*Disclaimer: Any persons engaging in any sexual activity are at least eighteen years of age.
*
It seemed to be an unspoken agreement; she would continue to live upstairs, right above him, even though she spent nearly every moment he was home in his apartment. She would lug Christopher Michael downstairs in the bassinet he'd bought for the baby the moment she heard the motorcycle roar up and be waiting for him, smiling widely.
Inside his apartment, he'd kiss her and hold her and murmur words of love in her ear. If the baby was awake, he'd play with the baby and fuss over the baby, and then he'd cook their dinner while she told him about her day, or he'd talk about his.
She'd feed Christopher Michael in front of him, making sure he could see her breasts, could see that they were still nice and full.
After dinner, they would sit and watch television; he'd mounted a LCD television on the wall between the kitchen and the bathroom. Then, at around ten or so, he'd 'kick her out' of his apartment so that he could get some sleep.
Then she'd lug Christopher Michael upstairs, lay him down in the crib that Cris had bought for the baby, lie down in her bed, and cry herself to sleep.
She told him she loved him. Said out loud, "Cris, I love you," and he had smiled and hugged her and kissed her and told her 'Thank you.'
Why didn't he love her?
Every time she left his apartment, he wanted to tell her "Don't leave yet," but let her go.
He was twice her age and knew he had nothing to offer the beautiful girl. Why she chose to waste her evenings with him was a complete mystery to him. But he was glad she did.
When she'd told him she loved him, he wanted to tell her he loved her and loved Christopher Michael with all of his heart, but resisted the urge. He would have just been making a fool of himself.
And after Ann Marie and Nickie, he wasn't in any rush to make a fool of himself again.
"And there's no fool like an old fool," he thought to himself grimly.
The windows of her apartment were frosted over with the cold November air. He looked up at her kitchen window and smiled widely; she'd written 'I Love U' inside a heart in the condensation.
He saw her waving to him and waved back.
****
Danny smiled tightly as Cindy excitedly ran around buying 'Santa Claus' gifts for the baby and for her daughter. They'd not had Alicia at their home for four Christmases and Cindy was not going to have a fifth one slip by without her baby girl there.
Part of him was relieved; for three years, he thought she might be dead. It had been a tearful moment when he'd heard that she was indeed alive and actually living only a few miles away. Then he found out she was living with a black man. Thankfully, the baby wasn't black.
She was a tattooed, toothless freak now, though and she had an illegitimate baby.
Maybe it would have been better if she had died.
But at least the baby was white.
He looked up and saw Webster 'Buddy' Webb enter the bank. Buddy and Alicia had gone to Cabrini High School together; Buddy had been Alicia's date for the Senior Prom.
"Hi Mr. Scandurro," the boy said politely.
****
"I'm sorry," Ann Marie sobbed as Nicole wiped her mouth.
"About what?" Nicole asked, squeezing her mother's hand.
"I can't even feed myself," Ann Marie sobbed.
"It's all right," Fred said, his eyes watering.
"And I won't get to see my new grandbaby," Ann Marie sobbed."
Bo, but he knows you love him," Fred said.
"Her," Nicole corrected. "It's a 'her.'"
"Nuh uh!" Fred childishly argued.
"Oh shut up," Nicole laughed at her husband's antics.
"Make me," Fred challenged.
"Can't, I already went to the bathroom," Nicole shot back.
Nicole smiled; Ann Marie was smiling at the two of them playfully bickering.
"Okay, where? Bed or..?" Fred asked.
"Bed," Ann Marie said and Fred lifted her and gently lay her down on the hospital bed he'd bought and installed in their living room.
"Okay, got a treat for you," he said and turned on the television for her.
He popped in a disc and Ann Marie watched her daughter, Sophia, sitting in a chair, a book in her lap. She was signing to Freddy, who lay in his crib, watching intently.
'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair,' Sophia signed dramatically then looked back at the book for the next line.
"Oh my God," Ann Marie gasped as she watched her three year old daughter reading a book and signing.
Fred had edited in a soft piano concerto to give sound to the otherwise silent tableau.
"She's reading him a story," Fred said proudly. "Can you believe? She's only three, and she's reading a bedtime story to him!"
"And I think we all know who taught her to read," Nicole said proudly ass she held Ann Marie's hand.
"That is so beautiful," Ann Marie whispered as she watched Sophia sign the story to her nephew.
"She read the whole book to him," Fred said as they watched the little blonde sit and read and sign.
****
Alicia wiped the tears away and closed the lid on the last box her mother had brought over. Not having much, it didn't take long to pack.
"Ready?" Cindy smiled happily and Alicia nodded her head yes.
Danny wouldn't be happy, Cindy knew, but Cindy didn't care. Like it or not, Alicia was their daughter and their daughter belonged home with her family. So did their grandson.
Normally, Cindy gave in to his wishes, docilely let him make all the decisions, but not this time. This time she was putting her foot down.
Alicia looked at the door of Apartment 1 and felt a huge lump form in her throat.
She had thought he loved her, but he never said it.
She had thought Uncle Tony loved her, but he was just using her. When he was through with her, he just dumped her, like a used tissue.
She had thought Jimbo loved her, but he just used her, then let all of his friends use her, then dumped her like a used tissue.
Tiny Tim had actually tried to kill her by shoving her out of a moving truck.
So, maybe it was better that she leave now, before Cris dumped her like a used tissue. She had a baby to think about now.
She pasted a smile on her face and opened the outer door to the apartment building.
****
He waited for her to come down, then finally went upstairs to see what the delay was.
He felt an icy chill descend over him as he looked around the apartment. Then he felt blackness come over him.
It seemed like hours later when he came to and groggily pulled himself off of the floor. He looked around again. The lumpy bed, the flimsy chest of drawers, and the frayed couch were still there, but every thing else was gone. All of Christopher Michael's clothes and toys and his crib and stroller and car seat, all gone.
And she hadn't even told him good bye. She'd told him she loved him, but she didn't bother to tell him good bye.
Dully, he returned downstairs, ate his dinner, then climbed back upstairs and began cleaning the apartment, getting it ready to rent to the next tenant.
