It's over now

It's over now

I feel like I can make it

The storm is over now...

 

    The small church was filled with mourners as they walked in line to pay their respects to the coffin of Sandra Taliaferro.

      Some cried, while others held tissue over their faces as they passed by the woman's body. She had been all but thirty four years old the day it was decided that at that age; she was old enough to die. Family members wailed, shouting endearments of a life gone too soon.

   The solemn church choir she grew up singing in was filled with lifelong friends as they sang out praise in honor of their loved one. Tears were held back, while voices weren't, They sang loud enough to be heard around the block by corner boys who stood with their hands in their low riding jeans, heads bent in respect as they dealt to their rich customers.

If I walk alone

I'm not on my own

I feel like I can make it

The storm is over now

    In the front row sat a well-dressed man, owner of the driest eyes and most stoic expression out of everyone in the building. He sat with his hands clasped and forearms resting on his knees. An expensive watch ticked at his wrist, reflecting the light from the overhead lights.

   His eyes zoned in on the coffin holding Sandra.

    Anger filled him as he cursed the people who put her there.

   There she lied with her small body riddled with bullets-bullets meant for him-while he sat there watching her. He had always joked that when she sat through his funeral, he didn't want her crying while he was gone far away where he couldn't comfort her. Somehow, he never entertained the thought that he would outlive her. She was too good of a person, and he was nothing more than a generational gangster caught up in the only life that could accept him.  Dying young the way she did had been written in the books for him. This turn of events wasn't.

    Marquis blinked his burning eyes as he thought of the foolish decision which led them all here.

 

    He knew people had been looking for him with mal intent. He'd expected things to not end so well, so the last night Sandra had been alive, he had went to visit her for the last time. Marquis had thought the entire time that it would be he who would be left cold and bleeding, and her mourning the loss of her friend.

   It had only been a brief goodbye in the late night hours. He wanted to slip in and out, letting her know what was going on, letting her know that he loved and cared for her and didn't want to be hurt once she found out the news about him.

   She had cried, calling him idiotic for even talking up something like that into existence. They both knew that he only had to ways to go out in life-prison or dead-but for some reason, Sandra had seen Marquis as more than the man he knew he deserved to be. She saw him as having a chance at a normalcy he'd never experienced. She had always been the type to have hope and keep the faith even when all of the odds were placed against her. She had blessed Marquis with the kind of care he had loss with his mother when she died in his teen years, being a confidant for many years.

  The last he saw of her was her frame waving in the doorway as he drove away in his black Escalade, swallowing down the emotion that had gathered in his heart as he accepted his soon to be fate. All he could see was himself sitting at a red light, two streets away when he had heard the shots.

   By the time he had turned around and rushed to the house it was too late.

  Neighbors had fled their homes after recognizing just where the shots had been fired, hollering for someone to call 911 as they feared the worst for Sandra's small home.

   "Sandra! Someone help her!"

  "Where's Bre? Oh no, that baby was in there too! My God..."

   Marquis had entered the home before anyone else, praying for the first time in his life as his feet fell heavy towards her blood drenched carpet. He had found her standing just in front of her window, probably looking out after him when he was long gone. Her eyes were still open in shock from when she had seen the car roll up with no lights, and the windows lowering as guns had been drawn.

   The sound of a bedroom door slowly opening behind him drew his attention to the teen girl standing over him. He couldn't meet her eyes as she stared down at her mother and let out a blood curdling scream.

   Now he sat beside the same girl at her mother's funeral.

   Looking over, he checked on how Aubrey was holding up. He had known the girl her entire life. As a teenager, Sandra had been sent to live with an aunt who had money in another state. Her mother had hoped to get her out of the neighborhood, and for her to not become another girl caught up in the cycle of life there. She had been gone for an entire year, sending back letters to her mother letting her know of all the different things she got to experience and see.

  One day she had come back knocking on her mother's front door, belly protruding with her four month belly she could no longer hide from her aunt. She had been kicked out and set back right into the place she had been sent from; raising her daughter, Aubrey, as a single mother like so many before her.

   Marquis had been a childhood friend who had slowly been climbing the ranks of the street when she returned. They had grown attached, becoming each other's closest thing to a best friend over the years. Aubrey had grown up with him being the only male figure around. Though he wasn't the best by the law's book, he had been nothing wrong in her eyes. She had seen how her mother loved and trusted him, and did the same.

   She sat with a broken heart and wet eyes. Many people gave their condolences as they passed by her on their way to view Sandra's body.

   Aubrey remained silently throughout the entire ceremony. She stood motionless as the pall bearers, one of which was Marquis, carried the casket to the hearse that had been paid for by Marquis along with most of the other things that went into burying Sandra.

   When they had gone to the grave site to say their last goodbyes, Aubrey had been the only one to stand by and watch as her mother was put into her final resting place.

   While the other guests had moved on to the home gathering, Marquis had stayed behind with a few of his armed men standing guard. Watching Aubrey from a distance, he scratched his head as he wondered how much she hated him now.

   The night of the shooting, she had looked on at Marquis with hate filled eyes that he more than deserved. He could read it through her silence-the blame she had placed on him for what had happened. He didn't know how to comfort her in a time like this, and had dealt with the silence she had given him for the past few days.

   He watched her closely as she took ginger steps toward the hole in the ground, and turned his head as she dropped to her knees and cried.

   Gripping the leather steering wheel beneath his hand, he waited for however long it took her to let it all out. When he heard the backseat of his car open and close, he started the engine and drove on with his men surrounding him.

oOo

  Aubrey hadn't slept in three days as she lied in her bed shaking viciously.

  Even though she remained in the house, she still felt that it was empty. She had been given many offers for a place to stay in the days following her mother's funeral, but had refused every last one of them.

   If she couldn't have her mother here to hold her, she would at least bask in the scent and memories left behind in their house.

   It seemed that as soon as the crime scene tape had been put up around the house, they were taken down. Aubrey knew what it all had meant, and didn't expect anything less.

   Just another instance of killing in the hood wasn't of much concern to the police or city.

  Sitting up slowly in the bed of her mother, she smacked her dry lips together as her body began to show signs of its thirst. Walking to the kitchen, she pulled out a plastic cup, and filled it to the brim with tap water. Downing it, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and went to fill it again. This time, she sipped on the drink as she leaned against the counter. It was dark in the house, shadows covering the walls around her.

    Her eyes floated to the window and broken glass that lied on their living room couch. Taking a sip, she shook her head. It had rained one day, and she had taken to time to tack up old blankets to keep the water out as much as she could.

   Looking further, her gaze landed on the dark smearing of blood she had tried her hardest to blot out. Aubrey had sat with a bowl of cold water and a towel as she dabbed the ground for hours at a time, ignoring the tired feeling in her muscles from the action. The results had left her with a reminder of the last bit of life her mother had left behind.

  Finishing her second cup of water, Aubrey slammed it down on the counter. She walked away slowly, eyes not letting the living room out of her sight until she was back inside of her mother's bedroom. Sighing, she fell back onto the fresh comforter set that was still made up from the last time Sandra had been home.

  With her face turned to the rotating ceiling fan,  Aubrey could hear her name being called faintly. Her heavy lids fluttered shut as she fell into a deep sleep for days with the sound of her mother's voice in her ear.

oOo

  Marquis gripped the bag of fast food breakfast in his hand as he stepped out of his car. He had caught word that Aubrey had shut herself off into her house, ignoring phone calls and knocks from the concerned neighbors who had helped to raise her. He had visited for the first time early that morning, but he too was met with no answer as he banged on the front door. He could hear the sound of an alarm clock going off from the inside, and had no idea that Aubrey had lied wide awake listening to the blaring sound.

  This time when he approached the front door, he found it unlocked and opened just ajar. Cardboard boxes were stacked on the front porch now. Pushing the door open, he followed the sounds of movement in a back bedroom.

   He found her taking down clothes hangers from her mother's closet, and folding the clothes into boxes. She moved fast, not acknowledging his presence, even though she had left the door open just for him. He took note of her jitteriness as she sorted through different items.

     "I called a place that would come pick this stuff up today. They can give it to someone else who needs it." She spoke quickly.

   "Bre.."

   "I was going to ask Ms. Anderson if she knew anybody that could use some house stuff...furniture, y'know? Mama just bought her dresser a few months back. It's still in good shape." Walking past him, she dumped one of the drawers from said dresser onto the bed.

   Reaching forward, Marquis grabbed her by the shoulder, finally stopping her. Holding up the paper bag in his hand, he shook it. "Come eat."

   "I need to get this all packed up. They'll be here in an hour." She contested.

   "I'm telling you to come eat Bre. When's the last time you ate?" He asked her.

  Snatching her arm away, he saw the first sign of anger in Aubrey.

   Dropping the drawer on the ground, she just barely missed their feet. Grabbing the bag from his hands, she opened it and looked inside as she moved to the kitchen. Marquis clenched his fists together as he took a look around the room. He was surprised to see that Aubrey had managed to damn near clear the room.

   Aubrey sat at the small round dining table that had been enough for her and Sandra during their meals. She had been big on sitting together for a meal each day, and Aubrey now sat settled in her mother's old seat as she bit into the biscuit she held in one hand, and gripped a box of orange juice in the other.

   Marquis sat down across from her as she murmured out a thanks in between bites. He looked on as she scarfed down the first sandwich in seconds, and was glad that he had gone with his instinct in buying two as she reached into the bag and withdrew the other one.

  Tapping on the table, Aubrey chewed a mouthful. She and Marquis eyed each other. He giving her his apologies through his brown orbs as she accepted them with a nod of her head.

   "What's up?" She said.

   Shaking his head, Marquis looked away, seeing the blood stained carpet in the distance. Aubrey's own eyes travelled between him and the floor.

   "I got most of it up. It's not that easy." She pulled one leg up, bracing her shin against the table as she took another bite of her food.

   "Ms. Anderson said she's still got a bed open for you. You need to stop being so hard headed and go stay with her."

   "There's nothing for me there." She responded shaking her head.

   "Ain't shit for you here. You just gonna stay in the same place-"

   "Where my mama got shot up? Behind your ass?" She interrupted." This is my home Marquis. You got some nerve to come up in here talking about what happened and how I should be handling it, don't you?"

   Aubrey crumpled her wrapper up, tossing it into the bag.

   "I'm trying to look out for you Bre-"

  " Oh, really."

  Narrowing his eyes, he stood to his feet with a dry chuckle.

   "Yes, really. You wanna be a hard ass, then be."

  "You act as if I'm wrong for that."

   "You've been up in this house, not talking to nobody, not coming out the house."

   "My mama just died!" Aubrey nearly turned over the table as she jumped to her feet. "Or did you happen to forget? Cause it wasn't you, it wasn't that serious, right? I'll be whatever the hell I want to be right now. If you're just here to stand around and talk mess I'm not trying to hear, then you can bounce."

   When she stomped off to the bedroom and slammed the door, Marquis remained in his spot unable to move.

   Aubrey quickly opened the door, sticking her head out only to see him still there.

   "Leave!" Her eyes raged on as he turned and left out of the door, closing it softly behind him. She had never spoken to Marquis that way before in her life, and it pained her to. When she thought of what her life had fallen to in a matter of days because of him, she couldn't help but be driven to the kind of hate she began to feel.

  Wiping her eyes, Aubrey sucked up the tears pounding behind her eyes and continued on packing.

oOo

   From the top of the closet, Aubrey pulled down a footlocker that had been clasped closed by her mother's own handiwork with a lock. Sandra had made sure that Aubrey knew the combination in case of an emergency, and had kept her away from it for any other reason.

   Turning the dial, she slowly lifted the lid, unsure of what lied inside.

   The container was neatly packed with miscellaneous items. Flipping through birth certificates and other papers with important information, Aubrey came across a black gun and her heart began to beat fast. Lifting it carefully, she placed it far away from her, pointed in another direction.

   Next, she found rings and other odd jewelry she had never seen her mother wear before. She wondered where she would have gotten such lavish gifts from with her meager salary as a waitress.

  Her question was alerted even more by the stacks of money that lied at the bottom of the large container.

  "What the hell?" She pulled out five, flipping through the green money. They had been known to live paycheck to paycheck, so her surprise was well placed.

  "Marquis..." She whispered to herself. It had to have been his drug money he would hand off to Sandra every now and then. Aubrey knew that her mother respected Marquis's hustle, but never wanted to see any of it when she was around him, which was hard to ask of him.  Somehow, she had managed to keep that side of Marquis to a minimum while she grew up, and the few times that Aubrey had seen him in his environment was whenever she was out with friends she knew her mother would curse her out for hanging with.

   He would always shoo her away when she happened upon him, telling her to not tell her mom of what she had seen. Though he couldn't promise Sandra much of anything, he made sure to keep Aubrey out of trouble to the extent of his abilities. Though they lived in a rough area, Aubrey had been exposed to the best that Sandra could manage.

    When Sandra saw how fast she accelerated through elementary school, she immediately looked to put her in reputable schools in the suburbs where Aubrey would receive a better funded education. The city had left the local schools to rot on their own, letting them go to waste as factories that turned out the highest dropout rates and most imprisoned before the age of twenty one. Aubrey's school life had been filled with many bus rides and walking just to go to a school she never felt a part of. Then when she would return home to her own neighborhood, she had to deal with the taunts of her friends and other kids.

   By fourteen she had beaten enough asses to get the point across that no matter where she spent her school days, she still was one of them, and with that warning out, things had fallen back to normal and there was a wordless agreement not to fuck with Aubrey Taliaferro.

   Once she had entered high school and had proven to be one of the top students in the state with her high test scores and athletic skills, she soon found a wedge in place with her life at home and life at school.  With a mother as determined as Sandra to not have her baby fall victim to the evils that lurked the streets, Aubrey did begin to see the differences that existed between her and the kids of her neighborhood and the distance that they all seemed to stay at.

   Slowly she had found herself retreating more. Studying hard, going to all of her practices to only get home late at night. While it had already been decided at school that she hadn't fit in with kids who had only seen the things that she experienced everyday of her life through tv, she had begun to come to the conclusion that even at home she would have to deal with the fact that she would never be fully looked at as the same as everyone else.

   Caught up in her thoughts, Aubrey heard the sound of knocking coming from the front door. Rising to her feet, she folded the last box in the room, and brought it out with her.

   "Coming!" She called to the men waiting on the other side. Opening the door, she began to point out what should be loaded as they moved the boxes to their white truck with a faded logo.

   "Is this all?" One of them called. His partner removed his hat, and rubbed away the sweat that dripped down his forehead in the late July heat.

   " I want to check one last time." Holding up her finger, Aubrey ran back inside, scanning the house for any more things that needed to go. As she looked in her mother's room, she came across a corner of a box jutting out from the bottom of the closet. She didn't remember sticking one in there, and as she tugged it out, she found it taped up and marked in her mother's handwriting.

 

   Aubrey smoothed her hands across the A.R. written large in red letters.

   "Hey, Lady!" A rough voice called. Turning to the door, she ran back out.

   "That's all." She said, rubbing her hands on her shirt. She faced off with the man for an awkward moment before he scoffed.

  "Well, you gonna pay me or what?" He asked with his hand held out.

  "Just a second." She said again as he sucked his teeth. He looked around the house, and for the first time caught sight of the living room.

  "Crazy bitch." He said beneath his breath.

   Aubrey emerged once again, money in hand as she handed it to him. He eyed it, counting what was there.

  "You have a good day." Tipping his hat, he left out with more than what was necessary in his hand. Sticking a few bills into his own pocket, he hoped up into the passenger seat of the van as the pair drove off down the street.

   Rushing back, Aubrey stood over the taped box that had caught her attention.

   She had never seen it before, and could tell that maybe she wasn't supposed to.

   Immediately she went to work on peeling off the tape, ripping it off quickly. Flipping back its flaps, Aubrey's hands stopped moving at what she saw.

  There were newspapers and magazines neatly organized inside.

Our very own homegrown success

  At Home with Russo

 

  Sandra had a load of clippings hidden away. Some of them were recent, and others dated back as far as ten years. As Aubrey began to check them out, she started to notice one thing that they all had in common. In some way, shape, or form the name Antonio Russo appeared somewhere.

  Her mom had some obsession with this guy?

  Aubrey chuckled as she began to skim through the entire book marked pages until she fell upon a picture of the man in question.

   In her hands was some charming young man, decked out in an expensive suit as he posed for a picture in a casual manner.

  "Who's the white dude?"  Aubrey read the caption below his picture and saw the name of Antonio once again. She began to associate the name with the black and white picture above. Closing the book, she tossed it to the side. Whatever her mother had been up to with her stalking of this guy, she couldn't figure out.

  When Aubrey came across dated notebook paper folded into perfect squares, she was met with an answer. Opening the pieces of paper, she began to read the scratchy handwriting that started with Dear Sandra.

   She soon realized that what she held was in fact a love letter written to her mother. She stopped reading it, suddenly feeling like she was intruding in on something. Sandra had never brought home men, in fact, the only man who had really visited the house had been Marquis, and she had never known them to be more than friends.

   Her love life was obviously something she had wanted to keep private, but with the lack of stories of love from her mother from her youth had left Aubrey with no perception of that emotion at all. She had heard of sex and crushes from other girls, and was never too much interested in the matter. Now she sat here curious of what her mother had experienced.

   There had never been talk of Aubrey's gather growing up, so that had never posed as an issue for as far as Sandra could tell. Aubrey chucked her missing father up to being in prison, dead, or a no show, so she never saw the need to push it any further.

   Reading the letter, Aubrey found herself amused as the guy who wrote this seemed to enamored with her mother's eyes, her laugh, and every other little thing she did. When she got to the bottom, she read the name Tony and thought nothing of it.

  Looking back into the box, she saw that there were dozens more just like it waiting for her.

 

   Opening them up one by one, she finally began to notice the signature never changed.

   Tony

  Tony

 Tony

   The letters became explicit, describing her mother in words that were precious between young lovers. Aubrey flipped through all of them.

   "Tony...Tony...Tony..." She said aloud. Grabbing a magazine, she flipped back to a marked page and re read Antonio Russo's name.

    "No way..." She said with a smile. Her mother had kept tabs on an old boyfriend. Bursting out in laughter, she suddenly wished that Sandra was here so that she could tease her for the crush she could never let go of.

    An envelope fell from the stack of papers Aubrey held, catching her eye. As she began to calm down, she reached for it, seeing that it was different from the other letters. On it was a heading addressed to this Antonio guy, this time from her mother.

   Her laughter died down as she turned it over, seeing that it had been sealed and stamped, but never sent. A somber mood fell in the room as Aubrey began to feel a draft in the house. Goosebumps covered her arms as she fingered the seal, not sure if the sudden feeling washing over her was a sign to leave the envelope intact.

  Read it.

  A voice said to her.

  Open it. You need to see it.

  On their own accord, her fingers slid beneath the seal, breaking it. Her heart beat in her throat, making her uncomfortable as she pulled out the pink stationary paper. She could smell a faint scent on the paper, and held it to her nose inhaling her mother's favorite perfume. For as long as she could remember, Sandra had always smelled like it.

Dear Antonio,

I know that it has been a long time since we had last spoken, I hope you haven't forgotten about me...the way things were left have never sat right with me...I miss you some days that it physically hurts...What I'm writing to you about... our daughter...I hope you understand.

 

   Aubrey took in each line piece by piece, reading it multiple times. The most memorable thing that stayed behind for her was the words "our daughter."   Aubrey's fingers went limp, letting the paper float down to her feet.

  A knot formed in her stomach, making the breakfast she had eaten twist and turn.

 

   Scooting backwards until she came into contact with the foot of the bed, Aubrey drew her knees into her as her eyes began to water. With a shaky hand, she drew a magazine to her, looking down at the smile of the man who was her other half.

  "Aubrey baby?" An elderly Ms. Anderson poked her gray head into the house of the Taliaferros. Her thin framed glasses fell to the tip of her nose as she searched for the young girl whom she called for. Inviting herself in, she placed the dish of casserole she held on the kitchen counter as she looked around at the condition of the house.

"Lord..." She fanned herself as she looked around at the mess that was much unlike Sandra. She was known to always keep everything neat and tidy, and by the looks of broken pictures and glass than still remained untouched around the living room, no one had bothered to clean up and keep true to the nature of the house.

 "That baby been up in this mess all of these days..." Wiping off the counter with her hand, she called for Aubrey again. It was well into the afternoon, and she had once again called Aubrey multiple times. She called until she could no longer leave a message on the answering machine, and for the first time since Sandra had passed, she was able to walk into the house to see things for herself.

    Aubrey pulled back her hair as she examined her face in the bathroom mirror. Next to her was a torn page with Antonio Russo ‘s picture plastered on it. Her eyes darted back and forth between her own reflection and his face.

  She turned to the side and made different expressions just to find the similarities that they shared.  She gasped silently as she noticed the shape of their nose...their eyes...

   Turning her head, Aubrey perked at the sound of movement in the house. She could hear the clatter of glass and quickly left the bathroom, and placed her ear against the bedroom door. Another loud sound came through, and she immediately looked towards the gun she had tossed aside on the floor.

  Her worst fear was that whoever had come for Marquis's blood nights ago was there to inspect for more. Tip toeing to the weapon, she hesitated with unsure fingers as she reached down for it, drawing it to her side.

   She didn't know what the hell she was doing with it, or if it was even loaded. All she knew was that when the bedroom door was suddenly thrust open, she held the gun like she had done it many times before.

   "Oh, no, no,no. Put that thing down!" Ms. Anderson had stood shocked at first as she stared down the barrel of the gun, but as she saw that it was Aubrey in behind it trembling like a leaf, she went to move it out of her hands.

   "Come on out of here baby. That's right." As she pulled Aubrey to her feet and out of the bedroom she had been locked up in for days, Ms. Anderson shook her head.

   "Lord have mercy...bless this child..." Ms Anderson wrapped her arms around a tense body as she led Aubrey out of the room, her eyes still wide from fear. She couldn't stand to be touched, and resisted the urge to shake Ms. Anderson off with all she had. When she was sat down at the dining table, she covertly shivered and slid away when she felt a motherly hand rub at her bare arms.

   Her action didn't go unnoticed, and as Aubrey tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and stretched a fake smile across her face, she squirmed under the scrutinizing stare of the older woman.

   Standing with one hip jutted out, Ms. Anderson surveyed what was presented before her.  Aubrey's hair was a mess, it looked like a comb hadn't been through it in weeks. Though there wasn't a smell in the air, she could tell just from looking that she hadn't taken a bath, let alone a good wash off in the past week.

   Picking at her cuticles, Aubrey looked everywhere but at Ms. Anderson as she waddled away to the kitchen sink, turning on the faucet and placing her hands under the spray.

   "When's the last time you bathed Bre?"

  Shrugging her shoulders, Aubrey looked down at her tattered clothes. She rubbed her feet together to relieve an itch as she thought back to the last time. Had it been the morning of the funeral? No, maybe the night Sandra had been shot...

   "I brushed my teeth like two days ago." She said with a groggily voice.

  "You don't say? Well since you think you're grown enough to since you think you're grown enough to sit up in this house all by your lonesome, I'm sure you could at least take care of yourself by washing all of that dirt off." Finding nothing to dry her hands with, Ms. Anderson ran her hands down the front of her knee length dress as she searched for a clean plate to serve some of the food she had brought over.

   "I'm doing just fine." Aubrey slouched in her chair becoming defensive.

   "Just fine? Whew... I can tell by the wide open hole in the front of your house with those raggedy sheets hanging up. Or, by the look of this floor, when's the last time you vacuumed? I'm finding gnats all over this kitchen because you haven't bothered to take out the trash or clear the food off of this dishes. Girl, you are not doing just fine." Slopping out spoon fulls, she went to place the plate before Aubrey who gave a deathly glare the entire way.

  "Well, I'm sorry. My schedule has been a bit tight lately. I haven't had time to fit in housework with my emotional breakdowns."She stood up so forcefully that she nearly knocked over the wooden chair she sat in. As soon as she had given Ms. Anderson the cold shoulder she was whipped around to face the stern face of the other woman.

   "Sit.Down." Lowering herself back into the seat, Aubrey huffed with an incredulous laugh.

   "You can sit there and laugh all you want, be disrespectful; whatever! But let me tell you one damn thing," The curse falling from the mouth of the neighborhood Jesus fangirl got Aubrey's attention as she looked up through thick lashes to a pointed finger," Sandra ain't raise no fool up in this house, yet here you are acting like one."

   Aubrey sniffed and rubbed the back of her hand across her nose, leaning back in the chair, she crossed her arms and disengaged by looking just past Ms. Anderson's face.

   "Look at me when I'm speaking to you! Before I haul off and-" Rocking back in her chair, Ms. Anderson watched as the young girl before her showed a different side of herself. She acted with no manners, no respect or concern for the woman who had been there like a grandmother throughout her life. When Sandra's mother had died from late stage three breast cancer just a year after Aubrey's birth, Ms. Anderson had become a trusted mother figure for her. She gave her advice and helped her during the toughest times of raising a baby alone.

   The same sweet faced child who would run into her arms at first sight now sat aged before her. She hadn't seen the girl cry one tear at the funeral, and during no other time since her mother's death. If anyone knew the hurt of losing a loved one because of a gun, it was Ms. Anderson. Before the birth of her third child, she had lost her husband after a drunken argument playing cards one night long ago. She had been devastated that she had to be the one to suffer such an ordeal. When she lost her oldest son, youngest son, and first born grandson to the same violence, she was in church with her bible praying to God to end the misery falling upon her life.

   She should have been mad at the world for all that had happened to her family and should have questioned every move and plan that was laid out for her, but she didn't. No one had better knowledge of what God had for her future than Him. Trusting in that helped her make it through four deaths. Trusting in that helped her to continue to learn how to love and enjoy what she still had here on earth. She learned acceptance for those things that which she could not change. Staring now at Aubrey, she could see that she was dealing with her loss in a different way.

  Kicking the leg of the chair Aubrey tilted on, Ms. Anderson caused her to fall into the floor with a hard thud.

   Oh, she was going to give Aubrey all of the love and support that she could. The thing about Ms. Anderson was that she gave tough love, and would kick you in the ass when needed.

  "Get up off the floor! Sit up straight and eat." She commanded as Aubrey scrambled to obey.

   Lifting her fork to her mouth slowly, Aubrey begrudgingly chewed the meal as she watched Ms. Anderson search the kitchen cabinets. She pulled out cleaning supplies and rags, tossing them onto the counter.

   "You finish your food, every bit of it y'hear? And then you and I are gonna get up and straighten up this house. Your mama took too good care of it for it to look like dogs live here."

   As Ms. Anderson searched Sandra's collection of CDs and inserted one in the stereo, Aubrey sat hovered over the plate. She sniffed back tears while simultaneously stuffing her face with bite after bite until her cheeks expanded. She stopped chewing after her third shoving.

  "You're gonna choke yourself doing that. Eat right." Ms. Anderson waved her hand as she fluttered by, moving her hips to the sound of The Spinners.

   Aubrey finished off her meal listening to the lyrics of music float to her ears, and fill the house with the first sign of life in weeks.

oOo

   Aubrey placed the mop inside of a soapy bucket and collapsed to the ground on her back.

   Ms. Anderson had run her across every single inch of the house. Dusting, washing, sweeping up everything in sight. Even when she protested that some things were better left alone Ms. Anderson would ignore her cry and instruct her on what to do next.

   A clock on the wall opposite of her read 7 o'clock in the evening. They had been cleaning for hours, and as Aubrey laid there on the island fresh carpet, she knew she could nod off right there. A soft kick to her side made her open her eyes to a shapely figure standing above her.

  With tight limbs, she began to stand up slowly, cracking her back on the way up.

  "Everything is cleaned now. I even got you a load of clothes started. I'm going on home now, it's way past supper time and Lord know what my house looks like now." She said with a light chuckle. Aubrey wasn't able to produce a smile, but her face had lightened from her earlier mood as she looked at Ms. Anderson. She wouldn't have said it, but she did want her to go just yet and leave her behind.

   "I still got a place for you to lay your head should you ever decide to come on over Bre." The offer still stood. It was as if she had read her mind.

 "No thank you." She replied quietly. Her eyes drifted away from Ms. Anderson's.

  "Listen, this thing here, it's going to hurt. It's going to hurt for a long while. You'll wake up in pain, and go to sleep in pain, I know. What's happened here breaks my heart just as well, but you can't live shut off moping around in all of this sadness. It's not good for you. Your mama wouldn't want you doing this Aubrey. She loved you so much and I know you loved her too. Don't let what those fools did take away your entire life."

   "She was all I had." Aubrey croaked. Placing her hand over her heart, Ms. Anderson went on.

   "I know baby, I know. Your mama didn't leave you without anything. She raised a beautiful intelligent girl. Those lessons she gave you, you cherish them. Everything she ever told you is precious. Every word. Every hug. Every kiss. Don't let those slip from your memories honey. You need to remember who your mama was, what she stood for. Not just what happened to her."

   Looking up, Aubrey's eyes were rimmed red with large droplets that didn't fall.

   "I know it sounds hard right now, but you're going to have to find it in your heart to forgive. Forgive those who have done you wrong, those who have caused you pain because baby, otherwise they will Run. Your. Life. Don't let them. You can't let them do that. You learn to forgive now and trust in God, and you will clear a path in your life to travel. You'll find a road leading to love, understanding, and happiness. I promise."

  Nodding her head profusely, Aubrey allowed Ms. Anderson's arms to envelop her. She couldn't find the strength to return the gesture, but for a brief second she closed her eyes and dropped her head into the crook of her neck as a kiss was laid on her temple.

   Standing back, Ms. Anderson wiped a stray strand of hair from Aubrey's cheek.

   "Since you won't come to me, I'll come to you. I'm gonna check on you tomorrow, okay?" Gathering her purse, she headed for the door still calling out commands behind her.

   "Take yourself a good sit down bath, put some baby oil in the water. And do something with that head of yours..."

   Watching the door that Ms. Anderson left out of, Aubrey could hear her words still sound off in her head.

   She replayed them over and over as she filled up the tub with steaming hot water and began to undress. The hot temperature was a relief to her aching body as she lowered herself in until the water covered her chin. The picture she had hung on the mirror fell off from the steam of the bathroom, falling towards the tub. Reaching on wet hand out, she picked it up as she leaned on her arm over the edge .

   She studied the man in the picture, and as she did an Idea formed in her head. Dropping it out of the way, Aubrey took a gulp of air and let herself fall down into the water. She held her breath until her lungs burned.

   When she came up gasping for breath, she had an idea in mind.This path that Ms. Anderson had talked about had Antonio Russo at the end of it.

   Aubrey just knew it.

oOo

  Cracking her neck Aubrey typed away at her desktop computer. It was outdated and ran on a slow bandwidth, but for the past two days it had served its purpose in letting her Google Antonio Russo's name to find out all of the information she could.

   She tapped the metal spoon she held in her hand against her lip as she read another article on the man. Reaching for another scoop of the banana pudding Ms. Anderson had made for her, she found herself clinking around in the glass bowl. Tossing the spoon, she sat back in the spinning chair.

   She was dressed in jean shorts, sneakers, and a light sweater. It was designed with hole large enough to keep her body cool, and she enjoyed the feel of the fan blowing against her. The $10,000 air conditioning unit in the house had once again gone out. There was no way she was going to contact the landlord for she knew that this time it couldn't just be rigged up to work.

  A light sheen of sweat covered her face as she spun around to sit directly in front of the air flow.

  Beside the front door were two bags packed with a week's worth of clothes and necessities.

  The first night after Ms. Anderson had left, Aubrey stayed up all night researching on how to buy a plane ticket. At seventeen, she had never flown, and had absolutely no idea how to go about arranging a trip. When she had found out that Antonio Russo lived in Chicago, she knew that a bus trip from Texas would take too much time.

   It was just her luck that she could find an early flight, but when she went in to use her mother's credit account, she had found that it had been frozen. In a hurry, she had called a travel agency within the city, and was able to pull out a plane ticket. When she had arrived there in a taxi, she had received curious stares for the young face that was making a deal like an adult. When she pulled out large bills to pay for it, the travel agent had accepted the cash tight lipped, and booked a flight for her.

    Walking to the kitchen sink, she began to wash out the bowl she had been using, placing it away just as Ms. Anderson would have wanted her to. There was a knock at the door, and knowing that it couldn't have been anyone she knew, she hesitated to open the door.

   Going to the peephole, she stood on her tip toes to get a better look.

   She saw the glittering of a diamond earring as the man on the other side looked around him, waiting for her to open the door.

    Opening the door, she recognized the guy as one of Marquis's men. She had never spoken to him, but figured he would cause her no harm.

   "Yes...?"

   A cell phone was handed to her, and out of confusion she looked at it.

   "Bre?" She could hear Marquis's voice through the speaker, and slowly lifted it to her own ear.

   "Hello?"

   "I hear you finally got around to Ms. Anderson." Marquis had found out that the girl was finally eating and showering, which relieved him.

   "Where are you?" She asked ignoring his comment.

   "I'm taking some time off right now." By that she knew he was laying low for whatever he had planned ahead.

   "Oh." The silence which fell became uncomfortable as Aubrey stood in front of the tall man before her while she held the cell phone to her ear, She knew he wasn't intentionally listening to her, but she had found it strange to hold the conversation with him there.

  "I asked my man there to run some things by you." Looking down, she saw a black bag hanging from his large hand.

  "What kind of things?"

  " Some money to get you by."

  "No worries. I found mama's stash you've been giving her. I think I'm good in that department." Marquis could hear the disapproval in her voice, it was the same tone as Sandra's whenever he would show up with money in hand.

   "I can't exactly be there now to help you out, so this is the best I can do."

   The henchman looked over his shoulder to find Aubrey's eyes on him.

   "Well, you can hold it for now. I'm not going to be needing it here in the next week." Crossing her arms, she leaned up against the door, looking down to her feet.

   "I don't think I understand what you're saying."

   "I'm taking a trip."

   "A trip?"

   "Yeah. To Chicago. It's just for a week so-"

   "Chicago? What would you need to go there for?"

   Aubrey suddenly wished she could backtrack on revealing a part of her plan.

   "Vacation?"

   "You don't sound so certain Bre."

  Closing the door softly, she entered the house for more privacy.

 "Look, it's nothing major. I'mjustgoingtomeetmydad."

  "Excuse me?"

  "I said it's nothing major." She repeated.

  "Oh, I got that part. You said you were going to see somebody? Who do you got up in Chicago?" Marquis fidgeted where he was just as Aubrey did.

  "My dad. I'm going to go see him."

  "Hmm." Was all he could say. Aubrey immediately began to explain.

  "It's not for long, just a week. He's kinda this big shot up there, some white guy. Can you believe it? I guess I should have figured that one out sooner." She laughed, twirling her brown hair that had always contrasted with her mother's black locks. Paired with her eyes, she should have seen that there was something more to her than she believed. When nothing was said from the other line, she went on.

   "I'm not going to live with him or anything like that. With my luck I may not even find him. Hell, he'll probably run or ignore me as soon as he sees me anyway. After I get what I went there for, I'm coming back to live with Ms. Anderson, at least for this last school year."

  "Marquis? You still there?"

  At first, Marquis thought that it sounded plain dumb for Aubrey to have such a plan. He thought that all she was going to do was get herself hurt in the process. As he sat and listened to her, he began to weigh her options.

   She could go see this guy, even if it's from a twenty foot distance, and then come back to live in the hood with nothing.

  Or, she could have a chance at a decent. One that Sandra had at one point, and wanted desperately for her daughter.

   "...I was going to call the land lord and let him know what's gone down. I'm pretty sure he already heard, but I was going to let him know that no one will be staying here anymore and then he can-"

 "Don't come back."

  Pausing, Aubrey stuttered, "W-What?"

   "If you leave this place, don't come back. There's nothing for you here."

  "Why do you keep saying that I have nothing here? Here is all I got." She became irritated as she heard what Marquis was saying.

  " I got Ms. Anderson, my mama's still here, and you! That's something."

  "Ms. Anderson can't do much for you; she's got a house full of her own. Your mama isn't here anymore Bre, and soon I'm not going to be either. If I'm not locked up soon, I'm going to be six feet deep. Now tell me, what is here for you?"

  "Don't...Don't be so damn mean Marquis!"  Aubrey's voice was filled with emotion. She didn't want to hear him talk about what she didn't have; she didn't want him to break the false reality that she was trying to make up in her own mind.

  "Life is mean. I'm just telling you the truth."

  "But I-"

  "You're gonna have to go ahead and drop whatever it is you got in that pretty head of yours. This isn't life here. Aubrey. You gotta want more for yourself like your mom. Don't come back here. All that is going to happen is you may get your little GED, but you're going to mess around with some of these niggas here, they're gonna lay up and get you pregnant then dip. That's not what you need. You can have something different. Don't fool yourself otherwise."

    "Whatever Marquis."

  "Don't whatever me. Listen to me. I don't ever want to hear about you being back. I don't want to see you. I want you to disappear."

   Marquis  had his eyes and ears on the streets, looking out for who had come for him, and instead got Sandra that night. His sources had led him to the people who were hanging on to life by a thread for as far as he could see. That's why he had to keep away from Aubrey. For however many eyes he had watching his target, he knew that many were on him. If this was the last time he spoke to her, then he wanted to make sure he did something good in the least. If he could get her to understand how important it is to get away from a place like this, he could at least honor Sandra in some way.

    He couldn't keep her safe, but maybe he could push Aubrey into the right direction even though he had never been pointed that way in his entire life.

   "Fuck you. You don't have to see or worry about me. If you think I'm going to just up and leave, then you must be crazy."

   "You're crazy for wanting to come back here." He spat. Putting his head into his hand, he rubbed at his temples. "I owe your mom at least this, Aubrey. I gotta get you somewhere where you can become someone, and not someone's."

   "And so you think going to find this white daddy of mine is going to help me get there? Are you even thinking? He's not gonna want anything to do with me; there's no point in hoping for more. I just want to see him, see where I come from. My only other connection to this life is gone, Marquis. I'm not trying to become his daughter or nothing; I just want some kind of answer to everything." She felt her body slump as she became less upset.

   "Mama-she never talked about him, y'know? I never asked either. I didn't care too much. I mean, I still don't care, but I just want to do this so that I can say that I did one day. That's all." Pulling at a frayed end of her shorts, Aubrey twirled the string around her finger until it became red, breaking the piece of cloth off.

  "Aubrey, this could be your one shot."

  "At what? Chances are I won't even see him. Maybe he'll be gone on some important business trip, and I won't see him at all. You say there's nothing for me here, but shit, that could go the same for there."

  "Kids here aren't going to get an opportunity like this, ever. But you have it right in front of your damn face, Take it. Don't waste something like this, it may not come around again."

  "Goodbye Marquis."

  "Leave Aubrey." He couldn't get another word in before he heard the dial tone in his ear.

  "Marquis..." His name was called by a dark figure in the shadows. Turning, he listened to the relay of information. Clenching his fist he stood.

  "Let's get these motherfuckers."

  He knew that Sandra would be shaking her head if she knew what he was about to do. He couldn't help it, this was the best way he knew how to handle things, how to clap back for her murder. He hoped that Aubrey would do as he said, and help to make up for yet another sin he was about to commit.

oOo

    When Aubrey had opened her door, she was ready to thrust the phone back into the hand that had given it to her, and tell him to leave along with what he had brought.

   There was no one on the other side, and when she took a step out to look down the street, she saw that the black SUV was gone too.

