Chapter 6

"You ready," Bosco asked with his hand placed on the doorknob prepared to open it.

"Go for it," Faith mustered. Her hand gripped Bosco's so tight she swore she could see the color draining from his face but it wasn't enough to make her loosen it.

"It will be ok," he spoke as he turned the knob and swung the door open in one movement. As soon as the door was opened Faith saw Charlie standing there, mouth agape, and the pizza teetering on the edge of his palm.

"Charlie!" the moment was broken as David came to a stop in front of him.

"Hey little man, what's up?" he looked back up to Bosco and spoke," Hey dad," then he breezed by Faith without acknowledgement and into the kitchen.

Bosco gave Faith's hand a squeeze and dropped it in favor of following after Charlie.

"Are you not even going to speak to her?" Bosco questioned as he walked into the kitchen finding Charlie getting a soda out of the fridge.

"I'm not the one who left. If she has something to say then she needs to be the one to say it first. I have nothing to say to her. I told you that. I am only here because you insisted that I come and I decided she isn't worth breaking a tradition over," he nearly shouted as he popped the tab on his soda and took a drink.

"She can probably hear you," Bosco vehemently whispered.

"Like I care if she can hear me. She's dead to me. Are we going to eat or argue all night?" Charlie snapped back as he slammed the soda on the counter and grabbed a plate out of the cabinet before slamming it shut.

"I'm ready to eat," David declared as he sidled up next to Charlie waiting for a plate.

The sound of the front door closing caught Bosco's attention and he asked, "Where did your mom go David?"

"I don't know. She was putting on her jacket when I came to get pizza. Charlie did you get pepperoni?" David asked as he turned his attention back to the pizza on the counter.

"I'll be back," Bosco stated as he hurried out of the kitchen.

"Why bother? Leaving is the only thing she is good at," Charlie exclaimed.

Bosco threw on his jacket and headed out of the apartment. He couldn't believe that Charlie would be so cold to his own mother. He thought Charlie would be angry at first but after really seeing is mother standing in front of him he would be able to forgive her easily. Bosco walked out of the building and into the cold air. "Have you seen a lady come out of here a minute ago?" he questioned a man coming up the sidewalk.

"Yeah a lady took off that way," he said while pointing in the opposite direction.

"Thanks."

Bosco began walking in the direction the man pointed him in hoping he could find her before she vanished again. He didn't have to search long. As he rounded the corner he saw her getting into a four door sedan and starting the engine. He ran up to the car and tapped on the window, "Faith unlock the door," he demanded as he tried to pry open the door. He heard the locks click and he opened the door and clambered into the seat.

"Where the hell are you going? Are you just going to leave again?" Bosco screeched.

"He doesn't want me around Boz. I thought I would head over to the hotel and get my stuff. I was planning on coming back later. I don't want me coming back to hurt the relationship you have with Charlie. He needs you." Bosco couldn't miss the way her words were tinged with pain or the tears that were making an appearance on her face.

"Faith, he doesn't mean it. He thinks he does but he doesn't. He's hurting and confused as hell. You got to make him understand why you left, at least try," he pleaded while reaching over and taking the keys out of the ignition.

"Just go back in there Bosco and leave me alone. It will be alright. I thought you didn't want to force him into anything he isn't ready for?"

"Faith, him showing up means he is ready for something. You shouldn't have let him scare you off like that. Once you get past the anger, he will be the same Charlie as always Faith," he avowed.

"I just want to go back to the hotel and take a shower and go to sleep, Boz."

"I will go with you to get your stuff and then we can come back here and you can talk to Charlie. The hardest part is over Faith."

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"Charlie?"

"Hmm," he mumbled around a bite of pizza.

"Why were you mean to my mommy?"

Charlie looked up from his plate to find David staring at him expectantly waiting for an answer.

"She didn't do anything to you do she?" David clearly wasn't going to give up the issue.

"David, what did Dad tell you about her?"

"She was sick and now she is better and that's why she came back. I guess she didn't want to make me sick. Do you think she had chicken marks? Daddy probably told her I had chicken marks last week so she decided she could come back," David exclaimed as he took a bite of pizza.

"Pox, David. It's called chicken pox not chicken marks," laughed Charlie.

"Do you think she had them, Charlie?"

"David, she didn't have chicken pox. Did dad tell you that she was my mom too?"

"She's your mommy too!" David exclaimed in awe.

"Yep."

"Then why are you mean to her. I thought we were supposed to love her," David expressed with a look of wisdom beyond his four years.

