Tamsyn Bester - Precious Consequences

“Oh my God,” I breathe, taking a step closer to her. Her lip starts trembling. “What happened?”

She sniffles, saying, “It’s Jace. H-h-he showed up a-a-and he was d-drunk.”

I look at my grandmother. “Take the girls into the kitchen, please, Gama, and make them some pancakes for breakfast?” I ask. She nods, not asking questions, and instead of reaching for Ari, she reaches for an obviously terrified Macy.

“C’mon, baby girl, I’m not going to hurt you,” she soothes, her gentle voice calming. “I bet you’d like some pancakes, huh?”

Macy looks up at Taylor and she nods. “It’s okay, Macy. Momma will be right here, okay?”

Taylor hands Macy over and I put Ari on her feet, watching as she follows my grandmother and Macy into the kitchen. I lead Taylor over to the sofa and motion for her to sit down. “I’ll be right back,” I tell her. I walk to the guest bathroom that’s downstairs and open the medicine cabinet. When I find the first-aid kit, I make my way back to the living room and take a seat next to Taylor. Without saying anything, I go about cleaning her face, tending to the small cut on her lip and then the one above her eye, which I missed earlier. She hisses but sits still until I’m done. I hear the girls giggling in the kitchen and the sound somehow helps both me and Taylor to relax.

“You want to tell me what happened?” I ask gently. Taylor swallows hard, her eyes glazing over with tears. I slip my hand into hers and give it a reassuring squeeze.

“You can tell me,” I reassure her.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” she says. Her voice is soft and shaky. “It all happened so quickly.”

I don’t say anything. I wait for her to gather her thoughts and piece herself back together.

“I decided to pick up an extra shift,” Taylor continues. “And I got a sitter for Macy. I got in about an hour ago and Jace showed up soon after the sitter left. He was so drunk. When he started yelling I was worried that he’d wake Macy, but after he threw the first punch I didn’t care. He accused me of cheating on him when we were married and he said Macy isn’t his,” her chest moves with her sharp intake of breath and tears start sliding down her face. But she finds it in herself to continue, I see the resolve in her eyes. “It’s a good thing my daddy taught me how to defend myself before he died,” she laughs sadistically. “I just wasn’t expecting to have to defend myself against my soon-to-be ex husband. I knocked him out with a lamp and grabbed Macy, along with everything that could fit into those bags. And I’m sorry to just show up, but I had nowhere else to go, and I needed to get Macy away from him.”

My arms wrap around Taylor’s shoulders and I feel her sobs. They travel from her body, into mine, and I feel her anguish and heartache as if it were my own. “I’m glad you came here,” I tell her. “You and Macy can take the guest bedroom downstairs and stay as long as you need to.”

“Thank you so much, Hayley. I promise we won’t get in your way.”

“You can make yourself at home and I’ll go check on the girls.”

Taylor nods. “I think I’m going to shower and then Macy and I will get some sleep.”

Taylor picks up her bags and I show her to the guest bedroom before heading to the kitchen. Macy and Ari are munching away on pancakes and I take the opportunity to pull my grandmother aside.

“Is your friend alright, sweetheart?” my grandmother asks. Worry lines her face.

“I’m not sure,” I reply honestly. “But I think she will be. Is it okay if she stays here for a little while?”

“Of course, sweetheart. They are welcome anytime.”

I smile, grateful for grandmother’s hospitality. I kiss her on the cheek and say, “Thank you.”

After Taylor and Macy get a few hours of sleep, we sit outside by the swimming pool and enjoy the summer heat. I watch as Taylor plays with and Ari and Macy in the pool and let my thoughts wander back to the swim meet yesterday. More specifically, to Cameron. Hannah invited me to their party last night but after the week I had I wanted nothing more than to relax and spend an evening at home with Ari. A small part of me can’t help but admit that I was avoiding Cameron. As much as I wanted to see him again last night I decided against it. He’s trouble.

Taylor’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “What you thinking about so hard over there?”

“Nothing,” I say.

Taylor helps Macy and Ari out of the pool and takes them inside. She reappears a few minutes later, two tall glasses of sweet tea in her hands. She takes a seat on the lounger next to mine and passes me a glass, all the while her eyes bore into my face.

“What?” I ask. My lips meet the cool glass and the tasty liquid refreshes my mouth, traveling all the way down into my belly. It’s a welcome reprieve from the sweltering mid-August temperatures.

“What’s his name?”

“What makes you think it’s a guy?”

Taylor’s eyebrow rises and she smirks. “I may be blonde, but I’m not stupid. I know when a girl is thinking about a guy.”

I blush, and I’m not even sure why. Maybe it’s because I’m thinking about someone I hardly know but wish I knew better. Or maybe it’s because I had the urge to trace Cameron’s tattoos with my fingers after seeing the ink that covered quite a bit of his body. I’m willing to put my money on both and then add thinking about how mouthwatering he looks, with water dripping off every bulging muscle of his defined swimmer’s body, for good measure.

“Okay, fine,” I sigh. “You caught me.”

“What’s his name?” Taylor asks, intrigued.

“Cameron,” I reply. “But I hardly know the guy. We met two weeks ago outside Ari’s daycare center and I saw him again yesterday.”

“Honey,” Taylor says, sitting back on the lounger. “We all start off as strangers, and there’s nothing wrong with being curious about someone. You might find that he’s just as curious about you.”

“I doubt it. A guy like that can have any girl he wants and I’m pretty sure he’ll head for the hills when he finds out I’m a package deal.”

Taylor sighs and I think about what she said. “That’s the reality of being a momma. Our girls always have to come first and if that means not having a guy in our lives until much later, then so be it. I’m quite happy having it be just me and Mace for a while anyway.”

We fall silent, both being pulled in by our thoughts. She’s right. Ari’s needs will always come before mine and I will be that way until she’s old enough to stand on her own two feet. Being with a guy right now just isn’t in the cards and I’m oddly okay with that. Because when the right guy comes along, he won’t only fall in love with me, but he’ll fall in love with Ari, too.

** ** ** **

Taylor and Macy stay with us through Saturday and Sunday and when Monday rears its ugly head, I drop Macy off at daycare with Ari. I have a test on Friday, so after stopping at the coffee shop, I make my way to the library, hoping to get in an hour or two of studying before my first class with Hannah. I take two flights of stairs and find a quiet corner in the study center. I take out my text book for my Concepts of Communication and Journalism class and start making notes, scribbling furiously across sheets of paper until it’s covered in ink. Somehow two hours goes by without me even realizing it. I pack up my things and when I walk out the library again, I spot Cameron walking in my direction. He’s wearing a pair of blue faded jeans and a black t-shirt that shows of his broad shoulders. As if he knows I’m staring at him, his head comes up, revealing a pair of aviator sunglasses and a smile that could melt the panties off even the most frigid woman.