  "Damn it..." Tossing the phone into the air and catching it, Aubrey saw the strap of the book bag Marquis's man had with him lying in the bushes. Looking around she contemplated grabbing the little kid down the street and giving it to him. He was towered by older boys, and knew that getting the money into the wrong hands would only lead to something bad. With regret, she picked the bag up, checking its size in weight.

  Slipping back into her house, she locked the door and began to unzip it.

  Her mouth hung in awe as she eyeballed the stacks of paper which filled the bag.

  There had to have been over thousands of dollars in there. Aubrey's heart jumped at the realization of what she possessed, and paranoia began to set in as she felt the heavy responsibility which came with a load this big.

   "No, no, no." She said. Closing the bag, she tossed it on to the couch and sat opposite of it in an old chair. Covering her mouth with her hand, she took deep breaths.

  She had already struggled with figuring out what to do with the money she didn't need from the $5,000 she had found in her mother's room, and now this.

  What was she going to do?

  With the prospect of something better out there for her, Aubrey didn't want to admit to Marquis that what he had said sounded good to her. She didn't want to admit that she wanted to go someplace far away to get away from the horror that had happened here. Aubrey was too afraid to leave everything that she had known, too afraid to try something bigger.

   Deep down, she was anxious about rejection. So what if she went to meet her father and saw a chance to grab hold to a better life?

   He could easily deny her. Turn her away. Spit on her.

  This Russo guy may have been a horrible person, why would she subject herself to that kind of trauma?

  She thought back to the stories she had read about him. How he donated to impoverished inner city schools, setting up after school programs to give the kids a chance to stay off of the streets. His family was important in the government of Chicago, his father and mother holding official positions within it.

   Sure the guy could smile pretty for the little poor kids he gave slides and swing sets to, but who ever said he would give her the same kind of warmth he seemed to give them?

  There wasn't much he could gain from her other than a liability.

  Grabbing the book bag, Aubrey hoisted it over her shoulder and headed to her mother's bedroom to add in the cash with the rest of what she had.

oOo

    $30,000

   Aubrey sat quietly with her legs criss crossed beneath her.

   She had counted and recounted the money at least ten times now.

   She was beginning to think that she had definitely miscalculated somewhere along the way, but each time she got to the end of the pile, she came up with the exact same number.

  $30,000

   What had Marquis expected her to do with all of this? When she had added in the $25,000 he had given her to what she had left of the first $5,000 she had come across, her mind had been blown. There was no way she could carry this around with her, or leave it here in the house while she was gone. The place was nearly empty now, and she could barely lay claim to it now. Soon, the water would be shut off, and electricity cut any day now. She had no doubt that the house would be left to deteriorate and become a shelter for the people who lurked the streets endlessly each night.

   Pacing the bedroom floor, Aubrey turned to the sound of Ms. Anderson in the living room.

   In a panic, she began stuffing the bag full again, and just before the bedroom door was opened, she managed to toss it into the closet.

   "Well, hello. I knocked but no one answered."

   " I was-I was just getting dressed." Messing with her shoe strings, Aubrey stood up to see Ms. Anderson lift a brow.

  "Uh huh..."

 " I didn't know you were coming by so soon..." Leading her out of the room, Ms. Anderson didn't miss the way she was rushed out.

   "Child, what is wrong with you? You're acting a fool..." Maybe she had stayed in this house for long enough. " That's it, you're coming to my house. Today. You don't need to be hanging around here, it's not good for you." She emphasized her point with a shiver.

  "Actually-"

  "No. I'm not letting you tell me otherwise. You are still but a child no matter how grown you're trying to act here."

   Keeping her mouth shut about the fact she would be on a plane tomorrow morning headed for Chicago, she decided to watch as Ms. Anderson pointed out yet another foil wrapped dish she had left for her.

   "I cooked some breakfast this morning, thought it'd be good to bring you a plate by." 

   "Thank you." Lifting the covering, she found an entire meal, still steaming. Picking up a piece of bacon, she chewed on it as Ms. Anderson checked around the house.

  "See, I knew you could keep this place clean."

  "There's not much to mess up."

  "Even if this place was bare, I know those grandbabies of mine would find a way to jack it all to hell.." Ms. Anderson cleared her throat as she turned to Aubrey. "I know you won't cause me much trouble. Maybe you could even show those youngins a thing or two."

   "Ms. Anderson..."

  "You have your bags packed already! Well that's a delight." Aubrey's voice went unheard as her travelling bags were spotted. "You can come on back with me. I have some errands to run some bills to pay, but you can tag along."

   Swallowing the last piece of meat in her mouth, Aubrey had found a plan for the money hidden in her back closet.

  "Actually, Ms. Anderson I wanted to just finish up here. I'm not quite done yet.."

  "You've emptied the place out honey..."

   "Not cleaning. You know, just kinda say goodbye and what not." Ms. Anderson understood immediately, speaking softer and more somber.

   "Of course dear. You can come later on. I won't rush you."

  "I was thinking I stay here just one more night."

   "Aubrey..."

   "I promise, that's all I want here. "

   Ms. Anderson opened her mouth prepared to say more, but closed it on second thought.

   "If you say so. Something tells me-you know what. I have to go now." She stopped midsentence, which Aubrey was glad for. Showing herself out, she gave one more glance over the shoulder.

   "I'll be expecting you in the morning, Aubrey Taliaferro. Breakfast is served at 8 o'clock on the dot. I'll keep you plate warm."

   Making no promises, Aubrey waved.

  When the coast was clear, she dashed back to the room and began counting out bills for Ms. Anderson.

oOo

    Aubrey sat stiff in her seat, body forced back from the plane's take off as it rose into the sky.

   That morning she had gathered all of her belongings, strapping everything to her body as she walked down the still dark streets of her neighborhood towards Ms. Anderson. In her hands she carried a small leftover cardboard box with her name written on it.

   It was no secret that Ms.Anderson woke up every morning at 5:45am to enjoy her guilty pleasure of a quick smoke. Aubrey had hidden in the shadows as she watched the older woman come out in her house robe, and light the cigarette. When she caught sight of the box addressed to her, Aubrey held her breath as she lifted back one of the flaps.

   She wasn't able to hear Ms. Anderson gasp from the sight of the money as she quickly made her way around the corner to the taxi she had called to drive her to the airport. When she had climbed in, the older man turned on his headlights and began to drive away. In his rearview mirror he could see a woman chasing after the car.

   "Keep going." The girl from his back seat instructed. The entire ride he thought he was driving yet another run away teen to some fantasy get away at the airport. When he called out the total she owed him, he was sure that she was by far the best runaway he ever had as his hands were filled with more money than he had ever seen in all of his 50 years of living.

    The $15,000 Aubrey gave to Ms. Anderson and the $5,000 to the cabbie left her again with just under the original $5,000 dollars she had started out with. She felt less self-conscious about the money as she went through the security check.

   The young worker attending to the machine raised an eye when she had come through the metal detector. On the outside, Aubrey kept a cool demeanor as she smiled at him, flashing a deep dimple in the process. Her heart pounded as she looked around to the uniformed security officers monitoring the area. When she was able to grab her bag, and stuff her feet into her shoes, she nearly ran to her designated gate.

   She nearly missed her flight as she got turned around by the confusing signs of the airport. She didn't let out her first breath until she had buckled herself in to the seat she now sat in.

 

   Gripping her armrest, Aubrey tried to convince herself that everything would be okay, but somehow she doubted that.

oOo

     As Antonio Russo stood in the field of wild and robust children playing soccer, he let a genuine smile play across his face never mind the hordes of photographers hired by his mother snapping his every move on the sidelines. He watched as one child took off down the green grass, dribbling the soccer ball between her feet the best way she knew how.

   "That'a girl!" He called out encouragement as small voices shouted from every direction. When she made it past her opponent and scored a corner shot, the crowd cheered vivaciously. Laughing, Antonio raised his hands above his hand and clapped as he cheered along.

   Running towards his team, he ripped off his orange mesh vest just as the kids had seen all of the soccer players in movies do as he slide in to their jumping crowd.

   "We did it Coach Russo!" They were beyond ecstatic about playing their first soccer game since the team had been formed. They were no older than five and six years old, so even though this was the first time they managed to actually score in the correct goal, Antonio was as happy for them as any other coach.

   "A win like that deserves some snacks. Why don't you go check out the refreshment table?" he patted their backs as each one passed by for a congratulatory high five. Squinting, he watched from a far as they bombarded the volunteers who handed out drinks and food left and right.

   "I think you did enough work out there to deserve a reward to, Coach Russo." A french manicured hand gripped his warm shoulder where the sun beat down over him in the park.

   "Why thank you team manager." With a grin, Antonio removed the cold water bottle offered to him as he turned to face the woman behind him.

   She was a petit woman of 5'3, with shoulder length blonde hair pulled back into a low bun underneath her all-encompassing sun hat. Leaning down, he pressed a sloppy kiss on her cheek for good measure as he heard the clicking of the cameras that surrounded the park.

  "Let's get out of here as soon as possible before I lose my shit." He whispered into her ear.

   "Don't look now, but Mister Mayor just arrived."The sound of Stefan Russo congratulating the crowd of children behind Antonio made him wince.

   "I came to see the winners today! Who are they?" Stefan held out his arms as the children jumped up and down, clamoring for his attention. Just like any Mayor who was hoping to get back on the good side of the parents of Chicago after being caught saying less than glamorous words about inner city public schools, he grinned so hard that Antonio was sure he would break his jaw. The only relief his father's presence brought was the shift of attention to gather the Kodak moments he attempted to make.

    It had only been months into his first year of his second term as mayor, and Antonio had to admit that by the way he was going, his public school shaming scandal would blow over soon as the pictures of a family oriented child loving mayor who wanted to see nothing but success for every little Chicogoan in the city.

  "Shit." Antonio placed his hands on his hips as he watched his father stand and dust off his khaki pants. As he looked around, his eyes landed on the sight of his son and long term girlfriend in the distance. Breaking out into a light jog, he approached them.

   "Tony, Lillian, how are you guys?" Drawing the younger version of himself in for a hug and kiss on the cheek, Stefan let out a boisterous laugh, and did the same to Lillian.

   "How are you Stefan?" She said in response as he squeezed her tightly.

   "I'm just wonderful, thank you for inquiring about this old man." If only Stefan knew that his more than obvious flirtations would never work on Lillian, he wouldn't have to embarrass himself and them each time some cheesy remark left his mouth.

    If he knew that her preferences were much more in the ball park of someone like his wife, he would lay off.

   Antonio laughed internally at the cringe worthy smile on Lillian's face. They had grown up as next door neighbors, even having dated for a few years in high school. They had the perfect little romance story to the outside world.

   The young and beautiful couple who group up together from the time they were in diapers to the time they first discovered their feelings for one another. Everyone seemed to have this highly romanticized version of their tale, and was completely off mark.

   They had hated each other until Lillian sprouted breasts, and Antonio got his first pubic hair.

    They began dating freshman year of high school because they figured that was how things were supposed to go. They had been each other's first chocolate milk flavored kiss in the fifth grade, but had never had any budding crush towards each other.

   Antonio couldn't find himself to think of her as more than a best friend, and Lillian couldn't help but to write her name alongside his older sister's inside her pillowcase as a kid.

   Their senior year of high school, Antonio had walked in on Lillian and another girl who had supposedly only gone to the bathroom together for safety reasons in the crowded drug filled house party.  He never questioned or confronted her about what he had seen; he only let her go on living the way she wanted just the way he did.

  "So are you guys still stopping by for dinner? You can't miss family night." Stefan slapped Antonio against his shoulder.

   "We're still coming dad, just as planned." He had already told his father that they would be attending the mandatory dinner a hundred times before. As he heard the scratching of pens on notepads, he instantly understood the reiteration.

  "Maybe one day you two will have some grand kids to join us like your sister." He said not so non chalantly.

   Resisting the urge to voice his disgust, Antonio decided to excuse himself.

  "You know what, I think I need to go get cleaned up then. I have a few things to take care of before dinner."

   Turning his back to the cameras, he held Lillian by the waist and warned her," You're going to make it there before I do. Hang in there."

  She was less concerned about holding in her sigh. Watching Antonio run past the group of kids one last time, Lillian turned back to the older Russo with whom she was left alone with.

  "Alright, I think you've got enough. Shut those things off." Waving his hand at the confused photographers, he took a step closer to Lillian.

   "You heard me. Get out of here." The octave change of Stefan's voice left no room for second thought as they all lowered their cameras and began to walk away from the mayor.

   "Lillian, you're looking gorgeous as ever." Draping a veiny arm around her shoulders, he led her away towards a park bench as he tugged a baseball cap from his back belt loop and scooped it onto his head. Motioning for her to have a seat, he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a cigarette, lighting and taking a draw.

  Scooting away from him, Lillian couldn't believe he had the balls to light one up in this heat after his whole mantra of being against cigarettes and tobacco during his last campaign.

   "You look well yourself Stefan, at least from the outside. I'm not so sure of what those lungs are looking like."Chuckling, Stefan let his eyes rove over her exposed legs with no shame. Lillian couldn't decide if she was more bothered from his actions because he was a known sleaze ball, or because he had known her since the time it was socially acceptable for her to shit her pants.

  " I'm excited to have you guys over tonight. It's been a while since the two of you have joined us."

  And Lillian had been glad for that.

  She had spent her time enjoying and living the kind of life she had repressed for over ten years now rather than play into the Russo ploy of a picture perfect family where she had a shadowed position as the future daughter in law. She swore that whenever she sat around their kitchen table she could hear, New player has joined the game! In her ears.

"Well, I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had a prior engagement arranged. See you later?" Scurrying away before he could reach out to stop her, Lillian raced to her car, leaving the older man to quickly finish off his cigarette, and rub it into the ground completely forgoing the designated trashcan for such things.

oOo

  Antonio parked his car outside of his parent's gated home. Sticking his keys into his pockets, he looked up towards the mansion before him. There had been new renovations in the past few years, and yet it still held no resemblance to a home shared by people who loved each other.

   As he pulled open the glass front doors, his nose was met with the smell of cooking. He could hear the light sound of music, and followed it to the backyard, saying hello to the house servants as he passed them by.  Some had been there all of his life, and to them he gave heartfelt hugs. The others were young, and looked like Stefan had a hand in picking them.

   He liked them young, plump in the right places, with little English speaking capabilities that exceeded "No Sir" and "Yes Sir."

   As he emerged onto the back patio, he wasn't surprised to find an entire table lined with catered food from one of the best restaurants in the city. Servers stood with their hands clasped, just as they were told.

   Family dinners didn't count if the home cooked meal arrived in portable dishes from a gourmet kitchen.

  "My baby!" Mary Russo rushed to her youngest child, wrapping the arm that didn't hold a glass of wine around his middle.

   "I was starting to think you weren't going to come tonight as well." She looked up at her son with motherly love and longing.

  "I promised you this time Ma, of course I would be here." He kissed her forehead, and bent his arm for her to slip her hand in as he led her down the steps. Their backyard was manicured by the finest landscaper in the country. Not a blade was out of place, or a flower wilting to the ground.

   "I got your favorite tonight! I know how much you love Chinese."

   He looked up to see the perfect dishes displayed to his side. Patting her small hand, he thanked her.

   Mary had never had a motherly touch when it came to cooking or cleaning. She wasn't the domesticated kind of wife of a Mayor. She had a strong will and presence that was put to use as her position as the city's Economic Development Director. Her being in charge of that job had raised many more questions for the authenticity of Antonio's success, but that would mean no one knew Mary.

   She drew a hard line when it came to her children outside of the home, but inside she melted like putty in their hands.

   Mary especially adored her baby boy and it showed the most as she downed her wine and let loose.

  "Look who decided to show up." Called Stefan, he sat with his legs crossed on an outdoor couch, beer in hand as he tried to start conversation with Lillian. Hearing the announcement of Antonio's arrival, she jumped down from the bar and tried her best to not run to his side like an idiot.

  "If you made me wait anymore, I was surely going to be on your mom's level." She spoke through clenched teeth as she eyed the woman who went to find a glass that was filled with wine instead of the empty one she now had.

   "All I want is a nice dinner with my family, Stefan. Our son is here, Lillian, even  Natalia came. Please don't ruin this for me." Mary spoke with a killer smile which never left her face as she stared off with her husband.

   "Natalia? Is here?" Antonio looked at his mother with a quizzical look. Maybe she had surpassed her usual level of relaxation tonight.

   "Yes, it is I baby brother. Aren't you going to say hello?" A tall woman emerged from the kitchen doors, making the evening even brighter as she strolled towards her family. Her blue eyes pierced her brother's as she walked past him.

   Any other siblings would have grabbed each other for joy if it had been nearly five years since seeing each other.

   "What are you doing here?" He questioned with little emotion other than skepticism.

   "That was not what I was looking for." Sitting beside their father, Natalia raised her own glass to her lips as she giggled to herself. They were two years apart, and rather than having a close relationship, they had ended up being very distant.

   "Where are my niece and nephew?"

   "God, what's with all the questions Tony? " She sighed loudly, almost putting a halt in the jazz music that played in the background.

   "They're with their father, he took them to visit his family this summer." Mary cut in. She didn't want her mood to be brought down by any sudden outbursts that Natalia was prone to.

  "Yes, I left the little darlings up to their father, God knows he's probably pulling his hair out not knowing what to do with them."

  "I wouldn't say that like you have much to add Natalia."

   "Bite me Tony."

   "Let's eat dinner!" Throwing back her drink, Mary stood to her feet taking control of the atmosphere that began to turn sour.

  Remaining in his seat, Stefan chuckled to himself as he finished off his beer.

  "Stefan, dear, do you care to join us? " Mary called out.

  "I'd be delighted to Mary Sue..."

   Antonio's mother darted her eyes at the insulting nickname.

  He could remember back to his days as a kid when his mother would hiss at his father for his insulting nickname. When he had found out the meaning of it, he understood his mother's anger towards being called a dull and unimportant woman.

   Pulling out her seat and Lillian's, Antonio thought it would only be polite to do the same for Natalia. However, she slammed down in the seat before he could lay a hand on it.

  She made a smooching noise at him as he tightened his jaw and made his way to his own seat.

  "Something serious must be going on for Natalia to make a visit." He began the conversation as plates were filled with perfectly proportioned food. While they were growing up, they had been trained to wait for Stefan to take the first bite before they began any meal. It was a habit that Antonio found himself falling into voluntarily, but as he heard his mother's fork meet her plate before anyone else's he grinned.

  At that point, he could see that Mary barely gave a care anymore.

  Her husband watched her from across the table, tilting his head to the side as he pulled a servant to the side, asking for liquor to go along with his meal.

   "With dinner, sweetheart?" Mary spoke from across the table.

   "I only thought it would be fair, seeing as how that's not wine made by Jesus himself in that cup you have, honey."

   Lifting her glass towards him, Mary took a sip.

   "Jesus made wine so that I could look at your god awful face."

   "Hence why a more potent liquor exists for me-"

   "Can we move on now? You two bitching at each other isn't what I took a week off of work to come back here for." Natalia slammed down her fork as she glared at both of her parents.

   Antonio raised an eyebrow hearing the length of her stay.

  "Why the hell would you do that?" He asked, taking a sip from his water. His eyes met Lillian's from the corner as she too became curious.

   "Oh, Tony. You didn't think I would miss the big 3-5, did you? I'm here to plan it with mom. Of course that was all supposed to be a surprise, but I think we're all a little too old for that kind of thing."

   Mary's eyes landed on her daughter upset that she had ruined the shock of celebrating her son's birthday .

  "Well since it won't have as much of a shock value anymore...Antonio I know how much you hate these kind of things-"

  "They've never really fallen through in the past... He murmured,

  "-but I think that this is a special one. When I was 35, why I-"

  "Had an ass that didn't sag yet."

  "Damn you, Stefan!" Mary slammed her hands on the table and stood in her seat as the argument she had been avoiding with her husband began to unfold.

   They shouted back and forth, and no matter how many times Antonio called for them to knock it off, they continued on, their volume growing. He watched Natalia sit back in her seat, laughing as she placed a piece of orange glazed chicken into her mouth.

   "Oh. My God." Lillian breathed as she waited for foam to form around the corners of Mary's vicious mouth.

   "I'm done. I'm leaving, and if you do to, I don't blame you." Throwing his napkin into the plate he hadn't even touched, Antonio tuned his back on the scene, and took the steps by two. At the kitchen door, the workers inside had gathered around, peeping out the commotion, and when he stormed through they all jumped back embarrassed.

   "I hope you all enjoy the show." He called behind him.

Getting into his car, he shook his head at yet another failed attempt to be in the same room as his family.

oOo

    Flipping through the hotel brochure she had picked up in the gift shop area of the airport, Aubrey wondered which she should stay at.

  "Do you know of any good places around here?" Leaning over to the driver in the front seat, Aubrey sucked on the sucker she twirled around with her tongue.

  "How much are you willing to pay? I can point you out to a good hotel." His eyes watched the way her lips formed a pop as she pulled the candy from her mouth.

   "Take me to the best." Aubrey had never stayed in anything better that a Motel 8, and she wanted to try her luck here and see what she could score.

"Yes ma'am."

oOo

  The sound of squeaking shoes on the waxed lobby floors drew the front desk woman's eyes to their owner. Her fingers stopped against the keyboard as she watched a young teenage girl enter. She wondered how the child could have gotten lost in this area.

   "May I help you?"

   Aubrey took her eyes off of the high rise ceilings at the sound of someone speaking to her. She felt a familiar dislike towards the tone, it was one she had heard all too often at school. In fact, looking at the woman before her, she was nothing more than an older version of the girls who held their nose up to her in class.

  "Hi." She said, drawing a smile from her lips. When she saw that the expression on the other woman's face never changed, she cleared her throat.

   "I was wondering how much one of your rooms cost per night?"

  "I'm afraid we are all booked."

   "Really? Do you mind checking for me?"

   "We're full."

   "Sure, but why don't you just-"

   "Young lady I'm more than certain that our price wouldn't be befitting for you. Might I give a suggestion, such as Best Western?"

   Aubrey's head snapped to the side at the backhanded remark.

   "No. You. May. Not. I would greatly appreciate it if you would check for any available rooms for I would like to stay in one. Of. Them. Please."

   An older man who had been watching the exchange stepped forward.

  "Stephanie, is there a problem here with our guest?" The young woman's face showed surprise as she looked to her manager. A smile came to her face immediately, one much different than the scowl she had worn while speaking with Aubrey.

  "Sir-"

   "Why, I'm glad you asked. I was curious about renting a room here, but it seems that your employee of the month there has a photographic memory which apparently tells her that there are no available rooms. At least, for me." Smiling, Aubrey gave a huge Texas grin, showcasing her dimples for added charm.

  "Well, maybe we can check again to see what we have open." The man wore a grin just as big as he began to type away at the computer screen before him. He too didn't understand how the young girl could expect to stay in even one of their cheapest rooms.

   "You're from down south, I can tell by that lovely accent of yours. " He clicked through the screens, and looked to her." How long do you plan to stay with us?"

   "Six nights please."

  He looked at her from behind his thick rimmed glasses. " We have a one room available-"

  "Great!"

  "-for $500."

  "I'll take that."

  "That's a night." He said.

  Looking up from her bag, Aubrey looked at the man with smiling eyes, unperturbed by how much it would all add up by the time the week ended.

   "I heard you the first time." Across the counter she slid a fake id that listed her as being 18. She had been one of the smarter kids, not looking to put too many years on their false age when she had it made at 16.

  The two adults still didn't look too convinced, but that was until she began to dig through her wallet. They saw a flash of the numerous bills she had on her, and she pulled out a credit card she had found in her mother's stash of documents.

   It was in her name, and she wondered what her mother had planned for it in the future. She would never know, but for now it would serve a purpose.

   Reluctantly, she was given a room key.

  "Enjoy your stay with us, Ms. Taliaferro."

oOo

   The cab driver held his pen in his mouth, chewing on the cap as he looked for his next move in his Sudoku puzzle. He heard someone bang on the trunk, and found the girl he had been chauffeuring around in his rear view mirror.

  "Have you found what you're looking for?" He called out in a thick accent. He turned down his radio as he called out of the window.

   Aubrey pulled out her bags, and closed the trunk.

   "Money can get you a lot in life." Leaning down to the window, she gave him a two hundred dollar bills.

   "Amen." Tipping his hat to the young lady, he crumbled the case into his hand with a toothy grin.

   Aubrey had always imagined that once she had money, she would be a stickler with it. Unwilling to give it out to just anyone.

  Even with the small amount she possessed now, she saw that maybe she wouldn't be so tight with it. She found herself easily handing out money, and watching it all dwindle down.

   As she boarded the elevator, and then slid her key into the lock, she thought of how much she and her mother had lived on before.

 

   "This is nothing." Standing in the doorway, Aubrey dropped her bags and started off into a run jump, landing on the white sheets of the hotel bed.

 

  "Nothing at all."

       Aubrey emerged from her hotel bathroom, smelling like all of the soaps and shampoos that now lied empty beside the shower. She wrung the extra water from her hair as the pads of her feet met the soft carpet of the bedroom. Sitting on the edge of her made up bed she picked up the alarm clock that rested on the nightstand.

  6:52am                                                                     

  It was early on a Monday morning, a time where while school students would just be going to bed after another long summer night, working adults were already up and on the move for another day at their jobs.

   It's important to have a good work ethic. I've always been the one to be the first to arrive and last to leave. I've kept that kind of attitude, and I like to believe that it has helped me accomplish the things that I have, in the time that I have.

  In one of the many articles Aubrey had stuffed in her bright red book bag, she doubled back to one interview in particular.

  So, he was the hardworking type?

   Loves kids, has good looks, and more wealth than most of his age group in an economy like this.

  As she slid a white knee length dress over her head, Aubrey laughed to herself. She smoothed the pleated skirt as she stepped into her converse, and tied an old checkered button down around her waist.

  If she wanted to meet this guy, it would seem she was going to have all of the time in the world. He must have been a workaholic, and in the back of her mind she wondered if that's why she was always a hard nose in school.

  Sniffing, she shook her head.

   "Nah..." She lifted one foot to the edge of the bed as she tied it. Wet hair still clung to her neck, and standing to her feet, she began gathering it all into a top knot. Her eyes watched the streets below her hotel as she approached the full length window.

   At that moment, she imagined what her mother must have thought when she first visited the city.

   Texas had nice cities, and they had visited them a handful of times throughout their lives. But usually when you have access to something, you don't tend to hangout around it too much, allowing out of towners and others to enjoy it instead.

     Here was different; it was Chicago. A land completely unexplored by her, and had a warped thought passed through as she realized had her mother not died, and had she not been cleaning out her closet to find the box filled with Antonio Russ, she wouldn't have made it out of Texas anytime soon.

   Sandra had to have been around Aubrey's age, if not a tad bit younger when she was sent here to live with an estranged aunt. She was a senior member of some local black scholars' organization or whatever, and Aubrey had never met her in her life. All she knew was the woman was old then and probably the same if not dead now.

   Opening the curtains further, she let the sun shine in as it made its official debut in the sky.

   Her mother had always loved the small serenity she found in the first moments of the morning, before anything had begun, before anything had been said, she would sit and just...think. Aubrey figured it was her way of getting the day started. Whenever she would be running to catch one of her many buses to school, she would always pass by a statue like Sandra, kissing her cheek before running out the door.

  Now she wished she had slowed down some of those mornings. She should have sat with Sandra, taken the time to say good morning and ask what was on her mind. She could have tried to eat the breakfasts she would make for her, knowing her daughter had a long commute to school.

    There were so many perfect opportunities to tell her mother that she appreciated her efforts, that she loved her ...

   A slight faintness played behind Aubrey's eyes as her heart pounded. She trembled before going to grab her bookbag, and pushing her arms through it. It was packed with maps, and a couple complementary water bottles the hotel had left next to her own personal coffee pot. She knew she wouldn't be using that thing, and figured she would indulge in the water instead. As she slipped out of her room, she bounced towards the elevator, pushing the clear arrow turning it red.

   Her hands gripped the straps closer to her shoulders. Against her back she had maps of the city, pictures of Antonio, and all of the other letters she decided to pile in. When the doors opened, she joined the likes of other early risers on their way to conferences and other meetings for the day. Squeezing into the front, she realized one thing.

    Aubrey had no idea where to begin her day.

oOo

  Antonio slicked back his hair into place as he watched himself in the bathroom mirror. The black comb put his tresses in his signature parted hairstyle that he had finally become fond of three years ago. He grabbed a can of hairspray, adding extra hold that would keep his look for the rest of the day.

   Coughing from the fumes, he knew he just added a few more steps to his carbon footprint.

  Gathering himself, Antonio swaggered back into his bedroom, picking up his suit for the day, and began to dress.

    Within the past year, Antonio had been given the position as marketing executive of a city firm after the death of the longtime employee who previously held the same job. There was shock, to say the least, but mutual respect among him and his colleagues as the young man transitioned easily into the job title. After all, it wasn't like Antonio was a new and fresh face around the firm.

   He had snagged an internship during college, and had been around since grad school. He was a reliable man, and had a knack for reaching customers with the company's product. He had kept in the community since he was a boy scout, and his abilities to connect with people from all walks of life around the city made it easy for him to interact with personnel.

   In his high end one bedroom apartment, sunshine peaked through every available window. The natural light gave his one man home enough warmth to make himself proud for what he had. As he sat on the edge of his bed and began putting on his shoes, he heard the sound of his cell phone ringing, the ringtone giving away that his mother was calling.

  It had been the fifth call since he left last night. The first ones were received early in the morning, which was when he assumed she switched from her bottle of wine to his father's stash of harder alcohol. Antonio had tried drinking in his youth, usually only joining in on the fun for the hell of it. He was used to seeing his father have a drink every evening, and had only caught his mother with a glass every once in a while.

   His sophomore year of college, he had noticed how often Mary paired a glass of wine with dinner, and soon discovered from one of their maids that it wasn't only wine she was enjoying; she had added alcohol into her diet three times a day now. That same year Stefan Russo's mistress had come forward claiming to be pregnant. She was the same age as Natalia, and had been a classmate of hers, even visiting the house for barbeques in the past.

   After weeks of separation and his mother swearing up and down that she was headed to a divorce attorney, the couple had moved back in together. Stefan stayed home every night for two weeks to prove his loyalty to his wife was unwavering now. Once that two weeks was up, he was back to his old ways.

   Antonio never had to be told, but after running into the young woman at a social event months later in a skin tight dress and drink in hand, he put two and two together and hit the nail on the head with guessing her pregnancy ended in a more than forced abortion.

  After that fiasco, and seeing the permanent change in his mother, drinking had lost its perks for him when he couldn't visit without smelling it on Mary's breath.

   "Hello Mom."

   "Antonio, I have been calling you all night. You left so suddenly that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye."

   "Between the bitches and bastards that you and dad were throwing around, I figured I could be excused just this one time." Propping the phone against his neck, Antonio drew his leg up to the edge of his bed as he began to tie it off.

  "God, I'm so sorry you had to witness that. It's your father he just-I sometimes just want to." Mary sighed in defeat, upset that she allowed herself to become upset once again behind her husband, pushing her son away.

   "I know mom. You don't have to explain to me. That's between you and him."

   "No Antonio, it's not right. You kids have grown up seeing us at each other's necks. I'm so sorry honey." It wasn't like her adult children were the little girl and boy and hid in Natalia's room during their parents' weekly shouting match anymore. Antonio had stopped looking for an apology from his parents when he was thirteen and had become used to the behavior.

  "Ma, I promise it's alright. Okay?" Pinching the bridge of his nose, Antonio let out a loud breath. "How are you doing this morning? Are you on your way to work?"

  "As always." As Mary drove in her car, she could feel her heart ache from the thought of her son. While she showered him with love and adoration, she knew that wasn't all a child needed from his mother, and was she was disappointed to say she never found that out until after it would have done the most good.

   "What about you? Have you eaten yet? You should at least grab a cup of coffee to hold you over."

  "Of course ma."

  "You're not going to do it, are you?" Mary smiled knowing her son would say what she wanted to hear.

  "You know if I had time I would. I've got to get going now; I'll call you later on tonight if you haven't gone to sleep, okay?"

   Arriving at a red light Mary glanced up to the built in bluetooth where Antonio's voice came from.

  "I love you Antonio. Have a good day."

  "I love you too, ma."

Grabbing his suit jacket and briefcase, Antonio left his apartment, locking it behind him.

oOo

   When the elevator dinged announcing their arrival to the lobby, Aubrey felt her shoulders being pushed by the men and women who paid attention to their smartphones as they checked emails and began dialing numbers.

  She had fixed her mouth to excuse herself, but soon saw that her ingrained phrase fell on deaf ears. Walking across the lobby, she looked over to the front desk, finding the woman who had been so excited to help her last night.

   Standing with her hands on back pack straps, she held a small grin as the clerk hung up from a phone call. The woman's face paled, and Aubrey caught a visual tick in her right eye.

  "Good morning...Stephanie." She greeted looking down at the chrome name tag.

  "Good morning, miss. Did you enjoy your night?" She asked as she held back the urge to dip her words in a venomous coating.

  " Most certainly. Thank you again for all your help last night. I was just so exhausted from the travel and was beyond grateful to find a place to lay my head for the night." Aubrey batted her eyelashes in her face, backing away with a finger wave. "See you tonight!"

  Turned, she swore she could hear Stephanie groan as she pushed through the heavy doors of the hotel.

  Aubrey began her stroll down the streets with no destination in mind at the moment. She knew she needed to make a better plan for this trip, for she needed to get back home in time. In the letter she left with Ms. Anderson, she had promised her that she would be back by the end of the week, and that she shouldn't worry about anything changing. At first, when she had told Marquis that she was going on this week long excursion, it had seemed like she had an infinite amount of time.

  As she stood waiting for the white Walkman to show on the pedestrian light pole, she admitted to herself that she may have been off by a small margin.

  Honestly, she half assed this entire plan.

  Doubt began to sink in, and she wondered how she could get herself on a plane, bus, boat-whatever-and back home.

   In her stomach, she had a strange clenching sensation. Aubrey rarely became nervous, or had a case of butterflies, and it irked her that she would come down with them of all possible times in the world.

   Holding the palm of her hand flat against her abdomen, she looked to see a small café tucked into a corner. A chalkboard rested just outside the door, boasting of a morning deal on muffins. Aubrey wasn't big on breakfast food at such an early time-it usually left her feeling under the weather by the time noon came.

  When she found herself gripping the door handle as a woman immersed in her phone came out, she decided it wouldn't hurt to grab a juice. Maybe it would calm her nerves.

   "Oh goodness!"

  "Sorry..." Shocked, Aubrey looked at the person who stood before her, a large brown stain now decorating her pink blouse.

  "No, no. I wasn't looking. Christ.." Setting aside her blackberry on a nearby table, Mary examined the stain seeping through on to her skin. Removing her sunglasses, she ran her fingers through her hair as she let out an exasperated sigh.

   Thinking quickly, Aubrey reached for a cloth napkin lying on the nearby table. The customer who sat reading a newspaper shouted.

   "Come on!"

   "I'm sure there are more." Aubrey cut her eyes at the man as he snapped the paper before disappearing back behind it.

   "What-Oh no, that's fine. Honestly."  Before her, the young girl she had bumped into began dousing a napkin with a water bottle retrieved from her backpack. Mary didn't get a chance to stop her as her hand darted out, taking hold of her shirt as she dabbed at the stain.

   "You wanna get this out quick. Or else it'll be harder to later." Mary stood speechless as the treatment continued.

  "You know, this color goes well with your...your um...your hair." Aubrey chuckled, unsure of what to say. When she took a quick glance up to the woman, she saw her hands frozen in the air as she stood rigid from Aubrey's attentions.

  "I'm guessing you could do that yourself. You probably already know how-I didn't -Here." Placing the napkin in the older woman's outstretched hand, Aubrey side stepped with a grimace, giving her space to leave the door.

   "While I'm sure this can be fixed easily by the dry cleaners, thank you for helping me." Mary's half smirk surprised Aubrey. She had expected at least a rolling of the eyes for the ruining of what she was sure was an expensive shirt. She watched with abated breath for a sly comment before the woman slipped past her.

   "I didn't mean to run into you, I must have not seen you."

  "I'm not worried one bit. I had my face shoved in my phone-that was my fault. My apologies for bumping into you." With a warm smile, Mary pressed the side of her phone, seeing the time. With a slight wave, she slid her shades back on and quick stepped to her car, getting in and driving off.

  Aubrey watched the sleek vehicle make its way around the corner. At the very last second, the woman behind the wheel  turned her head in her direction. She wasn't so sure if she had truly looked back, with her sunglasses obscuring her face, but Aubrey was fine with letting out the breath she had been holding that entire time.

  "Hmph." The man who she snatched the napkin from out of haste walked past eyeing her as he left out the door. Sucking her teeth, Aubrey grumbled as she moved to the counter, finally placing her order of a small bottle of orange juice.

oOo

   Gnawing on the plastic straw between her teeth, Aubrey studied the city map splayed on the small café table. She sat on her ankles, giving herself enough leverage to hover over the images to see where she should start off first.

    Setting down her empty bottle, she searched her bag for the black marker she had packed away.

   "I'm here...." Pointing to her approximate location, she drew the hard tip of the pen slowly, arriving to another spot on the map."...and he is here."

   Of course on a piece of paper drawn to scale, it looked as if her destination was but a hop, skip, and jump away. Miles lied in between the two points, which meant she would have a lot of walking to do.

  Somehow, asking for change for a hundred for a bus fare seemed out of the question-- and it wasn't like Aubrey had never used her feet as her own mode of transportation. She was a smart girl; she could do this.

  Hell, this would give her a good chance to do some sight-seeing anyway. She could send some pictures to Marquis and...

  "That's right." Reaching into the bottom of her bag, Aubrey recovered the cell phone left by Marquis's henchman the day he paid a visit. Just as she hovered over the only telephone number in the call log, she stopped.

   "He said he didn't want to hear from me ." Placing the phone back down, Aubrey stared straight ahead.

   Disappear was more of what he had said. Though she had been heated in that moment-going as far as to hurl the f-bomb at him-Aubrey noticed that for the past day or so, she hadn't had a second thought about what he had said. And in that moment, she was prepared to call him and let him know that she had arrived safely. She was actually looking to hear from a familiar voice; hear some kind of encouragement.

   Tossing the phone back into the bag, Aubrey stretched and cracked her neck.

   She wasn't going to let Marquis worry her.

  Right now, she needed to focus on her main goal.

 

  "Antonio, Antonio.Antonio." She sighed, packing the large paper back into its original compact shape. Throwing her arms into the straps, she walked out of the building, tapping the small book of paper against her thigh.

Parallel parking her car, Natalia emerged from the small sports car legs first. It was reaching the early afternoon-just before the lunch rush of the day. Sitting in her hotel room hadn't been much fun, and there was no point in going to her parents' empty home and reliving the memories she had repressed and written off years ago.

  So, she came to take Antonio out for lunch.

  Now, she couldn't take full credit for this idea. Mary had phoned her, suggesting that after such a long time of seeing one another, sitting down for a nice lunch would be good for the siblings. Natallia was quick to let her know that the last time anything nice transpired between her and Antonio was when they were still nose picking elementary school children.

  Of course they went through their regular routine when Mary asked Natalia a favor.

  There would be pleading, then a no. Then begging, and a sarcastic response. But when Natalia finally caved, she shocked them both. It was something she wouldn't do under normal circumstances, but to keep herself from hopping on a plane back home to her own life she decided to occupy her time with this.

