STOLEN CHANCES - PART EIGHT

PREVIOUSLY

Todd just nods his head, unable to speak. He stared unbelievably at Michelle's son. He was a handsome kid about 9 or 10 years old. He saw a lot of Michelle in the boy. But Todd wasn't prepared for what else he saw when he looked at Ryan. He looked into the little boy's eyes - and saw his own.

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Todd stands there in stunned silence, still grasping the little boy's hand and not fully able to comprehend what he was seeing. The boy was the spitting image of Michelle, yet the eyes were the tell tale sign. The eyes belonged to Todd. Todd manages to smile at the little boy and squeak out a weak, "Nice to meet you" before finally letting his hand go and turning away so no one would see him on the verge of crying.
Michelle notices Todd struggling to fight back the tears. She wants to bury herself in the floor knowing that she caused him that kind of pain with her secrets. But, something has been started now and it can't be stopped. It's time for the whole story to come out. She takes her son back to bed and emerges from the room a few minutes later, composed and ready finish what's begun.
"I guess that was the rest of the story you were telling me about," Todd says, motioning towards the child's bedroom door.
"Todd, I was trying to tell you."
"This is great. Now you were trying to tell me. Michelle, it's been years since we've seen each other. Years that you've kept my . . ." But Todd can't bring himself to say the word. A son. His son. Could it really be possible? He wipes back a tear that managed to escape.
"Todd, until about an hour ago, I thought you didn't want anything to do with us. You never responded to my letter."
"Here we go again with that letter. Michelle, how many times do I have to tell you. I never got your letter!" Todd catches himself before his voice gets too loud. He didn't want to alarm the child. He turns away from Michelle to collect his thoughts.
"Michelle. We were best friends. I mean, best friends. We grew up together. We knew everything there was to know about each other. You had to have known . . . I mean, how could you just believe I would just walk out on you and our . . ."
"Our son," she finishes for him. "Ryan is our son." She pauses, as if to let the words sink in. She couldn't believe she was finally saying them out loud. She's started this conversation many times in her head, but the words have finally found a life of their own.
"But you're right, Todd," she continues. "We were best friends. So I want to ask you the same question you just asked me. How could you believe that I would walk out on you?"
She paused again for a few seconds, but not really expecting an answer.
"There's really no need now to go back and try to figure out what happened. We know what happened. My father," she says quietly, then looks down. It feels good to finally have everything out in the open, but she couldn't bare to look at Todd. Not yet. He's been hurt by her. His entire dysfunctional adult life was based on her unintentional betrayal.
"I have to go," Todd says abruptly after another long silence.
"Todd! You can't leave now. We're in the middle of . . ."
"Look, you've had the past 10 years or so to get used to this . . . new development, for lack of a better word. Can you at least give me a few hours to . . ."
"You're right. I'm sorry. It just seems like you're running away again. But for real this time. I've had this conversation with myself so many times, wondering what you would say and do when you found out about Ryan. But it always ended the same way. I always feared you would hate me and I always imagined you would turn and run as far away from us as possible."
"Don't feel that way," he says, grabbing her hand. "That's not what's going on here now. I'm not trying to run away. I just need a little time, okay? Good night," he says as he lifts her hand to his lips, kissing it lightly before turning to walk out the door.

TO BE CONTINUED