Cool Mom

49: Mia

"Bunny, do you want something to eat?" I ask as I rise from my chair to head for the buffet table.

She looks up from her medal, a grin on her face and I instantly know what she's going to ask for.

"Cake-" She starts just as I say, "Anything but that."

"Bunny, how about some sandwiches and chips and then cake?" Daniel suggests.

"Okay." She nods, her swimming appetite getting the best of her.

Daniel volunteers to sit with Hazel while I get her food.I've almost reached the buffet table when a voice from behind me asks, "Emma Aaron?"

I turn around to find a woman, slightly older than me. She's about the same height as me but where my hair is brown, hers is jet black and so are her eyes. I've seen her at Hazel's swim practices.

"Hi." I hold out my hand and shake hers.

"Hi. I'm Mia Higgins." She introduces herself.

The resemblance with her son clicks, "You're Ben's mother! He did so well today."

"He won third place. Hazel is truly a swimming prodigy." She smiles.

"Thank you." I smile back.

After a moment's awkward pause she looks around and then asks, "Can we please talk somewhere a little more private?"

It takes me a second to reply, "Sure. Just give me a minute. How about I meet you at the outdoor restaurant, the weather's nice, plus there are fewer people."

"I'll wait for you there." She says and walks away.

I fetch Hazel her sandwiches and make Daniel a plate too so that he doesn't have to leave her before carrying them back to the table. I quickly explain to Daniel and he just frowns when I ask him if he knows her.

"Do you want me to come with you?" He asks.

"I'll be fine. If I don't return in thirty minutes, come looking to make sure I haven't been taken this time." I smile at him.

"Emma!" He groans, clearly not over Hazel's kidnapping.

"Love you." I laugh at him and give him a quick kiss on the cheek before making my way to the outdoor restaurant.

I find Mia under an umbrella covered table. I push my sunglasses into my hair as I sit down across from her.

"Have we met before?" I ask her.

She shakes her head, "No."

"Okay." I say as there's nothing else. I order a Coke and we wait in silence for it arrive. When it does, I take a sip and lean back in my chair.

She looks up from her hands and says, "I'm sorry."

Stunned I ask, "For what?"

"Hamish." She replies.

"What do you mean?" I whisper, sitting forward.

"Hamish is my ex-husband." She answers, putting me at a loss of words.

I stare at her for a second before taking a deep breath, "Okay. But why are you apologizing?"

She licks her lips and waves at someone behind me. I turn around to see that it's her son, Ben, at the swings. Before I can ask the question, she answers."Yes, he's his son."

"I'm so sorry that he's not here. Ben must be really shaken." I murmur, unable to decide whether to feel sorry for or angry at the woman in front of me.

"Ben doesn't know that Hamish is his father." She replies.

"What?" I blurt out.

"Look, the reason I'm here telling you this is because you've been hurt by Hamish too and I can see the way you and your husband are around your daughter, so protective of her that you're still shaken about what he did."

"Well, of course we're protective. He took her, for goodness sake!" I exclaim, furious suddenly. Hazel's tear-stained face fresh in my mind from that night. "What is even the point of this talk?"

"Hamish isn't mentally stable. There's something seriously wrong with him. While I was still married to him, I started sensing something off but it wasn't until he came home one night and-" Tears start pooling down her cheeks as if she's been reeling in years of emotion.

My heart softens at the sight and I reach across the table to take her hand, "You can talk to me."

She sniffs and looks up, "Ben doesn't know about Hamish because Hamish raped me and I got pregnant. After that night I refused to spend another day as his wife." She's hiccupping now and my heart is shattered.

"Is there anything I can do help?" I ask, softly.

"Please keep him prison." She practically begs me.

"It's okay. He's there." I reassure her.

"No." She whispers, sobbing, "He's set to be released on parole in three days and I-"

"What Mia?" I ask, somewhat forcefully.

"He found out about Ben somehow before he went to prison and I got a letter from his lawyer that after his parole, he's taking me to court over retention of information and Ben's custody." She breaks down, completely this time.

"Mommy?" A little voice says, belonging to Ben.

Mia instantly gets herself under control and smiles at her son, "Yes, Ben?"

"I'm hungry." He whines.

"Just a second. Why don't you head for the lobby, I'll meet you there." She tells him and he runs off.

We both stand up too and she turns to me one last time, the plea clear in her eyes, "Please. I'm begging you. Do not let him leave that prison. For my son's sake. Please."With this she wipes her eyes one last time, gives me her phone number and says goodbye before leaving to join her son.

I stand in the middle of the restaurant, stunned for a second unable to do anything except process the information I just received.By the time I find Hazel and Daniel, they're both done eating. I see Daniel start to make a joke but then falls silent, probably one look at my face tells him how glum I am on the inside.

"Do you want something to eat?" He asks, as I reach their table.

"No, can we please leave?" I ask.

Hazel is preoccupied with her medal as Daniel buckles her into the car seat and I silently think about my conversation about Mia. Daniel does not ask any questions till we're back home, Hazel asleep taking an afternoon nap and we're in our room.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks, climbing into his side of the bed.

I silently crawl over to him and snuggle into his side as he wraps an arm around my shoulder. In the safety of his arms, I explain the entire conversation I had with Mia. When I finish, the first thing Daniel says is. "Hamish is getting parole?"

Surprised, I sit forward and look back at him, "You didn't know?"

"No one informed us." He says, lost in thought.

I raise an eyebrow at him but he says nothing as he reaches for his phone and dials someone. He leaves the room, deep in conversation about Hamish and his parole. Sighing, I realize there's nothing I can do but wait and see what happens. I flop back onto the bed and soon I drift off to sleep.

Yaay!! Finally an exciting chapter and one that I'm proud of :) New characters, well kind of, Ben was already there ❤️

Also, PLEASE leave comments so that I know what you think of the story!! PLEASE!!!

-T