Patience

2

The only problem with having a day off is the fact that she loses track of time. After she cleaned she just sat down and wrote and watched TV, that's her pass-time. She was startled when she looked at the time on her silver HP laptop and it read seven-thirty. She swore to herself and set her laptop aside and headed for the kitchen. She made two sub sandwiches, as she hadn't eaten lunch either. She piled the subs with turkey, chicken, beef, corned beef, and pastrami, the 98 cent kind from the lunch meat section. She always made sure to have them on hand because she wasn't much of a bologna person even though it was cheap. She then added Swiss, Pepperjack, and Colby jack cheese slices to her sandwich. Cheese isn't the healthiest thing to eat but she really didn't care. As she was microwaving it she cut up some tomato and grabbed a can of coca-cola. She didn't always drink it, but every once and while she will. She's more apt to buy raspberry-flavored sparkling water but occasionally she'll splurge. 

She situated her food in her bedroom and grabbed her laptop and quickly went pee before locking herself in her room.

***

She was writing quietly in her journal, something she's done since she could remember during her lonely foster care years when she heard Mallory walk in. She was officially on lockdown now, so she stopped writing and just laid down on the floor and did her corpse position, she does it for an hour every night, and it doesn't put her to sleep like most people, instead it just lets her evaluate her day. 

She was lost in thought when a woman's voice spoke up. "So, who's apartment is this, yours?" 

"No, it's my best friends. She's in her room, she promised to give us some space. I live above the studio and though I'm not there right now they're still doing our weekly lessons. Not to mention, it's in the heart of Los Angeles and I wanted to respect your wishes of privacy and quiet. Tori Cryderman is her name." That one is Mallory.

"You should tell us about her, just so we know we're not on surveillance or in a drug den." That's a man.

"Oh no, she's totally against drugs. Um, I don't know what I can tell you about her. I don't want her to get mad at me or anything. But I will say that she was born in Santa Monica and then she was placed in the Foster system. She ended up in New York and moved back here after her divorce to find her biological parents. She's two years in and she's had no luck." Mallory tells them. Tori just rolls her eyes.

Very shortly after she heard a loud bang from above her and shouting. "Fucking hell." She sighs before getting up and walking out of her bedroom. 

"Hi, sorry Tori Cryderman...I'm so sorry about that...Daniel and Elise Spitler. They do this once a week. Um, if you guys want I can put my Spotify up on the TV or you guys can pick out some records it'll drown them out and still allow you guys to have your conversation." Tori walks out.

"Yes please." Mallory looks panicked.  

"Spotify or Records?" Tori questions.

"What records do you have?" The brunette woman in the middle asks. She knew that woman and she started to panic as her eyes scanned around the room. 

"On second thought no...um, radio." Tori starts.

"You look panicked?" The redhead she also knew very well speaks.

Tori clears her throat and makes her way to her box of records. "Let's see...Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Tusk, Mirage, Tango, Bella Donna, Rock a Little, Desperado, Hotel California, Damn the Torpedos, Elvis, Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits. Stand Back Solo Anthology. My Spotify is no better. The occasional Don Henley, Led Zepplin, and Country. I don't think you want to listen to any of that." 

"Oh yeah Sorry Tor, Stevie Nicks is coming to your house tonight." Mallory winces. 

"Figured that out." Tori glares.

"I'm sorry it just didn't cross my mind she's a client I didn't even connect it." Mallory shakes her head.

"No, I'm sorry...It's probably slightly terrifying to her so I'll just...I'll just go back to my room. Feel free to anything in the kitchen you can put my Spotify on if you want, It's a Roku TV it's like the first app. Logged in already." Tori gives a slight smile and going back to her room.

"Wait...Tori Paige Cryderman, I'd like you to meet my clients. Jessie Nicks and Alec Parkinson, they're getting married in October. This is Jessie's dad Christopher, her mother Lori and her Aunt Stevie. We also have Alec's dad Tony and his mother Carrie." Mallory introduces.

"Tori Paige, it's pretty, is that your first name?" Carrie asks.

"Well...Tori is, Paige I don't know if that's my middle name or not. It wasn't hyphenated or anything...Hell, it could be my last name for all I know." Tori shrugs.

"I thought Cryderman was your last name?" Tony asks.

"Cryderman was-is my married name. I got divorced two years ago. I was born here but I was supposedly surrendered at the Los Angeles fire department. All I have is a necklace with Tori Paige engraved on it, a blanket, and my birth certificate. My birth certificate only has Tori Page, born September 16th, 1993, at 2:08 in the morning to Stephanie. No last name nothing, just Stephanie. I can't make out my dad's name...I know it starts with an L and an I..Lin maybe, I don't know. All I know is that my handwriting seems to be similar to my mother's...Um, I'll let you get back to your meeting. Like I said, feel free to raid my house." Tori gives a sad grin. 

"How'd you get into my music?" Stevie asks out of the blue, her hand clutching at Lori's and she can't understand why.

"Foster family seven. I was ten, 2003, around the release of Say You Will, Pheonix Arizona. It's all they listened to. All I was allowed to listen to. They brought me back to Foster Care the night Fleetwood Mac was in Phoenix in July. I just kind of connected with Landslide, Rhiannon, Sara. Then I found your solo work." Tori shrugs.

"Well, I can sign those records for you if you'd like?" Stevie gives a sad smile.

"No...you're here with your family doing something private and important for your niece. I'm not going to step on anyone's toes." Tori shakes her head as a glass breaks from upstairs and a shriek is heard.

"Okay turning your Spotify on." Mallory grabs at the remote.

Tori nods and walks back into her room. She sighs and crawls onto her bed and clutches her baby blanket to herself. She turns her alarm on and then just closes her eyes. Talking about being in the Foster system is hard for her.