Vic saw that the sun was beginning to set, eliciting a bright, reddish-orange sky, which even caused the colors to bounce off the asphalt and sidewalk, as well as around the edifice of the apartment building. He parked the vehicle in front and hopped out. While making his way inside the building, he headed for the elevator and took it to the third floor.
Back in Mary-Jo's apartment room, Louise was cuddling tightly on a sleeping Mary-Beth. She was really devastated over the contingency of her baby daughter being taking away from her and out of her hands. When she heard a knock on the door, she shouted out, "Come on in!"
Louise looked ahead to find Vic enter the room and approaching her. "Vic," she told Vic. "I wanted to thank you for keeping my baby safe. I don't know what I would've done without her."
"Yeah," Vic answered taking a seat adjacent to Louise. "That's pretty much what I came to see you about. Seriously, Louise, you really have to move on."
"What you mean, Vic?" Louise asked.
"Look at yourself," Vic told her taking a seat adjacent to her on the sofa. "You're a widow with a baby who is only weeks old living in your sister's apartment. It's about time you go out there to experience autonomy."
"I don't know, Vic," Louise protested. "I've never spent a single day in my life living alone. I didn't move out of my parents' house until after I got married. Now that I'm a widow, I have no one else to stay with but my baby."
"Listen," Vic started to tell her, "I understand. It's hard living on your own, especially when you have to pay the bills, and I'm struggling with that myself. But you have to live your life better than this. I mean, do you want Mary-Beth there to grow up living like this?"
"Well... no," Louise answered. "But... "
"She deserves to live a better life," Vic told her, "and so do you."
Louise thought about it for a moment. She wasn't ready to live on her own for the first time. But at the same time, she couldn't stand living on her sister's couch, and she didn't want Mary-Beth to make the same mistakes if she grew up.
"Look," Vic started to say, "I just don't want you to end up like my mom. When Dad passed away, she was depressed because she couldn't stand staying alone. She never had a chance to experience independence. So she started abusing cocaine herself, and before I knew it, my brothers and I had to be sent to our Aunt Enid. I don't want you to take that same step my mother took. I want you to be there for your daughter. I want her to know who her mother is, and I want her to grow up with a bright future ahead of her."
"Wow!" Louise uttered softly. "Sorry to hear that, Vic. You definitely know how to treat a woman. If you don't mind me asking, how many relationships have you been in?"
"You're gonna find this hard to believe," Vic said as he took a deep breath. He then took about five seconds to answer. "None," he finally blurted out.
"Seriously?" Louise asked.
"No joke," Vic conceded. "I never had a girlfriend in my life."
"Well I definitely DO find that hard to believe," Louise said. "You're so handsome, strong, and a kind man. How were girls back then not attracted to you?"
"I just been busy, is all," Vic answered scratching the back of his head. "When you live in poverty trying to reach your own goals while balancing out your family issues, you just don't have time for relationships."
"I understand," Louise replied. "That's why I feel that you would make a great father. You know how to treat a woman and understand how parenting can influence a child."
"Well," Vic said modestly, "I guess I can take a rain check on that one."
Louise just giggled in response. "You know?" Louise told Vic staring in his eyes. "I think I might have found my new man."
It was Vic's turn to chuckle. "And I think I might have my first ever relationship," he replied. "You want to start dating sometime?"
"Sure," Louise answered. "I would love that, Vic Vance."
The two then hugged, with Mary Beth in Louise's arms just under the two. "So first thing's first," Vic told Louise facing her. "It's time to find you a new place to live. Your daughter deserves a better home, and so do you."
"But Vic," Louise told him. "How am I going to afford a new place?"
"I can use the money I made for the empires," Vic said hopping out of his seat. He started to walk to the entrance.
"But what about the medication for your brother?" Louise asked.
Vic stopped halfway to face Louise. "That can wait," Vic responded. "My brother's got a month's worth of medication, and I'm already getting paid weekly for many of my businesses. But you need a new house of your own. So I'm going to help you find a place to stay at."
"You're such a lifesaver, Vic!" Louise said as she started breaking out in tears of joy. "I'm so glad you came in my life."
Louise continued sobbing happily and jumped out of her seat, with Mary-Beth in her arms.
