Lulu loved going to church every week. It gave her a peace that she just couldn't describe. She had seen it in Olivia and Dante and wanted it for herself. Now, though, she was tormented once again. Of course, God could make things right, but she was still human. She had human feelings and right now, they were taking its toll. After he had finished with his stories, Dante wanted to know what she had been doing over the last week. "Oh, you know, the usual. Kate has this new spread coming out in the next few months. Maxie has been in Paris trying to find the latest fashions for it. So, that has kept me hopping. I really haven't had much time for anything else." She seemed off to him, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Lulu had never been so detached and quiet before. Always before, getting her to be quiet was like trying to stop a train, a trait that both intrigued and irked him a bit.
After a moment of somewhat awkward silence, Dante decided he should go. As he was leaving, Lulu gave him the customary hug. Only this time, she couldn't hardly let go. She was like a hurt child hanging on to her mother. She felt so safe there in his arms. Her eyes were welling up again, threatening to reveal that something was not right. She willed the tears to stay put until after he left. Once she knew that it was safe, the floodgates opened.
The next day, Dante asked Lucky if everything was all right with Lulu. "I went over to her apartment yesterday and she was acting a bit strangely. Is something going on that I don't know about?"
"How exactly was she acting?" Lucky was beyond concerned. Things had seemed a little better with her. However, with all of the experience that he had dealing with rape victims, he knew that a week was definitely not enough time to get past it. He had suggested therapy a few days ago. Lulu just shut down. She wasn't about to relive that nightmare all over again by talking it out with some stranger.
"Well, she was so quiet. You know that is not like her at all."
Lucky grinned a little. "No that is definitely not our Lulu."
"Yeah and I caught her crying once too. She tried to wipe the tear away before I could see, which seemed odd. She has never cared if I saw her crying before."
"Did she tell you what she was upset about?"
"Just that it was some work thing and she was pretty stressed out about it. I've never seen her get this worked up about her job, though."
"Well, that is probably all it is. I mean, Maxie is gone right now and Kate, well, you know all about that one." Lucky hated lying to one of his best friends. Secrets were not his forte, especially when they involved those he loved. "Dante…" Lucky was now debating with himself. He wanted to tell Dante what was really going on, but he kept picturing the fear and sadness in his sister's eyes. She would be devastated if she knew that he had betrayed her trust. Almost speaking in code, he finished with "I think you should talk with her. If there is something else going on, she'll let you know. Just keep being there for her."
"Okay. If you say so," Dante said, with a puzzled look. He wasn't buying it. Something was going on and he thought that Lucky knew about it. He had resolved for the moment to just let it go and take his advice. If Lulu really needed him, she would ask. In the meantime, there was some lasagna with his name on it at Sonny and Olivia's house.
"Hey ma, I'm starving."
"Don't I even get so much as a 'hello' first?" she asked, gently squeezing his face in one hand.
"I'm sorry. I guess the level of emptiness in my stomach is directly proportional to my rudeness," he replied, with a mischievous look on his face.
"Get in here!" was the comeback.
When dinner was over, he decided to ask Sonny and Olivia if they had observed anything odd with Lulu. The cop in Dante just couldn't rest. He saw a situation that just didn't look right and he had to check it out. Questioning "witnesses" was like breathing. Suddenly getting very nervous, Olivia asked him why. She bit her lip to keep the nerves from completely taking hold.
"I don't really know. It just seems like something isn't quite right with her. I was hoping that you guys had some insight," he said, taking note that Olivia was a bit uncomfortable. Even Sonny, who was always so cool and collected, seemed like he had something to hide.
"Well, you know, she did say something to me about work and Kate," said Olivia.
Was this the standard response from everybody? It is almost like they all got together to get their stories straight, thought Dante. "Well, that is what Lucky said too."
"What about Lulu? What did she say?" asked Sonny.
"She said the same thing everyone else is saying, that work is crazy and she is stressed," Dante replied.
"Well, there you go. If there was more, I'm sure that Lulu would let you know."
Dante was beyond frustrated. He knew Lulu as well as anybody. A little thing like work had never brought her to the point of tears before. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more and everyone knew about it, but him. What he didn't understand was why.