Manny wakes up and sits on the edge of the bed, for the first time in a while she doesn't feel depressed or mad at the world. She goes into the kitchen, opens a cabinet to take out a bowl, then gets into another cabinet for the cereal. After she has gotten and poured her milk from the refrigerator, Mr. Santos sits down on the couch in the living room and turns on the television. He then turned around to look at Manny smiling, "You seem happy today," he states.
"I am happy." Manny replies.
"I don't mean to get into your business but why the suddenly change?" asked Mr. Santos.
"Something happened yesterday that made me happy." she answered.
"Well it is good to see you smile again," he said. When Manny finish her cereal, she put the bowl in the sink, and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. As Mr. Santos is eating his breakfast the phone rings, "Hello, who is it?" he answers.
"It's Jessica," she exclaimed.
"What are you doing calling here?" he whispered.
"I just had to talk to you." she baited.
"I told you not to called here." he barked.
Manny turned off and got out of the shower, grabbed one towel to wrap around her body and she started drying her hair with another. After opening the door from bathroom to hallway and walks out, she can hear her dad talking to someone over the phone.
"When can I see you again?" she whined. "As soon as I'm not busy with work or my daughter." proclaimed Mr. Santos. "I need to see you soon, remember I'm leaving town next Tuesday." babbled Jessica. "Don't worry I will come see you before next Tuesday." Mr. Santos affirmed. "I'll talk to you later, bye!" Jessica said excitedly. "Bye," Mr. Santos hung up the phone and turned around only to see Manny behind him, "Oh!" he yelled frighteningly.
"You scared me." he choked putting his hand over his heart.
"Who were you talking too?" Manny demanded folding her arms.
"Uh…I...was…talking to somebody from work," he stammered.
"Why would you have to see them before next Tuesday?" she questioned.
"Because it is the only time I can have the work meeting." he alluded.
When Manny looked at him weird, Mr. Santos looked down at his watch, "It's getting late shouldn't you start getting ready for school," he said walking away from her. Manny then went into her bedroom, closing the door she thought to herself, "I wonder who my father was talking to?" Manny went into her closet, and pulled out a pink top, blue jeans and brown high heels. After getting dressed Manny walked over to the mirror, looked at her reflection, and fixed her make-up and hair. Leaving the mirror she headed back to the closet to put on her black jacket and book bag, "Dad! I'm leaving!" she yelled while grabbing the keys.
"Bye Sweety!" he responded. She walked out the apartment and locked the door. As Manny was walking down the street to school, somebody pulled up next to her in their car, "Hey!" the driver yelled. Manny looked at him only to roll her eyes, "Oh great! Just when I was starting to have a good day you show up." she denounced.
"Come on don't be like that." he cooed.
"Which way should I be?" Manny countered sarcastically.
"I told you that I'm sorry for what I said." he exclaimed.
"Sorry is not good enough," Manny declared, "There is nothing you can do that would make it better, Jay!"
"Alright I can't make what I did better, but will you at least let me give you a ride to school," Jay coaxed.
"I am fine walking to school." she announced back.
"Come on! I promise I won't try anything," he vowed,"Let me do this one thing to try and make it up, please."
"Alright fine." Manny finally agreed and Jay stopped the car for Manny to get in.
"How is everything going with you?" he asked.
"As best as it can be" Manny stated as she looked out the window.
"It must be hard for you to go back to school after your mother's death." Jay said.
"Yeah it's hard but I have a life to live, I can't just die, because my mother did." Manny said expressionlessly.
"I know you don't believe me but I want to say I am sorry," he said.
"You're right I don't, it's bullshit," she said.
"No! I'm telling you the truth I am sorry for what I said to you the day your mother was sick," admitted Jay. "You are not sorry for anything you said!" she boomed. "Why would you say that?" he asked. "Because if you were so damn sorry then, how come you didn't tell me you were sorry when my mom died!" she said, "You don't care about my mother being dead," she sadly said, still looking out the window.
"Yes! I do to care about your mother!" exclaimed Jay. "No you don't because if you did you would of come to the funeral!" Manny screamed. "The reason why I did not go is because I was busy working!" he said. "That isn't good enough," said Manny, "The real reason why you didn't come is because you didn't care about my mother being dead!" she said.
