THE OUT OF MY LEAGUE

15

Ten in the morning when Mary and Darren burst into the house, Lily hurriedly greeted them.

"Mommy!!!" Mary ran to hug the smiling Lily while crouched down to grab her.

While Darren still followed behind with a bag containing Mary's belongings for 5 days ago in the hospital.

But unfortunately, as the smile lifted towards Darren's bead, Lily hurriedly faded her smile awkwardly. After that he threw away his face, and busied himself with Mary.

"We're going to the room, yuk?"

Mary nodded quickly to Lily. The two of them then waltzed away, leaving Darren with an unpleasant feeling in his chest.

...----------------...

At 12 pm when Mary was tired of playing and put to sleep, Lily was only able to come down to check on Darren's whereabouts. That's because he also had to ask permission to go somewhere.

But once checked, apparently Darren is not anywhere. Even when Lily called out to him until the sound echoed throughout the room there was still no sign.

"Did he go to the office, huh?" Lily clucked. "But it's Sunday."

Sighing, Lily decided to head to the backyard, who knows Darren is there.

And right, he was there. But something's weird.

Lily blinked.

Darren is bare-chested, Lily thinks Darren is swimming, but why is he draining the pool water instead?

"Mart ..." Lily called, she stood by the pool.

Darren. "Yes?"

"Why the pool?"

Darren watched the swimming pool he was draining. Then chuckle. "In case." Then, he started telling stories. "When I was Mary's age, I once fell into the water. Then a few years later, every time I saw this much water, I always had a panic attack, even though it was no longer. So I'm doing this out of fear that one day Mary will experience it too."

Lily mangosteen. Some time he blinked, considering he had important business. "You want lunch? I can make it quick."

Darren thought first. Then he shook his head. "No need, I'll order pizza. Do you want to too?"

Lily smiled refusing while shaking her head. "Actually I'll be out until 3pm."

"Where are you going?"

"Mmc ... I'm gonna meet Enid."

"Oooh, is Enid your friend?"

"Yes." Yeah."

"Mmc ... Alright. But, don't you want to be ushered in?"

Lily waved her hand. "No, I can take a taxi."

Darren bit his lip. "Be careful, then." After that he turned his back on Lily and continued to work.

Lily took a bite of her lip and with heavy steps went from there to her room to shower and change clothes.

The conversation just now wasn't awkward, was it? Think both at the same time.

...----------------...

"I'll go first!" Shouted Lily from the translucent middle room into the backyard.

Only Darren's head was poking out from behind the door, he was currently enjoying his pizza in the patio chair. "Hm! Careful."

After that Lily left. The house became quiet.

Out there, Lily walked to the outside of the housing complex and reached a large road, while hurriedly ordering a taxi by phone. Waiting for a few minutes, the taxi Lily called finally pulled over on the side of the road.

"To the usual place, sir." Lily informed him for the umpteenth time when he and the father met again in the car. Even without being told, the father had memorized exactly where Lily was headed.

Orphanages.

Enid, Lily's friend, comes with her to town to find work, and they part ways once Lily gets a place to stay at Darren's house 6 years ago. As fate would have it, they were reunited 2 years later. So, when Lily has time, then she'll pay a visit to Enid's workplace.

The location is not so far away, only 30 minutes by taxi, even if the road is not jammed at all.

"Sir, this." Lily paid the price as soon as the taxi stopped, then got ready to get off. "Thank you, yeah."

The driver smiled and nodded, then drove away leaving Lily who was now standing in front of the gate.

Because it was common to visit this place, the security guard who was on guard let Lily enter without process. Stepping wide, Lily walked through this two-story building to go to the park located behind the building.

There, Lily sees Enid playing with the orphanage children, watching them not to fall, or occasionally taking a break from exhausting activities.

Smiling at her, Lily stepped foot over to Enid who was instantly aware of her presence.

"Lilly!" Enid waved from where he sat.

Lily sat herself down on the bench next to Enid.

"How are you?"

"As usual, exhausting but also fun." Enid smiled, his two rabbit teeth kept Lily from focusing.

"Oh, yeah. What about Mary?" Continue Enid with questions.

"Mary's fine, I just put her to bed before I get here."

"Once again bring him here, dong. I miss him. Yeah, yeah, huh?" Enid gently shook Lily's arm.

Lily smiled as she nodded. "Alright, fine."

Only then did Enid want to take off Lily's arm, and return to watch the children. As they ran in front of him, Enid immediately stood chasing and stopped them. Lily laughed at him, looking at him.

As it turns out, keeping a lot of kids looks exhausting too. Though sometimes, when Lily took care of Mary, Lily had thought to add as many siblings as possible to Mary, so that she was not lonely playing alone. But in fact it can't happen.

"Miss!"

Lily's mind was suddenly sidetracked by Enid waving from where she stood. When Lily followed her gaze, she was surprised to see Victoria in this place, standing not far there, even now smiling as she approached Enid.

Lily watched with wrinkled eyebrows. Why are they so familiar? And again, Victoria didn't follow me here, did she?

After telling a little story, Enid now invites Victoria to the bench that Lily sits on. They look very familiar. Lily's heart became agitated as they approached her.

"Ah, yes. I want to introduce my friend as well."

