"When You Want her Back..."


Chapter Six


By night April had all the paper work done and every thing filed making a notice that she would want custody for Hana. April just wanted to get home and relax but judging by how it went with her sister earlier she doubted relaxing was ever going to happen. Pulling her car into the lot she jumped out and triggered the alarm. Walking away she headed for her apartment building and went straight inside.

Today was so hard and everything on her was sore. Not sore from exercise but sore emotionally. All her life she had never been through anything like this. All her life she would have never thought she would go through something like this.

Two minutes later already upstairs she put the key in her lock to her apartment. Opening the door the apartment was completely dark. Knowing this couldn’t mean anything good she sighed and turned on the lights.

"Lena? Are you here?"

Listening she heard some one moan then finally spotted her sister laying on the floor. Rushing to her side she soon realized there was nothing wrong with her sister but the fact that she was drunk. Obviously she had passed out and was still on the floor. Moving her sister around she attempted to wake her up. "Lena get up?! Lena! Come on, come on I'm going to put you on the bed would you get up!"

Finally her sister reacted and got up. Together they got Lena on the bed and April began to remove her shoes. "I'm Sorry April. I'm sorry. I didn’t mean it." April shook her head and continued to remove her sisters other shoe. "I tried not to but I couldn’t. It's so hard. Don't let them take Hana away... Don’t take Hana away. I can take care of her I know I can.”

"You can't take care of her like this can you? Why would you do this Lena? All your hard work in staying clean! I can't believe you!"

"I know April I know...”

"No Lena you don’t. You think you do but you have no idea."

"It's so hard April."

April shook her head again and put force into her words. "Spare me the pity story. You got your self into this. I'm taking Hana and unless you’re willing to accept that i will have her in my custody I think that you shouldn’t be around me anymore."

Lena’s face was struck with shock.

"What are you doing April? Kicking me out?" Lena paused and started laughing but soon the laughter turned to tears. The way Lena acted wasn’t a surprise to April. She was after all a drunk.

"I'm saying I don’t want a drunk around my niece!"

"My daughter! How did we even get to this... this is not what you said."

"This is what I meant Lena!!! It’s what you NEED to hear!"

"HEAR WHAT?!?! Just tell me!"

April took a deep breath. "I love you Lena... But you’re not strong enough to handle this. I am. You’re a drunk and probably a drug addict. You can't have Hana... I wouldn’t let you. After all this... I know you don't deserve Hana. You’re still a child and a child just can't raise a child. I want you to go. Go get yourself help get cleaned up... And return to me and Hana like the Lena I knew. Don't come back until then...”

Lena’s mood swung from mad to sad to an unnamed emotion of betrayal revenge and love... which April didn’t quite understand but she decided this was enough for the night. Getting up from where she knelt she left the room and headed for her own room. Entering her room she turned on the light ad closed the door making sure to lock it. She didn’t want to be bothered till the morning when if anything needed to be talked out at least the neighbors couldn’t complain about the screaming waking them up.

In her room she looked at the computer and felt some relief strike her. Bret had been the person she complained to and the person she relied on. Bret in ways was like her therapist whom had nothing to do with her life so she need not worry about the complicated details of it. Walking to her desk she turned on her desk light and removed her clothing. Jumping into a loose pair of sleeping Pj’s and a spaghetti strapped shirt she felt some what at ease. Ignoring the thoughts of her sister she signed into the “&HEARTS” account she had and quickly went to the letter Bret had sent her. Looking at his name and his picture just made her smile. Focusing she began to read her Letter:

Holla My April,

Yes I do agree it sounds like some thing hard to go through. Truthfully I wouldn’t know why your sister would lie to you about things as she did. Just stay strong April. I’m here if you need me. So Hana is doing just fine. she’s settling in great. She made me a Clay suitcase while I was at “The worky place" (as she says ha-ha) I was talking to Rosa today. She thinks we should meet could you believe that!??! Yeah I guess Rosa is just Crazy or what not. So how was your day?

-Bret

April Smiled once again. It seemed Bret just had that effect on her. She couldn’t understand why he was being so around the bush about meeting her. Truthfully she could use something like this to make up for what she was going through. She was pretty sure she would need a shoulder.... Why not the man who over the computer in a very short message made her smile?

Typing up her response she told him her true thoughts about him. She told him that she thought he was amazing and that the idea of meeting sounded jus wonderful to her. Jumping into it head first she told him to meet her at the "Polka Molka". A small restaurant on the corner of Hovers street. She told him the time and everything. Satisfied with what she had done she hit enter and logged out of her account. Yawning she headed to her bed. Tomorrow would come... and so would her Bret.

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Early morning came only too soon. Hana had had another one of those nights where she chooses to enjoy her sleep in Bret's bed. For a small child she made it quite uncomfortable for the 6 foot husky man. She tossed and turned as much as a stressed out tax attorney... and in his case possibly more. The main problem with Hana sleeping in his bed was getting up and leaving her in his bed. She often sensed when he left the bed and he was forced to come back. Forced by a three year old. Slowly getting up Bret moved out of the bed and walked to the desk in the corner. Turning it on he stood tall and stretched. It was 6:00 and he doubted anyone was up. Anyone being Rosa.

Computer finally booted up he entered internet explorer and logged into “&HEARTS”. He’d thought about it long and hard and he thought that maybe by implying what Rosa had said he might have bothered April. Turning off the sound on the computer he felt like an eager teenager sneaking online to Cyber. Truthfully talking to April was better then any "cybering" any teen could do. She'd quickly found a place in his heart.

