Disclaimer: Do I still need to write one? Yes, yes I do.
FRIDAY-November 15, 2003
*STEF*
Today is the day I leave the love of my life. It's 4 a.m. and I don't feel the need to wake Lena up. She looked so peaceful, so I softly kissed her lips. She opened her eyes and I sighed. Lena pulled me down and began to cry. We were kissing and I began to cry too. I was going to miss this woman extremely. "I love you." I said.
"I love you too." She responded. "Call me if you need anything."
"Right back at ya." I replied. Lena got up and carried my suitcase down the stairs. "I can carry that now Lena." I said.
"Let me do it." Lena responded. I shrugged and quietly opened Mariana's door. She was sleeping as I tip-toed towards her and kissed her forehead. I whispered 'Tu son mi luz del sol' which means 'You are my sunshine' like I always do. Next, I went into Brandon's room. He was out like a light when I kissed his forehead and said 'I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.' That was my tradition since the day he was born. Finally, I squeezed between a small crack in the door into Jesus' room. He was dead asleep and I whispered, 'Tu son mi amor.' meaning 'You are my love.' I walked down the stairs to find Lena cooking breakfast for me. I tip-toed behind her wrapped my arms around her waist. "Hello, beautiful!" She said.
"Hello, love!" I responded. She turned around and our lips met.
"Kiss ME like it's do or die." She said. I did as she directed., tounges began dancing, heads began tilting, and fingers were locking between one another.
*LENA*
My world was gone. I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I had memorized years ago, 555-9887. It only rang once until I heard the voice of an angel.
"Hey, love." The voice said.
"Look, I realized you were thinking about something other then the first time last night and we're gonna talk about it right now. What was it?" I said to her.
One word came out of her mouth. One four-lettered word. "Mike."
"Oh Stef! You were thinking about him while we were having sex... Do you still have feelings for him?" I responded.
"NO! Of course not! He wasn't the direct thought. I WAS thinking about the first time. How Mike had slept in that bed naked as well. Then I began thinking, those Wednesday's Brandon has with Mike, he's always drunk or hungover. It's just not safe for Brandon in my opinion."
"I'm glad you're finally seeing it the way I have been all along. He is dangerous around your son." I replied.
"OUR son." She corrected. "And, yes, I am 100% aware of that. He's been drunk for 3 years. I'm not letting Brandon go over there until he remains sober. What if an incident like La Hoya happens again?" La Hoya: that night was a mess. Brandon came home crying. By the time Stef and I had found out what happened, we realized Mike was drunk that night. La Hoya turned out the be a stripper club that Mike and Brandon went to. Yes, Brandon, Brandon Foster, a 6 year old boy at the time. He kept talking about the women dancing on the tables, wearing little clothes, men, Mike being one of them, shoving money down their bras. According to Brandon, a woman kept bringing Mike drink after drink and everytime she would sit on Mike's lap and "bounce and scoot back and forth", which we figured is equivalent to humping. Stef isolated Brandon from Mike for 5 months after that. He recentley began going back and it wasn't going as well as it needed to be.
"He just shouldn't go then," I responded. "You're his mother, you know what's best for him."
"YOU are his mother too." She corrected yet again. "Look I gotta go. My flight is gonna take off."
"I love you. Have a safe trip. Call me as soon as you land in Atlanta." I told her.
"Okay. I love you too. Bye." She said.
*STEF*
"Flight 246 to Atlanta is departing now." I gulped when I heard 246. That was code for 'shooting in progress'. I shook it off. Just 6 hours and I would be in Atlanta.
*FLASHBACK*
"Thank you for making our daughter the happiest person alive." Steward said to me.
"We haven't see her this happy ever." Dana added.
"You really are the best match for her." Steward continued.
Dana nodded. "The only thing Lena talks about is how amazing you are, how happy she is when she's with you."
"The only time she ever complains is when you're not with her. She gets sad and calls us." Steward said.
"But really, thank you for making her the most content woman. This is the Lena we've always wanted." Dana said.
"You are going to be together forever." Steward finished.
*REALITY*
I looked out the airplane window and see the Rocky Mountains below. I close my eyes and fall into a light sleep.
*DREAM*
"Stefanie Marie Foster, you are a piece of work, but you're my piece of work. I accept you, every little thing that makes you who you are from now until the end of time, I love you."
"You are the person I've been waiting for my whole life and I am so proud to be standing up here in front of our friends and family to make sure they know just how lucky I feel to have found you and just how much I love you."
I am confused to see Lena and myself in the future at some kind of a ceremony in which we are both dressed in white, me in pants, Lena in a dress. I look nothing like I do today, no bangs, longer, wavier hair. And Lena, she has extremley curly hair that is pulled back. Then a young boy, about 12 or so, walks up to me and hands us both 1 ring. Are we getting married? Who is this boy? Then I kiss him on the cheek. Is this my son? Looking around, I see Mariana in a pink dress. Wow, what a beautiful young lady. She looks about 15 and the I look to her side and see Jesus, a handsome young man. I then look to the other side of Mariana and see another boy. Brandon. My son, about 16 in this point of our lives. So this is about 9 years into the future. I look out at our friends and family. Behind me stands my mother, but my father is no where in sight. So we don't make up, I figured, Great. Another child catches my eye. She stands between Brandon and the other boy. She looks slightly older than Brandon, 17 maybe, but the same grade. Is she my daughter?
*REALITY*
I wake up to a cart rolling down the aisle. "Peanuts and a refreshment?" The flight attendent asks.
"Oh, yes please. May I have a Diet Coke?" I responded.
"Yes ma'am." She placed the peanuts on my tray and laid out a napkin. She then placed a cup of Diet Coke on the napkin and the can in the divit made for the cup.
"Thank you." I said.
"Hello passangers of Delta flight 246. This is your pilot. We will be arriving in Atlanta International Airport in 30 minutes. Thank you for flying with Delta."
