Alicia's Misfortune by S. Silver Page A

cried out.
    ‘Leila, Leila, I missed you.’
    She had missed his manly scent, Leila thought happily,
snuggling into his arms. She looked up and kissed him right at the mouth. A
shot of desire went through her. To her surprise and slight disappointment,
Jack pushed her away gently and took hold of her trolley. She followed him out
to the car park obediently.
    He was driving himself and after he had stowed her luggage
in the boot, he came to the passenger side and opened the door for her. In the
car, jack was rather quiet and she noted with concern that the look of worry
had not left his face.
    ‘Is everything OK Jack?’ she ventured.
    He looked at her, his expression grim. ‘Not really Leila.’
    Leila went still. ‘What is it?’ she managed to ask.
    ‘We’ll talk about it soon,’ he said and focused his eyes
ahead.
    Leila noticed then that they were not heading to the ranch
but to the other side of town. She curbed her curiosity and sat stiffly
waiting. She could not fathom what the matter could possibly be. Jack steered
the car into the parking of a small restaurant and Leila jumped out before he
could open the door for her.
    She noticed nothing of the establishment as she followed
Jack to a table by the corner. When they sat down opposite each other, Leila
saw that he had worry lines at the corners of his eyes. He ordered water for the
both of them and when the waiter left, he focused his attention of her.
    ‘First of all Leila, I want to tell you that I love you so
much. I loved you from the moment you stepped out of the car that first day,’
Jack said, giving her a tired smile.
    Leila gave him a strained smile in return. She felt happy
that he had finally expressed his feeling but it was not possible to be
completely joyful not with what was to come, which she could not guess at. Her
whole self was suspended waiting for something unpleasant. Was he sick? Were his parents alright?
    ‘I love you too Jack, so very much,’ Leila said with
feeling.
    He reached across the table and took both of her hands in
his.
    ‘That’s why this is so hard,’ Jack said and he swallowed,
his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.
    Leila was aware of all his movements, no matter how slight.
    ‘Before I met you or even registered with the mail order
bride agency, I had a girlfriend called Clarissa but we broke up and I moved
on,’ Jack said, keeping her hands in his.
    Leila closed her eyes. This would not end well. Any mentions
of past girlfriends in the present was not a good thing.
    ‘We broke up and she left. Anyway, she returned two days
ago. Leila, she’s pregnant with my child. I’ve told her that there’s no future
for us but she insists that if she goes, I’ll never see my child.’
    It was just as well that she was seated because her whole
body had turned to water. Pregnant? How
could another woman be carrying Jack’s baby? A mixture of anger and
jealousy ran through her. She snatched her hands away. Oh God, what were they going to do?
    ‘What does she want?’ Leila said, even though she knew the
answer.
    Jack looked at her, sadness echoed in his eyes.
    ‘Marriage,’ he said simply, shattering Leila’s world when he
confirmed her suspicions.
    Leila shivered and rubbed her bare hands. The Texan sun was
out but she felt cold which started deep inside her core. Her future, which had
seemed so secure had fallen apart. What was to become of her?
    ‘Will you marry her?’ Leila asked, fearful of the answer.
    ‘How can I marry her? I love you Leila,’ his voice spoke of
the anguish that he felt.
    She could not summon up the energy to feel any sympathy for
him. She was the one who had just uprooted her life from California and moved
across the country. Still a part of unwittingly admitted his dilemma. He was
faced with stark choices and despite her own sacrifices to be with him, he too
was squashed into a tight corner.
    ‘Why not just tell her that you won’t marry her?’ Leila
asked, knowing how unfair the