THANK YOU MY VOLUNTEER BETA CAMBIE FOR EDITING THIS AND MAKING IT 10 TIMES BETTER THAN IT WAS!
It was a rainy day in Los Angeles.
It was the kind of rain that comes down in harsh, slick, sheets and pummels the ground with a certain bitterness that only occurred every so often. If you are driving, you may as well pull over to the side of the road and seek shelter in the blinding storm; and if you were unfortunate enough to be walking, well…don't. No umbrella would shield from the terror of the opening skies.
Anna hated rain. Especially today. It matched her crummy mood and the annoyance she was currently dealing with. Even though she was over three dozen stories above the ground, the rain played an unrhythmic tune on her darkened window. She was stuck in her empty office building in her small but extravagant office on the phone with a client. She swirled in her black leather chair that was far too big for her small frame and rolled her eyes at the client's monotonous voice.
Anna was a lawyer -and a damn good one at that. Through long, tedious years at law school to nabbing a job at a local firm, the strawberry blonde had finally made a name for herself. She was recently named a partner at her firm—which implied a bigger salary and higher ranking also meant longer hours behind her desk and less time at home with her son Sven and sister Elsa. However, the high pay was worth it in the long run and Anna would do anything to provide for her family—especially for Sven. That boy was her world.
Anna was allowed a break from her almost hour long phone call when her cell buzzed loudly on the corner of her mahogany desk. She picked it up, unlocked the screen and checked the text. It was from Elsa.
Time for a vacay. I'm thinking 10 year high school reunion? Olaf already got our tickets and I'm planning our flight.
Wait-WHAT? Anna sat up from her reclined position; almost flipping her chair over in the process; and tried her best to stay calm (she was still on duty). She didn't want to go back home! The main reason she had moved halfway across the country was to escape it and all the painful memories it possessed. Home had too many scars…and maybe one scar that just wouldn't fade.
However, she knew Elsa wanted to, and she couldn't bear to see the look on Olaf's face if she disappointed him. Thus, she found herself replying with a certain yes.
At 7 pm, her tedious phone calls and endless stacks of paperwork had finally come to a close. Anna managed a smile despite her terrible mood, knowing in just a few short minutes she would be back home with her two favorite people; Elsa and Sven. Her mood was heightened at the thought of Elsa helping Sven with his homework and making dinner, their close connection Anna was proud of.
Elsa's influence on the eleven year old boy was almost as prominent as Anna herself. When she had made the life-changing decision to move to L.A to further her dream of becoming a lawyer, Elsa was right behind her, promising to help her through raising a child and having a career. Sometimes Anna wondered what she would do if she didn't have her sister. She knew she would not have made it through the last eleven years, that's for sure.
She packed up her briefcase, grabbed her laptop bag and headed toward the elevator. Feeling a bit creeped out at the desolate and empty atmosphere, she thought about what she would have been doing if not for her son; out partying, like all of her coworkers. Though thinking about it, one of those parties was the reason she had ended up with Sven anyway. She wouldn't have changed that night for anything—but the events that came after? She pushed the thoughts away mentally and filed her brain with images of her beautiful, brown-eyed boy.
She got in the elevator and rode the myriad of floors down and strolled to the dreary climate outside. The rain had stopped, though the air remained cool and the sidewalks shone brightly from the streetlights and the rain that had soaked them not more than three hours earlier.
When reaching her destination, a modest two story home in the small suburb neighborhood of a smaller part of L.A., she got out of the car, grabbed her bags and headed to the front door. Before she could even reach for the knob, it was flung open and there stood Sven, in all of his t shirt and plaid shorts glory.
"MOM!" he exclaimed in his squeaky yet manly voice, clutching her into a tight hug that only mothers could give. She dropped her bags on the porch and wrapped her arms around her son, savoring the feeling of it. She knew one day she would be begging for a tiny embrace. "Hi, sweetheart," she smiled and ruffled his thick locks. "Looks like someone's gonna need a haircut soon."
"Hey!" Sven protested, wriggling out his mother's tight grasp and helping her with her work things to take inside. "How was work mom?" he asked, grabbing her hand and leading her into the kitchen.