  When she stepped onto the curb in front of his building, all eyes glued to her as they passed. Her cool demeanor showed in the wave of her hips and shoulders, as they twisted effortlessly toward the door.

  Her heels made her presence known out of all other feet hitting the marbled floors. She didn't even stop by the front desk as would any visitor before trying to enter the office area.

  The wrinkled face man with white hair decorating his upper lip stopped the beauty before she reached the elevators that would take her up to where she wanted to go.

  "I'm going to have to ask you to show me some id, young lady." He rested his hand on his belt, tugging at his already snug pants. Natalia towered over him, and with a quick look, she took in his stance.

  "That won't be necessary. I'm here to see Antonio Russo. We're family." She spoke softly, thinking that was her pass to brush past him, but a frail hand gripped her bicep tightly. 

  "I've been standing here for twenty some odd years now, and nobody has ever gotten past me by throwing some name around. Family or not; you don't show some id then well, I'm going to have to call in-"

  "You know what, forget it." Natalia ended his monologue, shaking her arm loose as she waved her hand, and stomped away to the young girl sitting behind the front desk who hadn't taken her eyes off of Natalia since she came in. Swallowing, she sat higher in her chair as she approached.

   "Hello, welcome to-"

   "Stop there, and just call Antonio Russo. Tell him Natalia awaits him impatiently." She fluttered her eyes with a sarcastic smile.

   "Uh, of course."

  Natalia looked up to the open balcony, watching as people moved about their business. She scanned the length of it, noticing Antonio standing at the end, gripping the metal bar before him.

   "No need to call him, he's right up there. So I'll be on my way."

  "Ma'am, I - I can't let you go up unless I have clearance to do so. Mr. Russo didn't pick up his phone-"

  "Mr. Russo just stood there and made eye contact with me. I'm more than certain a sister can go visit her little brother, now can't she?" Natalia's voice was set at a low volume as intimidation ran clear across the girl's face.

  They both looked up, and there was no sight of Antonio on the top level anymore.

  "He was there." Natalia said annoyed.

  "I'm sorry ma'am. I can try calling again and then maybe-" Her words were cut short as her phone began to ring. Excusing herself with a duck of the head, she answered it.

   Natalia crossed her arms as she stood there completely flabbergasted by the turn of events. She watched the younger woman write something down, putting a large X next to her name. her hand went to cover it before she could get a good look.

  "Mr. Russo has called, and I'm not allowed to give you entrance past the lobby, unfortunately."

  "Asshole! Was that him on the phone? Call him, call him back and let me speak to him!" She demanded slamming her palm against the desk.

   "Young lady are you still causing trouble? You're going to make me use force to remove you from the building if you don't comply." The old security guard limped over, drawing a laugh from Natalia as she reached into her purse.

   "That little fucker..." She cursed under her breath as she stuck a cigarette in her mouth and searched for a lighter. The secretary and security guard looked at each other as they listened to Natalia rage on.

   "I come here, to do something good, and once again it goes unappreciated."

   She dug into the bag, becoming more heated the longer it took her to find the lighter.

   "I come all the way back to this shithole-just for him-and his ass is going to put me on a banned list? Unbelievable." She muttered finally gripping the lighter in hand. Pulling the dangling stick from her mouth, she shouted.

   "Un-fucking-believable!" Her yell stopped the others in their tracks as they gazed down to see the issue going on. Hitting the lighter, she waited for a little flame to spark the end of her cigarette.

   "You can't do that in here!" Standing to her feet, the secretary held her hands up as she reached forward only to be swatted away. Watching her with narrowed eyes, Natalia blew a strong stream of smoke in their direction as her own little "screw you" before turning on her heel and leaving.

  She marched right out of the front doors, and stood near a bench in front of her car. Throwing her hip to the side, she watched as a kid with a red back pack teetered on the curb in front of it, looking inside.

  "You're not planning on stealing my car are you?" She called from behind.  The girl's face turned in her direction as she stopped on one leg and balanced. Her face was striking in its own way. Her eyes were a mixture of blue and green, with thick eyelashes resting just above them. Her cheekbones were high, and a light roe color from the heat of the day. Full lips perked to the side as she took in Natalia with no shame.

  The stare was a bold move, and it amused Natalia as she took another drag from her cigarette.

  "I think you're in the wrong hood little girl. Or maybe the right one if you're trying to score big." She laughed." You're not taking my car, so move along."

   Big eyes stared straight through Natalia, unfazed by her string of insults. Looking at the piece of paper in her hand and back to the building, Aubrey sighed inwardly.

   Of course only stuck up people would be in an area like this.

  Slamming down the foot she had raised off the ground, Aubrey began walking towards the woman who stood her ground, even as she purposely grazed her arm to sit on the bench behind her.

  Propping one leg up and drawing down the skirt of her dress so as not to put on a display, Aubrey sat and watched the woman before her.

   Glancing over her shoulder, Natalia dropped her cigarette just missing Aubrey's foot by an inch, and ground it into the pavement.

  "Give, give, give to you people and all you do is take. I guess it's a good thing I don't have pockets on me so you can go shopping." Pulling out her phone, Natalia began dialing the two numbers she could reach Antonio at during the day.

  Aubrey clenched her fists as she sneered up her nose." Who the fuck you talking to?" She asked loudly.

  Natalia whipped around, pointing a finger to her phone. "Could you be any more rude? Get the hell away from me."

   "Would you like to see?" Standing up, Aubrey nearly took Natalia down off of her six inch heels. Stumbling, she gritted her teeth as she looked on at the girl.

  "Did you just touch me?"

  "I'm gonna touch your fucking face in a minute..."

   "You little bitch!"

   "Say it one more time!"

oOo

  Antonio held his eyebrows together as deep lines stretched across his forehead. He had seen where his sister had been calling, and had picked up on the third ring, ready to tell her to never come to his job again. When all he could hear was screaming and cussing on the other end, he slammed down the phone and took off to find his sister. He couldn't have her causing a disturbance, let alone fighting someone while he was at work.

   By the time he got downstairs, security guards had already began rushing to the door. Screams could be heard across the entire lobby, and he was able to identify Natalia's screech.

  Racing out the doors, he saw Natalia standing over another young woman, gripping her arm violently.

   "Let go of me!" The other woman shouted. As he got closer, he noticed that she was nothing but a kid. A crowd had already gathered, some telling the two to stop while others shook their heads at the show.

   Natalia held a nice grip on Aubrey, making it difficult to shake her off. Aubrey began pushing back against the crazy woman, prying at the fingers cutting off circulation in her arm. The woman had been pushing Aubrey by the shoulder, telling her to leave or she would make her.

  Aubrey wasn't up for being told to do much of anything by someone who had been nothing but disrespectful. She delivered a swift kick to the Amazon woman's legs, making her wobble on the ridiculous shoes she wore.

   "Don't you kick me!" Natalia said through clenched teeth, shaking the girl she held.

   "Lady if you don't get off of me I swear..."

  "You what? Gonna pop a cap in my ass? All you fucking hoodrats have a gun these days, I wouldn't be surprised."

   Well, Natalia sure was surprised when she found herself lying on the ground, her face touching the dirt of the sidewalk .

   Aubrey rubbed her bruised arm with the same hand she used to knock the prejudice woman down with. She hadn't had to use a left hook since that one time she broke three fingers on her right hand after taking on three girls from the neighborhood. She had to hop a little to reach Natalia's face, but she accomplished the job as she looked down into her pale face staring up at Aubrey in horror.

  There was a silence over the crowd as people stared on in horror. Aubrey looked at their faces, as some began dialing for the police on their phones. She heard scattered talk of a vicious beating and pleads for 911 to send someone quick.

    A few people rushed to Natalia, recognizing the Mayor's daughter and helping her to her feet.

    "Don't let her leave!"

    "The police are on their way now!"

   Police was enough to bring Aubrey back down from her recent fit of anger. Police? Why the hell would they call the police.

  The woman came at her first!

  As she began to back away, she was stopped by many hands who grabbed at any and every part of her body. She felt her book bag being jerked back as her arm was twisted behind her back.

  "Stop! Get off of me!" She began to throw her body around as pain shot through her shoulder, making her double over.

   Aubrey began to panic, and like a cornered animal, she lunged at the people holding her against her will.

  Her hair began to fall out of its knot as she tried to escape anyway that she could. She realized that there was no way of slipping away as she fell to her knees and felt a heavy weight rest at the small of her back.

oOo

   Antonio rushed to his sister's side as he watched the entire scene unfold. He looked towards the girl and the swarm of people keeping watch over her.

   His brotherly instinct to check on Natalia kept the concern over the excessive force being taken out on the girl from coming forth.

   "You see that? That's one of the little cunts you run around trying to play Big Brother to. She's fucking done!" Natalia spat as she stood to her feet, dusting off her clothes. Her hand rose to touch her reddening cheek.

   "Why the hell are you here Natalia?"

    "Are you not going to ask how I am doing?!" She shrieked. In her heels, she stood right at her brother's 6'4 height, and squared off with him.

    "None of this would have happened if you had just stayed away." His words were biting as he heard the sound of car doors closing. You could get the police here on the turn of a dime if needed. He watched them rush over to the little citizen's arrest going on, and take the place of the vigilante people whose veins were probably rushing with adrenaline as they had a story to tell over dinner that night.

    "No!" The screech of the young girl met his ears as he saw handcuffs being administered to the wrists that were bound tightly behind her back. She fought against the officers, which was of no help for her case as her face was slammed onto the sidewalk twice. The girl didn't seem to realize that fighting against the arrest was getting her nowhere.

  Aubrey winced as she was pulled up into the air. Her stomach dropped as she was being pushed towards a police car. Her feet scraped against the ground as she resisted the officer at her back, but with their differing sizes, it was of no use.

   "I didn't do anything! Let me go!" She watched as the car door was opened and she was thrown inside after a foot collapsed her stiffened leg to make it easier. Aubrey's face met the seat of the back of the cruiser. From the outside, she could hear the yelling of Natalia as she tapped on the glass window.

   She watched from underneath the curtain of hair as she breathed harshly.

   "You fucked with the wrong person!" She read Natalia's lips as an officer gently pulled her from banging on the glass. He began speaking with the enraged Russo, letting her know that everything would be handled.

     A metallic taste fell onto her top lip as her tongue dashed out in reflex. There was a gash on the side of her eye, and Aubrey became aware of the stinging it left behind.

   She bent her head, rubbing her mouth slowly against her shoulder as the officers took their place in the front of the car.

   She had never seen police arrive as quickly as they did, but given the area, she quickly understood. Whatever they said from their seats was like listening from underwater. Aubrey drowned them out, kicking herself for getting into a situation like this.

  Leaning back into the seat, she felt the absence of her backpack, and whirled around, watching it disappear from its spot on the ground as a suited man knelt down to pick it up.

   She had her money, her map-everything was in that bag.

   Her chest heaved as if an elephant had taken a seat on top of her. Aubrey closed her eyes wishing more than anything that she could vanish right on the spot.

oOo

     "Where the hell is my purse?"

   Standing to his feet, Antonio turned around to see his sister fumbling with her keys as she made her way to her car.

   "I'm going down there. I'll make sure that little shit spends the night in jail..." As she went to slam her car door, Antonio caught it.

    "Don't go through all of that, Natalia. They'll do enough to her when she gets down to the station."

   "Look here Mister Savior of the Ghetto Black Kids, I'm not going to let her just get off for what she's done. Do you see my face?" A trembling finger pointed to the proof of Aubrey's hit.

  "She's going in for this."

  "A kid? Natalia she was nothing but a kid. You're a grown woman out here fighting with her in the first place. Drop it."

 "Ahh!" Natalia growled at her brother from frustration. The engine began, and she reached to put it in reverse.

  "Stop!"

   "Get out of my way Antonio! You didn't want me here in the first fucking place. So fine, I'm leaving. Now move or I'll run you over."

     "Get out of the car-"

   "Excuse me?"

   "I said get out of the fucking car. You're too pissed to drive straight."

  "I'm pissed enough to get down to the -"

  "I'll drive you. You've put on enough of a damn act as is."

   Tossing the backpack he held into the passenger seat, Antonio took control of the car as his sister climbed in beside him.  By the looks of the cluster of people still standing around, he knew that the Russo's were going to have yet another incident before the night was over.

oOo

    Aubrey trudged alongside the police officer into the building reserved for criminals of the city.

   So what the hell was she doing here?

  "Sit down."  She had no choice but to do as the gruff voice commanded as she was flung into the bolted down plastic chairs. He reached around unlocking the cuffs, and just as soon as one hand was free, she was hooked right onto the arm of the chair, hands bound again, but this time in front of her.

    They couldn't do anything serious to her, could they?

   This was a new experience for Aubrey; and it was hard for her to think everything through. Pulling against her restraints she screamed loud enough for the entire place to hear.

   "Hey! You keep still or else." One officer ran back into the room to see Aubrey in a fit. His hand drew back to his Taser, and Aubrey quieted down. Her breaths came out ragged and rushed as she stared at him.  

    "Do not look at me like that." He demanded as he stood over her. A fist clenched as her arms jerked away from the chair again. All she was getting was a nasty mark around her wrists in her efforts to break the metal.

  "I will f-"

   "You want to finish that statement? Threatening an officer of the law?" Biting her lip, Aubrey felt her entire body shake in anguish. Falling back into her seat, Aubrey's eyes remained on the ground as she watched his polished shoes walk away from her.

    There would be no Sandra rushing through those doors anytime soon to get her daughter out of trouble, and that thought brought tears to her eyes.

   For the first time since finding her mother dead in their living room, she allowed them to fall.

oOo

   Natalia raced up the ramp towards the police station, hurrying in with determination.

  Antonio caught the door before it could close; his mood compared to Natalia's was like night and day.

  He felt apprehension to her anger.

     "Who do I file a report to?" She called out. As she grabbed the nearest officer to speak to, Antonio looked on. His eyes wandered around the room, until they fell on the door with a glass window into the holding area for incoming people.

   Slowly walking over, he came upon Aubrey as she sat curled into herself on her seat. There was a dark aura around her as her head was brought into her chest. He could see the slow rise of her breathing as she repositioned herself in the seat. His hand pushed on the door, opening it slowly. Just as her head began to rise, Antonio turned around after overhearing his sister speak, walking with his back to the doorway.

  "Did I just hear you correctly?" He said walking in strides to Natalia who requested to file a report for assault and battery.

   "She attacked me, Antonio. Of course I am."

   "Natalia, this has gone far enough." He pushed the paper before her away.

  "It's not done until I say so." She stood to meet him head on.

  "You're only here for a few days, and you want to come in stirring up something like this? You know dad just got the papers to lay off his case not too long ago. It's not worth it."
  "I don't care about that-"

  "I'm telling you to lay off of it."

 "You don't tell me what the hell to do, Little brother. You have me confused with someone else. I'm not too concerned with letting some little bitch that probably already has a record to do just whatever the hell she wants. I'll be damned if some kid from the projects lays a hand on me."

   Antonio's blood boiled from her words. No matter how open or welcoming the Russo's were meant to seem like from the outside looking in, the hate and disrespect for anyone who wasn't like them ran rampant. Antonio had seen it when he was in high school, had seen the ugly side of it all personally...

   Turning to the young officer waiting for instructions on what to do, Antonio stood his ground.

   "We are not pressing charges. Release the girl because once we walk out that door, it will be the end of all this." Pointedly looking Natalia in the eyes as he said his last words, he reached for her arm holding it with a death grip.

   "Antonio, you know just what to do to make me hate you. Don't you?"

   "I know Natalia. I know." He spoke to her in a tone of an adult trying to calm a whining child. When he unlocked the car and shoved her in, Natalia kicked the bag that lied in the floor. Picking it up, she rummaged through the pockets.

  "You think that's an innocent little girl in there Antonio? Tell me why she would have all of this money in her bag then?" As Antonio climbed into the driver's seat, he looked over to see what his sister meant. Grabbing the bag from her, he zipped it closed.

   "That's none of our business."

  "Sure, but it is the business of whoever she's been going around robbing!" Natalia began tugging on the bag. "I'm going in to show them this."

   "No, you're not!" For the first time in a long time, Antonio finally raised his voice at his sister as they began to argue back and forth.

oOo

      With slow steps, Aubrey reemerged into the sunlight as she was released. She was all but kicked out of the building, but she had nothing to argue about seeing as how at least now she was out.

   She looked down to her clothes, fingers touching the dried blood that had fallen onto the material. Lifting her hand to her face, she kneaded around the still wet area of her injury. It burned to touch it, but she was able to feel that it wasn't as large as she had first thought, even though the amount of blood that left from it would have said otherwise.

  Hearing shouts from a nearby car, Aubrey squinted in its direction. Removing her hair from her face, she got a good look at the blonde woman from before. From what she could tell, she had been seen as well as a large ‘o' formed before Natalia hopped out of the car.

   She charged forward, and Aubrey had her hands ready to use them once again. She stood still, waiting for the woman, until she was jerked back by an arm wound around her waist.

   "Let go, Tony!"

   "Calm the hell down!" The stern look on her captor's face was deep as Aubrey looked into it.

   Her eyes relaxed as his features became less distorted when he glanced at her. Frozen in her place, Aubrey tried to rack her brain for what was going on before her.

 

   She had expected to view Antonio Russo from a distance of twenty feet, not two. So when she faced him bug eyed and mute, all of the bravado and courage she expected to have when meeting him left her.

      With slow steps, Aubrey reemerged into the sunlight as she was released. She was all but kicked out of the building, but she had nothing to argue about seeing as how at least now she was out.

   She looked down to her clothes, fingers touching the dried blood that had fallen onto the material. Lifting her hand to her face, she kneaded around the still wet area of her injury. It burned to touch it, but she was able to feel that it wasn't as large as she had first thought, even though the amount of blood that left from it would have said otherwise.

  Hearing shouts from a nearby car, Aubrey squinted in its direction. Removing her hair from her face, she got a good look at the blonde woman from before. From what she could tell, she had been seen as well as a large ‘o' formed before Natalia hopped out of the car.

   She charged forward, and Aubrey had her hands ready to use them once again. She stood still, waiting for the woman, until she was jerked back by an arm wound around her waist.

   "Let go, Tony!"

   "Calm the hell down!" The stern look on her captor's face was deep as Aubrey looked into it.

   Her eyes relaxed as his features became less distorted when he glanced at her. Frozen in her place, Aubrey tried to rack her brain for what was going on before her.

   She had expected to view Antonio Russo from a distance of twenty feet, not two. So when she faced him bug eyed and mute, all of the bravado and courage she expected to have when meeting him left her.

oOo

  Aubrey's eyes stood wide open as she couldn't take them off of the man before her.

  "Hello?" Antonio took a step closer to the girl who was stuck in a daze. He had tried explaining his sister's actions to apologize for all that had happened, but with the unwavering stare she fixed on him, something told him it all barely reached her ears.

   "What?" She came back to reality, jumping a little out of surprise in the process. "What did you say?" Her voice was low and trepid as her mouth dried.

  "I was just saying sorry on my sister's behalf-are you okay? I saw you took a few blows to the head back there. "Antonio spoke slowly, letting go of Natalia's sleeve as he searched Aubrey's face for discomfort. There was a cringe decorating it, and he wondered if she was having side effects from a possible concussion.

  Blood caked on one side of her face along with stray hairs that hung haphazardly around her face. She had a scrape on her chin, one he was certain came from having her face pressed down into the hard cement.

   "That's a pretty bad cut there." He said, nodding to her eye. "Look, if it makes up for the trouble, I can have it looked at for you; see if you need stitches. It's the least I could do."

  Aubrey reached up to the wound he spoke of, but he grabbed her forearm, stopping her in the process. That was when Antonio caught a glimpse of the damage on her wrists and dress. Out of the corner of his eye, he glared at Natalia who did the same to him.

   "Are you kidding me? Antonio, if you think that there's a chance in hell that this little bitch is going to ride in my car-- then you've lost your mind. After all she has done today?"  Natalia stretched out her hands for her keys, which Antonio held away.

   Speaking more privately to her, he tried to reason. "She's actually hurt, Natalia. I would like to  at least get her a fucking band aid from the fucking pharmacy."

   "I do not care. "

   "Natalia..."

   "Look little girl-"Shoving Antonio to the side, Natalia stood directly in front of the teenager who had to have been no taller than 5'5. Aubrey stuck her tongue in her cheek as the woman came dangerously close.

   "I could turn your entire world upside down. This?" She hissed, indicating her bruised cheek." This deserves proper punishment."

   "I gave you a little blush; Lord knows you needed it with your pale ass." If Aubrey did what her heart begged her to do-drag this woman down by her hair and go to town on her-then she was sure she would definitely have an extended stay, seeing the city from a very different view.

   All she had now was her tongue.

   "I have never wanted to strangle someone so bad in my life than right now."

   "I'm waiting." Aubrey challenged her by standing on her tiptoes.

   "Okay, okay. Enough."  It seemed that Natalia didn't age gracefully. Each year her behavior retreated further into immaturity.  She ripped herself from Antonio's grip, stomping away to her car. This was the first time Antonio could take a breath. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he turned to see the young girl staring at him with the most vivid eyes he had seen ever before.

   He felt completely naked and exposed before her as they bore into him.

   Clearing his throat, he looked away before speaking.

   "Have I seen you before?"

   "No. Well yes-but no." Aubrey's words came out jumbled, something she wasn't used to. She watched as a small polite smile formed on Antonio's lips.

  "I'm sorry. I was just wondering if you were a part of the mentor program down at-"

  "No. I'm not a part of anything. I'm not really from here." A gurgling sound had Aubrey clenching at her stomach as she felt pressure build up in her body.

   "That would make sense. You're accent sounds like it's from down south." Aubrey's eyes went wild with surprise as she tried her best to cover her mouth as she vomited on both of their feet. As she retched up the bile in the pit of her stomach, Natalia stood on in horror, holding the book bag she had gotten to throw at the young girl.

  Blinking his eyes, Antonio instinctively placed his hands on her back, patting it as she heaved.

  "Ha! Well Antonio, it looks like you can escort this wreck back to the hood yourself. There is no way in hell you're getting back in my car with that shit on you." Covering her nose with one hand, Natalia tossed the bag, meaning for it to land in the vomit, but Antonio's quick hands saved it.

   "Just get the hell out of here Natalia. You've done enough for one damn day." Fed up, he dug in his pocket for her car keys, throwing them at her chest. Natalia's tires screeched as she sent the car into reverse, garnering honks from other drivers who had to avoid colliding with her as she left screaming out the window like a bat from hell.

  Panting, Aubrey raised one hand she had braced against her knees to support herself, and flipped Natalia the bird as she drove away.

   "Here, let's sit you back here." Guiding Aubrey backwards to the steps leading into the police station, he sat her down and crouched in front of her.

  She could feel him trying to search her face with his own eyes as she ducked her head away. Bringing the back of her hand to her mouth, Antonio watched her fight the sensation of letting whatever it was trying to making its way back up out for the second time.

   "I'm going to go and see if I can't get you a drink and something to clean you up with. Will you wait here for me?" He asked tenderly. Antonio had learned to talk to kids over the years, and he could tell her embarrassment hindered her from even being able to look at him. Before he could stand to his full height, he felt her tug on the red bag in his hand, bringing him back down.

   Shaking her head no, Aubrey reached out with shaky hands and unzipped her bag, digging around for the water bottles she had grabbed before leaving the hotel. Twisting the cap off of one, Aubrey slowly began pouring it onto the parts of Antonio's shoe where she had gotten him. With one hand, she wiped off the mess.

  "No, no. Don't do that. I'll get something to clean this up." Grabbing her wrists he struggled as he pulled her hands from his shoes. Aubrey went stiff, causing the bottle to drop to the ground as she bit her lip. Wetness met her lips as hot tears raced down her face.

   "Shit." Antonio cursed as he looked around.

   "What the hell are you two still doing here?" Turning to the voice calling out to them, Antonio watched as the officer's face scrunched in disgust

  He began explaining everything, asking the other man if he could come in for paper towels. Aubrey commanded her body to listen to her so that she could stop crying. She had little control over the things she did in that moment, like how her hands pulled on Antonio's as he made his way past her and up the stairs. He tried his best to shake her hold off, and continued to tell her that he would be gone for just a moment, so not to worry.

   As Aubrey sat there-the closest to her father that she had ever been in her life-she didn't want to let go. Fear had fallen upon her like nothing she had felt before. The evidence of it all lied in a sizzling mess against the hot tar of the parking lot. There was nothing but buzzing in her ear as the officer complained about not waiting around any longer. With strong fingers, Antonio forced her hand from him, and as he watched from above her head, her hand hung in the air for a second before falling back into her lap.

   Quickly dashing up the stairs, he watched her before following in behind the officer as he led him to the restrooms.

  "Stay right there!" He called to her before the door closed.

oOo

 Antonio hadn't been gone longer than a minute before he returned outside to find the young girl no longer there.

   He flew down the stairs, searching the parking lot for any sign of her.

  There she was.

   Aubrey looked over her shoulder as she saw Antonio break off into a sprint after her. Pumping her arms, she began to run as fast as she could.

   "HEY!" Antonio screamed after her. "Stop!"

   Aubrey weaved in and out of people who walked in the opposite direction. Confused faces stared after her as she whizzed by, and then Antonio would follow right behind. Seeing a man move in a suit like he did drew much attention, especially after noticing a girl like Aubrey fleeing from him.

  Aubrey stumbled as she avoided crashing into someone who stood texting on their phone.

  "Stop! Please!" Antonio felt his heart pound against his chest as he pursued Aubrey. Why was he running after her in the first place? I should have just went on after seeing she had left, should have just called back to work to let someone know that he would be on his way.

  But here he was chasing after her without even knowing why.

  Antonio could feel himself getting closer as he watched Aubrey stumble and fall to her knees. As soon as she was down, she was up and didn't even dare to take a look to see where Antonio was. She figured that would only waste time from getting away from him.

    The fight or flight sense she was going off of kept her moving. Aubrey decided that she no longer wanted to do this. She no longer wanted to reveal her big discovery. Her emotions were too much for her to handle, and when she had found herself reaching out to him, afraid for him to leave her sight, she knew that this had all turned out to be one huge mistake.

  The endurance Aubrey had built up from years of playing soccer was paying off right then. Unbeknownst to her, she had inherited that particular trait for the sport from the man chasing her down the streets in broad daylight.

   When she could hear the slaps of fast approaching feet overtaking the sounds of cars and city noise, Aubrey knew that he was right on her. Out of instinct, she took a quick glance to see his arm outstretched to her-and that single move was their downfall as they both tumbled head over heels.

   Wincing from the impact, Aubrey opened one eye to find him groaning on his side. Taking that chance to crawl away, she didn't make it very far as an angry hand wrapped around her ankle.

   "Don't. You. Dare." Falling back down on her stomach, Aubrey buried her head in her arms.

oOo

        Aubrey was dragged off behind Antonio as he pulled her close to his side. His hands tightly gripped her arm as he began walking, ignoring her protests.

   "If you don't let go of me I'll scream! I'll do it-" As Aubrey opened her mouth wide and took a deep breath, she found herself stopped as Antonio's stare made her choose wisely on her next move. Closing her mouth, she refused to let his look bother her as he took off once again with her in tow.

  Before she could recognize where they were, Aubrey felt the cool air of a pharmacy store meet her face as Antonio led them in.

   "What kind of man chases young girls down the street?" She mumbled.

   "What kind of girl runs away when someone is trying to help her?" Antonio bit back.

   He maneuvered the brightly lit store, heading for the aisle of first aid kits. He ignored the stares of the employees and other customers as they took in their appearance. Besides their tattered looks, the scene of an older man pulling a young girl behind him by what seemed to be against her will made some wonder if they should pick up a phone or not.

   "What did you bring me in here for?"  Aubrey spoke loudly, and noticing the looks from around the store she began to whisper. "Let me go!"

   Ignoring her, Antonio grabbed for what he needed as he took off once again towards the cashier. The young woman there looked startled as he slammed down the bandages,antibiotic cream, and other things he planned to purchase to treat the cut over her eye that he hadn't forgotten about. She rang him up, keeping her eyes low while watching the interaction between him and Aubrey.

   "Would you like to buy some candy or gum to go along with your items?" She waved her hand at the counter display just like her manager had instructed.

  "No." Antonio grunted as he pulled out his wallet, removing money with one hand. A pack of gum was thrown on top of the counter, and as he turned to Aubrey she rolled her eyes looking away.

   The cashier rang that up too, placing everything into a bag, and before she could hand back his change, Antonio and Aubrey exited the store.

  Antonio brought her to the store's window pointing to its ledge.

  "Sit down."

   "Look I don't need you to-"

  "Sit. Down. Now." His quiet yet authoritative command had Aubrey instantly obeying. She cringed inwardly as she couldn't help but listen to what he said.

   Silently, he rummaged through the bag, face drawn in concentration as he pulled out different items. Placing the pack of gum in her lap, Aubrey slowly began to unwrap it and place a piece in her mouth, ridding herself of the taste of puke.

   "Close your eyes." Antonio instructed. Placing his hand above her shut lids, he began pouring a liquid which caused Aubrey to flinch from its stinging nature. She felt him dab at the sides of her face, getting some of the caked on blood that still remained.  Antonio blew on the injury, glad to see that a bandage would do the job of keeping it covered. As he leaned back and untwisted the cream, his eyes roved over the squinted expression on Aubrey's face. He poured out a bit on his pinky, and began to rub it across the cut.

   When he had smoothed down the last edge the brown band aid, he saw that she still sat there with her eyes closed off from the world.

  "You can open them now." And so she did. More tears began to fall as Aubrey's chest caved in.

   Picking up his plastic bag, Antonio placed everything back inside, watching her.

  The patches of skin underneath her eyes were swollen and red. Aubrey bit on her lips as she avoided his gaze. Looking to his watch, Antonio noted the time that had escaped him from the moment his sister arrived at work till now.

    Taking a few steps away, Antonio made a call back, telling the secretary that he wouldn't be in for the rest of the afternoon. The young woman had already predicted that was the case when she hadn't seen Antonio back in the last few hours. As he hung up and began calling for a car to be sent for them, he was glad to find Aubrey remaining in her place at the window.

   The urge to ask the girl why she cried was strong, but Antonio thought that it wasn't his place to ask even though something deep down told him otherwise.

  Aubrey listened to him speak on the phone with her head down. When all was quiet again, he made his way over, taking a seat next to her. Aubrey slid as far away as she could.

  Sighing, Antonio let her know that he had called for someone to come pick them up.

   "I know it's a little late for lunch, but I'm going to take you to grab something to eat. Then after that, I'll have the driver take you back to wherever you need to go. I'm sure your parents or whoever you came with are worried by now. Does that sound good to you?"  Antonio hadn't expected more than her silence, so he sat back waiting wordlessly as well.

oOo

     Antonio leaned his head back in the booth of the pizzeria he brought Aubrey to. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he waited for her to return from the bathroom before their order came. He had taken off his jacket and tie long ago, feeling much freer without them. His shirt sleeves were rolled up now as he picked up the sweating glass of water on his table, taking a sip from it. He looked in the direction of the bathrooms where Aubrey had disappeared to minutes ago.

  His eyes landed on the red book bag she left behind on her side of the booth.

  When the car had arrived, Aubrey had helped herself into the backseat, scooting away from him determined to not be anywhere near him. He had asked her what hotel she was staying at, if she wanted to give her family a ring to let them know where she was, but she ignored him.

   As soon as they had entered the restaurant, she had left in search of the restrooms, so he went ahead and ordered for them. Sitting there now, he became curious as to what Natalia had discovered in her beg earlier.

   There had been quite a lot of money in there for someone to just casually tote around. Leaning on the table with his arms, he eyed the bag now, interest sparked. Now he too wanted to take another look inside. Maybe the girl carried an ID with her; he could at least find out what her name was.

   Before he could make a move, Aubrey returned to the table, sliding into her seat. Pushing the bag aside, she broke Antonio from his previous thoughts as he sat back.

   "I went with just pepperoni. I'm sure you can't go wrong with that." Balling up the paper wrapper which formerly encased his straw, Antonio nodded his head as they remained in silence.

   Aubrey had stood in a stall with her head in her hands as she thought of a way out. There had been no windows in the restroom, so that plan was tossed out. She knew that if she went back on all of this, then she would regret it for the rest of her life. She could end it now and could hole herself up into her hotel room until it was time for her flight back home.

   Once upon a time you had sex with my mom and now here I am. Surprise.

   That seemed simple enough.

   But if by how her mind and body seemed to be off kilter with each other today, nothing but mush would come out of her  mouth if she tried to speak to him.  She had never hyperventilated before, but she was sure she had her first attack as she knelt in the bathroom trying to catch her breath as she placed cold paper towels on the back of her neck for comfort.

   At one point she thought that if she stayed in there long enough, he would just leave giving her an excuse to be through with it all. But when she stuck her head out the door and saw him sitting patiently, she knew there was no way he was going anywhere.

  The large pizza dish that was placed under her nose was surprisingly appealing to her senses. After an upset stomach, she didn't think she could take the cheese and grease, but she found herself craving it now. Her eyes watched hungrily as Antonio began to slice it.

   She reached for a slice, bringing it to her lips only to drop the offending food as it burned the roof of her mouth.

  Antonio watched the girl fan her mouth and reach for her cup of water, forgoing the straw as she downed the drink. He laughed because in that moment, Aubrey had reminded him of Sandra from the first time he had brought her here many years ago.

   "Careful. It's hot." He warned, as Aubrey looked up at him for the first time in a long time. Antonio felt his heart skip a beat as saw Sandra written all over her face.

   "Oh, hey. Thanks for that after it's already done." She scoffed.

  Picking up his own piece, Antonio shook the thought from his head as he blew on the pizza. "Well you didn't give me a chance to tell you before you attacked it."

   He watched from above his own slice as Aubrey went at the pizza again, holding it with both hands as she took a more cautious bite.

   Aubrey was just about to go for her second piece before Antonio began prodding her.

   "What's your name kid?"

   "Now why would you want to know that?" She mumbled.

   "Seeing as how you've put quite a bit of excitement into my day, I thought it would be only the right thing to do. If it helps, my name is-"

   "Antonio. I know."

     He was taken aback as Aubrey cut him off. "How did you know?"

   "That wild banshee you were with said it." Aubrey soon realized her little slip up, but recovered quickly. Taking another bite of the pizza just as Antonio set his down; she hoped he wouldn't say anymore.

   "Yeah, my sister Natalia. Once again, I want to apologize for how she acted." He crossed his arms on the table as he watched her devour her food.

   "It's cool." She said between chewing.

   "No. It wasn't. I guess you could say she's that one person we all have in our families." Aubrey began coughing violently from his words. Taking a sip of her water, she held up her hand stopping him from coming to help her stop choking.

   "Look Mr. Russo, thanks for the food and all, but I'll be showing myself out. There's a bus stop around here right? I'll just hop on one of those and be on my way." Aubrey gathered her things and began to get up from the booth until she was stopped in her tracks.

   "Wait...Mr. Russo?" Antonio asked in confusion." So when exactly did my sister call me Mr. Russo?"

    Aubrey sat frozen, unable to form more words with her mouth as she looked at him like a deer caught in headlights.

oOo

    "Do you mind explaining how you know who I am?" Antonio watched the girl put an end to leaving, and sulk back into the booth.

  "Well, everyone around here knows who you-"

   "You're not from around here. Remember?" Taking a sip of his water, Antonio sat waiting for an explanation as the girl seemed to fumble around with words in her head.

   "Yeah, but. I mean it's not that hard to-I just."

   "You show up at my job. Pick a fight with my sister."

   "She started it!"

   "You know my name, but won't tell me yours. Yet, here I have been trying to be courteous to you. Trying to help you out-even feeding you." Aubrey took a gulp of air as she watched him wipe off his hands with a napkin, throwing it back onto the table.

  "So, I'll ask just one more time. What's going on here?"

   Aubrey was mute as the letters Tony had given to her mother, and the one's Sandra never sent burned in the bag she held in her lap. With trembling hands she slowly began to unzip it as Antonio's eyes watched her every move.

    She carefully pulled them out, one by one laying them on the table. With a raised brow, Antonio looked confused as he questioned her," What's all of this?"

   When Aubrey had let out the last one, she met Antonio's eyes with a soft and vulnerable whimper.

   "I had found these, and I just thought that maybe you should know." She spoke hoarsely as Antonio picked up a familiar paper he had written as a teenager. His eye's blinked rapidly, not able to believe what was before him.

   "Where did you get these?" He asked angrily. The girl before him was stirring up memories he had saved in a special place never to be touched again.

  "From...my mom." She nearly whispered.

    Clenching the delicate papers in his hands, Antonio held back his scream of shock.

   "Who!"

oOo

         Aubrey watched patiently as he flipped through the letters, reading them in disbelief.

   "I'm not here for anything serious. " She spoke around him as he muttered the phrases he read out loud. A hand went through his hair as he scanned the words he was seeing for the first time.

   "Aubrey? That's your name, Aubrey?" He asked as his eyes became red and somber.

   "That's what it says doesn't it..." Aubrey turned her attention to her nails.

   She heard sniffling, which drew her eyes back to him as he began to laugh.

   "Shit. Your birthday is a day after mine." He exclaimed." Shit."

   "Yeah. Well. You can keep those, I'm sure you would have better use of them." Putting on her book bag, Aubrey felt a pang of sadness seeing as he didn't try to stop her from leaving this time. She watched as he read Sandra's letters, completely engrossed.

   "Enjoy yourself then." She quickly turned and walked out of the restaurant feeling herself fighting back angry tears. The driver that had brought them there saw her coming out, and immediately came around to the backseat to open the door for her, but Aubrey continued walking past him, not paying him any mind.

   "Miss?" He called after her. "Where are you going?"

     Just as he was deciding whether or not to tell Antonio that his guest was leaving, the younger man came running out past him to. Huffing, the driver returned to his car and climbed in.

    Her eyes burned as her feet moved quickly towards the bus stop she had spotted up ahead.  Aubrey began to sniff harshly, warding off the audible sobs she wanted to make. She felt a hand clasp down on her shoulder, whirling her around.

   "What do you want?" She shrieked. Through blurry eyes, she saw herself being pulled towards a chest. Pushing away from it, she finally broke out into her crying.

    "Get off of me!" She pushed and scratched to no avail as Antonio bound her in his embrace.

   "No...let go of me." She wailed. Aubrey's sobs came out choked as her arms fell, too put up a fight any longer. Her body shook as she let out soundless cries; face turning a bright red as Antonio placed a hand onto the back of her head, holding Aubrey as close as he could. He felt the warmness of her tears stain his shirt as he moved her out of sight of people around them. There had been so many eyes on them today; he wanted to protect her from them in that moment.

   Aubrey cried like a baby. Forgetting how to breath and let out her anguish at the same time.

   Her body shook in Antonio's arms, and the tears he hadn't been afraid to hold back the moment he had her in his arms rushed forward even more urgently than before. He placed hard kisses at her temples as he let her cry into him.

   "It's okay, Aubrey. I'm right here with you now." Her name felt foreign but so familiar coming from his mouth. It was like he had said her name a thousand times before. Holding her as she cried a hundred times before. Antonio pressed his head into the hair at the top of her head.

 

    Antonio didn't care how long he had to stand there and hold his newly found daughter. In the years since Sandra had left, in the years since she had been born, he never saw himself being in this position. Had never thought he would have anything like this. It amazed him how within a day he could realize just how much he had missed something that he never had.

