Second Chance

A lady laughed

I strolled over to Mr Derson’s place, feeling pretty good but a bit on edge.

Trying to deal with this all by myself didn’t seem smart. I knew I couldn’t take on a kidnapper who wanted his money back and a mysterious dad who was ready to pay up without somehow ragebaiting either of them.

I’d let the cops sort it out.

Mr Derson had given me his address the same day he walked into that café and dropped a big surprise on me, the fact that I was in line for a third of Oscar’s stuff.

A flashback popped into my head: I hugged a white-haired dude that day due to a bundle of emotions. I hadn’t seen him since; life got way too busy to catch up with most folks.

But I was about to set things right.

Sounds filled the air as I wondered what was going on. Blue and red lights started flashing on the windows, and I heard a sad sound that definitely shouldn’t have been happening.

"What's happening?" I asked... no one. The streets were basically empty, with the noise being the only thing keeping the place alive.

I kept moving, getting to the front porch and ready to finally see what sort of party they were throwing on a Sunday morning.

It wasn't a party.

They were lights, but they didn't come from disco balls, nor from glowsticks. They came from police cars.

The sound of a handcuff hung in my ear, and I looked to the left where a police man had handcuffed Mr Derson's hands, stuffing the key in his pockets.

"What the-"

"You're under arrest for unlawful s****l i*********e with a minor, in violation of Penal Code section 261.5".

The cop guided him to the car, his head down and accepting whatever was coming. He didn’t put up a fight.

I glanced over and noticed a woman with curly blonde hair, sobbing and hitting the chest of a blue-eyed guy in a black shirt. Tears streamed down his face as he stared at Mr Derson, his expression full of regret.

To my left, a teenage girl was leaning against the wall, just watching quietly, like she was blaming herself and the whole world at the same time.

I felt so weak.

My knees felt weak.

And I dropped to the ground, tears falling with me.

Marcus's Apartment. Los Angeles, California.

The building felt ancient, as if she hadn't been here two weeks ago, eating popcorn and drinking cold coffee. These moments had led to her ruin, she didn't cherish them.

She knocked on the apartment door and just like she expected, she was grabbed by the arms and led into the room.

"My baby, " her mom screamed, still holding her hand. Angelina's eyes watered, her body aching for something she hadn't gotten in years.

"Mum, " she smiled. "Can I get a hug again?"

Her mom held her tightly, enveloping her in a feeling she thought had become non-existent in her life. The feeling of warmth, of comfort.

"Thank you..Mother, " she whispered, and her mom held her tighter. "Thank you...daughter".

They settled around the fireplace covering themselves with blankets. The fireplace was never really considered useful, she always saw it as more of a decoration, till days like these.

Marcus stared at her feet, not because he couldn't look her in the eyes anymore, nor because of the awkward tension, but because he loved it.

Just looking at her feet.

"Angelina, will you move in with your dad?", Her mom asked, grabbing her hand and holding it, not tightly, just softly.

"Why? Doesn’t Dad live in the country?" she asked. Her mom smiled and nodded. " I told him what happened, and he thinks you should come stay with him a bit".

"To get your life back together, " she added, tears building up a bit, but she cleaned them away, knowing it couldn't solve any problems.

"My life hasn't fallen apart, Mom! I'm okay!" Angelina huffed, her heart beating loudly. She had it in check, she was sure; she always had it all in check.

"Physically, maybe!" her mom shouted, emotions flowing out with her words.

"I can see it, Angelina, deep inside, in that part of you no one can see, no one can enter, in there....you're slowly fading away. She tightened her grip, "But I won't let you".

Angelina didn’t speak for a moment, she just stared at her mom, she stared at the walls, the couch, anything she laid her eyes on.

And then she looked at Marcus.

"I don't know, Mom. I thought it would be easy, I thought all I needed to do was breathe.....I was wrong". She let go of her mom's hands, facing the fireplace. "Life is just a chore now".

Her mom turned to Marcus, folding her arms with expectations. She didn’t know the best thing for Angelina right now, but she knew they were words she needed to hear.

Words that would heal her.

She got up and walked to a room, letting Angelina and Marcus have their own conversation, maybe this was the best thing to do.

Marcus didn’t go sit next to her, he wasn’t someone she was comfortable with. "I'm not planning to give you some boring speech, y'know, I know how much you hate that.

She didn’t say a word, she wanted him to speak.

"I never thought we would end up here....A place and time where my presence, my face, just the mere thought of me makes you shiver in disgust. I guess I thought I was the perfect person for you".

Angelina adjusted herself a bit, spreading her hands towards the fireplace, "Go on", she finally spoke.

Marcus smiled, a sad smile. "Angelina, you're the most perfect being in the world, but I didn't realize soon enough. I should have known when you gave me that smile, when you complimented my huge nose, I should have known to hold you tight".

"But I didn’t".

He sat next to her; now it seemed she was comfortable enough not slowly shift away at every sly chance.

"I messed up a lot, Angelina. So I don't want you to ever even consider forgiving me, but I do want you to promise me something.

She looked up from the fireplace, "What?"

He took a deep breath and finally gave a genuine smile, not one of sorrow; it looked more like one of hope.

"Whenever you're ready, to go meet people again, or if you ever decide to, please promise me it won’t be someone like me, make sure it's someone who sees every bit of your perfection."

He leaned towards her ear, "Every bit".

Angelina looked at him for a second, holding it in, trying her best, but she couldn't anymore.

She laughed.

"You're so funny!", she cried, falling to his shoulder. "I didn't know you could say something actually meaningful, her laughter increased as she cleaned tears from her eyes.

Marcus stroked her hair, "Well, I'm quite outspoken, how did you not know?"

They lay there laughing till their mouths hurt and their ribs ached. Angelina's mind went through a million thoughts, but there was one she wouldn't let go.

"I'll move to the country, till life accepts me and I accept it ".