Perfect Strangers

Chapter Six

“It was last September, around 10 pm and you walked into an office and asked a man at a desk if he minded you cleaning around him. He said go ahead. About 10, 15 minutes later he turned off his computer got up and headed for the door, just when his hand touched the doorknob you started singing while you were wiping down the windows. You sing like a true angle. You sang someone like you and the way you sang made me want to run to you and hold you. I fell in love with you that night. Funny right? I thought about you since then. Hoping I’d see you again but it was never you who’d come and clean my office at the end of the work day. I wanted to go down to HR and try and find you but then I had a good talk with my mom. My mom is my best friend so is my Dad. She told me that if we were meant to be we’d meet again.”

Zach did tell his mom about Annie. He just didn’t know how to approach her.

Just then a nurse walked in, interrupting their moment. “Excuse me, but the patients mother is here.” Just then Annie’s mother broke pass the nurse with tears in her eyes talking in Spanish. “Ay mí híja, mi niña. I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I was dealing with your sister and waiting for your brother to call.” Annie responded back in Spanish, “it’s okay Mamí. I should’ve called you to let you know I was okay.” Annie hated that she made her mother cry. “Annie listen, I know it’s not the best time but your sister needs to borrow money from you. I know you two don’t get along but she still your sister and your the oldest so you have to help her.”

Just then Annie looked her mother straight in the eyes and said, “and what I’m not family? I would ask what she needs it for, but I’m pretty sure you believed whatever lie she gave you.” She started crying, Zach wanted to hold her but something told him to hold out and listen a little bit longer.

“Annie please, just give her the money. You know she’s trying to get job. It’s hard for her to get a job, you know that. Just give her the money I’m sure she’s gonna use it to get a job. Come on Annie she’s your sister.” Her head started throbbing but she felt she had to get all the pain in her chest out. She’d always been her mother second best. It was not a secret, in fact her sister often poked fun at Annie. All because she was chubby. All because Annie was shy and some what awkward, having a live for graphic novels and cartoons even in to her adulthood. Annie’s mother would never really defend Annie. All her mother would say is “you know she’s just playing. Don’t pay her any mind.”

When Annie started high school she was relieved when her sister choose to go to a different school. Finally she felt she could be herself and in four years time she grew up to be a young woman who knew what she wanted out of life. Her high school major was architecture and art. So she easily gravitated towards graphic design after an alumni came to her school for career day. She knew what she needed to do. So when she started Parson University, she didn’t think she’d meet a guy and fall in love with him. She gave him her virginity he gave a child. She got pregnant in her third year of college.

She thought they’d get married. When she was 5 months pregnant, on the day she found out she would be having a little girl. She had keys to her boyfriend’s apartment, she often walked in without knocking. She didn’t expect to catch the father of her child having s*x in the middle of his living room with another woman. She didn’t expect the other woman being her own sister. She walked in and screamed his name. “ALEX!!” He stopped and scrambled to get up off the couch and out of her sisters p***y. “I’m so sorry Annie but I’m in love with your sister.” To which her sister started laughing at, “you think you love me ? Hahahaha, I only started f*****g you to get Annie jealous and mad. I love seeing her all sad and s**t. Hahaha, I mean look it was fun and all but yeah your really not my type.” Just then Arianna turned to Annie and said with a sickening smile, “see Annie I just did you a favor, if he can cheat on you with your own sister well…”

With that she walked into the bathroom freshened up got dressed and walked out. When Arianna walked out of the bathroom she saw Annie was still standing in the same spot and Alex, Annie’s now ex was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands holding what looks like a sonogram picture.Arianna picked up her purse off the coffe table she just had s*x on and simply walked out of the chaos she created.

Annie looked at Alex and said “don’t you ever come looking for me or my daughter ever.” “Annie, wait please baby I was being stupid and she came into me Annie I swear.” He begged and pleaded, she just turned on her heels, tossed his apartment keys on the coffee table and left. It was at that exact moment that she decided she would raise her child on her own. And that how it’s been ever since.

Annie told her mother the whole ordeal with tears in her eyes. At first her mother didn’t believe her saying that their sisters, that she’d never do anything to deliberately hurt her. But Arianna never denied it, when Annie’s mother asked Arianna if it were true, if she really slept with Annie’s longtime boyfriend. “Mamí, she should really be thanking me.” “How Arianna, she’s your sister? She would never do something like that to you.” “Yeah, well we all can’t be saints like Ms.Anniebelle now can we?”