Jay then pulled up to the school and stopped. "When are you just going to forgive me?" he asked. "I am never going to forgive you, Jay!" Manny yelled as she opened the door and got out of the car, slamming the door shut and walked up the step into the school. Jay then drove off down the street.
Meanwhile, Craig is at the studio to put the touch ups on his new album, "What do you think?" asked Jackson. "I think it sounded good," said Craig.
Just then Leo came into the room, "Hey Jackson, I have to talk to Craig. Can you take your lunch break now?" he commanded more than asked. "Alright cool, see you later." Jackson said getting up from the chair and left the room.
"Do you like how the album is turning out?" asked Craig.
"I think your second album is going to be great," Leo replied, "But I need to talk to about something."
"Sure what is it?" asked Craig.
"When are we going back California?" Leo asked. Craig sat down in the chair, "Pretty soon," assured Craig. "How come we can't go back to L.A right now?" Leo accessed. "Because there are somethings here I have to do." Craig explained.
"We can't sell your music as much here, as we can sell it in California." cautioned Leo.
"Couldn't we always try," Craig said determinedly. "Yeah we can, but I think we should go back to L.A." Leo stated.
"All I need is a couple of months in Toronto," argued Craig.
"I'll give you until June, but once June comes that is it," he said.
"If you haven't gotten what you came here for done, then my record crew and I are leaving," said Leo, "With you or without you." Leo then walked out of the room. Craig sat their in the chair thinking, "I hope she changes her mine by then and sees that I care about her."
At Degrassi High the bell had begun to ring, announcing class was over. Manny walked down the hallway and went to her locker, as she started to put her books in JT walks up to her, "Hey Manny."
"Hey." she replied back.
"So, I haven't seen you around school lately." said JT.
"I've been in school I just haven't been hanging out with anyone." she said.
"Oh I understand." he said, "I heard there is going to be a party at some club down town."
"When is it?" asked Manny putting her books in her locker.
"It's going to happen tonight," he said, "I was wonder if maybe you would." JT's talking was cut off when some of Manny's books fell out of her bag onto the ground, "Oh shit!" Manny exclaimed.
"Here let me help you." he said bending down to pick them up. As JT was helping to pick up Manny's books, he came upon a picture on the floored. Picking it up and turning it around, JT sees it is a pictures of a young woman holding a baby. Standing up off the floor while holding the picture JT stammers out, "Uh...Manny," he said.
"Yeah JT?" asked Manny as she put books into her bag.
"Who is this woman?" he asked. Manny stopped putting her books into the bag and looked at JT holding the photo."Where you get that?" she asked.
"It fell out of your bag," he explains. Manny ripped the photo out of his hands.
"Who is that woman in the picture?" he asked once again. "It is none of your business." was the only answer he got before Manny shoved the picture in her bag, slammed the locker shut, and rushed off down the hall. But, JT wasn't going to give up that easily so he followed her down the hall, "Come on tell me who it was," he said. Manny stopped walking and turned around, "You want to know who it is that photo?" she said.
"Yes I do," said JT determinedly.
"That's my mother! You know the one that died!" she said.
"Oh I am sorry Manny your mother dieing," he apologized.
Just tell me what I can do to help." he said calmly.
"You don't get it there is nothing you can do to help me!" she screamed with tears streaming down her face, not caring who heard or saw, "Emma can't help me and you can't help me! Nobody can save me from the pain I am going through!" People in the school were standing in the hallway looking at Manny, but Manny just walked away from JT, opened the door and left the school. JT didn't know what to do after Manny walked away, so he went to class.
Manny is walking down the street crying when she stops to sis on the steps of someones house. Taking out a carton of cigarettes and lighter from her book bag, Manny lights a cigarette and inhales the smoke in her lungs, "Why can't people just leave me alone and stop asking me about my mother," she thought to herself, "I know JT was trying to help but he should of let it go." Manny then opens her bag to take out the picture and then sits there looking at the picture and smoking a second cigarette.
"I wish you were here Mom, everything is so fucked up since you died." Manny thought to herself while touch her mother's face on the picture. Tears started to come down Manny's face again, when she was crying she started to have a flashback long ago.
