That Old Box of Photographs
It had been almost two full weeks since Dominic had found out about Romeo's death and Tianna's missing, and now, he stood in the middle of the apartment his friends had shared. It was now mostly empty catering only to what was left in the kitchen, a metal bed frame, and a big blue chair. The land lord had apologized for the loss of Romeo, but with no one to pay the rent, the apartment needed to be emptied, in one manner or another, so that it could be rented out again.
Dom had chosen to collect Romeo and Tia's belongings instead of having them hauled off the dump. Jesse had already taken down the boxes of Romeo's papers and files he organized. Mia had packed up all the material things-- clothes, sheets and curtains, and Leon had taken them out of the apartment. Vince and Brian had packed up everything else--the electronics, and the few knickknacks Romeo owned. The two were now working on taking the big, blue chair out of the space, since it was the only remaining furniture in the room. The men had taken the rest out earlier.
It was a depressing sight, especially to those who knew the reasoning for the empty apartment. Dominic remembered when the space had been a home to a boisterous Italian man, and his surrogate sister. It had been lively place full of laughter and car talk. One of his closest friends was dead and buried, and he didn't even know if the woman he had fallen in love with was alive.
"Dominic? Can you help me please?" Mia was standing in the closet, staring up at a shelf above her head.
"I thought you packed up the closet already?" Dominic asked, he tried to put a humored tone to that comment, but it didn't show through.
"I did, but I forgot the box up there. I tried to get it, but I couldn't get my fingers on it. It just kept being pushed further away, and now I really can't reach it." Mia waved a hand at the shelf as if the strip of wood had moved the box further from her.
"Hey Dom, all the stuff is in the truck." Vince said poking his head into the closet.
"All right. Mia you go on down with the guys. I'll get the box and then follow."
"Sure, okay." Mia and Vince left the apartment silently as they paid their last respects to the memory of the place, and then join the rest of the team down by the moving truck that held all that had once been in the top floor loft.
Dominic grabbed the edge of the shelf and leaned up so that he could see of the plank of wood and locate the grasp dodging box. An arm was stretched up and he just barely got a hold of the box's top. Though he pulled it slowly toward the edge, he faltered taking it down and the box dropped.
Hitting the floor the top popped off and the contents of the box slipped forth. They were Photographs. Dominic bent down to pick up one of the glossy sheets. "Tia..." the snapshot was a close up of her smiling one of those dazzling smiles. Her hair was not it's brilliant pink hue, but was what Dom could guess was probably her natural ebony color. Her eyes were the same crystal blue emblazoned in his memory.
Dominic crouched down to look through the other pictures. They were pictures of Tianna at Romeo's restaurant. Pictures of her and her surrogate brother. There was a picture of her in an alley. She was holding a mangy cat out toward the camera, and the look on her face said she was begging to keep him. He recognized the look, she'd shown it to him when she'd seen the Charger. His heart was starting to hurt, and he sat with his knees pulled up, looking at the images of this woman around him. There were a few other knickknacks-- an ankh pendant, it might have been copper but he couldn't tell; a diamond ring, well the diamond wasn't the focus, there was a double star sapphire in the middle setting, it was blue; and then there was the car god, to be more exact the small pink troll doll, with it's hair braided. He knew it was a car god because it had been made a little T-shirt that proclaimed it's profession. He smiled a little, but the images around him began to grow blurred in his sight and he covered his face with his hands.
That was how his sister found him about twenty minutes later, "Dominic, what's taking you so-- oh," Mia's tone changed considerably when she saw the dozens of pictures surrounding Dom. "Oh Dom..." Mia sat down in front of Dominic and the scattered pictures, and for a time just watched her brother. He hadn't been crying, he hadn't allowed himself that release. Mia looked over the pictures, and she smiled softly. She had taken some pictures of her own, the developed images were in fact, in the purse that hung off her shoulder.
"She's gone, Mia..." Dominic finally spoke, his voice low, scarred with an indescribable sadness. "They're both gone." Though he did speak, he didn't look up, didn't look anywhere, he kept his hands over his face. He didn't want to see the pictures. Didn't want to see the image captured on paper. He didn't need to the face was always in his mind.
