The mafia's bride (On Hold)

Chapter twenty-two: acceptance

OK DID NOT SEE THAT ONE COMING. I blink once at the dark skinned girl with the curly hair standing next to Rose who looked a thousand years younger. Whoever took this picture captured some of the background images as well. It looks like a fast food restaurant with a neon pink pig wearing an apron and frying hamburgers on a small rounded blue grill. The parking lot is blurry but the one thing that captures my attention is the way Jeanna's smile brightens underneath the moonlight buried beneath the puddle of water near her combat boots. The ray of moonlight reflects off the green and yellow braces she wore along with the loose blue jeans and the white bra-strap shirt. "When was this picture taken?" I ask curiously before reluctantly handing Rose back the photo. "7th grade year I do believe. It was for one of my brother's wedding. We had just arrived after 10 hours of endless driving and bathroom breaks. The hotel wasn't too far away but some of the classier restaurants would have been closed around 12:00 so we decided to stop by this old restaurant. Those two really loved their burgers, homemade, fresh off the grill." It's like she's not even talking to me anymore. Like the moment is still fresh inside her memory bank.

"Tim was a good man, Pryor. He wanted to be a photographer and made a scrap book of all the places and vacation trips he spent summers exploring. We were in the same photography class together back in college, I loved to paint. He once complimented one of my works—said it was define. Said it was beautiful and captured my opinion of the world." A tear slides down her cheeks as she finishes talking about her husband. Throughout their story of love at first sight, Rose would sniffle and pause just to squeeze her eyes shut as if trying to push the vivid memory from coming to life. It's hard not to want to ask intrusive questions especially when they would just make her feel uncomfortable. Sometime in between explanations, I would find myself on the brink of crying myself but I bite them back before the first droplet can water my eyelids.

"Jeanna takes more after her dad," she says while wiping her eyes with her white cloth. I encourage her with my smile and nod. "They both know the beauty—and the ugliness of this world. My Jeanna learned that the hard way but if Tim were still alive he'd say her way of lookin' at things was wrong and inconsiderate." Wrong? Inconsiderate? I cock my brow and ball my hands into a fist, withdrawing my rushed question from my lips. "She thought the only way to coop with Tim's death was by isolation and drugs. I had to break away from my part-time job to bail her out of jail when she'd get caught on the street sellin' these damn illegal drugs from out of state. Almost gave me a heart attack when the police said she resisted arrest. Ain't no way for a bright girl like herself to live!"

I purse my lips together and squeeze my eyes close but can't hold in my question for much longer before it bursts from my lips. "I—is that why Jonah recruited her?" Rose flinches at the thought but shakes her head. She brings a chair to place it in front of me before laughing softly underneath the tears and sniffles. "No, honey...more like saved her from the darkness. When Jonah and his family moved to the area, my worries were over. Meeting them has been the best thing that has ever happened to my family in decades."

Out of nowhere Rose grabs my hands and gives them a tight squeeze. Licking her lips she stares at me straight through the eyes. "Ain't nothin' wrong with that boy, Pryor. Nothin'! People in this town may think he's a dangerous boy that ain't the case. I have Jesus in my life, honey but my heart knows right from wrong. Jonah has never committed a crime against anyone. No, when Jeanna threatened to do drugs on the street again to get recruited into some gang wanted for several murder charges, he brought the other boys to stop them and brought her back to me safe and sound. He ain't want nothing in return only that she stop acting like an idiot and see reason. I met them and he understood my pain and made sure the cops wouldn't get their hands on her." My heart races, I can feel the palms of my hands drenching with sweat and excitement. He risked his life to save a girl he never met just so her mother wouldn't be burdened with the responsibilities? I nod unconsciously and look to the ground to concentrate on my thoughts. "Did—did they become friends after that?" Rose prickles a smile across her face. "Not at first, Pryor-girl. You see her pride was too great to show any kindness, especially after all the hell she put me through. Instead of thanking him she challenged him to a fight. It was a big deal for these kids, and like the young man that he was...he declined."