-Flashback Started-
Young Manny sat on the floor of her mother bedroom looking at her mother's stuff in the closet. While going through a box she finds a picture, and stops to stare at it. Manny gets up from the floor to go into the living room, "Momma," she said running over to her.
"What is it Sweetheart?" asked Juliette.
"Is this you in the picture?" asked Manny sitting on the couch. Juliette took the picture out of Manny hand, "Oh, this is me holding you when you was a little baby." said Juliette.
"Wow Mom, you look so young." she said.
"Yeah, I had you when I was 24 years old." she said.
"How are you now?" she asked.
"I'm in my 40s right now," said Juliette, "I am not old, I'm just not young anymore." she said.
"Were you happy when you married Daddy?" she asked. Juliette didn't say anything for a minute then she decide to talk, "When I married your father I was pregnant with you and I was very young."
"So you didn't love Daddy?" questioned Manny. Juliette looked at Manny. "Dimples I love your father very much." she said, "Its just that getting married young means I had a lot of things I wanted to do in my life, but I couldn't because I got married. I do not regret getting married to your father it was the happiest thing I ever did in my life," Juliette said, "Because that was the day I had you." Juliette then grabbed her daughter and started tickling her. Manny was laughing while her mother tickle her.
Flashback Ended
Manny took the cigarette out of her mouth, threw it on the ground and she step on it. Putting the photo back in her bag, she got up and walked down the street, "I wonder where I should go now, since I am not going back to school," She thought about where Craig said he'd be today. Manny kept walking down the street until she stop at a building and went in, "Hello," Manny called out.
"What do you need?" the secretary asked while looking at her nails.
"Can you tell me where I can find Craig Manning?" she said.
"Do you have appointment?" asked the woman.
"Um...no." said Manny.
"You can't see anyone here without appointment...sorry." the woman said, not sounding sorry at. Disappointed and sad, Manny walked away, she was about to leave the building when somebody called out to her, "Hey you," he said. She turned around to see who it was, "I'm sorry, but I don't know who are you." she said walking up to him.
"But I know you," said the guy smiling. All Manny could do was look at him weird, "Alright, you just sounded like a stacker so should I be calling the police now." she said nervously. The guy started laughing, "No you don't have to call any police, because the whole reason I know you is because I am friends with Craig," he said.
Manny breathe a signed of reliever, "Oh, so you are friends with Craig," she responded.
"Yeah, I'm Michael," he said holding out handed. "Nice to meet you Michael." she said shaking his hand.
"I heard a lot about you." said Michael.
"You did?" asked Manny.
"As matter of fact all Craig talks about is you." he said. Manny's smile was getting bigger but she was trying to hide it, "Can you tell me where I can find Craig?" she asked trying not to smile.
"Well Craig isn't in this building right now but I can tell you where to find him," he said taking out a card to give to her. Manny turned it around and looked at it, "The underground what's that?" she asked.
"It's a night club. If you go there you might found him." he said.
"Thank you." she said.
In the meantime, JT is in English class when Emma taps him on the shoulder, "I heard you and Manny had a argument in the hallway?"
"I didn't really argue with Manny, I was talking to her about the party when her books fell out of her bag," JT explained, "I was helping her with the books when I found a picture on the ground. I picked it up and saw a woman holding a baby."
"Who was it in the picture?" asked Emma.
"I didn't know who it was, so I asked Manny," he said, "Then she got mad and ripped the photo out of my hand, slammed her locker shut and walked away," he said, "I kept asking her who the woman was in the picture and then she told me that was her mother."
"What happening after that?" asked Emma.
"She started to yell and scream at me about hot nobody cares about her," said JT, "Then Manny started crying and she walked away" JT put his head on the desk, "I don't even know what I did wrong," he said feeling bad.
The only reasons I asked her if she wanted to come to the party was because I thought maybe she could go out with us and forget about her mother been dead for a while," he said.
"JT you didn't do anything wrong its just that Manny is upsets about her mother," she said, "She isn't taking her death very well."
"What can I do to help her?" he asked.
