[FICTION] Let Me Be Your Motivation [Part 1]

Disclaimer: The following story is originally written by me based on some prompts from some of my friends. Please don't steal, thanks! <3 Also, please forgive me for not checking the quotation mark styles or do some extra proof-reading - I'm quickly rushing to go to the airport for a week vacation in Florida. Happy reading!

"Ulysses! Come over here, darling!"

A small Filipino boy perked up from his seat at the dining table upon hearing one of his mothers and dropped his eating utensils on his plate, climbing out of his seat to rush over to her.

"Mommy!"

A young Black woman, thin and sexy like a Victoria secret model with long, dark brown braids, grinned at her son and bent down to quickly catch him as he jumped towards her. "There's my little booger! How's your mama's weird food?"

Ulysses giggled and shook his head. "Silly mommy! Mama's food is good!"

"Yeah, what's wrong with lechon and balut?"

The young woman turned to see her Filipino wife come out of the kitchen, wearing skin tight leather skirt and a crop top, which hugged her distinctive curves. Her long, light brown hair was tied up in a messy bun with chopsticks sticking out of it. She looked over at her wife's stained apron and raised an eyebrow.

"You know you could've just ordered take-out, right, sweetie?"

The tan Asian woman sighed and leaned against the wall with her shoulder. "Violet, I told you I don’t mind cooking for our family – "

"- and I told you that you need a break, okay? I could tell you’re running out of fumes!" Violet sighed as she walked towards her wife after placing their son on the ground, who ran to grab his luggage in his room. She wrapped her arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. "This vacation is needed for all of us, Natalia, okay? Ulysses is gonna have fun at summer camp and I’ll be right there as a chaperone."

"I just don’t see why I can’t come along?"

“Because you haven’t painted a single thing since Ulysses came at our doorstep – and I know how much you value your art.” Violet rubbed Natalia’s biceps tenderly before stepping back and grabbing a duffel bag by the front door. “You can use this time to get inspired or motivated, ya know? I believe in you.”

A honk from outside the house startled the couple and they turned to see a blonde Caucasian woman through the window, sitting in her silver Kia Carnival Hybrid. She grinned and waved her hand towards them.

Natalia’s jaw dropped as Violet shuffled awkwardly away from her, with her posture seemingly defensive.

“…what is Cadence doing here?”

She was met with silence right as their son shuffled into the living room nearby with his duffel bag.

“Violet, what is your ex-girlfriend doing here?”

“Look, it turns out she works at Ulysses’ school as a counselor, okay? She volunteered to drive us and is one of the counselors for the summer camp.”

“…how long have you known she was working there?”

Silence ensued as Ulysses noticed the tension and silently snuck out through the front door, where Cadence quickly helped him with his luggage into the minivan. Natalia’s glare might as well have been daggers aimed at Violet’s head.

“…Violet, we enrolled Ulysses into the school two years ago.”

Said woman took a deep breath and straightened her back to meet her wife’s eyes. "That’s when I found out, okay? I didn’t want to say anything because I knew you’d be like this – "

“Like what? Like a jealous wife? Well, guess what? I’m not jealous.”

“You’re not, huh? You sound jealous.”

“Nope – I’m pissed off.”

“Oh, come on! Don’t be like this! Nothing is going on between the both of us!”

“If there’s really nothing going on, then why didn’t you tell me two years ago?!”

Natalia was met with silence as Violet appeared stunned at the accusing question. When their eyes met, something shifted in the air between them, as if an invisible cord snapped, silent revelations appearing before them without needing to be said further.

“Mama?”

Both parents turned to find a worried-looking Ulysses staring up at them from the open doorway. Natalia took a deep breath and backed away slowly towards the kitchen.

“You have a good time with Mommy, okay? Call me if there’s any trouble, Uli.”

“Okay, Mama! Let’s go, Mommy!” He scampered over to grab Violet’s free hand, tugging her to the door. “All my friends are on their way, Mommy! Let’s go! Miss Cadence started the engine already!”

“O-Okay, sweetie, just go right on ahead – I still need to say goodbye to your Mama.”

“Okay! Bye, Mama!” Ulysses rushed over to glomp Natalia’s waist for a quick tight hug before running out the door.

The young woman wearing an apron stared at her wife after their son left. Violet awkwardly readjusted her hold of her luggage strapped on one shoulder.

“…you should probably go. We’ll talk about it when you get back.”

“…look, I didn’t mean to hurt you – “

“Well, you did. You had her come here. You talked to her for the past two years without letting me know she came back to your life.”

“I still love you, though!”

“But do you still have feelings for her?”

