Author's notes: I'm back from vacationing in Gatlinburg! It was a great trip. A great and much needed trip. LOL If anyone's interested, the book of poetry I refer to in this chapter is called "The Rose That Grew From Concrete." It's a really good book, I think. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just taking them for a spin in my imagination. Thank you as always to everyone who takes the time to read and/or review. I'm always grateful for that. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)
Sunday, August 20
Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 6:08 p.m.
Bobby led Alannah down the hall to the bedroom he had changed clothes in. He let her walk in ahead of him. As soon as he had closed the door and turned around, she had tossed her sunglasses onto the bed and advanced on him, poking him in the chest with her index finger. "What the hell was that?!" Alannah hissed through her teeth, emphasizing each word with a poke. Bobby calmly removed his sunglasses and tossed them on the bed. "What was what?" he said. She poked at his chest again. "THAT fucking fiasco that just went down! That's what!" Bobby crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. "You are unbelievable," he said with a wry chuckle. "That was not a fiasco. THAT was called me making a choice and moving on."
Alannah took a step back and scoffed. "You make a choice and choose that little girl over me without even giving me a chance?! You have got to be kidding me!" Bobby pointed a finger at her. "I gave you a chance!" he said in a raised voice. "Last year, remember? I asked you to spend some time with me someplace else outside of a hotel room. You, in your own unique way, flat out told me no. That I'm only good enough to be with you to fill your…fuck card when your other men back out on you." She waved a dismissive hand. "Robert, that's in the past. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that you put a ring on the wrong woman's finger. You need to correct the situation."
Bobby stepped away from Alannah, running his fingers through his hair. "Doesn't matter?!" he said in disbelief as he turned around to look at her. "Are you even listening to what you're saying?! Everything matters. It matters to me!" He took a deep cleansing breath, held it and let it go. "The world does not revolve around you, Alannah. You cannot always be the one who controls what goes on in a relationship. You cannot always get your way." Alannah sashayed over to him. "What are you saying, Robert? That our relationship has no meaning because I didn't let you make any decisions? That the sex wasn't good enough for you?" Bobby blew out a breath. "The sex we had was great, awesome, fucking fantastic, but that's all our relationship really consisted of. I…I need more out of a relationship than just sex."
Alannah let out a laugh. "Oh my God! Robert, you honestly want to stay and settle down into a boring, mundane lifestyle when I can give you the world on a silver platter?! You're just as foolish and naïve as Angelica." She moved closer toward Bobby. "I know you, Robert," she said in a low, sultry tone. "You are not the kind of man to stay with one woman for too long. You are a dog like all the men I know." Bobby narrowed his eyes at her. He smirked as he looked down his nose at her and sniffed. "Hmmph. If I'm a dog, then so be it," he said in a low voice. "But listen to this dog tell you to get the hell out of my sight, get the hell out of my life and get the hell away from this house and this party before you and your little friend experience my bite."
Alannah picked up her shades, hooked them over the front of her t-shirt. She shrugged nonchalantly as she looked Bobby up and down. "Fine. You win. I'll let you have this break in our relationship. For now," she said. "Go ahead and let Angelica bear your child like she wants to. You'll get tired of her, your child and your boring life. You'll come crawling back to me, begging me to take you back." Bobby scoffed. "Alannah, you have a better chance of waiting for hell to freeze over than me crawling back to you!" Alannah huffed before turning on her heel and walking out the door. Bobby stood there, shaking his head. "I am nothing like my father," he thought. "I don't want to be anything like him."
Sunday, August 20
Backyard of the Eames' Residence, 6:08 p.m.
Jill walked up to Angel and Janelle, camera in hand. "Alright, you two," she said, "get together so I can take your picture." Angel and Janelle laughed as they put their arms around each other. "Wait a minute, Jill," Janelle said. She waved at Alex and said, "Come get in the picture, Alex."
Alex put down the piece of cake she was eating to go stand with Angel and Janelle. They separated to let her stand in between them. Jill chuckled as she held up the camera. "Alex looks like a midget standing next to you guys." Alex narrowed her eyes at her sister while Janelle and Angel laughed. "Just take the damn picture, will ya?" Alex said. Jill chuckled one more time before she took the picture. She stepped over to them and turned the camera around to let them see the picture. "That's a good picture," Janelle said. Angel and Alex nodded in agreement.