She sat down at the table, where Elsa sat drinking her evening tea and reading a thick novel. "It was good. Long, but good. I got a lot of work done on this case that seems practically cold," she explained, taking a bite of the pasta her family had warmed up for her. "Goodness, sometimes I feel like you're the mom, Sven," she chuckled as he brought her a cup of coffee with just the right amount of milk and sugar. Small things like that had Anna convinced of her son's sweet nature and ability to please her. Just like his father…
"Mom? Can I go play on the computer? I finished all my homework!" Sven asked impatiently, dancing on the balls of his feet.
"I suppose. Only a half hour, though. It's a school night.' Anna replied as he thundered up the creaky stairs.
Once alone, both sisters sighed and gave each other tired smiles. "Hey, Elsa," Anna spoke.
"Hey, Anna," Elsa replied, smiling and tucking a piece of thick blonde hair behind her ear.
"So…about the reunion…"
"I could tell you didn't seem too ecstatic to go. Is this about Kristoff?" Elsa asked with a questioning sigh.
"Elsa, you KNOW that's the reason I don't want to go." The younger of the two said, taking a sip of the burning liquid. The whole town wasn't a stamp of anything good in their lives, including their parent's deaths.
… and Kristoff Bjorgman.
Kristoff was definitely on the top of list for her resistance towards going. They had been high school sweethearts and completely inseparable since the start of middle school. Sadly, due to different complications involving the mistakes and decisions of both of them, they had not ended things on the friendliest terms. In fact, she didn't know where he was or if he was even still alive.
Although she would never admit it, from time to time she did ponder about him: if he was happy, if he was married and had a family now?
"Earth to Anna—come in please," Elsa waved her hand in her sister's face to wake her from her daydream. "Welcome back, daydreaming again I see?' Elsa smiled sympathetically at her. "You know we don't have to go if you don't want to," she changed the subject.
"No, I should go. I haven't been back since their death, which was 10 years ago. And if Kristoff is there, he deserves to know. It wouldn't be fair- to Sven either. I think as much as I don't want to, they both deserve an explanation. I haven't even seen him in over a decade," Anna persuaded herself, determined to fix what needed to be set right.
Deep down, Anna wanted both of them to know the truth. Sven deserved to have a fatherly figure in his life. Of course, being the curious little rascal he was, the tall boy had asked about his father. Anna had simply told a small fib to keep him pacified; that his father was in the military and his fighter plane was shot down. It was tragically horrible, and Anna knew how terrible it was to lie to her son, but she didn't have any other excuse, and she didn't want her son to grow up believing his father didn't want him or that he was a mistake. She would later find out that he had never BEEN in the military-then she would have to tell ANOTHER lie to her son. It was time for the lying to stop.
She and Elsa sat and talked about the reunion a little more and Elsa decided to hit the hay. After completing the exhausting task of putting Sven to bed, Anna finally was able to relax herself, showering luxuriously and cuddling into her fluffy pillows. However, Anna could only lay awake, thinking about her past.
"Anna, please don't do this I want you! I want US! And I want this baby! We can do this! We can be together and be happy! I'll apply to the junior college her, and I'll take a couple jobs… I am willing to fight for us. I love you, and I love this baby. I love you and I have loved you since the day I pushed you off of the swing set in 3rd grade and you broke your arm; remember?' he said, stopping his ramble before it could get too off topic and pleaded at her beautiful girlfriend with tears in his gorgeous brown eyes.
She couldn't look at him. "Kristoff, I-I can't do that to you. You have your whole life ahead of you and I couldn't live with the thought of holding you back from your destiny," she was sobbing big, fat ugly tears now. She loved him and she wanted this baby, but she didn't think Kristoff would make anything of his life being stuck with her and a baby for the rest of his life in the crummy little town with zero potential for his talented and bright mind. Finally, she looked at him and with regretful lips spoke. "It's over, Kristoff, I am sorry."
"No," was all Kristoff could breathe out weakly.
"I made the appointment; it's happening next week and there's nothing you can do to stop me. I have to go.' she said, getting out of his old truck and slamming the door, running into her house. Once she got inside, she burst into tears. She slid down the front door and just sat there and sobbed-totally unaware that the love of her life was in his truck doing the exact same thing.
Kristoff began to bawl and buried his face in his steering wheel and sobbed. This wasn't how he wanted this to go. He wanted Anna and this family more than anything! This baby was his life now, and the thought of Anna murdering it almost made him sick. He must have sat outside of her house for a good 20 minutes or more before he calmed down enough to drive.
And the two never spoke again. Kristoff made the decision to go ahead with his scholarship to Georgia Tech. He could not wait to leave. The quicker he got out of that town, the better!