Forever, For Always

by Quinn, Sabrina

  Chapter Three

  I was surprised when I didn’t see Officer Monroe Wednesday morning for his daily Café con Leche. I was even more surprised when he never came in today either. All Benny has talked about tonight is dinner with the policeman tomorrow. As much as I hate the idea of it, Benny is way too excited now. He had better not end up disappointing my little boy.

  I lift Benny out of the bathtub and start drying his thick black curly hair with the towel. “Mommy, do you think we’ll get to ride in the police car to dinner tomorrow night?” he asks with big, curious eyes.

  I dry off his body and then wrap him in the towel to carry him to his room. “I doubt it sweetheart. I don’t think policemen can drive them when they are off duty.”

  “Darn it.” Benny pouts with his bottom lip out. “I want to wear my Superhero jammies tonight.” He wriggles out of my arms and runs to his dresser, pulling out the ones he wanted, and hands them to me to put on him. Once I have him dressed and his teeth brushed, I lay down in his bed with him and sing to him until he falls asleep.

  I crawl into my own bed and turn off the bedside lamp. I unlock my phone so that it illuminates. I stare at the screensaver while clutching to Dominic’s Saint Benedict medal that I now wear around my neck along with the crucifix necklace he had given me for my sixteenth birthday. Tears silently stream down my cheeks as I remember that day, the first of June.

  ***

  “Addy!” I cringe as I hear him call my name. I was about to head out to the pool, so I swiftly throw on a tee shirt and pair of shorts over my bikini, quickly making my way into the living room. He doesn’t like to wait on anyone. He’s sitting in his tan leather club chair with a diamond tufted backrest, scotch already in hand. It doesn’t matter that it’s not yet noon. The ice clanks against the glass as he moves his hand in a circular motion. “Sit down,” he commands.

  I learned a long time ago to do as he’s told the first time around. Vincent Rossi doesn’t like defiance.

  I sit down on the matching tan leather chaise at the opposite end from his chair. After living here for eight years, I know to calculate every move I make wisely.

  “I need you to not make any plans for today. We have a business run early this evening and I need you to accompany it. I also need you dressed to impress.” He never once looks up from his phone as he speaks to me. “I need you ready to leave by four thirty.

  “But today is my bir,”

  His head snaps up fast as he interrupts me before I can even finish my sentence. “No buts!” His raised voice is now stern. “This is a big meeting and it is important that you are there. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” I answer meekly.

  He waves his hand in the air dismissing me. Never once does he tell me happy birthday. I’m not sure why I’m surprised. He seems to forget every year. Probably because he never really wanted to adopt me like he had promised those first few months. That is why I am technically still a foster child. I will forever just be, Adaline Jane Doe. As bad as it is here, though, I don’t want to go back into the system. At least here I have Dominic. He’s the only person I’ve ever trusted.

  I change out of my swimsuit and set my alarm to wake me up in a couple of hours. It’s going to be a long night, so I might as well take a nap and get some rest while I can.

  Once I’m up from my nap, I take a shower. I throw on the shorts and tee shirt I had on earlier to blow dry my hair and curl it into sophisticated waves. I’m now standing in front of my massive walk in closet, trying to decide which dress I should wear tonight.

  “Happy Birthday, Adaline,” Dominic says excitedly from behind me. I slowly turn around and look at him with my tear stained cheeks. “Why are you crying?” he asks as he pulls me into a tight hug. I lay my head against his chest and let him hold me.

  “Wanna know a secret?” I quietly ask him.

  “Sure,” he answers hesitantly.

  “Did you know that you are the only person that has ever told me happy birthday?”

  He rests his chin down on the top of my head. “I tell you every year because I’m happy that you were born.”

  “You’re the only one,” I mumble through my soft crying.

  “I got you something,” he says as he lets go of me and reaches for something in his back pocket. I wipe my eyes with the back of my hands as he hands me a small wrapped rectangular box. “Open it.”

