"American Adoption"

Chapter Two



Beckie’s cowgirl boots clacked as she stepped onto Chrissy’s porch. Looking around she moved to the window and peaked in. Inside, she saw a child’s clutter and a television on. No sight of Chrissy, she thought to herself. Beckie stepped in front of the door and rang the bell. She threw on a smile and waited for someone to open the door. When the door finally swung open, all that Beckie saw was a swollen-eyed Chrissy. But that soon changed, as soon as Chrissy saw Beckie a smile spread on her face and her eyes grew wide. “Beckie!” Chrissy exclaimed, throwing herself at Beckie and hugging her.

“The one and only,” Beckie said to her.

“What are you doing here??” Chrissy asked, after finally letting her go.

“Trent’s doing some business here in New York. So, I tagged along and before I knew it, I was out the hotel and heading here before I even got a chance to unpack!”

Chrissy smiled at Beckie’s words, and then invited her in. Beckie gladly stepped into her home and watched as Chrissy began to frantically pick up baby toys and what seemed to look like party left over. This was the first time Beckie had ever been to Chrissy’s home in the Bronx. Beckie looked around at all the pictures hung on the wall and the shelves of medical books. This was Chrissy’s home.

“Sorry everything is such a mess. Jai-li was baptized yesterday and so we had a party,” Chrissy said.

“Wow, really? Where is she anyhow?” Beckie asked.

“She’s upstairs napping. I really didn’t expect you. I sent you a party invitation and you never RSVPed,” Chrissy told her while she did more cleaning.

“I never received an invitation…”

“I hate the mail system,” Chrissy said with a grunt.

“It’s fine, I’m just glad I’m here now!” Beckie told her to lighten the mood.

“Me too,” Chrissy said with a smile. “Let’s move to the kitchen, it’s much cleaner,” She added.

As Chrissy suggested, they moved to the kitchen. Beckie took a seat at her table and Chrissy served her some iced tea. Chrissy joined her at the table and they sat there in silence. Finally, Beckie said,” So, what’s up? Is everything ok? You look like you’ve been crying.”

Chrissy’s jaw dropped and her hand flew to her face. She threw her head down on the table and began sobbing. Beckie reached out and put her hand on Chrissy’s arm. Chrissy looked up at her and took a deep breath. “This mourning I suggested to my husband that we adopt… He didn’t take the idea so well. He stopped by during his lunch break with some flowers,” Chrissy stopped to take a glance at the sink. In the sink, was a bouquet turned upside down and shoved into the garbage disposal.

“Yikes,” Beckie said.

“He said he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of raising someone else’s child. He said he wanted more children with me and only me. He also said that if I didn’t feel like carrying another child we could always have another woman carry it out to full term for us. He wants to go over our options.”

“And you really want to adopt?”

“Yes! I don’t see it as raising someone else’s child. I see it as taking in a child and raising it as our own. I see it as giving another child the same opportunities as our child. We have the room and we have the money. I don’t see why we wouldn’t!”

“Well, maybe you just need to talk to him more.”

“I will not beg for us to adopt. If he doesn’t want to adopt then we won’t. I will not force us into something,” Chrissy said.

“I’m sorry C,” Beckie told her, reaching for her hand.

“It’s not your fault. I’m just glad you’re here. Let’s forget about the drama and catch up,” Chrissy said with a smile. “So, how long have you been with Trent now? You guys ever going to get married?”

Beckie let out a belch of laughter. “Chrissy, we are married.”

“What??? Where was I when this happened??”

“I’m not sure, I sent you an invitation!”

“Those dang mail people! You know what? We need to exchange numbers!”

Beckie smiled and said, “Seriously.”

“So, you’re married. Any kids?” Chrissy asked.

“Not yet,” Beckie said.

“Wow, so, Lyd-e beat you to it!”

“What?”

“Yup, Lydia Rosario is pregnant.”

“Hahahaha! That’s got to be hilarious. Let’s go check it out! Lydia said
she’d never have kids!”

“I know,” Chrissy said with a bark of laughter.


******************************************************


Lydia stood in front of the long mirror. She laid a hand on her stomach and couldn’t imagine something actually in there. She wasn’t sure she was ready for this. She didn’t want to become Chrissy and Jolene. She didn’t want to be a soccer mom. She hated those sappy seventh heaven moments and couldn’t stand how sweet everything the babies did was. Most of all, Lydia was not willing to gain 100 pounds for this child.

“I’m going to get really fat,” Lydia shouted to Kiral.

“Are you looking in the mirror again??” He asked from downstairs.

“Yes! Will you still love me when I weigh 300 pounds??”

“You’re not going to weigh 300 pounds!”

Lydia ran to the steps and glared at him. “So, you’re saying you wouldn’t love me if I weighed 300 pounds?”

“No Lydia, I’m saying you won’t weigh 300 pounds!”

“But, will you still love me if I did?”

“YESSS!!” he shouted.

“Jeeze, I’m sorry I had to force it out of you,” Lydia said taking a seat at the steps and placing her face in her hands. Just as Kiral began to step up toward her, the doorbell rang. Kiral turned around and opened the door. Lydia heard some words being exchanged and then a loud clunk on the steps.

When Lydia looked up, sure enough there was Beckie banging her cowgirl boots on Lydia’s steps. Lydia jumped up with a smile and ran down the steps. She hugged Beckie and then Chrissy who was holding Jai-li.

“Hey pregnant lady!” Beckie said to Lydia. Lydia’s draw dropped and she gasped.

“Why would you call me that?? So soon? Good God,” Lydia said in horror.

Beckie and Chrissy laughed. They all stepped out of the stairwell and into the living room. Chrissy noticed the new play pin and placed Jai-li in it. She smiled at Lydia and Lydia rolled her eyes. Kiral sat on the couch watching a football game. Lydia grabbed the remote and shut off the plasma. “Hey!” Kiral said to her with a questioning look.

“Bedroom,” Lydia said with a smile.

Kiral rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag of chips. “Yes mom,” Kiral said with a wink before running up the steps. Lydia grunted and shook her head.

“How does that one taste?” Chrissy asked.

“FOUL!” Lydia replied. Now, Beckie, Chrissy, and Lydia sat on the couch while little Jai-li sat in the play pin. It was silent for a while until Beckie said, “I can’t believe your pregnant.”

“Pregnant again, Darling.” Lydia said. Chrissy nodded her head and they both smiled at Beckie.

“Oh man, what did I miss out on?” Beckie asked.

Chrissy threw an arm around Beckie and said, “Depends how much time you got!”


*********************************************


Zhi looked at his watch and noted that he had three hours to go. It was four in the afternoon and he was ready to go home. Or maybe just get out of the clinic. Last time he went home it was to tell Chrissy that he didn’t want to adopt, she didn’t take it as well as he hoped. Suddenly, the loud speaker came on and announced that he was to report to pediatrics. Zhi sighed and took himself to the front desk to inquire about this demand. He never worked in pediatrics.

Once at the front desk, he raised his eyebrows. The young new nurse looked up at him a smiled. “Well, there’s this lady who is requesting you. She says that you have to come and see her,” she said to Zhi.

Zhi smiled and her and said, “Oh, how exciting!” with those words he walked away and headed for pediatrics. It didn’t take him long to get to the room the loudspeaker had told him to get to. When he did, Jolene and both kids starred out at her. Zhi let out a bark of laughter when he realized that both kids were covered in what looked to be chicken pox.

“Uncle Zhi!” the kids yelled in unison.

“Hey kids,” Zhi said to them. He hugged them and then smiled at Jolene.

“You’re the only doctor they will let examine them,” Jolene told him.

“That’s understandable,” he said smiling down at the kids. “Why don’t you guy take off some of your clothes? So, I can examine what you got here.”

“Okay, we’ll do it. But, can you do me first?” Little Adyli said.

“Sure,” he said to her. He turned away and closed the room door. He moved to the sink and washed his hands. He put on some gloves and then turned back to the kids, each sitting waiting for him to give them the proper attention. Zhi began examining Adyli’s skin.

“So, how long have they had it like this?” Zhi asked Jo but didn’t look at her. He only turned to Darius and looked at his skin.

