Chapter 4 DO I KNOW YOU

JENNA

Collene had called indeed, his name is Philip and he just settled in town with his new bakery, he lives in one of the fancy neighbourhoods in town.

How can a farmgirl and single mother interest him?

But I had assured my sister I would try.

I don't have any expectations though.

I started to fidget, I had no idea what to wear to this fancy dinner he had set up.

Ugh

I hate blind dates.

Saved by the Bell my sister Jello walked in

"Hi Jen" she greeted kissing me on the cheek.

"I had a feeling you would get stranded in the cloth department" she chuckled lightly.

"You know me too well sis, I have been going through my stuff none of my fancy clothes fit me anymore!" I clamoured in frustration.

My sister laughed again.

I'm glad she found my predicament amusing.

It was her idea after all

"TA-DA!!!!" she exclaimed raising the shopping bag she brought along to my face.

"Jello Natasha Saunders, what have you brought?" I asked taking the bag from her.

I was certain it was something dirty, insidious, totally outrageous.

"Try it on" she urged, her face beaming with excitement as though I was about to transform into Cinderella.

I took out the mauve-coloured dress from the bag.

I raised it to my face and let it drop.

"Oh my God jells I can't wear this!" I exclaimed

"Sure you can! you have to be smoking hot!" she reassured.

No, I don't think I want to call this much attention to myself tonight

"Jells this is too much," I said handing her back the dress, she shoved my hand back to my face.

"The more reason you are gonna body this shit" she started "Bring back the old Jenna, remember her? Living wild and free and smoking hot ?" she continued.

My mind took a stroll down memory lane as I clutched the dress close to my chest.

Long before teetee came.

When it was just me and Amelia.

I miss her so much.

Tee got her eyes.

"Maybe," I said under my breath.

Jello hugged me from behind.

"Nanny Callie and I are here, tee will be fine," she said hugging me tighter.

"Just be you tonight, bring the old Jenna back just for tonight"

MATEO

a son?

I have a son. A 2-year-old son?

No, I can't believe this! My father must be playing pranks on me.

He lived in Missouri with his mother, the last information they got.

His mother? Who was she? Which of the girls had I impregnated? I was always careful, I never drank so much as to lose my senses

I took a sip from the glass of whiskey and swallowed it.

Wait!

It couldn't be the college student on tour I met in Santorini 3 years back.

What was her name? Amanda? Anita? Amelia? Alana?

Amelia! Yes, Amelia, she had the bluest eyes I had ever seen and that had fascinated me.

She was beautiful.

I had stared into those starry eyes all night, danced with her all night and then made sweet love to her afraid of what I was feeling with her I left her a note and some money in the morning and never came back.

Now we have a son together.

Theodoro.

Would she ever forgive me, Amelia?

Gio walked into my study as I sulked, he patted my shoulders yet again and put a file down on my table.

"His mother died 2 years ago," he said

I raised my head in alarm

"What?" I exclaimed my thick voice starting to feel weightless in my throat. "How"

"She had birth complications" Gio answered.

He paused giving me time to take the information in.

Amelia passed too.

I felt like the universe was punishing me.

"What about my boy" I asked, still in shock as the words my boy rolled out my mouth.

I could see Gio smile a little after hearing it.

"Before she died she made her best friend Jenna Saunders his legal guardian, she's still in the process of finalizing the adoption" Gio said.

"We have time to turn this around" he added.

I looked up to him, "how?" I asked.

"My team is handling it, but you must now move to Missouri, I already have your new place set up. Your flight leaves in an hour"

I wonder what his new mother is like.

JENNA

I came down from the truck and I adjusted myself in my mauve-colored dress and my heels.

Oh God, I came in the truck.

I looked around, hurriedly moving to the front of my truck.

Oh God I can't believe I agreed to this

I heaved a sigh of relief as I noticed that no one saw me.

I thought about tee-tee and if he is doing good at home, I'm sure he's playing with FiFi and Jonah right now and I'm not there and I want to be there with him but I already promised Jello that I would give this a shot.

Whatever this is.

I walked across the road to the restaurant just opposite, people were walking in, couples mostly.

And here I am walking into this beautiful restaurant alone.

