36.
Alita was quite the metal head when she was a little girl. She took that from her dad. He was a very curious and adventurously daring man. He always wanted to do what everyone wouldn’t do just to prove that anybody could do what they wanted to do and also earn a name for himself after he does. He was both a car and motor cross racer. Alita worshipped him. He thought of her all she knew about cars and bikes. The parts, how to drive a car to win a race, and how to ride on the front lines. Mr. Martinez was a big shot in his time until he dies in a terrible accident in a league car race. It was this tragedy that made Alita fold into the calm and enduring woman she had grown into. She believed he was untouchable and couldn’t get hurt even though he sustained a lot of injuries. He always came back to the race track and continued to rule. When he died, she lost all courage and bravery to face life with her fist raised high as he thought her tBenson reached Melbourne right about the time he expected he would. He went straight to the hotel that he had booked beforehand to take a shower and relax a little. After having a refreshing bath, he sat by the window taking in the view of the city. He phoned Alita to check up on her and Julie. “Hey, Alita,” he smiled. “Good morning, sir…” Alita said sounding nervous. “How are you and my little angel?” Benson rose from the chair he sat and walked closer to the side of the wall where it was all glass. He had chosen that room, particularly for the view and also because he was at the edge of the building where he was sure fewer people hung around. “Yes, we are okay,” Alita said. “Julie is asleep,” she added.“Right,” He nodded and pocketed his hand. “I miss you guys already,” he bit his lips as he glanced downward. He could see the roofs of other buildings around the hotel. Alita was quiet for a second before answering, saying, “Not that you were always around when you were here bu
38.“Don’t worry Julie,” Alita caressed Julie’s chin and she cackled. “Dad would be home soon,” She looked checked her phone for the time, and gazed down at Julie in her arms. “He should be flying home right about now,” she smiled and then took a glance at the room and returned her gaze to Julie. “I will be right back,” she said dropping Julie on the bed and frantically pushing her toys to play with as she ran to the bathroom to ease herself. She peed and ran back to Julie to find that she had fallen asleep. She smiled and sat by her, staring at the ceiling. Memories of her past that she had locked up emerged as her mind reproduced pictures of her horrible. Some of the bad things she did to help her stabilize after she left her mum to live on her own. She had spent the night in her head, revisiting her life from years ago. She had to dabble in drugs to get quick and easy money. That was where she learned how to drink and smoke and do everything that could make her high and get her
39.Benson was dumbfounded. A minute ago the girl didn’t look like she could hurt a fly until she stripped naked before him. He wasn’t going to succumb but the way she looked at him weakened him. He felt her eyes crawl his skin as. she consumed him with her stare. “How long is that? 8…9” She pursed her lips peering straight into her eyes. He was speechless.“I’m sorry if I make you uncomfortable but…I just can’t pass on that,” She put her legs down and walked up to him. She took his cock in her hand, trying to wrap her fingers around it but her small hand could not go around. She gasped. “This is enormous,” she giggled. It was all feeling like a dream to Benson. Maybe he was having that sleep he had yearned for earlier.Finally, he spoke, “You should get out of here now, I have a plane to catch,” he heaved feeling her tighten her grip on his cock. His heart raced. “Oh, I’d milk you in a jiffy. It wouldn’t take long,” she smirked. “I got me a ride to catch,” she peered lustfully a
40Alita screamed when she looked at Julie giving her usual beautifully innocent smile and noticed her front teeth. She was surprised she hadn’t noticed it earlier than that moment. Maybe she was nonchalant or Julie slept more than she was awake.Alita rushed to where Julie sat on the ground playing with her toys and opened her mouth to see if there were any more teeth than the two in front. “Oh my god, you are growing teeth already…” She brought out her phone and took a picture where she was beaming at the camera; Julie had no idea what was going on but just smiled.Alita wanted to dial Benson and give him the news but she thought against the idea as it was late and he was probably sleeping on the plane, tired from sitting down for hours. She held her phone to her chest and plastered a wide smile on her face. “My baby is growing,” she whined in excitement. She was overwhelmed by the simplicity of growth that Julie undergoes. “One minute you can’t sit on your own and the next you’re
Benson had just fallen asleep when he heard his phone beep. He looked at the screen and saw the interface that always came up whenever any of his cars moved unless he turned it off. He rolled his eyes and tightened his haw. He had warned Alita but she had done it again. She was driving the same car out of the garage. He was going to have to do something dire to punish her.He tapped a button the live video feed started playing. He saw her face and his breath hitched. She looked like she had cried. He wondered what had happened. He had never seen her cry. He was broken for her. He saw Julie in the back seat and smiled as he saw her smiling. She was just sitting there having no clue of what was going on. He checked the time and then swiped and tapped his way to the map on his phone to see where they were. He went back to the video feed and the sight broke him. She was sobbing into her hand as she drove.What could make her that sad and perturbed that she was crying from deep pain? The k
