Mysterious

Chapter 88

FIVE YEARS LATER

Arissa turned down the long suburban street toward her house. She glanced in her rear view mirror watching Christian bounce his head to the beat of the music playing on the radio. Darn that kid is so cute. Too bad his dad is an ass...

"Mom!!!" Christian screamed. "Dad's here..look at the carrrr!" he screamed. "I want to see him. Hurry, drive fast..drive racecar fast, mooommmmm..." he four year old demanded.

"Hold your horses, Christian. I don't think he's going anywhere..." she responded to him turning the car off, grabbing her purse and his small backpack running to the passenger seat to get him out of the car. By the time she unsnapped the seat belt Bruno had come up behind her to get his son.

"Christian! Come here, buddy!" Bruno said holding out his arms. Christian jumped from his mother's arms to Bruno's arms quickly. Arissa held her keys not saying a word to Bruno walking down the long sidewalk to open the door to her 1900 square foot ranch style home. She opened the door watching Bruno walk into the house holding Christian. What the hell..he's not supposed to be here until Friday..it's Monday.

"Christian, go put your stuff up and change your clothes. I have to talk to your dad..." she asked him in a soft tone not expressing her frustration with Bruno.

"Go, go...Chris...I'll be there in a second..." Bruno told him watching Christian run into his bedroom. They waited until they couldn't hear his running anymore to stare at each other.

"What the hell are you doing?" Arissa started. "You weren't supposed to be here until Friday...I have so much going on and this..this...you didn't even tell me."

"Arissa...I wanted to see him. I had a little bit of time and I thought it would be nice. And I can take care of him while you go to work...." Bruno explained.

"I don't need your help, Bruno. We are fine without you. Just perfect...." she said quietly trying to figure out what he was doing.

"I know you don't, Riss..." he told her looking into her tired eyes resisting the urge to comfort her. "But your mom said you needed a break...you need someone...."

"Bruno...I have Wes...." she mentioned her new boyfriend, well more like guy she was trying to date because she was still trying to shake their past.

"But, Arissa...he's not here right now."

"B...what are you trying to do?" she asked him.

"Mom...lookkk at the hat!" they heard Christian in the back walking towards them holding one of Bruno's hats.

"It's gorgeous, Christian. Just gorgeous." she told him.

"Gawjus." Bruno laughed walking towards him. "I think we should match, come on. Let's get hats for all of us..." Bruno said pointing toward his suitcase. "Give this one to your mom..." Bruno said handing him the white hat she had worn to the Grammy's years ago.

"It'll mess up my hair, Christian." Arissa said handing the hat back to him. Bruno took it from his son's hands placing it gently on Arissa's head. She rolled her eyes accepting the hat.

"You have to keep the hat on to play the drums, Christian..." Bruno told him pointing to the small drum set by the bay window.

"Mom doesn't let me play with those...because she doesn't know how..." he explained to his father.

"AHH, well it's too sad that she's forgotten how. I guess I'll have to teach you..." he said walking over to the drums. "Go, goo...hurry..." he told his son watching him run to the drums pulling the small chair from behind the table to sit in. Bruno slid behind his song wrapping his arms around him holding the drum sticks. He started talking to Christian directing his hands to where they needed to go. Arissa pointed to her bedroom indicating she was going to go change."Tell mom you love her, Christian..." Bruno said looking up at her smiling.

"Mom...I wuv you..." Christian laughed.

"I love you too, Christian. I'll be right back okay?" she asked him.

"Mommy, I'll be okay." he answered turning around looking at his father.

She went into her bedroom throwing her purse and cardigan on the bed. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Why is he doing this, why, why why, why..." she said to herself changing into jeans and t-shirt. She threw her hair into a quick ponytail. She ran into the bathroom taking out her contacts opting for her glasses. She finished changing walking back into the room where Bruno was still playing the drums with Christian. Bruno stopped his hands as she walked in the room letting Christian beat the drums uncontrollably.

"What?" she asked him stopping to sit down on the couch.

"You're beautiful, Arissa. That's all." Bruno said over the noise of the drums.

"Shut up." she said to him wandering into the open kitchen to start cooking dinner.

"Shhh..that type of language isn't appropriate." Bruno smiled at her.

"It is when I'm talking to you, Bruno." she snapped at him.

"Mom you'll hurt dad's feelings..." Christian defended his father. She had plenty to say back to her son, but stopped herself because it really wasn't nice. She went into the refrigerator to pull out the thawed chicken and vegetables she was going to cook that night. She felt Bruno behind her.

"Riss..let me help..." he said taking the broccoli from her hands.

"I can do it, Bruno. I've got it....I just have to hurry...I have a board meeting at 7:30, it's 5:30 right now...."

"Stop, Arissa...just stop. Take a break...go sit down on the couch with Christian. Color with him...I'll cook tonight. Just go..." he pushed her out into the other room.

"Mommy...come look at what I'm drawing. Dad showed me how to do it last time I saw him...." he said proudly holding up a piece of paper with a house on it.

"That's perfect Christian." she said kissing his head walking to the couch to turn on the tv. She stretched out realizing that it was actually nice having Bruno make dinner for them, even if it was going to be burnt and inedible that the time it came out. A few minutes later Bruno came into the living room to sit down next to her.

"Riss, go to sleep if you're tired." he told her. "I'll wake you up when dinner is ready." he told her sweetly.

"I'm fine.." she yawned laying down on the pillow between the two of them closing her eyes. Bruno took the remote from the other side of the couch flipping through the channels landing on the Food Network.

"Christian...should we make that cake for mom?" he asked him.

"Mom loves cake." Christian told his father.

"Then that's what we'll do when she's gone. Let's make her a cake." Bruno smiled.I'm going to get her back. If this kills me. Bruno thought to himself as Arissa moved closer to his chest throwing her arms on him.