Raising Echo

11

Desire coughed, cursing under her breath as her hands waved frantically, trying to break apart the thick, dark cloud of smoke coming from the stove. Chris, eyes bulged, ran across the kitchen and tossed a blackened pot into the sink, running cold water over it causing it to sizzle and smoke. 

"So much for me making lunch," Chris huffed, putting his hands on his hips.

"How'd you burn...a grilled cheese?" A laugh erupted from Desiré's lips and as if on que, Aeko's wails sounded through the baby monitor. He was up and probably ready to eat. Desiré was still doubled over in laughter when she volunteered to feed him.

"You stay down here and deal with this kitchen," she said as she walked off.

"I'm gonna order a pizza!" Chris chuckled as she disappeared into the corridor.

Desiré stepped into her favorite room in the house, not forgetting to glance at the Simba and Mufasa mural on the wall. She smiled thinking about Chris and when they first met and how unlikely of a pairing they were but how amazing it turned out to be. Carefully, Desiré lifted the little red faced crying boy, gently rocking him back and forth. "Sh sh sh," she soothed him with her soft voice, placing a bottle between his lips.
"There ya go," she said speaking in a baby voice.

Downstairs, Chris was undoing his mess when Syrus came into the kitchen, shaking his head. "What'd you burn now?" He asked looking in the refrigerator.

"Shut up," Chris said, scrubbing the nearly ruined pot.

"Oh, I have something for you," Syrus said as he tossed a package on the counter. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the counter with a straight expressionless face. 

"What's this?" Chris asked, raising his eyebrow, holding the package in his hands.

"Open it," Syrus replied bluntly.

Sighing, Chris carefully tore open the package and shook out the contents. Inside was a watch, a diamond engagement ring, and a letter. A cold shiver danced through Chris's body as he recognized the jewelry he'd gifted his ex-wife. The letter, however, was not familiar and he pushed the jewelry aside and unfolded that letter which was marked with his name in cursive. 

Chris,

i know i'm probably the last person you'd want to hear from. i know i was wrong but please don't take it personal. yes i lied to you about who i was. yes, I've hurt you and others...but everything i said was real. it became so real when you loved me like no other man would. i apologize for everything. i love you.

                                                                              Kamika

"What am I supposed to do with this shit?" Chris seethed. "Get this out of my fucking face!" He tossed the letter across the table and watched the air pick it up, slightly pushing it from side to side, initiating a broken flight.

"You don't have to yell, damn. It's you mail, what the fuck you want me to do with it?!" 

"I don't fucking know! Burn it! Pawn it! I don't ever want anything she ever touched in this house!" He pointed at nothing in particular, as veins hidden in his neck and arms revealed themselves.

Syrus furrowed his eyebrows, snatching the three items, carelessly stuffing them into the box. He stormed out of the kitchen and slammed the door behind him, with the package tucked under his arm. 

There was a short spurt of silence and Chris, inhaled deeply, His heart raced as his nostrils flared and he let out a scream, loud enough for Syrus to hear behind the wheel of his care and for his voice to blare in Desiree's ear like a siren. Desiree jolted up from the rocking chair, frightened, nearly causing Aeko to take flight but she carefully re established her strong hold on him and looked into his eyes. She places the infant in his crib, hoping the break in contact wouldn't cause him to cry. She quickly ran down the stairs to see the clearly broken man sitting on the kitchen floor with his face in his hands. He wasn't sobbing or crying. He sat stagnant, hiding himself. "Chris..." Desiree' bit her lip, crawling to her friend. She sat up on her knees not knowing what to do or say. He was a puzzle with his pieces sprawled all over the floor. And those pieces, ripped and strewn apart into tinier sub pieces. The task seemed impossible. She wanted to put him back together. She'd been trying to already but her puzzle wasn't in tact either. She wondered who'd fix her if she was fixing him. She wondered if their pieces would get mixed up and further complicate things. Delicately, she settled on softly caressing the back of his neck. It's all she had in her. There was nothing to say. He, with a calm motion, grabbed onto the woman, pressing their bodies together. He sobbed into her chest, gripping her shirt for dear life. It felt like to her that he was on the edge of a cliff and she was the rope. She relaxed, allowing him to hold her, and burrowed her face into his black curls. He eyes watered and in that moment, she felt just as broken and lost as he did. 

This was it. She realized, their pieces were getting mixed together.