       Pressing her face against the cold fabric of Antonio's shirt, Aubrey had since stopped crying. She stood there with her ear listening to his heartbeat, committing every thump to memory. She was glad to feel Antonio's hold on her not let up because Aubrey felt drained, and wasn't sure if she could even stand on her own. With a gentle hand patting her back, and a soft peck on her forehead, Aubrey began to pull back.

   "I kind of ...snotted... on your shirt." She grumbled, seeing the wet stains left in her wake.

   "I could care less Aubrey." It seemed that now that he knew her name, he was insistent on saying it out loud. Aubrey wiped at the tears falling down her cheeks, feeling the raw skin they entered as they passed over her scrapes and cuts.  Within a blink of an eye, she was able to grab a hold of herself for the first time all day. Though her throat ached as she spoke the muffled words, she forced them out anyway feeling like it was her only option.

   "You don't have to do anything, y'know. I'm not asking for money, gifts, or you. I didn't think it would go this far so, I guess we can end it here." She took a step back, swinging her arms before her, a soft fist meeting the open palm of her other hand as she bit her lips, trying her best to paint on an indifferent façade.

   Shaking his head in disagreement, Antonio crossed his arms as he slightly waved his hand.

   "Aubrey, we're not done or whatever it is you're trying to say. I-I want to do this right-‘

   "I'm not asking you to!" Her voice rose unexpectedly.

   Blinking rapidly, Antonio searched her eyes that were now hardened. Aubrey sensed the hurt that she had caused by her words. Biting her lip, she struggled with taking them back.

   "I just wanted to keep it moving. This-this was all I wanted I guess."

   "We can't just keep it moving now like this never happened. Why would you even think I could forget this so easily?"

   "I don't want to bother you." Her statement sounded unsure to even her own ears as she shrugged her shoulders. She was a motherless daughter looking for a father that she was hesitant to touch. The sound of Marquis telling her to take this as a chance to start a new life played in the contours of her mind.

   She couldn't do that.

   She wasn't some cute little kid. There was no way he would want her now, she had nothing that could possibly make him want her around. She couldn't promise to be easy to deal with. They even came from two different worlds. How would it all work?

   "We could make it work, Aubrey. I promise you this isn't impossible if you just allow it.I know-I'm certain that this...thing is a lot to take in right now, but there's no turning back or forgetting. It can't be that way." Antonio sighed heavily, gritting his teeth." I'm not going to allow it to get to that point." Aubrey hadn't realized that she had begun speaking out loud as he countered her doubts. It was obvious that coming up with excuses for him-for herself-to express how she supposedly didn't care was difficult to do. All of the emotions, thoughts, questions she had never thought to feel the need to possess came rushing forward. She was far away from her blanket of security she had with Sandra, and Aubrey had no idea what she wanted to do.

    Antonio watched as Aubrey's head fell into her hands, he could barely make out her cry," I just want to go home." This time when he wrapped her in his arms, she didn't fight. Her sobs were heart wrenching; even as he held her, he felt as if she was drifting on an island all by herself.

    Leading her towards the awaiting car, the two looked like a picturesque father and daughter pair. He granted her wish as he sat her in the backseat, climbing in to find her not on the opposite side of the car, but right beside him.

   "Take me back to my job please. I have to pick up my car from there and then you're done for the evening." Antonio felt the weight of Aubrey's body reluctantly lean into him. Her head tilted forward slowly as the last of her sniffles could be heard.

   She let herself, for just that ride, bask in the presence of the man she finally knew as her father.

oOo

     "Thank you Oliver."

    "Sir."

    The driver slightly bowed to Antonio as he called to him from his parking spot. He watched the black car drive away into the night, and he turned to look at Aubrey who sat slouched over in his passenger seat.

    When they had arrived, he found her fast asleep, understandably exhausted from the day's events. He had nudged and poked at her, trying to wake her from her slumber, but she was too far gone to be stirred. So when Antonio scooped her in his arms, and carefully placed her into his own car, he wondered how that would have been the first day bringing her home from the hospital after she was born.

   What kind of state was he in all of those years ago?

   He was still in high school. Still a kid emotionally distraught over the events that had taken place his junior year before Sandra had abruptly left town.

    Aubrey.

   Did she know before she left that she was pregnant with Aubrey? It suddenly occurred to him that there was even more to the untold story that was their break up.

   Peering down into the glass window, Antonio braced his hands against the frame of his car.

   It was senior year. He was trying to shake the wreck he had been left in behind Sandra at the time, combined with getting ready for all of the college offers and soccer recruitments from both national and college teams that were sent his way that school year, he had been in way over his head getting everything straight.

   He tried desperately to place himself in Sandra's shoes. She was still young, yet somehow she brought a life onto earth which was a product of them both. He stared at Aubrey profusely. There was no way he could have handled a kid all of those years back.

   Would he have helped Sandra? Being a beam of support during such a tough time?

  Or would he have been like his father; turning the pregnant girl to the first abortion clinic in sight.

  A clench at Antonio's chest told him that thought belied his nature. He couldn't have fathomed forming that idea to Sandra. Of course that was easy to say when Aubrey was before him now. He wasn't sure what the confused teenager Antonio would have done or have suggested to fix their problem, but he knew that now he wanted to grab on to Aubrey, and build something with her from the time that they had already lost.

   As he walked around to the driver's side, he let out a deep breath, rubbing his face as he laid his head back in the seat. What was he supposed to do now? He had a sleeping Aubrey in his car, and wasn't certain of their next move.

   With regret, he once again attempted to awaken the girl.

   "Aubrey. Aubrey, we need to talk." He spoke just loud enough to hopefully break her slumber. A deep sob came from her chest as her face scrunched, her body turning away out of his sight. She took a deep breath as she moaned in pain.

   Knocking his knuckles on his steering wheel, he stared off in the dark parking deck, wondering how likely it would be for him to find her hotel with absolutely zero information. Eyeing her book bag lying at her feet, Antonio reached down, carefully slipping his hand into its pockets as he searched for anything that would give him a name.

   His hands came in contact with the buttons of a cell phone. Pulling it out slowly, he held it tightly in his hands.

   A familiar tightness entered his throat as he contemplated calling Sandra with the phone. After all these years, he still felt the weakness that only she could cause just from the thought of hearing her voice. His shoulders tensed as he wondered how their first conversation would go after all of this time. She obviously had no qualms about keeping their daughter a secret after all of these years. His mood transitioned quickly as the thought resonated with him.

  Lighting up the screen, he went to the contacts list, finding it completely empty. Antonio scrolled through curious as to why such a nice phone seemed untouched by the teen. There were no messages, no trace of any kind of communication being done on the device, but that was until he found himself looking at the call history.

   There was one number that stood out to him, and as his thumb lingered over the green call button, he held the phone to his ear, waiting for a dial tone to play, giving him time to group his thoughts together. What he got instead was an automated voice, telling him that the number was no longer in service.

  "Shit." He said aloud.

   Turning his ignition, Antonio looked at the figure curled up in his passenger seat.

   As he pulled out and onto the street, he began racking his brain for a plausible plan of action.

oOo

         Lillian could hear the faint sounds of knocking sounding throughout her house as she pushed her head further into her plush pillow. The knocking turned into insistent banging that refused to be ignored, dragging her from her sleep.

   Angrily, she stomped through the house blindly, knowing the layout by heart as she reached the front door.  As she fumbled with the lock, she looked to the security display seeing Antonio with a body in his arms as he prepared to kick the door with his heel.

  "Who did you kill?" Her question bordered the line of humor and seriousness as she watched wearily behind a small crack in the door.

    "Are you going to let me in?"

    "I don't know, that depends on if I'm now a part of whatever that thing is." She said pointing a finger at the limp girl in his arms. She peered at her, but her face was obscured by her hair. "What the hell is going on?"

   "I can explain this to you a lot better inside. Please." Lillian watched the expression in Antonio's face turned from annoyance to a cry for help as she slowly let him in.

   "Antonio, I don't know what the hell is going on here. Why are you carrying around a girl?" She followed behind him as he carefully made his way to Lillian's sofa with Aubrey in tow. He lowered her onto the cushions softly; glad to see that he didn't disturb her peace as she buried her face into the pillows.

   "Answer me Antonio."

   "She's my daughter." Feeling the weight of the day beat down on him, Antonio found that he had no patience for beating around the bush or coming up with some elaborate explanation for Aubrey's presence. He also felt a need to not hide that piece of information from someone like Lillian. Out of everyone else close to him, he knew that with her it wasn't necessary to bullshit around the issue at hand.

   A long silence fell between them, and when he faced her, Lillian's face was blank of emotion.

   "Seriously, I don't have time for this shit. Who is she? Why the hell was my address in your damn GPS? Take it out please; I don't want another visit like this."

   "I have never been more serious in my life than right now. She's my daughter." He told her with exhaustion laced in his voice.

  He had driven around as he thought of a place to take Aubrey. He wanted to take her somewhere that she could be comfortable. His apartment had seemed like a good idea until he thought of the uneasiness it could give even to him. He wished to not worry her, to not frighten her by doing so. The wariness which surrounded her was apparent to him, and he had no intentions of making it worse.

  Antonio in times of indecision would look to his mother for advice. How to go about telling her of a new, but not so new grandchild was something that he didn't know how to do, but somehow knew that she would be accommodating until the morning. He had been close to calling her until something in his mind brought his father to thought with great caution. Deciding to bring her to Lillian's seemed like a safe bet, and even if she fussed about it, he was sure she would scoff as her acceptance to letting Aubrey sleep over.

   "I'm not some safe house, get her out of here."

    "Lillian, I'm just asking for her to sleep on your couch. Look, she's not even going to budge." He pointed to Aubrey's still form that only showed signs of life by the slight rise of her back. Antonio turned to find Lillian sniffing the air around him.

   "You don't smell like liquor, but I know you're on something." She narrowed her eyes at him as he pushed her away.

   "The one time you feel the need to question me about something..."

    "Look, I'm just trying to steer clear of getting caught up in some kidnapping or whatever crime you may have committed tonight. " Yawning, Lillian waved her hand as she retreated to her room.

   "When I wake up in the morning, this better had all turned out to be a hallucination." Antonio flinched at the slamming of her bedroom door, holding his breath waiting for Aubrey to wake from the noise.

   When her breathing continued as normal without a hitch, he sighed heavily rubbing his face. It was clear that she was beyond exhausted, and he felt his own self mirroring her tiredness. It had only been but a handful of hours, and he had met turmoil of emotions and thoughts coursing through his mind.

   There was anger, confusion, sadness all rolled into one bleak ball that came hurling at him. He gripped the keys he had clutched in his fist. Antonio wondered how an entire kid like Aubrey could somehow slip out of Sandra's sight. There hadn't been a point in the entire day where he could recall Aubrey trying to reach her, or vice versa. He knew that Sandra had an aunt in the city that she had lived with when she first came into his life. He hadn't kept up on the older woman, but maybe he should try looking in to contacting her; surely someone would be missing Aubrey by this point.

   The sound of rubber against rubber brought his attention to the sneakers she fought to kick off in haste. Sighing, Antonio bent, unlacing and placing the offending things beside the couch as he watched Aubrey get more comfortable, burying her head into the cushions of the couch.

  "Are you not gone yet?" Looking up, he saw Lillian exiting her bedroom, a comforter in tow as she walked to the couch, laying it haphazardly across Aubrey.

   "Jesus Antonio, the kid is good. I'm not buying your reason, but I can ignore the questions I've got for you as long as you disappear.Go."

   "Lil-"

    "No, no, no. I didn't come in here for conversation. "Directing him out by force, Lillian pushed the larger frame through her door, glaring at him from the confines of her doorstep.

   "Good night. " She said with finality as the door slammed in his face.

     Lillian watched him through the security display as he lingered around her door for a few more seconds before walking away with slumped shoulders. Throwing a glance over her shoulder, she eyed the body laid out in her living room.

    "You're his kid?" She  shook her head in disbelief. "I'm really looking forward to hearing this." Walking back to her room, she killed the lights, leaving Aubrey in the dark until the morning.

oOo

    The sounds of screeching tires brought Aubrey out of her slumber. Without any concern, she pulled her comforter over her head, ignoring the sounds of the streets. It sounded as if firecrackers had been set off as the rapid sound of gunfire struck through the night time silence. Clenching her eyes tight just the way she had for all of her life, she waited for the sound to end and the gunmen to drive off into the night as if nothing had happened. She saw lights from neighboring houses flicker on through her drawn curtains. Waiting patiently, she knew that her mother would be in any moment now to check on her.

   The heightened panic of familiar voices drawing closer to her window spiked curiosity as Aubrey sat up in her bed now, her eyes darting around in the darkness as she tried to make sense of the muffled words and screams from outside.

    She let her feet meet the carpet and gripped the sides of her mattress as her fear began to set in now as she waited for Sandra to peak her head through her door. She saw no lights flooding the space underneath her bedroom door, or heard the sounds of feet walking in to comfort her.

   Standing up, she went to the door, hand on the knob, as she felt all of her muscles constrict. They were almost too tense for her to move as she struggled with opening the door.

    When Aubrey  stepped out into the darkened hallway of their home, she found two figures on the living room floor. Both familiar, yet completely different as the body of her mother laid lifeless.

   Shooting up, Aubrey gasped with a shout as she relived the bad memory. Her eyes weren't focused as she looked around in horror at her surroundings. Everything was a blur, and there was a strong thumping at her temples as her heartbeat raced throughout her entire body.

   As soon as she could, she recognized that she wasn't in the plush hotel bedroom that she had spent so much money on, but on a couch. In a house. A very nice house at that as she looked to the grand fireplace before her.

   "Why, good morning. Welcome to my abode."

   Aubrey's head turned so quickly that Lillian feared the girl would catch whiplash as she stared at her with the biggest, clearest eyes she had ever seen. The panic that was in them was soon replaced by a quizzical look that almost made her laugh.

   "Who the f-"

  "Hey now, is that anyway to speak to the owner of the house that you're in?"

   "Where the hell am I?"

   "Didn't I just kind of say that? I mean I know it wasn't word for word, but it was implied-"

   "What am I doing here?" Aubrey jumped from the couch, dress rumpled and hair all over the place as she stood guard watching the woman behind her taking a casual sip from her coffee mug. Lillian waited for the barrage of questions to come to an end as the frazzled kid looked ready to fight her way to freedom.

   "Relax." She said softly.

   "Don't tell me what to do."

   "Hmph." Lillian watched with scrutiny as she tried to place the face of the girl before her with one of Antonio's old flings. The kid was definitely in her teens, and if the claim she had obviously made last night was true, then Lillian would have to put on her thinking cap and conjure up the faces of girls from way back when.

   "What are you staring at?" Aubrey felt tense as the stranger cocked her head to the side. Looking down, she spotted her shoes and quickly began to push her feet into them, not even bothering to tie them.

   "Oh my fucking God." Lillian burst out loud as she was hit with a realization.

   "No fucking way!" She nearly slammed down her coffee cup, sloshing the hot liquid onto her dining room table as she clapped her hands in astonishment. She knew now. Those eyes, the face.

   "Sandra Taliaferro is Antonio's baby mama?" She nearly howled with laughter as she ignored the angered face of Aubrey.

   "Excuse me?" Walking around the couch, Aubrey's pursuit to standoff with Lillian was halted as the door sounded with heavy knocks.

   "This is some Jeremy Kyle shit!" Lillian's face reddened and her stomach ached with laughter." Oh my God." She couldn't stand anymore as she bent at the waist and headed for the door. Her hands trailed along her walls as she opened her home to the only person she was expecting, Antonio.

   Casting her a worried look, Antonio's eyes travelled between the two women with questions in them.

   "What's going on?"

   "You got Sandra Taliaferro knocked up? How the hell-" Lillian's laughter came to a near squeal as she tried to compose herself. "Antonio, what have you done?" Tears fell from the corners of her eyes as she looked on at the pissed expression on her friend's face.

     "It's good to see you've found humor in all of this Lil." His jaw clenched as he stepped in past Lillian, his focus now on the person who he was really there for. As he took a step forward, Aubrey's body tensed and backed away.

   Noticing the hostility between them, he all but grabbed Lillian by her collar to tell her to cut it out. He wasn't sure what had happened in the moments before he arrived, but by Lillian's laughter, he knew that her rather crass side must have been unleashed.

   "I'm getting out of here." Aubrey grumbled as she pushed past him and ran out of the door.

   "Fuck." He let out as he glared at Lillian's shrinking form."Was any of that necessary? Honestly?" He dashed out behind Aubrey, intent on not losing sight of her as she quickly walked down the home's stairs.

   "Aubrey, wait."

   "Just leave me alone, Antonio."

   "Aubrey just hang on for one minute." He quickened his pace, reaching her before she could sprint off. He wasn't expecting someone of her stature to deliver such a hard push that could knock the wind out of him as she turned on Antonio.

   "Didn't I tell you to leave me alone last night? I told you!"

   "I couldn't do that."

   "You should have!"

    " I wasn't going to Aubrey!"  Irritated, Aubrey eyed him with watery orbs and let out an ear splitting scream. She looked around, completely unaware of where she was. The houses all looked the same, and were nothing like the buildings she had become accustomed to.

   "I need to get out of here."

   "Let me explain first before you start jumping to some crazy idea."

   "Oh, I'm pretty sure I've passed that point. I was stupid. God, so fucking stupid for coming here."

   Antonio watched in silence as Aubrey tried her best to ignore his presence. She hoped that he would just leave. Leave her to wallow in the insecurity and anger of the plan that was seemingly backfiring in her face.

    "Get in the car."

    "Aubrey."  Having heard enough of his voice, Aubrey began to walk down the sidewalk. Without any rush, Antonio got into his vehicle, following her at a slow pace. He could tell that whatever kept her determined to find her own way out of the neighborhood was a force that he would have to learn and figure out. She walked with all purposed even though  she and he both knew she had no idea of where she was going. Rolling down his window, he began to speak to her back.

    " I was coming back to get you, Aubrey. That was a really good friend of mine, Lillian.Whatever she said or did, don't take it to heart. I promise you she is harmless, you'll see."

   Aubrey bit her tongue at his words. He made it seem as if there would be future encounters with Lillian and her.

   "It's still early enough for breakfast. I figured I could take you to get -"

   "I hate breakfast." She interrupted without thought. Antonio smiled at her small break of the silent game.

   "Well that's something you and I have in common." He chuckled.

    "You and I have nothing in common! Don't get it twisted." Aubrey whirled on him, the complete opposite from what she was last night. Then, she had cried out her frustrations on his chest, but now here she as shouting them out at him with fire in her eyes.

   "We can talk a bit more before we get in contact with your...your parents to let them know where you are." An inkling of wariness entered his voice as he spoke. He knew for sure he had no right to feel off about the thought of another man raising her, but somehow he did. He didn't know whether or not he could speak on the matter when everything was still so fresh.

    "I don't have parents." She seethed. Antonio took that to mean Sandra had been a single mom, and hadn't caught the flash of pain behind the truth of her words.

   "Okay, I'm sure your mom is worried about you. Don't you think you should call her?" Late last night, Antonio had made several calls around town in search of Sandra's aunt, Debra Taliaferro. He had gotten nowhere until he found someone who could give him her home phone number. When he had called, he had been met by a family member of Debra, and discovered that she had passed years ago from late stage lung cancer. When he had spoken of Sandra, the person on the other line had acknowledged her, but had apologized for not being able to give him contact information.

   Of course he was confused at this. When he had brought up Aubrey, he received an honest reply which told him that he may as well have been talking about someone off the street.

   Now, his inquiry was peaked even more. He had questions to ask Aubrey. Things he needed to know, the first being why people who were supposed to be her family didn't even know that she existed.

     "I really think that you should just go." She urged. Her legs came to a halt as she crossed her arms. Antonio's foot pressed on the brake, putting the car in park as he got out.

     "At least let me take you to wherever it is you're going, Aubrey." And just like that, the innocent and helpless child she had been last night returned as she took his offer in silence, climbing into the passenger seat without waiting for him to open the door for her.

oOo

       "Here we are." The car was barely in park before Aubrey unhooked her seatbelt and reached for the door. Pausing, she turned to look at Antonio watching her. The ride had consisted of him trying to convince her to go to breakfast, and engaging in conversation.  After the third or fourth try, he saw that he wasn't going to get anywhere.

      Now, he watched as her eyes pierced his."I still have a while before I need to go to work. I think it's best that I come and explain all that has happened to your mother."

    "There's no need to. You don't have to explain anything to anyone. She doesn't even know about this, and I intend on keeping it that way." Aubrey looked out the window. She had him drive to a hotel that she knew to be just minutes away from her actual one. She hoped that if she went in, he would leave quickly and give her a chance to go on about her business without leading him to where she was.

   Antonio didn't know what to say, say he remained quiet. And when Aubrey climbed out the car, and shut his door without a slam, he could only watch.

    "I-" Aubrey had turned, prepared to say one last thing before they parted, but nothing could be thought of at the moment. She felt the weight of her backpack and with one last thought, swung it around as she began to dig through them. When she presented the various handwritten letters to Antonio, she held a small lifting of her lips that didn't reach her eyes.

    "You can keep these. She won't be missing them." Taking them from her, Antonio's eyes fell to his steering wheel as Aubrey took that chance to walk away. He watched her walk slowly to the front doors of the hotel, glancing over her shoulder every couple of steps.

   When her back disappeared behind the glass doors, he put his car into drive and  left.

    Aubrey thought that when she watched his car move into the flow of traffic, that it was done. Over with. What she had was all that she was ever going to have now that she managed to push him away. To help her case, she encouraged herself to believe that Antonio had just finally listened to his common sense, and to her that meant that he would ignore her and the impending problems she could possibly cause him. She would be a threat to his bachelorhood, his own life, and him driving away without pressing the envelope just proved that she was insignificant, and better handled if she was just forgotten.

 

    With all of her imagined thoughts, Antonio would do the complete opposite. The first thing he intended to do was check every hotel within a five mile radius for every Taliaferro that could possibly be booked there. He knew with the name alone, his search wouldn't take long.

 

       Aubrey watched the tail end of Antonio's car make one final turn before it disappeared from her sight. Biting the inside of her cheek, she drew her book bag near and exited the decoy hotel as she made her way to her own. As she walked the streets, she felt her shoulders bump with no remorse into anyone who lucked out to walk close enough to her. Every nerve was on standby, waiting for that one person to cross the boundary into Aubrey's fiery zone as she itched to trade the feeling of sadness for something more violent.

     Her legs pumped fast, and before she knew it, she was digging around for her room key, letting herself into her own place of solitude for the day.

    She couldn't even give a reason as to why she was angry enough to sling her bag across the room, smashing it into the headboard behind her bed. Moving quickly, she picked up the items she had tossed around the room her first night there, stuffing them into her luggage.

   Everything was done. Now, there was no reason for her to stay any longer and tonight, she would make sure she was on her way out of this town, out of this state, and back home in Texas where she should be.

   The zipper on her old hand me down bag looked like it was close to bursting from the forceful stuffing Aubrey was dealing it. She slapped at the top, cursing it for not fitting. In a fit of rage she picked it up, smashing it into the ground.

   "Why won't you fucking close!" She screamed at the innocent thing. Clothes and other trinkets fell out as she carelessly took out her frustration.

   When the bag came swinging back, and knocking into her shin, Aubrey fell in pain. Breathing deeply, she warded off the shriek that wanted to be let out. Her fingers dug into the carpet as her arms shook. She knew there was a chance that tears would soon fall from her eyes, but she willed herself not to let them.

    "No, no. You are not going to cry. Stop it." Her voice was terse as she chastised herself for the weakness. She had gotten through worse things than this, there was no need to waste tears on something so minute. Something that hadn't even existed until a week ago. She had gotten along in life just fine without knowing of Antonio Russo's existence, and she would make sure that continued, no matter what.

   Aubrey sat in silence until the eerie feeling creeping over her became unbearable. Patting around the floor, she looked for her discarded bag, hoping to find the cell phone that had been given to her by Marquis.

     Dialing his number, she planned to let him know that she would have to disappoint him because she was coming home and there was nothing he could say that would change that decision.

 

    When the dial tone turned into an automated voice, she didn't waste any time in hanging up and dialing again. She wasn't sure how many times it took for her to realize that she wasn't going to be getting an answer.

   "Shit." She mumbled. Aubrey began to think fast as she tried her best to remember Ms. Anderson's phone number.

   "Hello?" After several failed attempts and wrong numbers, Aubrey closed her eyes in relief when she heard the sing song tone of Ms. Anderson on the other line.

   "He-Hey Ms. Anderson. It's me. Aubrey. From down the street?"

   "Girl, I know who Aubrey from down the street is."

   "Sorry, I just. I've never called before so, I wasn't sure if you would remember me." Aubrey bit at the knuckle of her thumb as she spoke.

    "Aubrey, how could I forget you? Child, you've been gone for just a couple of days. Which to me is a couple too many. Just where do you get off thinking you can just take a trip to God knows where without telling me?"

   "I left you a letter. It was on your front porch. Did you not get it?" Panic set in as Aubrey wondered if Ms. Anderson had somehow missed the box. She knew she was blind as a bat with her age, but there was no way she could have missed the box. Hell, there was a lot more than just a letter in it....

  "Yeah, yeah. I got your letter. And the rest of that trash you had in there. Where the hell did you get money like that from? Was it that Marquis? I don't let none of that drug money into my house. No sir."

   " Ms. Anderson, I just thought-"

    "Thought what?"

    Suddenly, embarrassment came over Aubrey as she heard the displeasure that was being expressed.
   "I just thought that you could use it. To help you out with a few things, that's all. I didn't mean any disrespect by it."

   "Well, let me tell you one thing honey, you don't need to be worried about me and mines. You got that? I don't ever want you to do something so foolish like that again. Do you understand?"

    Her voice was curt with the demand, and Aubrey couldn't help but nod her head, even though she knew that she couldn't be seen.

   "Yes ma'am. I do."

   "Good." With a sigh, Ms. Anderson lost the authoritative tone that had previously laced her voice as she showed her concern for Aubrey.

   "Are you okay? You left without telling me exactly where you are. You can't be so vague with something like that honey. You've had my blood pressure acting a fool worrying about you."

   "I'm fine, I promise. I know in that letter I said I would be back at the end of the week, but  luckily I think I'm going to be back sooner."

   "Be back from where, Aubrey? You think I'm a mind reader?"

   "It's nowhere. I didn't go very far. I just-I needed some time to myself."

  "You're still a child Aubrey. You can't be taking time to yourself without letting an adult know just where you'll be spending it. Tell me where you are and I'm coming to get you right this minute."

   "No, Ms. Anderson. I promise you I'm going to be on my way soon."

   She could feel the exasperation that Ms. Anderson must have felt. She was almost brought to tears at the thought of someone actually putting in that much effort to care about her. Other than her mom, Aubrey hadn't counted on many people to be a beam of support for her. She could only look up to Marquis to a certain extent considering his fleeting life style, and while Ms. Anderson had been nothing but great to her after all of these years, she wasn't dumb enough to think that she could be the center of her attention; she didn't deserve to want for the spare attention she had to give when she had a family full herself.

   Aubrey began to feel like a slight burden to her, the one thing she never wanted to be on anyone.

   "Ms. Anderson, I'll be back, and things will be like normal. I know it's a lot to ask for, but I promise you I won't cause you any trouble. I'll cook, clean, do whatever you need me to do."

   "Aubrey, you aren't a guest in my house, you'll be as much as a part of my family as these other ones are. You get back, and you'll have a home here with us. I know, I know with your mama gone it's going to be a lot different, but I promise you we will love you no different."

   "Thank you." She whispered as her throat began to become constricted.

   "Will you make sure to call me again?"

   "Of course. I'll call you once I figure everything out."

   "Now if you need me to, I'll call my daughter Laurie Ann, and I can get her to arrange something to get you back home."

   "No, it's fine Ms. Anderson. I've got everything handled." Aubrey hoped that her voice sounded as reassuring as she felt unsure. They said their goodbyes, her promising to keep in contact until the very moment she was once again on Ms. Anderson's front step.

    Aubrey tried once again to call the only number that she had known of Marquis's. He didn't answer yet again, and for some reason she couldn't help but shake the guilt she felt from the way she had talked to him the last time they spoke. Marquis was never a role model for her, that he made sure to remind her, but no matter what anyone said, he was the closest male figure she had. He gave good lessons that she listened to, and if nothing more, he felt like an older brother or wise uncle. She regretted speaking to him in the manner that she had. She never went out of her way to treat him like he wasn't still an adult that she should respect.

   The fact that their connection seemed severed didn't help to settle the fear in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know what she would do if he wasn't there when she returned. She knew he had loved her mother, would do anything for her...

  Casting aside her pessimistic thoughts, Aubrey climbed her way onto the lush bed behind her. Hell, she paid a pretty penny to sleep here, so she would get one more use out of it before she made arrangements to leave earlier than expected.

    Closing her eyes tightly, she prayed that when she crossed that line into sleep, she wouldn't meet the dream that had awaken her that morning.

oOo

    Antonio felt useless at work.

   His mind was swamped with responsibilities that seemed to be pushed aside for thinking of Aubrey.

  Though he knew that there were more pending things to be taken care of, he had his secretary phoning hotels all morning, looking for any Taliaferros in town. From what he had been told, she had turned up dry with any news on a Sandra Taliaferro. His hopes had almost been dashed until his lunch break rolled around. He rarely took advantage of it for his own personal use, but when he was met by the older woman telling of another Taliaferro she had found, he was more than happy to take the opportunity that day.

     Now he strode into the high end hotel where Aubrey was staying, to his surprise. He knew that it was one of the extravagant types around, how she had managed to stay here, he had no clue.

   At the receptionist's desk, he caught sight of a young woman who immediately began to adjust her uniform and wipe the corners of her mouth. He didn't miss her primping, and any other time he would have played along, but now he had something else on his agenda.

   " Welcome, how may I assist you?" Her voice was low and sultry as she showed off three years of orthodontist work. The underlying gleam in her eyes gave her a seductive aura.

 

   "I was hoping that you could help me find someone. Is there an Aubrey Taliaferro staying here?"

   The woman's eyebrow crooked. She held back a small burst of laughter as she assumed that the pain in her neck must have been something that she wasn't. No wonder she could afford to stay here, she must have been some high end stripper.

   "I'd be more than happy to help." She gave him her room information, and watched with envy as Antonio walked away towards the elevator doors.

    Antonio repeated the room number in his head as he made it up to her floor. Checking the doors, he walked until he came before his destination. A bout of nerves came over him as he stood there, staring down the door. Before he could raise his hand to knock, it swung open, and a small brown head appeared, nearly bumping into him.

   "Hello."

    Aubrey gasped in surprise at the sight of Antonio before her. 

   "What are you doing here?"

   He smiled," Well, isn't it obvious? I came to find you." He couldn't help but look over her shoulder, anticipating the moment he would come face to face with her mother. He couldn't tell if the tightness in his stomach was from dread or excitement.

   "How did you find me?" Aubrey reentered the room then, drawing the door closed to the point that only her face stuck out.

  "It's not as difficult as you may think. May I come in Aubrey?"

   He waited for her to open the door more than ajar, granting him access, but all he got was a glare.

   "No."

   "Aubrey, please."

   "No because I am leaving." She finally emerged, purposely forcing him backwards as she turned to make sure the door was locked and that she had her room key in hand. Reaching down and wrapping her bags around her, she walked away with her head held high.

   Looking back at the door, Antonio waited for anyone else who may exit as well. The ding of the elevator told him that Aubrey was going down alone, and before she could get the doors closed, he boarded it as well.

   "I would really like it if I could get a chance to talk to you and your mother. We need to talk about this entire situation."

  "There is no situation."

   "You're my daughter, I consider that something important. It's worth a lot more than a five minute chat."

  "No, it actually isn't. I'm sure my mom has nothing to say to you, besides, she has no idea that we have even met. I suggest you stay far away from her and me." Aubrey stared him down." You're not exactly her favorite person in the world."

     She knew it was wrong to suggest that her mother harbored ill feelings towards him, it was almost like sullying her good name since for as long as she knew her, Sandra had never had an evil bone in her body, nor one of hate.

    Aubrey was much more comfortable with making him think he wasn't welcomed by her nonexistent mother, than anything else.

    Antonio bristled at her words. He had wondered and worried about any encounters with Sandra. Would she hate him, ignore him-the list was endless.

   "Don't you think I should find that out for myself?" He suggested.

   "Take it from me. Her daughter. I know my mother best. Just drop this entire thing." Aubrey's voice had risen just before the doors opened to the lobby. Calming herself, she walked to the front desk, intent on getting away from Antonio.

   "I would like to check out." Folding her arms on the counter, she held the woman behind a computer as she announced her request.

   "So soon? I'm sad to see you go."

   "Oh, I'm sure you are Stephanie. Don't worry, maybe we can exchange numbers and text it sometime."Aubrey said with false exuberance.

   "Oh. Of course not." Stephanie retorted with a tight grin. "Well Ms. Taliaferro, since you'll be leaving us so soon, I must inform you that your week long stay cannot be refunded unfortunately."

  "That's fine with me, I would just like to check out-"

   "And there will be a cancellation fee in place of your short stay."

   Aubrey could feel Antonio behind her, and tucking back her hair, she spoke more quietly.

   "That's no problem." When Stephanie called out the amount that was due to the hotel, it became a problem.

   "Is there any way that I can speak with a manager about, payment arrangements." She bashfully ducked to speak to Stephanie, all cattiness aside but was met with a shit eating grin.

  "I'm afraid not. The total will be-"

   Having enough of the second hand embarrassment he was experiencing, Antonio pushed Aubrey aside.

   "Whatever it is, I'll take care of the bill." Pulling out his wallet, he handed over his card to a less than pleased Stephanie. She had banked on getting to see the younger woman thrown off the high horse she had rode in on.

   "That isn't necessary. I don't need your money." Aubrey shouted.

   The look Antonio gave her made her blood run cold as she shrank back with tight lips.

   She fought the cinderblock feeling in her feet as she picked up her bags, heading out of the building before the transaction was finished.

   "Hey! Aurbey stop right there." He called after her.

   He was reaching the end of his rope. The chasing had to stop, and he needed it to end now.

   Antonio grabbed the strap of one bag which sent her flying backwards roughly.

   " I'm talking to you."

   "And?"

   "You will stop and listen to me. Where is your mother Aubrey?" Antonio wanted to know why a kid like her was running around in a city alone, checking out of hotels alone, and trying to fly off to wherever the hell it was she was going alone.

    "Well, she's not here obviously." She threw up her hands mocking him.

    "You mean to tell me that you're here alone? Where did you say you came from again, Texas? Aubrey, does your mother know where you are?"

   "Oh hop off of it-"

   "No I will not hop off of it! Are you stupid?" Antonio let his anger get the best of him as he showed his irritation towards Aubrey's actions. The drop of her face made him instantly regret his words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that."

   "You don't know me. You don't have the right to follow me around. You don't have the right to call me stupid." She said through clenched teeth. " Even though I was for thinking that seeing you would be an okay idea."

 

   "Following you? Didn't you come looking for me? Wasn't it you who showed up outside of my work place yesterday? You told me yourself, so don't make this into something that it isn't. You can't just show up and expect nothing from me!"

   Aubrey took a step back as his face reddened. She recognized that sign of anger best whenever she looked into a mirror.

   "As I've said before. My mistake." Aubrey couldn't tell if he was angry with her or what. She was glad to see that the tearful eyed man that had drew her into his arms upon hearing who she was for the first time was gone. She was happy to see someone who was being pushed to his limits. If she pushed hard enough...
   "You're not pushing me away, Aubrey. You are my daughter, and I am your father."

   "Don't pull that card with me-"

    "And as your father-"

   "Cut it out!"

    "I deserve to get to know you. I deserve an explanation as to why I'm just now finding out about you." Antonio nearly shouted his last words as he tried to show Aubrey how this didn't need to be dragged around everywhere. He wanted to talk to her, get to know her. He just wished he knew why she was so reluctant to do the same.

     "I need to know why Sandra would lie to me, keep you from me like this!"

     "Don't you blame this on her." Aubrey snapped at his insinuation of blame on her mother. Whatever reasons she had, they were to be respected.

    "You don't understand..." You're just a child. Antonio finished in his head. That was to be handled between the adults who were in the middle of this. He knew it wasn't right to throw that in Aubrey's face.

    "I know that I'm not going to let you talk about my mom when she's-" Biting her tongue, Aubrey stopped herself from revealing Sandra's fate. She figured that he didn't need to know any more than he did now.

   "Get in the car, I'll take you to wherever you are going ." Antonio let out a sigh as he went to open the car door. Despite her refusals, he took the bags from her, popping his trunk and putting them inside. Ignoring her, he put her into the passenger seat as she put up little resistance. When he got in, all of her talking had ceased as she sat with her arms crossed tightly across her stomach, avoiding eye contact with him as he drove back to his office.

oOo

 

    Aubrey followed behind Antonio into the sleek air conditioned building she had only gotten a chance to view from the outside yesterday. It was as nice as she had imagined it to be, and she couldn't help but to gape at it.

   "Aubrey." She heard her name being called as she had stopped to stare at the things that she had passed. She could have kicked herself for making it seem like she had never been out of her house before. Walking to just a few steps behind Antonio, she followed behind him begrudgingly as he showed a badge to an older man dressed in a security guard's uniform.

   "Woah, there. I'm going to have to see some ID." He stopped Aubrey without standing from his stool. She wondered when the old geezer was going to give up his day job and go relax at home, he looked easily over 70, but something told her he could move like he was 50.

   "It's okay Al. She's with me."

   With a narrowed eye and a shrug of acceptance, he put down his hand, allowing Aubrey to keep following behind Antonio.

  "You have a good day Mr. Russo." Al wouldn't have been so lenient with any other worker even on his best day, but for Antonio, he could let some things pass.

 Holding the elevator doors, Antonio waited for Aubrey to come. He watched her as she approached him; head bent slightly with a face that revealed little to what she was thinking or felt. Greeting the others that occupied the same space, Antonio didn't take his eyes off of Aubrey.

   He could see Sandra all over her.

   Her eyes were large and round, holding the same haunting appearance that Sandra's had, yet they still remained guarded.  Her skin was lightly tanned, hinting at her mother's African American heritage and leaving a question of what else made her who she was.

   Him.

  He helped to make up her other half.

  With that thought, Antonio didn't hold back the slight grin as Aubrey looked back at him, regarding his look.

   "What?" She murmured. Turning so that her face was more hidden by her hair, Aubrey rocked on her heels as she waited to be freed from the suffocating metal box.

oOo

     "You can just sit there."

   Aubrey followed Antonio's pointed hand to a large seat that sat opposite of what she presumed to be his desk.  Resisting the urge to let him know that he didn't tell her what to do, she sat. When they had walked back to his office, she had felt that all eyes were on her.

 

   Of course all of them weren't.

   But there were enough to make her cringe in her own skin. She couldn't tell what they were thinking, and this bugged her.

   Watching out his window, she eyed everyone who passed, and the few who looked in to see her sitting in Antonio's office. The white blinds were drawn, blocking off everything from outside of the room.

   Slowly turning to Antonio, She saw him resting on the edge of his desk, with a phone receiver in hand.

   "Aubrey. You need to call your mother."  Gripping the arm rests of her seat, Aubrey made no move to reach for the phone.

   "Okay, if you're not going to do it, you can just tell me the number, and I'll call for you."

   "It's long distance. I don't think you can get it even if I tried."

   "I'm sure that I can." His voice was light at her avoidance. Aubrey looked up and mentally rolled her eyes.

    How wrong you are.
  

