Page 80 of Dirty Money
“Why would she do that?” Evelyn asked in confusion. “And why were you at the hospital?”
“The new baby had to be taken to it. She was having trouble breathing. I think Aulora’s freaking out about the things that go along with being a parent and is planning on booking it out of here.”
“Oh no! Is the baby okay now?” she asked.
“She seems to be. They’re keeping her overnight just to be safe. So, can you run over and see if your daughter’s home? If she is, do you think you could let me know and keep her there until I get there?”
“I will. Did she say anything to make you think she’d try to run away?” she asked him.
“It’s more how she acted. She shut down. Her sign for what’s to come. Her running away. If it was only me she was running from, I’d let her go for a while. But she’d be running from her father and stepmother and baby sister too. I can’t let her make such a huge mistake.”
“You are good for her. I’ll go check and let you know soon, Weston. Thank you for being so good to my daughter. She’s lucky to have you and I’m going to make sure she knows that.”
“Thank you. I’m fortunate to have her too.” He ended the call and rubbed his temples. A headache had sprung up, and he had no idea if it would go away if he couldn’t stop her from making the mistake she was surely thinking about making.
Aulora made it into her penthouse and headed to her bedroom to pack a bag. She wasn’t planning on taking much. Just enough to get her by until she could go shopping.
“What’re you doing home, Aulora?” her head chef, Laura asked her as she headed down the hallway.
Aulora froze in her tracks. She didn’t know what she should say. “Um, just getting some things. I need some more clothes to take to my Dad’s.”
“Oh, how’s the new baby?” Laura asked as she stepped up to walk with her.
Aulora stopped and turned to face the older woman. “She’s not doing very well. She’s had some gas issues, and now she has some breathing problems. To be honest, it’s hard to watch.”
Laura stepped past her and opened the door to Aulora’s bedroom. “How sad. I bet it is hard to watch. Let me help you.” She walked into the bedroom and went to the closet. “How are the new parents doing with her?”
“Good, I guess,” Aulora said then went to grab a suitcase out of another closet off the bathroom. “I don’t know how they’re handling it all. I don’t think I could.”
“Sure you could,” Laura said as she pulled out a couple of T-shirts. “I suppose you want some casual clothes you don’t mind getting spit up on.”
Aulora shook her head. “I need some nice things.” She was planning on going to Italy. She’d been wanting to go see the sights that hopefully would help her with her painting that was getting derailed by all the other activity that had sprung up in her life.
Things were taking over. Filling her time with baby things and Weston things. Clara and her father things. She felt like she was losing who she was and what she was about.
She was an artist. Not a wife. Not a mother.
Laura’s expression changed to one of confusion as she asked, “Why do you need nice things?”
Aulora jumped when her cell rang in her jeans pocket. She pulled it out and saw it was her friend, Brittany. “I’ll call her back later.” She swiped the screen, sending the call to voicemail. “And about the nice things, can you keep a secret?”
Laura nodded and stopped looking through the closet and went to her, taking her hand and pulling her to sit on the bed with her. “I can. Tell me what’s up, Aulora.”
“Promise not to judge me?” she asked her cook.
Laura nodded. “I promise. I’m not here to judge anyone.”
“Well, I need to leave for a while. You see, I’m not going to be able to marry Weston. He deserves better than me. I don’t want to have kids. I’ve seen the heartache and fear and want no part of it.” She bit her lower lip as she ran her hand through her hair in a nervous fashion. “Does that make me a bad person, Laura?”
Laura shook her head. “No, it doesn’t. You’re truthful. Have you told Weston?” When Aulora shook her head, Laura sighed. “You’re engaged, Aulora. You need to talk to him. It’s not fair to him for you to run off without telling him why you’re doing it.”
“He’ll try to stop me,” she said. “Let’s face it, he will stop me. And I don’t want to be stopped. I want to get the hell away from it all. The worry, the fear, the not knowing what’ll happen.”
“That’s life, though. You can’t get through life without those things occurring. Sorry, that’s a fact,” Laura said.
“Not everyone has kids, Laura. Not everyone gets married. I don’t have to do those things. Not when I know that one day I’ll lose the people I love. It’ll hurt too much.” Aulora stood up and began to pace around her large room. “I just want to paint. I want to have those feelings. No sorrow, unless it lends itself to my work. I don’t expect you or anyone else to understand. I just can’t do it. I’m a loner. I always have been.”
Right on cue, Bruce ran out from under her bed and began to trip her up as he moved his fat body between her moving legs. Laura laughed as Aulora nearly fell. “He’s missed you. I’ve been wondering where he’d hidden. He’s managed to come out and eat his food and get some water when no one was around, but I haven’t seen him since you left to go to your father’s.”
