Chapter 3. Expectations

The ray of sunlight that peeked through the window was too bright for Val’s eyelids to bear. She couldn’t help but flutter her eyes open, feeling heavier in the head than any other part of her body. She winced and placed a finger on her temple at the numbing ache of her head from the night before’s hangover. She could feel the sheets clinging unto her body tightly under the duvet. The stink of alcohol and sex eroded her nostril.

She looked to her side on the bed only to find a vacant rough bedsheet which indicated that someone had been there just earlier.

‘He is… gone?’ Somehow, a small scent of him mixed with the pungent odor around reminded her of last night. Even if she had been drunk and it had all been a blurry pleasure rife, she could still remember quite a large part of the details and even more surprising was how she didn’t regret any part of it.

Nonetheless, It didn’t seem like the stranger she was with from the night before was in the washroom. He had really left just like that.

Val sat herself up on the bed, covering her body with the bedsheets and reminisced on the previous night.

The guilty pleasure feeling corroding her strong sense of responsibility. She contemplated whether it was right or wrong what she’d done…

“Haah!” After a while of recalling the pleasant memory, Val rose from the bed in a deep sigh. She caught sight of her lingerie scattered about the room and she struggled to hold back the urge to let out her amused laughter. She’d only seen this in romantic movies. Finding herself in this situation further made her understand the perspective of the different females in these movies, the next day after having a wild sex through the night.

“That was indeed a wild one…” It felt so forbidden and at the same time, the greatest thing she could have ever done. She realized she was even excited and down for more of it. But she quickly suppressed the thought.

Regardless, Val caught hold of herself and quickly moved to pick up her lingerie. She put them on and went to the bathroom to clean herself. She also got a glass of water to help rid of the hangover.

Returning into the room and sitting on the small sofa, Val thought to decide on her next step. The wild sex with the stranger seemed to have changed her thought of her situation and a healing bandage seemed to have been spread across her emotional wounds. Her previous thoughts as to where she was to go and her thoughts of revenge had now been averted. She could simply see herself in a much more better place.

If anything, she wouldn’t go back to Mark. Never again! She’s realized her worth and she knew to lead a life she would be happy to live.

“A divorce?” Her eyes were resolute. She looked around herself and stood to observe the room. It was a pretty decent place now that she took a good look at it. She wondered if it was up for a long term rent?

Having no kids nor anything attached to her marriage, she felt like it was only right that she not put herself in any more complications and to just move on with her life.

In truth, not even the revenge plan she had in mind before to turn herself into a worthless whore wife was worth it. Why degrade her precious self to that just to prove nothing to a man who didn’t care anyway?

She could just live her life the way she wanted and have real men ‘quench’ her lust when she needed to. Val had no doubt as to her looks. She is a 31 year old beautiful slim curvy blonde of average height with an hourglass bust and straight sexy legs. Although her pretty face now had slight wrinkles, any man would still go nuts for her!

What other benefits does a relationship offer than that? The thought of committing suicide just because a worthless man whom she’d invested five years of her life in did not cross her mind at all, she had too much to live for. Moreover, she had never really depended on him before she got to know of his infidelity and she only suffered from a subtle heartbreak. Five years was a long term for love to fade and all she really had left for him was commitment to their relationship.

Val suddenly felt her eyes water but she held back the urge to cry.

She stood up and went towards the bedside table where the sole thing she left her home with was. The stranger probably had helped her with it the last night.

Val unzipped her handbag and reached into it to bring out her handset. Turning it on, it didn’t surprise her that she had missed lots of calls and messages from work but she discarded and ignored it all regardless. Her hands scrolled up her contact list until she got to a certain name – BUTTON. She was about to dial his contact when a thought occurred to her.

“He hadn’t even called…” Not that she cared, but she only realized that he didn’t find any problem with her leaving. And that was exactly fine with her too. She clicked on her phone a few times and threw her phone on the bed afterwards.

“I don’t need the scum in my life anyway…” she muttered as she fell into bed. Val felt strange with the thought of starting to live alone. The feeling of loneliness that crept around mixed with the exciting taste of freedom. She felt unease all over herself having to live all alone from now on.

‘First of, I need a place to stay.’ Val rose from the bed once again. She totally ignored the information booklet on the bedside table and moved to the phone where she Inquired about the room reservation. It seemed the room had only been reserved for a few days, which left her surprised. However, she reckoned that he must have done that to sort himself out of his ‘heartbreak’ dilemma, not expecting the encounter with her.

‘And most definitely, last night must have changed him just as it did me. He must have left understanding it was a one-time thing…’

Val was glad that she had met him. She didn’t know what she’d be doing to herself right now if she hadn’t.