“Since this mourning, but I couldn’t bring them in till now,” Jolene said.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter when you bring them in as long as they understand that they can’t scratch,” Zhi told all of them.

“Yeah, no scratching!” Darius yelled at Adyli.

“Sush kids,” Jolene said with a wave of her hand. “So, how’s it going with Chrissy?”

“You mean since you saw us yesterday?” Zhi asked.

“Yeah, well, I had a conversation with Chrissy about…” Jolene was cut off before she could finish her sentence. “Look,” Zhi said. “You can’t convince me to take in someone else’s child. I really don’t want to adopt. I thought I made it clear.”

“What?” Jolene said. “Chrissy wants to… adopt? And you said no?”

“Yes,” Zhi said.

“How could you? Chrissy loves kids and she’d love to take in someone who needs help. By saying no you more then likely crushed her heart!”
Jolene said.

“I know, and I’m sorry, but I can’ help my feelings. I just can’t,” he told her.

“Why not? There is nothing wrong with adoption!”

“I want to have more babies with Chrissy.”

“There is no difference between having a child and adopting one.”

“Yes, there is.”

“In the end, you’re still raising a child with Chrissy. You’re still loving someone who needs your love and support,” Jolene said. “You got to do this.”

Zhi looked at Jolene and saw the urgency in her words. He knew she was serious and, he knew that he was going to listen to her. “If I give this a try,” he said. “Would Chrissy hate me if I ended up not liking it?”

“Impossible,” Jolene told him.

Zhi smiled and cleared his throat. “Well,” he said. “Your kids have chicken pox. I’ll have the nurse give you prescriptions and advice on what to do. But, I’m pretty sure you already know most of it. Most importantly, keep them away from Jai for a while,” he told her with a wink.

“You got it doc,” Jo said with a nod as she began to help the kids put their clothes back on.

Zhi turned to leave the office when he called out, “Thanks for the advice!”

“That’s why I’m here,” Jo said to him.

Behind him the kids giggled and shook their heads. Just another crazy day in Zhi’s crazy life. And, he knew it was just about to become even more complicated. He was adopting a new child. Oh, what he would do for his wife.

Next Story in the American Lifestyles Series

"American Adoption"


Chapter One


Several Months Later…


Laughter spread through out the room and the voices became louder. Chrissy smiled at the sight of everyone in her living room. All here to celebrate the Baptism of 1-yearold Jai-li. She thought about the beautiful ceremony and how happy Jolene and Danny were to become the new God parents of her daughter. “I’ve got dibs on the next one,” Lydia said to her after taking a snap shot of Jai being dipped into the water. Surely, Lydia did have dibs on the next.

“Someone is in deep thought,” Jolene said to her as she poked her.

“Hah, kind of. Just thinking,” Chrissy replied.

“About?”

“About what Lyd said,” Chrissy said.

“I don’t get it.”

“The next one… I don’t know when the ‘next one’ will come around.”

“That’s entirely up to you and Zhi. Technically, the next one could
happen tonight. That’s if these people cleared out earlier enough for you guys to still have some energy left,” Jo said with a smile.

“True,” Chrissy said. Jolene and Chrissy slipped into some chairs in the living room and began chatting with some more family members. Somehow, music began to play and all the kids came to the middle of the room. They each danced together and moved in awkward motions.

Suddenly, the music was shut off and everyone looked to the stereo. Standing in front of the stereo was Lydia and Kiral. Chrissy was surprised to see them here, together. Over the past months they had become an off and on relationship. Last time she checked, things were off.

“Uh, Well,” Lydia began.

Kiral bent to her ear and whispered something. She nodded and turned around. Her armed moved around a bit and then, she turned around. When she turned around she held a sign in her hands. Then Kiral turned and did the same. When both faced the crowd with the signs in their hands, they finally flipped it.

Lydia’s sign read, “I’m pregnant!”

Kiral’s sign read, “ And it’s mine!”

Kiral and Lydia laughed together and everyone else joined them.

“Sorry,” Lydia said. “I just couldn’t get myself to say it!”

Jolene was among the first to jump up and congratulate them. She hugged Lydia and laid a hand on Lydia’s stomach. No doubt there was barely anything there, but when you are pregnant, people touch you anyway. Knowing Lydia would think it odd of her if she didn’t, Chrissy got up and gave Lydia her obligatory congratulation. “On again?” Chrissy asked.

“On forever,” Lydia said with a smile.

“So, you’re moving out?” Chrissy asked. Since their relationship had become so unstable, Lydia lived with Chrissy. Chrissy and Zhi lived in a home that was well fit for a family. But because they only had one child, they had plenty of room. In their extra room, Lydia had settled. It wasn’t bad though. Lydia came home from work and cleaned up. If Chrissy needed a sitter then Lydia was there. If Lydia needed advice, about Kiral mostly, then Chrissy was there.

“Yeah, I will be moving out. I’ll be out of hair for good now,” Lydia said with a smile.

“You never bothered me!” Chrissy argued. The party continued and everyone did as they would do. Eventually, it was all over. The house was cleared out and all that was left was a large mess. Lydia, Kiral, Zhi, and Jai-li were all that remained in the house. Jolene had left early to put the kids to bed and get some rest of her own. Chrissy gathered all plates and cups and dumped them in the sink.

She looked at them and contemplated doing them. She shrugged and said to herself, “Zhi will do them later.”

Behind her, Lydia laughed. “I heard that,” Lydia said.

“Well, it’s true,” Chrissy replied.

“I know. Zhi is great like that. Speaking of, he went upstairs with Jai-li. She fell asleep and he said he needed a shower.”

“Good,” Chrissy said with a nod. Chrissy leaned against her counter and looked at Lydia. She didn’t look pregnant. That was good, she guessed.

“So, I wanted to speak to you about all of this.”

“What’s there to speak about?”

“Well, it’s all kind of abrupt and you seemed kind of odd.”

“Odd?”

“Well yeah,” Lydia said. “I saw your face when you read it. Like you were disappointed or sad…”

“What? NO! I’m happy for you, I am. I was just thinking about stuff, and you know how people in my family get to me after a while.”

Lydia nodded and smiled. “Well, if anything, you’d tell me right?” Lydia asked.

“Without hesitation,” Chrissy replied.

“Ok, I feel better! I packed some clothes so I can take the night at Kiral’s.”

“Technically, you live there too now,” Chrissy told her with a stiff finger and a smile.

“Very true, and I will be back for more stuff soon,” Lydia informed Chrissy.

“Ok, so, then I will see you around!” It was an awkward goodbye, but goodbyes never went too great anyway.

“Yup, see you around…” Lydia gave Chrissy a hug and left the kitchen. Chrissy heard the front door close and lock and she knew Lydia was gone. Sure, she also knew she wasn’t gone forever. She would just miss having her sister around.

Chrissy yawned and decided it was time to go upstairs. She snuck upstairs and into her room. She changed her clothes and lied in bed. Just as she closed her eyes she heard the bedroom door open. Zhi came into the room and climbed his way into bed. He moved closer to her and snuggled into her body. He smelled good and his body was warm.

It was early winter and the weather was cool. It wasn’t cold enough for heaters, but it was just the right temperature to cuddle close to someone for warmth. Chrissy didn’t move and didn’t make an attempt to open her eyes. She was perfectly happy with the silence. It wasn’t long till she was actually asleep.





************************************************


Zhi grunted at the sound of their hideous alarm. Five O’clock on the dot. Zhi wasn’t at all a mourning person, but he had to adapt. He had to make peace with the mourning to get to work on time. Zhi was a doctor at a local clinic. He worked from seven to seven and dealt with the Bronx’s most paid patients. He worked from Mondays through Fridays and was paid enough. It was all he could ever ask for.

Zhi rolled over and looked at Chrissy. Her eyes were open but she wasn’t looking at him. He kissed her forehead but didn’t say anything. He then got up and checked on Jai. She was still asleep. Zhi went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. Chrissy came into the bathroom and smiled at him. She grabbed her toothbrush and brushed her teeth with him.