Alita’s heart gave a hard blow to her chest as she heard her mother moan. She rounded up her phone conversation with Benson and then leaned towards the bed. She watched her clueless about what to do. She had thought about a lot of things to say but as she twisted and turned on the bed, Alita went blank. All the words disappeared.“Mum,” she whispered. The later part of her articulation muffled into air. She cleared her throat and her mum turned toward her.Alita’s mother was shocked to see her there. Her eyes grew wider and her face contorted in confusion. “Are you really here or I am…” she looked around the room. Terror gripped her face and she slightly shuddered.“No, mum, I am here,” Alita moaned and reached for her mum’s hand and squeezed her hand. “I am here.”“How are you here?” her mother asked, perplexed that she was there, still looking unsure whether what she was experiencing was real or not.“The nurse called me when you were rushed here,” Alita sniffled.“What happened?” H
43Alita couldn’t stop smiling as she walked out of the hospital. Her guardian angel came to the rescue. She wouldn’t have guessed he would come straight to the hospital. She didn’t know he cared that much about her. For all she knows, he should be firing her for taking his car out after warning her not to, instead he took matters into his hands, paid for the bills, and is transferring her mother to his doctor back in Bel Air.She raised her head and saw a car parked next to the McLaren. She smiled as her eyes set on the beauty before lifting her gaze back to the driver. “Mr. Astor said-”“Yes, ma’am, he told me already,” the driver said opening the door to the back seat for her and Julie. Alita raised her chin and hummed. Her eyes twinkled as he opened the door for her. She had never been treated with such respect and esteem, not that she could remember.She wore a grin through the drive out of Glendale, taking in the sight of the city and noticing the changes that had happened ever
44Benson came in to see Alita’s mother sitting at the edge of the bed facing the door. He was startled when he saw her but he jammed his hands into his pocket and controlled the situation.“How are you feeling now,” He asked leaning on the door frame. “Oh, I am good. The meds always come through, don’t they?” Alita’s mother smiled and then rubbed her palms against her lap. “Yea, sometimes they do,” He said dryly. His expression dulled as he remembered asking the doctor if there was anything he could take to fix him after his accident. With all the money he had, he couldn’t buy his way out of being impotent. “You do look better but to make sure you are better, you’d be going with me to my doctor.”“Thank you, for everything,” She tightened her jaw, peering into his eyes. “You are very kind. There aren’t many of you left in the world. Most of them died in my time.”Benson shrugged, observing her face. “It’s nothing, Mrs. Martinez, I would do anything for Alita. She takes really good
It took a few days for things to come back to normal between Alita and Benson. It almost felt like the getting-to-know each other phase of their relationship just with serious sexing and less conversations, and she was sleeping on the same bed with him, yet.Alita had changed a bit in about a month they were separated. She had gatherer enough money to start her dream styling firm to incorporate her into the fashion industry, where she had always believed she belonged, which meant she had no time for nannying, although it wasn't all that necessary because she was used to taking Julie with her already. The problem was that Benson missed her presence more at home.They managed and in no time, came back to full connectivity.Benson kept his break up with Alita away from his mother. He couldn't afford her drama. And she was going to scold him for letting Alita go.Alita too didn't tell anyone. Sarah thought her disappearance was because Benson impregnated his ex-wife. She was shocked when
Benson stayed in his house almost emptying his bar. He switched his phone off so nobody would disturb him. He was devastated. He had been living a lie all the while. Many times, Sarah and Luke came to look for but he never came out. It didn’t look like he was in the house.He just had to call off their engagement. She went too far and he couldn’t live with it. He couldn’t help but imagine how his life would have been if Alita came out and told him she Julie was his flesh and blood.It was unbelievable. Chris had assured him that he was impotent and that they had tried everything but nothing worked. He had to know for sure and the only way to that is to go back to the beginning.For the first time ever since that day, Benson went out of the house. He went to the hospital to meet and confront Chris about what Alita had told. There had been too many lies and falsehood around his life in the recent days and knowing this one truth or lie, whichever it would turn out to be, would be liberat
“I was scared you would leave me if I told so I didn’t. This is me as I am, covetous. I don’t regret keeping this away from you but I am sorry I did. I mean it when I say I would do anything to keep you with me forever, and this—this was something I thought I had to do. I love you and I don’t want to lose you,” he peered into her eyes. “Please don’t hate me. Don’t stop loving me. I there were many times I wanted to tell you but how does a man walk up to his dear love and tell her to forget about any dream of ever having her own children?”“I knew, Benson,” Alita looked down as she pressed her lips together. “I knew if I stayed with you, I wouldn’t have any children but it didn’t matter to me because I love you so I stayed. I got so wrapped up in my mind with jealousy and contempt that it escaped my mind. I felt threatened and intimidated by her that I let her get in my head with her selfish words,” she leaned of the wall and held her hands in front of her.“You knew. How?” Benson’s br