"There is nothing you can do to help her." said Emma, "The only thing you can do is leave her alone until she wants you to help her."
"Yeah maybe your right," said JT, "I just hope Manny lets someone in to help her with her problem."
Manny walks into the night club and goes up to the bar, "Can I help you?" asked the bartender.
"Do you know if a guy name Craig Manning is here?" she asked.
"Is he a singer?" asked the man.
"Yes he is." she said.
"I haven't seen him here, but if you stay here a while I'm sure he'll come in." said the man.
"Thank you." Manny said as she got up from the chair and began to walk around the place. As she watched the men moving the instruments she spotted a table went to sit down. A couple hours later a van pulled up outside and people hurried out of the van, "All right so you guys are going to set everything up for tonight?" asked Craig.
"Yes we are and don't worry, when you get on stage tonight you're going to sound great." said the guys, Craig and the crew then headed into the club.
Manny as sitting in the club waiting for Craig when her cell phone started to ring, "Hello."
"It's Dad." said Mr. Santos.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"I just called to see how are you doing in school." he said.
"Uh...school...It's fine, I'm doing just fine." said Manny nervously.
"Good because I was worried about you." he said.
"You don't have to worry about me, I'm fine." said Manny.
"I also wanted to tell you that your grandmother called me today." he said.
"She said that she wants to see you." he said.
"I don't want to see her." she said getting mad.
"Come on you going to have to get along with her sometime." he said.
"No I don't ever have to get along with her." said Manny.
"She didn't like my mother why should I like her." she said.
"Your grandmother didn't hate her daughter. They just had different ideas about life." he said.
"It had nothing to do with their ideas about life," said Manny getting even angrier, "The only thing it had to do with, is that woman hating my mother."
"You shouldn't say bad things about your grandmother, she's a nice caring woman," said Mr. Santos. Manny rolled her eyes even thought her father could not see her.
"That woman is not nice or caring, she is an evil bitch!" said Manny.
"You do not talk bad about your grandmother like that, she never did anything wrong to you or me!" he said, "You will go visit her in New York as soon as I get a plane ticket for you!" said Mr. Santos. Manny's only response was hanging up the phone and she throwing it in her bag. She then rushed into the bathroom and slammed the stall door, and then she cried. After she finish crying she opened her bag and took out the last cigarette in the box, "Damn, now that is some good shit," said Manny. What she didn't know was that at the moment Craig was sitting at the bar.
"What can I get you?" asked the bartender.
"A can of soda." he said. The man pour the soda and gave it to Craig, who sat there drinking the soda.
"There was a girl who was here looking for you." stated the bartender.
"Oh, what was her name?" he asked
"I never asked her name...sorry." said the guy.
Manny is still in the bathroom, now looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and her eyeliner was running down her face. Manny took some tissues and wiped her face off, then applied more eyeliner. After she finished putting on the eyeliner she threw the tissue in the trash can and left out of the bathroom. Craig was on stage talking to the sound crew with his back turned when Manny came out of the bathroom and looked around the club again, but could not see him. She was walking out the door when Craig turned around and saw the long black hair that could only be Mannys'. He walked up to the microphone and spoke, "I was wondering if there is a beautiful woman here name Manny Santos here." he said on the microphone. The people in the club that were there starting laughing.
Manny turned around and she looked up at the stage, as Craig jumped off the stage and ran over to her, "Leaving so soon." he said.
"I've been here for two hours." she said.
"You've been waiting for me that long," he said, "Wow you must really wanted to see me." Manny face started to turned red a little bit, "What...no...I didn't stay here that long to see you." she said.
"Then what did you stay here for?" he asked.
"Umm...I...wanted...to see how the crew sets up everything before the club opens up." she said.
Craig just stared at Manny, "Is that the real reason why you stayed here?" he asked.
"Yes it is." she said.
Craig smiled at her because he knew she wasn't telling the truth, but he went along with it, "Then let me show you around." he said. She followed Craig around the night club, he showed her everything in the nightclub. When he was done showing Manny around they sat down on the stage, "Are you happy all your dreams came true?" Manny asked.
"I'm sort-of happy. I am glad to be a famous rock star that gets to sing in front of people, including famous ones," he said, "But there is something missing." he said looking down.
