Chapter 7
Jayda giggled like a toddler at ice cream when she and Shawn made their exit out of the cinema. They just finished watching the latest horror film titled 'forgotten and instead of coming out with a rather intense expression, the duo laughed their way to the parking lot.
"So where are we going next?" Jayda asked as Shawn put the car in motion unto the express.
"I was thinking of dinner" he said.
"I'm quite full from the popcorn and Soda"
"How about a walk in Glover?" He suggested.
Jayda had heard of the new park in town but has not had the opportunity to visit the place even though she'd heard a lot of awesome reviews from the people in Ely.
"That'd be great," She said.
They arrived in the park in half an hour and since there wasn't much to do because most of the vendors have closed for the day, Shawn and Jayda just decided to walk and tour the place instead.
"So, how's your daughter?" Shawn asked
"She's fine" She replied with a smile.
"I have a daughter too, she's with my ex-wife"
"You've been married?" Jayda had no idea why his revelation surprised her so much so that she had her eyes popping out of their sockets.
"Yes, we divorced a couple of months back before I got transferred to Minnesota. Selena, that's my daughter's name. She's currently living in New York with her mother." Shawn explained
"I am so sorry about the divorce. Do you kind telling me what happened between you two?" Jayda halt on her tracks and Shawn followed.
"It's fine if you don't want to tell me" Jayda cussed beneath her breath for asking such a personal question. She immediately regrets stirring up the topic.
"It's okay... Gigi and I met a couple of years back when I was working with NYPD. Remember one time when a couple of guys brought the grand supermarket under siege?" Jayda replied with a nod "I was part of the team sent to the scene of incidence and I met Gigi there. We just commented so easily and I guess everything just felt right with her. I asked her out and we started seeing each other. It wasn't until when she asked that I go meet up with her parents did I know she's from a rich background. The kind that won't allow their only daughter to marry an officer. She tried on her end to make her parents reason with the two of us but I guess I just couldn't measure up to their dream son-in-law. We continued dating against their wish, everything went on well and I proposed. I loved her dearly and couldn't think of imagining my life without her. On the day of our wedding, it wasn't much of a surprise to us that her parents didn't show up. We still got married nonetheless"
"You both must have really been in love to neglect the decision of her parents" Jayda envied the girl in question. She could tell that Shawn must have really loved Gigi.
"We were deeply in love with each other. But the truth of the matter is I would never be able to provide for someone like Gigi. She agreed to put up with our living condition but I should have known better that a high maintenance lady like herself would never accustom herself with an average guy like me." Shawn heaved a deep sigh before proceeding with his explanation.
"She would nag at me every single night telling me how her friends are driving the latest cars and wearing the latest outfits. I'm sure there were times when she wished she'd listen to her parents. Times that she wished she never accepted to be my girlfriend and wife. I was on my way to work one morning when she asked for a divorce out of the blue and to think we made love the night before" Shawn scoffed as a wave of remembrance of that night hit him like a sledgehammer.
"She looked so pretty that morning but the words that came out of her mouth hurt me deeply. She took my child with her to her parents in New York. The judge gave us equal custody rights to Selena and the rest is history"
"I am so sorry to hear that," Jayda said.
"I've moved on, likewise her. The only thing I care about is my daughter"
"I also care a lot about my daughter. She's the only motivation in my life."
Jayda said.
"How'd it happen with her dad?"
Jayda hesitated a bit. She wasn't completely sure of spilling all the deets to a man she still regarded a stranger. But, wouldn't it be selfish of her to hold back when he opened up to her?
"Her dad and I never married. He was my first and last boyfriend. We bro..he broke up with me and left. He never returned. Never showed up on her birthdays, her graduation, and other significant days of her life. It's like he disappeared. I've since catered for Lucy and now that she's in NYU, I couldn't be more proud of myself and her."
"It's ironic you know. Who would have thought we share almost the same life predicament?"
The duo chuckled lightly.
"I think I can now stomach that dinner you talked about. All these talks about the past just made me hungry" Jayda jokingly said.
"Lucky for you we still have that reservation"
"Don't you have to go back to the station or something?" Jayda asked knowing that officers don't really have much free time and she didn't want to be a burden.
"I do have to go back to the station but not immediately"
"Are you sure? I'd hate if I'm being a burden"
"Not in the slightest."
"Are you sure?" Jayda asked for the last time.
"Yes, I am sure" Shawn confirmed again.
He entwined his fingers with hers as they walked back to the where he parked. Jayda didn't want to rush or think the best of their first hang out but deep down, she knew this was going to the beginning of something she'd been yearning for for a long long while.
Chapter 8"Where's the new commercial clip?" Brian said while flipping through the pages of the folder in his hand."We are yet to shortlist the candidates.." The fidgeting thirty-something years old creative director managed to say even amid stammer.People working under Brian always find talking to him intimidating and somewhat scary. It's hard to share the same space with his arrogant and rude attitude."You're fired," He said without flinching."Sir?" She questioned in disbelief."Are you deaf? I said you're fired! I can't have incompetent people working in my company" he didn't look at the poor lady, not even as little as a wink.Just as soon as she walked out of his office, Khloé walks in majestically while strutting her curves in the perfect motion."Hey baby" she greeted before taking her seat.
