The Only One: Chapter 23
Alicia looked around the small kitchen with envy. It was really homey looking. The wall was painted a light green color and everything in the kitchen matched. Everything was perfect, right down to the matching tea pot on the stove. This kitchen definately had a womans touch. And Alicia hated everything about this woman.
She looked around at the pictures on the window sill. There were two of Faith and Maurice and one of Maurice alone. He was standing outside of the building next to a new Mustang. He had a huge grin on his face. Alicia looked toward the bathroom to see if they were coming back. They had the door shut in there, no doubt talking about her. She stood up and tiptoed over to the window and put the small frame in the large front pocket of her coat. Satisfied with herself, she sat down on the chair and waited for them to come out.
They seemed to be taking such a long time. Alicia wondered exactly they were doing in there. She stood up and walked into the livingroom. It was painted a nice beige color. Again, everything in this room matched too. She had a real Martha Stuart on her hands. The couch was a sectional one, a dark brown color. It had a matching coffee table made out of oak. There were pictures of two kids on the fireplace mantle. A girl and a boy. There was somthing familiar about their faces. They looked like Faith. Alicia didn't think that Faith had any kids. Maybe they were a niece or nephew.
She kept looking around until she saw a bunch of cards on the desk in the corner of the room. They looked like invitations to something.
She walked over to the desk and picked one up. She felt a powerful surge of anger whelm up inside her. It took every ounce of will-power she had not to scream and tear all the hair out of her head. It read:
Faith Louise Mitchell
and
Maurice Robert Boscorelli
Request your presence
as they exchange holy wedding vows
On July 24th , 2005
At St. Dunstan's Cathedral
407 West 33rd Street
Reception to follow
Alicia threw down the invitation. She was disgusted! He was actually going to marry her! She wasn't the one having his baby! It wasn't fair! She felt her face get hot and tingly. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She would make sure that this wedding didn't happen. There was still plenty of time to get rid of Faith. And her plans could be revamped anyway. No, she thought to herself. There was nothing to worry about.
********************************************************************************************************************************
Alicia was still sitting on the chair when Faith returned from the bathroom. Bosco had gone into the bedroom to watch tv. He figured that he could do less damage in there than in the kitchen. Faith could handle it anyway. And he was glad that she could. He wasn't very good at hiding his true feelings about Alicia. He just didn't like her. Plain and simple. He knew that they wouldn't be getting any visits from her after the baby came. As soon as he had the paternity test, he would then start the process to sue her for custody. That's what their lawyer had suggested they do. What did he know about lawyers anyway? Only that they cost a fortune. He started to flip through the channels. He stopped on a rerun of his new favorite show. It was called "The First Watch". It was the hottest show on tv. It was a detailed show about cops, firemen and paramedics. What got him was that it was so accurately depicted. There was this really cute cop on the show named Molly. She really reminded him of Faith. As he watched tv he hoped that Alicia would go home soon. He just wanted to curl up beside Faith and sleep.
She walked over to Alicia and sat the small basket down on the table.
" Here." she said, holding out a hot facecloth. " Just rub that over the cuts and I"ll put some cream on them for you".
" Alicia" she said. Faith looked over at her and stopped what she was doing. " Alicia, are you alright"? she asked.
Alicia didn't move. At first Faith thought that she hadn't heard her or maybe she had passed out. Faith bent down to look into Alicia's face. What she saw in the other woman's eyes was one hundred percent hatred. Alicia was looking at her through beady eyes. Despite the angry eyes, her face was alarmingly blank. She looked psychotic. Faith's heart skipped a beat and she stepped back.
Alicia now had her gaze locked on Faith's stomach. She could not tear her eyes away. Faith looked at her and immediately understood. Alicia didn't know that she was pregnant too. To say that she was shocked would be an understatement. The girl could not speak.
As if she had been shocked, Alicia sat upright and smiled at Faith. It was a creepy smile. One of the ones where the person was smiling, but their eyes were wide open. Faith was speechless as she watched this new facet of Alicia's personality appear before her.
" Oh, Faith, I just wanted to say thanks for offering to take care of me. I know I look dreadful". she said, reaching out to take Faiths hand.
