Ricky was still at work when the Scanlon girls, Sascha and Anastasia came
in. It was always tugged at Ricky's heart whenever he saw Sascha, the older
one. She had his dark hair, long, shiny tresses that were usually pulled up
into some funky 'do, and dark, penetrating eyes. His eyes. He and Karen
both feared that these traits would be a dead giveaway that Sascha was
Ricky's child, not Frank's, but so far, so good. Of course, Frank knew. But
he didn't mind. He thought that for all intents and purposes, he was very
much Sascha's father. After all, he'd raised her, changed her diapers,
taught her how to ride a bike, bandaged her boo-boos, and videotaped her
Christmases, and it was Frank that she called Daddy, not Ricky.
"Hey girls. Hi, Kiddo," Ricky said, reaching over the counter to
ruffle Sascha's hair as he always had. But lately, Sascha had looked at him
funny whenever he did things like that.
"I'm not a kid. I'll be fifteen in four months, thank you," Sascha
said, not meanly, while readjusting her knotted updo. She laughed and
smiled at Ricky. She and Ana sat down on bar stools and Ricky got them
their usuals- a Sprite with crushed ice and slices of lemon and lime for
Sascha, and a Cherry Coke with extra cherries for Ana.
"Thanks, Ricky!" Ana chirped as she took a big gulp of her drink. She
then excused herself to go change the music on the jukebox.
"How come you're always doing stuff like that?" Sascha asked,
stirring her Sprite with her straw, and looking up at Ricky.
"Like what?" Ricky asked quickly, his eyes averting her glance. He
scrubbed furiously at the already gleaming countertop.
"Like, messing up my hair, and calling me 'Kiddo', and buying my
Sprites and stuff?" Sascha asked. Her tone was curious, not accusing, so
Ricky felt confident enough to answer.
"Because I like you!" he said jokingly.
"You like me?"
"Sure. I mean, I like to bug you," Ricky laughed as he tossed the
cloth he'd been using to clean the bar at Sascha.
Sascha just smiled. Ana returned, breaking the awkwardness. Ana was
tall for her age, almost as tall as her sister, and she looked remarkably
like Karen. But she had Frank's eyes. Even though she could wear her big
sister's clothes (when she allowed her to), Ana was still a ten year old at
heart. She began swiveling on her stool and humming along with the jukebox.
"C'mon, Ana. Mom said to be back home by four," Sascha said
cheerfully, and gently tugged at her sister's arm. Sascha slid off her
stool and straightened her hot pink one shoulder dress, then primped her
hair.
"Bye, Ricky!" Ana said as Sascha ushered her out.
"Later, Ana! Seeya, Sascha!
"Seeya!"
Ricky sat down behind the bar and wondered if he'd done the right thing in
letting Frank raise her as his own. She had turned out to be a great kid,
and Ricky felt partially responsible. He didn't know how great of a father
he could've been. After all, he'd only been twenty-four when he'd gotten
Karen pregnant, not to mention he'd just gotten out of jail months before.
Karen and Frank had both been twenty-eight, and much more responsible. He
always tried to convince himself that what he had done was right, but he'd
always felt a little guilt, and tried to make it up to Sascha by being a
nice guy and a good friend to her. He just hoped she wasn't getting
suspicious.