  I look down at the present in my hands and slowly tear the paper, dropping each little piece to the floor. I lift the lid and inside laid a delicate chain holding a small sterling silver crucifix. Dominic takes the box from my hands and gets the necklace out. “Turn around,” he says as he unclasps the chain. I lift up my long hair so he can put the necklace on me.

  “It’s beautiful,” I tell him as I hold the pendant in the palm of my hand. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

  “Yes I did. You’re the only person in the entire world that I care about. You deserved something for your birthday. I got myself a necklace, too,” he says as he reaches into the collar of his shirt and pulls out a gold roped chain with a matching gold medal dangling from it. “It’s Saint Benedict. He’s known for protecting from all things that are evil. I figured it doesn’t hurt to have him around in this house. You know I’m going with you tonight, right?”

  “You don’t have to go,” I assert. “It’ll be dangerous.”

  “Yes I do. I overheard Vincent and Marco talking about the meeting this morning. I’m not letting you go by yourself. I already told Vincent I was on board and he was more than happy about it. He thinks it’s because I have interest in the family business, but it’s really only because I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything ever happened to you.” He threads his right hand through the hair behind my left ear, pulling me closer to him. “I love you, Adaline.” It’s the first time I’ve ever heard those words spoken to me. They come out of his mouth as confident as the very first kiss he just placed on my lips.

  ***

  I notice his police car park out front so I start making his Café con Leche with the stupid extra shot of espresso. The quicker I get him out of here, the less time I have to talk to him. The bell above the door chimes just as I’m putting the lid on his steaming cup.

  He eyes me conspicuously with a grimace as he heads toward the counter. “Either you are happy to see me or you are trying to get rid of me. My bet on the second one, though I’m not sure why.”

  I hand him his drink and put on my Addy face. She was always tougher than Adaline was. “All Benny has talked about since Tuesday evening is dinner with the policeman. If you let him down, I will hurt you.”

  Officer Monroe hands me a crisp five dollar bill from his wallet. “First of all, you know that you are threatening an officer, right?” I shoot him my best ‘I don’t give a crap’ look. I have experienced real life nightmares. He doesn’t scare me one bit. “Second of all, why would you think I would let him down?”

  “You haven’t been in here for the past two days.”

  He laughs. “Wow, I’m flattered that you noticed my absence and especially that you took offense to me not coming in, but it had nothing to do with you. I was off the last two days. I only come in for my caffeine fix when I’m on duty.” He takes a sip of his drink. “Plus, I don’t break promises. I may be some things, but I’m not that type of guy.”

  I roll my eyes at the smug look on his face. “I have no desire to go to dinner with you tonight. We are only going for my son’s sake. I told you I didn’t need friends.”

  He slips his two fifty in change into the tip jar with a smile still plastered on his face. “Keep telling yourself that, Vada. See you at seven.”

  I cross my arms and do not respond to him as he walks out the door.

  ~

  Gloria seems even more chipper than her usual happy self today once I get home from work. I know that she knows about our dinner plans with Officer Monroe this evening, so that has to be why. I’m less than thril
led about spending a few hours with him tonight, but try to hide that fact from her.

  “Bye, Glory-ya,” Benny yells from the floor where he is coloring as she walks toward the front door to leave.

  She stops just short of the door and looks at me. “I know that you are uncomfortable about tonight. Please promise me that you will try to have a good time, and not just for Benny’s sake. I may not know your story, and frankly it’s none of my business. But, I do know that you close yourself off from others for some reason. I can tell that you are a good person. I see that through how much you love Benny. You deserve to let others enjoy your company, Vada.”

  Just from the two shorts weeks I have known Gloria, she has shown me more motherly affection than anyone ever has. Because of that, I respect her immensely. “I promise I’ll try.”

  She smiles as she walks out the door, but before shutting it she says, “Thank you.”

  “Mommy, can I wear my Superman shirt to dinner, the one with the cape on the back?” Benny asks jumping up and down.

  “Of course, honey. But why do you want to wear that one so much?”