It’s had became a routine for them. Jai would be awake by six thirty and begging for food. So Chrissy and Zhi only had an hour and half to shower and change, along with make breakfast. Finally done with brushing, they looked at each other. “Good mourning baby,” Zhi said.

“Mourning,” Chrissy said.

Zhi extended his arms and Chrissy came into them. He hugged her close and kissed her cheek. “You ok?” he asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Chrissy replied.

“You think so?”

Chrissy looked around at the green bathroom, and then finally looked at Zhi. “Well, I was just thinking…”

“Oh boy,” Zhi said teasing her.

Chrissy pulled away from his grip and mumbled, “Forget it…”

“No, no, no… Tell me baby,” Zhi said grabbing her again. The bathroom wasn’t very small so they had room to move around together.

“Well, I was thinking about us having a second child.”

“Wow,” Zhi let out. It wasn’t exactly what he was expecting. He wasn’t thinking it at all. But of course, he knew at some point it would come up.
“Well, sure!” he said. “I wouldn’t mind having another baby with you. Maybe if we get to work now, you can be close to Lydia,” he said with a smile. He began kissing her neck and holding her close.

“Well, I don’t really want to be pregnant again,” Chrissy said. The words made Zhi stop in his tracks. He pulled away from her neck and looked at her. Was she serious?

“Then how do you expect to have another kid?” He laughed at his own question.

“Adoption…” Chrissy said.

“Wow, well,” Zhi was out of words. He never thought about adoption one bit. He wasn’t even sure he liked the idea of adopting. Sighing he pulled away from Chrissy and said, “Let’s save this discussion for another time. I don’t want to be late.”

Chrissy nodded her head and walked away. Chrissy needed an answer, but he couldn’t give her one now. Best he could come up with was that they should take time to think things over. Adoption is a long process and the kids are not exactly perfect. Zhi couldn’t believe she suggested this.
Then again, anything was believable with Chrissy. She was wako and that was just the way Zhi liked her. Zhi took a long shower and got dressed for work. He quickly said his goodbyes to Chrissy and Jai, and left for work.
The drive to the clinic wasn’t very long. Though, Zhi didn’t really time it. His mind was completely thinking about Chrissy. She wanted to take in and raise someone else’s child. He couldn’t see why. Pulling into the clinic lot, he parked his car. He made a quick exit and before he knew it he was inside the clinic.

Adriana, one of the nurses, greeted him. “How’s your morning going Zhi?”

“Quite crazy,” Zhi said. “And yourself?”

“Not too bad… so, what’s so crazy about your morning?” Adriana asked.

“My wife wants to adopt.”

“Wow, that’s intense.”

“I know, I think it’s because her friend is pregnant. Like, maybe it has her wanting more kids.”

“So, what did you tell her?”

“I told her we’d talk later,” Zhi told her. Adriana winced at his words and
shook her head. “So, you wouldn’t happen to know where I can buy a gift that says, ‘I’m very happy for your pregnant friend, but I don’t want to adopt. Can we spend time looking at our other options?’”

Adriana shook her head, “Sorry, I’m clueless in that department.”

Of course, Zhi thought to himself. Since he didn’t know where to locate that perfect gift, he figure he might as well just settle for flowers. He knew if he just explained himself to Chrissy she would understand.

"Working With an Angel"

Chapter Six


The elevator doors opened and John looked out at Tank. Tank seemed surprised to see John. Tank’s eyes moved to Angel, who nodded her head in reassurance. He shrugged and signaled for them to get off the elevator. Once off the elevator, Tank pointed to a cart full of gadgets. He began to speak, “Well, this is everything you will need. Try to get back in before my shift ends. Eight AM… sharp.”

“You got it, Tank. I can’t thank you enough. Remember, I owe you,” Angel said with a wink. Angel handled all the stuff smoothly. She gave John all that he was supposed to have and said goodbye to Tank. John followed her out the glass exit and came to realize how long it had been since he had been out in civilization. Just the idea of being free and out made his knees crumble.

“So,” Angel said. “Is this where we part?”

“Should I go with you?” John asked.

“I would rather you not,” Angel told him.

John smiled at her. He thought about leaving her and didn’t like the idea much. He knew if he left her now it would give him more time to get as far from this place as possible. Yet, in the end, something told him he should still go with her.
“I’ll just go with you now, then leave once you get where you need to be,” He said to her with a smile.

“Fine,” She said.

Angel began walking down the empty street and John followed. Angel turned the corner and reached into her pocket. She stopped at a shiny new black BMW 650i coupe. “God, this car is beautiful,” John said.

“I know, that’s why I stole it,” Angel said with a smile.

John sighed and said, “You know, sometimes, you really do act like you belong with these guys.”

Angel failed to respond. Instead, she walked to the driver’s side door and opened it. She jumped into the car and turned it on. John knocked on the window and told her to open his door. Angel opened it with a smirk on her face. Once inside John began to talk to Angel while she shifted out of the parking spot.

“So, you stole this car?” He asked.

“Yeah, I did. After you steal a certain amount of cars you are granted to pick which one you want as your own. I choose this one. I mostly choose it because it was the hardest one of all of them. It’s a beauty,” she said to him.

“Wow, so, you must have one heck of a rap sheet,” He said with a whistle.

“Well, I’ve been here a while,” she replied.

“Yeah, I know, so you must know a lot about doing things like this,” he said.

“Things like what?”

“You know, stealing, sneaking around, all that thug life stuff.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I like doing all that stuff. That’s what makes me different from all of them. They’re monsters.”

“Sure, Angel, I get it.”

“Yeah, well, if you really get it you’ll shut up,” Angel said. “You know,” Angel said after a minute of silence. “You’re an asshole.”

John smiled and replied, “Well, you still like me don’t cha?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Angel said to him.

The drive was not long and John new that soon he would have to depart from Angel. The car came to a stop and Angel parked it. She turned off the car and turned to him. “This is where you leave me,” she said.

“And miss seeing your sister? I don’t think so,” he told her.

“I know so Danger,” Angel replied her tone serious. “This is my business. Stay out,” she added.

“Oh, come on, you need me,” he said.

“For what?”

“Man power, duh!”

“I don’t know about you, but I have never heard any real man say duh.”

“Ha, ha, ha, so funny! Look, I’m just saying that you might need me.”

Angel stared at him long and hard until she finally came to ask, “Why do you want to come?”

John sighed and searched for an answer. Angel watched him and he could feel the heat of her stare even though, he wasn’t looking. John couldn’t find any reasoning for wanting to tag along. Perhaps he was just being foolish. It had been years since he had been with any real woman and but of course, who wouldn’t expect him to want to be with her.

Angel wouldn’t expect it. She expects him to leave. So maybe, maybe he would leave. The more time he had at night, the better. He needed to sneak around and get far. Maybe leaving was better. John put a smile on and looked at Angel. He reached for her cheek and brushed a strand of hair aside. “Truthfully,” he said. “I don’t want to go with you.”

He smiled and opened his door. He got out of the car and walked away. He gave her a slight wave and began his journey. He felt relieved that he was finally out on his own. He was, for the first time in a long time, walking freely. Although, he had to admit, he had no clue what to do next. He was as scared as he was happy.

*************************************

“Man that guy is annoying!” Angel yelled at no one specifically. She sat in her car watching his image fade in the darkness. Just when she thought he would confess some kind of feelings and she would have to turn him down, he just said no! He was annoyingly confusing and as complicated as a woman. She could never figure out his agenda.

Technically, she never could figure out her own. Why was she so worked up about him leaving like that? Why did it matter that he didn’t care to stay with her? Why was she sitting in this car instead of pursuing her sister? Angry at herself she exited the car and began to locate her sister’s new home. She would not think about “danger” anymore.

Taking a deep breath she cleared her mind. She had to pull this off. She had to sneak into the house and into Annie’s bedroom. There was no room for flaw. Looking around the neighbor hood she noted that all the lights were off in the near by homes. It was very unlikely someone would spot her.
The house was large and had three floors. Angel moved around to the back of the house. The yard gate was unlocked and she made sure not to make noise. She checked out the back to find that the second floor had a balcony. If angel had to guess, that was the parents’ room.

