21

Victoria

"Victoria, can you process this last request before heading out?" my boss asked.

"Yes, of course."

I grabbed the form from my boss and looked it over. It was another letter from a law firm asking for a patient's medical records so they could file a lawsuit for an accident they were in. My job was simple: I scanned the letters, uploaded them to the database, and sent the request to the record company; they would print out the records and send them to the law firm.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was five-thirty. I needed to pick up Antonio from Kelly's; she picked him up from school for me when I had to work a full day or late. She had become her own boss and started selling Shakeology and other Beachbody products. She was doing well for herself. Kelly offered to take me under her wing and help me begin trading, but I declined as I enjoyed my job. Michael kept me in fear for so long; I wanted to enjoy my freedom instead of staying home all day.

I packed up my things and headed to the elevator. Fortunately, the fourth floor connected to the parking garage, so I didn't have to step out of the building; that was convenient if I had to stay late. I got into my car and drove off. Before going to Kelly's, I stopped by a small taco restaurant. I ordered two chicken tacos for Antonio, four steak tacos for Kelly, four barbacoa tacos for me, and two Mexican sodas. I texted Kelly that I was taking food and to have the table ready.

As soon as I rang the doorbell, the door flew open, and Kelly pulled me inside. She snatched the bag away from me and ran to the kitchen.

"Antonio, it looks like your mom got tacos!"

"Tacos!" Antonio shouted.

I laughed at Antonio's excitement.

"Well, it's nice to see everyone too. My day at work was great, thank you for asking," I said sarcastically.

Kelly rolled her eyes as she unbagged the tacos.

"Girl, you bring tacos and expect me to care about how your day went?"

I shook my head and walked to the sink to wash my hands.

"Soda!" Antonio shouted.

I turned around and saw that Kelly had unbagged the sodas I had bought.

"Antonio, you're sharing with me," I said firmly.

"Yes, mommy."

Kelly opened the sodas, and we all sat down to eat.

"So Antonio, how was your day?" I asked.

"Good. I made a card for my daddy for father's day."

Kelly froze and looked at me. My body tensed as I kept my eyes on Antonio.

"Why would you make a card for him?"

"So I can give it to him when he comes back."

"Antonio, we talked about this: few people come back from where he went."

"He'll come back! I know it."

I let out a sigh. Antonio's optimism was starting to piss me off. Before I could say anything to break his heart, I took a deep breath and sip of soda.

"Did you behave for aunt Kelly?"

"Yes," Kelly cut in. "Antonio was well-behaved; he's a good kid."

"Good."

We finished eating silently; I didn't know what else to say. Once we were finished, Antonio went to sit on the couch while I helped Kelly clean up. Kelly kept looking at me like she wanted to say something, but she remained quiet.

"So, how is that Beach Body business doing?" I asked.

"It's great. I'm making a good amount of money and saving up. You should try signing up; you don't have to be fully invested in it; it's something you can do on the side."

"I'll pass. I want to spend any time I have on the side with Antonio."

"Makes sense."

"Thank you, though."

"No problem."

When I walked over to the living room, Antonio was sound asleep.

"Wow," Kelly said. "Those tacos knocked him out."

"You mean to tell me you're not tired?" I asked in shock.

"Well, I am sleepy, but I can stay awake. Thank you for the food."

"Thank you for taking care of Antonio."

"It's no problem. I love hanging out with him."

"I better get going."

I picked up Antonio, being careful not to wake him up.

"Bye," I said.

"Bye."

Once I got home, I woke Antonio up so he could change into his pajamas and brush his teeth; he quickly fell asleep once he was in bed. I changed into my pajamas and sat down in the living room. I had the news on as I checked my email, and there was an email from Antonio's teacher.

Ms. Watson,

Has a man come into Antonio's life? He usually draws animals or pictures of you and him, but recently, he has started drawing family pictures with a man labeled 'daddy.' We want to be aware of what is going on in Antonio's life to give him any support he may need.

Thank you

Antonio's teacher included a picture of one of Antonio's drawings; a female stick figure said 'mommy,' a short male stick figure that said 'me,' and a taller male stick figure that said 'daddy.'

I was frustrated with the situation, but at the same time, I couldn't be upset that Antonio was curious about his father. I took a deep breath and started typing:

Mrs. Davis,

Thank you for reaching out to me. The topic of Father's Day has caused Antonio to ask questions about his father. I had a discussion with Antonio and gave him a picture.

Thank you

Mrs. Davis didn't need to know anything else about the situation. The last thing I wanted was for her to assume the worst from Antonio because of who his father is. I logged out of my email and closed my laptop. I looked up at the tv and saw bold letters that said" Breaking News." I rolled my eyes and turned off the tv; I wasn't in the mood to hear more depressing news about the United States thinking about going to war.

Before going to sleep, I checked on Antonio. I readjusted his blanket and kissed his cheek. As I stood up, I saw that Antonio had taped the pictures I gave him on the wall. I let out a sigh.

How long is he going to believe his father is coming back?