Chapter 9A few weeks later.Lucy walked into ChaseApp headquarters alongside Keisha for their callback interview with the brand. The duo had applied a week ago to model in a commercial much to the fact that one appearance costs so much more than the regular coffee shop attendant job they'd been doing secretly to help lift the burden a bit off their parents.Both girls gawked at the enormous elegance of wealth and class that littered the ground floor. There was so much professionalism in how the ladies who worked there walked and talked. They weren't dressed corporately. Some even wore shorts that went as far as the curve of their butts but their carriage is classy as hell."Wow. Pinch me Keisha" Lucy said trying to get out of what she thinks could be a dream.They'd researched the company ahead of their interview but the pictures didn't do the building justice. I
Chapter 10Both girls screamed out of the ChaseApp building after being among the five models picked for the commercial that was later said would continue during the final casting."Do you think if the President was seated, we would have been given the spot? I mean, considering what happened in the morning""We didn't do anything wrong! What makes you think we did? We were just talking. He seriously can't be that bad""Have you heard of this man!"They both walked down the walkway to catch the bus heading their way.********"There's something I need to tell you," Shawn said, as he arrived with Jayda under her porch."Some time ago before I met you, I had plans of transferring to NYPD for the sake of my daughter so that I can be close to her instead of having her travel down here once a while" He paused a bit before con
Chapter 11BeforeJayda 22Brian 12"Jayda!" Brian hurried outside to where Donnie and Jayda are seated, smoking."Putt off the cigarette" She whispered. She stomped on both stick with her feet before Brian's arrival.Donnie rolls his eyes in disbelief at her."It's Lucy. We were playing and then she tripped and bruised her leg. I already applied first aid but she keeps crying and won't let me put a band-aid on it."The trio hurried to the backyard to find little Lucy on the grass, crying."Hey, sweetie" Jayda bent down to inspect the scratch. "Pass me the bandaid" she collects the strip from Brian's hand and places it on Lucy's wound carefully."Check the lower kitchen cabinet by the fridge, bring the pack of candy in it," Jayda told Brian and he returned a few seconds later with the
Chapter 12Throughout the flight to New York, Jayda felt very scared and the nervous feeling from the pit of her stomach made her more scared.She'd received a call from Keisha that Lucy got into an accident and is in the hospital. She couldn't even wait to hear everything Keisha had to say and just tool off to the airport.She would die if anything happened to her daughter. The flight took longer than usual and it made Jayda regret staying far away from Lucy. She ought to be by her side and not two hours away from her. She didn't want to be a hovering type of mother, it's all she's been doing since Lucy's birth and that's why she let her do her thing by supporting her when she said she's going to study further in New York.As she makes her way out of the airport, Jayda switches off the Flight mode on her phone and begins to dial Keisha's number. She picks almost immediately.
Chapter 13A WEEK LATERJayda settles on the blanket she spread on the floor of her one room apartment. She has been trying to get a job since she moved in five days ago knowing fully well that she only has enough to live for just a couple of months in the city coupled with Lucy's needs. Lucy had suggested they sell off Grandma's house but Jayda wouldn't hear it. She only went back to Minnesota to pack a few essentials like her laptop, couple of blankets and pillow, the rest she will buy in bits and then sell off after four years.She'd been on almost all job seeking platforms looking for any opening whatsoever but the ones she had seen so far require at least a bachelor's degree which she doesn't have. The only thing she learnt and did for a living back in Ely is baking. The skill earned her a job spot in one of the popular confectionaries in the town where she was able to care for herself and Lucy for a long while.
Chapter 14It's Saturday and like every other weekend, Lucy visits Jayda. She even brought back their weekend breakfast ritual- cooking pancakes.It's been almost a month since Jayda's official move to New York and so far so good. She'd managed to acquire Mrs Mary old coffee shop and set to officially open for business in the coming month. She would have opened but the renovation seems to be taking longer than expected. She even opened a business account on Instagram for the shop which she changed to Euphoria coffee and Confectionaries as well as uploaded some of her past works in Minnesota. She's pretty much determined to make the business a hit- she doesn't really have a choice. She has to make sure there's a lot of sales in the next couple of months to fully buy the shop off and pay back the loan from the bank so as not to lose the house."You really need to get at least some pieces of furniture, for now, mum" L
Chapter 15Jayda shows up the next afternoon in a restaurant she'd chosen for her date with Sdavies, wearing nothing but a white round neck cotton top on blue jean with sneakers. She brings out her phone to notify him via the App message section that she's in therestaurant."Hi, Jayda Cruz from ChaseApp," A familiar voice says behind her and it sent cold shivers down her body.She turns around to see the peculiar face."Shawn! Are you?...""Sdavies" he laughs."Oh my God!" Jayda says in between shock and uneasiness.*****"I actually swiped your profile up because I recognized you from your picture," Shawn says after they settle on their respective seats."I assumed I wouldn't know anyone plus you used your daughter as your display picture""I had to do that because of you""Why?" Jayda asks as her smile fades."We left thi