Sighing she knew that it would be easiest to get in through the balcony and then move onto the other rooms. She looked around and found a ladder. This seemed almost all too easy. She laid the ladder against the house and climbed up. She grabbed onto the iron poles and swung herself onto the platform. She looked around and made sure she hadn’t drawn any attention.

Satisfied she turned to the glass doors. They were open. “Easy,” Angel said. “Too easy,” she added. Angel opened the glass doors and slipped into the black room. Reaching into the inner pockets of her jacket she thanked Tank. Tank had given her gadgets to get around easier. One of these gadgets was sunglasses that could be used as night vision glasses. She slipped them on and suddenly she could see everything in the room.

When she looked to the bed she saw a couple lying in the bed sleeping. Lit in red was their alarm clock. Three O’three, it read. She has about 4 hours left. Carefully she moved toward the bedroom door. She quietly slipped out and moved down the hall. She had no clue where she was going. She had no clue who lived here.

Frustrated with herself she stopped. She leaned against the wall and took some deep breaths. She had conducted such a poor job in preparing for this trip. I had no time, she told herself. She was left with no other choice. Finally she lifted her body and looked around. She would have to go door to door looking for Annie.

The first door she tried was a hall closet. The second door, a bathroom. When Angel reached for the third door it opened before she could grab the knob and a wide eyed young girl looked out at her. Angel placed a finger to her lips and said, “Shhh.” The girl nodded and opened her door even more, inviting Angel in. Angel looked around and entered. She closed the door and came to her knees.

“Hi,” she said to the young girl.

“Hi, I’m Rita,” the girl said with a Hispanic accent.

“I’m Angel.”

“Angel? Are you going to take me home?”

Angel smile at her and said, “No, Darling. I am not here to take you home. I am here to see Annie. Do you know which room is hers?”

“Yes, but Annie does not like to be awoken.”

“It’s ok, don’t worry about it. Are those your parents in the other room?”

“No,” the girl said. The girl turned around and moved to her bed. She jumped onto it and sat. She sighed and looked at Angel. “They say they are going to take care of me. My parents are in heaven. I was hoping that you were the Angel that would bring me to them but you say you won’t bring me home.”

The words hurt Angel. Angel moved to hug the child but froze when she heard foot steps. Scared she would get caught she quickly told Rita to get into her bed and pretend to sleep. Angel slipped into Rita’s closet and waited. Rita’s door opened and a small boy looked in.

“Rita? I know you’re awake,” he said. He came into the room and closed the door behind him. He moved to Rita’s bed and pulled the sheets off of her.

“Peter!” Rita said. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. “What do you want Peter?”

“I heard you talking, Rita. Who were you talking to?” Peter asked with a small finger pointing at Rita.

“I was talking to the Angel. She’s gone now, Peter. You scared her away.”
Peter gave a bark of laughter and shook his head. “Rita, sometimes I forget how young and naïve you are.”

“You’re only eight!” Rita said standing up. Rita was about 4 inches shorter then Peter. Peter shook his head, raised his chin high in the air, and walked right out of the room. Rita sighed and looked toward the closet. “It’s ok to come out now Angel,” she said.

Angel stepped out of the closet and smiled at Rita. Why were these kids up at this time? Kids cracked her up. She had many memories of Annie acting the same. It never failed to amuse Angel. “Ok Rita, I need you to take me to Annie now,” Angel said.

Rita nodded and they left her room. The climbed the steps to the third floor and passed two rooms. They finally reached a door and Rita stepped aside. “This is it,” Rita said. Angel smiled and nodded. She reached for the knob and opened it. Once inside she felt a sense of home. There were pictures on the wall and even in the dark Angel knew they were of their family.

Rita followed Angel in and Angel closed the door. She walked to the bed and took a seat at the edge. She looked down at her sister and tears fled to her eyes. She hadn’t thought this was possible. “Annie,” Angel said. “Annie,” she repeated.

Annie opened her eyes and jumped up. “Dawn?” She said. Angel nodded her head and Annie jumped into her arms. “Dawn! I can’t believe it’s you!” Annie screamed.

“Shhh!” Angel said. “Believe it, I’m here.”

“Oh man, I don’t know what to say. How’d you get in here? And where have you been? Oh man, I knew you were out there! I just, I just, I-I-I don’t know!” Annie said all too fast.

“Calm down, there’s time,” Angel said with a smile. Remembering her true reason for being here her smile faded. “I got your letter. You said you were going to join the Illegals? I know you think you have a choice in this but you don’t. No,” Angel said.

Annie looked at her and sighed. “I don’t want to join but Dawn… We could finally be together!”

“Why does she call you Dawn? You are Angel, no?” Rita asked. It was then Angel remembered Rita’s presence.

“Rita stay out of this!” Annie said in a bitter tone.

“Annie!” Angel said.

“See,” Rita said as she began to cry. “I told you she doesn’t like to be woken up!” Angel sighed and grabbed Rita. She held her close until she stopped crying.

“Rita, go to bed now,” Angel told her. “And remember Rita, you don’t tell a soul I was here. Not even Peter,” Angel said.

Rita nodded and left the room. For a moment Angel and Annie sat in silence. In the end, Angel said, “Promise me you won’t join the Illegals.”

“Ok, I promise,” Annie replied. She smiled and lightened the mood. “So you have met my brother and sister? They’re a little too much to handle.”

“I don’t see how anything can be a bother in a house like this. So, your foster parents loaded?” Angel asked.

“Just a bit… They foster four kids. They can’t have kids on their own.”

“Where’s the fourth?”

“Jack isn’t home tonight. He’s quite old… 17. The system is close to letting him be on his own.”

Angel nodded. “I missed you,” Angel said to her sister.

“I missed you too,” Annie replied.

"American Family"

Chapter Ten

Danny sat on Lydia’s front porch with Brianna. Since Danielle’s death, Brianna had been sleeping at Lydia’s house. But today, after the burial, Brianna was leaving. Every one was inside and it was just Danny and Brianna. Danny knew that there were words to be spoken. Yet, he couldn’t get them out. Instead, he asked her a simple question. “So, what comes next for you??”

“Well, I’m not sure. My whole life has been dedicated to Brianna. Now that I am no longer a mother I can live differently. Maybe I’ll go back to school. Before, I had to work so many hours just to make enough money that, I couldn’t go to school,” She explained to him.

“Listen, I’m sorry about not being there for you and Danielle,” Danny said.

“It wasn’t your fault. I should have told you I was pregnant. But I didn’t,” She told him. “I’m just glad she got to meet you,” she smiled but her voice strained.

“You know, you don’t have to go back. You can stay here,” Danny offered.

“In Lydia’s house? Nah, I don’t think so,” She said with a bark of laughter.

“I meant you don’t have to go all the way back to Detroit,” Danny said. He didn’t laugh along with her. Quite frankly, it wasn’t funny.

“Danny, I love you to pieces. But, my life isn’t here. My family isn’t here. The only thing tying us together was Danielle. I have to go home,” She said to him.

“But, Brianna,” Danny said not sure how to explain how he felt.

“Danny, let me go. The only reason you want me around is cause I’m the only thing left of Danielle. But, trust me, you don’t need me here to remember your daughter. In fact I buried my baby here, so that she can be with her daddy. Don’t worry about me,” Brianna said.

Danny sighed and nodded his head. Just then Kiral came out from inside the house. Both Brianna and Danny looked at him waiting for news of when her flight left. He smiled at her. “Your flight leaves in three hours. You’re flying first class,” He said to her. “I can drop you off if you want,” he added.

Brianna got up and smiled at him. She extended her arms and he hugged her. “Thank you, Kiral. You’re so handy,” Brianna said with a chuckle. “I’m going to go inside and say goodbye. I’ll get my bags so we can go. Going through security takes a lot,” Brianna added before running inside the house.

Kiral took a seat next to Danny and they both sat there in silence. Breaking the silence Kiral said, “So, how’s life?”

Danny couldn’t help but laugh at the random question. “Life is, well, life is almost back to normal. How about you?”

Kiral winced and shook his head. “Not too good. I wouldn’t be surprised if this baby made us get a divorce,” Kiral said.