Faith let her take it for a moment before taking it away. She busied herself by getting out the anteseptic cream for the cuts.
" Do you want to talk about what happened Alicia" she asked, as she smeared the cream on her face.
" I see that you're pregnant". Alicia stated, ignoring her question. She was obviously not pleased.
" Um, ya. I'm six months actually. But I'm more interested in finding out what happend to you, right now" Faith said in her monotone voice.
That voice was the one she reserved for perps. It suggested no emotion. That way, it was hard to tell what the other person was feeling. And Faith did not want Alicia to know anything about her, especially how she felt about anything. She had a good feeling that once Alicia saw into their personal lives, that she would use it to manipulate Bosco and torment him.
Alicia took a deep breath before starting. " I was walking back from St. Jeromes and all of a sudden this big guy comes from out of nowhere and tells me he wants my money." she said, all in one breath.
" And how did you end up over here?" Faith asked her. " It's four-teen blocks from St. Jerome's to our place."
Anger fashed through Alicia's eyes momentarily, before she spoke again. " I know it's four-teen blocks away. The guy made me walk at gun point, what did you want me to do? Tell him that it was too close to your house? I'm not your enemy, Faith. I don't know why you keep treating me that way". she finished, looking almost sad.
Faith wasn't going there. She didn't believe Alicia's story anyway. But she didn't want to make a scene. Walking four-teen blocks with a gun to her back? puh leeze!
Faith finished putting the creme on her face and stood back. " There you go. You're all set. Do you want me to call you a cab now?"
"Alicia"? Faith said.
Alicia blinked and focused on her. " Oh, sorry. What"? she asked.
" I asked you if you wanted me to call you a cab home". Faith answered.
" Oh, ya. Thanks." she said, standing up. She walked over to the entrance to the livingroom and pointed to the pictures. " Faith, who are those two kids on the mantle?" she asked.
Faith felt a pain stab at her heart. " They're my kids. Emily and Charlie". she said quietly. Faith knew what was coming next and braced herself for the question that always killed her on the inside.
Alicia turned back and looked at her. " Where are they"? she asked.
Faith pailed and cleared her throat. She didn't want to talk about her kids with Alicia. She hated the woman. But she answered anyway.
" They died in a fire last year". she said as she dialed the cab company. " And no. I don't want to talk about it". she finished pointedly. Raising her eyes at the other woman.
She gave their address and hung up the phone. " You need to go down to the precinct first thing in the morning and report what happened." she added, knowing full well that it wouldn't happen.
Alicia zippered up her coat right up to her neck and put on a hat and mitts as she walked toward the door.
"Bye Faith". she said as she passed through the doorway. " Thanks for everything. And I'm really sorry about your dead kids" she added, smiling sweetly.
Faith didn't answer, although she felt like putting her fist through Alicia's face. She shut and locked the door. As she walked back into the kitchen she noticed that her favorite picture of Bosco wasn't on the windowsill. It was something that she looked at at least twenty times a day. And now, it was gone. Faith looked around the kitchen to see if Bos had moved it somewhere else.
" Hey Bos?" she yelled.
" WHAAA?" he answered
" Did you move the picture of you with the car that was on the windowsill"? she shouted again.
" Na. Why would I move it? Oh, can you bring me in that bag of chips on the counter?" and then,
"Faith, you gotta see this!" he shouted excitedly. He was watching the Crocodile Hunter.
" This guy is nuts! He just held his ass over the boat and a baby croc just gave him a nip!" he yelled at her again.
She rolled her eyes as she could hear him laughing hysterically at the stupid show. Why anyone would want to watch that crap was beyond her.
" Faith?" he yelled. " Earth to Faith". he yelled again, this time louder. Tired of yelling, he hopped out of bed and walked out to the kitchen. She was standing with her back to him.
" Hey, are ya suddenly deaf or somethin?" he asked.
She didn't reply. She was too busy looking at the piece of paper that must have fallen out of Alicia's pocket. It looked like an insert out of a day planner. Faith gasped in horror as she read what was printed on the inside:
" December 22, 2004: Kill Faith!"