*
Raven was roused from her nap by the ringing of the phone on the end table next to her head. She opened her eyes, disoriented, and reached over her head and pulled the phone off the hook. "Hello?" she asked. "Hey." Danny. "Oh, hi, baby. I was going to call you, but I fell asleep, I'm sorry- " "No, it's okay, babe. I was just worried about you," Danny said in his concerned voice. Raven sometimes thought it was Danny's voice that she'd initially fallen in love with. He'd inherited his father's Irish accent, and Raven found it terribly sexy. She'd fallen in love with the rest of him gradually, little by little, and completely. "Raven? You got it?" Jamal called from the stairs. "Yeah!" Raven called, covering the receiver with her hand. "I was just worried about you. You were acting kind of strange earlier. I wondered if something was wrong," Danny said. "Oh, no, I just....didn't feel well all of the sudden. It's weird. But I took a nap and I'm feeling a little better now," Raven explained. "Good, I'm glad. Well, I guess I'll let you recuperate a little more. You need your rest. Wouldn't want you getting sick now, would we?" "I guess not." "Bye, then. I love you," Danny said. Raven heard him kiss the phone, their little tradition. "Love you," Raven replied, smooching the phone. She hung up, and laid back down. She had lied to Danny, she didn't feel any better. The fact that she couldn't put her finger on what it was that was bothering her made her feel worse. She sat up, and strectched. She looked at the mantle clock. It was almost six. How long have I been out? she wondered. She stood up and wandered into the kitchen. She made herself a tomato sandwich for dinner, and then returned to the couch. She called Christina, to see how she was feeling. "Hello?" Christina croaked into the phone. "Hey," Raven said. "I was gonna ask you how you were doing, but I guess I don't have to. You sound lousy, doll. Are you okay?" "I'll live," Christina answered miserably. Raven and Christina chatted for awhile, then hung up. Just after Raven had hung up with Christina, Alison and Jamal emerged from the bedroom, looking exquisite. Jamal was in a silver shirt and black pants. Alison was in a royal blue dress, her hair in an elegant updo, diamonds at her neck. "We've got a dinner reservation at the club with Jack and Livvie, so we'll be out late tonight. Why don't you rent some videos and have Christina over?" Alison suggested. "Actually, she's sick, too, so....." Raven said, holding up her hand and then dropping it to her knee. "Oh, that's too bad, sweetie. Well, maybe you could have your own little movie night, then," Alison chirped in her cheery voice. "Maybe," Raven answered. She was cut off by the ringing of the phone.
"Oh, I'll get that," Alison said, and clicked off to the kitchen in her Stiletto heels. Jamal reached out and placed his palm against Raven's forehead. She rolled her eyes up to look at him. "So what's the verdict?" she asked. "Oh, I don't know.....deadly, I think," Jamal said in a deep, falsely sincere tone. Raven gasped melodramatically. "No, it's weird, you don't even have a fever," he mused, serious now. Then he smoothed Raven's blonde hair back from her forehead, and kissed it. "That was Jack," Alison said, troubled, as she came out of the kitchen. "He and Livvie aren't feeling so good, so, they can't make it to dinner tonight," she said, sounding disappointed. "There must be something going around," Jamal said. "Yeah," Alison muttered. "You know what? You guys should go anyway. I'll be fine here," Raven encouraged. "Really? Are you sure?" Alison asked, stroking the side of Raven's face. "Yeah, honest." "Okay. We'll be back by midnight. Get to bed early, kay, Angel?" Alison said, calling her daughter by her nickname. Raven nodded and Jamal and Alison left. She stood by the window, her hand slitting the drapes just enough to watch as the Malibu pulled out of the drive. She shuddered, and sauntered across the room. Her fingers shook as she dialed the telephone. "Hello?" "Yeah, hi, Ian, it's Raven." "Oh, hello darlin'. How are you now?" Ian said heartily, his voice thick with Ireland. "Well, you know. Anyway, I was calling for Danny. Is he there, by any chance?" she asked. "Nope, sorry sweetie. My boy and his mother just went to the 'Mother/Son Benefit Dinner' for the hospital with Frank and Mary. Shall I tell him you called? Raven? You there, girl?" "Oh, yes, tell him, would you please? Thank you Ian. Bye, then," Raven said, shaken from her daze of disappointment. She carefully returned the phone to it's cradle, then changed her mind and picked it back up again. "Hi, Jack? No, I know you don't feel well, and I apologize for calling and bothering you, but actually, I was just wondering, is Eli there?"
