Chapter 5

Julie:

“Alex… What are you doing here?” My heart raced as I saw Alex, the last person I expected to encounter today, or rather, the last person I wanted to see. There was no way out of this, especially in front of Angel. I couldn’t lie – what kind of example would that set? Besides, I couldn’t deny my child to save face.

“I’m here to see my sister, and you? What brings you here?” Alex wore a smirk that seemed to suggest he knew the answer but wanted me to say it out loud.

“Wait, is Mary your sister?” I glanced at Mary, who nodded with a broad smile.

“Julie, meet my little brother, Alex. It seems like you both know each other.”

“Hmm, yes, he is my sister’s fiancé.”

“Mama, play, play!” Angel started wiggling in my arms.

“Is that your child, Julie?” Alex inquired.

“Hmm, Mary, do you mind taking Angel for a while, please?” Mary nodded and took Angel to play, I reminded her to keep a close eye on her.

As Mary and Angel played on the slide, I sat on the beach, with Alex taking a seat beside me.

“Well, are you going to answer my question, Julie?” Alex prodded.

why does he even care if I answer or not but then again he was there for me last night so might as well be truthful.

“Mmmm, yes, that’s Angel. She’s one year and a few months old, and yes, she’s my child.” I looked at my baby, her laughter making me smile as she reveled in the simple joys of life.

“So, why doesn’t she live with you?” Alex asked.

“Look, Alex, nobody in my entire family knows I was pregnant and gave birth, okay?”

“Didn’t they notice something at school or somewhere else?”

“It was difficult to hide, especially when I had to wear dresses five times larger than my normal size. It was hard to keep it from everyone, and, most of all, it was hard for me to keep her.”

“Why didn’t you give her to her father then, instead you gave her to my sister why?”

“Because I couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I was raped, okay? I don’t know who her father is, and I don’t want to know. I got raped when I was sixteen, and a few months later, I found out I was pregnant with Angel. I always wanted a child of my own, so I was happy about that, but I wasn’t happy about how it happened. Do you know how it feels when I’m on the street with her, and other kids say ‘dad,’ and she looks at me? She might not be able to speak yet, but I know her, and it hurts me that she can’t have her father with her. Even more, I know I can’t take her home because my parents will disown me. I just don’t know what to think anymore. It hurts so much.”

“I understand. So how is your friend who lost her mother?”

I knew he was trying to change the subject, but it would be better if I told him the truth.

“Hmm, well, that was a lie. The thing was, Mary called me, telling me Angel was terribly sick. When I arrived at the hospital, it turned out she just missed me too much.”

“Is that the cause of all the nightmares you’ve been having?”

“Yeah, kind of. When this first happened, it was way worse. But when I found out I was pregnant, they went away, only to return about a month ago, and this time, they’re even worse because I remember everything as if it’s happening all over again. I can’t tell my parents because that day, this happened, I was supposed to be home. But it was my friend’s birthday. Look, I don’t regret a thing. I don’t regret keeping her; she’s my everything. Even though I still remember that horrible night, I’m fine because each time I look at her, she makes everything better.”

I stood up, wiped the tears from my cheeks, and went to where Mary and Angel were playing. I picked up Angel and went back to where Alex was seated.

“Can I carry her?”

“Yes, sure,” I said, passing Angel to Alex. She started playing with his hair and pulling it.

“Hey, princess, can you please stop pulling my hair? It hurts.”

“Hahaha. Come here, Angel. We need to go home,” said Mary.

“No, I’ll take Angel home so you and your brother can have some alone time. She needs a shower anyway.”

Mary gave me a smile as I took Angel back from Alex.

“Wait, will you be bringing her back home, or should I come to pick her up when you’re done?”

“I’ll bring her home since I’ll be staying there for the rest of my time here.”

“Ah, okay. Anyway, Angel, let’s head home, babe,” I said as she smiled and put her head on my shoulder before we left.

By the time we got back to where the car was parked, Angel was asleep. I placed her in the back seat, where her baby chair was, after getting her settled. I closed the door and rushed to the grocery store. After buying everything for dinner, I returned to the car and saw that Angel was still asleep.

Upon arriving home, I brought everything inside and took Angel upstairs, changed her clothes and diaper, and placed her in bed. I didn’t realize how late it had become until I checked my phone – it was 5 in the evening. It was hard to believe that talking to Alex had taken so much time. I needed to start preparing dinner before Angel woke up.

I unpacked all the groceries and began making curry with rice and plenty of meat. After cooking for more than an hour, I decided it was time for a hot bath. Just as I started filling the bathtub, I heard Angel crying. I went to pick her up, and we decided to take a bath together, considering it was well-deserved after such a long day.