"Your dad?" Cristina reiterated. The two of them had very little conversations about their dads. But from what Cristina could remember all Owen ever said was that he was a bad man. "Maybe we should go." She whispered when she noticed the entire diner staring at her. She grabbed the car seat and walked out of the diner with Owen in tow carrying the stroller. Owen went to retrieve his mother as Cristina set up the stroller.
"Stay away from her. Stay away from my family!" Owen shouted.
"Now now Owen, that is no way to speak to your father."
Owen scoffed and turned away. "Mom, are coming are you staying?"
"It's alright Owen, I'll be okay." she whispered. Owen shook his head and turned away from them. Once he turned to look at them his mother was getting into a car.
"What was all that Owen!?" Cristina said frightened. The walk back to the apartment was silent, Owen was thinking of how to explain the situation to Cristina. Once they got back to the apartment, Cristina put Andrew down for a nap while Owen made tea. The two sat across from each other in the living room.
"When I was about 7 I knew my dad wasn't like the other dads. He never worked or coached my teams or even went to games. He sat in the living room, watching whatever was on tv drinking beer. My mom worked as a librarian scraping money together very month for bills. One time, my mom was short so she decided to pay all the bills except for the cable and the next day she had a black eye. Every night they'd argue but the next day she'd have a new bruise or something. So one night I knew I had to help my mom so while they argued I called the police. He was in jail 12 hours then she bailed him out. I missed eight days of school because I had a couple broken ribs, a missing tooth and a broke finger." Cristina gasped. "This was our lives for two years. It took her that long to leave him. When I was 9 or ten my mom fell for my baseball coach. He cared for us both and noticed the bruises so he took care of us. Got my dad sent to jail and helped my mom and I get set up in Seattle. They were together for fifteen years before he died in a car accident. She swore to me every night that HE would never find us. Yet here Michael is." Tears were threatening to pour down his face.
Cristina scrambled off the couch and took the seat right beside him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close as he began to cry.
"I just don't want anyone else to get hurt because of him."
"It's okay Owen. It's okay." The two sat together for hours. Cristina holding him, reassuring him. "I love you." she whispered as he drifted off to sleep. She left him on the couch and went to check on Andrew. She loved Louise but didn't understand how she could let Michael in her life.
Cristina finished up dinner, set the table then woke Owen. The two of them enjoyed their evening together. Cristina got Andrew fed and bathed then all three of them sat in the living room and watched cartoons until Andrew began dozing off. After they put Andrew to bed, they decided to sleep.
It was barely after 2am when they were awoken by Owen's cell phone going off. "Mom? Mom? What's wrong? I'll be right there!" Owen screamed frantically throwing on a Tshirt and his tennis shoes. Leaving in his pajamas. Cristina, my mom's i trouble." he said as he ran out the door into the night.