  “Because Superman protects the city, just like Officer Monroe does. You know what that means? He is just like a superhero!” Benny is overly delighted of this revelation.

  “You are very right. Why don’t you go get your superman shirt and I will put it on you. Mommy needs to take a quick shower and get ready, so I’m going to turn on a movie in my room for you to watch until it is time to go.”

  “Okay, as long as it has superheroes!” he yells as he runs to his room to get his shirt.

  It takes me a lot longer than it should to decide on what to wear after my shower. I failed to ask where we would be eating. That might have been helpful on the outfit decision. Not that I have much to choose from anyways. I end up wearing one of the only two dresses that I own, which is a simple blue cotton sundress. I will be the most comfortable in this with the high humidity today. Taking that into consideration, I put my crazy wavy hair into a top knot. A few strands fall out here and there because of the length, but I’m not worried about them. It’s not like I’m trying to impress him.

  It is nearly ten until seven when I hear a knock at the door. Benny runs to the window and happily exclaims that Officer Monroe is here. When I open the door, my first thought is that he looks so different in street clothes. He’s wearing dark khaki shorts and a nice fitted blue and white short sleeved striped button up shirt. I’m not sure which I’m more taken aback by, the full sleeve of tattoos on his arms or the three long stemmed yellow roses he hands me.

  I stare at the flowers as if they are poison, without taking them. “I thought we both made this clear this is not a date?”

  “It’s not,” he replies and points to the petals. “See, they’re yellow. Yellow represents friendship. This is a thank you for allowing me to take you to dinner.” He bends down in front of Benny to be on the same level with him. “Plus, we always bring women flowers when we take them to dinner. Got that, Benny?”

  “Got it!” Benny quickly closes both of his eyes trying to wink at him which makes Isaac burst out in laughter.

  “I just have one condition, and that is to please call me Isaac,” he says as he stands back up.

  I hesitantly take the flowers from his hands. “I guess I can do that. I’m going to put these in water really quick. If you don’t mind grabbing Benny’s car seat, I can install it once I’m outside.”

  He picks up the five point harness seat from in front of the coat closet and calls for Benny to follow him out to the car.

  Once I’m outside I’m surprised to see Benny properly buckled in the backseat of the red convertible.

  “I have a lot of surrogate nieces and nephews. This isn’t my first rodeo with a car seat. Plus, we are trained on how to install them in the Police Academy.”

  “I’m a little particular about my son’s safety, so that’s good to know.”

  He looks over at me while at a stop light and smiles. “You’re a good mom. Gloria doesn’t ever stop talking about you. She knows good people when she sees them.”

  We do not speak the rest of the drive. With the roof down and the wind blowing over our faces, it made it a little difficult to talk, which in all honesty was fine with me. I’m not good at small talk, so dinner is going to be hard enough. I just close my eyes and take in the relaxing salty air the rest of the drive.

  We pull up to a small oceanfront restaurant that has tables out on a wooden platform over the beach. Once we are parked, Isaac gets Benny out of his car seat before I’m even out of the car myself. Benny grabs Isaac’s hand and looks back at me as they walk a few steps ahead. “Come on, Mommy. I’m hungry!” I don’t think I have ever seen him this giddy in the three short years of his life.

  We are seated at a table in the corner of the elevated back patio. Benny is in his own little world while sipping on his pink lemonade and coloring the sheets in the kids menu the waitress had given him.

  “You look nice. I mean, not that you don’t always. I just have only seen you in the Carlos’s Café shirts.”

  I remember the promise that I made to Gloria about trying to enjoy myself, so I decide that one night wouldn’t hurt. “They’re quite hideous. I mean, tan shirts with lime green writing? I don’t care who you are, that’s not flattering on anyone. Those two colors should never be paired together.”

  Isaac almost spits out his water as he squints his eyes. “Would it help explain things if I told you that Carlos was color blind?”

  “No, no it wouldn’t.” I laugh, shaking my head.

