She's No You

Chapter Three - Birthday Blues

(mildly edited)

By seven in the morning, the house was alive. The birthday boy had made sure of that. His excitement for the day's events was contagious and I couldn't help but smile every time his eyes would illuminate after opening a present. I was blessed to be able to experience having Josh all to myself the morning of his big day. 

Blueberry waffles were steaming hot on the countertop as I prepared the cream and chocolate sauce. It was a breakfast I disapproved of but today was Josh's day and he had practically begged for them. Who was I to say no? How could I even say no? Just as I was about to call the kids to the kitchen table the doorbell chimed. Who on earth could that be? I thought to myself as I dusted off my hands and made my way to the door. My parents knew we were coming to their house today, same with my older brother Roberto. Melissa surely wouldn't be out of bed this early on a Saturday morning, plus she was at a franchise meeting in LA to both her and the kids' dismay. They loved their aunty Mel, who had a habit of feeding their bellies full of white chocolate muffins.

Shocked couldn't even describe my emotion when I opened that door to see my ex-husband and his new hussy standing there on the doorstep. His impeccable blue suit was tailored to perfection, same with his coat, and his hair was greased back leaving it slightly wet. The same could be said about my panties at this moment. Why was he even here?  Today was meant to be mine. The slightly bitter side of me couldn't help but sneer in sight of them both. 

Patricia looked stunning as always, and it made me sick. Her short platinum blonde hair styled into a quirky quiff, her slim figure dressed in a perfect two-toned grey and white striped knitted dress that stopped just before her knees. Black boots, a grey coat, and a beautiful necklace hung around her neck. I hated her even more. 

I internally groaned when I assessed what I was wearing. Black legging pulled from my dresser and an old, baggy AC/DC top which I stole off Finn in my junior year at college. It was stretched beyond belief because of the two pregnancies I endured. And at the point the neckline had all but disappeared, my shoulders felt too naked right now. No doubt my hair was still a tangled mess on top of my head, actually, I was a mess from head to toe and they were the perfect couple. Just great. My perfect morning turned into a lumpy pile of dog shite. 

"What are you doing here?" I said crossing my arms over my front trying to cover my shirt. I didn't want to look like a desperate ex-wife still mourning the loss of her husband by wearing his old clothes. But the look in his eye told me he had already noticed what top I decided to wear.

"I came to see my son on his birthday, Amelia. Is that alright with you?" I rolled my at his comment and ignored Patricia's snickering. I stood to the side and let them both come in. As much as I wanted to slam the door on their faces I knew that Josh would want to see his Father. Finn also knew that I wouldn't cause a scene on his birthday. He was using cruel tactics to get under my skin. The guy was a master at his own craft. I reminded myself to keep away from the knife block. 

The kids were currently in Josh's room playing the PlayStation game I got him, so I excused myself to notify them that their father was here to see them. Leaving Finn and Patricia to snoop around my living room. This was an eery feeling. Heading up the stairs I was glad to distance myself from the only two people that could get my anxiety ticking. The moment Ruby and Josh heard that Finn was here they went running down the stairs into his awaiting arms nearly knocking him to the ground. I don't even think they noticed Patricia standing next to him. 

Josh started talking a mile a minute explaining to Finn all the exciting things that he had gotten already. I could see Finn's smile as he watched his son, causing a small ache within my heart. These moments are the ones I missed. When we would spend time as a family. I knew that Finn had already given Josh a present when they had seen him after school on Thursday, so I was a little shocked to see him pull two small gift box's from his coat and hand them to both the kids. I didn't stick around to see the cute expressions they made when they opened them. It still hurt too much so I decided to head back into the kitchen.