This is the fourth excerpt from my upcoming novel, Simone.

Simone could really identify with Janae about making it on her own in spite of the fact that her ex-husband tried to set her up to fail. He had underestimated her.  Janae is a strong and intelligent woman who doesn’t let life’s twists and turns get her down for long – she is a fighter and survivor.  Simone pictured herself being much the same way.

Alexis’ father has had almost no interaction with their daughter at all, and basically abandoned Simone after she told him she was pregnant.  She raised her daughter alone through it all - living with various family members while having little or no money, to working and earning her college degree in Humanities.  Eventually she went to real estate school and became a licensed property manager, got her own apartment, then finally becoming a real estate agent and buying her own home.  She accomplished what she wanted to do and raised Alexis, an extremely bright, 13-year-old straight–A student who never gave Simone a minute of trouble, by herself.  She knows she has been blessed.

However, almost 18 months ago, Alexis’ father Reggie came back into their lives.  He begged for another chance to reconnect with her and their daughter.  Simone had rarely dated and she felt she needed to give him a chance to get to know their daughter, and do something for her for once in his life.  He seemed to have a genuine interest in them, had finally grown up and was ready to take on his responsibilities as a father. 

“I never knew how much I really loved you and missed you until I messed around and lost you,” Reggie had pleaded with Simone. 

“I missed out on seeing my baby grow up, and now I want to have the chance to connect with her, to be in her life.”

“I don’t know if I will ever be able to trust you, Reggie.  You disappeared from our lives almost as soon as I told you I was pregnant.  And I have raised her by myself for almost 14 years now.  I am not going to allow you to be a part-time father; Alexis deserves better than that,” said Simone firmly.

“You are either in this for the long haul, or don’t bother coming in our lives, especially HER life, at all!” 

“Please Simone, please let me come back, Boo.  I have always loved you and you will see that I have changed.  I am finally ready to be a father, a real daddy, to my little girl”, Reggie pleaded again, and finally convinced Simone he was sincere.

She introduced him to their daughter, who at first was in shock, but warmed up to him quickly, absolutely delighted to finally have a daddy.  Simone let him move in.

Simone had to admit she still carried a torch for him, even after all she had done and gone through all by herself.  She remembered what a good lover he was, and he surely reminded her during their first night together again – the sex was mind-boggling as always.  Her body longed for a man’s touch once again, and this release felt GOOD, so long overdue she literally experienced the most intense orgasm of her life.  Besides, it was so nice to have a man around after so long alone.

This little family reunion only lasted about 3 months, after which Reggie did what Reggie does best – disappear.  Simone was heartbroken again, however their daughter was absolutely devastated.  She’d finally had the dad – HER DAD – in her life that she had craved so much in her young life, only for her elation to be gone in a flash. 

Simone comforted Alexis as best she could, had gotten them both into family counseling, and she seems to be coping well now.  However she still worries about how her daughter is REALLY doing in the back of her mind. 

She still hasn’t told her daughter about last week.

She had been reading the newspaper during lunch at the office when something caught her eye on the page.  She noticed 'Reginald Montague' - Reggie’s name - listed in the obituaries.  Oh my God, he’s dead! Simone exclaimed to herself.  Grief, shock and disbelief began to well inside her.  She wanted to make sure to attend the wake, which the newspaper said was to be held later that evening. 

Reggie looked very peaceful in his casket, as if he were sleeping, but he had apparently been very sick and lost a lot of weight.  She also noticed that Reggie had a rather large and familiar-looking reddish-brown spot on his right cheek.  She didn’t recognize anyone at the wake, so she asked the funeral home secretary what he had died from.

“The official cause of death is listed as pneumonia on the death certificate, which was a direct complication of the rare form of cancer he suffered from.  AIDS patients often acquire this type of cancer,” said the secretary.

Simone felt as though a ton of bricks had just hit her.  AIDS?  He died of AIDS?!?   She suddenly felt very sick to her stomach.

“Thank you,” Simone said, and then turned to walk out into the cool night air as she left the funeral home. She had recently noticed a small brown spot, similar to the one she had just seen on Reggie, on her chest just below her right collarbone.

She could hear the silence roaring through her head, as the fear, dread and stark reality of her situation began to take shape in her mind.

Would she be around to see Alexis grow up? She put her head in her hands and wept.
 

Copyright 2006, RM Green