*
Raven was roused from her nap by the ringing of the phone on the end table next to her head. She opened her eyes, disoriented, and reached over her head and pulled the phone off the hook. "Hello?" she asked. "Hey." Danny. "Oh, hi, baby. I was going to call you, but I fell asleep, I'm sorry- " "No, it's okay, babe. I was just worried about you," Danny said in his concerned voice. Raven sometimes thought it was Danny's voice that she'd initially fallen in love with. He'd inherited his father's Irish accent, and Raven found it terribly sexy. She'd fallen in love with the rest of him gradually, little by little, and completely. "Raven? You got it?" Jamal called from the stairs. "Yeah!" Raven called, covering the receiver with her hand. "I was just worried about you. You were acting kind of strange earlier. I wondered if something was wrong," Danny said. "Oh, no, I just....didn't feel well all of the sudden. It's weird. But I took a nap and I'm feeling a little better now," Raven explained. "Good, I'm glad. Well, I guess I'll let you recuperate a little more. You need your rest. Wouldn't want you getting sick now, would we?" "I guess not." "Bye, then. I love you," Danny said. Raven heard him kiss the phone, their little tradition. "Love you," Raven replied, smooching the phone. She hung up, and laid back down. She had lied to Danny, she didn't feel any better. The fact that she couldn't put her finger on what it was that was bothering her made her feel worse. She sat up, and strectched. She looked at the mantle clock. It was almost six. How long have I been out? she wondered. She stood up and wandered into the kitchen. She made herself a tomato sandwich for dinner, and then returned to the couch. She called Christina, to see how she was feeling. "Hello?" Christina croaked into the phone. "Hey," Raven said. "I was gonna ask you how you were doing, but I guess I don't have to. You sound lousy, doll. Are you okay?" "I'll live," Christina answered miserably. Raven and Christina chatted for awhile, then hung up. Just after Raven had hung up with Christina, Alison and Jamal emerged from the bedroom, looking exquisite. Jamal was in a silver shirt and black pants. Alison was in a royal blue dress, her hair in an elegant updo, diamonds at her neck. "We've got a dinner reservation at the club with Jack and Livvie, so we'll be out late tonight. Why don't you rent some videos and have Christina over?" Alison suggested. "Actually, she's sick, too, so....." Raven said, holding up her hand and then dropping it to her knee. "Oh, that's too bad, sweetie. Well, maybe you could have your own little movie night, then," Alison chirped in her cheery voice. "Maybe," Raven answered. She was cut off by the ringing of the phone.
"Oh, I'll get that," Alison said, and clicked off to the kitchen in her Stiletto heels. Jamal reached out and placed his palm against Raven's forehead. She rolled her eyes up to look at him. "So what's the verdict?" she asked. "Oh, I don't know.....deadly, I think," Jamal said in a deep, falsely sincere tone. Raven gasped melodramatically. "No, it's weird, you don't even have a fever," he mused, serious now. Then he smoothed Raven's blonde hair back from her forehead, and kissed it. "That was Jack," Alison said, troubled, as she came out of the kitchen. "He and Livvie aren't feeling so good, so, they can't make it to dinner tonight," she said, sounding disappointed. "There must be something going around," Jamal said. "Yeah," Alison muttered. "You know what? You guys should go anyway. I'll be fine here," Raven encouraged. "Really? Are you sure?" Alison asked, stroking the side of Raven's face. "Yeah, honest." "Okay. We'll be back by midnight. Get to bed early, kay, Angel?" Alison said, calling her daughter by her nickname. Raven nodded and Jamal and Alison left. She stood by the window, her hand slitting the drapes just enough to watch as the Malibu pulled out of the drive. She shuddered, and sauntered across the room. Her fingers shook as she dialed the telephone. "Hello?" "Yeah, hi, Ian, it's Raven." "Oh, hello darlin'. How are you now?" Ian said heartily, his voice thick with Ireland. "Well, you know. Anyway, I was calling for Danny. Is he there, by any chance?" she asked. "Nope, sorry sweetie. My boy and his mother just went to the 'Mother/Son Benefit Dinner' for the hospital with Frank and Mary. Shall I tell him you called? Raven? You there, girl?" "Oh, yes, tell him, would you please? Thank you Ian. Bye, then," Raven said, shaken from her daze of disappointment. She carefully returned the phone to it's cradle, then changed her mind and picked it back up again. "Hi, Jack? No, I know you don't feel well, and I apologize for calling and bothering you, but actually, I was just wondering, is Eli there?"