Chapter 8
Eve Castillo had been driving all day. It was almost 9 o'clock when she reached Celedon City. It had always had a different feel then Pewter City. It was far more cramped, and a lot more busy. Around this time of night in Pewter, most shops were closing down, except for the all-night grocery stroes. People were headed home from work to be with their families. She was at home, with Holly, curled up with a book, and a fire going if it was in the cold months.
And lately, she would be reading her latest romance novel, imagining Brock making passionate love to her, just like her in her books. She drove around the city for almost a half an hour before he GPS finally led her into the hospital area, and she parked on the 4th floor of the parking garage, winding up and down the floors until she found one, and snuggled her small car into one of the spaces.
An elevator loomed in front of her, and she pressed the button to the 8th floor, which is where Dr. Martin's office was located. When it finally dinged open, she walked out onto the marbled floor, her heels clacking against the shiny tile. He was expecting her around this time, but she still hesitated when she arrived at his office door, his name etched into a plaque on the door.
She knocked and she heard his voice from inside. "Come in."
She turned the silver knob on the door and the wooden door swung open smoothly and she stepped onto the thick carpet that cover the floor of his office. He had two chairs in front of his desk, and Eve wondered how many people have sat in these chairs, only to hear that they have a terminal illness or that their loved one is going to die, or already has.
She remembered laying on a birthing table when she had found out Holly's father had been killed, or, according to Dr. Martin, not killed. That's when things started to get strange.
"Miss Castillo," Dr. Martin began, straightening up some papers on his desk. "I'm sorry to have called you down here to Celadon city on such short notice. But it seems to me that your fiance could be in Pewter City."
"W-what?" She asked. "H-how? W-where?"
"He escaped from our care about 3 days ago," Dr. Martin explained. "When we gathered his belongings, we found these."
Eve watched as Dr. Martin pulled out a giant folder, thick and heavy. She placed it on the floor and pulled out the contents. Large sheets of drawing paper with intricate charcoal drawings emerged. Most of them were of Pokemon. Marrils by a stream. Bulbasaurs in a garden. Oh yes, these were his. She would recognize his style anywhere.
She flipped through a few more and a face appeared. A beautiful woman's face, drawn down to the just below the shoulders. She was looking behind her shoulders, and had a look of sadness in her eyes, but also a soft beauty to them. He had added no color. Just the beauty of this woman.
Then her blood ran cold. She knew that face.
"M-misty..." she whispered, as realization hit her. The drawing was of Misty. As curiosity built up within her, she shuffled through the rest. Pictures after picture depicted her, some more obviously her than others. Bathing in a stream, the water coming to just below the small of her back, showing off her curves. The side of her face was beautiful and serious, almost forlorn.
"Is that Brock Harrison's wife?" Dr. Martin asked, and Eve slowly shook her head. These drawings, they were gorgeous, detailed. Was he in love with her? Is that...is that why he left and never came back?
"I don't mean to cause you any pain, Miss Castillo," The doctor said, but Eve's ears were ringing and she felt dizzy. She already knew what he was going to say. "It seems that he was in love with her. It seems he was going to ask her to marry him, but never did..."
He pulled out a felt box and Eve snatched it up, opening it. A beautiful, shiny diamond ring shined bright against the black velvet. She noticed an engraving, and Misty's name etched into the silver.
"My love. My life. My heart. Forever." She read it, barely even moving her lips as she did so. Tears stung the back of her eyes. "He loved her."
"We think he's headed to Pewter City," Dr. Martin said, as Eve turned her attention back to the drawings. One drawing dipicted Misty, her eyes welled up with tears. Another was one of her and himself sprawled out on the beach, in a passionate pose. That one...that one was too much.
Tears betrayed her emotions then.
"Eve, I know this is hard for you," He said, offering his hand. She took it only because she needed to have contact with another human being. "But we know you have your daughter there, and we believe he's headed there not only for Misty, but for Holly as well."
She looked up at him, not quite understanding.
The doctor spoke again without her prompting him. "And we believe him to be dangerous."
...
Fiona and Holly curled up under a large quilt. Misty had noticed that autumn was making itself known tonight, the temperature had dropped drastically from the day time, but it wasn't unusual for this time of year for the weather to do that.
She put in the movie "Frozen" and pressed play, then headed into the kitchen to scoop out two bowls of ice cream for them. Brock had gone upstairs and started the Jacuzzi for her, and she couldn't wait to sink down in the warm bubbles with him, and let his hands work their magic on her sore muscles.
She gave them their ice cream and two spoons. "Are you sure you girls want to sleep down here tonight?" She asked.
Fiona took a spoon full of ice cream into her mouth and nodded. "Yea, we want to watch Frozen!"
Misty kissed the top of their heads, and smiled down at Holly. She hoped the little girl wouldn't get homesick, but she seemed to like it here.
"Alright," Misty said. "Your dad and I will be right upstairs if you need us for anything. That goes for you, too, Holly. We're here if you need anything at all."