 If it wasn't so fresh, she would laugh at the thought of her telling him to look up the number to Pearly White Gates and ask for Sandra.

   Just so he wouldn't ask again, Aubrey stood, and took the phone from him. Dialing in random numbers she waited for an answer that she could quickly defect until she saw Antonio's hand reach and press the speaker button.

   "Chen's Diner, how may I help you?"

   Slamming down the phone, Aubrey smiled at him.

   "I must have missed dialed."

    "Must have..." Antonio was on to her game.

   With a shaking hand, she dialed her mother's old cell phone number. She knew there would be no answer, it may no longer be on, but at least she wouldn't have to face him with a lie when he saw that she couldn't get in contact with her.

   Her chest heaved as she listened to the ringing in her ear...

   It was still on.

   She twiddled the end of her t shirt as she waited with a held breath for the sound of her mother's voice.

   Looking over to Antonio, she saw that he too seemed tensed, moreso than before as the call seemed to drag on to no end.

   "I don't think she's going to answer-"

   "Hey, you've reached Sandra Taliaferro. I'm not able to take your call at the moment, but please leave a message and I will make sure to get back to you as soon as possible." With the beeping signal, Aubrey froze as the almost melodic voice washed over her.

   "Hey, mama. It's Aubrey." Eyes darting to Antonio, she tried to tell her brain to put down the phone. To not put herself through this.

  "I was just calling, to talk to you.  To see how you are." Her voice creaked as she spoke. She had to change the message quick before Antonio became curious as to what she was saying.

   "I miss you." She couldn't help herself as she began to cry. "I miss you so much. I just want to see you and..." From the corner of her eyes she saw Antonio stand, now concerned as he watched her unravel.

   "I mean, I just wanted to see when you would be done. With that thing. So that I can meet you. And we could go back home. Anyway, just call me back soon. I don't have a number but-" The end tone told her that her time was up. Shivering, she placed the phone back in its place.

   "What was that?"

   "What was what?" Clearing her face, she turned to look at Antonio with stone cold eyes. " I called my mom for you. She didn't answer, just like I said she wouldn't. Are you satisfied now?"

  Antonio stilled himself under her gaze.

   "Maybe you should call her back. This time, you might not get the voicemail."

   "No! I am not doing that again! I just can't!" She blurted out. A sob threatened to retch from her chest as she rounded the desk, and sat back down in her offered seat. "I'm not calling back."

     The heaviness in the room weighed down on them both as they sat in silence. Before long, Antonio sat at his desk properly, staring at Aubrey from across the way.

   "You left without her knowing, didn't you?" He concluded.

   "Yeah. Just up and left one night. No big deal. There's your answer to everything, so you see why I would like to get back before she can be too mad at me." Aubrey didn't bother to let him think any different.

 

"I'm the last person you want to hear this from, but taking off like this is dangerous. Especially without anyone knowing, Aubrey. You're still a young girl."

   "I've heard it all before. It was stupid. What was I thinking. I should have known better. You don't have to say any more."There was little fire in her tone as she berated herself.

   "I'll make sure you get back home safely. It's the least I could do."

   "You don't have to-"

   "You have a bad habit of telling me what I'm going to do." Antonio looked her over with softened eyes.

   " It's not like you haven't been guilty of it too." Aubrey spoke under her voice as she shrugged at him.

   "You have to know that I wouldn't want anything but the best for you Aubrey. Out of everything, just allow me to see that you are safe, that you are looked after. Okay?" Her silence was his answer as her eyes dropped down to her hands that lay in her lap.

His head dropped between his shoulders at the first show of compliance all day.

oOo

       Antonio's hand skirted across the paper before him as he worked. Occasionaly, he would spare a  glance in Aubrey's direction as she lounged on his office couch. He heard the rustling of plastic coming from her as she popped another mint into her mouth from his desk.

    He looked to see the glass container more than halfway empty, and shook his head in disbelief. Here it was nearing the end of the working day, and he hadn't even thought of getting her any food. He watched as she tilted back another paper cup she had filled with water. Through the silence of the day, he could tell that somewhere along the way she had become overtaken with hunger, but never voiced it.

   He knew for a fact that she hadn't eaten breakfast, and knowing that he didn't suggest lunch to her he began to pack up his things.

   Many of the other workers were long gone, leaving him behind for his longer hours that he usually engaged in. Two days in a row he had broken his normal habits and gotten off work earlier than regularly.

   "Come on kid, it's time to go."

   With one arm crooked behind her head, and her legs crossed at the ankles, Aubrey looked at him with boredom.

    "It's only like midnight. I say you just go on and finish the rest of the day off while you're at it."

   Looking to his watch, he read the time of 7:20 pm.

    "If we leave now, I'm sure we can still catch dinner before it's too late."

    In silence, Aubrey got up and followed him out of the room, turning off the lights for him as he locked the door.

   When she found them parked outside of an enormous home, she looked to him confused.

   "This doesn't look like a McDonald's."

   Shutting off the engine, Antonio laughed. "I'm sure if you wanted it, it could be magically catered with just a phone call."

   Aubrey watched Antonio exit the car, and walk around. She realized he was coming to open her door, and before he could reach, she let herself out, determined to not let it happen.

  " Where am I?"

   Antonio saw her weary look, and wished that he could ease her nerves

   "This is my parent's house. My mom always has more than enough food, so I'm sure she won't mind."

  "Um, but I wouldn't? Why would you bring me here?" Aubrey was obviously not pleased as she dug her feet in the ground, refusing to move as Antonio lightly patted her shoulder.

   "No. Take me back. I don't want to be here."

   "It's okay. I promise."

   "I don't care!" Aubrey's eyes lowered in accusation." Did you tell them about me?"

  "No, I didn't." Aubrey didn't know if she was relieved or not from his admittance.

   "Good, you can take me away from here then. This is way too far, and you know that."

   At that moment, he wished for the silent treatment he had gotten for the most part that day.

   "This can be a good chance to explain things then." He spoke quietly, convincingly.

  " What? I'm going walk up into these people's house and introduce myself as their long lost granddaughter? Nuh uh. Nope. I'm not doing that."

   "Stop it, Aubrey." His tone was biting as he finally had enough." We are going to go in there, and introduce you. I'm tired of this back and forth-it stops now." Pointing a stern finger in her direction, he hoped that she would stop with the act. He knew kids could be difficult, but he never would have imagined it being this nerve racking.

 

   "Oh, am I annoying you, Antonio? I'm sorry. Why don't you just take me on somewhere else so that we both don't have to go through this. I'm sure you will thank me in the long run if you just end it here." Aubrey found herself grating on his nerves, and the rebellious side of her was still putting up an argument while her other half wanted to get out of his hair.

     "I didn't say that."

   "I'm sure you were thinking it."

     "Enough-"

    "Antonio dear, I didn't know you were stopping by." From a few yards away, Antonio heard the surprised sound of his mother from the front door. Turning, he saw her trying her best to make out the other figure with him, and knew that her curiosity had been peaked.

    "Oh my God, that's your mom." Aubrey felt the same gurgling in the pit of her stomach that she did before she threw up the day before. Clenching her stomach, she looked to Antonio hoping for an escape out of facing the older woman. She turned to the car, trying at the locked door.

   "I'll just wait out here." No need to go inside. Though the woman was a way's away, she could make out her face from memory.

   "Aubrey, cut the bullshit." His harsh words told her that there was little room left for her to argue him down. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she finally obeyed him to follow up the stairs.

     "I'm so glad you came by!" Mary wrapped her arms around Antonio's waist, burying herself into her overgrown son. Aubrey shuffled her feet as she looked on to the embrace. She was too immersed in the sight of Antonio to pay Aubrey any mind yet, and for that she was grateful.

   " I hope it isn't a bad time, mom. I thought that we would stop by and grab a plate to eat if it wasn't too late." Antonio gestured towards Aubrey, unfortunately pulling her into the conversation.

   When Mary's eyes landed on the young girl, her face failed to hide any of the surprise she felt in seeing the stranger again.

    "Well, this is...surprising." Mary rubbed her hands together as she studied Aubrey. "How did you two know each other?"

   "Have you met before?" Antonio directed his question to Aubrey who stood with a dry mouth, unsuccessfully avoiding his gaze.

   "Me and her? Well-I had. Yesterday there was a little...incident and. Yeah. We've met. But we haven't met....but we've met."

    Aubrey cleared her throat as her words through her for a loop. She was tongue tied for the first time in a long time.

   "This is grand." Mary burst out in laughter. The eyebrows that had been drawn in consternation were now lifted as a pleasant expression graced her face. " Yesterday, I had been in such a rush that I had ran into this young lady, completely ruining my favorite top." Mary touched Aubrey's arm out of politeness as she laughed at her own tale.

    "It's amazing that I'm meeting you again." Sticking out a hand, Aubrey stood dismayed.

   "I am Mary Russo. Antonio's mother. I must say though, you look much younger than I had thought. I didn't know that my son was dating anyone."

   "What?"

   "No! No, mom. It is nothing like that." Both gasped in surprise; Aubrey recoiled in disgust.

   "She is a very important guest that I wanted to introduce to everyone.A different guest, but important nonetheless. Can we go in now?" Mary was stumped by their reaction as she moved aside, letting them into the house.

   "Of course, of course. I wasn't thinking. Well, we were going to have pasta...I'll heat you up a plate."

    Antonio nodded, kissing his mother on the cheek before she sashayed away to the kitchen.

    "This was a bad idea." He could hear Aubrey whisper those words to herself as she checked out the foyer. Shaking her head vigorously, she said them louder.

    "This was a bad idea. She's going to think that I have something up my sleeve. She'll think I'm plotting something!"

   "It's just dinner. You have nothing to worry about. It looks as if my mother is home alone, anyways.There's nothing to worry about."  His words failed to reassure her like he thought as he led the way into the dining room. Antonio was glad to see that his sister's nor his father's car was outside. The less trouble, the better.

   Stepping down into the dining room which reflected the work of his mother, There were neutral tones gracing the walls, giving the room a light warmth. Though there had been good times few and far in between there, he could see his mother's efforts in trying to make it work.

   "Sit, sit. The food will be out any moment now." Coming through the double doors of the kitchen, Mary ushered the two to sit down at the large table. Aubrey found herself wanting to be as close to Antonio as possible, seeing him as the closest thing to safety in the unfamiliar house. She was all but under him as she sat close at the table. Glancing over at her, Antonio smiled.

   "Mom, I think it's a good thing that you're here. So that we could talk about something important." Antonio meant to get right down to business. At any moment he could be interrupted and lose any leveled ground that he had.

   Mary fixed her napkin in her lap as she became worried.

    "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

 

   "Yes. It is mom." Antonio barely caught Aubrey's quiet "No it isn't." But he ignored it.

    " Well do you mind actually telling me something that could settle my nerves." Mary waited in anticipation as she tried to guess the connection between the young woman and her son. She was entirely too young for him. Was she a mistress? Had she become pregnant? Mary knew her son well, and hated to doubt his judgment, but she prayed that he hadn't gotten himself into any trouble.

    "This is Aubrey. I wanted to tell you that. She is... she's my daughter."

    Mary's face contorted in horror as the scream within her built with strength. The servers had just entered with the fresh dishes, completely unaware of what was happening inside the room. When Mary let out a shriek of shock, they all battled with not dropping the expensive glass in surprise.

   "She's your what?" Mary bolted to her feet with a frazzled look upon her face. Looking between Aubrey and Antonio, she digested his words.

oOo

   "I told you. I told you, didn't I?" Aubrey placed her elbows on the table top, burying her head into her hands. 

    "Calm down my. Please sit, and just let me explain."

   "Explain what? Antonio, have you been keeping this from me all of this time?" Mary's heart ached in deceit. She couldn't believe that her son would think so little of her to tell her that he had a family in secret.

   "Why would you keep a secret like this from me? Antonio Lucas Russo answer me!"

    Antonio watched his mother stomp her feet as she slapped an opened palm on the table. He could feel Aubrey jump from his side and dash out of the room. Before he could stop her, he heard Mary's screech.

  " Answer me!"

   "I wasn't keeping her from you. I just found out last night who she was." He spoke in softer tones, hoping that she would adopt the sound too.

  "Last night? How do you just find out you have a grown child now? How, Antonio?"

   "That's just the way it happened."He said through gritted teeth.

   "Oh my God. This can't be happening." Finally taking a seat, Mary's flushed face looked to Antonio's. "How do you know what she says is -"

   "She's not lying to me. " He said defensively.

     The thought of Aubrey lying had never crossed his mind once, and he wouldn't let those words be spoken into existence by anyone. He knew what he knew, and there was no denying that Aubrey was his. He could feel it in his soul that she was his daughter and there was no room for doubt.

    "She is my daughter mom." Mary took note of Antonio's protective stance as his shoulders tensed in retaliation. The dead set glare on his face told her that he wouldn't allow there to be any questions asked of that topic.

   Sighing, Mary motioned for him to take a seat, but he remained standing.

   "I came to tell you because you deserve to know, mom. Aubrey's having a hard time with this, and so am I. I just want to know that you will respect this-respect her-at a time like this."

    "Antonio, I'm just so puzzled right now."

   Seeing that Mary was sincere in her confusion, Antonio took a seat. Looking up, he saw the uncomfortable glances of the servers as they watched the scene unfold. Tipping his head, he signaled for them all to return to the kitchen for privacy.

    Pulling up a seat closer to Mary, Antonio placed his larger hand on top of her aged one. He felt her wrap both of her hands around his, giving him warmth.

   "Whatever it is that you need me to do for you honey, I will."

   "I just need to ease her into this. She's so...so...hard to get through to sometimes.  I don't all of what's going on, but I know that she's keeping something under wraps. I want to know what it is. I want for her to be a part of our lives, but I'm not so sure if she wants the same."  Antonio's voice cracked unexpectedly as he spoke. It was showing his worried mind from all of this, even though he had tried to make it seem like nothing was out of the norm about the entire situation.

   "Honey, we have to take baby steps. This is going to be hard, overwhelming, but I will do my best to welcome her." Mary cupped his chin, bringing his eyes to meet hers; to understand the truthfulness behind her words.

   "I'm going to go look for her." Antonio kissed the inside of his mother's hand as he removed it, and prepared to stand up.

   "Call the police! Someone call 911!"

    In came Natalia with a struggling Aubrey in tow. Antonio watched as Natalia had an arm wrenched behind Aubrey's back, and a fistful of her hair held tight between her manicured hands.

    "It's the little bitch! She's coming after my family now!" She was hysterical as she roughly pulled Aubrey back.

 

    "Did you think you were going to catch us by surprise?"

    "Natalia, what on earth are you doing? Let her go this instant." Mary stood to her feet as she watched her daughter drag the young girl into the room.

   "Let go? Mom, who the hell knows what she had planned. Someone call the damn police! We need to have the grounds checked. She could have set up something."

   "Let go of me, hussy!" Aubrey shouted in pain as her hair was jerked again. She was rendered useless as the pressure on her shoulder increased.

   "Natalia, let go of her now!" Antonio was reaching for his sister's hands before he even finished speaking, pulling Aubrey from her grip. She immediately ran into his arms at the release, and when she caught herself seeking him out for comfort, she pushed away.

   " I oughta kick your ass up and down the street!" She pointed menacingly in the gasping Natalia's direction. Pulling out her phone, she began to dial 911.

    "And she just threatened me! I'll make sure that you don't see daylight, you hear me?" Natalia's phone was snatched from her hands before she could place the call in her fit of anger.

   "Mom? What are you doing? Do you know that this is the little bitch I told you attacked me?"

   "Honestly, Natalia. Your language."

    "My language? But Mom-"

   "Enough Natalia! She is our guest, and you're not going to treat her that way. Not in my house. There'll be no calling of the police, no yelling, none of it!" Mary's hands cut through the air, delivering a swift command that she dared to be challenged.

    "I dare you to say another word to me-" Aubrey egged Natalia on as she stared in horror. The tug on her arm brought her attention to Antonio who gave a firm warning.

   "Don't push it." He watched as she took several deep breaths to calm herself.

    " Please, won't everyone just sit down so that we can all have dinner! I didn't even have to ask you all here, but now I want to get rid of you." Mary mumbled the last of her words as she composed herself, and sat at her place at the table. Antonio followed in suit, and urged Aubrey to do the same. She was currently engaged in a stare off with Natalia, eyeing each other like competing lionesses in the wild.

   "Aubrey. Sit." His words were obeyed as she went to her seat beside him, never taking her eyes off of Natalia as a small smirk that only served to further anger the other woman more.

   "I suggest you do the same, sweetheart."

   "I'm not going to sit at the same table as this little-"

  "Sit damn it!" Mary cursed, which was a rare occurrence in her sober state. Natalia suddenly turned into the dutiful daughter that had long since left right then, and forced herself to sit in the seat opposite Aubrey.

   Watching the other three people around the table, Aubrey took notice of their own versions of a frazzled state. Mary lightly brushed at her hair, putting it in place while she rolled her shoulders back, bringing back her regal appearance, while Natalia looked at her in contempt with wild eyes.

   Looking to the kitchen, Mary called out for the food. She had done so well all night up until that moment without any alcohol.

 

 

    She made sure to ask for a bottle of wine as well.

oOo

     Aubrey's hand twitched to pick up the silverware which lay beside her plate of steaming food. She couldn't force herself to drop the staring game she had with Natalia as she seemed to have no issues with eating her food amidst her small audience of one.

   "Aubrey. You should eat." Antonio watched as she hesitantly reached for her fork, bringing the tiniest bite to her mouth as possible as she chewed it slowly. Aubrey could feel all six eyes on her, watching her every move. Antonio was the only one who seemed to be used to her presence; this being the second meal that they had shared in the past forty eight hours.

      Though her stomach worked against her in protest to her refusal to indulge, she was able to make it seem as if her eyes wandered casually around the house. When they landed on Mary, she found her to be staring with no apologies.

    A smile lightened the older woman's face, but Aubrey was unable to return it.

   "So, you are...Aubrey." Her hands moved animatedly as she waved them in her direction.

  "That's me." Twirling the fork between her fingers, Aubrey looked to Antonio to be saved.

   "That's a beautiful name. It's very becoming of you. Aubrey." Mary's words were silvery, her best effort put forth to dispel the atmosphere in the room.

   "It's just...a name."

   "Yes well, I haven't heard it very often. It's refreshing to say the least." Aubrey saw the slight uneasiness that overcame her.

   She couldn't bring herself to apologize for her stiff answers, and before she could stop her lips from moving, she had started talking.

   "Ruler of elves."

    "Pardon me?" Mary hadn't quite caught her words as she spoke with her head down.

    "It means ruler of elves. Aubrey..." Cheeks burning from her impulsive talk, Aubrey gathered a large spoonful of pasta and stuffed her cheeks full. There was a glint in Antonio's eyes as he cleared his throat. He and his mother exchanged looks, she with raised brows.

   "I need an explanation. This instant." Natalia had enough watching her mother and brother seemingly fawning over the intruder across from her. Just how had the kid she was ready to put in jail was sitting at her mother's dinner table was beyond her.

   Watching Natalia with steady eyes, Aubrey controlled the urge to regurgitate the food she swallowed after the realization that the woman was technically her aunt.

   "Natalia, please. Let's just get through dinner and then we can get to know each other afterwards." Mary pointedly spoke to her daughter, hoping that now wasn't the time that she would go about things her own way.

    "So, do you have some scandal to hold against us? Do you want our money? We have enough to spare but I promise you'll never get to it."

   "What?" Holding her fork tightly, Aubrey tilted her head in response to Natalia's ignoring of Mary's warning.

    "I'm starting to think that yesterday wasn't as much of a coincidence as you want it to seem. You're contriving something." Picking up her glass of wine, Natalia eyed the young girl over it as she saw her shift in her seat, thinking that she had spoiled whatever plan Aubrey had held.

   Throwing her hands in mock guilt, Aubrey scooted back from the table," I admit it. You got me. I must commend you on figuring out that I was doing ....absolutely nothing."

   Widened eyes gaped at her as she prepared a retort.

    "Natalia, stop trying to instigate things. " Antonio felt himself becoming fed up with her continuous behavior.

   "He's right you know. You should try to be a little more accommodating. Help her to feel more comfortable in our home." Though Mary spoke in hushed tones, it was easy to know what had been exchanged as Natalia scoffed at the suggestion.

    "Why should that hood rat feel comfortable here? Antonio has brought her into our home, mom. That is more than pushing the boundaries." The way she talked about Aubrey, you would think she had THREAT tattoed across her forehead in bold letters. The constant name calling was fast approaching the level where tolerance transformed into intolerance.

   "She is a welcomed guest in this house."

   "She doesn't belong here." The vigorous appetite she had to suppress earlier dwindled as she listened to the bickering back and forth concerning her presence. Below the table, she saw Antonio's leg begin to bounce up and down in frustration as he reeled in his temper. His hands were now balled beneath his chin, and Aubrey watched as his eyes took on a deadly glare towards Natalia.

   "You're going to have to get used to her, I'm afraid." His voice came out gruff, on the break of a growl as a muscle in his jaw tensed.

   "Excuse me?" Putting down her glass, she crossed her legs and turned her attention to her younger brother. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You're fucking underaged girls now Tony?"  A blonde eyebrow rose, taunting him. Fortunately, he wasn't the one to show their anger at the statement.

   "Why! Why is that the first thing you think? You really are as dumb as you freaking look, aren't you? That's just...disgusting."Aubrey slouched in her seat as the second accusation of Antonio ‘s relationship to her was brought up.

    "What's disgusting is that I have to look at a sight like you while I should be enjoying my vacation with my family."

    "There's no way any moment is enjoyable with you."

    "Wait around little girl, and I'll make tonight worth your while."

    If it wasn't for the respectful manner Sandra had raised Aubrey with, she would have let her tongue lash out, but instead she held it. Her blood boiled at the sound of Natalia's searing voice. It held just enough contempt and displeasure to remind Aubrey just how she felt about her.

   Mary reached for the half empty wine bottle, not bothering to ask for someone else to fill it as she filled her glass with enough liquid to soothe the friction she felt building in her body.

    "Jesus Mother, I have barely had a chance to finish my glass." Taking the bottle from Mary's hands, Natalia shook its remaining contents, emphasizing the lack thereof the wine.

    "What would you need it for? You come in here causing this chaos...you should have brought me another bottle out of courtesy." Mary's inebriated state slowly came to light as her eyelids dropped to a droopy flutter.

    "You'll have to excuse me dear as I unwind." Reaching across the table, Mary's hand touched Aubrey's fingertips, but were brought back just as quickly as the glass at her lips disappeared.

   "That's enough for one night, mom." Antonio put her elixir out of reach as he saw the night would be coming to an end before it barely began.

   "I think Aubrey and I are going to take our leave now." Mary began to protest her son's leaving as he stood. She just wanted one night-just one-to sit down and have a peaceful dinner. As the days went on she was easily convinced that would never happen. After an entire day making demands to people all too willing to meet them, she came home to a house where no one seemed to cooperate with her in the least bit.

     Aubrey watched in silence at the scene before her. Mary nearly stood with her arms and legs outstretched trying to stop him from leaving. Natalia gave her two cents in to the small argument, telling her mother to just let Antonio and his little pet go on their way.

   Deciding that her food had sat for long enough, Aubrey began to finish as much of her plate as she could before she gladly took her exit. Cold pasta was better than no pasta.

   She had managed to tune everything out, and was so caught up in her meal that she hadn't heard the silent entrance of Stefan Russo as he stood in the kitchen doorway, watching with the scene with a smirk.

   Rolling her eyes at the white noise, she took a sip from her water glass. Silently and swiftly, Stefan had made his way to her side, and as she glanced over, she stopped chewing as he watched her over the edge of his nose.

   "You seem to be the only sane one in my home tonight. Might I ask how you got entangled with this wild bunch of mine?"

    Eyeing him from head to toe Aubrey took in his slewed demeanor. The stance all but screamed importance as his suit jacket was thrown over an open arm. Aubrey could see hints of Antonio in his face, and connected the dots. Before she could form a proper thought, she felt herself being pulled up and away just as he began to take a seat beside her.

    "We're leaving. Now." Antonio's voice was constricted, and his sentence short as he moved to get he and Aubrey out of the house. Stefan placed his arm across of Aubrey's now empty seat, letting out a soft laugh.

   "That's no way to introduce our guest, Antonio."

   "She's not a guest if she's no longer in the house, now is she?" He had just been about to give in to his mother's soon to be sobs of the little time they spent together, and her pleads for just a moment as one that night until the hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention.

    When he had seen the way his father's eyes had narrowed and locked on Aubrey, he could only describe himself as seeing red.

   Defend.

    Protect.

   Fight.

    Those instinctual emotions overrode him.

   It didn't take much to know that his father's internal meter was hiked up far on the charming devil side.  He was an old man, and yet he still saw anything young and pretty as fair game.

    Antonio had learned to ignore his father's wandering eye throughout the years, but when he saw his daughter-Stefan's own blood-on the receiving end, he couldn't look past it. Mentally he thanked his gut last night by not bringing Aubrey to his parents'.

   "I'm sure this fine young woman can speak for herself. Isn't that right honey?" Stefan's voice dripped with the sweet poison he had perfected; it never failed to lure his targets in. When he had come home to see the usual scene of disunity amongst his family, his eyes had spotted the fresh face. For a moment, he tried to remember if he had hired another maid in the past few weeks that he hadn't properly acquainted his self with. But from her attire and place at the table, he instantly knew that she wasn't one of his employees, and made no qualms with approaching her.

    "I'm afraid not." Antonio stopped Aubrey's response as she opened her mouth to speak. "We are leaving now."

   Aubrey was whisked towards the foyer of the house, almost being thrown off balance by Antonio's tight hold.

   "Wait! Antonio, please don't leave!" Mary's voice carried all the way down the stairs. Antonio was stuffing Aubrey into the passenger seat when he saw his mother rushing towards them in her high heels. Her hands were in the air, waving him down for his attention. He nearly smacked his teeth at the sight. Knowing that she had showed promising signs of being a good host and listener for his situation.

    Her hands grabbed at his arms, holding him in place once she reached him.

    "Honey, you don't have to go so soon-you haven't even finished dinner yet. You know how your sister is. I'll make her be on her best behavior, is that okay? Will you stay if I make her promise to be civil?" The pleading look in Mary's reddened eyes bore into Antonio's. She saw his chest heave as he drew her near, and she was quick to let her face rest against her son's chest. He kissed the top of her head as he spoke in a hushed voice.

    "You couldn't pay Natalia to be on her best behavior, mom. We're going to go, it's been a long day, and I don't feel like fighting tonight. " He pulled her back to gauge her reaction, and it was one of disappoint just as he had expected.

   "But Antonio-"

   "I'm sorry mom.If I stay any longer, I may do something I'll regret later." Mary's head lowered, knowing that his decision wouldn't be easily changed.

   " I just want us all to have one evening together, just one."

   "I know mom. I promise you I'll make this up to you, okay?" Accepting his offer, Mary looked past him and caught the eyes of the young girl behind his windshield.

   He saw the question in her eyes before her lips even spoke the words.

     "I don't want you to say a word of any of this to them. Not yet at least."

    "Is this really happening? I mean, this just can't be, right?" Mary didn't know of any possible explanation to the news he had bared with her. Looking at the round brown face, the girl looked like none of the girls Antonio had dated in his youth.

    "Antonio, be sensible. There's no possible way she's your...daughter. You two, you're completely different. She's-"

   "Mom." He cut her off before she got herself into an awkward position." I realize that, and I'm sure she does too."

   "Well, who is...who is the child's mother?" Mary's voice lowered as she inquired Aubrey's parentage. The way that her clear eyes captivated her nearly convinced Mary that she could hear every word that was said even if she was behind the safety of the closed car doors.

    Aubrey heard nothing but the silence of the enclosed space, but she was good a reading lips. She followed their conversation the best that she could until Antonio would purposely block her view of his mother. She was easy to read, with her every emotion and thought playing out on her older features. Aubrey noted that Mary was certainly an aged beauty from the contours of her matured face. The way she had downed the wine at dinner, Aubrey knew that those looks which could be graceful would only end up wasted as her face would soon take on the look of a haggard old woman. She had her fair share of encounters with drunks in her time, and she knew that even the littlest bit of alcohol could set off a drinker. Their tolerance became low, and it didn't take much to get them to an out of body state.

    Aubrey wouldn't be surprised if Mary downed every expensive and bitter liquor in her house when she had the chance to. The wine had to be a front for company; to make it seem that she was a casual drinker.

    It didn't fool her.

    The puffiness beneath her eyes that made its debut the minute she got a little liquid in her system told a story that even the best makeup couldn't hide.

     In the midst of her thoughts, Aubrey hadn't realized that she had company as Mary stood right outside her door. So she wouldn't be seen, she slowly raised her hand to the automatic lock of the door, but her plans to cut off contact were soiled as the door was slowly drawn open.

    With a sweeping look, Aubrey waited for the woman to strike out any moment as she stood clutching and unclutching her fists at her sides. With measured care, Mary came to a crouch in front of Aubrey. Her face was contorted as she remained wordlessly staring at the girl.

   Aubrey knew that she had only been there for a few seconds, but it seemed as if she was under her scrutiny for much longer. Her defenses were up as she tried her best to hold the menacing look on her face to let the woman know that she wasn't going to stand for anything she said if she was half as bad Natalia.

   "Hi." Breaking out into a partial sob and smile, Mary through Aubrey off as she greeted her.

    Sub consciously, her eyes darted to Antonio who stood watching the interaction, sending him signals with her eyes to get Mary back before she began to cry in her lap.

    Keeping her mouth shut, Aubrey's brain failed to come up with a witty remark that could drive Mary away as her hand shakily wiped at tears that made their way down her cheeks.

   Aubrey stuck to her guns when it came to knocking someone down.

    Tears were a deal breaker.

    She wasn't fond of them when she cried, so having someone else who seemed innocent enough crying before her was a perfect way to make her uncomfortable.

    "You're a very beautiful girl, Aubrey." Mary complimented her and helped to ease the harsh frown that was on Aubrey's face.

   "Hopefully, Anto-your father can bring you by again at a better time." Mary corrected her addressing of Antonio as she looked up to him, finding him a tad flustered from the title. Aubrey grimaced, the foreign name for Antonio doing something to her insides as she listened to the older woman speak.

     "I would really like to get to know you." Mary's shoulders drooped as she gave her best laugh. "I didn't know that I have another granddaughter."

   Oh my God.

  "You would be my oldest. Natalia's daughter is seven. Brittany is her name. And then she has a son, named Joshua, he's four. I know that they would love to meet you--"

   Please stop.

   "Mom." Aubrey let out a breath of relief as Antonio finally interjected. He could see Aubrey's eyes begin to bulge as Mary was her usual self and tried to bring comfort to the situation the best way that she knew how. Taking his hint, Mary shook her head, and wiped her face of any residue of her tears.

    "It was nice seeing you." A hand went to Aubrey's knee, gripping it slightly as she stood once again. Crossing her arms before her chest, Mary waited for Antonio to enter the driver's seat, and for the car doors to shut. Standing in front of headlights, she watched as he put the car in drive, and slowly made his way around the circular driveway.

    She knew that he watched her in his rearview mirror, and so she made sure to wave until he disappeared.

       " Why the hell is Antonio hanging around with that thing? Is she leeching off of him?"

    Mary was barely inside the house before Natalia began bombarding her with questions. She had watched from the front door at the exchanges, completely flabbergasted at how buddy buddy they all seemed to be.

    "Who the hell is she? What gives her the right to be at our house?Mom!" Natalia trailed behind Mary as she continued her walk through the house, deflecting the questions with a look of disinterest. When she felt her shoulder being tugged backwards, she held up her hands, shaking her head at her daughter.

   "Natalia, not tonight honey. I'm just too tired to argue with you."

   "I'm not trying to argue right now. I deserve to know why someone who has given me hell shows up in the places I am at. That girl is bad news, who knows what kind of things she is caught up in. Make sure Antonio never makes the mistake of bringing her around here again." Tucking her hair behind her ear, Natalia left her mother with her low murmur.

    One breath shook Mary's body as she listened to Natalia's heels on the hardwood floors.

    "You know, after a long day of doing what I do best, it's always wonderful to come home to such a beautiful dysfunctional family." Jumping, Mary pulled away from her husband's halfhearted embrace as he leaned into the side of her neck. His scotch laced breath left a warm breeze on her cheek as he kissed her face.

   "Get your hands off of me." With a rigid stance, Mary kindly rejected her husband's advances. "Since I see you are home earlier than usual, I'll leave you to do whatever it is that interests you for the rest of the night." Preparing to call it a night, Mary walked past him, not even concerned with the cold plate that still rested in her place at the table which she never got to touch.

   "Mary Sue there you go again. You're telling me you would rather go off and mope in your room when your husband is home, with much quality time to spare?" Standing at the foot of the stairs, Stefan held his arms out in mock dismay. The small smirk at the corner of his lips gave away his callous attitude as Mary stopped midflight.

    "Seeing as how all of the nice young maids have already returned home for the night, and the only other thing left in the house with a vagina is our seventy five year old cook-considering that your daughter would naturally be off limits-I'm sure you would rather conjure up so more exciting plans to rest for the evening."

    "Keep my side warm for me dear." Stefan's voice lost all of its playfulness, and was replaced with malice as Mary stalked up the stairs, making sure to slam the heavy door to their master bedroom in the distance.

  Tilting back his whiskey, Stefan finished off his drink and sauntered back into the dining room where his daughter still remained.

      "An old man can still dream that his daughter loves him enough to give him a proper welcoming home..." Leaning against the doorjamb, Stefan took note of the simmering fury that sat on Natalia's face as she was lost in her own thoughts.

   Looking up to her company, her features softened.

   "Hello Daddy." She greeted quietly as he came to her side, kissing the top of her head as he passed her by to sit at his designated seat.

   "How was your day?"

   "Everything was everything. I signed a few things, made some phone calls. It wasn't one of the most rigorous of days." He answered. A plate was placed before him without any instruction as he began to eat his own dinner.

     "I wish I could say the same. After the hell I had yesterday, I had to come back here to have all of the serenity of my day stepped on." With a sigh, Natalia sat back in her seat, rolling her head on the back of her chair as Stefan watched with a raised eyebrow.

    "Would you mind telling me who Antonio's guest was tonight? I'm afraid we had a very...abrupt meeting." Stefan thought back to the young woman who had sat at his table earlier. He laughed at a personal joke when he first laid eyes on her, thinking that his son had gone down to the rougher parts of the city and found him a diamond in the rough to spend some time with. Stefan and Antonio rarely spoke of endeavors like women; their bond weakly forged that could welcome such conversation.

    She had appeared as if she was still wet behind the ears; possibly still a young girl barely into college, but Stefan passed no judgment thinking of his own past with younger women.

     "Daddy, I swear if I have to even think about that person I may get a migraine." Rubbing at her temples, Natalia waited for the question to be pushed more so that she could have someone to complain to.

"She was the one who attacked me yesterday." She snapped. Insulted that he wasn't able to catch on.

   "Attacked? When did this happen?"

   "Yesterday, daddy! I told you about it yesterday, remember?" Exasperated, Natalia scoffed at Stefan's expression.

    "Antonio was there when it all happened, and yet he would betray me by going and making nice with that fucking kid and even daring to bring her here."

    "Well, she didn't attack him. Now did she?" Stefan fought the urge to sigh at his daughters complaints as he chewed his food slowly.

    Natalia could feel a facial tick at her father's behavior.

    Gathering herself, she stood to her feet.

    "I've had my fill of this family tonight."Her words were grave as she could see that if she remained any longer, she would just further irritate herself.

  "You're leaving so soon?" Stefan was ready for her to leave and didn't care to hide it either.

   "At this rate I won't even be able to last in this place until Saturday."  Speaking to herself, she ignored her father's last jab as she walked out of the house.

    "Drive safely."

   When Natalia made it to her car, she sat at the steering wheel in silence. Her mind was going into overdrive trying to think of any possible reason that Antonio and the little bitch from hell would be together after their initial encounter.

   She never saw this coming when she left her brother at the Police station to fend for himself. Starting her car, she began to drive the memorized route that would lead her to Antonio's home.

   If she wanted answers, then it would be best to ask the source himself. Maybe she could talk some sense in to him to never allow something like this to happen again.

oOo

     "So,where are we off to now James?" Aubrey popped her gum as she sarcastically looked to the man who had been shuffling her around all day. " Any other wacky adventures you have planned before sunrise?"

    "I was thinking of calling Lillian again and seeing if you could crash there one more night. "

   "That woman from this morning? Oh, no. If you're thinking about dropping me off just wherever you please than I would rather you take me to a bus station or something. I can do well on my own if that's all you have planned."

    "Aubrey, I think you will be the most comfortable there. Lillian is fine, she won't bother you if you don't bother her. It will just be until the morning until I come back to get you."

   "And then what? You're going to take me for another bring your kid to work day?" Aubrey sneered.

   "I don't have many options left now. I'm just trying to make sure I get you somewhere that's safe and reliable." Antonio's voice never changed from his calm volume as he came to a red light.

    "Do you not have a house of your own? Or wait, maybe you are secretly married with kids and don't want me to interfere or something. No?" Aubrey began to notice that after all of his big talking, he hadn't once suggested to take her to where he stayed, and because of some reason she became irate. Her imagination ran wild, thinking that he didn't feel comfortable with letting her in to his private life even though he seemed to have no shame with butting into hers.

     "Are you embarrassed of me or something? Still not so sure about me?" Aubrey's fingernails clawed at the soft material of her seat as she casted a scathing look in his direction.

   At a loss of words, Antonio stared back with a slightly stunned expression as the car behind him honked their horn.

   "Why would I be embarrassed of you?" When he was met with silence, he glanced over to find the small hurt that had once been on Aubrey's face disappear as she sucked in air.

   "Whatever. Just forget I said anything and dump me off somewhere."

   "Aubrey, I'm not married. I have family, no kids-well except for you now."

    "No, you were right the first time."

    "And even if I did, I wouldn't do that to you. I wouldn't be embarrassed to introduce you to them." Antonio needed her to understand if she didn't get it already that even though she was intent on fighting him the whole way, he wanted to make it clear just where she stood with him.

   She was his daughter, his own blood. And if he had known about her before this week, he would have wanted to see her, and meet her just as badly.

    "Don't think that just because you want to push me away and keep me at a distance that I'll do the same to you. I get what you're feeling, what you're going through, Aubrey. You're scared-terrified even-of what may come out of this."

    "I never said anything like that. Don't put words in my mouth."

   "You don't have to be afraid."

    " What's there to be afraid of?" She shot back now wishing that he would go back to driving in silence.

   "Tell me, why would you go through all of this if you were just going to have an I don't give a fuck attitude about it? What's your reasoning, your motive? Huh? Could you at least tell me that much because I've just about had it with this act Aubrey."

   His patience was tried when they arrived in front of his home. His blood had begun to boil as he showed a slight hint of his control slipping.

     " I want to know why after all of these years, some kid turns up telling me that she is mine. Why is she here if she keeps acting like this is the last place on Earth that she wants to be? Are you holding something against me? Are you angry with me? My God, Aubrey. You have to believe that I've been in the dark about this entire thing just as much as you are. Sandra's kept you a secret from me, and I don't understand what the hell she could have been thinking. Your mom-"

    "My mom is dead."

    Antonio's blood pumping rampage ran cold as her words processed. The look of anguish and hurt on her face as Aubrey began to shake didn't register fully.

    "Sandra?..."

