One More Chance by Jaycelle Rodriguez

Chapter 54: Why are you kissing your mistress? ~~~I don't see the smile you used to give to me, I don't see the slook in your eyes. I don't know why it's happening to us. It's hard to keep the pieces of a broken heart. Oh, maybe I just have to face the truth, I'm losing you and there's nothing I can do. Maybe it's tto let go, it's tto move on. It is the tto forget what we have shared~~~ -Sarah Geronimo Guidicelli- As the days went by, I found it more difficult to adjust to Luke and I's situation. We hardly saw him around the house and I almost lost reason or alibi every tCali asksabout her father.

I don't know what stopping from to leaving him when I know I was already suffering. Maybe because I just love him that much that if the love I have for him can be called a crime, I'm sure I have already been put in jail since day one.

Keeping secrets from my own daughter and my family has never been easy and the more I hide the truth, the more they get the answers... it seems like the truth itself has been the one spots close to them and I can't do anything to stop it. Just like what happened in the two following days...

Friday afternoon, after getting the laundry from the laundry shop, I walked into the house and saw my daughter sitting in the living room. She was playing and making her doll sleep in the dollhouse which was given to her by her Uncle Dale on her birthday. I sat on the couch and I smiled at her when she got up and stared at me.

"Mommy, can I ask you something?" She has furrowed eyebrows when she asked me.

"Sure, what is it?" "What is a mistress?" My forehead creased as I was shocked and confused as to where she got that word.

"Baby, where did you learn that word?" "Hmm... I heard it from Maine when she yelled at Gerry---" "Wait, who is Maine?" "She's the woman from the movie Rory was watching yesterday." "Ahh... and how about Gerry, who is he?" "He's Maine's husband." "Ohh, so he's Maine's husband," I said nodding, but my eyes were on Rory who's givingan awkward smile. "Yes, I heard Maine yell at Gerry and she said... she said... stop seeing his mistress." "You heard her scream..." I repeat, nodding.

"Yeah, and she was so mad." "Uhm..." I pretended to laugh, but deep inside I was already thinking what would I answer to her question. "Mommy, what is a mistress?" She stared at me, waiting forto speak.

"A mistress is uhm... a friend!" "A friend?" "Yup! Right, Rory? A mistress is a friend, right?" I turned to Rory whose eyes widened when I suddenly asked her. "Ow, yes! It's a friend!" And since she was shocked too, I didn't miss the way she let out a sigh of relief when Cali turned toagain.

"Ahh... a mistress is a friend." Cali repeated and Rory and I both nodded.

*** While the next day, Saturday, at 7:00 o'clock in the morning, Cali entered her father's room but when she found out he wasn't there, she immediately ran downstairs to his study room and there she found him. But at that moment, Luke was talking to someone on the phone, so Cali waited for him to end the call. She remained standing at the door and listened silently to the one-sided conversation.

A few minutes when her father left for work, she ran upstairs and knocked on my door and the first question that cout of her mouth was kinda shocked me.

"Mommy, who is Cherry?" I gulped in shock but her next question was leftopen-mouthed.

"Is she daddy's mistress?" I don't know what to say to her. I was also thinking if it's right that I told her yesterday that a mistress is a 'friend'.

"B-Baby, where did you hear that name?" "I heard daddy talking to her on the phone." "Ohh... chere." I lifted her up and placed to my lap. "Why did you do that? Didn't I tell you it's bad to listen to someone else's conversation?" "Huh!" Her eyes widened. "I'm sorry, mommy, I just want to hug and kiss daddy before he goes to work, but I didn't know he was on the phone." I sighed and then I smiled at her.

"He wasn't in his room, so I looked for him downstairs. I just don't want him to go to work without my good luck kiss." Her answer broughtin tears but I immediately blinked them away.

"I'm sorry, mommy, I won't do it again." "Shhh... it's okay, just promiseyou won't do it again." She nodded, smiling. I thought she already forgot about her question, but I was wrong.

"Mommy, who is Cherry?" "Uhm... Cherry is---" "I also heard daddy say I love you before he ended the call." "Y-You heard him mentioned I love you on the phone?" "Hmm." When she nodded, I felt like there were a million knives that stabbedfrom within. How could he easily say those words to her when he had never mentioned it toin those four years? "She's your daddy's friend, I mean one of his friends from... college." "College?" "Uhuh... when he was studying." "Oh, alright, does that mean Cherry is his mistress?" -'Oh, goodness! When this mistress topic would stop?'- I asked silently. How would I answer her? Would I say yes? "Baby---" but I was interrupted when we heard a knock on the door, and seconds later, Elaine's face cinto our sight. "Sam, I'm sorry, I didn't notice we ran out of kitchen supplies. I'm thinking of going to the supermarket this afternoon." "Oh, sure. You can also ask Rory to cwith you." She nodded.

"Mommy, can I go with them?" I turned to Cali.

"Baby, there are going to the supermarket to buy groceries and no one will hold your hand because they will be both busy." "It's okay, I'll be the one to hold their hands and I promise to behave myself." I glanced at Elaine who just smiled at me.

"Mommy, please?" She gavelight kisses all over my face in order forto agree. And because I was so weak when it cto her, so I had no choice but to say yes.

"Yehey!" I noticed that the question she askeda while ago, had already slipped in her mind. I don't know if I should thank Elaine for coming on tand for saving the bell or not because I just added another lie to my daughter's head.

So I was left alone that afternoon and since I have nothing to do, I decided to make Cali's favorite, blueberry cheesecake. I happily took all the ingredients and started preparing.

An hour later, I was already indulged by what I was doing that I had no idea what's going on with the girls on the road.