Daydream

He was perfect. Tall, handsome, gentle and a sweet talker. We knew each other from the past. We weren’t exactly friends but it was mutual. Fast forward three years. We started chatting back and forth while he was deployed. He was having a hard time being away from family. Not to mention a divorce too. His ex-wife cheated on him without remorse. We grew close during the year of his deployment. From sending care packages to 3AM phone calls. When he came home during his two week vacation, he spent ten days of it in court with his ex-wife. That’s no way to spend a soldier’s vacation. It was around eight o’clock at night when my phone rang. He was outside my house! I opened the door and there he was. I could get lost in those deep, brown eyes. I couldn’t believe it. Standing at my door, smiling. He walked up to me and he scooped me up in a warm embrace. I was standing on my tip toes he was so tall. We hugged for a good minute before he released me. He said that he had to see me before he went back overseas. I wanted to cry but I held it in. I smiled instead. He gently caressed my face and pulled me in for the sweetest kiss. It felt like a movie. My head was reeling and I’m pretty sure there were fireworks somewhere. Fast forward after deployment. His divorce was finalized and he was moving back home. He had left the military. This was it. We can finally be together. We started hanging out at my place. He had moved back in with his parents until he could get himself settled. We began arguing off and on to where we would go weeks if not months without speaking to one another. I would hate him and yet I would love him. He found a job out of town so he would be gone during the week but be home on the weekends. When we were talking, he would stop by and visit. Sometimes bring me breakfast at 3AM when he was coming in or going to work. He finally found a house on the other side of town. We had been speaking steady for almost five months. He said the house was in rough shape and it wasn’t safe to go to. He was remodeling it. I thought it was so sweet that he considered my safety. He started spending the night with me during those months. Things were incredible. I was falling hard for him. Another two months went by and I decided I wanted to surprise him. I got into my car. It was 3AM. It was like our lucky hour. I drove across town to his neighborhood and turn down his street. It was Sunday so he was getting ready to head out of town for work again. I wanted to give him a kiss goodbye. I pulled up to his house but parked on the opposite side of the street. I rolled down my window to look at the progress of the house. It was remarkable. He did a fantastic job. I sat there a moment imagining living there with him. My daydream was interrupted when the front door opened. I killed the engine and stepped out of the car when I saw...her. There he was standing next to a woman who was holding a baby. My heart jumped into my throat. He kissed her goodbye and got into his car as she went inside. As I stood there, fighting back tears. Who was that woman? Whose baby is that? Why can’t I move? My mind was reeling with unanswered questions. My phone rang, pulling me out of my shock. I looked and saw it was him. I answered shakily, “Hello?” “Hey babe, I’m fixing to head out of town. Was thinking of stopping by.” I paused and said, “Turn around.” The car’s brake lights lit up my face, perfectly portraying what I was feeling inside. He stepped out of the car and saw me. Devastated. He approached me and nonchalantly said, “What are you doing here?” My voice cracked, “Is that your baby?” He rubbed his face and nodded. I thought I was going to pass out. I wiped the tears from my face. He was staring at me. Without hesitation he said, “I’ll call you later. You need to leave before my wife sees you!”