"I'm going to take some more pictures," Jill said before she walked off. Alex turned to look at Angel and smiled. "You okay? You happy?" she asked. Tears of joy began rolling down Angel's face as she covered her mouth with her right hand and smiled, nodding. "Oh, no. Don't cry," Alex said with a laugh, reaching up and wiping the tears from Angel's cheeks. Janelle reached over and did the same thing. She chuckled and said, "Alex, she cried like this off and on for about a week when Garvin proposed to her. Baby Girl is very happy." "Is that true?" Alex asked Angel. Angel reached for Alex's hand with her free hand and squeezed, nodding again. Alex smiled and patted her hand. "Just make sure you tell Bobby why you're crying like that. He'll think he did something wrong."
Angel looked at Alex for a few seconds before she took her hand away from her mouth. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she bit her lip and looked at the ground. A look of concern crossed Alex's face. "Angel, what's wrong?" Angel looked at Alex again, shaking her head. "Thank you for…accepting me," she said quietly. Alex squeezed her hand. "You're welcome." Angel covered her mouth again. She wasn't too sure if she could manage any more words without getting too choked up with emotion.
Drew walked up to the small group and smiled, standing next to Janelle. "You aight, Baby Girl?" he asked with a smile. Angel nodded. "You not gonna be all emotional for a week, are ya?" Alex and Angel laughed while Janelle smacked him on the arm. "She can be emotional if she wants to!" she said sharply. "Quit hitting me!" he said as he rubbed his arm. "It was a legitimate question." "That was a stupid question," Janelle countered. "If you keep hitting him, Janelle, I'm going to have to arrest you for spousal abuse," Alex said playfully. "Whatever," Janelle huffed while Drew stuck out his tongue at her. "Hold out your hand, Angel," he said as he raised his cell phone, "so I can take a picture of your ring."
Angel removed her hand from her mouth and held it out towards Drew. He took the picture, looked at it on the screen before pressing the 'save' button. "Cool," he said, showing the picture to Alex and Janelle. "Where's my phone?" Janelle asked. "Right where you left it," Drew said, pointing, "on the table where you were sitting." Janelle took Alex by the arm and said, "Come on, Alex, and look at the pictures I took." She pointed at the folding chair that Bobby had been sitting in. "Angel, go sit in that chair. I'll be back." Angel chuckled and shook her head. "Yes, ma'am," she said. As she headed towards the chair, she overheard Janelle ask Drew, "Did you send any pictures to Mama Laurel and Daddy Charles yet?" "Not yet," he replied.
"Oh, boy," Angel muttered under her breath as she sat down. She had been so caught up in the moment of getting a ring and telling Bobby that she loved him, she had forgotten about how her parents would react, especially her father. "Papi is going to have a flipping fit," she thought. She quickly got up and started gathering Bobby's gifts together. It gave her something to do while she waited anxiously for her cell phone to ring.
Sunday, August 20
Home of Charles and Laurel Pierson, 5:10 p.m. Central Time
Laurel Pierson was in her bedroom, folding clothes and humming along with the Billie Holiday CD that was playing on the stereo. "You better sing, Lady Day," she said softly with a chuckle. "Hey, Laurel," Charles said as he stood in the doorway. "Yeah, babe?" she said without looking at him. "Did Marcus bring those papers I told him and Anthony to sign over here before he left for vacation?" She shook her head. "He left them at your office with Jaime." "Hot damn!" Charles said, smacking the doorjamb in frustration and shaking his salt and pepper head. "I told that boy to bring them papers over here, not to my office. I swear, if his head wasn't screwed onto his neck, he'd forget it somewhere." Laurel laughed.
Charles sighed heavily. "Anyway. I'm going to the kitchen to get some ice cream. You want some?" "Yes, please," Laurel replied. "Chocolate with a slice of chocolate cake and some chocolate syrup poured over it." Charles made a face. "Ugh! You making my teeth hurt just mentioning all that chocolate." He made another face before he walked off. "You knew I was a chocoholic before you married me. Don't front, Charles!" she called out after him as she continued folding and hanging clothes.
