LOVE IS..

Chapter 10

                               Riley and Jack return from getting the food for Ayana and go through the front door and are surprised how quiet it is only a few photographers at the door.

"Wow I think it really worked." Riley says.

"Yeah I think that you're right." Jacks replies. They get the room and go inside all eyes are on Riley.

"Hi" Riley says staring at Ayana the whole time.

"Hi yourself." Ayana says back.

       Riley puts the food down and goes over to her and embraces her and whispers in her ear " I Love you" and to his surprise she responds.

"I love you too, so much"

"Do you mind if I talk to you privately for a little bit there is a lot I need to tell you before the lawyers comes?" Riley asks her.

" Of course you can babe, hey guys can you give Riley and I few minutes alone?"

"No" Jacks says laughing "Of course we will be at the gift shop" As soon as they are gone Ayana grabs Riley's hand.

"Ok what is going on Riley, I can see in your face that you have something to say. Are you ok?"

" Johnny came to tell you something about my past. Last year I took a bunch of pills and tried to kill myself, if Jack hadn't come I think I may have been successful. Thank God he did though."

"Yes thank God!" Ayana says with tears in her eyes. "If you don't mind me asking why?"

"I have to start from the beginning, my mom and dad where my world growing up. My dad was a lawyer and a good one he was always working and went out of town a lot for cases and things like that. It was a normal thing for us. My mama took us on vacations and took us on adventures in the city. He would come home from a trip or long day at the office and we would watch movies and eat all sorts of junk but we always stayed in. He got sick when I was nine and we were told that it was dangerous for us to be around him because he could get germs from us. Until one day after my tenth birthday my mom wanted us to see him in person, we talked to him on the phone everyday but we only saw him a few times and when we did he looked pretty bad it was scary for us to see him like that. The last time we saw him is when everything that we knew was crushed in an instant.

I can remember it like it was Yesterday, we went into the hospital room and there where people that I have never seen in my life in there. When my dad saw us the look on his face was a sheer terror. Well turns out that Good ol' daddy was leading a secret life and we were his dirty little secret. He had been married to this woman for many years way before he "married" our mama. He took my mom to Mexico and "married" her there but it was not a legal marriage. He had 3 other kids with his wife two boys and a girl. My mama and his wife had no idea the other even existed. My mama was crushed he was the love of her life and to see her wail for him both scared us and mad us very sad. That was the last time we saw Dad he died that same night.

The day of the Funeral we were told that we could not sit with the family nor could we have a private viewing before the services. My Grandfather who we were told died by my father had us sit with him and our grandmother who we met for the first time ever the day before at the reading of the will. The house that we lived in was in my father's name so we lost it because he left us nothing. We had to leave Manhattan and move to Queens with my Mother's sister. Finally our Grandfather helped us in court to get the benefits that we were entitled to and our house in Manhattan. Grandpa paid for Jack's schooling, my acting classes and both of our therapy sessions so we could "talk it out".