It was almost a week after the confrontation between Alex and Nick. Alex continues to visit their house, taking the kids out with Lia. Nick let her do that for now as he started asking about who is really Alex, her home town, her work, her lifestyle, and even family.
“Hon, I’m going. Maria is on her way here. You can go when she arrives” Lia told her husband who is still eating his breakfast with the kids.
“What time are you going home?”
“Around 10 or earlier. It depends” Nick just hums in response. It was just another day that he will be alone with Maria. His lust for the younger girl is so strong that he cannot stop himself going after her.
Maria walks in before Lia could even open the door. She then smells the familiar scent again “Do you wear a vanilla scent perfume or something like that?”
“It’s my body wash and also my shampoo actually” Maria politely answers her. Lia didn’t ask anymore. Before she closes the door, she looks back and saw how her husband is looking at Maria. Those look that he never gave her after their son was born. Jealousy is staring to creep into her.
Lia decided to let it go first because it was not the right time for that. She continues to be in the denial stage. Before she could even start her car, her phone rings.
“Hey beautiful. Don’t frown” the caller told her that instantly put a smile on her face.
“What you do want, Alex?”
“You” Alex seductively answers her making Lia gulp a couple of times before looking to her house “I want you out of your car with all your bags because I am driving you to work”
“No need. I can drive myself and the location is not that far”
“I insist. I have nothing else to do might as well spend a couple of hours with you. Please…” She saw Alex begging cutely looking at her from across the street.
Alex helps her load all her bags in her car “Let’s go. Your photographer today is a friend of mine. He is very friendly but strict” Lia just hummed in response.
Halfway through their destination, Alex started to make a move to Lia as her hand find Lia’s thigh “What time will you finish?”
“It depends. I still don’t know” Lia replies without removing her hands on her thigh
“I’ll pick you up later. Just call me when you’re about to finish” Alex says as she rubs her hand up and down on Lia’s thigh.
Lia is starting to feeling something building on her as Alex continue to rub her hands on her thigh. So, she stops her by holding her hands. She doesn’t like what she is feeling that moment.
Arriving at the studio, Lia told her not to go out anymore just to avoid another rumor about them because she doesn’t want to be ignored by Alex again.
Still seating on her car, Lia and Alex are still not letting go of their intertwined hands. “We’re here” Alex breaks their silence. Lia looks around before preparing to step out of the car smiling at Alex.
“Where’s my goodbye kiss?” Alex tugged her hand while pointing on her cheeks.
Lia just shake her head and kiss her nonetheless that makes Alex smile wider before letting go of her hand “Lia, before I forgot. Can I borrow your kids tonight at my place? I want to let them see the Red Moon later tonight”
“That would be great. Andy will surely love that. I’ll let Maria know. Bye Alex. Thanks for the ride”
Alex is excited as she drives back home to get the kids. She can’t wait for them to see her telescope collection. Aside from camera, she has a lot of telescopes at her attic.
During her down time or feeling sad, Alex would find peace and comfort looking at the sky with the stars shining so brightly and the moon giving her enough light.
Being away from her family is starting to get into her. Living alone add up to the longing the she’s feeling for her family. Her brothers all have their respective family, she hasn’t even seen her nephews due to the busy schedule of her brothers and also hers.
“Mama!” Alex is already waiting outside the Jones Residence. Before the door even open Andy is running to her and Andrei is shouting her name.
“Andy, I told you not to run outside. It’s dangerous to go out alone” Alex could hear Maria calling her from the inside, half running while carrying Andrei. She feels so relieve upon seeing Alex outside. “Thank God. You’re here. I thought something bad might happen to her”
Alex saw that Maria truly cares for the kids. But the kids are very aloof to her “Andy, why didn’t you listen to Maria?” she decided to talk to the little girl and explain what Maria is telling her.
“Princess, you should listen to Maria. She is older than you so you should always listen to her and follow her. Maria is right, you shouldn’t be running outside on your own, what if you’ll be hit by a speeding car? What do you think your mom will feel, your dad or me?”
“Sorry” the little girl says while bowing her head.
“Go give Maria a hug and apologize to her” Andy did what she was told to do that makes Maria surprise to see how easily Alex manage to ask Andy that.
“I don’t know how you do that, but thank you. I really do appreciate it” Maria smile at her while giving Andy a soft stroke on her hair before handing over Andrei.