Laurel had finished hanging the last of hers and Charles' shirts when the e-mail notification chimed on her computer. She closed the closet door, then went to sit down in front of the computer. She maximized her e-mail program and saw all of these messages from Janelle's and Drew's cell phones. Each message had a picture attached to it. "Ay Dios mió!" she exclaimed as she started clicking on each message. Tears started forming in Laurel's eyes as a big smile spread across her face as she looked at the pictures of Bobby giving Angel a ring. A loud gasp escaped her lips as she saw the close up picture of the ring. "Oh, Lord!" she quietly said. She let out a small scream as she watched the 15 second clip of Angel telling Bobby that she loved him.
Charles rushed back into the bedroom. "Laurel, what's wrong?!" he said. When he came into the room, he found Laurel sitting a couple of feet away from the computer, rocking back and forth with her mouth covered and tears on her face. She just shook her index finger at the computer and said, "Mira! Mira! Mira!" She got up and pushed the chair towards him. She sat down on the foot of the bed, both of her hands on her heart, rocking back and forth with a smile on her face. Charles had a puzzled look on his face as he took the chair from Laurel and sat down at the computer. He started clicking on the pictures one by one. He shook his head and muttered, "What the hell?" as he opened each item. He stared in disbelief as he watched the clip of Bobby putting the ring on Angel's finger. Laurel walked up behind him to watch that unseen clip.
Charles then watched the clip that made Laurel scream. He started shaking his head again. She stepped to the side as he pushed away from the computer. He looked up at his wife, pointed at the screen and said, "This motherfucker just gave Angel an engagement ring!" "It's not an engagement ring," Laurel said, "It's a commitment ring. And quit cussing." "I don't give a damn what it is! I'm not going to allow this." "Not going to allow it!?" Laurel put one hand on her hip, pointed at the computer screen with the other. "Charles, that's your child. Your baby girl. She's in love and happy!" Charles stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Angel met this fool 2 years and now she decides she's in love with him. It's too soon for her to say that!"
Laurel sighed heavily as she shook her head. She said, "Garvin departed this world 4 years, 4 months and 3 days ago. Angel did her grieving. It's time for her to find love again." Charles pointed his finger at her. "What makes you so sure he's good enough for her?" he asked. Laurel walked up to her 6 foot tall husband, shaking her finger at him. "Because I met him! I saw the good in him! If that's not enough, then the fact he saved tu hija from getting raped should be enough!" Charles grunted. Laurel took a deep breath, fighting back tears. She shook her finger at him again. "Don't you dare stand there and tell me that you don't want our baby girl to be happy. That you would interfere with her wanting to have a family someday. Angel was torn all to pieces, heartbroken that she and Garvin didn't have any children. Now, she has another chance, but you're going to interfere with that. That's not right, Charles. That's just not right."
Charles stared down at his wife and grunted, shaking his head. "What the hell is it with these Jeffries women fighting for their daughters and their happiness?" he thought to himself. His mind flashed back to May 1968, the year Laurel had graduated from high school. She was 17; he was 18 about to turn 19 in June. He had graduated last May. They had gotten married the previous year in August, the week after Laurel's 17th birthday. The wealthy family that Miss Anna, Laurel's mother, worked for as a housekeeper wanted to give Charles and Laurel a wedding/graduation gift: the opportunity to study and live overseas.
Miss Anna and Charles' parents were thrilled with the idea. However, James, Laurel's father, was not. James had already begrudgingly let that bastard (the name he loved to refer to Charles by) marry his only daughter, his baby girl. He would be damned if he'd let her go over to some foreign country with him. Charles and Laurel had sat in the living room of Anna and James' home, listening to them argue back and forth in the kitchen. "Let her go, James!" Miss Anna said. "Let Laurel go to get a good education and be happy with her husband in their new life! You have no right to stop her from being happy! That's not right and you know it!" After a few minutes of silence, James agreed to let Laurel go and be happy.
Charles sighed heavily and shook his head. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" he asked. Laurel shook her head. She sniffed and wiped the tears off of her face as she folded her arms over her chest. "I used to worry that Baby Girl would not let herself love anyone else after Garvin died," she said quietly. "This man…Bobby loves her and makes her happy. I want her to have that." "What if this relationship doesn't work?" Laurel shrugged. "If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Angel is a grown woman and she'll do what she thinks is best, but I think it would put her mind at ease if she knew we BOTH made an effort to support her relationship with Bobby."