    "She's dead, and I'm here. Are you fucking done with asking? Are you fucking done with trying to make something out of nothing now?  Those letters, I honestly just thought you should have them. I wanted them gone; I wanted to have nothing that would tell me about you. I couldn't keep them around me." Aubrey found truth in her lies as she began to get lost in her emotions.

    The hot tears burned their marks down her face as she felt word after word bubbling out of her chest.

    "You think I want something from you? I don't. I'm not some little kid; I'm not looking for daddy to come and fix everything. I don't need that! So stop making it seem like all of this is more important than what it actually is. I'm doing fine-have been doing fine all of my life without worrying about you. My mama is gone and all I wanted to do was to at least know your name, to know your face because it's the only one I've never been able to place after all of these years."  Aubrey felt her head pound as she found her spoken thoughts taking a turn south. No longer was she spitting mad at him.

   "I needed some kind of answer to you. She never said anything about you, like it would never matter! It didn't, not when she was still alive, but what am I supposed to do now? You didn't exist or matter until a week ago because I had my mama. She was all I needed. She was all I had and she just left me like this. How could she leave me alone like this when I need her?" Aubrey's breath caught in her throat as she leaned forward, clutching her fists to her chest.

   "Where was I supposed to go? What if she never planned to tell me about you? What would she have expected me to do all by myself...I wouldn't be able to stand it." Antonio's pallor grimace remained fixed on the crying girl, bile had risen in his throat, burning its walls.

  "I wish I never found that box. I wish I never saw those letters so that I wouldn't want you to want me as much as I do because ..." Aubrey's voice became small in the car as she raised her head, suspending both her and Antonio as the words waited to be said.

 

    "I want that from you." One would think that Aubrey had just made a gruesome confession of a deplorable sin with the way she pulled at the hair on her temples as depressing sounds trembled throughout her body.

       Just like that, Antonio began to relive every memory he had Sandra locked away in his head.

     The first time he saw her, all of the conversations they had, and the longing and yearning he suffered through after she had left town. The news that Aubrey gave him seemed so surreal. Though he had tried to think of Sandra as dead and gone to get over the pain he felt from her cutting him off, he had never known for here to be a void that would feel this real.    Her death was real this time, and he couldn't silently take back any curses or wishes that he once said under his breath for her demise.

 

      "What the fuck is going on?" Antonio stood at the end of the king sized mattress, watching the way his girlfriend so willingly accepted the other boy on top of her. His fury cleared enough of his vision to recognize the guy on top as one of Natalia's friends, and before he could stop himself, he flung the older larger boy off with the force of ten men.

     "We're busy here!" The other boy was naked from the waist down, and Antonio didn't care as his fists landed hit after hit to his face. Holding him by the collar of his unbuttoned shirt, Antonio didn't stop until he saw blood spilling from his mouth and nose.

    He could hear the shuffle of feet behind him, the horrified gasps as other party goers who's drug and alcohol induced night was still light heard the commotion in the room. Others cheered on the fight, to far gone to realize the danger of the situation fast approaching.

    "Antonio, stop!" Natalia pushed through those that stood in her way as her grin disappeared the moment she saw her brother destroying the face of the boy she sent to do her dirty work. She had meant for Antonio to find Sandra and William together, to show her that she was no good for him and would betray him in a heartbeat. What she didn't expect was for her little brother to knock William out so mercilessly the way he did now.

    She pulled at his shirt, tearing him away from the unconscious mess that lied on the now blood stained carpets of the house.

   "Will? You are insane!" When Natalia saw that she could get no response out of the heavy body, she screeched at her brother. Antonio paid her no mind as he stared down Sandra's limp figure. Her dress was hiked up, and under at her ankles. She had lied quiet the entire time, watching with glassy eyes as she cheered Antonio on as he beat her rapist. She couldn't say what she wanted to say, her brain under something else's control. She had tried to scream earlier, had tried to throw and scratch the older boy away but couldn't find the strength to command her body to do so.

    "What are you doing Sandy?" Antonio could feel sweat and tears mix on his face as he screamed at her. His hands went roughly to his hair as he looked to the ceiling, willing himself to not cry like he wanted to. He had seen the way she giggled and laughed downstairs during the earlier part of the party, and when he had found out that she had been taken to the private room of the house where only one thing happened, he had lost it.

   He was going to kick her little friend's ass and then give her a piece of his mind.

    It was going to be strong, controlled, and mean. But now as he saw the far off look in her eyes, he realized that it wasn't his same Sandy laying on the bed. He saw the sweat beading on her forehead and chest, and the slight panting she did as she watched him with eyes that he was used to being lively and expressive.

   Now, they looked worse than death.

         Antonio's mouth was dry as his heart began to feel heavy. Consumed by his own thoughts, he didn't notice as Aubrey let herself out until the car rocked from the force of her slamming the door behind her.

  This time, he didn't chase after her as he buried his head into the steering wheel. His vision became blurry as he took deep breaths, shaking his leg out of habit.

   Aubrey looked in at the top of his head,  leaving him alone to deal with the information his own way.

    She didn't feel like sitting around for whatever repressed love he held for her mother to come spilling out . She wasn't exactly sure what she expected his reaction to be. All she knew was that crying wasn't one of them. He shed no tears, but the tell all signs were there.

   As before, Aubrey still had her boundaries when it came to knocking someone down.

   As she stared up at the tall apartment building, she noticed its finesse and sophistication. She found herself still sniffling as she walked with heavy feet towards a column of the building. Slowly leaning back against it, she could feel the aches of her body give a little shout as she waited for Antonio to finish his little moment. Noticing that she had lost her piece of gum somewhere along her ugly crying fit in the car, she mentally made a note that she should go back later and see if she could find it before it caused a problem on the expensive floor.

   Aubrey was used to recollecting herself whenever her emotions got out of hand. Her mother had always encouraged her to express herself more, to not always shrug off what she felt. Sandra was never afraid to admit that she was scared, sad, happy-whatever. Growing up, Aubrey had always appreciated that her mother had enough feelings to go around for the both of them.

   Pulling out her last piece of gum, Aubrey began to slowly chew it, still watching Antonio from his parked place in the middle of the street.

    When she heard him restart the car and slowly begin to drive off, she began to panic. Standing up straight, she watched him leave and couldn't decide whether or not she should run after him or take this chance to do the same. Taking a few steps out into the light, she was just about to make her decision to chase after him until she saw another familiar vehicle creep along the sidewalk.

   Looking at the tinted glass, she curled her fists as she waited for the window to be lowered. Instead, the door was nicely pushed open, and a long leg exited before the rest of its owner's body, and Aubrey immediately recognized it as Natalia.

     "Don't you have friends or someone to catch up to rather than stalking me?" Rolling her head to the side, Aubrey took a step back as Natalia stood right in front of her. She towered over her greatly, easily brushing six feet in the heels. It was then that Aubrey noticed she must have definitely gotten her size from her mother's small stature. Natalia could be intimidating if Aubrey was a scary person. Her face was sharp and too cool for any regular person even as she stared down at her own public enemy number one.

   Aubrey had only seen Natalia in two moods: high strung or low strung.

   "I have to say that the thought of you sets off every red flag in my body, little bitch." Natalia's voice sounded as if she was speaking to a friend as she reached back and closed her door, staring out the corner of her eyes with a slight upturn of her lips.

 

   " I was simply coming over to have a little chat with my brother, to ask about his questionable decisions lately."

    "How sweet of you."

    "Isn't it?" Popping her gum loudly, Aubrey tilted her head back showing no signs of humor unlike Natalia.

    "Of course, the main issue at the center of all of this is ...you." Natalia clasped her hands behind her back as she came within breathing distance of Aubrey.

   "You do remember what happened the last time you got this close, don't you?" Aubrey's voice was grave as picking a fight with Natalia seemed like a good way to blow off some steam.

   The cocky look soon left the easiness of Natalia.

   In stepped high strung Natalia.

   "You even dare to lay a hand on me, and I swear to God you will regret it for the rest of your life."

   "Don't tempt me so much then. I have a hard time resisting beating your ass. It's actually pretty therapeutic." Aubrey laughed.

    "Leave." Natalia's voice was low and ballistic as the girl laughed in her face.

    "I'm not that concerned with what you want me to do-"

    "You have caused nothing but trouble the moment you showed your face. First you were hanging around Antonio's job, and now here you are lurking outside of his apartment. I will call the police and make you leave if you don't get out of my face right now." Natalia wanted to know even more than before why Aubrey was suddenly popping up everywhere where Antonio was concerned.

    "Look, you need to just mind your own business. Alright?"

    "He is my business, and as far as I can see, you have none with him."

 

   "No, I have none with you. Don't get that confused."      

   "Does he owe you something? Money? Whatever it is I will give it to you in a heartbeat if it means you will disappear." Natalia was prepared to drive the girl to the nearest ATM and give her any asking price as long as she would go on her way to wherever she came from.

 

   "You couldn't put a price on what he owes me."  Aubrey was trying her best to keep cool until Natalia grabbed at her arm, dragging her off of the sidewalk.

   "Let go of me!" Obviously Natalia hadn't learned her lesson when it came to putting her hands so freely on Aubrey. Her instinctual urge to fight came rushing forth as she tore her arm from the hold, and cocked it back.

    A strong arm around her waist pulled Aubrey into the air and off of her feet as she fought against the person stopping her from giving Natalia what she deserved.

    "Stop it, Aubrey." Antonio flinched from the contact of her head with his jaw as she violently pushed against him.

   "No, I'm going to fuck her up! I'm going to kill this bitch!" No matter what she did, Aubrey was no match for the constricting grip keeping her from mauling off the shocked look that Natalia had as she realized she avoided another scrapping.

     Antonio had gone to park his car, and took the walk back to the front of the building as a moment to clear his head. He didn't bother to tell Aubrey to stay put, as he held hope that she would do so on her own will.

    Seeing his sister again made him bristle, and he sped up his steps as Aubrey prepared to hit her.

    "Antonio, I want this girl gone! Why is she here with you? What the hell is going on?"  Natalia brushed off her second of fear as she began to rant and rave. This should have been handled long ago, so why was she still having to get rid of her?

   "Natalia, you need to leave now." Antonio grit his teeth. Aubrey was a lot harder to hold than he had initially thought, her strength hidden in her small body.

    "Not until I know she's back where she belongs." It didn't surprise him that Natalia was so persistent in getting rid of someone she didn't want around; it was a specialty of hers to make people disappear if they made her unhappy.

    Nannies. Tutors. Friends. Boyfriends.

   They had all fallen victim to her antics, and for a while, she had managed to teeter over into Antonio's territory when he was younger, running away people in his own life.

      "This is where she belongs! " Antonio wasn't going to let her do it this time. No, he was drawing the line. It had always been so simple to just ignore, ignore, ignore. They weren't kids anymore, yet somehow whenever they were around each other it was hard to tell. She had always ran over him, doing what she wanted and sitting back was something he had learned to do if he wanted to save his own sanity. Antonio felt Aubrey still as she pushed his arms away from her. Pushing her behind him, he came close to his sister.

   "And if you refuse to respect that, if you refuse to back off then to hell with you." Antonio was usually the last person to show that Natalia worked against her nerves. She began to fear that because of some stranger, he was going to lose the little patience she knew he had with her.

    "All of this over some bitch?" She was genuinely hurt and confused at his behavior.

   "Over my daughter, Natalia. I don't ever want to hear that come out of your mouth again, do you understand? You have no more warnings with me. Do it and you and I will be finished."

    Shock was evident and pure as Natalia looked between the two, unsure of what to say.

   "She isn't your daughter. You're stupid enough to believe that lie."

   "Do you want me to wipe my hands of you Natalia?" Antonio shouted.

    "That's not true. That's a lie Antonio." Shaking her head, Natalia reached for him, but he stepped out of her path.

   He opened his mouth to say something, but just as quickly he closed it. He held a hand up, curling it as he brought it back down from his face. "Good night Natalia." With a hoarse voice, Antonio turned, bringing a silent Aubrey along with him.

    "You have got to be kidding me. Antonio! This is ridiculous! This is a lie!" Natalia followed behind her brother as he walked into his apartment building. She nearly ran into another resident as they came out of the glass doors. The man bumped her shoulder, excusing himself as he cut her pursuit off. Just before Aubrey was pushed through the doors, she turned around to Natalia, spitting her gum at her feet before Antonio pulled her away.

   Natalia was close to exploding on the spot as she watched her smug grin from the outside looking in.

   "There is no way in hell." Muttering under her breath, she walked to her car in dismay.  Her brother was being fooled, duped, and had his head so far up his own ass that he couldn't even see it. Since when was he this foolish? He was supposed to be the strong minded of the two, but seeing him falling for this girl's tricks told an entirely different story.

   Natalia would show him just how stupid he was. She would show him and that girl up.

   Prancing back to the discarded gum, Natalia searched the bushes for a stick as she poked the still wet wad.

 

    She still had some old acquaintances that owed her favors. The night wasn't over yet, and as she hopped in her car, she decided to pay a visit to someone who could help her reveal Aubrey for who she really was. 

                                                       oOo

 

    The lab technician closed her office door, checking to make sure it was locked behind her as she prepared to end her shift at the hospital. She couldn't wait to get home and heat up her left over Chinese food while watching mindless TV until she fell asleep.

    Pushing her glasses up on her face, she checked her bag for everything as she began to walk down the quiet hall, saying her goodbyes to the front desk people who still had a shift left before they could leave.

    When she looked up, her blood ran cold at the sight of Natalia Russo.

   Ducking her head back down, she hoped that she could slip past the other woman as she came in the opposite direction, walking fast and with a purpose. She heard her heels slow down and stop in front of her, and tried to move around her without revealing her face.

   "Sarah. Don't tell me you don't remember me?" Natalia had seen the redhead from a mile away, and wasn't oblivious to her hiding.

   "Oh, Natalia! What-What are you doing here?" Fixing her hair behind her ear, Sarah cursed herself as she reverted back to the shy teenager who had always been flustered and a nervous wreck whenever Natalia was around. She had been one of the popular girls who despite her reputation was always sought after for recognition and acknowledge meant.  

   Natalia had convinced one of her guy friends to flirt with Sarah during a party. Even encouraging Sarah to flirt back. Just when Sarah had gone to freshen up, ready to accept the invitation to go somewhere private with the guy to "get to know each other" she had found Natalia with her hands tangled in his hair and tongue halfway down his throat as they made out in the open, receiving cheers and jeers from everyone in the room.

   She remembered Natalia alright.

   Pointing the stick in her face, Natalia smiled, glad to see that she was just as timid as always.

   "I need you to run a test for me."

   Staring down at the blue wad of gum, Sarah cocked her eyes in confusion.

    "I'm sorry but-"

    "I need it done now. " Natalia's voice was rushed, hating the fact that Sarah seemed ready to give her an excuse." I mean, you see, this is very important. I know this is on short notice, and I was just hoping that I could catch you. I knew that I could count on you to give me this little, favor. Couldn't I Sarah?"

   Straightening her back, Sarah tried to be firm but not too aggressive as she turned Natalia away.

    "I'm sorry Natalia, but it's late and I was just leaving..." The other woman looked exasperated as she pleaded with Sarah. When she went left, Natalia easily slid into her way.

     "Sarah, this is really important. I think someone I love is in trouble and I just need you to run a test for me. Please." Natalia wasn't fond of begging as she broke down the other woman.

   Taking the stick from her gingerly, Sarah turned around, and unlocked her door with a sigh.

   "You can do a paternity test with this, right? It's still has saliva on it, that should be enough."

   Looking over her shoulder, Sarah began to pull off the gum with small tweezers, depositing it into a safer place.

   "You want me to do a DNA test?"

    "Yes, you know how people are with my family. Trying to ruin our lives and get a piece of it in return. I need to get this leech off of us soon."

   Sarah watched as Natalia flipped her hair over one shoulder, and rolled her eyes.

    "I can't just run one sample. I'll need more than this?"

   "More? But I have her spit right there for you!" Natalia pointed out the gum that belonged to Aubrey.

   "Yes, but I'll need a sample from the father as well. You can't exactly run a paternity test without the alleged parents DNA."

    There would be no way that Natalia could get something from Antonio before the night was over. By now the dishes he used at their parents' were long gone and put away, and she doubted that he would be welcoming enough to open his door if she showed up at his apartment.

   "You could bring in the other person for a mouth swab..." Seeing the distress on Natalia's face, Sarah offered a suggestion.

   "No. That would never happen."

   "How about a strand of hair? Or something that this person has drank or eaten from with their saliva on it." Natalia felt an itching down her spine as it looked like she was going to meet a road block.

   "How soon can you get this done for me if I bring you another sample?"

   "Well, the procedure would take at least three days for me to complete. That's if I had a spare time, so combined with the other things I have to do now-"

   "No, I can't wait any longer than that. I need this done immediately." Natalia was adamant as she raised her voice.

   Sarah braced her hands against her work station as she winced from the loudness that was Natalia.

 

    All she wanted to do was go home and eat and not have to deal with Natalia.        

   "Bring me something, and I'll see what I can do. It has to be soon otherwise I can't guarantee anything." Sarah hoped that the sooner she could get Natalia out of her hair, the better. The satisfied look on her face told her that she was pleased.

 

   "I knew you would follow through, Sarah." Without thanking her, Natalia left, and Sarah finally let out a breath she had no idea she was holding in her wake.

oOo

     Aubrey stood in the middle of Antonio's doorway, looking around at the rather bleak apartment as he took off his suit jacket and placed his keys on his kitchen counter.

   The walls were white and gray, and his furniture was black. It said little about him, or maybe it said a lot. The little voice in her head reminded Aubrey that she still didn't know what this guy was all about. If your house couldn't reflect your personality, then maybe there would need to be a lot of digging just to find it.

   "I'll show you around." Antonio stood with his hands in his pockets, as he waited for Aubrey to follow him. He gave her a small tour of the apartment, pointing out the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.

   "You only have one room." She observed as she peeked into his bedroom, noticing how clean and sterile it looked.

   "Am I on the couch tonight?" She asked.

    "No, of course not. I was going to let you stay in here. There's a bathroom just through that door over there, it can be your own personal one. I was going to take the couch and give you some privacy."

   "I don't want to put you out. I'm cool with sleeping out here. It's fine."

    "Aubrey I insist." She wasn't keen on putting others out of their way and for something as simple as sleeping on the couch, she didn't find a problem with it.

   "But I-"

    "You can put your stuff in here and go to sleep. The sheets are clean and if you need anything extra, just let me know." Antonio ignored her protests as she walked further in.

   "I kinda don't have my bags." She spoke matter of factly, but there wasn't a caustic undertone to her words.

   "They must be in the car." Antonio remembered. "I'll go get them and while I'm gone you can go ahead and make yourself at home." Both stopped at his sentence, Aubrey raising a brow as an awkward silence fell over them.

    Without another word, Antonio left, closing the front door softly as he left Aubrey alone.

    Running her hand along his dresser, she noticed that there was little to nothing taking up place there. She almost didn't want to touch anything, afraid that she could tarnish his things without meaning to.

   She noticed that there were no pictures decorating his home. No posters or anything.

   Walking back into the living room, she looked for any sign of life there. A tall case was nestled off in the corner, opening it; she thought she would find hidden pictures of girlfriends tucked away.

      She was surprised to find many trophies and medals hanging inside. Looking closely, she saw that they were all form soccer. Picking up a picture frame, she looked down at the young face of Antonio, void of the facial hair he adorned now. He held a soccer ball and trophy in his hands, and was flanked by his mother and father.

   Now Aubrey knew why she had found a talent in the sport and was the only kid around her neighborhood who dribbled balls with her feet, and not her hands.

    She couldn't front, she was impressed by what she saw. There were action shots of him from old newspapers as she found herself lost in reading them.

   That's how Antonio had found her when he returned with her bags. His arrival didn't disturb her as she was lost admiring his old case with a smile. He heard her snicker at something she read.

   "I was never good at those stupid interviews. I always ended up saying something that made me cringe whenever I'd read the newspaper the next day." Surprised from the sound of his voice, Aubrey turned around, shutting the doors of the case and letting the smile she had drop.

    "I didn't mean to open it. I was just-"

   "You were just looking. It's okay, I don't mind." Antonio smiled. Crossing his arms, he watched as her blush of embarrassment receded.

   "Are you into sports?" He asked out of curiosity. He could still envision the way she had ran like hell the other day. "You run track? You gave me a run for my money yesterday."

   "No, I actually play too. Soccer." She admitted bashfully.

    "You do? Are you any good?"

   "Yeah." Aubrey couldn't help but hear the lack of humility in her response." I mean, I guess." She quickly fixed it.

   "Of course you would be if you're my kid." He teased.

    "Well it would explain a lot about why it was the first sport I went to. And actually liked."

    Noticing her bags he held, she went to him offering to take them.

   "I'll put these away." She began to walk to his bedroom, searching for a spot to put them up, but settled on tossing them on to the bed.  When she returned, it was to find two glasses of iced water waiting on the kitchen counter, and so she went to take one. Quenching the thirst she had been ignoring. She was glad that he did it without her asking because she wasn't sure if she would have had the guts to.

   "I thought you would be thirsty." He commented as she downed half of the glass. Sitting at his bar, he pulled out a stool for her. Aubrey hesitated before him.

    "Take a seat." He patted the cushion, and with his offering, Aubrey did.

     The house was filled with the sound of ice clinking around in the cups as they both sat drinking.

   "Do you want some more?" Seeing her cup empty, Antonio was ready to fetch the pitcher again for her.

   "No. No I'm good." Setting the glass down, she chewed on a piece of ice, the sound of it seemed to assault her ears as she quickly swallowed it down.

   "Are you?"

    "Huh?"

    "Are you...good?"

     He didn't have to draw it out for Aubrey to understand just what he was asking.

    "Yeah."

   "Are you sure?"

    "I said yeah."  Biting at her thumbnail, Aubrey waited for the questioning to die down.

    "I'm sorry to hear about it."

   "Yeah, well me too."

   Aubrey was short with him, her demeanor telling him that this was a subject she didn't want to talk about. After her breakdown earlier, he couldn't act like none of it ever happened.

   "Do you mind me asking?"

   "Yes."  When Aubrey turned to him, she saw genuine sadness on his face. She was sure he was looking for an explanation of things. She didn't know of how close he was to her mother, but obviously it was close enough for her to be sitting there today.

 

    "Okay. I understand then. Aubrey, if you ever want to, I'm here to listen to you."

       Tapping her fingers, Aubrey gave up after a few terse minutes of him sitting by her side.

 

   "She wasn't sick or anything."

   "When she..."

   "When she died. She was actually pretty healthy."

   "How did she pass?" Antonio chose his wording carefully, not wanting to upset Aubrey and have her retract on the little information she was giving him.

   "She was killed." The last word came out airy as she counted in her head.  She didn't want to get some crazed look on her face as she talked about Sandra.

     Letting it marinate, Antonio ventured out even further." Was it an accident?" He immediately began to wonder if she had lost her mother in a car accident as many scenarios came to mind.

   "You could call it that." A morbid laugh sent chills down Antonio's spine as she eyed him." She was shot." Batting away the wetness behind her eyes, she watched Antonio as he went through all stages of understanding what she had said. There was confusion, disbelief, and shock splayed before her.

    Out of all the possible ways for Sandra to have died, even that didn't sit at the bottom of his list.

    "That doesn't make any sense." He countered. How would Sandra find herself in any position that involved a gun?

   "What? Someone getting shot? Come on, you live in like one of the country's top shooting capitols. You know, all of those little kids you try to play big brother to?"

   "But Sandra."

    "She got caught up too. Things like that just don't happen in the news, it's not as distant as you may think sometimes."  Grabbing a piece of ice and jumping down from the stool, Aubrey slapped the counter.

    "Now if you will excuse me, I think I'm going to go ahead and sleep." She didn't wait for a response from Antonio as she slipped away, closing the bedroom door behind her quietly.

   Antonio sat with his food for thought, overcome with emotions as he felt tears threaten.

    Sandra had been the only person he had ever felt he loved. Even after all of these years of failed relationships and almost engagements, he had always thought that that she would come back to him. At least his naïve self-hoped for that to happen. He had tried many times to get on with his life. To count Sandra as just a loss.

   Aubrey stood with her hear pressed to the door as she heard the muffled sounds of Antonio. Drifting away, she climbed onto his bed, pushing off her bags as she buried her face into his pillows. She realized that even with her own issues, she had found herself crying this time for Antonio. She couldn't help or reason with her mind as the thought of someone else mourning her mother played out.

    For once, she was happy that she wasn't the only one going through it.

oOo

 Antonio lied on his couch; his feet propped up to accommodate his length. Looking over to the clock on his wall, he narrowed his eyes to make out the time.

    It was just before six in the morning, and he had less than an hour of sleep.

    Whenever his eyes had closed, he had only been able to think of Sandra.

     Antonio wiped his head with a towel as he picked up his bags from the outdoor showers of his school's soccer field. Practice had just finished, and he had put his all into it, with it being the last one before the season's final game in just a week.

   "Hey man, you were looking good out there. We're gonna kick some ass next Friday."

   Antonio dapped up a fellow teammate as they headed out the door. Some guys had waited behind for him as he was always the first one in and last one out.

    They walked up the stadium steps, heading for the parking lot before he caught sight of a figure standing off to the side and out of the way.

   "I'll catch you guys later. I think I left something back on the field." He called out to the moving group who nodded in return. He made it look as if he was headed back towards the field, and when he saw them pile into cars and drive away, he was pulled forward by his t shirt, and was met by a pair of soft plump lips.

    "You took forever and a day coming out." Sandra mumbled against his lips. Antonio dropped his duffle bag, bracing an arm against the brick wall behind them as he walked her to it. His head bent forward far, their height difference being something he had always gotten a small kick out of. With a surprised yelp, Sandra began to laugh as he lifted her to sit on the low wall.

    "And yet, you waited for me." His hands kneaded softly at her sides and hips as he buried his head in her neck.

   "Tony..." She moaned. Her southern twang was melodic as her voice dropped an octave. He felt her fingers lace behind his neck as she brought him up to place small pecks on his lips.

   "You looked good out there."

   "Did I? I thought you hated to watch me?" Rubbing her back, Antonio smiled at her compliment. He usually brushed them off when they came for other girls vying for his attention, but he could distinctly remember all the work it took just to get Sandra to come to a game, let alone a practice.

    She had said soccer was the dumbest sport, not too enticed by watching a ball get kicked up and down a field for hours. Her strong inclination for football made it understandable.

    "Some things change." She replied. Pulling away from him, she ran a thumb over his lips removing the light pink marks of her lip gloss that was left behind.

   "You need a ride home?" He knew that her aunt had a strict policy when it came to being in the house on a school night. It was even stricter considering she forbid Sandra from hanging with boys alone while she stayed with her. Antonio was more than certain that Debra Taliaferro had no idea about them, and if she did, she would die knowing that it was the son of Stefan Russo who wooed her niece. In their past , the two adults hadn't seen eye to eye as Stefan usually shot down and made arguments against Debra's attempts at getting funding and support for various inner city projects, deeming them useless and only a pain in the side of the city.

   "I can drop you off down the street." Antonio offered, seeing her knowing look.

   "Just down the street, Tony."  She made sure he understood the agreement. Antonio had been big on letting it be known that he hated her walking home by herself. He knew she would have to take a couple buses just to get home, and the thought of leaving her alone like that riled the protective nature he felt for her.

   "As you wish." Kissing her lips again, he got lost in the taste and the feel of Sandra. On the tip of his tongue, he had been ready to tell her just how serious he was about her. It had only been a few months, but he knew that what nagged at him day and night was his love for her.

    "But first..." He raised his eyebrows suggestively as a slow grin crept onto her face." I think we need to make a stop somewhere." Leaping from the wall, and grabbing his hand, Sandra left little time for him to keep up with her as she dragged him off to his car.

   "Well then hurry up!"

        Smiling at the memory, Antonio was startled by the sound of a shout coming from his bedroom. Sitting up on the couch, he tried to see if he had heard right. He saw the lights of the room escape from under the door, and heard rustling. Cautiously standing, he walked and stood by the door. He heard virtually almost nothing, but then the sound of running water told him that Aubrey had turned on the shower.

   Rubbing his face, he yawned as he walked back to his couch, plopping down on it. His old memories of Sandra pushed aside as he began to wonder more about what had happened to her. Knowing that his laptop remained in his room, Antonio grabbed his phone, going to his internet browser to search Sandra's name.

   He didn't know how recent her death had been; Aubrey had failed to tell that part of the story.

   He pulled up just one short article dated just a couple of weeks back. His heart sank reading the headline.

   How the hell did Aubrey manage to keep herself together?

   It was easy to answer that because Aubrey was obviously pushed to her limits. He didn't know her like the back of his hand, but he could tell that her temper and agitation weren't all normal.

   His heart beat fast as he caught as he wanted more than what just seemed to be a police report as the bulk of the story. It was nice and short, insulting to him.

    When everything else came up dry, he realized that he wouldn't find anything else written about her other than her obituary.

Sandra Marie Taliaferro, 34, passed away at her home on Sunday, June 23.

Survived by one daughter.

 

    "Jesus." Tossing his phone, Antonio balled up his fist.

      Aubrey hadn't been lying when she said her mother was all she had.

     Maybe Sandra was meant to come back to him. It was Aubrey who was supposed to show up in his life. His daughter was what he had been waiting for all this time without knowing it. None of this would have happened had it not been for ...

    To think that he would have to give credit to Natalia for helping him to meet Aubrey.

oOo

      Aubrey could feel the cold shower tiles on her forehead as she pressed herself against the wall. The hot water on her back was nearly scalding her, and grimacing her way through it she made no moves to turn it down.

   She had another one of the dreams.

   She could still feel the rejection she had felt in her sleep as she had chased after her mother. Sandra had been walking down the street, avoiding Aubrey as she called out to her. Her face had been covered by her hair, and whenever Aubrey got close enough to see her, there was nothing there.

   The blank face had been what torn the scream from her body, waking herself up.

 

    The shower had seemed like the safest place to go to, and she was thankful for the cleansing effects of it as she stood underneath the spray.

   She had hoped that she hadn't drawn any attention to herself as she had woken up. Staying in until she was relaxed and cleaned, Aubrey got out, toweling down as she wiped away the mist on the bathroom mirror.

   Her hair had become a wet tangled mess as she was past due for her relaxer. She cringed at the thought of having to deal with the mess; it was something her mother had always handled for her. She hadn't even brought a flat iron to make sure she looked semi decent.

     Her best bet was that Antonio didn't happen to own one either. Digging through the bag she had drugged in with her, she found a brush and hair tie, and in a few swift twists, managed to braid her hair into a single low braid. It would have to do until she could get proper tools.

   After dressing and brushing her teeth, Aubrey stuck her head out of the bathroom, seeing if by chance Antonio had come in. She was up the entire night, and not once did he come knocking to get pajamas or anything else.

   When she stepped out of the room, she called to his back as he poured himself a glass of water.

   "Antonio, I'm done if you need to go in." When he heard her, he turned around with his phone to his ear.  Taking her cue, he walked past as he talked to the other person on the line. He was still dressed in his pants and buttoned down shirt. He gave her an easy smile as he walked past her, closing the bedroom door.

   "I was calling to let you know that I won't be in today..." His words trailed off.

   Though she wore a watch, Aubrey knew it would be useless to glance down at it. It was an old petite thing that her mother had given to her on her thirteenth birthday. It had since stopped working, and she had never found the time to go get it fixed. So, she looked at the living room wall, seeing that was still early in the morning.

    Taking a seat, she waited for Antonio to show up again.

oOo

        Antonio showered and dressed quickly, so as not to leave Aubrey waiting for too long. He had called in a day for himself, and had received the surprised reaction from his assistant that had been expected. His behavior in the past couple of days made people suspicious, but nothing was questioned.

   When he came out, he found Aubrey flipping through channels on his TV. A small part of him admiring the way she seemed to fit there naturally as her feet were propped up onto the coffee table. Clearing his throat, he caught her attention as her feet were immediately drawn back in surprise.

   "You look like your fresh off of cell block D!" Aubrey nearly choked as she had her first look of a regular Antonio as he was dressed in a simple white t shirt and jeans.

   There was barely an inch of his arms that hadn't been covered by tattoos, and Aubrey began to wonder if he had a dark past up his...sleeve.

    Holding back his own smirk, he watched Aubrey burst out into laughter.

    "How much time did you have to do to get those?"

   "I wouldn't count a few hours here and there in a tattoo parlor as any hardcore time..." This time he couldn't help but laugh as well at the amazement in her eyes. Aubrey came to him, grabbing his arm as she began to examine the many designs.

   "This is fucking tight." The sound of the curse word falling from her lips once again caused for Antonio to cringe slightly.

   "You're pretty loose with your words, aren't you?" He looked at her with an apparent frown of disapproval.

   "My bad. I guess I just forget sometimes." Aubrey caught the sound of warning in his voice, and let go of him as she reminded herself to reign in her obscenities from time to time. She had always watched her mouth around her mother, and had no idea where her tendency to curse came from. Even with the little time she had spent with Antonio, she hadn't heard too many words fall from his mouth casually either.

   "Maybe you should be a little more, aware."

  "Sorry." Like a child receiving a light scolding, Aubrey linked her hands in front of her after making a zipper gesture across her lips. Ruffling a few hairs from her braid, Antonio found it amusing to see her listening to him.

  "So you do know how to listen then?" He teased.

    Aubrey patted her braid to make sure it wasn't completely ruined as she tucked loose strands back behind her ears.

   "Sometimes." She shrugged.

   "Sometimes?"

   "Yeah. Sometimes."

   "Well, that's good to know." Following behind him to the kitchen, Aubrey cursed as his eyes landed on the now empty glass of water that he had made for himself earlier. Pointing a finger to it, he looked to her.

 

   "Uh, I just figured that since it was already there...you know....it wouldn't make sense to mess up another cup." Refilling the same glass, Antonio let out a hearty chuckle.

      "Thanks for saving me the hassle."

 

    Aubrey scrunched her nose as he drunk. "Did you seriously just do that?"

    "We're family aren't we?"  He retorted.

      "Oh God... "Sitting at the counter, Aubrey shook her head as Antonio seemed to enjoy his little laugh.

   "I was thinking, we should go get something to eat. You know, breakfast or something." Antonio watched as she scrunched her face again.

   "I know you said you hated it, but I have to make up for yesterday seeing as how I didn't exactly feed you.

   "Yeah...I guess that's cool." Stunned at how he finished her thought, Aubrey sat back in her chair. "But didn't you say-"

    "That I don't like it either? I think I can manage just one morning. Besides, it will give us time to hang out."

   "Hang out, huh?"

   "Yeah. Would you like that, or do you have something else in mind?" Raising a hand, he stopped Aubrey before she could talk.

   "Something that doesn't involve you leaving."

   "Well shit, I guess not then." She mumbled. "My bad. My bad." Realizing that she had let another curse word slip she shook her head in understanding.

oOo

   Sometime later, Aurbey found herself seated across from Antonio, sipping on a cup of orange juice as he bent the paper wrapping of his straw in between his fingers. Every now and then, when the one caught the other staring, they would give a nod, or grunt of acknowledgement.

   As she sat her glass down, Antonio caught a glimpse of the watch on her wrist, and instantly remembered.

   "Where did you get that from?"

   "My watch? From my mom, it was a present."

   "Take it off and let me see it." Holding her wrist close to her Aubrey shook her head.

   "Why would I do that?"

   His excitement and curiosity tuned down at her defensiveness.

  Drawing his hand back, he explained," I gave that to your mom, a long time ago. I just didn't think she would have kept it for this long."

   Looking at the gold jewelry, Aubrey ran her fingers over it before she unclasped it. Turning it over, she found the small engraving on the back.

   "Is that what this is about?" Handing it over to Antonio, she pointed out the words on the back.

   "My me." He read them out loud.

   "I always thought it was for like, mini me, or something." Aubrey watched as his fingers traced over the watch.

   "She would say that all of the time." Antonio seemed to be off in a world by himself, and Aubrey wondered if she was intruding." When I gave it to her she had laughed so hard."

    Flipping it over, he saw that the hands were stuck in the same position."We'll get this fixed today. Here, give me your hand."

   Hooking the watch back on to her wrist, Antonio watched her pull at her hair.

   "And that." He said pointing one finger." The hair thing? She did that all of the time too."

     When their food was brought out, Aubrey was glad that it saved her from having to say something back in return. Looking at her hefty plate any other day and she would have been sure she couldn't have finished it. But with an angry growl like she had in her stomach, she wasted no time in forking a pile of eggs into her mouth.

   "You look so much like her, Aubrey. I can't believe it." Fixing into his own plate, Antonio spoke astonished.

   "When I was little, she used to put me in these little outfits just like hers. We won some crappy contests for mother daughter look a likes a couple of years in a row." Aubrey divulged little bits and pieces of information for space fillers as they ate.

   "I can only imagine." Antonio realized that was something he would have loved to see, like so many other things that he couldn't help but to have missed. By the end of the meal, he found that Aubrey wasn't as hesitant to let him in on a few stories that made him laugh. As she talked and complained about Sandra, he could see the happiness in her face.

   "For my birthday she would this huge cake, and have all of these games and things set out front of the house so that the other kids would come and play with me. She'd sucker them into coming to my parties with food and toys." Her face was animated as she recounted the many times Sandra would sit her out on the front porch at a little table as she helped to make ribbons and other decorations.

      "But mama, they don't like me anyway. They're just going to come and eat all of the cake!" Aubrey stomped in the chair as she handed tape to her mother. Looking up at the large ‘ Happy Birthday!" sign, she just knew that as soon as they came and kissed up to her for cake, they would go right back to taunting her.

   Sandra leaned down, cupping her daughter's pudgy face.

   "Sometimes you have to give them a little encouragement before they see how great you are. Let them see what they are missing out on." She hated to see her baby come home crying and frustrated because of the bigger kids who picked on her because of her size. She saw it change her daughter from the shy and timid girl to one with thicker skin.

   If she had it her way, she would go out there and tear their behinds up and then call and tell their parents she did it.

   But of course she couldn't do that.

   Giving Aubrey a chance to make another effort at friendship with a small party was the next best thing on her list. Hopefully, they would bite.

   "Hmph. I'm fine without them." Aubrey's mother laughed at her frumpy attitude.

   "I'm sure you think that."

       "Well did it ever work?" Antonio sat, full now from his meal.

    "Nah, it took a couple of ass-butt whoopings before they decided to at least act like they liked me."

   "Well maybe this birthday can be at least halfway decent." Antonio had managed to forget what was waiting for him at the end of the week, and with all the talk of birthdays, he realized that he saw some promise in it this year. Since they shared back to back birthdays, he was suddenly enticed with the thought of sharing the get together with her.

    "Probably not. I won't even be home for it this year.Not that there is much in store for it." Drinking her juice, Aubrey brushed off the mentioning.

    "No, but you are here this year. My birthday is Saturday, while yours is Sunday, correct?"

   "And?" Aubrey became uneasy at the prospect.

    "It wouldn't hurt to share a party with you this weekend. It will be on Saturday. Nothing big or fancy."

   "With who? Your family?" Her distaste was obvious as she stared at him in shock." No offense, but I think I'll be fine without that. Plus, I'm leaving Saturday. There's no way I would be able to make it."

   "Don't throw the suggestion out so fast, Aubrey."

   "I'm sorry but, I can't. " Aubrey wouldn't dare put herself in a situation with the potential of being unbearably uncomfortable for her.

    "It won't be an issue, Aubrey."