"OK, Fiona's Mommy," Holly said, smiling back at her, then turning her attention back to the television screen. The horrors from earlier that evening had almost faded from their minds. After all, Brock had checked and nothing at all was there. Maybe it wasn't there at all.
Misty disappeared upstairs and met Brock walking out of the bathroom, flashing her a smile.
"I lit candles for you, and I got lots of bubbles and very warm water," he slipped her hands around her waist and kissed her neck. She melted into him, his touch feeling so good after the kind of day she had. Then she remembered what she had done just a few hours before.
She had retreived that condom -carefully- from the trashcan and put it in a plastic baggy, then stashing it beneath the bathroom sink. She felt so guilty for doing it, she should have known it wasn't Brock's without having to get it tested, but she just couldn't help it. She had to know. His womanizing past, even though he had been a teenage boy, made her feel uneasy.
Misty stripped herself of her clothes and Brock did the same, sinking into the tub first and then smiling at her, inviting her with a quick curling of his fingers, in a suggestive manner that sent a quiver through her body.
She sank down into the bubbles, and he held her in his arms, rubbing her shoulders gently and releasing the tension from her body.
"How are the girls?" He asked.
"Watching a movie and eating ice cream," she replied, tiredly. She hadn't been sleeping well, and it was now that she realized because she was uneasy. She wasn't uneasy right now, in fact, right now she wanted nothing more than to just close her eyes and let Brock rub her shoulders, kiss her neck and whisper in her ear.
His warm breath tickled her ear and she could hear the smile in his voice.
"You want to make that baby now?" He asked, and she opened her eyes, and looked back at him.
"With the way we are, we probably already have another one," she giggled, sitting up on her knees, her breasts no longer concealed by the bubbles. There, he made love to her, and only afterwards would they notice the floor was soaked.
...
The ice cream bowls were empty, and as the movie came to a close, Fiona was already falling asleep, but Holly was wide awake. She felt a little homesick, even though she loved Fiona's parents. Brock was funny and protective. Misty was sweet and caring. She wished she could have Fiona's parents as her own. She clicked the TV remote and restarted the movie, just for company. She lowered the volume just a tad, and snuggled back down in her blankets she shared with Fiona.
Ten minutes into the movie, Holly really started to feel uneasy. The kitchen, that was so full of life just a few hours ago, was now pitch black. The staircase that led upstairs to Fiona's room was dark and only lit by the light from the television screen. She wanted to run upstairs and ask Fiona's dad to give her another ride on his shoulders, but she didn't.
She just stayed on the couch and watched Frozen again, which she didn't mind. She looked over at Fiona, whose eyes were closed and her breathing was steady. She was asleep, clutching onto a charmander doll. Then she heard a creak in the hallway upstairs. It was faint, but she had heard it. She reached over for the remote and turned down the volume, listening again. Shuffling footsteps were what followed, and she felt the loneliness she was feeling melt away.
Maybe it was Fiona's dad. She liked him, and she often wondered if her own dad was like he was. She lay there and imagined it. Funny and strong, except he would look more like her and less like Fiona. Then she heard footsteps on the staircase, and she knew someone was definitely awake.
Holly peeked out over the couch, her eyes scanning the staircase. She saw a pair of legs, and then a body that wasn't as lean as Brock's had been, and the skin on the arms was pale, not dark like Brock's was. A face appeared then, milky white and thin. Deep bags were under the green eyes and a grin was plastered across his face.
It wasn't the kind of grin Brock had. It was a grin that made Holly very uncomfortable. The appearance of this man made her frozen in place with fear. His grin grew wider as he stepped off the last step, and his fingers reached out to her, like bony skeletal talons, looking to rip the very life from her. Her voice was stuck in her throat, but she managed to slap Fiona very harshly on the shoulder, bolting her form her sleep.
Fiona's eyes opened and as they adjusted to the blue light from the television, she took in the image of the man leering at them from over the couch. A scream so loud it nearly shattered the windows erupted from her mouth, and she even hurt her own ears, but did not care. The man froze, looked towards the staircase and dove away somewhere in the darkness.
Immediately, Brock came running down the staircase, wearing a flimsy tank top and boxers. Misty followed behind him in a pink, silk nightgrown and flipped on the light. The two lamps in the living room came to life, and Holly's fear let go of the grip it had on her. Without thinking about it, she ran to Brock and started crying. Fiona ran to her mother, sobbing into her shoulder.
"What happened?" Misty asked, comfortingly stroking Fiona's hair.
"A monster," Fiona said, looking off into the dark hallway that led to their basement. Eevee stayed curled up on the couch, taking her spot where Fiona had been laying.
"I thought I chased all the monsters away," Brock said, exchanging a glance with MIsty.
"This one was different," Holly said, looking up at Brock with tear-filled eyes. "He was a man. He tried to grab us."
"He tried to grab you?" Brock looked at the two of them. "Where did the monster go?"
Fiona and Holly both pointed towards the basement, and Brock stood to his feet. He grabbed his old metal baseball bat he had since he was a teenager. It was pretty old, but it could still knock someone out cold if he needed to use it.