TBC
Alicia looked around the small kitchen with envy. It was really homey looking. The wall was painted a light green color and everything in the kitchen matched. Everything was perfect, right down to the matching tea pot on the stove. This kitchen definately had a womans touch. And Alicia hated everything about this woman.
She looked around at the pictures on the window sill. There were two of Faith and Maurice and one of Maurice alone. He was standing outside of the building next to a new Mustang. He had a huge grin on his face. Alicia looked toward the bathroom to see if they were coming back. They had the door shut in there, no doubt talking about her. She stood up and tiptoed over to the window and put the small frame in the large front pocket of her coat. Satisfied with herself, she sat down on the chair and waited for them to come out.
They seemed to be taking such a long time. Alicia wondered exactly they were doing in there. She stood up and walked into the livingroom. It was painted a nice beige color. Again, everything in this room matched too. She had a real Martha Stuart on her hands. The couch was a sectional one, a dark brown color. It had a matching coffee table made out of oak. There were pictures of two kids on the fireplace mantle. A girl and a boy. There was somthing familiar about their faces. They looked like Faith. Alicia didn't think that Faith had any kids. Maybe they were a niece or nephew.
She kept looking around until she saw a bunch of cards on the desk in the corner of the room. They looked like invitations to something.
She walked over to the desk and picked one up. She felt a powerful surge of anger whelm up inside her. It took every ounce of will-power she had not to scream and tear all the hair out of her head. It read:
Faith Louise Mitchell
and
Maurice Robert Boscorelli
Request your presence
as they exchange holy wedding vows
On July 24th , 2005
At St. Dunstan's Cathedral
407 West 33rd Street
Reception to follow
Alicia threw down the invitation. She was disgusted! He was actually going to marry her! She wasn't the one having his baby! It wasn't fair! She felt her face get hot and tingly. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She would make sure that this wedding didn't happen. There was still plenty of time to get rid of Faith. And her plans could be revamped anyway. No, she thought to herself. There was nothing to worry about.
********************************************************************************************************************************
Alicia was still sitting on the chair when Faith returned from the bathroom. Bosco had gone into the bedroom to watch tv. He figured that he could do less damage in there than in the kitchen. Faith could handle it anyway. And he was glad that she could. He wasn't very good at hiding his true feelings about Alicia. He just didn't like her. Plain and simple. He knew that they wouldn't be getting any visits from her after the baby came. As soon as he had the paternity test, he would then start the process to sue her for custody. That's what their lawyer had suggested they do. What did he know about lawyers anyway? Only that they cost a fortune. He started to flip through the channels. He stopped on a rerun of his new favorite show. It was called "The First Watch". It was the hottest show on tv. It was a detailed show about cops, firemen and paramedics. What got him was that it was so accurately depicted. There was this really cute cop on the show named Molly. She really reminded him of Faith. As he watched tv he hoped that Alicia would go home soon. He just wanted to curl up beside Faith and sleep.
She walked over to Alicia and sat the small basket down on the table.
" Here." she said, holding out a hot facecloth. " Just rub that over the cuts and I"ll put some cream on them for you".
" Alicia" she said. Faith looked over at her and stopped what she was doing. " Alicia, are you alright"? she asked.
Alicia didn't move. At first Faith thought that she hadn't heard her or maybe she had passed out. Faith bent down to look into Alicia's face. What she saw in the other woman's eyes was one hundred percent hatred. Alicia was looking at her through beady eyes. Despite the angry eyes, her face was alarmingly blank. She looked psychotic. Faith's heart skipped a beat and she stepped back.
Alicia now had her gaze locked on Faith's stomach. She could not tear her eyes away. Faith looked at her and immediately understood. Alicia didn't know that she was pregnant too. To say that she was shocked would be an understatement. The girl could not speak.
As if she had been shocked, Alicia sat upright and smiled at Faith. It was a creepy smile. One of the ones where the person was smiling, but their eyes were wide open. Faith was speechless as she watched this new facet of Alicia's personality appear before her.
" Oh, Faith, I just wanted to say thanks for offering to take care of me. I know I look dreadful". she said, reaching out to take Faiths hand.