"What could be missing?" asked Manny.
"I already know what's missing in my life." Craig said as he looked at Manny for a while without saying anything else.
"So...why are you here today?" she asked trying to change the subject.
"I decide to come here with the sound crew before the the club opens up" said Craig.
"Cool" she said.
Some guy walked over to the stage, "Manning."
"Yeah what?" Craig asked.
"Somebody on the phone wants to talk to you." he said.
"Alright," said Craig, "Excuse me Mann, but I'm going to go see who that is on the phone." he said.
"Sure fine." she said.
Craig got up from the stage and went over to the telephone, "Hello." he said.
"Do you want accept the collect call from Clargery?" asked the operator.
"Yes I do." he said.
"Wait one moment please." said the operator.
The operator connected Craig to Clargery, "Hey Craig," said Joey, "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine how is everything with you in Clargery?" he asked.
"Everything is great," said Joey, "But I have a problem." he said.
"What's wrong?" asked Craig.
"Diane and I are going on a trip to Florida, but we don't have anybody to take care of Angie while we are gone." he said.
"Well can't you asked your mother to take care of her Joey." he said.
"I could but my mother is out of town on a bingo cruise," he said, "So I was wondering if maybe you could take care of her while I'm out of town?" he asked.
"Uh...I don't know if I can." said Craig touch his face.
"Come on, please Craig. I need you to do this," he said, "Because this trip Diane and I are taking is supposed to be a romantic get away," he said.
"Just because it's romantic get away doesn't mean you can't take Angie." he said.
"Craig do I have to spell it out for you," said Joey, "The reason why I'm taking Diane on this trip is because I am planning to propose to her," said Joey.
"Wow that is great Joey." Craig exclaimed.
"Now you understand why I need you to let Angie visit you for awhile." he said.
"Okay fine, I'll watch Angie." Craig finally agreed.
"Oh great thanks Craig!" said Joey.
"No problem," he said, "When is Angie coming to visit?"
"She will be coming to see you two weeks from now." said Joey.
"Are you going to let Angie get on the plane by herself?" he asked.
"No way Diane is going to take Angie to Toronto," said Joey, "Before I hang up. thanks again for doing this." said Joey.
"Sure I don't mind helping out," said Craig.
"Bye." said Joey.
"Bye." said Craig hung up the phone and he walked back over to the stage. Manny was on stage holding the microphone in her hand, "You should try it out and see how you sound." said Craig.
"I don't think so." she said letting go of the microphone and sitting down on the stage.
"Come on I bet you would sound good if you singed." he said sitting on the stage next to her.
"The only time I sing is in the bedroom while listening to the radio." she said.
"Somebody must have heard you sing before." said Craig.
Manny started to think about it, "There is one persons that heard me sing."
"Who was it?" asked Craig.
"It was my mother, she heard me sing one time," she said, "When I was about 11 years old my mother asked me to sing for her one day and I did." she said.
"What did she say?" asked Craig.
"After I finished singing she told me I had the most beautiful voice she ever heard," Manny said feeling the tears in her eyes. Manny put her head down and wiped her eyes.
"Manny are you all right?" he asked.
"Uh...yes I am fine," she said.
"You sure because you look like you were going to cry." said Craig.
"No Craig I am not crying there is just something in my eye, that's all." she said with her head down. Craig lifted her head up with his hands and looked her in the eye. He saw a tear fell down her eyes, "Why would talking about your mother make you sad?" asked Craig, "What your mother said about your singing was a good thing not bad." said Craig letting go of her face but still looking her in the eyes.
"Yeah I know it was good thing." she said not looking back at him.
"Why are you crying when you talk about it?" he said.
Manny then looked at him in his eyes, "Because...my...mother...she...is..." she stammered when somebody interrupted her, "Hey Craig," he said.
"What?" asked Craig.
"Can you please move we need to move something on stage and you're in the way." he said.
"I guess we can't sit here any longer." he said standing up.
"Damn!" she said rolling her eyes as she bent down to pick up what fell out of her bag, "Let me help." Craig said bending down he helped her put all her books back in her bag, and then gave Manny her bag, "Thanks." she said zipping up her bag and putting it on her back.