The moment long waited for was there, and Alita wore a smile that evening as Charity stated she was leaving. It felt unreal that the whole ominous atmosphere was clearing already.“It is nice having you,” Alita waved her hand at Charity. “You can pop and high any time you want,” she lied.I don’t want to ever see you here again.As the door slid open, Alita shut her eyes and drew in a long breath, absorbing the relief in the air. She had missed the feeling. Her joy was cut short when she heard Charity’s voice.Haven’t you left?“I can’t go like this,” CHarity exclaimed, shaking her head as she shut her eyes. “I wanted to keep it to myself, but I just can’t,” she sniffled.Alita glanced at Benson, and he bobbed his head. “What are you talking about?” she held her hand to her chest.“He knows,” Charity pointed at Benson.Alita turned to Benson and batted her lashes numerously at him.“Know what exactly? Where are you driving?” Benson inclined his head and folded his hands across his che
Alita was shocked to see the door slide open. Benson just walked to his room, and they were the only two people that could open the door.She balled her fist, waiting to see the figure standing in front of the door. She couldn’t see the face of the woman but as the door slid wider, she recognized who it was.Freaking Charity!Charity was the least of people she could expect to see. Many questions raged through Alita’s mind but the most outstanding was how she could open the door.“Benson,” Alita Bellowed crossing her hands on her chest as she jotted her hips, giving Charity a once over.“Yeah, babe,” Benson answered from his room.“You have a visitor,” Alita pushed her lips forward as she swayed her body from side to side.“I don’t have plans to—“Hi there,” Charity flickered her fingers in the air, smiling excessively as she looked over at Benson. “I let myself in,” her eyes went round. She looked around and observed the living room. “Things have changed here, haven’t they?” she snic
At Sarah’s wedding, Alita wasn't the only one wishing to enjoy the bliss of a wedding day and, after it, the certainty that comes with elevating their commitment to a more permanent situation.Benson had the intention to propose to Alita the day he came back and met her in a pool of blood. He had planned it all head in his head. The band, everyone involved.He wanted it to be a prestigious surprise. She had always said she wished she was a princess, and he wanted to make her feel more than that. She was his queen, and he wanted to show her that she deserved to have everything she wanted.Benson felt he was ready to move forward with their relationship. She was perfect for him, and he needed to ensure that she remained his till the end of time.Before the morning he had intended to propose to her, he had planned how everything would go with everyone he thought necessary to involve. He would ask her out for a date and then surprise her when she got out of the house with her favorite ban
"Let's go on a date," Benson said pouring wine into two glasses form them. "We haven't gone anywhere, we haven't gone out ever since…" his eyes snapped close as memories of almost losing Alita to the jaw of death flashed through his mind–not sonething you wouldn't want to remember, not even randomly. "What do you think?" He asked.Alita's face lit up and she giggled sharply. "Are you serious right now?" She squinted at him as she extended her hand and collected her drink. She gingerly whirled the glass before a sip and moaning to the taste that surprised her. "This is amazing," she nodded and took another sip. "What in God's name do I say to that?" She pursed her lips and raised her chin, playfully scowling at him."I don't know," he laughed softly, looking the other way as set himself on the arm of the chair she was seated on."You must be high," Alita jabbed her finger into his side and he yelped moving away. "Should you when ask me about it? You could have surprised me," she scrunc
126Julie was Alita's only company as the days went by. As expected, everyone around her was distant. She would sit on the bed in Julie's room and talk to her, even though she knew Julie wouldn't understand what she was saying, it was comforting that she could talk to someone about the burden in her heart and how everyone all her loved ones were avoiding her.Sarah blocked Alita and cut all contacts from her. Alita went to their apartment and saw that Sarah had changed the lock. She went to Luke's house but didn't find anybody at home. It was while walking back to Benson's place that she realized they would have gone for their honeymoon.They say no mother could hate her own but it wasn’t looking like it for Alita. She hadn’t heard from her mother ever since her confession. He called but got no answer, texted but got no reply. She tried to go and see her at Chris’s apartment but couldn’t. One time, she was standing right in front of the door but froze when she raised her hand to knock
Dumbfounded and dwindling between anger and confusion, Benson cleared his throat. The place went absolutely silent. “Why didn’t you say anything about it? You could have told me. I feel betrayed right now,” he face-palmed. “I just want to go home,” he breathed heavily. “I can’t believe it at all. I just can’t believe our friendship was built on lies all this while. We promised to…” Sarah whined and cried. “All this while, Alita, I thought we were best friends. I told you everything and I thought you did the same,” she turned and wrapped her hands around Luke, looked up at him, and muttered, “please take me out of here.”“Please don’t leave me like this,” Alita extended her hand as she moaned. Her throat patched as she watched Luke lead Sarah out of the room. She was too weak to move and she couldn’t possibly follow after Sarah when Benson was there also preparing to leave.“Let’s go home,” Benson looked at Alita with pain in his eyes. She wiped her face and dragged herself up.Ivy sa