THE VISIT

Jade came back from her run to find her mother waiting outside the apartment.

"Mom, how long have you been waiting?" She asked.

"Oh I just reached. I was just going to give you a ring."

Jade went ahead and opened the apartment, "Come in. And what brings the busy Amanda Tucker to my humble abode?" Joked Jade.

Her mother was looking a little stressed and serious, which was highly unusual for Amanda Tucker.

"Ummm.... Stuart called in the morning." Amanda said once they sat on the sofa. She fidgeted with her fingers waiting for Jade to say something.

"Who?" Jade asked, even though she clearly knew who her mom was talking about.

"Jade! Your dad called in the morning." Sighed Amanda.

"And?"

"He said he's coming back."

Was this a joke? Seriously! All the people in Jade's life who had left her were coming back in the same week. And she didn't know how to deal with everyone.

"Why?" She asked.

There was no expression on her face. Amanda was almost scared to say anything further.

"He said his work in London is over." She said almost in a whisper.

"Is he bringing his Spanish girlfriend with him?"

Jade sounded so much like a whiny teenager in that one sentence that Amanda almost laughed.

Jade noticed the look of amusement on her mothers face and glared.

"First off, she is his secretary. And second thing she is Mexican not Spanish."

"Mom you want to neglect all his affairs, go ahead! Turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. I'm not doing anything of that sort."

"Jade! It's your father you're talking about. Mind your tongue."

Jade gave a bitter laugh, "Father? Stuart Tucker is not my father. Being a sperm donor does not make him my father."

"Jade!"

"Mom this is ridiculous! He went away when I was 8! 8! He never did anything a father does. So I'm sorry if I don't have any 'fatherly feelings' for him." Jade said viciously.

Amanda sighed, "Jade he sounded serious this time. He apologised. He said he wants to-"

"Apologised?" Scoffed Jade, "He apologised and you believe him?"

"He's my husband." Stated Amanda.

"Was your husband. Don't forget you'll have been separated for more than 14 years now."

"He deserves a chance!"

"He does not deserve anything! And we have already given him too many. You still love him, mom. You know it. I know it. Even he knows it. And that's what he takes advantage of every time." Jade moved closer to her mom, who had dropped her head into her palms and put a hand over her shoulders. "He takes advantage of you. And you let him. He comes back every 2 or 3 years says sorry you take him back and then he's gone again. And every time it takes you months to get over it. Why do you let him behave like this to you? Why?"

"Because I hope. I hope Jade that maybe this time I'll get my old Stuart back. I'll get back the Stuart I had fallen in love with. I can't stop hoping Jade. I know he has affairs. I ignore them but I'm not blind. But every time he comes back, Jade, I can see the old Stuart deep down. And I know he will come back one day."

Jade saw that her mom was crying and this was what disgusted her, this pain that her mom felt.

Jade sighed, she could never see her mom cry, that was her biggest weakness.

"Mom he's a jerk. But he's a jerk you're in love with. This is the last chance I'm giving him. I mean it, last.I'll come with you to meet him."

Amanda smiled through her tears and said, "You know why I get through all the hurt every time? Because my daughter is an angel. Your dad, who you call a jerk, gave me one great gift and that was you Jade."

Jade smiled and hugged her mother,

"I'll go get tea for you sit. And no more crying."

At least for now. Since dad was coming back it meant more crying was on its way.

Jade had got used to not having her father around. After all 14 years was a long time.

She was 8 when one night she woke up to the sounds of her mom crying while her dad packed his suitcase and went out of the house.

He didn't come back.

Jade learned to live her life with only Amanda playing both the roles of father and mother. And she did a great job.

A year after that Alec and Julia lost their father. Jade was there the whole time to comfort them having gone through the same hurt and felling of absolute abandonment they were feeling.

It was difficult but it got less painful after two years.

That was the first time he came back. He apologised to her mom and came back to the house.

Jade had been naive back then she had been overjoyed to have her dad back.

For a few days life was just like before.

But Stuart Tucker didn't like the life he had in Millbrooke. It was too boring for him.

So he packed his bags and left again. Breaking Amanda's and Jade's heart again.

There had been affairs. Plenty of them. But after a point they had started ignoring them.

This routine had continued for years now. He came back after a long spell of disappearance. Apologised and acted all normal.

And then he packed up and left.

During his time away from home they had no contact with him. No presents for birthdays and Christmases. No phone calls. No mails.

But she was used to it.

He was coming back again. He would leave again. And in the process he would break her moms heart again. It had become a vicious cycle. That Jade could do nothing to prevent.

Amanda still loved him. And she would accept him no matter what. But Jade was not naive any longer.

Jade went into the kitchen and started making tea. As she was waiting for the water to boil she saw her cell phone lying on the table.

She checked to see if there were any messages and was surprised to find a message from Alec.

Itsaid.

According to the time shown on the screen the message had been sent 10 minutes back.

Jade thought for a moment before replying.

She sent.

One exclamation mark just like him. Not to excited, not to bored. She thought before pressing the send option.

She knew that if she had didn't get busy fast she would spend her whole time waiting for Alec's reply so she closed the cell phone, kept it aside and got busy making the tea.

Though a part of her mind was still on the message.

As she poured the tea into two cups, her cell phone buzzed. She got so startled that she almost spilled the tea on the kitchen table.

She purposely kept the kettle extra slowly, wiped of the few drops of tea that had fallen, with a cloth and walked slowly to the cell phone to check.

She didn't want to be disappointed of the message was not from Alec.

But it was.

She knew it was silly but she felt a surge if happiness.

The message said,

Of course she remembered. How could she possibly forget about it when it was giving her a constant stomach ache?

She didn't type that though.

She slowly typed out,

Almost immediately after she pressed the send button Alec's reply came.

The thought that he was actually waiting for her to reply felt really good.

Jade sent it purposely being short. She didn't want to seem excited at the prospect of meeting him.

, came the reply.

She sent the last message and kept the mobile.

If the week continued to be like this there was a strong possibility that she would have ulcers by the end.

She sighed and took the tea out to her mom. Trying very hard but unsuccessfully to stop thinking and worrying about her meeting with Alec that evening.

.................................

AUTHOR'S NOTE:-

Happy reading!!! :-D