A Second Chance

Chapter 20

After another long day, she was finally home. Ally had changed into yoga pants, punny graphic tee and ballet slippers before digging through her fridge to throw something together for dinner. Knots were starting to tighten under her shoulder blades and pain radiated from those trigger points up into her head.

Work was going well, but there had been so much she had to wrap her brain around. She popped a couple advil hoping it would dull the ache. She grabbed some vegetables eggs and soy sauce from the fridge and snagged some noodles from her pantry, and hoped she could make something of it. Her makeshift ramen was almost done when she heard a knock at the door. There stood Kiana and Evan. “Can I see Benny now?” Ally hadn’t thought Kiana wouldn’t remember about the promise of seeing Benny that night.

“Of course,” Ally replied. She invited them in and quickly ran to the kitchen to turn off the burner. She saw Evan spy the advil bottle on the counter.

“We can come back later if you are busy,” he whispered. She motioned for Kiana to take a seat on the couch.

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied as she made her way to Benny’s cage. She opened the main door, stuck her hand in the cage and asked him to step up. Almost instantly the bird stepped on her hand and she slowly removed him from the cage. Ally brought the bird over to Kiana. Evan watched as Ally introduced his daughter to the parrot and eventually she handed Benny off to the young girl. Kiana was so excited. She was slow and gentle with him and followed all the instructions Ally gave.

Once his daughter was comfortable with the bird, he turned his attention to Ally. “Are you still having issues with your shoulders and your back?” He asked. Evan remembered the pain she was in during flare ups. No massage ever worked out all the knots in her shoulders. The knots would tighten up and then send pain radiating into her head. He would sit behind her and try on vain to loosen the trigger points.

“Yeah if they get worse I’ll need to find a chiropractor here to fix me,” she replied.

Just as Evan looked like he wanted to ask another question, but his phone went off. He let out a deep sigh as he put his phone back in his pocket. The sound sent Ally’s gray eyes his way. After a quick glance she turned her attention back to Kiana and Benny. Kiana asked her questions about Benny’s age and if he could talk.

“Hey Kiddo, that was Miranda. She is looking for us so we can have dinner.” Part of Ally was relieved, she was tired and hungry. Making small talk with Evan made her anxious. Still she felt bad for his daughter. Kiana looked so happy there with Benny, but her face fell when she mentioned Miranda.

“Hey let me wrap up here with Kiana and Benny, and then you two can be on your way,” Ally said. “Evan, could you give us a minute?” He look confused for a brief minute and then realized Ally had a plan. He stepped outside on to the small porch, but kept the main door open.

Ally put Benny away. “I know you want to stay,” she explained to the young girl. “But it is time for you to have dinner with your family.”

Kiana rolled her eyes. “Miranda isn’t family.”

Ally gave Kiana a sympathetic smile. “So…does Miranda not treat you well? Does she not try to be your friend? Does she treat your father badly?”

A guilty look spread across Kiana’s face. “No, she’s always nice, and goes out of her way to be good to Dad and I.”

“So if she’s trying, why aren’t you giving her a chance?”

There was an awkward silence. “Because I don’t think she’s the one he’s supposed to be with. She’s great and all, but I just know she isn’t the one. And I know Gran feels the same way, but she won’t admit it…something about messing with his happiness before…”

Ally put her hand on Kiana’s shoulder as she walked the girl to the door. “At the end of the day, your dad has final say on who he chooses to be with. Maybe they won’t last, or maybe they are meant to be. Regardless, she is trying to do this right…so cut her some slack