Chapter 314

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313
“ Don’t you like it ? I thought this was the one you ‘
wanting forever ? ” Teresa spent over three thousand dollars on it at the mall just yesterday .
“ I love it . Thank you , Mom . ” Mike looked up at her . “ Mom , what should I wear today ? ”
“ See that T – shirt on the table ? ” Teresa said . “ You can wear that to preschool today . ”
“ Is it new , Mom ? ” Michael asked , grabbing the neatly folded white T – shirt . “ This shirt’s so boring . I don’t like ones without pictures . ”
As he unfolded it , Jonathan’s autograph right in the middle jumped out at him . He froze .
“ Whoa . ” Michael’s mouth hung open . He looked up at Teresa in shock , then back down at the shirt . His eyes lit up like Christmas lights .
“ Wow . Oh my gosh , Mom , ” he stammered , too excited for words . He traced the signature with his finger like it was made of gold , murmuring , “ It’s a T- shirt signed by Mr. Lime himself . ”
Michael’s eyes were shining , and he looked completely starstruck . “ Mom , Mom , is this seriously Mr. Lime’s real signature ? ” he kept asking .
“ Yep , it sure is , ” Teresa said . “ It’s the only one like it in the whole world , signed by him . How’s that for a surprise ? Do you like it ? ”
“ Like it ? I love it . Mom , you’re the best ! ” Michael cheered , bouncing up and down on the bed in wild circles . “ Mom , how’d you even get this ? ” he asked breathlessly .
“ You said you wanted his autograph again , right ? So , of course , I made it happen . Are you happy now ? ” Teresa asked with a grin , pinching his cheek .
“ I’m super happy , like , the happiest ever . This is the best gift ever . ” Michael stretched his arms up , doing a superhero pose .
He couldn’t wait to put on the shirt , then struck a pose and asked Teresa , “ Does it look good ? Do I look cool ? ”
“ Of course you look cool . My son is the coolest kid in the world , ” Teresa said , making him sit still for a moment so she could fix the T – shirt collar .
Michael had the T – shirt on with his pajama bottoms still on , looking ridiculous . But he couldn’t care less . He threw his arms around Teresa and planted a big smacking kiss on her cheek .
“ Mom , you’re the best . You’re the most beautiful mom in the whole world , ” he declared , then hopped off the bed and ran to the bathroom to admire himself in the mirror .
Teresa watched Michael dash off , shaking her head with a smile . Just then , her phone buzzed . She pulled it out and saw a text from “ Good Doggy “ -her contact name for Jonathan .
Jonathan : [ We agreed on 30 thousand . You lost four zeros . ]
Teresa had only transferred Jonathan 3 dollars . Teresa replied : [ I thought you were kidding about charging me . ]
Jonathan : [ Not kidding . You’re not my wife or girlfriend anymore . ]
When Teresa didn’t answer , Jonathan sent another message: [ Send me the money . Now . ]
Teresa : [ I don’t have that kind of cash in my account . Besides , all you did was scribble your signature like a trained seal . And you want 30 thousand fo that ? What , you robbing me now ? ]
Jonathan shot back : [ Get your boyfriend to give you the money . Don’t tell me he can’t afford 30 thousand . ]
She still didn’t reply . “ Let him think whatever he wants , ” she fumed silently . “ He was the one getting cozy with that actress , holding her hand for all the world to see . ” She wasn’t about to explain berself to Jonathan , her ex .
Jonathan bombarded her with more messages : [ Nothing to say ?
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11:18 Fri , 23 May
313
I didn’t get a good look that day , but thinking about it , that guy seemed shorter than you .
Why aren’t you denying it ? So , are you two dating now ?]
Teresa only caught the first two messages and replied : [ He’s alright . ] She was talking about the guy’s height .
The next second , Jonathan called her .