Faith let her take it for a moment before taking it away. She busied herself by getting out the anteseptic cream for the cuts.
" Do you want to talk about what happened Alicia" she asked, as she smeared the cream on her face.
" I see that you're pregnant". Alicia stated, ignoring her question. She was obviously not pleased.
" Um, ya. I'm six months actually. But I'm more interested in finding out what happend to you, right now" Faith said in her monotone voice.
That voice was the one she reserved for perps. It suggested no emotion. That way, it was hard to tell what the other person was feeling. And Faith did not want Alicia to know anything about her, especially how she felt about anything. She had a good feeling that once Alicia saw into their personal lives, that she would use it to manipulate Bosco and torment him.
Alicia took a deep breath before starting. " I was walking back from St. Jeromes and all of a sudden this big guy comes from out of nowhere and tells me he wants my money." she said, all in one breath.
" And how did you end up over here?" Faith asked her. " It's four-teen blocks from St. Jerome's to our place."
Anger fashed through Alicia's eyes momentarily, before she spoke again. " I know it's four-teen blocks away. The guy made me walk at gun point, what did you want me to do? Tell him that it was too close to your house? I'm not your enemy, Faith. I don't know why you keep treating me that way". she finished, looking almost sad.
Faith wasn't going there. She didn't believe Alicia's story anyway. But she didn't want to make a scene. Walking four-teen blocks with a gun to her back? puh leeze!
Faith finished putting the creme on her face and stood back. " There you go. You're all set. Do you want me to call you a cab now?"
"Alicia"? Faith said.
Alicia blinked and focused on her. " Oh, sorry. What"? she asked.
" I asked you if you wanted me to call you a cab home". Faith answered.
" Oh, ya. Thanks." she said, standing up. She walked over to the entrance to the livingroom and pointed to the pictures. " Faith, who are those two kids on the mantle?" she asked.
Faith felt a pain stab at her heart. " They're my kids. Emily and Charlie". she said quietly. Faith knew what was coming next and braced herself for the question that always killed her on the inside.
Alicia turned back and looked at her. " Where are they"? she asked.
Faith pailed and cleared her throat. She didn't want to talk about her kids with Alicia. She hated the woman. But she answered anyway.
" They died in a fire last year". she said as she dialed the cab company. " And no. I don't want to talk about it". she finished pointedly. Raising her eyes at the other woman.
She gave their address and hung up the phone. " You need to go down to the precinct first thing in the morning and report what happened." she added, knowing full well that it wouldn't happen.
Alicia zippered up her coat right up to her neck and put on a hat and mitts as she walked toward the door.
"Bye Faith". she said as she passed through the doorway. " Thanks for everything. And I'm really sorry about your dead kids" she added, smiling sweetly.
Faith didn't answer, although she felt like putting her fist through Alicia's face. She shut and locked the door. As she walked back into the kitchen she noticed that her favorite picture of Bosco wasn't on the windowsill. It was something that she looked at at least twenty times a day. And now, it was gone. Faith looked around the kitchen to see if Bos had moved it somewhere else.
" Hey Bos?" she yelled.
" WHAAA?" he answered
" Did you move the picture of you with the car that was on the windowsill"? she shouted again.
" Na. Why would I move it? Oh, can you bring me in that bag of chips on the counter?" and then,
"Faith, you gotta see this!" he shouted excitedly. He was watching the Crocodile Hunter.
" This guy is nuts! He just held his ass over the boat and a baby croc just gave him a nip!" he yelled at her again.
She rolled her eyes as she could hear him laughing hysterically at the stupid show. Why anyone would want to watch that crap was beyond her.
" Faith?" he yelled. " Earth to Faith". he yelled again, this time louder. Tired of yelling, he hopped out of bed and walked out to the kitchen. She was standing with her back to him.
" Hey, are ya suddenly deaf or somethin?" he asked.
She didn't reply. She was too busy looking at the piece of paper that must have fallen out of Alicia's pocket. It looked like an insert out of a day planner. Faith gasped in horror as she read what was printed on the inside:
" December 22, 2004: Kill Faith!"
TBC