   "It won't be a problem for you to spring a kid on them after just a few days of knowing me? I mean, it's obvious your sister hates me. You think she would be okay with that?" She tried to reason with him but saw that he wouldn't budge.

   "My sister will most definitely not be a problem, and I'll make sure of that." The promise in his eyes told Aubrey that what he said wasn't a lie.

   She then thoroughly contemplated the offer. Within the past couple of hours, she had actually found herself enjoying him...

   "Are you sure about this? You know, you don't have to make up anything if that's what you're doing. I promise you I'm holding nothing against you." She quickly assured him.

   "I am absolutely sure about this."

   "But I don't even have a present or anything for you." Her inexperience with being invited anywhere was surely showing as she started to wonder about all the protocol that went along with attending a birthday party.

   "Don't worry about that. I'm old enough to not need a present." With a breath of relief, Antonio smiled at her." Besides, just having you there would be more than enough for me."

   Smacking her teeth, Aubrey rolled her eyes.

   "That was beyond corny." Biting back her own grin, Aubrey welcomed the feeling that didn't have to put up much more of a fight in her chest anymore.

oOo

       Natalia waited at a stop light, huffing from the morning heat as she put her air conditioner on full blast. She had called and visited Antonio's office, and found that he had supposedly called in for the day. It was hard to believe that, until she saw his car parked outside of a diner.

    It wasn't hard to spot; it was one of the few of its caliber.

    Against the angry horns of other drivers, she cut through lanes as she made her way into the small parking lot. She drove by slowly, catching a glimpse of Antonio and the girl sitting together. When she found herself a spot between enough cars to block her, she quickly got out and ran around to see them coming out.

    Falling back against another car, she tried her best to not be seen as Antonio opened the passenger door and let the girl in.

   Looking back into the restaurant, she saw that their plates remained untouched as she raced in behind them after they drove out of sight.

   "Wait, wait, wait!" She called to the busboy that began stacking the plates into his bin.

    "Excuse me?" He asked the woman as she rushed towards him.

  "Don't take those yet."

   Ignoring her request, he shook his head and continued on. When he picked up the fork that had been used by Antonio, Natalia snatched it out of his hands.

   "What's your problem lady?" He called to her as she casually strolled out of the building. Deciding that he didn't have enough cares for the lackluster job, he didn't bother to go after her for the utensil.

    Once she was back in her car, Natalia phoned Sarah.

   "I hope you are at work because I am on my way there now."

   Without a word from the other end, Natalia hung up her phone, placing the fork carefully in her middle console.

oOo

        "Thanks again for doing this." It had been at least the fifth time that Aubrey had voiced her gratitude to Antonio for her now ticking watch. She held it to her ears, making sure that she could still hear the sound.

    "It was nothing, Aubrey. Seriously." He could admit, he felt a small twinge of pride from how she seemed to be mildly happy with the watch.

    "I just want you to know I appreciate it." Looking out the window, she wondered just where he planned on taking her.

   "Where are we going?"

   "I thought I would take and show you around a little bit. I could take you to see some of the old spots your mom and I would hang out at. Maybe go see a movie later on, or shopping. Do you like shopping?. It's up to you really what you would like to do.."

   "I don't really have a preference. I mean that all sounds nice so I guess we could do that." If she looked hard enough, Aubrey swore she saw Antonio ready to breakout in a sweat as he thought of things for them to do during the day. He threw whatever he could think of out there, hoping something would catch her interest.

   "You sure?"

  "I'm sure."

      With a deep sigh, Antonio relaxed.

 

    "Cool."

       The sound of pop music playing throughout the store was like white noise to Aubrey as she walked around it, observing the different displays and products that decorated it. Over her shoulder was Antonio. She had asked to go somewhere where she could look for souvenirs and knickknacks. He had taken her to one of the best shopping centers he knew, and decided to watch patiently as she shopped for something.

   He had suggested different things, seeing the indecision on her face as she scowled at price tags and items, thinking that there was no way in hell that they matched.

   What he didn't know was that Aubrey was in search of a present for him.

   Attending the party was still up in the air, but she felt that the least she could do was buy him a gift. She had felt an urge to find something for him, it would be the first and maybe last one she ever got him, so that called for something memorable.

   The sound of his cell phone ringing told her that he had a call to take. He had ignored it all morning, and with a smile of encouragement to him to answer, Antonio excused himself as he spoke in hushed tones to the person on the other line.

    He kept an eye on the top of her head as she began to move around the store, making a beeline for the section that catered to men.

   Cologne, wallet, or tacky tie.

    What the hell are you supposed to buy for your dad?

   Aubrey was never a shopper, and if she couldn't go in and out of a store without any trouble, she would feel herself become irritated and annoyed at the prospect of shopping. She had no patience for the task whatsoever.

    While she became enraptured in looking for a present before Antonio could see, she didn't notice the lurking Lillian slowly making her approach towards Aubrey.

    Lillian had been surprised when she first caught sight of the girl, and a flashback to their last encounter had made her cringe. She had pussied out of calling Antonio to apologize for her inappropriate outburst after finding out who Aubrey was. She dimly remembered that being her reaction when she had first found out about him and Sandra years ago. She still remembered how hurt he had been at her taking their relationship for a joke, and had chastised herself for the past two days for doing the same now with Aubrey.

    She watched as she picked up various things, eyeing them, feeling them, before placing them back down with a look of dissatisfaction.

   "I'm sure that will attract the ladies."  After lingering over her shoulder for long enough, Lillian finally decided to make her presence known as Aubrey sprayed a bottle of cologne on her wrist, and grimaced from the strong smell.

   Aubrey put the bottle down, careful not to drop it at the sudden voice. Turning around, she realized who it was as she rubbed the smell off onto her pants.

  "Yeah, well, too bad for them." She murmured. It was apparent that Aubrey wasn't very excited seeing Lillian, and with a nervous smile, Lillian immediately began to apologize.

   "Look, I know we started out on the wrong foot. I was wrong for....acting the way I did. I honestly did't mean any harm. Sometimes I just get a little out of control even for myself."  The younger girl regarded Lillian with a stoic face as she waited her response.

   Wrinkling her nose, Aubrey sniffed as the smell of the cologne began to bother her.

   "Okay." With a shrug of her shoulders, Aubrey held no malice or resentment in her answer, and without having to dissect it, Lillian knew that it was her way of saying everything was cool between them, and she accepted it.

   "So, are you looking for something for the birthday boy?"  She took a deep breath of relief as she noticed Aubrey's perusal of men's shirts and ties next.

   "Or are you looking to change up your look? I have to say, that blue would go amazingly well with your eyes." Lillian held up said shirt, and Aubrey's small smirk was almost invisible. She knew that if she had blinked she would have missed it.

   "No, I was just looking. Nothing big." Aubrey watched as Antonio made his way over the many stands, his tall figure standing out in the store. She saw his eyes move between her and Lillian with a knowing question. Since no one was in a headlock or bleeding, it was safe to say that everything was under control.

   "Well, no one is dead yet so I should take that as a good sign, right?" Antonio spoke as he stood beside the two.

    "I think I've been spared. I paid my dues so ..." Lillian told him, hinting at the clearing of the air. They had been friends for so long that sometimes the less words said between them, then the more understanding.

   "I'm glad to see that." Looking over to Aubrey's empty hands, he raised an eyebrow." Haven't found anything yet, have you? I figured it would be a little hard in the men's department." There was a slight show of humor in his words as Aubrey lightly rolled her eyes.

  "I guess that would make a whole lot of sense. We can go now, if you're ready." Aubrey waited for his nod of agreement, but just before he made to say his goodbyes to Lillian, she hopped in and stopped him mid-sentence.

   "Let me take you to dinner!"  She blurted out.  Aubrey looked to Antonio, and Antonio looked to Aubrey. The look they shared was so uncanny that Lillian almost busted out in laughter again, but her good conscience told her that wouldn't be the best idea.

   "We could do that, right?" Antonio knew that it was heading into the evening, but he knew that he had promised Aubrey to go see a movie." It's just that, we were going to see a movie in a few, so does the offer still stand until later?"

   Shaking her head yes, Lillian waved her hand." Of course. I'm sure you guys have a lot of catching up to do. Just call me when you're done, and I'll treat you to dinner. On me."

   "On you." Antonio repeated making sure she knew what she said.

   "On me!" She called out after them as Antonio and Aubrey began to leave the store.

   When they were outside, Aubrey turned to him.

   "I'll make sure I don't eat too much popcorn because something tells me I'm going to want to save my appetite for dinner."

   "Don't hold back. Lillian always slips by whenever we eat together. It's time the tables flip on her."

   Both laughed at their devious plot to make sure Lillian felt a dent in her purse that night.

oOo

       Lillian narrowed her eyes over the table at Antonio as his meal was placed before him on the table. Her eyes had twitched as she heard them order the most expensive appetizers, entrees, and even suggest which desert would be best before they even finished their meal. She had watched as a bystander as Aubrey and Antonio had looked at the menu together.

     Antonio had always been a reserved guy. Never joking too much or too uptight. Watching him with Aubrey, Lillian saw a genuine smile come from his lips, and a hesitant one from the girl's. She wondered how Antonio could go back to who he was before Aubrey showed up, and honestly, she crossed her fingers that he wouldn't have to.

   "You look a lot like Sandra, you know." Lillian broke the small silence that had settled over the table as they all began to eat.

   Looking up from her plate, Aubrey began to retreat with her easygoingness at the mentioning of her mother. The way Lillian's eyes surveyed her teetered on the line of becoming unnerving.

     "Lillian." Antonio's voice was soft yet his words held a firmness as he watched Aubrey duck her head.

   "I'm sorry. I mean no disrespect-I'm just-remembering old times, I guess." Turning to her wine, Lillian took a sip of it as a memory grew in her mind.

      Lillian fixed her ponytail that had been pulled at by the cheerleader she had been seeing for the past couple of weeks. Checking her lips for the remnants of her left over lip gloss, she swiped her thumbs at it, remembering the taste of the owner's lips.

   She had asked Antonio for a ride after school that day, and had hung around waiting for his practice to be over with. Usually, being at school past the end of the day bell would be the last thing on her list, but filling that spare time with a little reward after weeks of playing cat and mouse with the cheerleader who knew what Lillian was about, yet was hesitant to make a move made up for it.

   Jovially, she made her way to the soccer field, nodding to some of the players as they left.

   "Have you seen Antonio?"

   "Yeah, he stayed back like always."  Lillian's eyes followed the boy's arm as he pointed down the stadium and towards a small brick building at the end of the field. Making her way down the steps, she came to a halt at the sound of laughter.

   "Do it again."

   "Again?"

    Creeping slowly towards the building, Lillian could hear the tell all sounds of lips meeting each other, and the soft whisperings of two people.

   Scaling her hands alongside the building, she was light as air, not wanting to make a sound as she peeped around the corner.

    The sight of Antonio pressing the new girl, Sandra, against the wall kissing her neck brought a shocked gasp from Lillian's lips.

   Hearing the intruder, the two lovesick teens turned around like they had been caught red handed.  Lillian could see Antonio's hands on Sandra's bared mid drift.

  "Lillian, I was just coming to get-"

   Holding up her hands to stop him, Lillian didn't want to hear him anymore.

   "I was just checking on you, but I see you still had some things to ...finish up. I'll wait for you by your car."

    Leaving the two with their mouths still open in shock, and cheeks flushed from embarrassment, Lillian had no intentions of telling what she saw.

   So what Antonio was hooking up with a black chick?

    Lillian had finally accepted that she was a lesbian, and she knew that if word had gotten out in their circle about who the two best friends spent their time with, it would only cause hell and chaos. Lillian respected Antonio's obvious love, and she would only hope that he would do the same for her.

   She would protect that if it was what he wanted.

    "I was never really close to her, but we talked some. She was a nice girl. Very nice."

   "Yeah, that's how she always was." Aubrey found that she was responding despite herself. Lillian's eyebrow quirked in Antonio's direction at the use of tenses.

   " I have to say this is still...pretty wild to think of. That Antonio and Sandra had a kid-had you."

   "Yeah. Well..."

  "If you ever need anything, I'm here for you. I promise." Lillian's offer of support and friendship went to both Aubrey and Antonio. She eyed them to make sure they understand that she meant it to the fullest.

   "Besides, I missed out on being a God Mom and teaching you all kinds of wicked shit." Lillian laughed at Antonio's furrowed scowl.

   "Good thing it's too late for that then." Antonio scoffed.

   "No, no Tony dear. It's never too late." Lillian winked at Aubrey who stared back at them quizzically.

   How was she supposed to stay so adamant on leaving if everyone she met confused her since they all seemed to be so convinced that she was here to stay?

   "Well, it sucks that we couldn't have met sooner. I'll be gone in a couple of days." Aubrey interjected, wanting to drive the point home. She wasn't here to become a permanent figure in any of their lives, and she had to let it be known.

   "What do you mean?" Lillian looked to Antonio for an answer as he tensed at Aubrey's words.

   "She doesn't mean-"

   "Yes. Yes I do mean that I am leaving, Antonio. I've already told you this."

   "We haven't discussed that yet, Aubrey."

    "It's not up for discussion." Sliding back her chair, Aubrey stood to her feet. Going to the bathroom to cool down would be the best option for her. She had a good day with Antonio thus far, and didn't want her impending departure to ruin it so quickly.

   "I have to use the restroom." She barely finished her statement before she had left the table. Putting down her fork, Lillian leaned over to Antonio.

   "Is she serious? She's going to leave? But, she just got here. First Sandra keeps your daughter a secret and now she's making her go back to the thin air she poofed from?"

   Putting his elbows on the table, Antonio steadied his head on his fists.

   "Sandra was never this way when we were younger. Has she changed that much?" Lillian sat back in disbelief. Antonio opened his hands, placing them back down.

   "Sandra's dead, Lil."

   The anger that had started to grow was soon diminished.

   "No." She whispered.

   "It happened just a couple of weeks ago. Aubrey said she had found some old things of mine and took a plane to come and find me. She never had any idea about me, Lillian. After all of this time."

   "You're not going to let her go, are you? Antonio..."

   "I can't force her to stay."

   "Do you not want her here? I mean I know she changes everything now, but she's your kid."

    "Of course I want her here. How am I supposed to tell her that she isn't going back? I'm her father, but not her dad. You heard her call me Antonio. She doesn't want to be here."

   "Oh cut the bullshit, she's a teenage girl! Of course she's going to kick and scream about what she doesn't want when it's just a front." Lillian was a high school calculus teacher, at a private school nonetheless, and she was well versed in the behavior of teenagers. They talked big even when they didn't mean it.

   "She's old enough to make her own decisions. I don't know if I could change her mind. I've been trying to like hell, but she's so...sure that she is leaving." Lillian looked towards the restrooms to make sure Aubrey wasn't returning yet.

  "You're her father. You should have some rights, considering the situation. Talk to her family or whoever has custody of her-"

    "I don't think there is anyone." Antonio had spoken a quiet fear of his that had been festering in his thoughts. He remembered Aubrey telling him how her mother had been her everything. She had yet to mention any other love ones, to give a reason as to why she had to return other than the fact that she believed she didn't belong with him.

  "This is ridiculous." Lillian bit her tongue. Aubrey was coming back. Pushing aside her unfinished wine, she gave Antonio a look that said she wasn't happy with anything.

   Sitting down, Aubrey could almost taste the tension in the air.

 

    "I can tell that you two need something sweet in your lives. Is it desert time already?" Waving down a waiter, Aubrey placed an order for the table, and when it finally arrived, she used the food as a way to ignore the obviously annoyed looks Lillian shot at Antonio every so often.

Antonio turned off the shower, and reached for his towel blindly.

   Last night when they had gotten home, Aubrey had been silent as she excused herself to bed. The ride back had been quiet after having dinner with Lillian. She had continued to talk about Aubrey staying, suggesting that she would take her places, and show her around. Antonio knew that she was trying to convince Aubrey of all that awaited her, just as he had done, and without fail, Aubrey deflected it all.

   When he exited the bathroom in his trousers, he found that Aubrey had left the room. Leaning out the bedroom door, he found her splayed across his couch, with the bed comforter dragged on top of her. Leaving her to sleep, he continued to dress, getting ready for the day.

   "Antonio?" A small voice called from the bedroom door as Aubrey stood by it. Her face was drawn together as she came out of her sleeping stupor. She had heard the quiet sounds he made around the house, but they were enough to wake her.

  "Hey, I was just getting ready for work." Tying his tie, he turned to see her nodding.

   Looking at his watch, he saw that she could have enough time to get ready if she started now.

   "I was wondering if you wanted to come along. I know it's boring, but it's better than sitting in here all day."

   "Like, to your job with you?"

    "Yeah, it's no problem. You won't be in the way or anything."

     "No thanks." Wrapping her arms around her body, Aubrey declined."Maybe I'll just stay in and rest awhile. Sleep the day away or something."

   "Are you sure? Maybe I can call Lillian. She's at home so you could hang out over there."

  "No-I'd rather sleep. If that's okay with you." Antonio was reluctant to leave her alone, but knew that he could do only so much to convince her otherwise.

   "Okay. It's all up to you."

    Patting her shoulder as he walked by, he prepared to leave.

     "I have to go now, but I'll make sure to call you throughout the day? I won't be back late tonight."

    "Okay." Watching him walk out the door, Aubrey locked it behind him. With a sigh, she went back to the couch, picking up the blanket she had dragged out and trudged back to the bedroom. Hoping that maybe she could force herself to sleep for the day like she had told him.

oOo

   By 9 am, Aubrey found that she had tossed and turned enough to know that sleep wasn't going to come easy for her. That's why she now stood in the steamy bathroom, pulling on her clothes and fixing her hair to busy herself.

   She donned another dress, this time a light blue one. If she had to admit to anything, it would be that dresses were a clothing item of choice that she couldn't live without. Tying her chucks, she was satisfied with her look as she went into the living room.

   Flopping down, and flipping through the channels, she found nothing that was interesting enough for her. Vaguely, she remembered that she had promised to make a call to Mrs. Anderson, and was past late doing so.

   "Who is this?" The abrupt sound of a child on the other line met Aubrey as she dialed Mrs. Anderson's home.

   "Let me speak to your grandma."

   "I don't know who you are."

   "It's Aubrey, Dre! Give the phone to your grandma."

   "Now see, you're gonna have to be a little bit nicer to me baby. You can't just call up here demanding things like that if you're gonna be rude to me." Holding the phone away from her ear, Aubrey prepared to scream.

   "Put. Your. Grandma. On. The.Phone." Dre was thirteen and a mack daddy in the making. Too many little girls around the neighborhood had boosted his ego once he hit puberty, and now he tried his damndest  to win over Aubrey, his crush on her out in the open.

   "Damn! Don't be screaming in my ear like that-"

   "Boy, are you cursing in my house? Gimmie that phone before I bust you upside that big ass head of yours. Hello?"

   "Hey, Mrs. Anderson." The familiar voice was a relief to hear.

   "I've been waiting for you to call me back."

   "I know, I'm sorry. I got a little busy."

    "Well, you called now so I'll let it go for now." Aubrey could tell by the rustling on the other end that she had her hands full.

   "Did I call at a bad time?"

   "No, honey. I'm just trying to get these youngins settled down before I leave. I've got a doctor's appointment and I swear they just want me to go in with my blood pressure ran up. Sit down!"

   "I was just calling to let you know I'm okay. I know you're  busy, so I'll let you go."

   "Wait a minute now, hold on." Aubrey could hear a little bit of order put in place as Mrs. Anderson stopped her from going." You sure you're alright?"

   "Yes Ma'am."

   There was a pause of silence as Mrs. Anderson made a noise in her throat.

   "Alright now. If you say so. Look here, you'll tell me if anything wasn't right? I could be up there as soon as you ask for me-"

   "I promise."

   "Okay, Aubrey. I have to get going to my appointment before I'm late. You take care of yourself." Mrs. Anderson spoke caringly to Aubrey as she told her that she would. Ending the call, Aubrey's hands fell to her sides as her head lolled on the couch.

     The phone began ringing in her hand again, drawing her closing eyes back open.

   "Aubrey?" It was Antonio calling.

   "Yeah?"

   "I was calling to make sure you were okay. Are you?' He asked after a heavy pause.

   "Yeah."

   "Did I wake you?"

   "No."

   "So are you up?"

    "Kinda."

     Antonio saw the pattern here. He would ask, and she would give him a short answer to everything he said. He wondered if he had already lost ground with her from yesterday.

   " Do you want me to come back?" He suggested. If she gave any sign that was what she wanted, he would.

  "No, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired still." She was fully awake, but she knew that she had been a little curt with him for no reason.

   "Because I can if you want me to."

   "It's okay. I was actually just going to watch some TV. Maybe find a movie channel or something." She hoped that her plans would reassure him, and his small sigh told her it may have done a fraction of the job.

   "You can use my laptop too. It's in there, I'll give you the password to log on if you want."

   "Okay." Aubrey dangled her feet just above the floor as she waited for him to end the call.

   "Shit, there's no food in the house. I can send someone over with lunch or snacks-"

   "I'll just go out if I get hungry."

   "Are you sure? Maybe I should just call it a day."

   "Relax..." Aubrey finally sighed from his small panicking."I'm a big girl. I don't need to be babysat."

    As her words registered, Antonio realized what he had been doing. He was thinking of how it could be dangerous to leave a child at home alone all day, but then she swiftly reminded him that she wasn't the little girl he must have been imagining.

   "You're right."

   "Of course. Now go back to work. I'll call you if I need to." Leaving his number for her, Antonio sighed as he hung up the phone. Tapping his fingers against his desk, he told himself to play it cool. Aubrey would be okay until he got back.

oOo

   Aubrey looked at her cone of ice cream, ready to devour it as she picked a seat a table outside of the ice cream shop she had found on her way around town. It was late in the afternoon, and she had finally succeeded to fall asleep for a few hours before waking up, craving the dairy treat.

   As she whipped her legs across the red bench seat, she pulled her dress to as she straddled it, Giving her ample view of people coming and going. She rolled her feet around as she basked in the feeling of the sun.

   It was nice to get some of the heat on her skin after being in all day.

   She admired the beauty of the sky until a rough shove from behind sent her flying forward, tossing her cone into the air.

   "I won it! It's mine!"

    "No! I wanted this one, you didn't win it, you stole it from me!"

   "Nuh uh!"

   "Yeah huh!"

   Twirling around in her seat, Aubrey sneered her nose up at the two little girls who argued over a balloon animal. They began pulling at it, the one facing away from her bumping into her back again with rough force.

   "Chill out you two." A male voice called out seeing the sight. He saw Aubrey glaring at the two girls and her fallen ice cream at her feet. At the sound of their brother, the two girls stopped bickering long enough to look up. Their grip on the balloon soon caused a loud pop to resound in Aubrey's ears.

   When they both turned around at her groan, Aubrey could see that they were twins. Both dressed in pink shirts and white bows holding up their curly hair.  They stared at her wide eyed as they saw the look on her face and soiled liquid seeping to their sandals.

   "Sorry!" They both called out at once.

    "They really are. I'll buy you another one if that's okay." The girls dashed back to the safety of their brother's legs, hiding behind them as Aubrey stood up, shaking off her hands.

   "No, I guess I was done with that anyways." Aubrey's eyes travelled up the tanned and toned legs of the boy before her before landing on his eyes.

   That's when she saw it.

   His charm. His beauty. The kind of thing that had girls ready to faun over him at first sight.

   The young man was all too aware that she was becoming aware of what he had been credited for most of his life post-puberty. It was something he hated, but came to love as it was a sign of stability in some aspect of his life.

   Immediately engaging his charm factor, he smiled at her ready to make her swoon.

   "I'll get you that cone. What flavor was it again?" He tilted his head for an added bonus, sending forth his smoldering gaze as his mouth continued to quirk, showing his results from brushing and flossing twice daily as his dentist recommended.

    Aubrey blinked slowly, reaching up to scratch behind her ear unaffected and unimpressed.

   "Nah, you're good." Dismissing him, Aubrey flipped her leg around, remaining in her seat.

    Smile faltering just a tad, the boy cleared his throat, not one to have his face on the ground. He heard his little sister snickering from below, and with a light smack to the back of her head, it ceased.

   "Let's go get her an ice cream." He led them away, and inside to the shop. Aubrey didn't bother to acknowledge the fact that she heard him, and when she heard the ringing of the ‘welcome' bells, she turned towards the large windows, watching as the boy in side ordered.

   "Didn't I just say no?" Aubrey spoke to herself, confused on how that was missed by him. When she saw him take two cones in his hand as he paid, she was up and out of her seat as she lost interest.

   When the boy reemerged, digging up words to speak to the girl to redeem himself, he found the spot she had once occupied empty. A frown came to his face as his twin sisters slurped at their own treats.

  "You know, I can eat that since she didn't want it."

  "You don't get to have it, I do!"

  "Nuh uh. I already called dibbs!"

   "It doesn't count ‘cause I'm the oldest!"

   "You don't even like vanilla!"

  "So!"

   Lowering the cone as it was attacked by both girls; the older boy took a seat at the red bench with a slight slump in his back.

    Looking down the sidewalk, he wondered where Aubrey had gone off to, but more importantly, how he fell short in making her fall for him.

oOo

          With feet meeting the concrete ground one behind the other, Aubrey began to notice that wherever she was walking was getting her nowhere.

   "Oh, shit." Looking at her watch, she saw that it was already close to six in the evening. She didn't realize how fast time had escaped her as she walked around aimlessly. Keeping her cool, she pulled out her cell phone, ready to dial the memorized number Antonio had given her.

   Even as she banged the piece of junk against her hand, she knew that it was dead.

    "Fuck." She said to herself. Calmly pulling out the small map she still carried with her, she found a building to lean against as she began to recall street names that would lead her back to Antonio's apartment.

   She usually had a good memory, but only when she paid attention.

  Slowly but surely, some of the names and lines she traced on the paper began to make sense, and going off on a whim, she began to follow them, hoping that she could hit the nail on the head the first time around.

  She refused to panic. She knew what she was doing, easy.

   She would get back before Antonio even noticed she was gone.

oOo

    Antonio frowned as another dial tone met him as he called his apartment for the sixth time in an hour.

   Aubrey hadn't picked up.

   The first three calls, he hadn't worried by just figuring he was getting worked up over nothing.

   The last three began to worry him as he packed up to leave his office. He would be leaving at the same time many other employees did, and this fact didn't go unaddressed as he boarded the elevator to many jeers.

   When Antonio was in the parking deck, he had only getting home in the forefront of his mind, and the sound of his mother calling him didn't register as he threw his briefcase in the backseat of his car.

   If asked, he would have insisted that he did the speed limit home, hell he would have even suggested he could have gone a few more miles over.

   In actuality, he was racing home, drawing stares and many honks as he weaved in and out of rush hour traffic, forcing his way through.

    Practically running into the lobby of his apartment building for the elevator, Antonio had to slow himself down when he began to garner looks of suspicion. Quickly making it to his front door, he unlocked it, taking a deep breath to calm himself down.

   Surely he was worrying too much.

   He repeated this in his mind as he walked through his home, looking at every nook and cranny to hopefully find Aubrey there.

   She wasn't.

   "Hello?" Finally answering the call from his mother, Antonio couldn't mask the sound in his voice as his heartbeat heavy against his chest.

  "Antonio? Is everything okay?"

   "Yeah mom."

   "Are you sure?" Mary knew her son, and the tight tone is his voice meant something was up.

   "How was work? Was it stressful?"

   "No, can I call you back later?"

   "Wait! What's wrong honey? Is everything okay?"

   "Mom, I just-"

    "You're worrying me Antonio." The sound of her voice didn't lie, and taking a seat on the couch, Antonio tried to explain that he needed to go in a less harsh tone.

   "I'm sorry. I just have to find something right now, and I'm having a hard time."

   "What are you looking for?"

   "Aubrey..."

   Bewildered, it took a second for Mary to connect with what he had said.

   "Now, don't start to worry, you didn't lose her. Maybe she went out for a bit. She'll be back." She tried to reassure him. Sitting down at her dining table, she felt the eyes of Natalia on her as she sat planning for Antonio's party. She had been calm and composed these past couple of days, and not her usually snarky self. Mary recognized the look of self-accomplishment, and took it for Natalia being proud of herself for arranging such an elaborate party for Antonio as she had.

   Natalia quirked one eyebrow as she listened to her mother's side of the conversation.

     "Antonio, calm down honey." Natalia didn't fight the small smirk that rested on her lips as she continued tying up loose ends.

  Mary sat in her seat, mirroring her son's feelings from afar.

   "Where are you going?"

     Mary could hear the sound of a door slamming in the back ground as Antonio exited his apartment.

   "I'm going to find her."

   "Antonio-"

   "I'm sorry, but I have to go mom." He heard his mother call out to him to be careful as he hung of his phone, and stuffed it back into his pockets. It felt as if the rest of the world wasn't fast enough to meet him as fear of Aubrey leaving  once he was out of sight destroyed his nerves.

oOo

  Okay, now was a time to panic.

   Aubrey looked up to the darkened skies as night began to set in,

   It had been hours and she had yet to give up her pride and ask for directions. She had no idea where Antonio lived, but she figured with his name alone she could be pointed in some kind of direction by one of the many people she passed by.

   Her legs were beginning to feel tight and tired as she put them into endless labor for hours. If she wanted to make it back before giving up, she would have to ask someone for help.

   Coming to a stop at a crosswalk, she began picking out someone from the crowd waiting to ask for directions when she heard a car horn beep. Turning to the sound, she found herself staring straight into the eyes of the man she had met just the other night.

   Stefan Russo.

  It had been brief, entirely too brief for him to remember who she was, but as he waved and smiled, she knew that he did recognize her.

    "Need a ride?" He rolled down his window, leaning over as he called to her in her dire need for just that.

  The crowd around her began to move as the walking signal counted down from ten. Aubrey felt indecisive about whether or not this was a blessing in disguise. The way Antonio had reacted when the man had shown up that night at dinner still stuck with her. Looking over, she saw large white numbers moving in descent.

   4

   3

   2

    By one Aubrey took a chance and got into the vehicle. She needed a ride and he was providing one.

    Not bothering to return the grin he gave her as he began to drive, she immediately explained her situation.

   "I got a little turned around. Can you take me to Antonio's?"
    There was such an empty silence lingering in the car that she wondered if he had heard her. When he began to speak she thought that he hadn't as he began to ask her questions.

   "I'm afraid that we weren't properly introduced last time we met. Sometimes my son can be a forgetful little bastard." Reaching out one hand to her, Stefan waited for her to return the shake. With a brief hold and release, Aubrey barely even touched it as she drew it back into her lap and sat forward.

   "I'm Stefan Russo. Might I ask who you are?"

   "Aubrey." Against her better judgment, she took another look at him."I'm sorry to do this, but if you could just take me to-"

   "Aubrey. What a gorgeous name for a beautiful woman like yourself. Tell me, are you in a relationship with my son?"

    Thrown off by his complete disregard of her speaking, Aubrey shook her head no.

   "Friends?"

    "Um, I don't know what you would really call it." Antonio never introduced her to his father the way he did to his mother, and even his wicked sister. Keeping up with what must have been his wishes, she didn't take the time to indulge him with that bit of information either, keeping it as vague as possible.  

     Stefan saw an open opportunity at her words. It had been a while since he had a woman as beautiful or as young as she was. He looked at her soft features, estimating her age as he took them on his own little path to an apartment that was only known to him and whatever guest he brought along.

    "I must say that you seem like too much of a gem to just be friends with him."

    "Where are we going?" Aubrey's stomach began to flip as the words Stefan hadn't said tightened around her throat.

    "A friend of my son's, is a friend of mine. You look like you could use a little moment to sit back and relax, I think I can help you with that."

   "I don't need to relax." She quickly said as he laughed, low and steadily.

    "I promise you, it will be the most relaxation you have done in a long time. I'll see to it." When they came to another red light, Stefan took his hand closest to her off the wheel. Before she could question what he had said, she felt a burning invasive hand hit the seam of her underwear.

   Looking down in horror, she found a veined hand under her dress with no shame, gripping at her thigh, almost breaching her most private area.

     Aubrey's arm flew back with enough force that it could have broken his windpipe as she aimed at his throat.

     "You bitch!" He coughed as she fumbled with the door handle. Aubrey felt her hair being pulled back as she fought with the lock of the door

   "Fuck you, pedophile!" She screamed as she finally got the door open. Stefan reached after her, stopped by his seatbelt as she darted out of the car and down the street. Those who had seen the girl fled looked around interested, trying to look into his car.

    With his hand at his throat, it was hard to catch his breath as the ache surged through him. Stretching far enough to swing the door shut, he began to run the red light he had been sitting at in pursuit of his escaped woman of the night.

   When he was almost side swept by a car that barely dodged him as he pulled out onto the street, he found that the girl was nowhere in sight.

     "Motherfucker!" He screamed, pounding his horn.

oOo

     Antonio came out of yet another small restaurant in search of Aubrey. He had been in almost every building he had passed, and there was no sign of her. He had come close when a store keeper said that he had seen someone of her description walking past, but that was of no help.

     "Where the hell are you." Getting back into his car, Antonio found himself dialing his mother's phone number.

   "Antonio? Did you find her?"

    With a sigh of irritation at the fact that he couldn't he responded.

   "I've looked everywhere for her. I don't know where else to look for her."

   " Have you checked anywhere where she may have left from?"

   "Yes."

   "What about-"

    "Everywhere mom. I mean everywhere and no one can tell me anything." He should have taken her with him today. If he had, he wouldn't have to be in his car on the verge of losing his sanity over his daughter. He should have known better.

   "I'm sure she's going to turn up. Just stay calm." Mary began to soothe her son as she went looking for her shoes and purse. She would hit the ground looking for Aubrey if she had to. At the front door was a scowling Stefan, who threw the door shut, nearly, shaking the walls of the house.

   "Your father is home! I'll ask him if there is anything he can do. He could make some calls; send someone out to look for her."

   "No, I've got this mom. Don't get him involved." That was the last thing Antonio wanted. He wondered if he was being selfish and too proud. His father could lend a hand...

   "Aubrey..."

    "We'll find her Antonio, I promise you. I'm on my way now; I'll search on this side."

    "No, I just found her."

   "You did?"

    Antonio had only known the girl for a few days, but it was hard to mistake her as she ran inside of a corner store.

    "I have to go mom." Jumping out of his car, he crossed the street, dodging drivers as he made his way towards the store. He couldn't decide if he was angry or happy when he saw her at the counter, thrusting crumbled bills at the cashier as she opened a bottle of water, downing it.

    He grabbed her arm as she went to wipe her mouth, jerking her forward.

   "Where the hell have you been?" He screamed at her. Startled, Aubrey stared at him with wide eyes.

   "I've been looking for you all day, Aubrey." The crazed look on his face had the cashier weary as he watched Antonio yell at the obviously frazzled girl.

   "Ma'am is he bothering you?" The pudgy man asked, letting her know that he had one hand on his bat and the other on his phone to call 911 if need be.

    Tearing his eyes away to look at the store owner, Antonio began to drag Aubrey out behind him and to his car.

   He had never come that close to losing his mind over someone like he did Aubrey in a long time.

   He was going to make it clear to her that there was no chance in hell that she was going to go back to Texas now.

   "Do you have any idea what you did to me today? How fucking  worried I was?" His rage didn't end once they got into the car. All he could see was red, and to the best of his abilities he got them home without an accident.

    Aubrey had been shaking like a leaf in the seat next to him, but Antonio thought that it was because of his anger that he refused to reel in.

   "I've been calling you all day; you don't answer. I come home expecting to see you; you're not there. You can't just get up and leave like that, Aubrey. " With her elbow firm in his grip, he escorted her all the way up to the apartment, unaware of the tears that had begun falling down her cheeks.

    Aubrey was more than aware of his ire, but she couldn't block out the ghost hand reaching under her dress. She had ran fast and hard, hoping to shake it off, and when she stumbled into the convenience store to buy a water, she had to wash away the taste of bile that had risen in her throat.

    Now with Antonio mad with her, she couldn't stop the emotions from spilling forth. She hadn't meant to be gone for so long, or to scare him the way that he showed she did. When she went first into the apartment, she kept her back to him as he continued on. It was the slamming of the door that made her almost jump out of her skin, and her vocal sobs escaped.

    Turning around she blindly planted herself against Antonio, crying heavily into his chest. When she had escaped from Stefan's car, she had wanted to cry out to Antonio to swoop in and pick her up. She had been relieved to see that he found her in the store this time, but it had been short lived as he commenced his tirade about her basically scaring the shit out of her.

       "Aubrey?" Antonio's arms immediately went to comfort her at the feel of her weight against him. The residue of his anger was quickly wiped away at his new concern for her tears.

   "What's wrong?" He asked into her hair as she cried harder. She didn't respond, and he didn't ask another question. While he was wrapped up in his own emotions, he failed to ignore hers.

    Aubrey began to stop crying after a few minutes of the embrace.

   She wouldn't tell him what had happened with Stefan.

    No.

 

    Somehow, she figured keeping the incident to herself wouldn't give Stefan the power of fear he definitely held over her now. She didn't want to give him that.

       Antonio entered the bedroom, seeing Aubrey's still form buried within the sheets. Last night, it had taken hours for her to finally fall asleep. He had carried her into the bedroom after she silently sat with him, flipping through the different late night channels on TV. He had tried once again to get an understanding on the fear he could feel when they had returned to his apartment. He was left uneasy the entire night, trying to figure out what must have happened to her that she wasn't telling him. If there was one thing he wanted, it was her trust. Antonio needed Aubrey to know that he was here for her, whether she wanted to believe it or not and to know that he was on her team, and would do anything for her in her best interest.

    On light feet, he slowly walked over to the side of the bed, peering down into her face that seemed hard even in her sleep. Shaking his head, he began to get ready for his day. It was Friday, the last day of the week, and if he could make it through today and back home, he would be able to breathe some sort of relief.

   A half hour later, Antonio was pulling on his shoes when he heard a clatter in the kitchen. There were only supposed to be two people in the apartment, and both of them were accounted for as he looked over to Aubrey's sleeping form. Rising to his feet, his body tensed as he went to investigate the mysterious noises.

   The sight of Mary riffling through brown grocery bags took Antonio's protective instinct off of high alert.

   "Mom?"

   Whipping her head around in surprise, Mary gasped at the sound of company, but soon smiled upon seeing her son.

   "I heard you in the shower, I thought I would have time to get things finished before you came out, but it looks like I've forgotten the milk for the pancakes." Placing her hands on her hips, she opened his refrigerator," You wouldn't happen to have any, would you?"

    "What are you doing here?" Antonio pushed his hands in his pockets as he walked towards his mother. His eyes couldn't believe what he saw as she began mixing the batter and pouring nearly perfect sized pancakes into the waiting pan.

   "I'm going to assume that's a rhetorical question dear." She laughed as she moved past him, opening his cabinets for plates. "Get some cups down and pour the orange juice please. Everything should be just about ready."

   "I can't do this right now; I have to be at work. Which is where you should be too if I'm not mistaken." Tilting his head in her direction, he watched as Mary shrugged her shoulders.

   "I took a day off."

   "You what?"

   "Every once in a while I do need a break from things Antonio."

    "You've never taken a day off in your life, mom."

    "Which is why I say every once in a while ." Waving the spatula in his direction, Mary went to flip the last of her pancakes as she carried them off to the small table Antonio had.

   "Now pour those drinks like I asked."

