“I’m trying to find something to watch...” Isaac looked at his solemn brother. “What are you doing?”
Taylor sighed again. “Nothing.”
“Did you call her?” Isaac had danced around the subject all day, but never able to come right out and say it.
“Sort of. I left a message. But that was two days ago... Almost two days ago.” “Oh,” Isaac held his head low.
“You know what that means, don’t you?”
Isaac switched off the television and sighed. “Taylor, you have to forget about it now. It’s all too late. If it was meant to be, it would’ve happened.”
Taylor lifted himself off the couch and abruptly left the room. “Who asked you
anyway?!” He called as he thrashed his feet down the hallway.
As he passed the cafe he realised just how far he’d walked. Almost two hours. Two hours of his life drifted by in a daze. Just like the past few months.
Zac sighed and looked up to the sky. “What the hell is going on?” He murmured to himself.
Nothing had been the same this year. It was like the chaotic change that would take them into the next century. What this just a small sign of what would happen next year?
Zac kicked another stone. It was not as if he’d hated the past few months, it was some of the best times of his life... But everything changed. Everything.
He remembered that morning when he got up and Keryn walked down the hall. That’s where it all started. They hung out of the front porch for a while and that was the day her first time back in Tulsa started all over again. The time Taylor started acting weird.
It was like they had been taken back to their childhood years... But with a little bit of teenage-ism that caused feelings to spark from every corner of Taylor and Keryn. Zac stared up at the sky again. He hoped that their relationship hadn’t been too affected.
Then, a couple of days after that Kayla appeared. They’d never met her before... But it felt like they’d known each other a life time. She made everyone laugh... She could put everyone’s life into perspective. That made Ike put his life into perspective and he almost literally fell head over heals. His first serious relationship. Now Kayla resided in California. Sure, that’s where she resided before... But was her heart still in Tulsa? Was Ike’s heart still somewhere in the Pacific Ocean? That’s what Zac thought sometimes. After they came back from that cruise, something had changed in both of them. Ike seemed empty without his Kayla.
Zac sat on a bench and fixed his eyes upon his shoes. The only person in the last few months that hadn’t changed their life dramatically was him. He’d made a few new friends, like Andrew. Margo switched off her little fixation and he watched his brothers change before his eyes.
But was there anything for him to experience? Something that told him that he wasn’t that same old Zac anymore. He looked at the small cafe that was disappearing down the street.
Life had changed. Their surroundings hadn’t changed. But everyone around them had. Everybody discovered they had an identity.
Ike discovered there was someone in the world that he could love.
Taylor found out there was an undiscovered love, standing right in front of him.
Zac realised that he was Zac. Zachary Hanson. He’d grown up. He may not have anyone to love right now, but that didn’t matter.
Zac stood and started to make his way in the other direction. Everything changed.
Everything changed for the better.
Andrew jumped at the sight of him. “Woah, you scared the crap out of me.”
Zac observed the bags under his friends eyes, the way his hands were shakily rushing through his hair. He’d never seen his friend so tense before.
“What’s the matter Drew?”
“Man, I’m drowning. My life is messed up and I don’t know what to do.”
“Nothing’s that serious, dude.”
“Zac, what the hell would you know?” He rubbed his hands through his hair again and looked at Zac.
“What the hell do you mean? I’ve had my times. Everyone’s had their days.”
“You so don’t get it. You with your fame. How could you have anything but a perfect life?”
Zac was taken back by his statements. He’d never seen his friend like this before. Andrew never cared about the fame factor. He was just always there. A normal person who he hung out with.
“I don’t get you man. What the hell is wrong?”
“Oh, like you don’t know. Like I haven’t given a whole heap of hints over the past few weeks and you are too delirious and caught up with your life to notice. You totally jumped to the wrong conclusions.”
“I still don’t know what you are on about Drew.”
Zac was getting annoyed with his friend. Andrew’s voice was just growing louder and louder and for what Zac felt to be no reason at all.
“Just take a wild guess.”
“Come on, this isn’t wheel of fortune. Tell me!” Zac demanded.
“You idiot! You thought the baby was your brothers, didn’t you? You saved me for a second there, I tell you. But I have known since it happened that it was mine. I don’t know how many times I’ve practically told you, but you couldn’t get it through your head.”
Zac’s jaw almost dropped to the ground. “What the hell are you saying?”
“Margo’s baby. It’s mine.”
The thought still made Taylor sting inside.
He reached down and turned on the radio. I knew I loved you by Savage Garden filled the air. Taylor smiled and shook his head. Lyrics are so terribly powerful. He sat in silence and let the song take over the car.
Maybe it’s intuition
But some things you just don’t question
Like in your eyes
I see my future in an instant
And there it goes
I think I’ve found my best friend
I know that it might sound more than a little crazy
But I believe
I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life.*
Taylor waited for the song to finish and turned off the radio. ‘If it was meant to be, it
would’ve happen.’ Ike’s words crashed through his head. He sighed and got out of the
car. He had to get over it.
“You heard me.”
“What the hell are you going on about?!”
“The baby, it’s mine.” He said it as if he were talking to a piece of fluff.
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t want me to go into details. It happened that night we were all at the party. She was wasted.” Zac was fuming. He felt as if he had been deceived by his friend. He couldn’t believe it.
