SIERRA'S LEONE

SPEAK NOW

Jonas didn't ask how the conversation went between Vincent and Sierra. The woman was not crying a river which was a good sign depending on what angle one looked at things. Jonas immediately headed to the kitchen.

Sierra followed him, "eh, Jonas, it possible for you, I mean, can you keep Leone Friday night?"

Jonas took a towel and wiped his hands, "you don't have to ask me to watch my own son."

"Yes, I hear you. It's just Vincent invited me." Sierra paused; she did not know how to break the news, "he, I mean, Vincent wants us to start over."

Jonas fixed her, "and what did you answer?"

Sierra knew shying away from the question would only aggravate things, "I said yes. I want to give us a chance."

"Great," Jonas mumbled.

"What did you just say?"

"The man walked out on you, Sierra. He doesn't want to raise Leone. Heㅡ."

So many emotions exploded. Jonas did not know which one to express. The man was unable to assess the situation calmly though he prepped himself for this eventuality.

"Jonas, it's my fault. I pushed him out," Sierra hurried to emphasize. Until then, Sierra did not have consciousness of the image Jonas sketched of Vincent.

"Well, he should have swallowed his pride and stayed if he loves you so."

Sierra frowned, "Jonas, I don't even understand why you are so whined up about this."

Jonas walked up to her, and Sierra straightened her posture. She prepared herself for the face-off.

"You don't understand, or you don't want to? Pretending seems to be something convenient for you."

The brutally honest man hit the spot once again.

Sierra blinked in dismay at the verbal attack, "what is that supposed to mean?"

Jonas shrugged, "I don't know, you tell me? Don't worry about Leone. You can go on your date."

Yes, Sierra was good at the game, but two could play it.

The man returned to the sink, where he began to wash the few cups and the glass Vincent drank in.

"Jonas."

"What?" he replied while he carried on rinsing the cups, "this is what you wanted from the beginning."

Sierra strode to the sink to stand next to him, "Jonas, Vincent isn't a bad guy. He said he really wants to make this work."

Jonas chuckled," Sierra, don't be naive. A man will say anything to obtain his heart's desire. A man in love doesn't wait to see another waltz into his restaurant to remind himself of that love."

Jonas held back; he wanted to add that actions spoke louder than words. Vincent fled while he came and assumed his responsibilities. Sierra could not get back with Vincent; everything seemed so unfair. Jonas, ready to blow up, turned to face Sierra. His words came to a halt at the gate of his mouth. He read fear in Sierra's eyes; she dreaded the words the man could pronounce.

And so Sierra chose to defend her position before the unrepairable occurred, "Cecile, my friend, my sister asked me to take care of Leone. You, her fiancé, promised me you'd leave Leone with me after six months."

Cecile loved him. Jonas had no idea what he represented for her. Mr.Pots, the nickname was not anodyne. It was how Cecile called him in her letters. He made the sunshine; Jonas was the comfort after the pain, the forgiver and healer. For him, Cecile tried to give up on her addictions, but the horrid images of her past kept her captive. Drugs allowed her to escape. Yet, for Jonas, she had Leone even though she knew the dangers linked to her pregnancy.

Jonas was unaware, and Sierra refused to take more advantage of the situation, which already lasted too long, in her opinion. Every day spent with Jonas was the temptation to commit a fault. Falling in love and living an ideal with Jonas became inconceivable for the woman for whom the story meant betrayal.

Vincent was hers from the beginning. Their story held no stigmas of shared grief. The couple could look forward to a bright future filled with happy moments.

Whereas, with Jonas, Cecile would always stand between them. She brought them together, but she also tore them apart.

Cecile was not present to validate or refute; anyone could go with their interpretations of what the woman wanted and hoped.

Concerning their feelings, Jonas was a hundred light years ahead. He, too, had fought against his principles. The man debated whether his feelings were wrong or right day and night, but resisting bought tremendous suffering rather than accepting the truth about his emotions. Unlike Jonas, Sierra's history with Cecile swallowed her whole. Unable to combat, Sierra preferred to dodge.

And once more, Jonas decided to facilitate the way for her instead of letting Sierra struggle.

"You're right, Sierra. I'll be gone in two months. Let's, work together until the end."

At this instant, none could imagine the breach they created. A crooked path with more dangers and pitfalls than the one they trod on.

"Ma-ma," Sierra looked down her leg. Leone clung to her. The woman wondered when the boy got up and crawled to the kitchen. She bent down to carry him and kissed him on his blonde hair that curled at the ends, "Oh, my baby, you really need a haircut."

Jonas observed the scene. In a short lapse of time, the man got accustomed to her voice and mimics. The man could no longer imagine a life where Sierra would not be with Leone or one where he would not be in the picture to see such endearing moments. Sierra's color, social, status, or any other criteria some saw were irrelevant. When Jonas looked at them, he saw a mother and her son, but also the woman he loved.

They were his family. Vincent could not just come and claim them, but how was he to fight when Sierra refuted the idea of being with him.

The man was sure the woman had feelings for him, but how could he get Sierra to acknowledge them and him as a potential partner finally.

For the first time, Jonas wished he was an absolute stranger that Sierra would have met in other circumstances. Jonas imagined scenes where they bumped into each other in the street. Episodes where they would sit next to one another in a plane. If only the romantic and idyllic situations one saw in movies could occur in real life. Perhaps then the woman would have a neutral opinion. Sierra would consider him the same way as she did Vincent. All Sierra saw when she gazed at Jonas were two tags: #Leonesfather #Cecilesfiancé. The hashtag Jonas-just-a-man or A-man-to-love did not exist.

The shy guy already stepped over many boundaries to make his way to Sierra ran out of ideas and time.