Mi Novia

Chapter 63

Left off July 2020 ... now may 2023

Maritza PoV

"Mama, mama when's aunty fwaca and uncwe Nicky coming over?" Romi asks me as he runs in my bedroom. "Soon handsome, soon. Now why don't you go and clean up for dinner?" I ask him as I finish up the last of my make up. "Ok mama" he then flashes me that cheeky grin that has me wrapped around his finger along with that damn dimple. I finish getting ready and head down stairs. When I get to the bottom of the stairs I hear two knocks and move to open the door "we should really have a key don't you think babe?" Flaca asks Nicky as they barge into my home. "Yous literally live next door... Make yourselves at home ... like you don't already" I laugh as they come in and sit down on the couch. "Uncwe Nicky!!" I then hear a set of small stomps coming down the stairs and running into the living room jumping on top of Nicky. "Woah woah woah whose this big boy? This can't be my little nephew romi? Nooo my nephews just a little boy" she says as she picks him up and begins to tickle him. "Stop uncwe Nicky stop! You promised no more tickwing" my two and a half year old scolds Nicky. "Sorry kid, I would never promise such a thing. So what is our plan tonight?" "Mawio kart" Flaca an I make our way towards the kitchen leaving Romi and Nicky in the living room. "Wine?" I ask her as I pour myself a glass "I'm good but thank you. What is it you do every Friday night? You get all dressed up and head out for dinner then come home an hour or two later... and every week I ask you this and every week you say the same thing .. that it's none of my business" Flaca asks for the ... 100th time and I give her the same reply "none of your business! Right there's a pizza on the way and I'll be home in two or three hours ok?" She nods as I down my wine and leave the kitchen heading back into the living room. "Bye Romi..." nothing "bye Romi ..." "uncwe Nicky you can't hit me wif a banana that's not fair" Romi sasses at Nicky. Yeh my boy. He then turns round smiling at me quickly "bye mama, wuv you" before he's back to his game with Nicky. "Bye guys, thanks for watching him" I say as I leave the house blowing them all a kiss.

Every Friday since Romi was roughly one iv taken myself out for a pizza in the same place then gone and seen a movie. I jump on the bus as the bus driver takes my change and find my seat. "Usual place miss?" I nod at the kind gentleman who makes sure every Friday that I get dropped off at the same place and he picks me up at the same time too and takes me home. When we arrive I get up and head to leave the bus "have a nice night miss" "thank you, see you in a bit" I get out of the bus and wrap my jacket around me heading towards the pizza place. The ring of the door opening notifies the waitress of my arrival "ah Mrs Parker nice to see you again... usual?" I nod as she shows me towards the same table that I sit in every time. Once I'm seated I remove my jacket and look out the window. Watching as couples walk by, clearly date night. I look for my phone just to check there aren't any messages about Romi but I can't find my phone. I place my head in my hands on the table remembering I didn't unplug it from the bedroom before I left. My food comes over and a glass of water. I eat my half pizza and my mozzarella sticks. Pay then leave. Heading towards the cinema I buy my two tickets, head towards my seat, nibble at the popcorn, watch the movie then leave. I always avoid watching a romance movie, regardless of how much I want to watch it for obvious reasons. I then head towards the bus stop again and wait for my usual bus to arrive. I wasn't waiting long before it pulled into the bus stop "nice night miss?" I nod and take my seat again beginning my journey back home.

I'm making my way up the drive when I see a car I don't recognise outside my house. I look at it confused for a couple of moments then enter my home. When I get in Nicky, Flaca and mr Caputo are sitting in the living room. "Mr Caputo ... what are you doing here?" I ask the man I haven't seen in three years. "Hi Maritza. Can we talk?" He asks as he motions towards my couch. "Where's Romi?" I ask looking around for my toddler. "He's in bed" nicky says as she looks at the floor shocked. I try to look at Flaca who like Nicky looks mesmerised by the floor. "Mr Caputo what's going on?" I ask again. He runs his hands down his jeans as he sits down and takes a big breath. "Rather than tell you I'm just going to show you ..." he then reaches forward and grabs my television control. He puts on the news, seeing the face that's in my dreams every night " this is Claire Richmond from CNN outside the max prison in litchfield New York where you may remember an inmate being charged with the murder of correctional officer desi piscatella in the summer of 2020. We are here three years later where evidence and eye witness statements have now come to light which retracts the guilty verdict of inmate Riley Parker. Riley Parker was accused of shooting desi piscatella the night of a prison riot but new evidence comes in from the post mortem showing the gun was shot with the right hand, Riley Parker's right arm was broken at the time of the murder. So she couldn't have shot Officer desi piscatella. Riley Parker was given the death sentence and a date of six months after her ..." I reach over and switch off the television. "Maritza ... they know she didn't do it" he says whilst I look down at my hands. "Mr Caputo what good is that now? Six months ... that means Riley's been dead just over two years. So again what good is that now? Everybody finally knows she didn't do it? We all knew she didn't do it and look where that got her" I rant clearly waking up my son who pokes his head in from down the stairs "mama why are you crying?" I didn't even realise I was crying before he runs in and jumps in my lap. "He looks just like her ..." he says looking at Romi. "Mr caputo ... please" Nicky then says looking at him. "I didn't give up. I promised you all I wouldn't give up and I didn't. We knew the chances of us pulling something like this off was low so we didn't tell you..." I then look up at him "tell us what?" I interrupt him. He sighs "every bit of evidence we got, we managed to push back Riley's date ... first came Taystees confession to covering up for Cindy. But we needed Cindy to cooperate and name the guards that killed piscatella. When we eventually got Cindy to confess all we needed was that final bit of evidence. With Cindy and taystees confession we asked for another look at the post mortem which turned up that piscatella was shot with the pepper bullets in the face first then shot in the head with the proper gun later..." my heartbeat starts picking up. "Mr Caputo .... Are you telling me?" I can feel more tears rolling down my face "she wants to see you, both of you, all of you. She's missed you all so much".