"It's complicated. I guess I didn't want to believe she was sick. Does that make sense?"

David shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. But I am glad she's back. I never had a mommy."

Charlie continued to watch David after the last statement he had made. He wished it was as simple for him to accept her as it was for David. David was lucky. He was too young to feel hurt and abandoned when she left so the only feeling he could possibly have of her arrival back to NYC would be happiness. David did make a logical point; I thought we were supposed to love her. That was true. The meaning of family was unconditional love and he had been taught that when he was younger by the woman who was his mother.

"Come on David," Charlie announced as he jumped up from the table.

"Where are we going?" David quizzed as he followed Charlie's actions jumping up from the table.

"To find mom and dad."

"Excuse me sir. Did you see a man come out of the building about ten minutes ago?"

"I haven't seen any one kid."

"Charlie, I saw your dad around the corner in a car with a woman," Mr. Ryan, the elderly man who lived across from Bosco stated.

"Thanks. Mr. Ryan."

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The sudden rapping of knuckles against the window made Faith and Bosco jump at the sound. They both whirled around to find Charlie and David standing on the sidewalk.

"Charlie, what are you doing here?" Bosco inquired as opened the door and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

"I want to talk to mom. If she will talk to me?" Charlie uttered while fiddling with the zipper of his jacket.

"Of course she wants to talk to you Charlie. That's all she's ever wanted for 3 and half years. I'll take David to the store to get some ice cream for later. We'll meet you back home, ok?" Bosco proclaimed and took hold of David's hand and started away.

"I'll make sure he gets strawberry Charlie," David affirmed over his shoulder.

"I'm counting on it little man," Charlie chuckled. If there is one thing his dad couldn't stand it was strawberry ice cream. His dad had told him that one time he and his mom had arrested a man who got sick and puked all over his shoes and it looked and smelled like strawberry ice cream. It was ironic that it was David's favorite flavor and he demanded every time. Charlie took a deep breath and turned toward the car.

Faith was caught off guard when the door reopened and Charlie slid into the passenger seat. She was mesmerized at the fact he had to almost bend himself in half to get in. When she left he was barely 5'7" and now he must be at least 6'1".

"Nice wheels," Charlie nervously stated while glancing anywhere around the car but to her.

"Thanks. I had to have a car in Oklahoma. Not much of a subway system there," Faith stated with her own degree of nervousness.

"Oklahoma? Why in the world would you go to the land of cows?" Charlie slightly laughed.

"You forgot cowboys," Faith added.

The lingering silence after that statement echoed through the car and the tension was so thick that Faith could almost feel herself suffocating with every passing second. It was now or never.

"I loved you Charlie and I still do. Nothing will ever change that. I know that me leaving was selfish but at the time I thought it was best for you, David, and your dad," she whispered breaking the looming silence.

"Why did you think it was best? What was wrong with you that we couldn't help fix? We all missed Emily mom and we still do. You can run all you want but her memory will follow and we should be thankful for that."

"Charlie, I did the one thing I promised myself I would never do. I started drinking to try and get over the pain of losing Emily. I felt like a failure because I didn't want to hurt you the way your dad did when he was drunk and stumbling around the apartment. I didn't realize at the time that leaving would actually hurt you worse. I'm so sorry Charlie. I just hope that you give me the chance to prove to you I still love you and that I can be an even better mother than before," Faith declared while letting her eyes drift to him.

"I think I can do that Mom. But don't expect everything to just go back to the way it was. The hurt you caused can't be fixed by one apology I need to know you are serious about staying and I need time to get used to the idea of you being back." He lifted his eyes from his lap and gave Faith a small smile.

"You got it Charlie. Can I give you a hug?" Faith didn't give him time to respond as her arms wrapped around his neck and she gave him a squeeze. "I love you Charlie."

"I love you too, Mom. Just promise you won't leave again. Whatever happens we can help each other through it," Charlie stated.

"I promise. I'm not leaving again son. Lets' head back it's getting cold in this car," she said as she pulled back and opened the door.

"Yeah. Dad and David should be back from the store with the strawberry ice cream," Charlie said climbing out of the car.

"Strawberry ice cream?" Faith crinkled her nose, "Boz can't stand strawberry and neither can I."

"Yeah but that's David's favorite and he demands it every time. It's quite a sight in the grocery store. A four year old ordering a grown man to get strawberry ice cream and at the same time dad looks terrified but he really is just nauseous at the thought of strawberry," Charlie snickered.

"I can't wait to see that," Faith answered.

Together they turned and headed back to the tiny apartment that housed everything they could possibly need, family.