Someone cleared their throat and they turned around to see Lydia. “Brianna needs help with her bags,” Lydia said. With those words Lydia was gone.

“You think she heard me say that?” Kiral asked Danny.

“Based on your luck and Lydia’s timing… Probably,” Danny told him. They each let out a sigh and headed inside. They helped Brianna with her bags and before they knew it, Kiral and she were pulling out of the driveway. With Chrissy baby sitting and Lydia upstairs, Danny finally found time to talk to his wife. He found her in the kitchen cleaning the counter. Surely, the counter wasn’t even dirty.

“Sunshine,” Danny said to her.

“Yeah?” Jolene replied.

Danny approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. She froze and dropped all that she was doing. Still with her back to him Danny began to speak. “Do you know how much I love you?” He asked.

“I’m a bit aware that there might be some affection for me present,” Jolene said with a smile.

“No, I love you, with all that I have, I love you. I can’t believe you stay with me after all I put you through. I love you for how great you were with all of this. The fund raiser and everything, the way you helped Brianna. I don’t think I can function without you sunshine,” He said.

“Well, you should know that I will be here, for better or for worse. I’m here and you’re stuck with me. I just think that you should also know that, if you ever hide something like that from me again, well, I won’t be so kind.”

“I can promise you that I won’t,” He said to her. Finally, Jolene turned around and kissed her husband. She held onto him and Danny could feel the passion return.

******************************

Still in the kitchen, Danny looked at his watch then, looked at Jolene. “We probably have Chrissy babysitting for another hour before she calls begging for us to pick them up. Want to put it to good use?” Danny offered with a wink.

Jolene smiled and nodded. Danny grabbed her hand and pulled her through the kitchen and pass the living room. Just as he was about to get her through the door she stopped. “Wait, I can’t leave without checking on Lydia,” She told him.

He kindly nodded his head and said, “I’ll just go turn the car on.”

Jolene turned and headed up the steps and into Lydia’s room. When Jolene entered the room she was shocked at the sight. In front of her, stood Lydia, packing bags full of clothes. Jolene watched, open mouthed, Lydia oblivious to her presence. “Lyd!” Jolene finally exclaimed. “What are you doing??”

“I’m leaving,” Lydia said.

“Where??” Jolene questioned.

“Nearest hotel,”

“Why??”

“Because, this marriage isn’t working. I shouldn’t have done it.”

“You don’t mean that!” Jolene yelled at her.

“Yes, I do.” Lydia said. She didn’t stop packing for one minute. She was a woman on a mission to get away from a home she had made with her husband.

“Oh wow,” Jolene said. She didn’t know what questions she should ask first. So instead, she just watched as Lydia moved around some more.

“Can you believe he said, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if we got a divorce’?” Lydia said sounding infuriated. “Divorce? Divorce!” Lydia let out an evil bark of laughter. “If he wants a divorce then, Jolene, I will give him the divorce of a lifetime!” She said.

“Lyd, I don’t know what to say,” Jolene explained.

“You don’t have to worry about saying anything. It’s over,” Lydia said.

“Are you sure? I can’t let you do this if you really don’t want to…”

“Look Jo, really, just go home. Go to your perfect family and let me endure the divorce I was sure I was destined for. It’s a family thing. We all end up alone and old. I knew it and he wants it. So, fine,” Lydia said.

Jolene couldn’t help but get angry at Lydia. “You know,” Jolene said firmly. “I would have thought that after all of this you would stop calling my family ‘perfect’. Because, we aren’t. But, it seems, no matter what we do, that is all you will ever see it as. There goes Jolene, she’s in love! Picture perfect family, yada, yada, yada.” With those words Jolene left.

Of course, Lydia came running after her. “Jo! Jo!” She yelled. Jolene stopped but, didn’t turn. “I’m sorry,” Lydia said. Jolene nodded her head and continued walking. “I know,” Jolene replied. At that Jolene was gone. She was going to enjoy the rest of her day with her husband and eventually her family.

Sitting in the car with Danny, Jolene held his hand. Things would be back to normal. She sighed in relief. She would now be able to sleep. She would now be able to love her husband and live her life the same. Although, the memory of Danielle would always be there. And she would constantly go to visit her. She wouldn’t dare let Danny forget. That girl helped Jolene to answer the one she had always wondered about. At the end of the day, could her and Danny make it through the worse and come back stronger then ever? The answer: Without a doubt.

*********************************************

Lying in her new hotel bed, Lydia typed up the last of her story. She hadn’t told anyone about the story. It was a story of a man and a woman who didn’t live happily ever after. It was about a couple who stayed together no matter what happened and a girl who found her dream man. It was about Jolene and Danny, the perfect family ending, the couple who didn’t end happily ever after, her parents, and the girl who found her dream man, Chrissy. Lydia couldn’t quite write herself in the story. She couldn’t write a story because she wasn’t ready to give herself an ending.

Lydia knew very well that, no matter how hard you wished, the ending didn’t always stay the end. Sure, she could call herself and Kiral the couple that didn’t have the happy ending. But, the truth was, she wasn’t sure this was the end. Secretly she knew this was just a minor setback. Love was something that stayed. If anyone had taught her that, it was Jolene.

Lydia sighed and hit save. She turned off her laptop and put it to the side. She brushed the bed sheet back and curled into it. The warmth was amazing and the room was comforting. Hopefully, tonight, she would sleep wonderfully. Tomorrow would be a hard day ahead.

*****************************************************

Kiral pulled his car into the driveway and jumped out of it. The house was dark and quiet. He entered cautiously and turned on the lights. When he discovered nobody was downstairs he went up the steps. He headed directly for his bedroom. When he turned on the light the bed was empty. He looked around then checked some of the other rooms. Removing his clothes he tossed it in the clothing bin. Heading to the draws he pulled out some clothes to take a shower. He wondered where Lydia was but he wasn’t too worried.

Kiral took a shower and came out feeling better. He entered his bedroom and to his surprise Lydia still hadn’t came home. Scared, he went for the phone. He dialed Jolene’s number. “Yea?” Came Jolene’s voice.
“Uhm, do you know where Lydia is?” Kiral asked.

“Oh man, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to be the one to tell you this. Why don’t you check your bed for like a note or something. Lydia loves to be cliché. She would probably leave you a note.” Kiral moved to his bed and rummaged through it.

“No note, can you just tell me?” he said demanding.

“I’ll show you. Why don’t you take a walk to Lydia’s closet.” Kiral walked to the closet and opened it. His jaw fell at the sight of empty hangers. There wasn’t a single piece of clothing left. He quickly ran to her draws. He pulled them open and out and found that there was nothing in them. He moved to the bathroom next and even her toothbrush was gone. He sighed.

“She’s gone to a hotel. She said something about divorce. I’m sorry, just give her time,” Jolene said.

“Yeah, thanks, bye,” Kiral said. He took a seat on the bed and sighed. His wife was gone. Staring out into space he felt his heart break. This couldn’t be so. He wouldn’t let it.

"American Family"

Chapter Nine



On the seventh day of their week of collection every one agreed on throwing a party. The party was held at Lydia’s house, her yard was the largest and she had a pool. They agreed to charge $3.50 at the door to enter the party but drinks and food were supplied. This idea turned out to be the best of all. Never had Lydia thought she could fit so many people into her yard.

Lydia looked out at the crowd and smiled. She flipped a burger and began whistling. It was a nice turn out. Suddenly, Danny showed up with a camera and began filming Lydia in front of the grill. “Hey Peaches,” He said, “Got anything to say to Danielle?”

Lydia smiled and flipped another burger. She said into the camera, “Hey Danielle! I hope you know I love you. I’m throwing a party for you at my house, I must love you! I hope you get better. I have to get back to the grill but, your father will continue going around. Hey, did he ever tell you how he used to work at KFC? For a while he’d go crazy over friend chicken!”

“PEACHES!” Danny yelled, moving onto a new victim. Lydia laughed and continued on her work.

Only a minute later, yet another person approached her. This time it was Chrissy and she said, “Hey Lyd, there is a guy on the phone who says he needs to speak with Kiral, only I can’t find him.”

