Dom's POV
My body shook with each vivid flashback I had of my father and that fateful day. Letty's body was warm as she pressed against me, my tears spilling down her shoulders. Despite the fact that I was Dominic Toretto, the 'Toretto family strength', I felt so totally vulnerable. All my defenses had fallen and I stood there, sobbing like a child, like a boy who had lost his father. "Shshhh," Letty sighed as she pulled me closer. I kept seeing my father's face, his smiling eyes. He had been taken away from us, ripped so viciously out of life.
I stepped back, wiping the tears from my face, and met Letty's gaze. Her stare was dripping with sympathy and concern as she looked at me. She pulled my hand to hers and led me out of the garage, away from my father's car, away from the painful memories, without saying a word. The house was quiet, I guess V and Leon had actually peeled their asses off the couch. Faint pink sunlight flooded my eyes through the open window; Mia should be home soon. V must have wanted to pick her up and taken Leon as backup. Poor Vince, always chasing after Mia, never getting the hint that she just didn't want him.
I had stopped in the hallway, stopped to look over the family pictures. There's Dad, and Mia, V, Letty and Leon. We had made our own little family, and shit, I almost forgot how lucky I was to have all of 'em. A picture of Letty and me tugged at my chest. We were sitting on the hood of the Accord, smiling, with our arms around each other. That couldn't have been taken but a few weeks after I got out of prison. We actually looked happy.
Letty reappeared from the kitchen with a glass of cold water. I could use a Corona right now, but she knows just as well as I do what it does to me. We went and sat down in the living room, the tension thick in the air. "Dominic," Letty said softly.
"Yeah?" I tried to say, but my throat was so dry it sounded more like a grunt.
"I'm sorry I've been giving you a lot of shit about what happened. I know that you're sorry and I know that you love me. I talked to Mia and I feel better about it and I think its time we just get on with our lives," she stated with a sigh.
Well atleast that's one less thing I have to worry about. I only nodded my head in agreement as she began to talk again. "I'm sorry about the Charger," she whispered, "But you have to move on, Dom." Her words stung me, like salt on a fresh wound.
I knew she was right, that he was dead and he wasn't coming back, but I just couldn't except it. "You don't understand, Let," I said dryly, "You'll never understand."
Her eyes looked hurt, and they swelled with tears. "No, Dominic, you're wrong. Ray was the closest thing to a father I ever had," she spoke directly, without raising her voice.
"But he wasn't your father," I defended. She just didn't understand what it felt like to loose him.
"You don't think part of me died too that day!" she jumped up and screamed at me, "Do YOU know what its like to grow up with a mother who's a druggie and a step father that beats you? MY Papi died too and I was young, but I moved on. Ray was the only thing that ever got me through the hard years. Not Mia, not Vince, not you, Ray!"
"Letty calm down. I'm sorry baby," I tried to stop her.
"No! The world doesn't revolve around YOU! You're not the only one that has lost someone, and you're certainly not the only person that hurts! I'm tired of always sitting around while you just go and be selfish. Did you ever stop and thank Mia for all the hard work she does around her? Do you ever stop bossing the guys around? Do you ever stop taking me for granted?" Tears spilled down her cheeks, but she let everything out.
I just sat there, frozen, as everything soaked in. Did I take her for granted? Did I take everyone for granted? I didn't even have to ask for an answer. She stormed off, out of the room, upstairs. Shit. Why did I always end up being the ass? Couldn't I do anything right?
My body shook with each vivid flashback I had of my father and that fateful day. Letty's body was warm as she pressed against me, my tears spilling down her shoulders. Despite the fact that I was Dominic Toretto, the 'Toretto family strength', I felt so totally vulnerable. All my defenses had fallen and I stood there, sobbing like a child, like a boy who had lost his father. "Shshhh," Letty sighed as she pulled me closer. I kept seeing my father's face, his smiling eyes. He had been taken away from us, ripped so viciously out of life.
I stepped back, wiping the tears from my face, and met Letty's gaze. Her stare was dripping with sympathy and concern as she looked at me. She pulled my hand to hers and led me out of the garage, away from my father's car, away from the painful memories, without saying a word. The house was quiet, I guess V and Leon had actually peeled their asses off the couch. Faint pink sunlight flooded my eyes through the open window; Mia should be home soon. V must have wanted to pick her up and taken Leon as backup. Poor Vince, always chasing after Mia, never getting the hint that she just didn't want him.
I had stopped in the hallway, stopped to look over the family pictures. There's Dad, and Mia, V, Letty and Leon. We had made our own little family, and shit, I almost forgot how lucky I was to have all of 'em. A picture of Letty and me tugged at my chest. We were sitting on the hood of the Accord, smiling, with our arms around each other. That couldn't have been taken but a few weeks after I got out of prison. We actually looked happy.
Letty reappeared from the kitchen with a glass of cold water. I could use a Corona right now, but she knows just as well as I do what it does to me. We went and sat down in the living room, the tension thick in the air. "Dominic," Letty said softly.
"Yeah?" I tried to say, but my throat was so dry it sounded more like a grunt.
"I'm sorry I've been giving you a lot of shit about what happened. I know that you're sorry and I know that you love me. I talked to Mia and I feel better about it and I think its time we just get on with our lives," she stated with a sigh.
Well atleast that's one less thing I have to worry about. I only nodded my head in agreement as she began to talk again. "I'm sorry about the Charger," she whispered, "But you have to move on, Dom." Her words stung me, like salt on a fresh wound.
I knew she was right, that he was dead and he wasn't coming back, but I just couldn't except it. "You don't understand, Let," I said dryly, "You'll never understand."
Her eyes looked hurt, and they swelled with tears. "No, Dominic, you're wrong. Ray was the closest thing to a father I ever had," she spoke directly, without raising her voice.
"But he wasn't your father," I defended. She just didn't understand what it felt like to loose him.
"You don't think part of me died too that day!" she jumped up and screamed at me, "Do YOU know what its like to grow up with a mother who's a druggie and a step father that beats you? MY Papi died too and I was young, but I moved on. Ray was the only thing that ever got me through the hard years. Not Mia, not Vince, not you, Ray!"
"Letty calm down. I'm sorry baby," I tried to stop her.
"No! The world doesn't revolve around YOU! You're not the only one that has lost someone, and you're certainly not the only person that hurts! I'm tired of always sitting around while you just go and be selfish. Did you ever stop and thank Mia for all the hard work she does around her? Do you ever stop bossing the guys around? Do you ever stop taking me for granted?" Tears spilled down her cheeks, but she let everything out.
I just sat there, frozen, as everything soaked in. Did I take her for granted? Did I take everyone for granted? I didn't even have to ask for an answer. She stormed off, out of the room, upstairs. Shit. Why did I always end up being the ass? Couldn't I do anything right?