Laurel searched Charles' eyes, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. He let out a dry chuckle as he shook his head. "You are just like your mama, ya know?" he said as he wrapped his arms around Laurel. She smiled up him and nodded. "Mama fought for me and you. I'm gonna fight for Angel and Bobby." Charles shook his head with another dry chuckle. He said, "Laurel Marie, I tell you what. You call your daughter and tell her that I want to meet this boy via webcam when she gets home tonight. He better be worth all this fuss you're making." She gave him a squeeze. "He is," she said with confidence. "You'll see."
Sunday, August 20
Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 6:15 p.m.
By the time Bobby returned to the backyard, the kids had gone back to playing and the adults were either cleaning up or sitting around talking. "Where's Alannah?" Chazen asked as Bobby walked down the steps. "She's outside waiting for you by the car," he replied. "Oh, I see." Chazen shook Bobby's hand and said, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Robert." "Same here, Chazen." Chazen nodded and left. Bobby shook his head as he chuckled. "He's about to get an earful," he thought.
Bobby spotted Angel by herself, picking up torn wrapping paper and empty paper plates and cups, placing them into a garbage bag. "Hey," he said. She looked up and smiled. "Hey, Handsome." "Let me help you with that," he said as he tried to take the bag away from her. Angel held it away from him, shaking her head. "That's okay. I got it." He sighed heavily, shaking his head. Angel chuckled softly. "I know chivalry and manners aren't dead with you, Mr. Goren, but it's still your day. You can kick back and relax and let other people do something for you."
"Fine. Whatever," Bobby said with a smile. "So, um, what happened to your little friend?" Angel asked. Bobby laughed at the slight Scarface impression. "She's gone," he replied. "For good?" He looked at Angel and shrugged. "I hope so. Alannah's very…tenacious when she wants something. Maybe Chazen can fuck her hard enough to make her forget about me." Angel groaned. "Thanks a lot, Bobby, for the lovely visual!" she said sarcastically. Bobby laughed as he put his arms around her waist. Angel let the trash bag fall to the ground. "I do know one thing, though. I will NOT let her come between us. I'm not the type of person she thinks I am. At least I hope not."
Angel tilted her head to the side and smiled. "You are not the dog Alannah thinks you are," she said softly. Bobby raised an eyebrow. "But you think I'm a dog for having been in a strictly sexual relationship with her?" he asked. Angel shrugged, then shook her head. She said, "You and Alannah used each other for nothing more than mutual sexual satisfaction. Plain and simple. I can't judge you for being human and having needs that need to be fulfilled. To paraphrase Tupac Shakur, 'Only God can judge you.'"
Bobby looked at Angel in amazement. "Are you always this insightful?" he asked. She chuckled. "According to Papa Lenny, I've already been here before in a past life," she replied with a smile. He kissed her forehead and sighed. "I knew I loved you for a reason." Angel covered her mouth again with her right hand as she started to cry. Bobby looked puzzled. "Did I say something wrong?" She shook her head. "Are you happy?" he asked. She smiled and nodded. "Ah, I see. Are you going to be like this for a while?" Angel slowly nodded again. She uncovered her mouth and said, "Lo siento," before she covered her mouth again. Bobby wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You don't have to apologize for being happy," he said softly. "I'm just grateful that you are."
Just then Angel's cell phone beeped, alerting her that she had a text message. She reached into her pocket, pulling the phone out and flipping it open. She bit her bottom lip as she silently read the message. She looked up at Bobby and said, "Mami says congratulations and that Papi wants to meet you via webcam tonight." Bobby sighed heavily. He didn't think he would be meeting Angel's father so soon after giving her the ring. "What do you think he'll have to say?" he asked. She shrugged as she replied back to Laurel. She closed the phone, putting it back into her pocket. She caressed Bobby's cheek and said, "I have no idea what Papi will say. I just know that I love you and that he'll have to realize that fact someday." A wide smile covered Bobby's face as he hugged his earthbound and human Angel.
Sunday, August 20
Angel's Home, 8:29 p.m.
Bobby's birthday party started winding down around 7:00. Everyone, including Bobby, helped Johnny and Janet clean up around the backyard and the house. Bobby had all of his birthday gifts except the bottle of Patron loaded into the back of Rob's Suburban. He decided to take it with him because he knew half of the bottle would be gone courtesy of Lewis and Rob before he made it back to his apartment. "Oh, come on, Bobby!" Lewis complained. "You can trust us with the Patron." "Sure, I can, Lewis," Bobby said with a smile as he playfully nudged him in the arm, putting the bottle underneath the driver's seat of Angel's car.
