28



Cydalia sat nervously fiddling with her coffee spoon, waiting for Carlos to arrive. She had already rehearsed her speech several times in her head. She just needed Carlos to arrive so she could remember it all and tell him. Then the bell over the front café door rang, announcing custom. Cydalia looked up. He was here. Walking towards her, a big smile on his face.
‘Darling!’ he announced, bending down to place a kiss on her cheek.
‘Hi…’ she nervously smiled at him, feeling her mouth suddenly go dry. She took a sip of her drink, needing to lubricate her dry vocal cords.
‘So.’ he sat down opposite her and made a grab for her hand.
‘I’ve…I’ve something to tell you.’ she mumbled, keeping her eyes down.
‘You’re…pregnant?’ he asked, guessing.
‘What?’ she looked at, startled at this.
‘No?’ he asked.
‘No.’ Cydalia shook her head.
‘Oh…What then?’
‘Its….my job.’
‘What about it?’ Carlos asked.
‘I…I…’
‘You’re…moving?’
‘No.’
‘You’ve…lost your job? Got a promotion?’
‘Sort of.’ Cydalia shrugged.
‘What? Got a promotion?’ Carlos asked.
‘No, lost my job.’
‘Oh…’
‘Or rather, I’ve resigned.’
‘Why?’ Carlos asked.
‘My job…I was a…’
‘A what?’ he interrupted. ‘a…’ he licked his lips, ‘a…working girl?’
‘Excuse me…?’ Cydalia stared, open mouthed at him. He thought she was a what? What had ever, ever given him that idea? OK, she liked sex. But that didn’t make her a prostitute did it? Did it? Just because she liked sex and knew a few moves. OK, knew quite a few moves. She had a lot of sex books at home. Had even got a copy of the karma sutra but that didn’t in no means make her anything. Not even sex made. Just a woman who loved sex. Nothing wrong with that.
‘Well…you are good at…at…’ Carlos tried.
‘I’ve read a lot of books.’
‘So you’re not a….?’
‘A prostitute? No.’ Cydalia almost spat. Honestly! Some men. Just because a woman didn’t lay there like a plank of wood!! Just because she liked joining in. making a noise. Making the first move when it came to sex. Ha!
‘So…what then?’ Carlos licked his lips again.
‘A…I’m a…I was.’ she corrected, ‘a reporter.’
‘A what?’
‘A reporter.’ Cydalia repeated.
‘You’re a…reporter?’ the way he said reporter he made Cydalia feel worse than if she had just admitted to being a prostitute!
‘I was.’
‘For which…newspaper, magazine?’ Carlos asked.
Cydalia told him. As gently as she could.
‘You told…stories on us?’ Carlos then asked.
‘I…I..’ Cydalia stalled.
‘Yes, or no?’
‘Not really…’ the ones she had been told she had always managed to ‘’mysteriously’’ lose then along the way. She had got rather creative in ‘’losing’’ all the juicy information on Carlos and co. Pieces of paper going missing. Printers not working. Computers going haywire among the some ways Cydalia had managed to discover.
‘Meaning…?’
‘My boss. He wanted me to.’ Cydalia sighed.
‘What happened?’
‘I resigned.’
‘What, was the story on?’ Carlos asked.
‘David…and his relationship, with Laura.’
‘You know because you’ve left that doesn’t mean the story has gone.’ Carlos pointed out.
‘But at least I won’t be the one…’
‘You were going to be.’
‘I…I resigned.’
‘Why?’ Carlos asked.
‘Because I wanted to know, if our…yours and my relationship is…going anywhere.’ Cydalia honestly told him, shrugging.
‘Do we have a relationship.’ Carlos asked.
‘I…I don’t know.’ Cydalia shrugged again, ‘I mean…I thought so.’
‘Hmmm…’ Carlos looked straight at her, eyebrows raised in a suspicious manner.
‘Obviously not.’ Cydalia sighed.
‘I need time, to think.’
‘OK…’
‘You’ve resigned?’ Carlos then asked for confirmation.
‘I handed in my letter this morning.’ Cydalia nodded.
‘Right…’ Carlos returned the nod, ‘what shall you do now then, for a living?’ he then asked.
‘I don’t know. I guess I’ve always fancied being a writer.’ Cydalia shrugged.
‘Meaning…?’
‘I mean a…an author.’ Cydalia quickly corrected herself.
‘Writing what sort of novels? Books?’
‘Romances. Sexual romances.’
‘Good choice.’ Carlos smiled.
‘Thanks…’ Cydalia lightly returned the smile.
‘If you ever need any research practice…’ Carlos then offered.
‘Do we still have a relationship then?’ Cydalia asked.
‘I think we might do.’ Carlos nodded, smiling.
He wasn’t keen on letting Cydalia go. She was the most sexiest, the most intelligent woman he had had the pleasure of being with for quite a while. He wasn’t about to let her go. He enjoyed her company, OK, her old job wasn’t the best one to have but now she had seen the error of her ways so to speak and had resigned so that was good.
To keep Cydalia’s old job a secret and to keep her safe, he decided against telling Urs, Seb or David about her old job. They would only be upset. They all had secrets and wouldn’t like Carlos’ choice of a partner. Although at the moment he didn’t know what Cydalia would end up being to him. Just a girlfriend or something more? Like a wife? Did Carlos want to get married? He didn’t know. OK, Seb was about to get married but that was different. Roberta was pregnant. Wasn’t that the reason he was marrying her? To make an honest woman of her? Or because he actually loved her? Then again, did Carlos love Cydalia? He liked her he knew that. Enjoyed her company. Certainly liked having sex with her. Thank god she wasn’t a prostitute after all! How embarrassing could that have been? She was good at sex. Amazing at it actually. Knew all the moves and more. He had certainly learnt a lot while being with her. Was that enough? He didn’t know but he wasn’t about to give Cydalia up anyhow.

Cydalia breathed a sigh of relief after meeting with Carlos. Thank god it had seemed to go OK. It could have gone a whole lot better or a whole lot worse. But it went OK. And OK would do for now. Cydalia had learnt one thing. Until Carlos had asked what she intended to do for work she had had no idea until it had come out of her mouth. Now she knew that she wanted to be an author. To write sexy romances. Sure, in the past she had dreamed about it but it had never been a reality until it had come out of her mouth. Now she knew for sure. Cydalia Lopez wanted to be a published author. She wanted to write the best selling novel she could possibly come up with. To see her name in print. To have people read her work. That would be good. That would make her happy. Yes. She could see that. Cydalia Lopez - author.
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