Retribution

Chapter Five

Vanessa had left ten minutes earlier than she told me, which meant that I could leave ten minutes earlier. After she had left the classroom, I started packing up. I prayed that traffic would be nice to me today.

I started making my way to the parking lot. It was a nice stroll from the classroom to my car without any students or teachers congregating in the path. Normally, there were a few students here and there, but since it was the first day back, the school was close to empty. It was nice without anyone else in the building. It gave me time to think.

The parking lot was also desolate, besides my car and a couple others. Today's goal was to go home, make dinner, and then get to the piano bar before six-thirty. My boss hated me being late, even for a minute.

Luckily, the traffic was on my side today, despite it being rush hour. I figured since it was on the brink of five o'clock in the evening, the streets would be choked up with cars. I sometimes turned on the radio for background noise, but I didn't feel like fussing with it.

I parked my car in the garage with five minutes of four to spare. With nothing else on my mind but making dinner, I took long strides to the door. Upon opening the door, I was greeted with a surprise.

The fresh aroma of grilled chicken smacked me as I entered the house. Curiously, I was dragged by the delicious scent of the chicken into the kitchen without taking my shoes off. Manning the stove was the man of the house himself.

"Hey Felicia," Nate said as he flipped the chicken over. They replied with a sizzling noise.

"You didn't have to do this," I expressed in a guilty tone.

"Hey, you have two jobs. I have one. I get home earlier than you. Therefore, I make dinner tonight. That's teamwork."

"Well, aren't you a team player?" I planted a kiss on his cheek.

Amidst of the sizzling and bubbling, footsteps hurried down the stairs.

"Hey Mom!" Reyna chirped cheerfully.

"Hi Reyna," I replied.

"Who's all ready for dinner?" Nate asked us. We all agreed to eat immediately.

After dinner, I headed straight to the piano bar. Martuni's was the name and I only worked there for three years, this year being my third. Since teaching wasn't enough to keep up on insurance for the cars and mortgage for the house, I might as well do the thing I love and get paid for it. All that time in the music room after school as a little girl and beyond paid off.

Martuni's had a piano karaoke and it always ended before I came. So, I'd always walk in to a chorus of people singing along to a song the person who chose it would sing. It usually ranged from Broadway material to singing it the shower. Tonight was nails on a chalkboard.

The song had finally ended and the pianist before me had left. It was common courtesy to wipe down the piano after each use. Unfortunately, the pianist before me almost never wipes it down like he was supposed to.

Karaoke was over for now, so I was basically background noise getting tips. I checked in, set my purse in my locker, and headed straight to work. I chose from an array of sheet music, of course choosing the "Classical Music Song Book" because I was a total sucker for classical music.

I started playing one of my favorites, "Air on the G String" by Bach himself. As I started playing, a man that appeared to be in his late seventies came up to me. I remembered him because he would always leave me a tip every time I played. He wore the same black fedora with a tiny red feather, but different clothes. He tipped me and started speaking.

"What's yer name, lil' miss?" he questioned nonchalantly.

"Felicia," I answered, keeping my eyes on the sheet music and the keys.

"Felicia. Name kinda sounds familiar."

"It's a common name." No it's not.

"I know but...nah. Maybe I'm mistakin' ya for someone else."

"Maybe." It was hard playing and talking at the same time.

"So, you got any siblings?"

"I'm an only child."

He hesitated."Family?"

"A husband and a daughter."

"Your dress is lovely." I was wearing a simple black strapless evening gown.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. So-"

"Sir, can we talk another time?" I not only felt awkward, but I was losing my concentration.

"Oh yeah, yeah! Sure! Tomorrow?"

"Maybe?"

"Have a good evening." He hobbled away, myself sighing in relief.

My shift ended at around eleven-forty-five. Around this time, the drunkards and streetwalkers started to fill up the building like bees in a hive. It was my cue to leave.

It was pouring rain as I exited Martuni's, so I pulled out my umbrella. Even though I was going home and nowhere else, I still didn't want to get wet. I was wearing a nice dress and I couldn't afford to soil it.

During my journey from the piano bar to my car, a lanky older-looking woman lagged toward me. It was too dark to see her, so I was getting paranoid.

"Hello?" I shouted through the pouring rain.

"Felicia? Is that you?" the woman shouted back. That voice. It sounded old, but it sounded so familiar. No longer feeling paranoid, I advanced toward the woman and got a good look at her.

Her face was withering and tired, yet there was some youth to her. Her sodden dark brown-grayish hair glistened underneath the streetlight and her eyes had desperation written all over them. But when we made eye contact, relief crossed her face and she raced toward me, taking me into her bony wet arms. That embrace felt so familiar. My mother's hugs felt the same exact way. And then it hit me.

...She was my mother.