life. death. vengeance. baby.

twenty-six. 27 memories.

As I was walking down the stairs, trying to collect my thought, I passed a young woman. I was so lost in my thoughts, that I almost didn't recognize her. But about eight steps later I turned around. I watched her go up the stairs. It had to be her.

"Andrea..."

The woman stopped and turned around.

"Yes?"

I walked back up a couple of flights.

"David Morgan. We met at our parent's office parties years ago...?"

She didn't smile. And she didn't look too happy to see me.

"Oh, yes. Wow. What are you doing here?"

"I visited your mother."

"You did?"

"Yes. I've found some old pictures of her and my dad. I thought maybe she would want to have them."

"Oh. Okay."

"So... how have you been. It's been a long time..."

"Yes. It has been a long time. I've been okay. I've had a pretty tough time."

She paused. It looked like she wasn't really interested in talking to me.

"How about you? How have you been?"

"Pretty much the same... tough time... you know..."

She nodded her head.

"Well, it was good seeing you. Thanks for bringing the pictures over. Take care."

With that she turned around and headed up the stairs.

I stood there on the stairs a couple more seconds. That was a strange conversation. She didn't smile once. She didn't really want to talk. I mean, her mother was overly excited to see me again. And Andrea? I had the feeling she was miles away while she was talking to me.

I turned around and went back to my car. I just sat behind the wheel for almost ten minutes, without starting the car. I didn't know where to go.

I didn't want to go back to my apartment. I didn't know what to do. Was there really somebody... some unknown person, who hired those four guys to attack my family?

I was overwhelmed. I had killed two people the day before. I didn't know what was true anymore. Did somebody hire them? If so, I don't think my lawyer had anything to do with it.

Somehow Andrea's mother got involved.

How? Because she had an affair with my father.

But did she?

She admitted that she had accompanied my father to his apartment numerous times. And she couldn't know that I knew that even before she told me. And if she did have an affair with my father, it would have been a pretty stupid thing to do... admitting to me that she came to his place with him, alone.

Fuck.

I leaned back in my seat. I closed my eyes. I tried not to think about anything. But it didn't work.

I opened my eyes and started the car. I just drove through the city for almost an hour. I didn't have a destination in mind. I just drove.

When I finally came home, it was already dark. I went straight to the kitchen and fixed myself a drink.

I went to my huge panoramic window and looked down on the river.

I thought about Andrea. She had become an attractive woman. Even though she didn't smile, she looked beautiful. But she not only didn't smile, but she looked unhappy as well. She had her long blond hair tied to a ponytail; wore pretty nondescript clothes; all in all, she looked like she wasn't really trying to get any attention at all.