Before Violet could answer, another honk came from the minivan outside the house. Natalia could see the look on her wife’s face and immediately knew the answer.

“…be with our son. We’ll talk about custody and whatnot later.”

Violet’s eyes widened in slight shock before the quick resignation settled on her face. She silently nodded as she quickly shuffled out the door.

Natalia waited until she heard the minivan pull out the driveway and leave the block before she randomly grabbed a ceramic bowl nearby and threw it against the wall, shattering it into pieces.

“Fuck!”

Several hours later, deep into the night, Natalia was slumped against the kitchen counter on the ground, drinking straight from a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey, her face damp with tears that had streamed down her plump cheeks throughout her whole temper tantrum. Surrounding her in the kitchen was a mess of broken ceramics and glass, different substances of cooked food thrown in different directions, and a broken frame holding a photo of her and Violet on their wedding day.

Her ears perked up, however, upon hearing a familiar rumble of an engine. It was distinct, more like a motorcycle…

Natalia’s eyes widened in shock as she snapped her head towards the window, the sound of that familiar engine drawing closer to the house. She shakily stood up, using the kitchen counter to help her balance, and she placed the whiskey bottle on the surface before running outside.

Right into the driveway, a white-and-blue 2013 Suzuki GSX-R600 motorcycle was parked with the light beams on. The rider quickly turned the engine and lights off before hopping off the bike, noticing a teary-eyed Natalia standing on the front porch. The tall rider flipped open his helmet visor, his bright green eyes watching over her in concern.

“Nat? Where’s Vi?”

Nat didn’t answer and instead covered her face with her hands, weeping. The alarming sight had the tall rider quickly stride towards her as he pulled his helmet off, pulling the young woman into a comforting hug.

“I got you, babe, shhh… tell me what’s wrong…” He whispered above her head before gently planting his lips on her messy yet soft locks of hair.

Memories of them being close friends resurfaced before Natalia shook her thoughts away, focusing back to her current life predicament.

“Your sister…”

“What about her? Where is she, anyway?”

“…she’s with Cadence and Ulysses at the summer camp.”

“…I’m sorry, she’s with her ex?”

Natalia burst into tears again, causing the Caucasian rider to squeeze her gently in the embrace out of comfort. Soon, he gently guided her back through the front door, only to find the kitchen and living room demolished as if a wild bull had been let loose inside a blue china shop. When he saw glass shards nearly everywhere on the ground and noticed the slight cuts on Natalia’s feet and hands.

“Shit…”

He quickly carried her princess style, which after a moment caused him to grow even more concerned about her well-being, since she normally would squeak in embarrassment. Instead, Natalia grew quiet as a mouse, her facial features appearing solemn and depressed.

The man brought the woman to the master bedroom and laid her down gently, tending to her light wounds as he crossed back and forth from the bathroom to the bed, dressing each cut with bandage wraps. When he was done, he gently tucked her in with soft blankets and stayed by her side until she fell asleep. He then walked out silently back into the kitchen and tried cleaning up while pulling out his phone to call his half-sister.

A couple of rings later, she picks up.

“What do you want, asshole?”

“What the hell did you do to my best friend, Vi?”

“What, did she call you?!”

“She didn’t – I came over to surprise the family, remember?”

“Wait… Paul… are you there right now?! With Natalia?!”

“I could ask the same about you with Cadence! I thought you were done with her a few years ago?! What is she doing in your life again, Vi?!”

“Look, I – we got to talking again, okay?! I was picking up Ulysses from school one day, saw her come out, and we – we couldn’t help it!”

“How long has this been going on?”

Paul was met with silence on the phone.

“Vi… I haven’t seen you two since you adopted Ulysses, and that was two and a half years ago. How long have you been cheating on Nat?”

“I… two years…”

“What the fuck?!”

"Look, I’m sorry, okay?! I wanna make it up to her – "

“You’ve done enough!” Paul sighed in frustration, then stood straighter as he stared at one of the rare photos on the wall that wasn’t damaged. It was a picture of a younger Natalia on a younger Paul’s back. The two looked blissfully happy in front of the college campus. Distantly, he could hear in the phone his half-sister complaining about the whole situation and how difficult it would be to break it off with Cadence since she’s bonded well with Ulysses.

“…Vi.”

“What now?!”

“I’m taking her.”

“What are you on about?”

“…you remember that pact we made in college, when we first met Nat?”

“Yeah? And I called dibs – hey, wait…”

“And I told you before, didn’t I? If you break her heart, I’m mending it back together myself.”

And with that, he hung up and took a deep breath. Time to heal some wounds.