Lidia and José sat across from each other at their kitchen table. The last vestiges of the evening meal littered their plates. Jose looked at his wife, she had been virtually silent the whole meal and, like any married man, he knew that meant something was wrong. And, being a good husband, he knew what he had to do.
"What's wrong?"
Lidia was taken aback by his question. She seemed to snap out of a trance. "What makes you think something's wrong?"
He smiled at her and didn't answer.
She sighed, "Alex came to see me again today."
"That girl's had a hard way."
Lidia nodded. "She'd been out all night dancing."
"She's young. That's what kids do."
"With Jason."
"How do you know that?"
"She was looking for him."
José nodded.
"I just don't want to see her get hurt more," Lidia said. "She's had enough... inconsistency."
"Jason's a good boy," said José. "He's got a good heart. True heart."
"But you know what he's been like. Never committing to anything. Never seeing anything through."
"Maybe he hasn't found anything he wants to hold on to yet."
"Remember that episode with Joy?"
"She didn't give him any space to breathe. He needs to be himself before he can make any long term decisions like a relationship like that."
"That's what I mean," said Lidia. "He doesn't know who he is, so he uses people to find out who he's not."
"That's deep."
"I'm serious. That's what he's doing at the school. He doesn't even care to graduate. All he has left is to do a showcase, but he's not interested anymore. It's like all that time he invested and it doesn't matter. He's moved on. I don't want to see Alex get used like that."
"What is it about this girl and you?"
"I don't know. She's the daughter of one of my best friends," she said. "She's so much like her I almost forget she's not Chantelle."
"Maybe you need to be careful that you don't force her to be someone she's not."
Lidia nodded, "Maybe."
"And remember who your son is," José finished as he picked up their plates and brought them to the sink.
***
YOU ARE READING
Neon Afterlife
Romance"You're this gorgeous, ballet-dancer-poet who knows the bartender at the sexy underground club where you take this girl you just rescued from a slimeball at the bus station." She stunned herself with this revelation as she paced back and forth. "Thi...