“Does she know?”
“I don’t know if she knows. She’s a slut. How would she know?”
“You bastard. I can’t believe you. How could you?”
“How could I what? I thought that you’d support me. Not start all this shit.”
“Support? You want me to support you? Fuck support!”
“Settle down. This has nothing to do with you!” Although in a state, Andrew had calmed slightly because he got the whole thing off his chest.
“Nothing to do with me? You’ve completely fucked my brothers life. You know that? The two that I thought would get married or something have now broken up because you kept your mouth shut like some selfish idiot!”
“Like they won’t get back together!” Andrew rolled his eyes.
“Like hell they will! She moved. She left the country. You understand? She’s gone!”
“I have my problems at the moment, Zac. If you aren’t here to support, just go home.”
Zac clenched his fists and bashed them together. “I’m telling Margo.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Andrew looked up with fury in his eyes.
“I will not have you treat her like this. I’m going to tell her now.”
“You hate the girl. It won’t gain anything for you!”
“Don’t judge me.” Zac turned and left the house.
“You’ll get what’s coming to you!” Andrew started throwing things around the house.
He picked up and vase and threw it at the front window. “I’ll get you.”
“Yes dear, I haven’t seen you for a while.” She smiled. Zac had always liked Margo’s mom. He hadn’t really met her, just admired from afar. She always tried her hardest to control her daughter.
Zac smiled. “How is she?”
“She’s in bed at the moment. She’s not feeling very well.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll see you some time.”
Zac smiled and hurried down the hallway towards Margo’s room.
“Hey Marg,” he said as he opened the door to the very pink room.
“Zac, what do you want?” She opened her eyes in surprise.
“Way to greet someone who’s coming to visit you.” Zac sat at the end of the bed.
“How are you feeling?”
“I feel so sick. The doctor said I had to spend a lot of time in bed.”
“You told your parents?” Zac was surprised.
“I had to Zac, it was getting rather obvious.” She smiled down at her stomach.
Zac grinned and picked up a teddy bear from the floor and held onto it. “So, I have something to tell you. But I don’t want it to stress you out, and I just want you to forget about it, cause he’s just a bastard.”
Margo felt confused. She had no friends and Zac was sitting on the end of the bed, caring about her. A sign he’d never shown before.
“Yes?”
“Well, I know the father of your baby.”
“What?” Margo gulped and clutched her stomach. “What are you saying?”
“It’s Andrew, Marg. He just told me.”
A tear drizzled down her cheek. “I thought as much. But I didn’t want to admit it.”
Zac was surprised at how strong she was being. “You know what, Zac?”
“What?”
“I’ve never really slept with as many guys as everyone says.”
“You haven’t?” Zac regretted the words as soon as they’d slipped from his mouth. “I mean, I didn’t think you had.”
“Oh, Zac. Everyone thought that I had. No one cared to ask though.”
“Sorry Marg.”
“That’s okay, Zac.”
“What are you going to do?”
She smiled slowly and looked down at her stomach. “You know, I don’t really know. I think it will all come together.” She coughed and clutched her stomach again.
Zac’s turned swiftly as he heard a noise behind them. “What the hell are you doing here?” Zac uttered as Margo developed a look of fear.
“How dare you, Zac.”
“How dare I? What about you, you heartless bastard!”
“Why don’t you just jump into bed with her? Go on.” Andrew walked over to the bed and started throwing Zac around, shoving him towards Margo.
“What the hell are you doing?” Zac tried to fight back from his place on the bed.
“What do you mean? I don’t want her, I’m giving her to you.”
Margo let thousands of tears escape from her eyes as she watched Andrew fight. She didn’t have the strength to call out to them.
Andrew walked over to her and looked her in the eye. “Do you want Zac?” He shouted.
“No,” Margo whispered.
“Come on,” He started shoving her. “Get up out of the bed, you’re probably not even pregnant!”
“Leave me alone! I am too!” An overwhelming pain shot through her body. “Leave me alone!” She fought back.
Andrew felt a huge blow collide with his face as he landed with a thud onto the floor.
“You were supposed to be my friend, Zac!” He shouted as blood trickled down his cheek.
Zac ignored him and ran to Margo who was lying in a heap on her bed. “Go get her mom!” Andrew fumbled to his feet and fled the scene. “Get her mom!” Zac shouted as loud as he could.
“Oh my God! Who was that boy?” Margo’s mother appeared in the doorway. “Oh, baby. What’s the matter?” Margo was laying on the bed, clutching her stomach. “Zac, call an ambulance.”
Zac ran from the room and straight to the phone.
He lifted the receiver and started keying in numbers.
“Hello?” The vivacious Charlie answered the phone again.
“Is Kayla there?”
“Ike! No. She’s gone to the airport.”
“Hell, she spends a whole lot of time at the airport,” Ike groaned.
“Well, she was going to give you a call before she left, but she decided against it.”
“She’ll call me when she gets back?” Isaac paused for a moment. “Why is she at the airport?”
“She’s gone with Keryn.”
“What?” Isaac let the phone drop to the floor. Sending a thud through the house. She went with Keryn?
* I Knew I Loved You, Affirmation, Savage Garden, 1999