Nonetheless, now that she’d extended her stay in here, she had much less to worry about since she still had access to the jointly owned bank account. She packed all of her ‘stuff’ and moved to the new room she’d just rented. She didn’t want to stay in the room either.

However, along the way, she decided to visit her favorite lounge bar once again. It was just down the stairs. She had only gotten to know this place from an office party when she still worked.

“Blue rock, please…” she told the lady bartender who had replaced the one from last night and slowly started thinking of what to do next.

‘A new life and a new job.’ That was exactly what she needed. No more loyalty to relationships, just her having fun and being happy throughout her whole life. And being able to fend for her happiness by working. Nothing else mattered.

“Here you go,” the brunette bartender served the drink in front of her on the bar top.

“Thank you,” Val said. Her gaze was still latched onto the vivid image of her moving on with her life. She planned to enjoy it to the fullest.

***

Three weeks passed just like that.

Val stood in front of a mirror in the quirky washroom with her lips pursed as she applied some lipstick. The booming sound of party jam could be heard even behind the confined walls. One could tell what was going on outside from the screams and jolly.

These few past weeks had been the greatest of her life, she had simply led a fun-filled life. Although she was still yet to get a new job, Val still had more than enough to keep herself living quite the life. She spent every day of her life for the past three weeks either partying, getting drunk or just staying indoors.

Val still stayed in the two star motel where she met that strange man, though now in a different room. And ever since then, her boring life had reached a change. Her view of life basically had broadened. She’d lived that way for a while now and it had been great so far, nothing short of bliss, ec****y and drunkenness that left her feeling wonderful.

“I have to bring another man back,” she told herself in front of the mirror, seemingly reaching a resolve. Ever since that stranger, she hadn’t done the deed with anyone. Somehow, she felt attached to that strange man and it was exactly that sense of loyalty and commitment that she wanted to totally remove from her system and she was going to do so tonight. This was the new life she had chosen to live.

Val turned to leave the room but suddenly, her head buzzed shortly and her view became hazy. She reached her hands to the sink for support but her hands only slipped and she fell dizzily. The last thing she saw was the ceiling illuminated by the dim blue lights that flickered.

***

Beep! Beep!

Val woke up to the sound of the life support machine beeping. Just as she opened her eyes, she met sight of the blurry image of someone holding a file above her head. The bold sky-blue color of their figure stood out than any other thing in her view. The strong stench of bleach hit her nose- Val has always had a kin sense of smell.

“The special hCG hormones have been detected in her blood…” The blurry figure seemed to be speaking to themselves.

“Nh!” Val squinted as her head buzzed and she struggled with the dizziness that subsumed her.

“Oh you’re awake…” The blurry figure seemed to speak in a low echo. “You don’t want to stress yourself too much as you’re not fit to do so,” he warned.

“Where am I?” Val’s voice felt strange to even herself, it was as though it weren’t hers. She tried to sit up on the bed that she was in.

The face of the nurse became evident a while later and she could see how he looked at her dryly. Where else could she be anyway with all that was around?

“You were rushed in here after passing out at the club you were at last night…” the nurse answered her question nevertheless.

“What happened?” Val questioned again, she looked at herself strangely in the hospital gown that she was in.

“You stressed yourself too much whilst you’re pregnant. Now I understand that many of you think that the first phase of pregnancy isn’t a big deal, but I’ll tell you, ma’am, you’re quite mistaken…”

The rest of the nurse’s words became nothing but background sounds as Val just stared at him dumbfounded. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped ajar.

‘I… I’m pregnant…?’

Val didn’t doubt for a second that it was true. Was it her scum ex-husband then? No. She was certain that it wasn’t.

She could only think of the wild raw sex that she had with that stranger with no protection whatsoever. She didn’t even need to ask how long she’d been gone for, she hadn’t seen her menstrual flow through the month either, now that she thought about it.

But rather, what really concerned Val was her newfound life. Clearly, she was pregnant for a stranger, someone whom she didn’t even know his name and probably would never meet again. Was she to keep the child or abort it?

That was the first thing that came to her mind. Her heart raced in fear for the inevitable future. Could she cater for a child all alone by herself? Wouldn’t her newfound life be in jeopardy now that she was pregnant? What was she to even do at all?

She moved her palm towards her abdomen subconsciously, as if to receive an answer to all of her questions.

‘What about him…?’ she thought about the strange man whom she’d gotten pregnant for. How was she to find him and tell him of this? He probably wouldn’t even spare a second to listen to her. But… isn’t it only right to let him know about it? She couldn’t make the decision all alone right?

Val was stuck between a decision… Keeping or letting go. On one hand she had a lot to lose if she keeps, and the other option seemed more promising. Yet…