What took a long time was everyone saying goodbye to each other with kisses and hugs. Angel didn't think she'd ever finish hugging all of the Eames grandchildren and Courtney. Bobby laughed at her as she said, "I gained 12 new nieces and nephews today. 12! You just got 5. That does not seem fair." Rob said he would make DVD copies of the party for all of them; Alex said she would give him their addresses. As Angel was getting into the passenger side of her car, Courtney came up to her. "Aunt Angel," she said, "can I come and hang out with you and Uncle Bobby and Jayna and everybody sometime?" Angel smiled and nodded. "You sure can, Courtney." She leaned down and kissed her forehead before giving her a hug.
When Bobby and Angel reached her house, Angel filled up the Jacuzzi bathtub that was in the 2nd bedroom and told him to get in and soak for a little while. "Thank you," he said as he kissed her cheek before getting in the tub. She went into her own bedroom and took a quick warm relaxing shower. Angel dried off, put on some body lotion, panties and a t-shirt and shorts. She put her ring back on her finger and went into her TV/computer room. She turned on the computer and the webcam. When Angel pulled her chair up to the computer, she noticed that Laurel was already on, but not sitting at the computer. Instead, she was sitting on the side of the bed, talking on the phone.
"Hola, Mami," Angel said when Laurel hung up the phone. Laurel waved at the camera as she pulled her chair up to the computer. "Hola, mi hija," she replied. "Let me see the ring." Angel held her hand up to the camera. "It's very beautiful, Baby Girl. You like it? Are you happy?" Angel nodded as she covered her mouth and started to cry. "No llores, mi hija, no llores," Laurel said quietly. "You're gonna make me cry, too." She quietly sat there and watched her only daughter try to regain her composure. "I've lost count of how many times I've cried today," Angel finally said, as she reached for the box of tissues that were sitting next to her computer screen. "Bobby probably thinks I'm crazy or something." Laurel shook her head. "No, he doesn't," she said.
Laurel asked, "Where is Bobby anyway?" "He was soaking in the Jacuzzi a minute ago, but I think he just got out," Angel answered. "Oh, okay. Tell me about the party. How was it?" "It was a wonderful party, Mami. Alex's brothers and sister and their families were there. Mama LoLo, Daddy Eddie, Daddy Ben and Jayson and Tonya and the kids were there. Some people that Bobby worked with were there. Alex's nieces and nephews did a cute musical number for him. Mama LoLo made his cake. He got some really nice gifts, too. Like a laptop computer, a gray pinstriped suit and a bottle of Patron."
"Well, that does sound like a wonderful party indeed," Laurel said. "What did Loretta and them give him?" "A card with 500 in it," Angel said. "I was thinking about getting Bobby a book as a gift. Do you think he'd like that Tupac Shakur book of poetry?" Laurel asked. Angel laughed and nodded. "It's funny that you mention Tupac because I quoted him today," she said. "But I think Bobby would like that. He probably reads lots of different things." She typed his address in the IM screen, sending to her mother. "Thank you," Laurel said, "I was just about to ask for his address. I'll send it off in the mail in the morning."
"Where's Daddy?" Angel asked softly. Laurel answered, "In his office, finishing up some spreadsheets for your brothers." "How mad is he?" "Charles ain't mad. He's just being stubborn as usual when it comes to you and your boyfriends." Bobby appeared in the doorway, dressed in a t-shirt and lounging pants. Angel smiled at him and patted the chair next to her. "Hey, Handsome. Have a seat." He walked in and sat down. "Hola, Bobby. Feliz Cumpleaños," Laurel said with a smile. "Hola, Senora Pierson," he said sheepishly. "Muchas gracias." "Hablas español?" He shrugged. "Un poco," he replied.
Laurel laughed. "I bet you speak it fluently," she said. "You can call me Laurel." "Thank you, Laurel," Bobby said. He looked at her closely. He was still amazed at how much Angel looked like her. "They could pass for twins or sisters," he thought. Laurel looked back and forth between Bobby and Angel. She pressed her lips together as the tears started to fall. "It's okay, Mami. Please don't cry," Angel said. She leaned forward and touched the screen as if she could comfort her with a touch.