When Victoria's eyes finally met Lily's brown eye bead, she fell silent in place. Victoria was completely unaware of Lily's whereabouts around here, until Enid finally brought her to be introduced to Lily.

Feeling awkward because of their reactions that both stared at each other. Enid said, "Do you know each other?"

Lily blinked, decided to look at Victoria and turned to look at Enid. "Yes." Yeah."

Enid smiles. "Good, then, I stay a while, yeah. You guys tell stories. I have to bring the kids in because it's time to rest. I'll be back when it's over, okay."

Enid did not need the consent of the two of them, because he had hurriedly led the children into the building.

Now they both live. Victoria was standing awkwardly, and Lily was bowing on that park bench.

Victoria was shaking. "May I sit down?"

Lily did not answer. Being near Victoria made him remember their last meeting. Victoria interrogates Lily until she has to lie so much. Victoria even threatened to come see him again. So, imagining that, Lily could only shut up. Victoria's too scary. Charisma is so strong, it's like wanting to swallow Lily's pride which is only the size of an ant.

However, without the permission of Lily though, Victoria ended up sitting by herself. Leave the distance because you don't want to sit too close to Lily. They are not that familiar after all.

"Mmc ... So you're friends with Enid?" Victoria asked suddenly.

Lily looked up, glanced at Victoria's face, after which decided to throw her gaze towards the building.

"From us little."

Lily faintly saw Victoria nodding.

"Then, how's Mary doing? Did he come home from the hospital?"

Lily frowned. She doesn't know how Victoria knew that. But he just answered. "They came home about ten this morning."

"Good."

After that they were silent again. Lily is reluctant to look for a topic because she wants to leave this place right now, and Mary who actually has a lot to say but she is hesitant to start where. So, they created such a long silence while looking at the parlour building together.

"Do you know ..." Victoria made a sound in the end.

Lily looked.

"After my successful modeling career in America, I came home a year ago because I was getting married to a Manila businessman a few months away. But it feels ... I can't let go of my past that's left here." Victoria turned to Lily with a sad smile.

He then returned to telling slowly. "6 years is a difficult time. Not for a second did I forget her little face that day. Guilt haunted me. Mary was born out of a past teenage mistake, I never told Darren that I was pregnant with her child. I just cut our relationship and didn't explain why. In fact, I was immature, I didn't know the meaning of responsibility, I didn't know how to appreciate the little things in life. I left, then came back after 9 months only to leave Mary to Darren after she was born, telling her the cruelest thing on a piece of paper, because I didn't want her to look for me anymore. I wanted to break her heart so as not to expect me to come back."

As Lily felt guilty, she looked on with pity at Victoria who was trying to hold back her tears. Lily did not stop thinking, it turns out Victoria saved her pain for 6 years. And in fact, both Darren and Victoria, they hurt each other because of their own egos.

"A year ago, every month, I started donating groceries and clothes to the kids here. That's because I feel guilty for Mary who didn't have time to feel the affection of a mother. I think about it all the time. How's things going? Is he growing well? Did he get the love he deserved? I ... I just realized the sense of loss after handing it over to Darren."

As a fellow woman, Lily understood, well understood, that this kind of feeling of loss will always bring regret that has no end. Because in fact, Victoria was just a human being who at any time did wrong, a woman with a weak heart, a figure who also expected her own happy ending.

Unknowingly, Lily approached, then grabbed Victoria. Victoria was surprised to find such a treatment. No one understood his suffering. He kept it to himself. It took a lot of courage to tell his story. And Lily gave him a warm hug that he never imagined he would get.

Break her tears right then. Victoria returned Lily's embrace, clutching the back of her shirt with pain and regret in the chest.

Lily tried to calm Victoria down, patting her back gently, letting her cry as much as she could, allowing Victoria to take the weight off her heart on her shoulders which had now been soaked by her tears.

"Cry as much as you can, let go of your pain. After this, be a strong woman. And dare to come convince Darren once more so you can have some time with Mary" Lily whispered softly. Although he knew, he had no right to say that, besides Darren who would definitely scold him all out for saying the thing just now to Victoria.

Victoria pulled her stuffy nose, and she let go of her embrace. She looked at Lily with tears still on her cheeks. It's an embarrassing sight, but it's been seen by Lily herself.

"No, no .." replied Victoria with her hoarse voice held back. "Darren will never change his mind. I already hurt his heart. He won't listen to my reasons. I know that I will never be forgiven. That day, on the boat, I hugged her for the first time in 6 years. I thought his heart would soften. But in fact, he said that he was happy with his family now."

Victoria took a deep breath. Trying to stretch out his chest and accept his destiny.

Staring into Lily's eyes, Victoria continued, "Lily ... He's happy with you. There's no room for me anymore. It's just you in his heart. So please ... stay by their side. Never leave them. You're all they have. Do it for me. I can't be a good mother to Mary, who can't be the perfect wife to Darren. Fill that place up for me and them, huh?"

Lily tergugu's. But in fact, all this is just a lie. Husband-wife relationships, engagement rings, and everything about being Mary's stepmother. Everything trick. And he has to accept such a serious request?

Victoria gently shook both of Lily's shoulders. Lily nodded in surprise. Then, he unconsciously nodded. "I, yes ... I'll keep it."

Lily's eyelid woo that day represented her concern that should be among those who pinned their hopes on her. He has already agreed to a request that he really can not bear.