The Alternate Daughter
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
AN: This is after a couple weeks. They've gotten into a kind of routine in which Ria makes "breakfast", Luca goes to work, and Ria has "dinner" waiting when he gets home. He never asks her what she does all day, but he leaves money for her to get groceries.
Luca came in, flopped his stuff on the couch. Ria jumped up and hugged him.
"Thank God you're home!" she cried, "I'm starving!" Soft music was playing in the background, nothing of Luca's.
"What is that playing?" he asked as he took a seat.
"Enya" Ria answered. Luca wondered where she had gotten it, then noticed she was wearing a new outfit, something different from the two she had had when he firts brought her home.
"You're wearing something new" he answered, "Where'd you get it?"
"K-Mart" she answered, eyeing him, "I didn't steal anything from you, if that's what you're thinking"
"I trust you" he said, "So where did you get the money?" He knew it sounded bad, but he needed to know. He still knew so little about her.
"I have a job, if you must know" she answered. Luca dropped his fork and it clattered on his plate. He stared at her. She wasn't more than six months along, but her belly was already protruding so greatly he didn't see how she could even move around in his apartment. How could she have a job? What could she possibly do? She said she was 25, but what kind of skill could she have if she had previously lived in a Church?
"Doing what?" he asked, not trying to hide his amazement.
"Waitressing." she said, trying to pretend that it was no big deal, but Luca could see through that. It hurt her pride.
"Ria...you can't do a job like that" he told her, reaching for her free hand across the table, "It's too stressful"
"Well it's something, which is better than nothing, need I remind you" she replied, her familiar defenses coming up, "No one wanted to hire me. I'd just go on maternatiy leave soon, and besides having no place of residence, or mailing address, or money...." Rain started coming down outside, reminding Luca of the night they'd met. She looked so fragile and vulnerable that night. That image had been washed away during the past two weeks, replaced with a self reliable, proud, witty, intelligent woman, but that vulnerablity was there again now. Something had happened to turn her into something she should never have been.
"I don't want you to work" he said firmly, wondering why he cared so much, "If you really need the money, I'll give it to you" Now it was her turn to gape at him.
"You can't! I won't let you!" she erupted.
"Why the hell not?" Luca shouted back, knowing in the back of his head it was probably just hormones churning inside her.
"Becuase....because.....because I've already taken so much from you, damn it!" she yelled and got up from the table. She stomped across the room to stare out the window at the dark night, washed in rain. Luca sighed heavily and went to her. He stood behind her, not touching her.
" You're not taking anything" he told her, "I'm giving it to you" He could hear her soft crying and he pulled her into his arms. He wondered what he was doing, what he was thinking, but he knew it felt right to have her in his arms. He ran a hand through her soft curls of chesnut hair, starting to feel warm tears soak through his shirt.
"Why don't you tell me what happened?"
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
AN: This is after a couple weeks. They've gotten into a kind of routine in which Ria makes "breakfast", Luca goes to work, and Ria has "dinner" waiting when he gets home. He never asks her what she does all day, but he leaves money for her to get groceries.
Luca came in, flopped his stuff on the couch. Ria jumped up and hugged him.
"Thank God you're home!" she cried, "I'm starving!" Soft music was playing in the background, nothing of Luca's.
"What is that playing?" he asked as he took a seat.
"Enya" Ria answered. Luca wondered where she had gotten it, then noticed she was wearing a new outfit, something different from the two she had had when he firts brought her home.
"You're wearing something new" he answered, "Where'd you get it?"
"K-Mart" she answered, eyeing him, "I didn't steal anything from you, if that's what you're thinking"
"I trust you" he said, "So where did you get the money?" He knew it sounded bad, but he needed to know. He still knew so little about her.
"I have a job, if you must know" she answered. Luca dropped his fork and it clattered on his plate. He stared at her. She wasn't more than six months along, but her belly was already protruding so greatly he didn't see how she could even move around in his apartment. How could she have a job? What could she possibly do? She said she was 25, but what kind of skill could she have if she had previously lived in a Church?
"Doing what?" he asked, not trying to hide his amazement.
"Waitressing." she said, trying to pretend that it was no big deal, but Luca could see through that. It hurt her pride.
"Ria...you can't do a job like that" he told her, reaching for her free hand across the table, "It's too stressful"
"Well it's something, which is better than nothing, need I remind you" she replied, her familiar defenses coming up, "No one wanted to hire me. I'd just go on maternatiy leave soon, and besides having no place of residence, or mailing address, or money...." Rain started coming down outside, reminding Luca of the night they'd met. She looked so fragile and vulnerable that night. That image had been washed away during the past two weeks, replaced with a self reliable, proud, witty, intelligent woman, but that vulnerablity was there again now. Something had happened to turn her into something she should never have been.
"I don't want you to work" he said firmly, wondering why he cared so much, "If you really need the money, I'll give it to you" Now it was her turn to gape at him.
"You can't! I won't let you!" she erupted.
"Why the hell not?" Luca shouted back, knowing in the back of his head it was probably just hormones churning inside her.
"Becuase....because.....because I've already taken so much from you, damn it!" she yelled and got up from the table. She stomped across the room to stare out the window at the dark night, washed in rain. Luca sighed heavily and went to her. He stood behind her, not touching her.
" You're not taking anything" he told her, "I'm giving it to you" He could hear her soft crying and he pulled her into his arms. He wondered what he was doing, what he was thinking, but he knew it felt right to have her in his arms. He ran a hand through her soft curls of chesnut hair, starting to feel warm tears soak through his shirt.
"Why don't you tell me what happened?"