"Romeo, died Dominic. I miss him just as much as you do but you have got to move on." Though the words she spoke were harsh, her tone was calming. "We've delt with death before. We've had experiences teach us first hand about it. Mommy died when we were young. Cancer, I know you remember, you knew her. I was just two, I only have pictures." Dominic looked up at her with hurt eyes, she knew she was bringing up painful memories, but it was necessary for him to move on. "Then Daddy. You saw that one, Dom, you watched it happen. You nearly beat a guy to death, and you spent two years in prison. Death has made you hard, and life has made you strong." Mia's voice was raised slightly, she spoke with more conviction as she continued. "Ro is dead, but he would not want us lingering over his absence. He was not that kind of person. Don't waste the friendship you had, on the seconds when death took him. He's still with us Dominic, not physical, not so we can see and touch him, but he is here. He is a part of us and the best thing we can do for him is to remember him as he was alive. To remember the years we spent together."
Mia picked up a picture of Tianna, and held it out to Dominic, "We have to find her Dominic. For Romeo, he would want us to do that for him. He would wants us to make sure she's protected. She's out there Dominic, alive somewhere, hurt, but alive. She's just waiting to be found."
"How do you know... How do you know she's alive?" Dominic questioned Mia, but his mournful, brown eyes were focused on the picture in his sister's hand.
"Because I believe it, Dominic what does your heart tell you? Can you really believe she's not alive?" Mia knew she'd proved her point when her brother looked up at her and she seemed to see a new vision in his eyes. To further reinforce the walls he was building to support himself she added, "Dominic you have to be strong for her. She needs you to be strong for her."
Nothing else was said between them, but they put the pictures back in the box neatly, and laid the car god, pendent, and ring on the glossy prints. The lid was put back on the shoe box. That old box of photographs had reminded Dominic of his promises. They had reminded him that the woman he loved needed him. He'd promised her he would be strong for her; he'd promised to protect her and always be with her; promised to beat down all that frightened or hurt her. God help him he would keep his word.
It had been almost two full weeks since Dominic had found out about Romeo's death and Tianna's missing, and now, he stood in the middle of the apartment his friends had shared. It was now mostly empty catering only to what was left in the kitchen, a metal bed frame, and a big blue chair. The land lord had apologized for the loss of Romeo, but with no one to pay the rent, the apartment needed to be emptied, in one manner or another, so that it could be rented out again.
Dom had chosen to collect Romeo and Tia's belongings instead of having them hauled off the dump. Jesse had already taken down the boxes of Romeo's papers and files he organized. Mia had packed up all the material things-- clothes, sheets and curtains, and Leon had taken them out of the apartment. Vince and Brian had packed up everything else--the electronics, and the few knickknacks Romeo owned. The two were now working on taking the big, blue chair out of the space, since it was the only remaining furniture in the room. The men had taken the rest out earlier.
It was a depressing sight, especially to those who knew the reasoning for the empty apartment. Dominic remembered when the space had been a home to a boisterous Italian man, and his surrogate sister. It had been lively place full of laughter and car talk. One of his closest friends was dead and buried, and he didn't even know if the woman he had fallen in love with was alive.
"Dominic? Can you help me please?" Mia was standing in the closet, staring up at a shelf above her head.
"I thought you packed up the closet already?" Dominic asked, he tried to put a humored tone to that comment, but it didn't show through.
"I did, but I forgot the box up there. I tried to get it, but I couldn't get my fingers on it. It just kept being pushed further away, and now I really can't reach it." Mia waved a hand at the shelf as if the strip of wood had moved the box further from her.
"Hey Dom, all the stuff is in the truck." Vince said poking his head into the closet.
"All right. Mia you go on down with the guys. I'll get the box and then follow."
"Sure, okay." Mia and Vince left the apartment silently as they paid their last respects to the memory of the place, and then join the rest of the team down by the moving truck that held all that had once been in the top floor loft.
