Surf's Up

16

Patrick
I wake up to the sound of an alarm clock. Moaning, I roll over and turn the alarm off. Rolling back over, I realize that Ellen is asleep beside me in the bed. I watch as she dreams peacefully and then the images of last night come rushing back to me. Many emotions bombard me at once; hate, anger, lust, love. All of these emotions confuse me but one memory trumps all of the emotions. She loves me. Ellen told me that she loves me.
Smiling, I decide to wake her up. Brushing her hair from her face gently, I place a soft kiss on her forehead. Her eyelids twitch but she doesn't wake. I place a kiss on her cheek yet she is still asleep. And finally, I place a passionate kiss on her lips, feeling her lips awaken and move against mine as her hand tangles itself in my hair. Her other hand rubs my arm soothingly and I pull away, looking at her beautiful smiling face.
"Morning." I mumble, my voice still deep with sleep.
"Morning. I like waking up like that." she says smiling. I chuckle and look back at the clock. 10:37.
I jump up and start putting on my clothes while mumbling profanities. Ellen sits up, watching me with confusion.
"What? What's wrong?" she asks.
"Tallulah. I was supposed to pick her up at 10:30 and take her out for lunch. It's daddy daughter day." I tell her. She gets out of bed, dressing herself and pulling her hair into a messy bun. I look at her and am immediately calmed by her presence.
"Shit. What have we gotten ourselves into?" I ask, pulling her toward me. I wrap my arms around her small form, smelling her hair.
"I'm sorry I did this, Pat." she mumbles into my chest. I kiss the top of her head.
"Don't be sorry. I'm so happy it happened. I just wish I wasn't married when it did. I want to love you the right way. I want to win your affection and woo you with gifts and lavish dates." I tell her.
"But right now, you need to get your daughter." she says, pushing me out the door. I grab her hand and pull her with me.
"Come with. She loves you, El." I tell her.
"Go pick her up and come back here. I'll be ready then." she says. I nod and run to my car, calling Jill along the way. I call her six times and each time it goes straight to voice mail.
Pulling into my driveway, I jump out of my car and jog up the driveway. Once I walk inside, I see Tal sitting at the table, coloring. She looks up when I walk in and smiles.
"Daddy!" she shouts, jumping off of the chair and right into my arms. I chuckle and sit her on the counter in the kitchen.
"Ready to go princess?" I ask. She nods and smiles, showing her two missing teeth.
"Alright. Go put your shoes on." I tell her, helping her down. As she runs out of the kitchen, Jill walks in, her makeup smeared down her face. She looks at me with her red, swollen eyes.
"Where have you been?" she asks in a weak, hoarse voice.
"Oh. Jill, the worst thing happened to Ellen yesterday. She-"
"You were with her? All night?" she asks, tears forming in her eyes.
"Jill you don't understand. She-"
"I don't want to hear it Patrick. I'll be packing your things while you're gone. I want you out by tonight. And i'll have my lawyer send the divorce papers." she whispers.
"That's it? You're giving up on our marriage without letting me explain?" I ask. I'm not sure why I'm arguing because this is what I want. Isn't it?
"Yes. You don't need to explain it to me Pat." she says.
"But it's not-"
"I'm cheating on you." she blurts out. I stare at her with shock.
"Jill-"
"It's Isaiah. We didn't mean for this to happen but he was always there for me when you and Ellen were filming. He kept me company and-"
"Jill he almost raped Ellen last night." I tell her.
"No. He wouldn't. He's so sweet and-"
"Jill, I know what I saw. And Ellen wouldn't lie about that. You know her." I say softly. Jill gasps and cries into my chest.
"I'm sorry." she sobs.
"Me too." I mumble. I dry her tears with a tissue. Tallulah walks in smiling.
"Ready." she sings. Jill turns away not wanting Tal to see her cry.
"Have a good time with daddy, Tal." she manages to say in a clear voice.
"Okay. Bye mommy." Tallulah says, happily oblivious to her mother's pain. I grab her hand and lead her outside to my car. We drive to Ellen's house and I text her to tell her that we are here.
"What're we doing here, daddy?" Tallulah asks.
"Would it be alright if miss Ellie tags along?" I ask her.
"Yeah! I love miss Ellie!" she shouts. I chuckle and watch Ellen walk outside looking beautiful. She gets into the car and turns to smile at Tallulah.
"Hey, Tally girl. How have you been?" she asks happily.
"Good. I've missed you miss Ellie." she says smiling. Ellen giggles and turns to me.
"So where are we going?" she asks.
"You'll see." I tell her, driving away from her house and toward a spot that is familiar to us.

Sorry for the long break! I am just running out of ideas!! If you have any, please let me know! XOXO