  “Okay good because he isn’t.” He smiles a big, mischievous grin, displaying his perfectly straight white teeth.

  I lean my head back as I let out the biggest belly laugh and then take a quick sip of my moscato to calm myself. I haven’t laughed like this in a long time. Once I regain my composure I notice Isaac is just staring at me from across the table, still smiling. “What?” I ask a little embarrassed.

  “I’m just trying to imagine, Vada, the hard ass barista, allowing herself to have this good of a time. It’s a nice change.”

  The waitress shows up with our food just in time to diffuse the awkwardness I’m now feeling. She sets our plates in front of us and refills our drinks. Benny’s chicken finger and fries basket finally takes his attention away from coloring.

  “Do you want to know why I’m wearing my Superman shirt today?” Benny asks Isaac as he meticulously dips a french fry in ketchup.

  “Why is that?” Isaac asks, giving Benny his full attention.

  “Because Superman saves the city just like you do as a policeman. But tonight you are more like Clark Kent, because you aren’t wearing your uniform.”

  Isaac leans his elbow on the table toward Benny in awe. “You are a really smart little boy, did you know that?”

  Benny takes a big bite of his chicken finger and answers with a mouth full. “Yeah.”

  “Speaking of uniforms, you look quite different yourself this evening.” I raise my eyebrows at him. “I would have never imagined the tats hiding under it.”

  “Would that be a good or bad never imagined?” he asks, trying to hide a smile by taking a big bite of his cheeseburger.

  I shrug my shoulders in response. “Indifferent really.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Hmm?” I copy in question.

  “Just, I’m trying to read you and I can’t. That’s a first for me, which is saying a lot for someone who is working to become a detective.”

  “Good. I’m purposely unreadable.”

  Isaac gives me a sad look but then immediately changes the subject. “How about we take a walk on the beach and look for washed up jelly fish once you’re done eating?” he enthusiastically asks Benny.

  “Cool!” he responds. “I’m full, can we go now?”

  Isaac and Benny both look to me for permission. “I’m done, too. Sounds like a great plan!”

  Isaac lays down money for the bill
and tip as I clean off Benny’s ketchup covered face. Once we are down the steps, Benny grabs Isaacs hand and drags him forward. “Come on, come on!” Isaac looks back at me and laughs before running towards the water with him.

  After nearly an hour of the washed up jelly fish adventure, Benny has managed to somehow fall asleep while riding on Isaac’s shoulders and is drooling in his hair. Isaac carefully takes him down from his shoulders and carries him the rest of the way to the car. As much as it over joys my heart to see a scene like this unfold, it also makes it ache. This is the first time Benny has ever had any type of male companionship. I immediately feel guilty that this will probably be the closest he ever gets to that, considering we won’t be staying in Miami forever.

  Once we’re in the car, Isaac shuts the roof to the convertible so the drive home doesn’t wake Benny, before taking off. That was pretty thoughtful.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks me as we pull out of the parking lot. He must’ve caught me in the midst of my thoughts.

  I shake my head, not sure I feel like talking, while fighting back my tears. “Benny had a great time tonight. Thank you.”

  “And you?” he asks while keeping his eyes on the road.

  “I did, too. Thanks.”

  He smiles but also must sense that I’ve hit my limit on talking tonight, because he doesn’t say another word the rest of the drive back to our apartment. That changes once we park. He turns in his seat to look at me. “Please don’t think I’m rude for asking this, but, where is Benny’s father?”

  I bite my bottom lip until I can taste my own blood and look down at my lap. “He’s dead,” I answer softly.

  “Oh,” Isaac responds, obviously surprised at my answer.

  “Four years ago tomorrow actually.” I’m not sure if he even hears me because my voice is so low now.

  His eyes soften as he slowly reaches for my hand as if he isn’t sure he should. “I’m so sorry,” he says, genuinely apologetic. I’ve never experienced anyone showing sympathy for Dominic’s death and start to become overwhelmed by the feeling. “He must have never even known about Benny then.”