“If you want, you can go home no. I will tell Lia that I sent you home”
Maria is smiling at her “Thank you, Alex. I still have a lot of school works to finish. I will leave after cleaning the playroom”
“You’re still a student?”
“Yes. But not a full time, taking classes that I can afford to enroll. I still need more funds to support myself and to pay my student loan”
“I know how hard it is. Just hang in there, you’ll get through it” Alex sincerely tells her. She’s like that too before, she understands how hard it is to work and study at the same time but what she can’t understand is her affair with Nick.
Alex and the kids left and went to her house. She doesn’t want the kids to hear what she wanted to ask the babysitter. Andy is old enough and very smart to understand things going around her.
It’s getting dark outside and Alex quickly lead the kids to her attic where she put all her telescope collection and some photos of the moon and starry night that she personally took.
“Woah! Woah! What is this place? This is so awesome, Mama” Andy exclaimed while her eyes are roaming around the room. Alex just let the two wanders around her safe haven.
She set up her newest telescope that she bought for the Red Moon. Alex checks the position of the telescope and got excited when she witnesses the beautiful red moon.
“Kids, come here. I will show you something” Alex teaches Andy how to use the telescope and her mouth almost fell with what she was witnessing. Alex left her for a moment and let Andrei take the other telescope. The 4-year-old little boy couldn’t stop describing what her was seeing. The joy on their faces is so priceless.
Alex let the kids play with her telescopes to let them explore and learn new things. The red moon phenomena is only for 30 minutes so she hurriedly took her camera to capture the rare moment.
While taking different photos she will glance back to the kids checking what they are doing. She still continues taking different shot using her 100x lens. Doing so, her camera caught something.
Facing the Jones Residence, in a room she saw Nick and Maria being intimate. Maria is pinned to the wall kissing Nick then she was pushed down to the bed while Nick is hovering on top of her.
All that is happening, the camera is capturing everything that they are doing. Alex is very angry because Nick really didn’t take her works seriously. It was unfair for her that she’s trying to help his family not to fall apart but he seems not to care about that.
“Kids, let go down now. What do you want to eat?” The kids’ eyes brighten upon hearing ‘food’
“Chicken”
“Pizza”
Alex chuckle with their cuteness “That is not very healthy. But let me ask mom first, okay?”
“Okay!”
Alex looks through the window again and saw them still having sex. Afraid that Andy might stumble across them, she quickly guided them out of the attic going to the living room.
Having the permission from Lia, she ordered what the kids requested. It only took 20 minutes before the pizza and chicken arrives. She helps the kids settle down on the living room while watching.
Alex let them enjoy their foods, not minding the mess that little Andrei is making. Andy stands in front of her and gave her a kiss that got her off guard.
“Mama, thank you for making us happy. Me and Andrei really like you. I hope dad is like you” the smile on Andy disappeared and was replaced by sadness.
“Why’d you said that?”
“Because Daddy is bad. I don’t like him. He always yells at mommy. Mommy is always sad because of him”
Alex heart hurt for the little girl “If mommy is sad then you should give her a hug and kisses and tell her how much you love her. That is the best way to make her smile and happy”
“But Mom is always happy now because of you. You make her happy” it somehow makes Alex happy knowing that she’s making Lia happy with her presence, somehow helping her get through with her problem with Nick.
“Mama, I will tell you a secret but promise me you won’t tell mommy or daddy” Alex is somehow scared to what Andy is about to tell. Is she ready to hear it or will she ask her not to? But the trust that Andy is giving her is another story.
“I always see dad and Maria together. When mommy is away working, they are always upstairs and won’t let us go upstairs until dad say so” Andy pauses before sighing “Mommy will be really sad if I tell her that and I don’t want her to be sad”
Alex is speechless, how can Nick be that careless foe letting his 8-year-old daughter see what his affair. Her anger toward that man is growing and nearing her limit.
“Princes, listen to me okay. Just don’t tell mommy about that. We don’t want mommy to be sad. I will do everything not to make mommy sad. I will talk to your dad. Listen to your dad if he tells you not to go upstairs and just watch and play with Andrei”
“What are they doing upstairs?”
“Probably just talking about something that kids should not know” Alex is trying so hard to cover up his father’s affair with Maria. Thankfully the little girl didn’t ask any further and resume eating her pizza like they nothing has been talked about.
Alex felt very sorry for Lia and her children for having a jerk like Nick. That man doesn’t deserve to have a perfect family like them. That man deserves to be alone for the rest of his life.
“Kids, do you want to pick up mom from work?”
“Yes!”