Secrets of the Past

Chapter 28

Giovanna stood frozen and speechless. Her brain wasn't comprehending the words she had just heard. Brian, who was also taken aback at these words, spoke for her.

"What did you just say?"

"I'm Chloe."

"Yeah, I got that part. Did you say you're her sister?"

"Yes."

Giovanna continued to stare at her. She was a couple of inches taller than Giovanna, with short brown hair and a thin frame. She had a pretty face but she looked tired and her clothes were shabby.

"What...how... What are you doing here?" Giovanna finally asked.

"I came to see you."

"But...why? How did you find me?"

"I saw pictures of you on the Internet. With him," she gestured at Brian. "I found out he lives here, figured you might, too, and went from there."

"I still don't understand why you're here. What do you want?"

"Nothing. I mean, I just wanted to see you. To talk to you." She paused. "You're my sister."

Giovanna was still having difficulty comprehending this. She hadn't seen her youngest sister in over 15 years. Why now, after all this time, was she here? Chloe was 14 when she'd gone to prison, would have been 16 and still living at home when she got out. Why wait until now to come looking for her?

"Would it be possible to go inside and talk?" Chloe asked, pulling Giovanna out of her thoughts. She hesitated, not sure whether or not to trust Chloe. And she was tired. She really just wanted to sleep.

"I don't think that's a good idea right now," she finally said. "I'm just getting home and I'm not feeling well. I was headed inside to lay down."

"Ok. Well I'm sorry I bothered you." She turned to walk away but Giovanna grabbed her arm.

"No, wait. Can we talk later? Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure," Chloe said, pulling a piece of paper and a pen from her purse. She scribbled something down and handed it to Giovanna. "That's my cell number. Just call me when you're ready to talk. It was good to see you."

"You, too," Giovanna said as Chloe turned and walked away. She stared down at the phone number. It was a Vegas area code. Had she just come from Vegas? Was she still in contact with their mother? Again she was lost in her thoughts when she felt Brian's hand on her shoulder.

"What?" she asked in a startled voice.

"Let's go inside," Brian said.

As soon as they were inside her apartment she headed straight for the couch and sat down. Brian sat beside her, not sure what to say. After a few minutes of silence he put a hand on her knee.

"Hey. Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I'm just shocked." She paused and let out a deep breath. "I never thought I'd see any of them again. I don't understand why she's here. After all these years. I didn't move right away when I got out of prison. Why not look for me when I still lived out there?"

"Yeah but she was still just a kid. And the Internet wasn't what it is today. Based on what you've told me I'm guessing there was no computer at home anyway."

She laughed. "No, definitely not." There was another long silence.

"Well look, no matter what you decide to do, I'll be here to support you. It's completely your decision on whether or not you call her. But my advice is to do it. At least hear what she has to say. And meet her in a public place. Even though she's your sister I think you should still be cautious."

"Absolutely. And thank you. I'm really glad you're here." She kissed him then stood up. "Want to take a nap?"

"Yes, I really do," he said, following her into the bedroom.

They woke several hours later to the sound of Brian's phone ringing. He reached over on the nightstand and grabbed it.

"Hello? Oh, hi ma. Yeah, but it's fine. We were just up late. Yep, she's right here (my mom says hi)," he said to Giovanna.

"Hi Mrs. Quinn," she called, loud enough for his mom to hear.

"I know ma. I've told her. I don't think she can help it." She smiled at him, knowing his mom was referring to her insisting Giovanna call her by her first name.

"I'm not sure yet. We don't have anything planned at the moment other than eating and feeding my cats. How's dad? Yeah?" Brian laughed. "Sounds like Buck had quite a good meal! Ok. Ok. I will. Love you, too. Bye."

"Just calling to check in?" Giovanna asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, wanted to see what we were up to. Do you want to get something to eat?"

"Yes, but do you mind if I take a quick shower? Then we can go to your house."

While she was in the shower Brian called and ordered a pizza and they picked it up on their way. Once the cats had been sufficiently loved and fed they sat on the couch and watched the end of the Yankees game and ate. When the game ended he went to take a shower.

Even though the subject hadn't come back up she'd been thinking about Chloe a lot since waking up. She was still torn about what to do. Part of her wanted to let it go, to not see her again. She'd put the past and everyone in it behind her. But Chloe was her sister. Her sister who had been just as abused and neglected as she had been. When Giovanna had been arrested that left Chloe and their other sister Olivia alone with their mother. Even though they were teenagers she had often wondered how much worse the abuse got.

The other part of her wondered what it would be like to have a sister back in her life. She thought about how much she'd missed out on, being away from all of them for all these years. She took the piece of paper out of her purse and dialed Chloe's number, blocking her own first.

"Hello?"

"Chloe? It's Giovanna."

"Hi! I wasn't sure you'd call!"

"Neither was I," Giovanna said, being truthful but feeling like she sounded like a bitch. "I'm sorry. I just...I'm still in shock. I had told myself a long time ago I would never see any of you again."

"I understand. Really, I do. But I'm here. And I really want to talk to you."

"Are you free tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes, any time tomorrow," Chloe said.

"Are you staying on Staten Island?"

"No, I'm in Manhattan, near the ferry."

"There's a Starbucks on Pearl St, two blocks up from the ferry by Battery Park. 2:00 ok?"

"Yes. Do you want me to come over there? I really don't mind."

"No," Giovanna said. "I'll come over there. It's not a big deal."

"OK. I'll talk to you tomorrow. "

"OK, bye."