STP

Secrets Kept, Lies Told

Secrets Kept, Lies Told
©1999-2000
By Sarah
Chapter 6

    "Hello?"
    "Ma, I found her, I'm on my way," AJ's voice came through the cell phone.
    Denise sighed with relief. "Thank God," she whispered.
    "And Ma, when we get back, we both deserve an explanation."
    Denise nodded. "Trust me, you'll get one. Bye, honey." She closed her phone and sat back against the headboard of the bed.   She stood up and crossed to the hotel room door, unlocking it, and then went back and sat down. She opened her phone and dialed a number.
    "Hello?"
    "You said you didn't know anything," Denise said to her ex-husband.
    "What are you talking about?"
    "As we speak, AJ is bringing Alexa to me," Denise said harshly.
    "Alexa?"
    "Yes, my baby, Alexandra Denise McLean, who you stole from me!"
    "Denise, I can explain"
    "No, you can't, you took the baby from me when she was four days old. Four days! How could you do such an inhumane thing? And then say that she was a problem, blaming me for all your problems, and then, finally, this is the thing that makes me the most furious, you let her get lost in Orlando, when she was four years old. What on earth were you thinking!"
    "She walked away from me! I thought someone had kidnapped her!"
    "If you'd thought someone had kidnapped her, why didn't you report it to the police? Were you afraid I would've found out and, once they found her, I would've taken her back and take you to court for it? Because I would have!"
    "Look, Denise, I said I didn't know anything because I wanted to have her. She reminded me so much of what you and I had. I took her out shopping one day and when I turned around, she was gone. She was sitting in the stroller one minute, and was gone the next. I didn't know what to do, I was scared out of my mind!"
    "Why didn't you call the police?"
    "Because it was too late when I thought of that. I searched for her for days and days on end, searching every place I could think of that she'd be in. I finally gave up after a week, I thought she was gone forever."
    "Well, now she is. You will never lay your eyes on what our daughter has become, you will never hear from her, speak to her, nor will you ever hear about her from AJ or me. As far as you should be concerned, you don't have a daughter. I have to go now, they're here."
    "Wait! Where are you? I'll be there in ten minutes!"
    "No, goodbye," Denise said, snapping her phone shut. She put down the phone as the hotel room door opened.

    AJ noticed that Alexa was fidgeting again. "What's wrong?"
    "I don't know, I just feel strange doing this," Alexa answered, biting her lip. She hadn't answered him rudely for quite a while, it was like she was finally getting used to him.
    "Don't worry, Mom will make you feel right at home," AJ said as they arrived at the floor.
    "I've never had a home. At least, not a place to call my home and I never had a mother either," Alexa said, following him out of the elevator.
    AJ felt heartbroken, he couldn't imagine living life without his mother and his home. Nor his career. He opened the hotel room door and spotted his mother sitting in a chair. "Hey, Ma," he said, placing one of Alexa's bags by the entrance. His mother stood up and walked over to him. She gave him a big hug and he hugged her back. He noticed that Alexa was still in the hallway and poked his head out. "Come on, I promise I won't bite hard," he joked.
    Alexa didn't laugh, she followed him inside and looked at her mother. She looked down at her feet and didn't say anything.
    "Alexa, honey?"
    Alexa looked up at her mother and AJ saw a tear roll down her face. "Momma?" She asked.
    AJ nearly cried himself as the two women hugged, both crying. "I thought I'd lost you forever," their mother said.
    "I never thought I'd find someone who was really my mother," Alexa said. AJ walked quietly to the adjoining room door and closed it behind him quietly, sitting in the room with the rest of the guys. Back     Next