One More Chance
Chapter 86: I am his ex-wife

~~What the hell are you thinking 'round to visit? Completely uninvited messing with my brain again. You couldn't give the satisfaction of forgetting. Your existence showed up when I thought I finally found the end. Don't be coming over looking for a conversation. Dropping little hints that you want me back again 'cause I'm so sick and tired of the little lies you tell me~~~

-Kameron Marlowe-

There were only a few customers when we entered the coffee shop and just as I thought, most of them were students from the nearby university.

"Whoa! The smell of coffee is so good!" Cali exclaimed as soon as we walked in and hurried to the first vacant table she saw.

"Do you like coffee?" Luke asked her and she nodded, but it hasn't been a second when she changed her mind.

"Uhm... do they sell milk tea, mommy?"

"Yes, baby, they sell milk tea. What flavour do you want?"

"Yey! I love chocolate--- dark chocolate, mommy."

"Alright, dark chocolate flavoured milk tea for the little girl." I kissed her on the forehead.

When we were at the counter, we were greeted by the middle-aged woman who I think is the cashier on duty for the day. And to my surprise, she didn't recognize me, but she instantly recognized him. "Wow, Captain, it's been a long time! How are you?"

My eyebrow automatically knew its way up upon hearing the word 'captain'.

"Hello, Trisha, I'm fine. It's nice to see you again, huh." Luke said as he gave her a broad smile.

"Captain?" I couldn't help but utter in confusion.

"Ohh... I was a basketball captain before, right?"

"Yes, when you were in college, so does that mean you're also a regular customer of this shop?"

"Yes, Miss, he is. And I remember he's always with his girlfriend." And then she turned to him. "Captain, what was your girlfriend's name again?"

I don't know how to react to her question. Her stupid question... so I just took a deep breath and fake a smile. Well, isn't it awkward to be with your ex-husband who still has a girlfriend? And the most frustrating thing is that the woman in front of us seemed not to notice my expression. "Samantha," Luke replied that made me look at him and frown. "What I mean is, this is Samantha and she's my wife." He even smiled after telling those lies.

"Oh, my God! I'm sorry, I didn't know---" but her words died when Luke immediately lifted Cali and introduced to her.

"And here is our daughter, my princess Cali. Baby, say hello to Trisha."

"Hello, Trisha. How are you?"

"Oh, wow! What a beautiful offspring! Hello to you too, little princess, the old woman here is fine, how about you?"

"I'm fine too, Trisha."

As much as I wanted to laugh with how she described herself, but I contained myself as I have an important thing in mind that I need to let out.

"I'm sorry, Miss Samantha, I've become so nosy. I'm really sorry, I didn't know you were his wife."

Since I saw how sincere she was with her apology, I decided to correct what Luke had just said.

"It's okay, it's fine with me, I just want to correct what the Captain said. I am no longer his wife. We got divorced four years ago, so the right word is that I am his ex-wife and he is my ex-husband."

"Ohh..." Her mouth formed an 'O' shape but I just smiled.

"Sam..."

Luke glanced at me with an expression I couldn't read. If it's regret, awkwardness or he was pleading me to stop and I shouldn't have said those words. But the table is still mine, so I will say what I have to say and what I want to say. "What? Did I say anything wrong?" I asked him, but the only thing I heard from him was a deep sigh before shaking his head. So, before awkwardness eats me too, I've already changed the subject by reciting our orders. The middle-aged woman didn't open her mouth again even until we got back to our seats.

"Sam...?"

"Hmm?" I glanced at Luke expecting his next words as he called my name, but he shook his head again.

I wouldn't say I have no idea why he was behaving like that because I know it was about what just happened earlier. And if he can't discuss right now, then I will...

"Luke, do you mind if I ask a favor?"

A smiled curled up against his lips before nodding at me. I saw how excitement filled his eyes as he waited for me to speak. He didn't even an idea what kind of favor I'm going to ask him.

"No, I wouldn't mind. You can ask me anything you want."

"Okay, as you say so." I shrugged. "I just want to ask you to stop introducing me to other people as your wife."

The smile on his face instantly faded and confusion took its place.

"But Samantha---"

"Please?" I cut him off. "It's been four years since I signed the divorce papers and I know you filed it, right Luke?"

It took him a few seconds to answer my question and I held my breath while I was waiting for him to open his mouth and say the answer I wanted to hear.

"Yes."

And a sigh of relief instantly left my lips.

"I filed the divorce papers four years ago." He said avoiding my gaze.

"Then that's it. You shouldn't call me your wife because I no longer your wife."

As our conversation deepened, our daughter's presence slipped out of our mind. Little did we know that she's just pretending to play games on her phone, but the truth is that she was listening to our conversation from the very beginning. "Hey, baby, are you okay?" I asked, caressing her cheek.

"Yes, mommy." She nodded but didn't bother to look at me.

"Where are you going after this?"

Cali's eyes widened in excitement upon hearing her father's question which caused us to laugh at her.

"Daddy, can we go to the mall after we finished drinking our coffee?"

"Oh, sure, my princess. It's just that you'll have to ask your mommy first."

"Mommy, let's go to the mall, please? It's been a long time since we played in the arcade with Daddy."

My eyes moved from the father and daughter who I noticed was always thinking of doing things in favour to them. And there I was, always being left without a choice.

"So after playing in the arcade, what are we going to do? I mean where are we going to go next? Come on, tell me now, so I'll start recording my answer and then when you ask me next time, you don't have to wait for my answer. You just have to play the recorder and we're ready to go to wherever you want to go." I said as I made weird expressions that made her laugh.

"I love you, mommy." She just said before getting up and hugging me around my neck. "You're the best mommy in the world!" And she even kissed me on both cheeks.

"Ohh... why are you being an extra sweet, little princess?" I asked in a form of a joke, but she only answered it with a smile.

And again, I had no idea that in that very moment, what she had heard were still swirling in her head, she was just afraid to ask about it.

So, after paying for our orders in which Luke insisted he would be the one to pay the bills, we headed to the mall. And just as what on the little girl's plan, first, we played several games in the arcade and when she was already exhausted, she then asked to go into the department store. I got her jumpsuits, dress, sneakers and two new pillows as she loves to cuddle and it's her cuddle buddy when I'm not beside her.

And when I was about to pay using my card, Luke immediately held my hand and gave some cash to the cashier.

"Hey---"

"Shhh... I'm her father, so let me shoulder the bill, okay?"

"Ohh... okay." I shrugged and smiled at the lady cashier who was now watching us in front of the counter. Well, in that case, I won't stop him.

We still haven't come home after that. Luke took us to a fast-food restaurant for a snack and when there were only two hours left before 7:00 pm, Cali asked one last favor to watch the newly released Disney movie.

Our supposed to be mother-daughter date unexpectedly became a family date and I don't know what happened to my daughter as she suddenly got clingy the whole day.