   "This is all lovely, but I have to get going. I don't know why you're doing this, and better yet how did you get in here?" Antonio began looking for his keys before stopping and asking the question.

   Mary shook her head as she pulled out three glasses, and began filling them. Moving to Antonio's side, she took the keys from his hands and placed them in her own pockets as she directed him to a chair.

    "Sit Antonio. You are eating breakfast with us today, and I'm not taking no for an answer."Antonio's eyebrow peaked at the mention of us, and it was then that he noticed the slight nervousness his mother had as he followed her hands as they prepared a picture perfect plate. She wiped residue off, made sure everything was perfect before glancing up at Antonio.

   "Do you think Aubrey likes these kinds of things? I tried to make a little bit of everything; I wasn't entirely sure what I should do." Not wanting his mother to get her feelings hurt, he began explaining why this may have not been such a good idea.

   "Aubrey doesn't really eat breakfast, mom."

   "She has to eat something after last night. I was worried sick, and didn't know what to do with myself. I want her to eat something well this morning."

    "I'm telling you, I don't think that's going to happen. After last night, she's-"

    Antonio ceased his words noticing his mother no longer paying him any attention. She stood ramrod straight as she watched Aubrey take slow and measured steps towards them.

   Aubrey came to a stop as all eyes were on her. She saw Antonio stand to his feet out the corner of her eye, but she couldn't take her eyes off of Mary's that seemed to glisten as they stared her down.

   "How are you feeling?" The light hold on her elbow drew her attention back to him as he asked her the question. Shaking her head, she was unable to speak, but still managed to get the point across as Antonio nodded in return.

   Both turned to Mary who began to speak.

   "I've made you two some breakfast. I'm not the best cook, but I hope that it will still be passable." Mary wrung her hands in front of her as she pulled out a seat to a reluctant Aubrey. She looked to Antonio for a split second before giving Mary a once over. She was dressed down, yet still gave off an aura of grace as she waited patiently for Aubrey to make a move. There was a moment of contemplation as Aubrey thought of what to do. The thought of Stefan raced to her mind, and she suddenly felt uncomfortable in his wife's presence.

   "Mom, maybe I'll help you wrap this up; right now may not be a good time." Antonio saw the ashen look on Aubrey's face as he tried to reason with his mother.

   "But, I just wanted us to finally have a meal together. There's still enough time before you have to go to work."

   "No, I have to leave now, and Aubrey isn't feeling too well. Maybe we can take a shot at this another time." Aubrey waited as Antonio reached out to his mother, taking her hands in his as she looked disappointed. Looking at the table, she saw that the older woman had cooked enough for ten people, and could still see the steam rising from the food as it sat rejected. It began to remind her of all the mornings she would race past her mother, not sparing a second thought to the effort and time put in to cook her a breakfast every morning. There was never a day that she didn't have a spread waiting for Aubrey, and never a day that Aubrey actually took advantage of them.

   That's what Mary was doing now. She was offering one of the most intimate and meaningful settings for the two of them, and here they were being unappreciative.

    Moving to take a seat, Aubrey began to eat quietly as Mary and Antonio's voices slowed to a halt. Looking to her son with hope as she too took a seat next to Aubrey.

    "Guys, I can't stay-"

   "You won't always get to eat your mom's cooking; you should take the chance now. It's really delicious too." Aubrey said quietly as she looked to Mary, giving her the compliment. Her throat became tight as she held her fork tightly in one hand as she looked to Antonio.

   "I wish I had when my mom was still around." Slowly lowering himself, Antonio took a seat at the sound of her regretful words. He didn't give in to the urge to check his watch as he joined in the others in eating.

oOo

    "I had to stop having cakes in the house, I'd wake up in the morning and there was Antonio with his face covered in icing. I still think that's why he never eats so early, he ruined his appetite forever with sweets."

    "I still can't look at a chocolate cake the same." Antonio laughed as he sipped the last of his orange juice.

    "I told Natalia to choose a different kind for tomorrow, but knowing her she'll still get a chocolate cake to spite me." Mary playful rolled her eyes as she focused on Aubrey. "I think we'll be having a nice time tomorrow, just like today, don't you think?"

  Aubrey's smile dropped as she looked reticent." I'm not going to be here, I have an early flight back home actually." Aubrey wondered why she felt guilty for being the reason for putting the frown on Mary's face that spoke of her confusion.

   "What do you mean? You're coming to the party too. Isn't she coming Antonio?" Mary looked to her son for him to hope in the conversation.

   "Aubrey wishes to go back to Texas. She won't be able to stay for the party, I'm afraid."

   "Wishes? You make it sound like I have a choice. That's what I am going to do."

    "Of course you have a choice; you refuse to acknowledge it."

     "Are you serious right now?" Aubrey shot Antonio a gaze that he mirrored. A raised eyebrow and flame growing in their eyes.

   "Oh, that's ridiculous. Why would she go back? She's here now. Aubrey, dear, if you're afraid of it being a bit strange, don't worry. You won't be the cause of it; this entire family is strange." Mary's hand went to hold Aubrey's tightly, trying to convince the girl to change her mind.

  Turning back to Mary, Aubrey felt her combative mode recede as she saw the worry cloaking her face.  "It's not that. I already had this planned. School will be starting in a few weeks; I just took this as a small trip for the summer."

    "Where is your mother in all of this? Surely we all need to sit down and have a heart to heart about everything. " Mary became exasperated as she flattened her palms against the table."She's your daughter for Christ's sake, why would you let her slip away like that?" Mary felt her ire grow as Antonio became the receiver of her anger.

    The table became silent as both Aubrey and Antonio looked to one another, wondering who was going to be the one to break the news.

   "Well-"

   "Her mother is no longer around, mom." Mary studied her son closely as disbelief rose in the form of a scoff of anger.

   "She's abandoned her child? How on earth could she do that? Is that what this is? In that case I'm not going to stand idle and allow Aubrey to go off to God knows where-"

   "She passed away mom. She didn't abandon her." Like that, Mary crumbled back into her seat as she had begun to stand enraged by her assumptions. Her quiet words of surprise and embarrassment were the only things heard. She looked to Aubrey, prepared to apologize for ignorance of the situation as the young girl held her head to her chest.

     "My God, I-I didn't know. Aubrey , I didn't know sweetheart." Covering her mouth with a shaky hand, Mary debated internally on whether or not she should be reaching for Aubrey's hand, but it was too late as her palm met Aubrey's fingers. She half expected the girl to pull away in disgust, but was proven wrong as a light squeeze to her hand disappeared as fast as it came. Aubrey drew her eyes to Mary's withdrawing her hand slowly so as not to show offense.

   "It's okay. I don't expect you to know something like that when we've just met."Nodding with a tight grin, Aubrey stood to her feet along with her plate.

    "I can wash these off. You made such a great breakfast, it's the least I could do."

    Aubrey went on to pile their plates as well against their protests, and quickly went to the sink, drowning out any noises around her as clattered the dishes around.

   Mary was finally left alone with Antonio, her heart sunken as she looked at the whirlwind of emotion lying behind his eyes.

   "I don't know what to do. I don't know if she has a legal guardian or anything-how could I stop her if she did?" He found himself undoing the hairstyle he had meticulously made just earlier as his hand curled around his weft of hair.

    "There has to be a way. She's a minor, there's no way she's just walking around with an adult taking care of her."

    "She hasn't spoken of anyone to me. We don't have time before tomorrow comes and goes." Leaning closer into his mother as Aubrey began making her way back; he spoke quickly and in a hushed tone. "I'm her dad but what the hell does that mean if I've only known her for a week?"

     Aubrey came back cautiously, hands clasped before her as she gestured to Mary. "Thank you again for the meal. I don't think I've eaten anything that good all week."

    Mary's gaze lingered on Antonio as she silently began to think of the fact that he hadn't really taken the time to consider how he would handle Aubrey possibly leaving. He could tell her that she can't leave until he was blue in the face, but that wasn't much action on his part.

    "Hey, it's getting late. Shouldn't you be going now?" Aubrey called attention to the time that was slipping away, and Antonio stood to his feet in agreement.

   "Yes, I'm afraid I did keep you a bit longer than I intended."Mary walked behind Antonio as he grabbed his keys, and headed for the front door. He pulled it open before stopping, turning around to face the two women in his apartment.

   "Mom..." He didn't finish his thought as Mary leaned forward, placing a kiss upon his cheek before whispering in his ear.

   "She'll be here with us tomorrow. I promise you that." Steadying herself on her heels, she patted Antonio's chest as she fixed his tie. "You go on and have a good day at work. Aubrey and I will be having ourselves a girl's day out."

    Aubrey's eyes widened at her mention, and she soon began stammering as Mary pushed an equally surprised Antonio out of the door. Shutting it tightly, she was met by a scowling Aubrey who relaxed her face into a less tormented expression.

   "Mrs. Russo. I'm sure you have better things to do today."

   "None of that Mrs. Russo crap. Just call me Nana." Mary was extending her own version of a peace offering to Aubrey by suggesting the same title her other two grandchildren had given her. Aubrey became tense and guarded as she stared blankly at Mary.

   "Mrs. Russo, I don't think that's going to work." Her voice was leveled and almost gravely as her stare fell to her hands before looking back at the woman before her.

   Pursing her lips together, Mary sighed. "At least call me Mary." She spoke softly. A flick of Aubrey's head told her that she would settle for that at the most.

   Walking over to the gray sofa, Aubrey sat down in silence. Twiddling her thumbs as she waited for something else to unfold to mask the uneasiness she felt.

    "I was thinking that we could get to know each other a little better today. Do something together. Would you like that?"

    Glancing over her shoulder, Aubrey gave a weak smile.

    "I don't really have the desire for anything."

    "Really? Nothing at all? Surely there is something you would like to do...since...you are leaving in the morning." From the sound of Mary's voice, she could hear the air quotes and doubt around the word leaving as she spoke. Aubrey rolled her eyes and drew one corner of her mouth down, resisting the urge to smack her teeth.

    "Yes, well, since I am leaving, I just thought I would chill for the remainder of the day. I believe I've seen and done all that I came here to do." Her smile was terse as she stood back up, walking around the back of the couch.

   "But there is something that I would like to do for someone else." She cleared her throat as she cracked her fingers. "I wanted to get Antonio a gift-you know for his birthday and all-since I won't be here for his party."  Aubrey had tried searching for one before, but failed miserably. What better person to ask for help than his own mother?

    "Well, don't stand around. Go and get cleaned up and I'll make sure you get him something that would really leave an impression on him." Mary waved Aubrey to the bedroom door as she complied.

   Shaking her head as she heard the shower running, Mary knew that she was going to have to get inside of Aubrey's mind. She had to get rid of this notion that she would allow her to return to her old life as an orphaned child.

oOo

    "What about this one?"

    "Too showy. Antonio likes to look nice, but that's just too much."

   Aubrey huffed as she placed back the twelfth shirt she had chosen in hopes of getting Mary's approval. Mary would give her selections mixed reviews-a healthy balance of some good, and some bad. No matter what she said or if she agreed with Aubrey, it would be tossed back in an instant as Aubrey felt like nothing seemed good enough. At this point, she was tempted to just pick up a nice hallmark card and call it a day. It seemed that Mary was making what seemed to be a simple task much more difficult than Aubrey thought it needed to be.

    "This is the fifth store. If we haven't found anything by now, I guess I'll just get him a fancy card that sings a song."

   "You can't give up now just because you gotten what you wanted right away."

   "I'm not a shopper Mary. I hate this kinda stuff."  Aubrey threw her arms over a clothes rack, receiving a glare from a hardnosed employer watching her from the front of the store.

   "You just need to be patient."

   "Going to a thousand different places and literally looking at everything sounds plenty enough patient to me." Aubrey looked exasperated while Mary seemed amused. She watched her with her arms crossed and a smile on her lips.

    "Don't be ridiculous. It's only been five. You could give Natalia a run for her money when it comes to being a diva." Mary's smile brightened at Aubrey's reddened frown.

    "It's true. If you got to know her, and got past the rough exterior, you'd see what I mean."

   "I don't think there's anything much left to her that I don't already know about." She mumbled, twisting the sleeve of another shirt. Looking up, she saw the salesperson making their way slowly but surely to investigate what she was doing. "No offense. She's your daughter and all..."

   "None taken, sweetheart." Linking her arm in the crook of Aubrey's, Mary began to lead her to the exit, off to another store where they would have better luck. At the first three stops, Aubrey had been timid and avoidant of any contact whether it be an accidental bump or a touch to the shoulder. Somewhere along the lines, she seemed to have forgotten about her wariness as she allowed Mary to get so close in that moment. If she didn't think her mind was playing tricks on her, Mary would even say that she felt Aubrey lean into her as they walked to her car.

     "I don't want to waste anymore of your time. You can just take me back to Antonio's. Maybe he'll understand if I can't get him anything special." Mary glanced to her as Aubrey stared out of the passenger window.

    "As soon as you think something is going to work, you're quick to give up on it."

    "Excuse me?" Aubrey wasn't sure she had heard right as Mary kept her eyes on the road.

    "You heard me. You give up at the first bad sign."

    "I'm not giving up, I just can't find anything. There's a difference."

    "You're not willing to put enough thought behind anything. You go off of initial wind; that's going to catch up with you one day."

    "I am thinking about it."

     "You're not considering all sides; you are only looking for one in particular. Does it look good to me? You have to think about the present itself. What does it mean? What does it represent? Is it special? You'll be giving this to someone who I'm sure you want nothing but the best for. If you don't like it, you don't want it. If you feel like it's not worthy, then it's not worth it. It's not always like that. Your father may see what you think as something stupid or forgettable as the best thing in the world..."

    Aubrey narrowed her eyes as Mary took her eyes off of the road.

   "Gifts show how much you care and appreciate a loved one. Now, I know that buying a birthday gift can be tricky if it is for a picky person. But that's not Antonio. I'm sure that whatever you give-or have given him is something that he is sure to love."

     Aubrey could feel goosebumps form on her arms as she turned away. "I was just talking about a present..." She said to herself. She ran her finger up and down the door panel, sneaking glances here and there to Mary.

    "I think I'm done."

    "What? Already? But we haven't found anything yet."

   "I don't feel so well. I'd just like to go back and rest. Take a nap or something." Aubrey saw the hesitation in Mary's face as she looked at her in shock.

   "But we still have the entire day. If you're feeling sick, then maybe I can pick something up for you-"

   "Please?" Aubrey's voice was stern as she made her plead. "Maybe I'll write him a note or something. I just don't think I can find anything. You're right though, gifts are supposed to be special and mean something...but I don't think I can find one like that this late. So, please, just take me back."

    Mary opened her mouth, ready to speak when the sound of her Bluetooth picked up throughout the car. Pressing the button on her steering wheel, she let out a heavy breath at the sight her husband's name showed on her dashboard, identifying the person on the other line.

   Aubrey's throat tightened when she saw the name and the way Mary contemplated answering his call before she reluctantly picked up.

    "How can I help you?"

   "I remember the days when you would answer my calls with love, Mary Sue."

   "Don't bullshit with me Stefan. Those days are long gone. Shall I repeat my question?"

   "My memory isn't gone just yet, no need to. I guess I must have caught you at a bad time?"

   "Yes, in fact you have. I am quite busy at the moment-"

    "Ah, that's right. You took a day off. Tell me, what was so pressing that it called for playing hooky?" Stefan's voice oozed with sarcasm as he spoke over the loud speaker. Mary's face grimaced as she placed her elbow on the window frame, leaning into her hand.

   "Should you be enjoying your lunch of some young slut right now? I've never known you to skip out on such an important meal of the day."

   "So you do pay attention to me? Sadly, my order hasn't arrived just yet, hence why I decided to give my wife a call. Not often that we share these kinds of moments any longer."

    "And let's make sure we never do again. Goodbye Stefan. I have no time for your foolishness." With that, Mary ended the call with a frustrated sigh that she made sure to only release when the coast was clear of Stefan possibly hearing how much he irritated her. She knew he got a kick out of it, and would never entertain him with letting him witness his effects.

    "I haven't received a personal call like that in fifteen years. Let me tell you now, Aubrey: if you decide to marry someone with a bit of money to their name, make sure they're old enough to die before you force yourself to suffer through a lifelong marriage with them." The disgust for her bound partner for life was evident all over Mary's face, and Aubrey had a firsthand account on why that may be. She just couldn't see how a woman like her would settle for a lesser man like that.

    He was an asshole. He was a cheater. He was a pervert.

    It couldn't get any worse than that. Aubrey began to wonder just how much of her soul she didn't sale away to be doomed with Stefan for a husband and what parts didn't lie afloat in booze.

    "Otherwise you'll find ways to drown out every nook and cranny they weasel their way into." Mary's face was drawn in consternation as she ran her fingers through her hair. Aubrey could hear her faint counting as she tried to calm herself.

    She remained silent, unsure of what could even be uttered in the moment before Mary asked a favor of her.

   "Depends on the request...." The woman looked worn out and desperate for whatever she planned on asking.

   "I know you said you wanted to return to that stuffy old apartment, but would you join me for lunch?"

   "Mary-"

    "It's just that with you leaving, I may never get this chance again. You're such a beautiful young girl and I'm so happy that you're my grand-that I have gotten the chance to meet you although I feel as if it is ending too soon. Please?" Tugging at her earlobe, Aubrey sighed. The woman was good at guilt tripping, and Aubrey felt the need to not leave her alone just yet.

    "I guess I can do that."

    "Wonderful! Thank you, thank you so much." Mary's hand went to Aubrey's forearm, squeezing it to show her gratitude.

  Running her hands over her head, Aubrey brought her hair into her face, curtaining it as she slid into her seat with a disgruntled moan.

   "Oh, it won't be that bad. Cheer up." Mary laughed at her display.

    Aubrey could punch herself in the face right then. She wasn't helping her case by prolonged exposure to the Russos; and it seemed that her sense was thrown out in her last minute decisions to appease the woman.

oOo

   Mary opened her front door, quietness meeting her in greeting as she walked down the long halls of her home. Rubbing her neck, she stumbled upon an irate Natalia berating someone on the phone.

   "No, that's not what we agreed on. What? Yes, there was an agreement. Forcing you? You think I'm-yeah you're fucking right I'm forcing you. If you don't have this done by tomorrow then it will be your ass." She listened in on Natalia's sickening laugh as her voice was brought down an octave."You can call whoever you want, my best bet is I already have them in my pocket. So go on with your useless threats. Have it done by tomorrow. No questions asked."

     Natalia tossed her phone on to the other side of the leather couch when she heard the settling footsteps of her mother. She sat ith her legs crossed, resting her head in her hand as she tossed her hair over her shoulder, acknowledging Mary.

   "I didn't hear you come in."

   With a skeptical eye, Mary sighed and began her way to the bar she had installed a few years ago. Usually, most of the alcohol aside from wine was kept locked away in Stefan's study-or his little playroom as she preferred to call it.

   Since she was in for the day, she decided not to hold off her afternoon drink for much longer.

    "I wouldn't expect you to have heard. Who's life are you threatening now. Natalia? I swore that you would have grown out of this behavior by your twenties, but my God." She took a hard sip as her daughter rounded the corner.

   "Mother, I am trying to protect this family. Those are my only intentions, and they are completely pure."

   "Protect this family from what? There's not a thing in this world that I could think of your father letting harm his good name."

   "It's not daddy that I'm trying to help. It's Antonio." Natalia rested in front of Mary, stance relaxed as her face screwed up in confusion.

   "Antonio? Honey, he's the most careful person in this damn family."

   "Not careful enough to wear a condom with some tramp he laid with when he was a kid. Or hell, at least see to that any little spills were taken care of long ago." Throwing her hands in the air, she blew past Mary and headed for the backyard, but she wasn't alone as her mother nearly toppled over the small glass in her hand as she followed in pursuit.

   "What are you talking about, Natalia?"

    "That little bitch he's got nipping at his heels, mother. She's running around claiming to be his daughter, when the hell did Antonio sleep with some black whore?"

   "Watch your mouth Natalia or I swear to God." Mary' voice shook as she held back the scream begging for release as her eyes stared daggers at her daughter.

   "That's exactly what he's done. That kid is probably setting up some huge plan to get child support or whatever the hell it is that they would be looking for from Antonio. The amount of money he makes, they could run him dry."

   "How dare you sit here and talk about a child like that. Your brother's child. "

   "Oh my God." Natalia's eyes widened with a humorless laugh." You haven't fallen for her bullshit too, have you? Wake up. She's a scam artist, and I'll be damned if she gets anyone in this family. Imagine what could happen to daddy if word got out about his son having an illegitimate child. You know how much flack daddy gets from his friends about Antonio's little organization."

    "Personally, I don't give a damn about what may happen to your father. I am only concerned about bringing my family together like it should be. She is one of ours, and I am not leaving her out there on her own. She's my first grandchild and yet I know nothing about her."

   "Brittany is your first grandchild! She always has, and always will be." Natalia's face turned ferocious as she refused to hear her mother put a family intruder over her children.

   "Natalia, that girl is broken; I can see it in her eyes. There's no way I could live or would want to live knowing that I turned her away for some pointless reason. The only thing that matters to me is that we make a place for her in her family. She belongs here. She will be here, and I swear on my life that I will see it through."

   "Let her go back to whatever hole she crawled out of then. Don't bring this upon us."

   "This isn't something for us decide. This was already written out by God before anyone one of us would have known. I'm not going to let her go-"

   "Lay down with dogs, get fleas." Natalia scoffed as she ignored her mother. Mary was taken aback as she looked into eyes that seemed to lack any warmth.

    "How could you be this way?"

    "I'm protecting what's mine."

    "Then you should be protecting her! You should want to protect Aubrey, she is your niece Natalia. Your blood!"

   Holding up a single finger, Natalia tsked." I am not an aunt to anyone. Tomorrow will prove it with the DNA test I'll have delivered, and then you can forget about this little fantasy family you have in mind because it's not going to happen. I don't know what kind of charm she's put on you, but it will wear off and you'll see how much of a fool you really are."

    "You are not ruining tomorrow for us! Everything can't come back around to you all of the damn time, Natalia."

   "I'm the main reason this party is even happening. I took the time off and came across the country to plan this. I've called the party planners. I've gotten people to actually agree to coming. There would be nothing but a pathetic cake and you smelling like liquor the entire night without me. I'll do what I want at that party."

    Natalia's walk towards her was slow and measured. "I promise you that it will be the best birthday Antonio's ever had. Besides this little false hope of being a father, he will thank me ten times over after knowing the truth about her. One day he will want a wife and children of his own. This will all just be a stain of the past by the time it's over and done with." Laying one hand against Mary's shoulder , smoothing her blouse beneath her manicured fingers. "Don't worry."

    Hands curled into fists as Mary stood with the echo of Natalia's feet disappearing back into the house. Sinking to her feet, she settled herself on the foot of the stone stairs. She didn't understand how her daughter could feed off of terrorizing others the way she did. She stood, racing back into her home, looking for her keys before stopping in a hallway mirror. Checking her hair and eyes to make sure her earlier drink didn't show too much before going to her car.

 

   When she got outside, she saw that Natalia had already left to God knew where. Driving away, she quickly made her way towards the other side of town to Antonio's apartment. She couldn't keep something like this away for her son, especially if she couldn't stop Natalia.

     Natalia sat at the stop light, her head propped against her hand as she closed her eyes, rubbing at her sore temples, not like that it was out of the ordinary for her to be in a constant state of pure irritation. She figured that she had finally figured out how to control her urges to thrash those who got in her way, no matter how big or small the offense was, but since this trip back home and the emergence of Aubrey, her willpower seemed to be slipping right through her fingers.

    The blaring sound of an impatient driver made her scoff, as she finally pressed her foot to the gas, purposefully cruising down the street. Her head began to thump just then, making her wish she hadn't chosen a hotel so far away from her parent's home so that getting there could have been quicker.

     When she arrived, the young valet attempted to greet her as was his job, but she paid him no mind as she coldly rushed to her room. Kicking off her heels, and removing her bra effortlessly, Natalia made a bee-line towards the small mini-fridge, withdrawing fun sized bottles of wine.  Even though she could see her resemblance to her mother as she fumbled with the bottles, she continued on towards the bed, plopping down as soon as she was able to open the small bit of comfort that slid past her lips. Her eyelids became heavy as she stared mindlessly before her. Looking down at her feet she watched as she fidgeted them together, reminding her of a time from many years ago when she was groomed into the heartless bitch many probably assumed her to be.

     "Hey...looks like your brother is exploring..." Natalia removed herself from the neck of her casual boy toy as he pointed his chin in the direction of her little brother and the new leech he had picked up. Sitting back against the brick wall, she shrugged her shoulders. She had seen them together before, hiding off in the corner of the soccer field as if no one could see them together. She never really cared much about her brother looking to get involved in something so stupid. It was a lesson for Antonio to learn himself when the time came.

    "I don't know why he would want to explore that." She scoffed as she sat with her arms crossed, watching as the two younger teens laughed like they had a secret to keep. She was still trying to figure out just how the girl had made it into this school.She imagined it was because of some stupid new affirmative action quota the school was trying to reach for diversity as if that was something they honestly needed .There were virtually two minorities that she had known of, and at least they were Asian and never caused any scenes. She had been in the lunchroom at times where Sandra laughed too loud, talked to anyone who looked her way with no discretion, and just always seemed to be ...there.

    "God, Tommy. Get that look off your face." Elbowing him in his side, Natalia snarled at the leering look he directed to the girl. The more she noticed her, the more she noticed the way Tommy seemed to stare as well. She had been around when one of Tommy's friends had made a comment about his time for experimenting approaching fast. They had snickered as they watched Sandra pass by, the predatory leer in their gaze was far too telling of what they had in mind.

    "I wouldn't mind getting to know her either. I just know she could suck a di-"

    "Seriously?" Now she was disgusted as she stopped him from finishing his sentence. "You'd risk your life to get AIDS?" She asked, swiping away his hand as he reached to pull her closer as he laughed at her anger.

     "Harsh, babe...." He teased as he laid a kiss to her lips. The sweat from his soccer practice sticking to her skin."If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure even you would be better than hurt. But of course it never hurts to try things out for comparison." Natalia halfheartedly tried to fight his hold as he drew her earlobe into his mouth, garnering a smile from her instead of more resistance. The sound of approaching feet was barely enough to draw the two apart as Antonio skipped up the stairs happily. When he came across his sister and Tommy in an embrace his face grew red immediately.

     With a devious smile, Tommy looked to Antonio. "Great to see the future captain of the team putting in overtime."

    "I was just...Uh." Without saying anything else, Antonio quickly turned away, making his way to Natalia's car as today one of few days they rode home together.

    Sighing, Natalia stood too, watching her brother's fast retreating figure. A pinch to her bottom side made her yelp as she turned around in Tommy's arms.

     "I'll call you tonight?"

     "Maybe I'll pick up?" She teased with a small kiss to his lips.

     "You better, or I'll be asking your brother about his new ride..." Tommy raised a brow as he referred to Sandra.

   "Or not." Rolling her eyes dramatically, Natalia pushed away, refusing to answer any of his calls as she kept on walking.

     Throwing aside the small bottle she held, Natalia tried her best to clear her mind of Sandra and what the younger woman had meant to her back then.  She had been the annoying distraction that had stood between her and Tommy just when she needed all of the attention she could get from him in order to convince him that they need to drop the no strings attached label to their relationship. She had intrigued mostly everyone in the small private school. From that hideous accent, to her outrageously big hair...she was easily brought up conversations just about any and everywhere in school. She had captured her brother's eye and undoubtedly his heart, so after a while Natalia had grown tired of her.

    After what she had to do to get rid of Sandra, she was highly pissed that her fucking clone had made its way back into her life to remind her of the extent of her actions. God, it had been so many years...why hadn't she gotten over everything yet?

   An insistent tug at her heart hinted at just why talk of Sandra had been such a sore spot for her. It was proof that at one point in time, she had actually done something regrettable; something that even she knew went too far.

    Natalia was never the person to go back on any decision she made, and for her own pride she had to hold her head high and accept what she had done and stand by it.

    With each step she took towards the bathroom to start up a hot shower, she felt her body ache far past her 36 years. Slowly removing her clothes, she watched as the steam crept up the bathroom window, obscuring the face before her as she tried to see past the person who seemed trapped in the foggy haze.

oOo

  Antonio walked away from his car, hearing the beeps securing it in the parking garage. He had taken off a couple of hours early, something he wished he would have thought about doing from the beginning of the day. Around the office there was a quiet chaos gaining momentum, and he could feel the discord so strongly he could barely stand to be there.

    As he nodded to neighbors he didn't really know outside of passing by them occasionally, he walked into the elevator, noticing a woman standing in the corner with her gaze focused on her cell phone. He wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't even known he joined her by the way she seemed deaf and blind to the rest of the world.

    He pressed the button for his floor, and saw that it was the only glowing number before turning back to the stranger behind him.

    "What floor will you be going to?" He asked loud enough to steal away some of her attention, and it was right then he noticed the piercing look to her eyes. They skirted by him, not giving him enough time to lose himself within their intense stare.

   "Same floor as you." She smiled then, tucking away her cell phone when she saw that his mouth was opened as if he wanted to speak.

   Raising an eyebrow, she tilted her head to him. Antonio gathered himself, embarrassed by his juvenile reaction to a beautiful woman. He had seen plenty of gorgeous women before in his life, yet none had ever been her.

    Silently, he rode on. The gut dropping feeling he felt didn't come from just the elevator ascending floors. It came from the hot stare he felt on the back of his neck. Looking down to his side, he could see a heeled foot shift around as they came to a stop. The woman took leave first, making sure to just barely brush her shoulder against his, igniting something that would burn furiously if they weren't careful.

   As she went left, Antonio went right, shaking his head as he dug for his keys. When he opened his door, it was to find his mother and daughter sitting side by side on his couch. Their posture spoke of only bad news, and any other thought he had running through his head vanished as he closed the door behind him.

     "You're home!" His mother's arms opened wide as if to feign a good mood that did not speak to the stiffness surrounding her face as the wide smile on her face looked more like a cringe, telling him that whatever awaited him wasn't anything to look forward to.

    "Yes. I am. And you're here." His brow rose as he looked to Aubrey who tapped her foot on the ground so hard vibrations could be felt beneath his own feet.

      "I'm not saying it's not great to see you mom, but why are you here?"

       "I tried asking her the same thing, but she said she wanted you to be here too." Aubrey's eyes moved skeptically towards Mary. The moment she had walked into the door, she had kept the same uncomfortable smile on her face. It was stretched tightly across her aged features, trepidation poured from her eyes as she and Aubrey sat awkwardly on the couch.

     "Is something wrong?" Antonio asked concerned now.

     "Why don't you sit down, honey?"

      "Mom, just tell me-"

       "I think you would feel better if you just-"

      "Mom!" His sharp but quiet tone told Mary that he wasn't here to play the guessing game with her, and that his curiosity had now grown into angst as he waited to hear the news she brought.

     Silence filled the room as Mary rubbed her knees; the sound of the wall clock was all that could be heard until she took a deep breath and tucked fallen pieces of her hair behind her ear.

    "Natalia, she's-she's somehow gotten a paternity test done for you and Aubrey. I have no idea what that child is trying to accomplish with all of this..." Mary said the latter to herself, shaking her head as she tried to analyze her daughter's actions.

     "That messy bitch..." Aubrey whispered underneath her breath as she sat back on the couch, her back aching after being held straight in anticipation for so long. She had been uncomfortable sitting with Mary for the past 30 minutes as her half-filled bags awaited her in Antonio's room. She had been in the process of getting all of her things together when the woman showed up. The thought of Natalia going through so much trouble to humiliate and drive her away irked Aubrey. If she could, she would stay for the party just to piss her off. Get her hands on that test and destroy it...

      Even during this brief time with Antonio, she had never entertained the thought of him not being her biological father. There was no reason to think so either. Her mother had basically laid out the path to him, and she knew her mother, if she was the same as a teenager as she was a woman, she wouldn't have any reason to question who she had been with all of those years ago.

     Antonio's jaw tensed as he stood before his mother. Without a word he began to chuckle to himself.

     "Mom, the last thing I'm worried about is Natalia and her antics. All that she would be doing is making a fool of her and proving me right." Relaxing his posture, Antonio walked past Aubrey, roughly rubbing her hair out of place in greeting. Mary watched her son closely as he seemed the least bit worried.

     "Antonio, there will be friends there, influential ones of your father's as well. It will cause uproar and nobody wants that." Mary stood, following him to his room as he began to remove his work clothes. At this point she knew that she could call up Natalia and inform her that she wouldn't be attending the party which she planned to turn into being all about her and calling Aubrey a liar. From what she could tell, Natalia didn't have much excitement in her life if it didn't involve treading on someone else's. To tell her that she would be on a plane back to Texas sleeping on a palette in one of Mrs. Anderson's extra rooms in a day's time could be considered cruel and unusual on Aubrey's part as she would leave the woman devastated by ruining her plans.

     "What are they going to do, mom?" Aubrey could hear Antonio's voice call out from the bedroom, and not realizing that he had entered the other room, she froze. She had simply closed the bedroom door earlier, leaving out her bags on the bed in plain sight. When Antonio slowly walked back into the room, a pained look filled his eyes as he looked to her, blinking away in confusion as he spoke to his mom.

      "I don't think there's anything they could do to hurt me." For some reason Aubrey's stomach lurched as if his words were a direct hit to her, and the thought of what her flight in the morning might make Antonio feel suddenly became important to her. Shaking it off, she told herself there's no way those words could have been truly meant for her. Any hurt that he may feel would be gone within a week's times. He would soon come to realize, just like her, that there's no reason to worry too much about one another. That they could go on about their lives just fine, going back to normal in no time.

    They could do that.

    Mary shook her head as her son seemed to not heed her warnings. She suggested her own little crisis control plan. "Maybe...Maybe I could get in contact with enough of the guests and tell them there's been an emergency, that the party has been cancelled."

     "I think that Natalia will have no problem getting them to leave before it even begins. I can already see her parading around with her little secret, just waiting to throw it up in my face. "Antonio sat across from Aubrey, and instantly noticed her averted gaze. " Let her have her fun, mom."

    "Natalia has been having fun for as long as I can remember." Mary's head shook in disappointment as she wondered what she had missed seeing in her daughter for her to turn into someone who could commit acts so vile without a second thought.

    As Aubrey sat restlessly in silence, she casted her gaze onto the two faces that looked heavy with exhaustion. It wasn't hard to tell that this was a family who had gotten used to a certain distant routine between one another. Now sat the only two members left willing to salvage and strengthen whatever familial bonds remained after Aubrey appeared. They had been so quick to jump at the opportunity, she was well aware that they only had good intentions in their hearts.

     All of the what ifs that flooded her thoughts were pushed back as Aubrey sat with her shoulders rolled back as she spoke.

     "I don't want to be the reason that your birthday is ruined.If I hadn't just...shown up the way I did, none of this would be happening. Maybe this could have been a time for y'all to ...have a decent time together. I don't know a lot about you, but it's not hard to tell that you don't have many. I guess it's too bad I didn't leave sooner so none of this mess would have been dragged out for so long." Pulling at a strand of her hair, Aubrey looked away from the looks of dismay centered on her.

    "None of this is your fault, Aubrey." Antonio held out a hand immediately halting any blame she tried to place on herself for the possible disaster that awaited them tomorrow.

    "Absolutely not. You being here is in no way a mistake. You are exactly where you need to be, Aubrey and I could not imagine going back to a time where I didn't even know you existed." Quickly Mary had moved to her side, engulfing her in a tight embrace as she spoke softly against her hair.

     "You are a part of this family, even if we've just found each other. We have so much to learn and experience together, and a lot of love to make up for."

     "And to think of you being alone if you were to go away..."

     "I do have someone. Someone who is reliable. Someone I've known all my life. She's practically my grandmother. It-" Aubrey paused for a moment, sensing the tautness of Mary's posture as she looked down to her lap. "It wouldn't be all that hard for me to return to the life I know. It may even be for the best."

    Antonio rubbed his face in frustration as he looked to his daughter's adamant expression.

     "What if you find a woman who you fall in love with and want to marry one day? And have children?" Aubrey began to feel her chest tighten as she envisioned the life Antonio could have. A nice decent family with a loving wife, beautiful home, and children that are a spitting image of him playing in the front yard. She could imagine how picturesque they would be, how right they would look in family photos and portraits that the entire city would see and recognize. Antonio was destined to hold a high ranking position in the hearts and eyes of the people there, his family had such a strong presence....

    And having a shadow like her cast off to the side in mystery wouldn't help at all.

     "You can't have someone who will barely even be considered a girl in a couple of years hanging on your side. What...what could we even do together? What would you even want me for? There's not much left as it is!" Aubrey shot to her feet as tears began to burn at her eyes. Fear of rejection filled her hollow body.

     "I've been trying to tell you over and over again that you don't owe me anything! I'm not asking for your help or for me to end up as one of your little boys and girls club brown kids"Her words were much more venomous than she could have ever expected." I don't need that. You don't need me.I-just don't understand why you wouldn't want things to go back to the way they were. For all of this to disappear." Gripping her temples, Aubrey staggered as she calmed herself down. She wanted her mother to hold her so badly in that moment that she could almost feel ghostlike arms grace her skin.

     There had been a balance in her life. Aubrey and her mother. It worked perfectly, damn near flawlessly, but once her mother's solid weight had been taken away, leaving her suspended in thin air unable to reach the ground again, Aubrey had been trying to force her way back all on her own.

    Torn between her indifference to allowing Antonio to be an important aspect of her life, and the desperation to be a part of something she had always missed even though she would never admit to it tugged at her heart.  

    "I almost wish you were like Natalia. At least then I would have left the moment you turned the other cheek." Her words were icy as she stared straight into Antonio's heated eyes.

    "You are my daughter." Antonio was standing before Aubrey now, a pointed glare in his eyes.

    "Whatever-"Aubrey waved him off before a sudden outburst that shocked her into a timid stance.

      "Be silent and let me speak!" His hand cut through the space between them with authority, gaining the response he wanted as Aubrey sunk back and swallowed her pride.

     "You are my daughter, and nothing makes me not want you. If I had known about you 18 years ago or not would not make a damn bit of difference on the fact that I want you in my life, Aubrey. If Sandra had told me...if she had told me she was pregnant with you back then I wouldn't have pushed her away. I would have done everything to keep her...to have you both in my life-there would have been no questions asked. Nothing would have kept me from you just like now." Bringing his hands to his chest, Antonio's features softened,"I have absolutely nothing normal to return to after having you come into my life. You can come up with any kind of scenario that would make it easier for you to believe that I would ever find you unworthy, or less than Aubrey, but you would be lying to yourself. You still a child; you can't even see why deceiving yourself will be the worst thing you could ever do."

       Stillness and anticipation clenched the room as Aubrey sighed.

     "I guess I'll have to find that out on my own." Shrugging his shoulders in defeat, Antonio looked to her in disbelief and anguish as she refused to hear anything he was saying. She stood with her back ramrod straight, the same bored expression she had on her face the first day he met her.

    He had run out of ways to persuade her. In just two days, every decision she made was her own, and there would be little he could do about it-just like now.

    "I hope that when the time comes, it's sooner rather than later." Making her way towards the bedroom, Aubrey disappeared for the rest of the night.

     His fists closed tightly as his emotions roared within.

     "What am I supposed to do? I -" Taking a seat beside his mother, Antonio accepted her comforting caresses as she smoothed back the ruffled hair at his temples.

 

     "This will all solve its self, Antonio." Kissing his cheek she remained there with her son for  as long as he needed her.