Vic and Louise made it outside, and Vic hopped into the driver's seat of the Perennial parked outside. Louise had Mary-Beth in her arms as she took the passenger's seat.
"So where do you plan to move me and the baby?" Louise asked Vic as the latter started the engine.
"Phil called me and said he got a place to stay over at Vice Point," Vic told her driving straight down the road. "It's a nice house, and he's got the moving vans for the furniture. It's already loaded with the sofas, chairs, tables, and mattress. Now all I have to do is pick up the second van out of Phil's Depot."
"That's great to hear!" Louise cheered.
Vic finally made his way in Viceport, where Phil was already in a moving van, with another moving van parked right beside him. Vic parked the vehicle he was driving in to the side of the empty moving van and hopped out, with Louise following along.
"Phil," Vic said to the arms dealer. "You came here prepared."
"It's about time Louise starts living like a grown woman," Phil announced. "No sister of mine is gonna depend on her family to keep her company. It's time you start being more independent, Louise. You can raise that baby on your own!"
Louise nodded in agreement. "You're right, Phil," she added. "I want my baby to have a better future."
"Then hop in that van and collect your things!" Phil demanded. "You're movin' on out!"
Louise complied and hopped into the passenger's seat with Phil. The latter turned to Vic. "Okay, Vic," he told him. "Now just take this here van and follow me to Mary-Jo's apartment."
Vic didn't say a word. He just got into the empty moving van and started the engine as he followed Phil slowly to drive to the apartment up ahead. Phil and Vic parked their vehicles up front as soon as they finally made it to the apartment building and hopped out. Louise jumped out of the passenger's side of Phil's truck with Mary-Beth in her arms.
"Now it's time to move all of the stuff in Mary-Jo's apartment into the van," Phil announced.
Vic and Phil both took the stairs to Mary-Jo's apartment room and took each piece of furniture inside. First, they started with Mary-Beth's crib and carried it together while taking it down to the stairs and inside the empty moving van.
The two then took the nightstand and took it down to store it in the van as well. They repeated this process with Mary-Beth's high chair, her clothes, Louise's clothes, and multiple furniture hauled from the truck and into the van.
With the furniture and other household material stored into the moving vans, Phil and Vic were now ready to drive away.
"Vice Port, Vic!" Phil announced. "That's where Louise's new home is gonna be!"
"Got it, Phil!" Vic said.
As Phil started driving the moving van up north of the road, Vic followed along. He had to drive steady so nothing in the moving van would get destroyed. But as the two moving vans drove further, they spotted a familiar vehicle up ahead.
"Crap!" Phil shouted through the walkie talkie. "It's the cops!"
"What's wrong, Phil?" Vic asked.
"These moving vans that we're driving right now?" Phil started to explain. "They got stolen from the warehouse!"
"Ah shit!" Vic groaned.
"Hey, just as long as we don't get the 5-0's attention, it'll be all good!"
Vic knew that this was no time for the police to get involved, especially when Louise still had her infant child in her hands. So Phil took a right turn on the other side of the long road and made a right turn on the curve past the Greasy Choppers bar. Vic slowly followed along, and they made a left turn on the next road.
The two drove straight ahead until they spotted another cop car up ahead right in front of the VCPD building. They quickly drove straight and took a right on the corner of King Knuts restaurant. They drove straight ahead down the road and made another right turn on the corner of Schuman Healthcare Center.
The two moving trucks continued driving straight down the road and through a bridge leading to Prawn Island and made another right turn o the corner of Vice Point. They had made it on the other side of the island.
Vic took a deep sigh. He had finally made it to Louise's new house. It was a two-story white building with a large porch and an equally copious patio in back.
Vic hopped out of the truck and saw a truck pulled up from behind. He reached out for his pistol, but Phil came from behind.
"Wait, Vic!" he told Vic putting a hand on his shoulder. "These guys are only helping me take out the furniture from the truck and store it inside Louise's house."
"You sure you don't want me to help?" Vic asked.
"You've done enough help, Vic," Phil answered. "Right now, I just want you to just continue handling your business. The guys here can help me out."
"Okay, Phil," Vic told him. "Glad I was able to help out."
"Anytime, buddy," Phil replied.
Vic watched as the other guys began grabbing one of the furniture out of the truck and hauling each of them at a time into Louise's house.