Dominic grabbed the edge of the shelf and leaned up so that he could see of the plank of wood and locate the grasp dodging box. An arm was stretched up and he just barely got a hold of the box's top. Though he pulled it slowly toward the edge, he faltered taking it down and the box dropped.
Hitting the floor the top popped off and the contents of the box slipped forth. They were Photographs. Dominic bent down to pick up one of the glossy sheets. "Tia..." the snapshot was a close up of her smiling one of those dazzling smiles. Her hair was not it's brilliant pink hue, but was what Dom could guess was probably her natural ebony color. Her eyes were the same crystal blue emblazoned in his memory.
Dominic crouched down to look through the other pictures. They were pictures of Tianna at Romeo's restaurant. Pictures of her and her surrogate brother. There was a picture of her in an alley. She was holding a mangy cat out toward the camera, and the look on her face said she was begging to keep him. He recognized the look, she'd shown it to him when she'd seen the Charger. His heart was starting to hurt, and he sat with his knees pulled up, looking at the images of this woman around him. There were a few other knickknacks-- an ankh pendant, it might have been copper but he couldn't tell; a diamond ring, well the diamond wasn't the focus, there was a double star sapphire in the middle setting, it was blue; and then there was the car god, to be more exact the small pink troll doll, with it's hair braided. He knew it was a car god because it had been made a little T-shirt that proclaimed it's profession. He smiled a little, but the images around him began to grow blurred in his sight and he covered his face with his hands.
That was how his sister found him about twenty minutes later, "Dominic, what's taking you so-- oh," Mia's tone changed considerably when she saw the dozens of pictures surrounding Dom. "Oh Dom..." Mia sat down in front of Dominic and the scattered pictures, and for a time just watched her brother. He hadn't been crying, he hadn't allowed himself that release. Mia looked over the pictures, and she smiled softly. She had taken some pictures of her own, the developed images were in fact, in the purse that hung off her shoulder.
"She's gone, Mia..." Dominic finally spoke, his voice low, scarred with an indescribable sadness. "They're both gone." Though he did speak, he didn't look up, didn't look anywhere, he kept his hands over his face. He didn't want to see the pictures. Didn't want to see the image captured on paper. He didn't need to the face was always in his mind.
"Romeo, died Dominic. I miss him just as much as you do but you have got to move on." Though the words she spoke were harsh, her tone was calming. "We've delt with death before. We've had experiences teach us first hand about it. Mommy died when we were young. Cancer, I know you remember, you knew her. I was just two, I only have pictures." Dominic looked up at her with hurt eyes, she knew she was bringing up painful memories, but it was necessary for him to move on. "Then Daddy. You saw that one, Dom, you watched it happen. You nearly beat a guy to death, and you spent two years in prison. Death has made you hard, and life has made you strong." Mia's voice was raised slightly, she spoke with more conviction as she continued. "Ro is dead, but he would not want us lingering over his absence. He was not that kind of person. Don't waste the friendship you had, on the seconds when death took him. He's still with us Dominic, not physical, not so we can see and touch him, but he is here. He is a part of us and the best thing we can do for him is to remember him as he was alive. To remember the years we spent together."
Mia picked up a picture of Tianna, and held it out to Dominic, "We have to find her Dominic. For Romeo, he would want us to do that for him. He would wants us to make sure she's protected. She's out there Dominic, alive somewhere, hurt, but alive. She's just waiting to be found."
"How do you know... How do you know she's alive?" Dominic questioned Mia, but his mournful, brown eyes were focused on the picture in his sister's hand.
"Because I believe it, Dominic what does your heart tell you? Can you really believe she's not alive?" Mia knew she'd proved her point when her brother looked up at her and she seemed to see a new vision in his eyes. To further reinforce the walls he was building to support himself she added, "Dominic you have to be strong for her. She needs you to be strong for her."
Nothing else was said between them, but they put the pictures back in the box neatly, and laid the car god, pendent, and ring on the glossy prints. The lid was put back on the shoe box. That old box of photographs had reminded Dominic of his promises. They had reminded him that the woman he loved needed him. He'd promised her he would be strong for her; he'd promised to protect her and always be with her; promised to beat down all that frightened or hurt her. God help him he would keep his word.
