Tonight I'm Loving You

Rosa was cooking us dinner while I helped Satia with her homework. The wonderful smells of bell peppers, chillies, and meat filled the tiny kitchen. The apartment was small, but it worked. The whole lower level was round and painted a light blue color. The living room and kitchen were one room with a counter island dividing the two. An old, chipped table sitting four was in the center of the kitchen with the appliances surrounding it. The windows were high up the wall, curtained with red checkered curtains. We didn't have a TV. Only the creme couch, its two matching chairs, the coffee table, and a bookshelf sat in the living room.

Going up the narrow, steep spiral staircase led you up into my "room" that was circular and laden with all my art setups. Canvas, papers, paint bottles, brushes; they were scattered in my cluttered space along with my artwork I'd failed to sell. Branching off from my room, through a doorway I had to duck for, was Satia's little piece of paradise. It was perfectly organized, her bed always made and clothes put away. I would often catch her at night peering through the small window that even she couldn't fit through. She said she loved to just look out at the city before she went to sleep. She loved Madrid that much.

It wasn't perfect, but we made due and I could pay for it. Rosa lived down the street with her four cats which Satia adored. I wondered how different our lives would have been if Enrique had never left me...

There was a knock on the door and I went to answer it. Opening the door revealed Enrique once again. But this time his sunglasses were gone and I saw how his eyes hadn't changed. It angered me.

"What?" I asked sharply.

"I'm sorry."

I blinked at him, taken off guard. "For...?"

"Everything," he answered. "I'm sorry I left. And I'm sorry for hurting and betraying you."

"Then why did you leave?" My voice was barely above a whisper as I stepped out, closing the door behind me.

"I panicked," he said regretfully.

"You panicked?" I echoed. "Imagine how I felt when I woke up and you weren't there! I couldn't get ahold of you, didn't have a clue where to go, what to do! You left me completely alone! Not a good-bye, thank you, kiss my ass, nothing!"

"I panicked!" he repeated, his voice harsher. "I wasn't ready to have a kid! Especially with a woman I'd only known for three months! I screwed up and I'm trying to fix it!"

"I don't even know who you are! Why would I let you near my daughter?" I seethed.

"Because I'm her father!"

"You're my daddy?"

We both froze and I turned my head to see Satia standing in the crack of the door, looking up at us with wide, innocent eyes. I was lost for words. Enrique stepped around me. I remained fixed to the spot, watching him carefully.

Enrique squatted in front of Satia and smiled. "Yeah, I'm your dad."

"What's your name?" she asked sweetly.

"Enrique. What's yours?" he answered.

"I don't give my name to strangers." I smirked when Enrique's smile faltered. My little girl knew how to take care of herself.

"I hope we won't have to be strangers for much longer," Enrique said, regaining his smile.

Satia returned it and I saw just how much they really looked alike. It was like I had had no part in creating her whatsoever. It was all from Enrique.

"Satia, back inside," I said. "Enrique needs to leave."

She looked up at me, then at him, and turned and retreated inside.

Enrique stood and let out a long breath. His eyes were brimmed with grief. "She's beautiful."

I nodded. He turned to me and swallowed, pulling a card from his pocket. "I'll be here in Madrid for a couple weeks. You can get a hold of me with this number. If you want too."

He handed the card to me. I hesitated, looking at him stubbornly before snatching it from his fingers. "Please, don't come back here," I said.

His eyes fell to the floor and he walked around me, leaving me alone in the hallway.