Laurel just shook her head, trying to collect her thoughts. She placed both of her hands on her heart as she rocked slightly back and forth. "That's…that's my baby," she said softly to Bobby. "She's a very good woman. She's not as fragile as you think she is. She's very strong." Bobby nodded, smiling. "Yes, ma'am. I know," he said. "My heart is happy because my baby is happy," Laurel continued. "That's all I ever want for all of my babies. For them to be happy in whatever they do or whoever they're with." "Senora Pierson…Laurel, I…I will do my best to make sure Angel is happy," Bobby said quietly. Laurel just nodded and smiled.
Angel sat back with a smile on her face as she watched Laurel and Bobby connect. "Lord, why can't Daddy be this accepting?" she thought. "Hablando por El Diablo," she muttered under her breath as Charles walked into the room. Bobby lightly chuckled at her choice of words. "Charles, Angel and Bobby are on the webcam," Laurel said. He tossed the book he was holding onto the bed and pulled up chair next to Laurel. "Hey, Baby Girl," he said with a smile. "Hey, Papi," Angel replied. Charles saw Bobby and grunted, rolling his eyes. He sat back in his chair, with his lips pursed, looking Bobby up and down. "Daddy, this is Robert Goren," Angel said. "Bobby, this is my dad, Charles Pierson."
"Pl…Pleased to meet you, Senor Pierson," Bobby said. Charles grunted. Laurel thumped him on the wrist and said sharply, "Charles, be nice!" Angel bit her bottom lip, shaking her head as she looked at the ground. A teardrop hit the back of her hand. "Papi keeps grunting. This is not good." Charles rubbed the spot where Laurel had hit him as he continued staring at Bobby. "Good to meet you," he finally said. Angel looked up. "There's hope yet." She smoothed back Bobby's hair. "Isn't he handsome, Daddy?" she said. Charles grunted. Bobby looked at Angel, a small smile on his face. He pointed at her, then did the letters 'O' and 'K' in sign language. She nodded.
"Do you prefer to be called Robert or Bobby?" Charles asked. Bobby turned his attention back to the screen. "Either one is fine by me. Most folks prefer to call me Bobby." Charles nodded. "Tell me about your family." Bobby cleared his throat as he ran his fingers through his hair and massaged his neck. "My…my father has been dead for a while now," he replied. "I have a brother. His name is Frank and he's 3 years older than me. He's a drug addict. Probably living on the streets somewhere here in New York. I haven't seen him in a few years. My mother's name is Frances. She's living in Carmel Ridge. It's a mental institution."
Charles narrowed his eyes. "Why did you put her in an institution?" he asked. Bobby sighed heavily as he looked at the ground. He realized he had revealed more of himself to this man in a few minutes than he had to anyone over a course of months. He looked at Charles and said, "My mother's a schizophrenic. She requires more care than I am able to give her by myself. I make sure they treat her well there. I visit her every Sunday and call her every day. Sometimes twice a day." "I see," Charles said. He sat back in his chair again, arms folded across his chest. He looked at Angel, then at Bobby.
Charles looked at Laurel, who had a slight smirk on her face. "Quit smirking, Laurel," he said. She smiled. He looked at Bobby again, his head tilted to the side. He pointed his finger at Angel and said, "Bobby, that's my baby. My only daughter. My hope, my wishes for her and her brothers are for them to be happy in life and in love." Bobby nodded. "Yes, sir." "Laurel and I make a point of not meddling in our children's lives. Whatever problems or drama you and Angel may run into will remain between the two of you."
Charles leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "However," he said, "I want you to know something now. If you ever, and I mean EVER, put your hands on Angel, physically hurt her, I will break my size 11s off in your ass. Don't let this salt and pepper hair fool you, boy." "Daddy!" "Charles!" He leaned back with both of his hands in the air. "I'm just letting him know." Bobby suppressed the smile that was forming on his lips. "I understand, Mr. Pierson," he said, "I'd never do anything like that." Charles looked at Laurel. "See?" he said. "He understands perfectly."