“Oh, Well, I’ll find him if you cook these burgers,” Lydia said. Chrissy nodded and they traded. Lydia took the phone and Chrissy took the spatula. Lydia hurried through the crowd that laughed and partied till she was in her home. The house was quiet and cool.

Deciding to see who it was Lydia held the phone to her ear. “Hello,” she said. When no one answered she assumed they’d hung up. Heading up the steps she’d thought she might as well find Kiral anyway. Assuming he’d be where he always was she headed directly for the baby’s room. She opened the door and found him standing over the crib and staring out the window.

She watched him for a minute until she said, “What are you doing up here?” When he didn’t answer she took a step forward. She said, “You know it’s rude to throw a party at your home and hide away. You can’t stay in here forever.”

“Can’t I?” He said, “There are too many kids down there.”

“There are kids all over the world. That doesn’t mean you should never go out,” Lydia said to him.

“Yes, it does.”

“Why can’t you act like you actually care?”

Lydia was shocked. His words were painful. Angry, she glared at him. Suddenly, she threw the phone at the wall, making it shatter. Shocked, Kiral jumped, but made no move to get closer to her. Lydia stared at him and then turned around. Without a word she left the room slamming the door behind her. Within minutes she was back at the grill standing next to Chrissy.
“So, did you find him?” Chrissy asked.
“Yeah, but just so you know, you won’t have to worry about the phone anymore,” Lydia said to her. Lydia returned to flipping burgers and remained silent.

*****************************************************

Jolene stood outside of the gates that led into the party. Next to her stood Zhi, who worked as her security. It was hot and it had been a while since some one had paid there way in. She was starting to think the party was going to die down. Jolene turned around and looked at the large banner they had made with Danielle picture and the word welcome. In small letters it explained that it was a charity event.

Jolene heard the sounds of car doors opening and received a tap on her shoulder from Zhi. When she turned around she saw that news reporters had just shown up. She watched as they set up their equipment and then approached her.

Standing in front of her was a petite woman dressed in a grey business suit. She wore about a pound of make up and lip gloss. She smiled with the most perfect teeth and said, “Hi, how are you?” Before Jolene could answer she continued. “I’m Emma Geralds reporting for ABC news,” She said. She extended her hand and Jolene managed to shake it with out throwing up.

“How may I help you?” Jolene asked. She couldn’t stand this woman’s smile. It was wide and fake.

“Well, I’m here to do a report on this found raiser you are running for that young girl with lung cancer. We think it’s amazing that you guys have actually taken on paying for her surgery and believe it is worth reporting. These days there is terrorism on the news and we at ABC think it is time to bring the good out in this world. Would you mind letting us in so that we can begin this?” she said still smiling.

“Sure, you can go in. Only $3.50 per person,” Jolene said trying to mimic her fake smile.
“Are you serious?”

“It’s for a good cause,” Jolene said.

They all paid and entered the party. Jolene asked Zhi to watch the front and she followed the crew. Slowly but surely every ones attention focused on the news crew. No body could believe that a small time church trying to help one person could ever get news coverage. Jolene looked up at the sky and gave thanks.

The truth was this was going to help them a lot. With the announcements at church and the article Kiral wrote and had publish in the New York Times, people began to really care. Everyday they received mail with money orders and checks. This would be the perfect time to thank the public.

*****************************************

Walking toward Danielle’s room Danny smiled. His day went by great and he couldn’t wait for Danielle to see the footage he shot of all the people at the party. He couldn’t wait to tell her that she would have her surgery. Everything was going to be alright.

To his surprise, sitting in a chair outside of Danielle’s room was Brianna. Danny approached her with a smile but when he saw her face he knew there was no reason to smile. Her eyes were red and her cheeks looked soaked with tears that had found their way down. Seeing him she jumped up into his arms and held onto him tight. Unsure of anything Danny said, “What’s wrong? Is everything alright?”

Brianna shook her head and let out a sob. “No, no,” She said.

Danny felt his eyes begin to sting and he needed to know what was happening. He pulled Brianna off of him and made her look at him. Tears flowed in her eyes and he said, “Bree baby, what is going on?”

“She’s gone!” Brianna screamed with a sob.

“Gone?” Danny asked. “No, no, she can’t be gone,” He said. He released Brianna and rushed into the room where he found an empty bed. Falling to his knees, he held his face in his hands. Brianna came down to the floor and hugged him. For a while they stood on the floor, trying to comfort each other.

“Let’s get out of this hospital,” Danny whispered to her. She nodded and they rose from the floor. Within minutes they were in Danny’s car and heading to Lydia’s house where Danny knew, without a doubt, that they were trying to clean up a bit after the party.

“I don’t see why this had to happen. We have the money now,” Brianna said in a weak voice.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Danny said trying to believe it.

“What is the reason I had to loose my daughter? My baby girl,” Brianna said.

“I can’t say I know,” Danny told her.

“What do we do with the money?” Brianna asked.

“Spend it on the funeral and whatever is left we donate to studies dedicated to curing cancer,” Danny said. “She would have wanted that.”

“She would,” She agreed.

Before soon they were at Lydia’s house. Danny looked at the house and to his surprise, Lydia sat at the front steps. Brianna and he exited the car and headed toward the house. Danny looked at Lydia but didn’t get a response. He continued on his way into the house. On the couch sat his children. His heart ached. “Ady, D, can you guys come here?” Danny asked but meant it more as an order.

They came to him and he swept them off their feet. He hugged them tight and kissed them. He turned to Brianna and said, “Kids, this is Brianna. Brianna this is Adyli and Darrien,” Danny said. Brianna said hi and smiled at them. He was surprised she was able to render such a smile.

“Why, Hello,” Jolene said, watching them.

“Hello,” Brianna said. Danny put the kids down and sent them to the living room. He asked that they speak in a different room. They all moved to the kitchen where Zhi stood in front of the sink washing dishes. Danny found it odd that he was. He knew that at the party no one had used real dishes.

They all stood around and Danny reached for his wife. “I have bad news,” he said. He held her tight before continuing his words. “Danielle died,” He said. Jolene looked up at him shocked. She leaned into him for comfort but then pulled away and turned to Brianna. Though they had never met each other or even been introduced, still his amazing wife reached out to comfort her. She hugged her and together they mourned this death.

Taking deep breaths Danny stepped away from this scene. Something drew him away. His feet traveled toward the living room and directly to the front door. When he opened it, he saw Lydia, sitting there on the porch. For some unknown reason he was here. Danny took a seat next to Lydia and for the first time, he opened his mouth and talked about the death of Lydia’s baby. “It hurts, I know,” He said.

“Do you?” Lydia asked turning to him. Her eyes were watery.

Danny nodded and said, “Danielle died today.” It was as if the words were beginning to get harder to say rather then easier.

“Oh Danny,” Lydia said before leaning into him and crying some more. Danny hugged Lydia and in some way he finally understood why his feet brought him to her. She was going through what he was. Jolene couldn’t relate, as much as he wanted her to. Danny allowed himself to cry with her.

Lydia pulled away and said, “The other day I heard this song. It’s called ‘Angel’. Want to here the chorus?”

Danny nodded and she began to sing it softly. Her voice was rattled with pain. “Have you ever really loved an angel, once you have you’ll never be the same again,” She sang. “Have you ever lost an angel, say goodbye, let’em fly, my angel.”

In memory of Danielle and the unborn baby! <3333


True angels!


"Angel" THE SONG


::Sniffle sniffle::

"American Family"

Chapter Eight




“So, how long did you spend with her?” Chrissy asked Jolene. Jolene sat at the kitchen table with Chrissy. The kids were watching TV in the living room and Danny was out at the hospital. Jolene and Chrissy sat exactly across from each other, which demanded a lot of eye contact.

Jolene finally answered, “Well, till the nurse finally kicked us out and said that visiting hours had been over an hour ago.” Jolene smiled at Chrissy, thinking about the young girl.
“So, how do you feel?” Chrissy asked. It was as if her sister was interrogating her. Jolene didn’t mind. Now that the worry of her husband being unfaithful was gone, she actually felt quite good.