"So what was you going to tell me?" he said, "You were going to tell me the reason why you were crying when we got interrupted." he said.
"Oh that...umm...the reason isn't important anymore...forget about it." she said, walking away from Craig, he followed her and put his hand on her arm, "Come on what did you want to tell me, it had to be important." he said touching her arm.
"If I told you I would regret it, so it is best left the way it is." she said.
"I want to know what it was you were going to say." he said.
"It doesn't matter now Craig...so drop it!" she screamed and ran out of the club and Craig didn't stop her. Craig was going to sit down in a chair when he saw something on the floor and pick it up. When he turned it around and looked at it, it was a picture of a woman holding a baby, "This must be Manny's picture," he said to himself, "I need to give this back to her." Craig put the photo in his jean pockets.
Manny walked around some more when she got tried she decided to go home. When she walked into the house she saw her Dad sitting on the couch with some woman. "Dad I'm home."
"Oh! Hello Sweetheart." said Mr. Santos.
"What are you doing home?" she asked.
"I decide I was going to do my work at home today." he said.
"Alright I understand that, but why is this woman here?" she asked.
"She works with me in the office and she came over to help." said Mr. Santos.
Manny put her book bag on the floor, walked into her bedroom and laid down on her bed. After a while Mr. Santos got up off the couch.
"I think so too." she said.
"Have to go to my car and look for the another subject paper," he said, "I'll be right back." he said. He walked over to the closet and grabbed his coat and headed out of the apartment. The woman was still sitting on the couch doing the work when Manny got up from the bed, went into the living room and saw down in a chair, "So work for my father?" she asked.
"Yes, I work with him in his department." she said.
"Are you and my father friends?" she asked.
"Oh yes! We real good friends." she said smiling.
"Do you like my Dad more then a friend?" Manny asked.
The woman looked at Manny and didn't say anything, "Uh...I think your father...is a really nice guy." she said.
"Do you want to have sex with my father?" asked Manny.
"I think you're asking me too many personal questions." she said.
"I can asked you whatever I want. If you don't like it you can leave my house." said Manny.
"You don't have to be so mean," she said.
"Who the fuck do you think you are telling me what to do, your not my mother," said Manny.
"I am glad I am not you mother because if she was alive I don't think she would like the way you talk to people." she said.
"How did you found out about my mother being dead?" she asked.
"Your father told me about your mother." she said.
It was then that Manny then got very upset, she got up off the chair and put her jacket on, "Where are you going." asked the woman.
"I am leaving because I don't want to be here with a bitch like you." said Manny walking out the door. Manny stormed out the door of her apartment and went rushed the stairs. She was so upset, that she wanted to punch something. Manny didn't know where to go so she just kept walking until it was 7:00 PM. That is when Manny decide to go over to the poll hall, she walked in and sat at the bar. A bartender came up to her, "What can I do for you?" he asked.
"Get me a bottle of beer." she said.
"Are you 21 year old?" asked the man.
"Yes I am." she said.
"Let me see your I.D." he said.
Manny showed him her I.D card, but he only looked at it weird, "I'm sorry you can't have a beer, you have to be 20 or 21 to drink here." he said. Manny grab her I.D card back from him. "Fine then!"she said and walked around the pool hall, when she saw a guy drinking alcohol, "Can I have some?" she asked. "Yeah sure," he replied.
The guy took a beer off the table and gave it to her, "Knock yourself out," he said. Manny took the beer and drank it down. After a while Manny was drinking heavily, she started singing and dancing on the pool table. Just then she started to feel sick to her stomach, she jumped off the pool table and ran into the woman's bathroom, rushed in a stall and threw up. After she was done puking her guts out she got up off the floor, flushed the toilet and left out of the stall. Manny splashed her face with water and looked at herself in the mirror, when she starting think about what her mother had once said, "You look just like me." Manny then proceeded to punch the mirror with her fist, causing the glass to brake. The mirror was cracked and there was glass covering the floor beneath it. Manny looked at her hand to see it was cut up and blood was dripping down her arm. She didn't do anything to stop the blood running from her hand, all she did do was stand there with a happy smile on her face.
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