“HEY, CARMEN!   WHAT’S…!!!”  Nicole screams, but Carmen didn’t hear her.  She turned the corner already.

Carmen runs a little more but suddenly stops when she recognizes a car just meters away from her: it is Shane’s car being started by…Shane, herself.  Carmen watches in awe as Shane drives away.  She suddenly starts losing her balance, so she looks for support in a street light.  Her head starts spinning and she feels dizzy as the images of the wedding night come to her mind.  She can’t breathe.  She feels her stomach doing flips, so she holds it.

“Miss, are you ok?”

She looks up to see some people looking at her.  She instinctively moves away from them, not answering nor looking back at them.  She walks to her house slowly with the images of that day still right in front of her eyes.  The voices and sounds in her ear like it’s happening right now.  Being one house away, Nicole spots her and runs towards her.

“Carmen, honey, what’s going on?”  She takes her by her arms.  “Oh my God, you are shaking!!  What’s wrong Carmen?   Carmen?”  Nicole is terrified by Carmen’s state.

“Sh-Sh-Shane.” Carmen whispers with eyes wide open.

“Oh my God, honey.” Nicole hugs her.

“She, she …” Carmen can’t finish the sentence and bursts into tears.

Nicole holds her even tighter as she cries out loud.  “It’s okay.   Everything is gonna be okay.  I’ve got you, I’ve got you.” And with that she takes Carmen into the house.

********

“Shane.”  She looks at her with a half smile.

Shane’s taken aback.  “How… how did you…?”

“I saw you yesterday…running,” she laughs bitterly.  “I recognized your voice and I followed you…I don’t know why.”

Shane closes her eyes feeling really ashamed.  “I…I’m sorry I didn’t want to…” she stops.

Both of them stare at each other in silence.  Shane’s eyes reflect longing, regret, and desire; Carmen’s eyes on the other hand, only show pain.

“So….what’s up?” Carmen asks not knowing what else to say to the woman who broke her heart and nearly destroyed her faith in love.

“Carmen I need to talk to you, I need to explain.”

“Um,” Carmen interrupts her.  “I don’t really think there’s anything to explain Shane.”

“Yes there is.  There are some things you deserve to know.”

Carmen is not really interested in what Shane has to say, but she thinks that the truth won’t kill her; in fact, she believes that maybe it could be a good way to move on.  With some luck, tomorrow might look better after this.  “Ok, if you think you need to explain yourself” she shrugs, “but this is not the right moment or the right place.”  She then strokes the baby’s face.  “Plus, I need to take this little fella to his swimming class.”

“Oh right.” Shane looks down sad.  “Um…by the way…”  She lifts her head shyly and points at the baby “your son is beautiful.”

“My son?”  Carmen chuckles, “I wish he was mine.”  She takes the boy in her arms.  “He’s Nicole’s baby.  He’s only one year old and his name is Alonso,” she states proudly.

Shane feels like a heavy weight has left her body.  She then sighs in relief.

Carmen looks at her with a brow lifted and shakes her head.  “Anyways I gotta go now.”  She puts the baby back in his carriage, “where are you staying?”

“Oh I’m staying at the Rio Hotel, room 405.

“Yeah, I know where it is.  Ok, I’ll be there at 7; see you then, bye.”

“Bye.”  Shane watches Carmen leave.  She didn’t think that her first encounter with Carmen would be so relaxed, but they didn’t really speak at all.  Shane stands up and mentally prepares for what is coming tonight…that’d surely be something else.