He worried for her and her sister Lena. He worried about the nameless child whom she fought with her sister for about. He just plain worried. Here he was building his family and April was losing hers. This woman was amazing and what she was going through was far worse then what Jackie had put him through. This time it involved the safety and loving of a child and having being parent for as long as he had. He knew the strength and the compassion it took.

Receiving the new mail he mentally did a dance and said "yesss". Opening it he eagerly began reading. To his surprise he read about actually meeting April. She'd given a place and a when... It was actually going to happen?

Bolts of energy shoot through him and suddenly he found himself thinking of many possibilities that could happen. Since Jackie had hurt him he thought he would never recover. He thought he would live in a life of the depressed heartbroken man. He felt like the Grinch and now was when his heart grew three times it size.

Tuning into reality he realized that the internet was no angel and weird things came from it. Ugly people and perverted creeps. What if April wasn’t who he thought she was. He had been fooled before with the beautiful Jackie. Maybe he was being set up again. Deciding not to reply to the letter out of precaution not to say anything stupid or out of nervousness canceling the meeting her He signed out. Sneaking back into bed he kissed his daughters forehead and closed his eyes.

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

Waking up in the morning April yawned and stretched. Tired and still with out coffee she got up from her bed and headed straight into her bathroom. She brushed her teeth and combed her hair into a smooth pony tail. Splashing water into her face she was finally completely awake. Walking out of the bathroom she finally remembered last night and the yelling that haunted her living room.

Obviously her sister had listened and left. Going to her kitchen she opened the refrigerator and reached for her cereal and milk. Moving to the cabinets she pulled out a bowl and grabbed a spoon from the drawer. Putting it all on the table she sat down. Pouring the cereal into the bowl she thought more about last night. After the fight with her sister and her practically kicking her younger sister out she had signed into the service and... Interrupting her own thoughts she said "Crap"

Deprived from sleep she had offered to meet Bret. It was far too early and she had no idea what she was doing. Last night the effects of tiredness and the need to have some one to talk to mixed and she had told Bret that they were to meet? And at the “Polka Molka” at that?! Why did she constantly do this to herself? She needed to focus on Hana and she wanted to meet sum guy from the internet? This wasn’t right. To her niece to Bret and definitely not to her sister, a sister she was beginning to feel guilty about. Last night her sister had pleaded with her and yet she refused. After thinking about it more and more April worried about her decision.

Keeping custody of Hana meant denying Lina of her child and that really wasn’t right. Why would she do that to a sister who she loved? Truth was she had not felt very better after the filing of the papers or the fact that Jay had told her he’d call with the court day.

She hated thinking of how some one would be hanging out with there new child Hana and unexpectedly being told that her aunt who she had never known wanted her back. It was all such a head ache. To add to it she had to meet Bret at 1. Thinking about it she glanced at her watch and saw that it was 9. She had time to worry and to plan her outfit. What she was thinking she had no clue but what was done was done and there was no backing out anymore.

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

10:30 and Bret was at work still thinking of his lovely April. He was claiming early lunch and was leaving at 12 30 to change out of his suit and into jeans for their meeting. He admitted that Showing up in a suit was probably more impressive but he didn’t want her to think that he had purposely wore the suit to impress her because that wasn’t the deal Besides she needed to see him on a regular day. a happy none tax day. Sighing and flipping through some files Dorissa seemed to walk up to him and ask him what was wrong.

"Well nothing really. You know when you were younger and you found out you were going some where and it took forever for it to be time to go when you really wanted to go?"

"Honey I am still young" The 40 year old said swinging her hips and fluffing her hair.

"Well yeah but I’m just saying. That’s what I’m going through."

"Who’s the lucky girl? I hear a lot of things about you Bret... How you gotta new daughter... EVERYBODY and I mean EVERYBODY wants you now. You’re the new hot thing. Even Ralphy from the 2 floor talks about how you have a nice ass."

"Dorissa mind not making me feel like some piece of meat"

"Well look at you sounding like some woman. Maybe you should holler at ralphy" The woman said winking.

"Well anyway. The woman who we were talking about before we questioned my sexuality well her name is April. And I’m having lunch with her. Only lunch time" cutting him off Dorissa interrupted

"Won’t come fast enough? Yeah hun I know what you’re talking about. I knew this guy back in college. God did I love him. Always wanted to be with him and couldn’t wait till we were together. We were animals." Making a face Bret stopped Dorissa right where she was heading.

"Its not a booty call. I just really like her. Anyway Dorissa before we get into the question of your sexuality I think I will go."

Fanning herself she said "Your right he is to hot to talk about.. TO YOU! Where is Bertha? She will talk about it with me" Leaving him before he left her Dorissa disappeared past the doors.

Dorissa and Bertha were both in their forties and it seemed they were the gossip around here. If Dorissa heard about Bret from some where. it was Bertha. Bertha as a name sounded like a big giant toe truck or a wrecked old ship. The name didn’t quite fit her personality well but most called her bertha anyway.

Bertha and Dorissa were eager pretty woman who unfortunately missed the life of having a family in their forties and were now single dreaming of the things they did when they were younger. Some what the type of "Sex in the city" type of friends.

Forgetting about the two females he finished with the files he was searching through and pulled out the Jacobs one. Closing the file cabinet He stepped out of the room and went straight for his Office.