“I feel better. At first I was angry and I truly only wanted to see the girl for all the wrong reasons. After I met her, well, I grew to like her and I’m ok. Sure, I’m still a bit disappointed with Danny and we still have to take it step by step, but I think we’ll make it,” Jolene said.

Chrissy smiled and said, “You always do! Have you told any of this to Lyd?”

“No, I haven’t. I should, shouldn’t I?”

“She’d have a heart attack if you didn’t.”

“I will,” Jolene said. Silence fell into the room and the sound of the TV was all that remained. Finally, Jolene said, “I really feel like we need to help this girl.”

“Why don’t we?” Chrissy asked.

Jolene smiled and suddenly she had an idea. She could help the young girl. All of them could help the girl. All it took was maybe a week’s worth of effort and work. Thinking of how easy it would be to help the girl she was a bit angry that Danny had waited this long to tell her. She could have done this before.

“Chrissy, I need you to call the Pastor and ask him if he could come visit me. I’m going to call Lydia and Kiral. I’m sure they’d be willing to help save a life,” Jolene told Chrissy. Chrissy nodded and turned to her cell phone. Jolene got up and found her house phone. She dialed Lydia’s house and Kiral answered.

“Hello,” He answered.

“Hey Kiral, is Lydia around?” Jolene asked.

“Yeah, you want me to put her on?”

“Well, I really want to speak to both of you.”

“Oh, ok, hope you have good news. Hold on,” He said.

Jolene told Lydia and Kiral everything. She was a bit tired of reciting the story, but she new Lydia was dying to know. Once she was done telling the story she let the information sink in before giving them an offer. “So, now I need your help,” Jolene said, then continued. “I want to pay for that girl’s surgery. I’m going to donate money, Chrissy will,” Jolene said then glanced at Chrissy. Chrissy shrugged and nodded, then continued what she was saying on the phone. “I want you guys to give some money too,” She said.

“Oh, well, ok, how much?” Kiral said.

“As much as you’re willing,” Jolene said.

“Well, we’ll just talk and then call you back with how much,” Lydia told her. Jolene agreed and hung up the phone. She took a seat at the kitchen table and waited till Chrissy hung up the phone. When Chrissy was done on the phone she told Jolene that the pastor said he’d be there in an hour.

“So, just how much is Chrissy giving?” Chrissy asked Jolene with a raised eyebrow.

“As much as Chrissy’s little heart desires,” Jolene said with a smile.


**************************************************


At the hospital Danny sat in a char next to Danielle’s bed. On the other side of Danielle’s bed, sat her mother. They looked at each other and gave a small smile. Danny looked at Danielle and saw that she was watching him.

“I really liked your wife,” She said to him. She licked her lips and smiled.

“That’s really good to hear,” He responded to her. He reached for her hand and held it.

“I only wished I would have been here too to meet her,” Brianna announced to Danny.

“Maybe sometime,” Danny said. He only hoped not. He guessed it would be awkward and painful for Jolene. He couldn’t imagine meeting an ex of Jolene’s. He also couldn’t imagine finding out Jolene had a child with some one else.

“She was nice, mom,” Danielle said. “You would like her.”

Brianna nodded her head and bit down on her lip. She looked at her daughter then glanced down to the floor. Sighing and looked at her watch. She finally raised her head and said, “I’m going to go use the bathroom.” Both Danny and Danielle nodded and waited till she left to begin speaking.

“She spoke to me like a person and not a long cancer patient,” Danielle said.

“She can be quite amazing,” Danny agreed with a smile.

“I want her to come to my funeral,” Danielle said with no emotion on her face.

The words sent a shiver down Danny’s spine. To hear her say that was mind boggling. She was still a little girl. He couldn’t imagine how hard it must be for her to look death in the eyes and accept it. He didn’t want to hear her speak like this. He wanted her to live. “Don’t talk like that, God works miracles,” Danny told her.

“Not for me, he doesn’t,” She said coldly.

“You’ll see, he will,” Danny said. He squeezed her hand and smiled at her. She didn’t return the smile but he understood.

Suddenly, Kiral came walking through the door followed by a man holding a camera. Danny stood up and waited for him to speak. Brianna came out of the bathroom and stood open mouthed at the sight of Kiral.

“Hey Danny,” Kiral said. “We’re here to do an article on Danielle. We’re looking to interview you guys and get some pictures. Then we’ll go down to the church and take some pictures of the charity they’ve put together for Danielle,” Kiral said with a smile.

“Charity?” Brianna asked in a low tone.

“Yes,” Kiral said “The local church has started a found raiser in honor of Danielle here. They’re aiming to raise the money for the surgery.”

“Oh my God,” Brianna said before running to Kiral and hugging him. Danny stood shocked. He felt this must have something to do with those three amazing girls. They always managed to pull through. They always managed to do what was right.

“So, my picture is going to be in the New York Times? You guys are going to pay for my surgery?” Danielle asked tears coming to her eyes. Kiral nodded and she looked up at the ceiling. “Just when I have given up on you, you save me!” She said. She looked at Danny and said, “I guess you were right, dad.”

Danny smiled at Kiral and said, “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem, now, why don’t we get started. I’ll let Bill here take his photos and then, we can do interviews,” Kiral said.


*****************************************


Danny held his wife in his arms and whispered into her ears, “I don’t know how you did it, but thank you. You are amazing, I love you and I don’t think I could function with out you.”

The words gave warmth to her heart and she remembered what was so great about him.
She held onto him just as tight and told him, “As are you, Danny. You can’t imagine how my world was crashing at the thought of loosing you. I need you.”

Danny pulled away slightly and smiled at her. “We are just as much in love as we were from the beginning,” he said.

“Yes, and I’m not surprised. I’ve always known you were the one for me, Danny. It’s you and only you,” Jolene said.

They sat on the couch in each others arms. Sure of the love they shared. Danny laid a kiss on her forehead and his lips continued down. His lips found their way to hers and they found themselves engaged in passionate kissing.

"American Family"

Chapter Seven

Danny watched Jolene as his story came to a final climax. She could not believe what she had just heard. She decided to let him tell the full story and ask questions later, but it seemed that wasn’t such a good idea. Right now she had a million angry questions running through her mind and she had no idea where to start. Suddenly one question slipped out of her mouth “How could you lie to me? You told me you were a virgin!” she said. The topic really made her angry.

Jolene had always adored the fact that her husband had been her first and she had been his. Hearing it was all a lie made her wonder what else she didn’t know about the man. Further more, the big deal was not that a lie had occurred and lasted for years but, that a child had come from this lie. Some where there was a girl who was Danny’s daughter and Jolene hadn’t known about it this entire time.

“I thought I was… I’m sorry Jolene, you don’t now how sorry I am. I wish it never happened and I wish that she never became pregnant, but I can’t undo it. Please, don’t leave me for a mistake I made a long time ago.” He pleaded.

“I’m not going to leave you... At lest I don’t think I will. We have kids to think about before we can just end this. I’m just seriously angry at you. I’m dying here. My world is crashing, Danny,” Jolene said. She meant it too. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare and return to her almost picture perfect family.

Jolene remembered Lydia’s word a long time ago. Lydia had told her that she was waiting for the bad side of Danny. Lydia believed there was a bad in every one. Maybe Lydia was right. Jolene tried not to think like that. She didn’t want to meet people and always expect the bad in them. She thought she’d never discover the bad in Danny but she guessed she just had.

Danny sighed and said, “There’s more Jolene.” Jolene’s eyes went wide and she held onto her heart. She didn’t know if she could handle more. She guessed she was going to have to.

“Danielle is dying. She had lung cancer a while back and they thought it had cure only it came back in one lung. The lung is in bad condition and doctors are worried it will quickly spread to the other lung. They want to remove one lung, but Brianna doesn’t have the money for it,” Danny said. Jolene looked at her husband and saw the pain in his eyes.

“Is that why she came? To get money from you?” Jolene found herself asking.

“No… I don’t think. She hasn’t asked me for money and I think if I offered it she might say she couldn’t take it. I don’t know really,” He said.

