Page 10 of Curvalicious

“You told me twelve,” I said, hating her attitude. She gave me the impression that she didn’t like me; she was always so cold to me. Lara said that she is my lawyer, not my friend. Yet, I still would like the person representing me to act like I’m their client, not some hobo on the street bothering them for money.

She nodded. “Yes, and you should have been earlier than the said time. If it was important enough for you to be part of the meeting, then you would have done it. I expected you to be the first one at the door,” she scolded, her dark eyes cut at me. The way she looked at me, I wondered if it was a good idea for her to represent me, because she should have told me to get here earlier, but she didn’t. She wasn’t looking after my best interest and felt comfortable embarrassing me in front of others. I felt my face turn red, not only because they’d already had the meeting, but the way she spoke to me too. As if I was completely stupid.

“Sorry, I should have told you that they were all here. They’d been here for a while,” the receptionist muttered next to me.

A foreigner. Once again, this was how I was being treated. There were rules which I should have automatically known, and I didn’t.

“So, what now?” I shrugged, not having the strength to argue as I laid my purse on the table. Lara said I should carry it. It made me seem important, even if all it contained were her house keys and my phone.

“We’ll talk after the wedding,” my lawyer said, as she shot up and adjusted her red suit. She moved the chair she was sitting on away from her, as if it annoyed her the same way my late appearance had done.

“Wedding?”

“Lara did say you were slow, but I didn’t expect you to be this slow…”

Once again, she cut her eyes at me. If she was anyone else, if I didn’t need her so badly, then I would tell her to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. But Lara said she was good. Real good. And I needed her, not only for her expertise, but because she was free for this first meeting with Rick, a favor for Lara, but after that I would have to pay if we needed to go to court. This part she made clear, she said that hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.

I realized that she wanted this meeting to go according to plan, most likely without me being here, so everything would be settled. Previously, she’d asked if I could pay to go to court. I reassured her. She scanned me from head to waistline, because I was growing red with the lie. I was crap at lying, no matter how hard I tried, and she could see straight through me.

“Your wedding. You know, the one to the SEAL. I can’t remember his name. It doesn’t matter,” she waved, as if there was a mosquito buzzing around her and she needed to get rid of it. I saw nothing. The more she spoke, the more I realized she wasn’t trying to get rid of an imaginary mosquito, but just me.

“When you’ve done that, then we can agree on some schedule. Until then, four weeks and two days from now, you’ll hear from me.”

I felt as if she was speaking another language. I didn’t understand a word that had come out of her mouth.

Wedding?

Who said anything about a wedding?

“You look as if you need something stronger than coffee. Wait here, I’ll get you something,” the receptionist said.

She had no idea, because I didn’t want to seem like more of a fool than my lawyer had made me feel when she said that I turned up late. None of this made any sense. The purpose of the meeting was to talk about my rights to see my children. Not a wedding. I did need something stronger, because apparently, I was about to get married.

But there was just one problem.

I didn’t have a boyfriend.

Let alone a fiancé.

Maite

Isat in what appeared to be a board room. Well, that is what the sign on the door said as we entered. In had my drink in hand, then I heard my phone chime. I was about to look at it, but then the receptionist came to my side.

“Take as long as you like, just leave the drink and the elevator will take you to the ground floor.Buena suerte,Maite.”

Then she kissed me on the cheek, I was taken aback by her kindness. I’d done nothing to deserve it, but I needed it more than she’d ever know. I hadn’t slept all night because I was nervous about the meeting. I'd spent more time getting ready and preparing myself mentally for being here today than I should have, and in the space of a few seconds I’d been made to feel so insignificant and as if my one wish, to be with my babies, was something I’d given up the right to as soon as I'd left them in Rick’s building.

I made a note to find out her name and somehow pay her back for her kindness. There was only one thing I did well, one skill I was proud of, and that was cooking. I would make her aTinga de Polloonce I got back home and bring it to her the next day. I didn’t have much money, but I knew how to cook. It was something personal, so I hoped she would appreciate it more than if I’d bought her a donut or something.

My eyes darted to my phone where I noticed a message from Rick.

Meet me in Starbucks, 555 W 5th St in twenty. Rick

Iused to hate his impersonal messages, they always felt as if they were commanding me to do something. No questions asked: Rick calls, and you go running. I hated his attitude at times. That’s the crazy thing about being in love. Sometimes I would think of it as being so sexy, I would be like,Oh, how I love how he takes charge!Now the very thing I had deemed as sexy was just plain rude. We weren’t together anymore, so I didn’t have to accept it.

Yet, as much as I was telling myself that, realistically I was kidding myself. I had to be on his good side. He had my kids.

I quickly checked to see if I could make it there in twenty minutes. I could be there in fifteen minutes if I took a taxi and half-an-hour if I walked. Well, I didn't have the money or luxury of taking a taxi, so he would have to wait.

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