Maybe Jell-O was right maybe I do need this.

I walked towards a very well-decorated booth where the host was, I smiled as graciously as I could,

" hello welcome to taste and crave, do you have a reservation with us? He asked smiling with his entire face.

Looked weird.

" hi good evening I'm Jenna and I think I have a reservation with the name Philip?" I replied, still looking at his weird, smiling, facial expression.

He looked through the system, still smiling, and then he looked up.

" yes, there's a reservation under the name" he gestured to the waiter " he will take it to your table" he said as he handed the waiter a printed card.

The waiter smiled softly,

thank God for a normal person.

I sat in the chair that the waiter was gentlemanly enough to pull out for me.

He handed me the menu, and I thanked him and told him to come back later.

I went through the menu, the outrageous amounts of food are the reasons why I don't go out anymore.

I was half excited, I was curious to meet the owner of the new bakery everyone had been fussing about.

An hour passed, and I was sipping on the cocktail I ordered, when I got a text from my sister.

"How's it going, is he handsome like Colleen said?"

I sighed, my poor sis she meant well but assholes will remain assholes for the pleasure of it

"He never showed" I replied "What!" another ping from her "he stood you up?" yet another ping.

"Yes, I'm leaving now" I replied.

"You know what forget about him, have your fun, make this your night sis, you looked so beautiful!"

I had no reply back.

I'm just going to go back home.

I paid for my drink and left.

A colossal fuck up

I came out of the restaurant and I started for my truck, I got in and I started to drive in the direction of home, telling myself I am damn sure I'm never doing this again.

That's when I spotted it, A red car, parked in the car lot opposite the bar.

Could it be the same car?

I screeched to a halt and started to reverse into the lot, I drove around before I found space.

Why I was instantly pulled to do this I never understood, I just knew my curiosity got the better of me.

These kinds of cars were not common in these parts, in the cities maybe, but here in the countryside, it was rare.

I came down and I started walking towards the bar.

MATEO

I was already drunk, you can tell, my life just took a huge turn and here I am drinking the last of my joy away.

This shabby place didn't throw the kinds of parties they do in the city but I would have to manage.

I turned towards the crowd in the bar to scan the room, which of these ladies was coming home with me tonight?

The ladies here were average at best, not like the hot city girls I'm used to.

Some looked like wives who came to have a night out with their husbands.

The single ones didn't look attractive enough, I sighed.

Is this it for me? This life.

The bar door flew open, and what I saw left me star-struck.

Many of the men turned to look.

My heart skipped a beat!

Who is this beautiful woman?

The way her hips moved in that red dress, her full lips, her golden hair gracing her shoulders.

She looked like she was scanning the room too

Is she waiting for someone?

She walked towards the bartender and sat just opposite me.

I couldn't keep my eyes off her.

She had this innocence about her, it called to me.

I had to have her.

JENNA.

This is most definitely not my scene.

So much drinking going on, I just want to be home with tee tee

But that red car, I was curious, I kept scanning the room for a tall ponytail man.

I needed to give him a piece of my mind, you can't just go about trying to hit unsuspecting people.

I didn't see anyone with my description.

But I did notice the man opposite me staring at me.

I dismissed it, I gave my order to the bartender.

Another cocktail, i'm already tipsy as it is.

I looked again to see if he stopped staring at me but no he just focused on me and nothing else.

It made me feel queasy and made me adjust in my seat.

I gestured to the bartender to come.

"Can you please tell that uncouth man over there to stop staring at me?" I asked looking in his direction.

The bartender chuckled and nodded.

I started fiddling with my phone.

The bartender came back "he says to tell you, you are beautiful and he intends to keep his eyes on you all night" the bartender said with a little laugh.

Outrageous! How can this man ravel in ogling me like some toy?

I looked at him, and that's when I noticed, that his hair was long but he put it behind his ear, when he adjusted in his seat the hair on the other side of his face fell to his shoulders.

He was handsome, in a roguish Playboy way.

Snap out of it Jenna!

He was still looking! Goodness!

This needs to stop.

I got out of my seat and started in his direction.

Then something happened, someone tripped me.

I lost my balance, and there I was about to hit the ground.

"Oh my God!!"