The Woman Who Saved Her

"What is the matter, dear?" Jane asked as she sat beside me on the same picnic bench where I had an orgasm.

I must have looked lost because I was staring at the horizon. It's been a week since that heated scene in the car.

Duncan.

Why do I keep on thinking about him? Why does his name keep on popping up every time I am not busy?

And my kids. They never stopped talking about him. It was like, "Mr. Duncan said this..." or, "Mr. Duncan said that..."

As much as I would like to get mad, I cannot. He was filling a space that the children longed to have.

A father.

"Jane, I..." I was having a hard time telling her things. Duncan was her nephew, and I do not want to say anything bad about him.

Other than his uber proclamation that I am his, he was...perfect. I knew that there was no such thing as a perfect human, but he was doing his best. I cannot even discredit him for the things he told me. It was suggestive, but it wasn't rude.

I wanted to tell Jane what was happening. I wanted to tell her what I was feeling, but she knew me well enough to get to the point of why I was looking like a baboon.

"Duncan?" She asked.

I nodded. Not bothering to explain. How could I give Jane an explanation when I don't know how to begin?

Jane only pulled my head and let it rest on her shoulder. Making sure that I was close to her.

Just like what she did the first time we sat on the same bench, looking at the same twilight sky.

Jane was my savior. The person who took me away from the hellhole I was in. She was the one to give that helping hand, to push me away from the place I grew up.

The way we met was in rather unconventional way.

It was on a social media site. Before I became a household name as a Romance author, I had been writing since I was in my teens. That was how she discovered me.

She liked one of my short stories. Out of the published works that I had, she liked the one that few have known. Celtic mythology. That led to an interesting exchange of DM and sharing of knowledge.

She was the one who usually told things to me while I took notes and formulated a story that I was able to write. Or I will be writing.

She told me about Scotland, her home country. And in return, I told her about visiting it. Jane described Scotland as magical, a place that anyone wanted to visit.

One thing led to another, and during the four years we talked, both of us started to trust each other.

Until something happened that tested our friendship.

Both of my kids suddenly became sick. Even though my family was helping, they were unable to provide the financial help that I needed to take the kids to a doctor.

All I could do was rely on home remedies.

The father? He was saying sorry, saying that he cannot ask anyone for help. That was okay for me, I got used to it.

But when he asked, "What do you want me to do?" My heart started to turn cold.

It was a blow that I couldn't take. I could handle being sick, but Claude and Nicole? I cannot.

My kids needed medicine. My family can only do what they can because, for them, I should do everything.

I have no words. I was on my own. I have asked several of my friends, and all of them were also short on money.

I remember Jane calling me, asking me for an update about the kids. I remember how fast my tears of frustration flowed. The words just came out.

I didn't notice that I was crying that time until Nicole wiped my tears and told me not to cry.

It was the worst nightmare any mother would never wanted to feel.

Helplessness.

The next chain of events was a blur.

In thirty minutes a wire transfer amounting to one thousand British pounds was in my account. I have no idea how they pulled it off without any clearance, but they have.

Next was a call from a doctor. He was the head doctor of one of the most expensive and prestigious hospitals in Manila. An ambulance was being sent to my location to pick us up so my children would be seen by a specialist.

The moment I arrived at the hospital, we were treated like VIP patients. The kids were taken care of, and we were asked to stay for a couple of days, just to make sure they were fine.

I remember crying when the kids were sleeping peacefully. The nurse had to sedate me because my blood pressure was too high, and it might rupture a vein.

During the days, we stayed there; I did not spend a penny. Everything was paid for. From the food that was delivered to the things that were sent for us to use, it was like a dream. And I was afraid of how to repay her.

"Was he too forceful?" Jane asked.

Her question pulled me back from the recollection of the past.

Jane never mentioned having a nephew. Frankly, I cannot blame her. Duncan was a very successful man. in any woman's eyes, he was a catch.

Apparently, not mine.

"No. He has his moments," I replied, still not lifting my head from her shoulder. "But, Jane, why me?"

So I sound like a broken record, could you blame me? I am a woman who had enough love and enough relationships. I have never been on any dates since I was annulled.

What for?

How can I not repeatedly ask that question? His words had been bugging me.

He made it obvious why he was attracted to me. It was not my looks that attracted him to me. But the whole me.

Up till now, I cannot understand what it meant.

Was it my attitude, my outlook, my quirks, my craziness? Was it also my ups and my downs that made him like me?

Something must be wrong with him then.

Why?

I'm damaged goods. I have scars, I have wounds that were still fresh. So, liking me is like hugging a cactus.

But, the way Jane sounded, made me weary.

She was happy.