“How much?” Jolene realized she was feeling for the girl. She suddenly wanted to help her and see her live. She worried for the girl she had never met. The daughter her husband had never told her about. If he was telling the truth then he had never been told himself.

This was all sad. A girl should not grow up without a father and nor should a man have a child he does not know about. Jolene considered it and she realized that, in truth, Danny was just as much of victim in all of this, as every one else. Maybe he was the one to create the problem with his mindless acts, but in all, this was happening to him also.

Jolene was angry at her husband but she would not break up her family for something that happened years ago. She was determined to get through this the only way she knew how to get through anything. Together.

Jolene stood up from the bed and stood before her husband. She tenderly grabbed his face and held it in her hands. Finally she hugged him close to her. “Danny, you are my husband, the father of my children and I love you. I will not loose you or leave you. I’ll be here, for better or for worse. That’s what marriage is.”

Danny jumped up and wrapped his arm around her quickly. He held her tight and moved his lips to kiss hers. Finally she felt the passion that had been missing this entire time. It had left that day he received the call and hadn’t returned till now. Jolene sighed and pulled away. She rested her head against his and closed her eyes.

It seemed that so many obstacles were thrown her way. Not just now, but through out her entire life. She’d face so many challenges and could recall so many times she wanted to give up. In the end, she never gave up and she came to move on and get through it. She knew that’s how it would go now. It just had to.

****************************************

Danny sat in the car alone outside of Chrissy’s place. He sat in the driver’s seat of Lydia’s car waiting for Jolene to come out. His wife had surprised him and said that she would like to meet his daughter. She said she’d have Chrissy baby-sit and she would go up with him. His wife was always surprising him.

Finally she emerged from the house and jogged to the car. She opened the car door and quickly settled in. She waved to Chrissy and signaled for him to go. Danny’s nerves tingled as they grew closer to the hospital. He didn’t know what would happen. He was definitely proud of the strong young girl that lie in that bed, but he wasn’t so proud of his actions. He wasn’t sure how any of this would affect his present life.

Danny drove cautiously towards the hospital. He hated the silence in the car not knowing what Jolene was thinking. At this point he couldn’t even guess what she was thinking. He wondered if she would ever trust him again. He thought about how she would now feel unsure about everything he’s ever told her. Never, in his life, did he think he’d make such a mistake like this one.

It seemed too soon they were at the hospital and conveniently there was a parking spot available very close to the main entrance. Danny parked the car and opened his door. Jolene repeated his actions and they were standing side by side facing the large hospital. Danny’s heart beat faster and faster. This was harder then he thought.

Jolene tugged at his shirt and they began to walk. They walked into the entrance and straight to the elevators. Once inside Danny hit the button to the floor that Danielle’s room was on. The elevator doors closed and Danny was alone with his wife. He moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. His wife made no move to return the affection but Danny did not pull away. He simply moved closer and held her tighter. In his arms was his world.

The doors opened and they stepped out. No words spoken and nor had they even made a move to look at each other. There was only the feeling of knowing they were getting closer to that room, where everything would become beyond the truth, but in fact reality. Danny cleared his throat and said “You’re going to be ok right?”

Jolene nodded and said, “Yes, let’s just do this.”

Danny nodded and grabbed a hold of Jolene’s hand. He tugged her toward the direction of the room and before he knew it they were heading straight to it. Danny noticed his senses working away. He noticed the hallway’s strong smell of medicine. He noticed the ruckus of patients coughing and oxygen tasks on. The news reporters on TV, no doubt not a single person watching it, were announcing even more terrorism. Swallowing every bit of fear he had he lead his wife to Danielle.

Finally, they were in front of her. She lie in bed with tubes attached to her in multiple areas of her body. She looked at Danny and smiled, then looked at Jolene and raised an eyebrow.

“Danielle,” Danny said, “This is my wife, Jolene”

Without hesitation Jolene stepped up to her bed and grabbed onto her hand. “Hi, Danielle,” Jolene said.

“Hi,” Danielle said. Danny imagined that Danielle wasn’t feeling comfortable, but he knew after a while she would come to like Jolene. Everyone came to love Jolene’s tender ways and grew to appreciate her presence. It was a gift she had.

“How are you feeling?” Jolene asked her. She let go of Danielle’s hand and grabbed a seat. She moved the seat closer to Danielle’s bed and waited for her response.

Danielle swallowed and licked her lips, then said, “Not too great. I don’t like being in the hospital.”

“Aw, I’m sorry to hear you have to be here. I hate being in the hospital too,” Jolene told her.

Danny took a step back and watched as his wife and daughter carried on a conversation. Jolene spoke to her as if she wasn’t a reason to hate Danny. They talked to each other and joked around. It was a magnificent sight. For once, Danny felt a weight lifted from his shoulder and he felt it was ok to breath at ease. Maybe everything would be ok.


************************************************


The following day Chrissy and Jai-li showed up at Lydia’s doorstep. Chrissy rang the bell and Kiral answered the door in his boxers. He smiled at Chrissy and pointed toward the steps. Chrissy handed Jai-li off to Kiral and ran up the steps. She knew Kiral would be just fine with Jai. Chrissy found Lydia in her room lying on her bed. She wore shorts and a T-shirt with socks. She had her eyes focused in a book. Chrissy cleared her throat and Lydia looked up at her and smiled.

“That is the second time someone has seen me and smiled. I love it,” Chrissy said with a smile. She walked over to Lydia’s bed and sat on the side. Lydia slowly moved over to give her more room.

“Well, you make us happy,” Lydia said. “Where’s Jai?” she asked.

“Down stairs with Kiral, who is still in his boxers,” Chrissy said.

“Yeah, he seems to have trouble sleeping at night. He woke up about a half hour ago,” Lydia told Chrissy.

“Trouble sleeping?” Chrissy asked confused.

“Yeah, you know, over what happened, loosing the baby,” Lydia tried to explain without talking about it much.

“Oh,” Chrissy said. Her eyes went wide and she was shocked at how stupid she had been. She hadn’t even remembered that he had just lost his baby. She had only just walked in and thrown her daughter at him. “Oh my, I feel so stupid. I left him with Jai! Oh man, I feel horrible,” She said.

“Yeah, don’t worry, maybe time with Jai will be good for him,” Lydia said. Her eyes seemed to roam away from Chrissy. She was likely in a deep thought process as Lydia usually was when chaos struck. Finally, she returned her focus on Chrissy and asked, “So, how can I help you?”

“Well, you can start by telling me what’s up with Jo and Danny and you,” She said.

Lydia nodded and told her everything. She told her everything she knew. Lydia told her about the bar and how the crash truly happened. She told her about the conversation she had in the car with Jolene and what Jolene had told her she was going to do. Then, Lydia told her about Kiral and her. She told her how at first she had told him they wouldn’t be having another baby and then finally they decided they would try. She told Chrissy that she had also told Kiral that if the third time had proven to be a failure that that would be it. Chrissy was shocked. She hadn’t realized just how much she had been in the dark about all of this.

“I’m sorry if you feel at all that we’ve been ignoring you. We haven’t been meaning to,” Lydia said.

Chrissy shook her head and said, “No, don’t worry about it Lyd. I’m just glad I know now.”

“You might want to go visit Jo next because there is probably more that I have yet to be told about,” Lydia said.

Chrissy agreed and said she’d be on her way. She said her goodbyes to Lydia and headed down the steps. In the kitchen she found Kiral eating with Jai on his lap. Not noticing her presence he continued talking to the baby. She listened as he told Jai that she would have a cousin from Lydia. That he believed God, whether that is Allah or Jesus or whomever, would come through and everything would be alright. Chrissy took a step forward and Kiral looked up. Chrissy smiled at him and he smiled back.

“Kiral, I meant to tell you how sorry I am. You know, about the baby and all,” Chrissy said.

Kiral nodded his head and said, “Yeah, I know. Don’t worry about it.” He looked down at Jai-li and said, “You’ve got a beautiful little girl here.”

Chrissy felt compassion for Kiral. He was a good man and would have been a good father. He handed Jai off to her and walked her to the door. He watched her settle into her car and waved to her until, finally, he closed the door.