The smell is heavenly.
"Can Marco and I borrow a room tonight? I don't think I can drive tonight."
"Well, of course, dear." He didn't look back as he was taking out the pasta from the pan he boiled it from. "You know that the extra room is specially set for you and Marco so that you can both stay here anytime you need to." He is now layering the pasta at the bottom of the pan he prepared for baking the lasagna.
"Thanks." she sighed. She just realized that she has been holding in a sigh. Releasing that felt good. " I saw Mark."
Richard cursed. She accidentally dropped a piece of the pasta and it fell to the ground. "Woman, don't you dare surprise me with that kind of news whenever I am cooking."
"Well, you were the one who knew it first that he is now staying here. How are you surprised?"
"I didn't think it would be this quick though." He put down the spatula he was holding for the sauce. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," barely. "But I was shaken. I tried to act as if I didn't know him. Didn't work though. He... He still recognizes me." She can't help but hug herself. She is still too shaken by what happened. "He called my bullshit."
"You were too dumb to act that way, though."
"Well, how was I to know that by the time you tell me he is here, he was standing right beside me?"
Richard shrugged that off. "You do have a point. But," he paused while looking her straight into the eyes. "what's your plan now?"
She knows what to do. She just isn't sure if it will be okay with Marco. "I plan to move back to the US."
Richard's eyes turned to slits. "That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard from you." He turned around and resumed layering the pasta. "I've always admired you to be a strong woman surviving your tumor and even... that..." He paused. She knows what he is talking about. That topic has been taboo for them. She can still remember the feeling of almost dying.
"Chard..."
"But I have never thought you would try to escape your situation. You have to tell him the truth Mara. If not now, then soon." He faced her once again with sad eyes. "He deserves to know the truth."
That's what she is afraid of. Him knowing the truth. About what happened 5 years ago. "I...I can't, Chard." She can't. "I... I... might break at the hatred he might show for me then."
"Mara-"
"No Chard," She whispered. "You might think that it's fine with me to tell him about Marco... about what happened to..." just remembering what happened brings back the painful memories from back then. She met Richard's eyes. "I can't, Chard."
Richard may not agree with her decisions most of the time, but he always shows his support for her in the end. May it be a decision she will regret or not, he always makes sure he is there no matter what. And she is always thankful for having such a friend.
He walked to her and hugged her. "I understand," he said. "Take your time. No one's in a hurry here." The kiss on her head was very sweet, and it comforted her too much that the fear in her is starting to subside. "Just remember, whatever happens, your decisions should always be all about you and Marco. Fuck the world. You and Marco should always come first. We will always be here to support you no matter what."
God, she does not deserve such a friend. But I am always thankful to have such friends. Ones who will fight her fight with her, whether it's right or not.
"I will." she needs to.
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Dinner was perfect! The lasagna turned out better than she had thought. She spooned a lot of it into her mouth. And Marco, being her son, also ate a lot of their favorite dish. Richard had to make sure though that Marco still follows a balanced diet, so even if Marco is 5, he has a salad beside his lasagna. He doesn't enjoy it, but he ate it. You won't miss the faces he makes though, but still, he finished both the lasagna and the salad.
Whenever Mara visits, she always takes over the kitchen chores, namely washing the dishes, wiping the table, and cleaning the whole kitchen itself. As an Asian, they don't believe in dishwashers so everything is done by hand.
And while she is busy doing the chores, Richard took care of Marco's nightly routine. Taking a bath, brushing his teeth, etc. he is full-on mother mode whenever Marco is with them. She could do it, but she would not want to take that pleasure from them. Marion prepares Marco's clothes and bed for bedtime. You would think they are done with that? Nope. They go all out. They even tell Marco a bedtime story themselves.
Which they are doing as of the moment. Looking at them, you will see a family full of love. And she loves looking at them. She doesn't feel jealous, she feels blessed to have people who can give love to her son as much as any real parent does.
Not wanting to disturb their moment, she decided to change into the gym clothes she has in her bag. Her body is asking for a few hours of jog on the mill. The building has its own gym where she can have her much-needed jog. She needs to release all the pent-up nerves. She may even box for a few rounds.
She checked all the necessary things she needs to bring: a water bottle, phone, keys, AirPods and her change of clothes, she is ready. Before leaving the unit, she took a deep breath. Mark may be outside, but I can do this. We haven't seen each other for 5 years, seeing him twice in one day will be too much and would be a long reach for destiny. Right? I mean, it would mean that destiny is working overtime today, and it rarely does.
With that in mind, Mara opened the door to see a smiling Mark ready to press the buzzer.
Fuck destiny.
Mark's smile slowly faded and was replaced by a dark expression. "You live here?"
Despite his face darkening, she couldn't help but notice that he is still wearing the same clothes he had on when he was on the elevator. Meaning, he is still wearing the dark jeans he had on paired with a white shirt. Well, almost. It seems that he took off the tux he had on. Sh can see the delicious bits that were hidden under the tux.
Handsome devil. "Nope," she answered his question that was hanging there for a few seconds. She made an action signaling that she wants him to move out of the way. She may be surprised by his sudden appearance, but damn if she would let him notice that.
He did move aside, thankfully. She closed the door and then faced him. He still is as handsome as ever. Any woman would definitely fall for this guy. "I-if you have something you want to say to the owner of the house, you can buzz again." And with that, she moved out of his line of sight, or more accurately, she moved to move him out of her one of sight.