-Get A Life Girl-
The following morning, Riza awoke before the alarm as usual. She sat up in her queen sized bed and stared off at the doorway which was directly across from her. She closed her eyes and began to think about yesterday and the thought of a letter from her mother passed into her head. She slowly yawned and stretched before she dragged her butt from bed and made her way into the living room to let her dog outside, then into the bathroom for a quick shower.
The hot water felt good against her cold skin. During the night, the temperature got colder. Not wanting to leave the warmth of her bed in the middle of the night, she didn't light up the fire place. By morning she regretted it. She wrapped a towel around her slender body and messed with her hair, trying to dry it before leaving her house. Her dog began to scratch as the front door and she let him in. Not paying attention as she did, she was quite surprised when the pup ran to the cold fireplace and shook of a pound of snow on the hard wood floor.
"Snow?"
She looked outside and saw at least three feet of snow covering the land. A plowed road was covered in a light dusting, accompanied with a few tire tracks in the direction of the exit. Children ran around in snow suits sliding down man made snow hills and building snowmen. Riza couldn't help but moan as the thought of shoveling her walkway.
Slowly, she shuffled over to the fireplace and threw in a match, causing the wood to light up and burst into warm flames, warming the cold pup and Riza. She shuffled back into her bedroom where she began to dress quickly in her uniform and then back to the bathroom to finish up. Needing extra time this morning, she skipped breakfast and instead, searched her closet for her winter clothes. She pulled on her long black trench coat with the fur trim and buttoned it up. She dug in hr pockets for her black gloves and soon had them on, along with her fuzzy black ear muffs. She dug deeper into her closet and found her shovel and pulled it out, along with an old extra long red scarf her grandmother made her when she was ten.
Outside, her puppy played around with the children in the next yard as Riza shoveled her way out of the walkway. Once she finished, she called for her puppy and headed off to work, leaving her shovel in a snow pile outside her yard. She arrived at the train station, only to see that due to the snow, it was closed until further notice. Kicking a near by snow pile, Riza turned to the road that would take her into Eastern. Children played in the unplowed streets and parents shoveled walkways.
She walked further down the road until she reached a side street that was familiar. James Street. She looked down the street and saw more children playing. She smiled and decided to go down it. She walked down the middle of the road, since no cars were out today. She counted house numbers until she reached the white house, number 20. In the front yard was a little blonde pig tailed girl bundled up in pink. On the recently shoveled front porch sat a woman in her late twenties sipping hot chocolate, watching her daughter play.
"Good morning Gracia."
Riza called out and waved. The blonde woman looked up and waved. The little girl, seeing an old friend, stopped making her snowman and ran to Riza.
"Miss Riza!"
The little girl launched herself at Riza, who caught her in mid air.
"Hello Elisia. And how are you doing today?"
The little girl replied before being put down to go play. Riza made her way up the shoveled walkway and sat next to Gracia Hughes.
"Didn't expect this did you?"
"No."
The two woman talked for a while before taking the little girl inside to warm up. Riza used the phone to call into work, only to find out that all HQ are closed for the day, except Central. Riza and Gracia sat by the fire drinking tea while they watched Elisia draw in front of the woman on the floor.
"So, how's work going?"
Gracia broke the silence as she watched her daughter play.
"It's okay. The same old stuff day in and day out."
"How is Roy?"
"The same, drinks himself to sleep."
"He need to, pardon the Maesism, but he needs to get himself a girl. A real girl. not those girls he sleeps around with."
Riza laughed. It was true, Roy was a womanizer and a drunk. But there was something about him that drew her to him. Like a moth to a flame, Riza was flying closer and closer to the danger that could consume her. She turned her attention from the child to the glowing fireplace. The flames flickered back and forth. Images of Roy and his amazing alchemy of fire seamed to form in the flickering flames. She became lost. Then images of him flirting with lost of woman and bottles of beer seamed to overwhelm her. She shook her head.
"Mommy look. I drew you and miss Riza."
The two woman looked down at the picture the child drew. For a six year old, the drawing was good. It showed outlined in black, two stick figures standing on what looked like a brown box. Gracia was labeled as 'Mom' and she was wearing a purple dress. Riza was labeled as 'Mis Reza' and was wearing blue pants. Neither had shirts, but both had short blonde hair and smiles on their faces.
The woman complemented the girl as she began to draw again, this time, she continued to look up at the mantle over the fire place at the pictures of her father. Gracia smiled at the child. She was growing so fast. The doorbell rang and Gracia excused herself, only to return a moment later with a snowball attacked Roy. The neighbor hood kids all attacked him with snowballs. Its not like he didn't retaliate, which he did.
"Sir."
Riza stood to salute. Elisia watched with interest. Roy at eased Riza and Gracia took his outer clothes and hung them next to Riza's.
"Miss Riza, why do you always do that?"
"Do what Elisia?"
"This."
And with that, Elisia stood up as straight as she could and raised her hand to her face and made like she was saluting. The child was off, but it was recognizable. Riza laughed.
"It's for respect to people who have more power then me. Like a boss."
"Oh."
Riza saluted once more, this time at the little girl as she tried to copy her. Roy laughed. It was amazing how much the child looked like Riza. The blonde hair, the child-like face. Even the smile was similar. As he watched, Riza bent down on the floor on her knees and helped Elisia. On her knees, Riza was the same height as Elisia.
"Like this."
Riza placed a hand gently on Elisia's back to straighten her up, since her back was arched. She then took Elisia's right hand and rose it up to her forehead, straightened the fingers and the arm. Soon, Riza rocked back on her heels and smiled. The little girl looked like a mini soldier. Gracia returned with some tea for Roy who thanked her.
"Looks like Elisia takes after her father."
Gracia smiled at the child. She grabbed the camera off the fire place mantle and took a picture. The camera was dusty from lack of use, but it still worked perfectly. Then, without warning, Gracia took a picture of Roy and Riza. Roy was sitting behind Riza on the sofa while Riza remained on the floor. They were both smiling at Elisia, so it made for a perfect picture. When the flash went off, Roy and Riza blinked and stared at Gracia.
"Maes would never forgive me if I didn't. It was too perfect."
She laughed and placed the camera back on the mantle. Soon, she left to make lunch for everyone and ordered the two officers to stay put. They were guests and she refused their help. However, Elisia helped her, leaving the two officers alone.
"Sir, do you think the office will be open tomorrow?"
"Probably. Oh, I received a memo yesterday, I need all my subordinates vacations days turned in by today...well tomorrow. Planning a vacation?"
"No..."
Riza stopped and thought about it. The invitation her mother sent her. She has not been home in two years. Maybe she should go, get a real break for once.
"Actually sir, I need the 24th till the first off."
"Thats this Thursday."
"Yes, is that okay?"
Roy thought about it. Usually this lieutenant never took time off, she always worked through Christmas. He didn't want her to go, but then he figured, he needed a break too.
"Of course, in fact, take the rest of the week off. Pack, plan, do what ever you woman do."
"All of one day, you are too kind sir."
Riza rolled her eyes and leaned back in the sofa.
A/N -
Please review. No FLAMES (Thats Roy's job only). Please look in my profile ooOAnimeChildOoo for all my other stories. And again, thanks for reading.
"Write a wise saying and your name will live forever"
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