Charles and Angel looked at each other, smiling. He turned his attention to Bobby, pointing with his head at Angel. "Angel's very much like her mama," he said. "Strong, smart, funny, independent. Love you despite all of your faults or whatever boneheaded thing you may do. She'll fight with you and fight for you. And when Angel's mad at you, watch out!" Bobby looked at Angel with a raised eyebrow. "Really? How so?" Charles chuckled. "You can look in those gray eyes and tell," he answered. "They'll cloud over real quick. You can practically see it. She'll look you up and down, cuss you out under her breath in Spanish and walk off."
Angel looked at her dad in surprise. He and Laurel both laughed. Charles said, "What? You thought I didn't know, Baby Girl? Pfft. You are definitely your mother's child." "Papi, you didn't have tell Bobby that," Angel said. A reflective look covered Charles' face. "Angel and Laurel are just alike. Won't tell you right away if something's bothering them. They'll hold onto it and try to take care of it themselves, instead of letting you in on. They don't want you to worry about them. If their feelings get hurt, they'll get real quiet or go off somewhere, like a park or something, and cry for a while."
"They're both hard headed and stubborn," Charles said. Angel and Laurel both protested. "Charles, that's not a nice thing to say." "Daddy, that's not right." He shook his head and sniffed. "Oh, no. That's true and you both know it. Bobby needs to know these things." He looked at Bobby, a little tear in his eye and said, "They'll be in pain, physical pain, and won't tell anybody. Just sneak off to the doctor's office without saying a word. You won't find out about it until they come back or get a call at 5 a.m. from some emergency room nurse telling you that one of them is getting ready to have emergency surgery right that second."
Bobby looked at Angel. She looked down at her hands and bit her lip. He looked at Laurel. She was doing the same thing. "You talk too much, Charles," Laurel said quietly. He chuckled as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Yeah, I know, but I still love you anyway despite that flaw." She rolled her eyes, a small smile creeping on her face. Bobby smiled as he watched Charles and Laurel. He wondered if he and Angel would ever reach their level of love and commitment. He reached over and squeezed her leg to make her look at him. "You okay?" he asked. Angel sighed heavily. "Yes, despite the fact my father has a big mouth," she said wryly.
"Angel, I just told Bobby some things he needed to know. That's all," Charles said. "I know, Papi. I know." Laurel glanced at the time on the computer screen. It read 9:15 p.m. "I hate to break up this lovely party, but I need to get some research done before I go to bed," she said. Charles, Angel and Bobby all nodded in agreement. Laurel looked at Bobby and Angel and smiled. She patted her heart and said, "Mi corazón es muy feliz. For both of you." Angel leaned over and put her head on Bobby's shoulder as she wrapped both of her arms around his arm. "Thanks, Mami," she said quietly. "Thank you, Laurel," Bobby said.
Charles looked at the couple that was before him on the screen and sighed, shaking his head. "Lord, let them make it," he thought to himself. "I expect to see you here in Nashville when Angel comes home for a visit," he said. "Yes, sir," Bobby said. "I will." "Quit calling me sir. You can call me Charles." "Thank you, Charles. I look forward to meeting you all soon." Charles snorted. "You'll probably regret saying that after meeting Angel's brothers." Laurel thumped him in the wrist again. "Be nice, Charles!" He rubbed his wrist, saying through clinched teeth, "Dammit, Laurel! That shit hurts!" She pointed a finger at him. "Behave!" Angel pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. She looked up at Bobby. "Those are my parents, George Burns and Gracie Allen. You gotta love them," she said.
"All right, Miss Smart Ass," Charles said sarcastically. "Good night, you two," Laurel said. "Good night," Angel and Bobby said in unison. Charles regarded Bobby one more time. "In case her mama and I haven't said it yet, thank you for saving Angel from that crazy man." Bobby smiled. "You're welcome." Charles and Laurel said good night one more time before logging out and switching their webcam off. Angel got up and did the same thing, powering her computer totally off. She sat down in her chair, one leg tucked underneath her. Bobby leaned back, his hands folded on his belly.
"Well?" Angel asked. Bobby shrugged. "It went better than I expected it to," he said. "Daddy actually called you by your name and only threatened you once. That's very good." "But you think he still has doubts about us? Or just about me?" She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe a little bit of both. Whatever doubts Papi may have, I hope they go away as he gets to know you better." Bobby reached over and stroked her cheek. "You ready for bed?" he asked. Angel nodded. He stood up and held out his hand to her. She grasped his hand and stood up. Bobby put his arm around Angel's shoulders and squeezed as they walked out of the room towards the bedroom.