Sleepless Nights in the Hills by Ausin Mitchell - HTML preview

Chapter Five

That afternoon Mark called Leta. She was in her living room relaxing when he called her.

“Leta, what’s really going on? There are all kinds of stories swirling about the place. I saw David out with Lovett and then Gail.”

“I don’t know what’s happening. I spoke to him about those two girls, but he refuses to listen to me. Lovett told me that there was an agreement for him to leave me for her and she would leave Val, for him.”

“Well, something happened because she actually left Val and had a child for David. He apparently didn’t carry out his part of the bargain,” he stated.

“I heard that I was supposed to have left him for you as soon as you came out. I wouldn’t budge because I don’t think you’d want me back.”

“At the moment my life is too complicated and you would have to fight too many women to get me back.”

“I’m not going to give up and make Gail or Lovett move in and take over what I’ve worked so hard to build up. As a matter of fact, I’m going to fight them all the way.”

“You have a tough fight on your hands. Both of them are two tough women and won’t give up that easily.”

“A friend told me that he has two more baby mothers. I don’t know how true that is.”

“How come he didn’t tell you those things about himself?”

“You know, I don’t care what you want to say. But I blame you for what is happening to me. You made me run to him without checking him out properly.”

“Did you ask anybody about him?”

“Most persons didn’t know more than I did. He told me that he had two children with Grace Raymore. I know them, they used to do holiday jobs at the hardware. About two years ago, she went to the States and took them with her.”

“Ever since I’ve been back, I’ve heard stories about him and other women.”

***

Mark was hardly off the phone with Leta when Lovett called her.

“I want to know when you’re moving out so that I can move in?”

“I’m not going anywhere. I helped him build this house and the business. Neither he, you, or Gail can get me out of here.”

“I think you want me to come down there and give you a beating to leave him alone.”

“You’re just bluffing. I’m planning to go out with him tonight. You can come and we’ll see how bad you really are.”

***

Lovett was hardly off the phone when a woman called.

“My name is Angela James. Has David ever told you anything about me?”

“I can’t remember him mentioning your name or anything about you.”

“I have been to the hardware many times to collect money for my son. Many of the workers know me. My son, Kyle, is now four years old. I don’t know why he never let you know anything about him.”

“I will have to talk to him about you and your son,” Leta told her and ended the call.

***

Monday, Lovett called Gail.

“I want you to back off and leave David alone.”

“I want him for myself. I’m prepared to fight both you and Leta for him, Lovett.”

“He has two secret children that only their mothers and I know about.”

“I don’t know about that and it doesn’t change anything.”

***

Leta was there that evening when a woman called her.

“Hi Leta, my name is Dorothy Taylor. I’m one of David’s former women. Has he ever told you about our son, Javier. He’s seven years old now.”

“Yesterday, a woman called about a secret child. Is he maintaining your son?”

“That he does, I get money from him every month. I’m not looking

for any handouts. I’m married to a doctor and am a registered nurse. I manage his practice for him. I have two children for my husband.”

“I will tell him about your call,” Leta told her and ended the call.

***

Leta was hardly off the phone when it rang again.

“Leta, Carl here. How are you?”

“I’m okay. I wonder what’s the reason for this call?”

She remembered him. He was a former boyfriend of hers. A couple of years ago she went to bed with him when she was having marital problems with David. But the relationship cooled soon afterwards.

“There are all sorts of stories out there about you and David. Are both of you having marital problems again? I saw him out on separate occasions partying with Lovett and Gail, but you were missing in action.”

“I have tried all I can, but he’s determined to keep seeing those two women.”

“So, what are you prepared to do about it?”      

“I’m going to fight them for him.”

“So, why don’t you go back to Mark?”

“He doesn’t have a vacancy in his life for another woman. He has so many women, it’s no joke.”

“Well, I would advise you not to leave,” he told her and ended the call.

***

Leta was on their veranda, and she was drinking some champagne. The children had gone to bed. She saw when David’s vehicle drove up to the gate. She went and opened it for him. She locked it back and watched as he parked his vehicle in their two-car garage. He came and sat in one of the veranda chairs. The time was minutes to nine o’clock.

“Two women called me on separate days this week claiming that you fathered children with them. One of them, Dorothy Taylor claims she has a seven-year-old son, Javier. She’s a registered nurse and married to a doctor. The other lady, Angela James claims that she has a four-year old son for you.”

“Yes, I have children with those two women. I support them by giving them money each month.”

She threw out some more of the champagne into her glass.

“Why were you keeping it like a secret? If Lovett and Gail didn’t come forward, I wouldn’t have found out about you and them.”

“I thought you might have felt bad. I remembered how you went on after you found out about them.”

“What did you expect me to do? You got both of them pregnant and expected me to keep quiet about it. Now you’re having secret children and expect me to keep quiet.”

“So, from we’ve been married all you can remember are the bad things I’ve done. Haven’t I ever done anything good for you?”

“You’ve done more bad things than good for me. I still believe that getting Lovett and Gail pregnant was the worst. Both of them are threatening to bring a removal truck to remove me and the children out of the house.”

“That will never happen. You know that both of them are only bluffing.”

He got up and went inside to share out some food before coming back outside to have it.