"I'm going to check the basement," Brock said, opening the door that led down the steep steps. He flicked on the lightbulb and a yellow, naked bulb lit the downstairs. He really had to find the time to finish this basement. Right now, it was used for storage. There was nothing down here but Halloween and Christmas decorations, a few car parts, and some fishing gear.
Misty stood at the top of the stairs, watching him go down.
"Honey, be careful," she said, nervously, keeping the girls behind her. Brock got to the bottom of the stairs and looked up at her, winking.
"I got it, baby," he gave her his always so charming smile. "Go back to the living room, sit with the girls, calm them down. I'll be fine."
Misty reluctantly took the girls back to the living room, knowing that if someone was down there, the safer place for them to be was away from the basement door, but she couldn't help but think her husband was down there, by himself with a possible intruder in the house.
Her mind went back to the condom on the bathroom floor. If someone was in the house, maybe...maybe that condom wasn't Brock's. But that was silly. Of course it wasn't Brock's.
She felt a shudder grip her shoulders. Maybe there was an intruder in the house, then, and maybe this wasn't his first time being in here. Either scenario made Misty feel sick to her stomach.
Brock grabbed a flashlight just in case, and around the water heater, there was no light that reached, so he flicked it on. A few spare tires, a garden hose, and the christmas tree were all in one corner. He grabbed the rubber around the bats handle and moved the Christmas tree, preparing to strike at any time.
No one was there.
"You think it's funny to scare little girls, do ya?" Brock asked, raising his voice and the bat at the same time. "Why don't you come out and fight a man? Or are you too scared?" He was mostly doing this just as a precaution. He highly doubted someone was in the house. Pewter City had a low crime rate, and he had always locked his doors, even during the daytime.
He checked every corner of the basement, even the grimy, disgusting parts that he made a mental note to come down here and clean up. This place would make a great playroom for Fiona and her friends. He felt satisfied that their screams and fright were due to no more than nightmares, perhaps from little girls telling eachother ghost stories before going to sleep.
Misty felt relief when she saw him come back up from the basement and placed his baseball bat back in the closet.
"All clear," he announced, and Holly and Fiona could hardly believe it. They saw him! He went right into the basement...didn't he?
Misty smiled down at them. "See? Nothing to be afraid of. You just had a bad dream."
Brock kissed the top of Fiona's head, then Holly's.
"Go to sleep, guys. You have school in the morning," Brock reminded them, and they uneasily settled back down on the couch. Holly and Fiona watched them descend the stairs together and Fiona pulled Eevee close to her.
The two of them eventually fell into an uneasy sleep.
...
Misty felt guilty as she dropped Fiona off at school. Wrapped up in a plastic baggy, she had shoved it into her purse, feeling quite disgusted and drove across town to a paternity testing facility. The building was large, and white, with glass windows from the top of the building to the rose bushes at the bottom.
She got out of her car and walked into the building, to the main entrance. An older, plump woman with cat-eye glasses and short black hair that was turning grey greeted her with a smile.
"Hello, Miss. Can I..." She stopped, recognizing Misty. "Mrs. Harrison?"
"Y-yes," Misty answered, knowing she would have to identify herself anyway. "Hello." She hated that her husband's family owned almost the whole city, though she had grown up with her family owning most of Cerulean City. This was one place she didn't want to be recognized.
"You're Brock's wife, right?" The woman asked. "Oh lord," she put her hands to her mouth, her nails painted with bright red polish. "Don't tell me that adorable little girl you have isn't his?"
"She's his. Fiona is definitely Brock's child," Misty interrupted her, opening her purse. "I'm actually here to get this tested."
The woman looked at the baggy and realized what was inside. "Good heavens..."
"It's a long story," Misty said, reaching into her purse once again. She pulled out another plastic baggy with a brush in it, a brush Brock used every single day and left on the bathroom sink.
"I want to know if the DNA on his brush matches the DNA in...that..." she said, gesturing towards the condom.
"Well," the woman said, eyeing the two specimens. "It would be better to get a mouth swab, but if this is a secret," the woman's eyes begged Misty to fork over the juicy details. Misty sighed.
"I found this condom on the bathroom floor, and I want to know if my husband used it with some other woman," Misty finally said, blushing as red as her hair and just wanting to get out of there.
"Oh, I see," The woman said, her smile faltering. "That will be 80 dollars."
Misty pulled out her wallet and handed over her debit card.
"Thank you." The woman said, running the card and handing it back to her.
"Can you...also tell if the DNA from the condom is from the father of the DNA on the brush?" Misty asked, as the woman packed up the specimens for testing.
"Yes, that's the same as a paternity test," she said, smiling. "It will be an extra 10 for that."
Misty twisted her mouth in contemplation and handed over her card again. She felt so stupid. The condom wasn't Brock's. He had told her that. They had fought about it. He had made love to her to reassure her of that. But it could have been Flint's. And if it was Flint's it would give her peace of mind.
But what her mother had said had cast her mind into a world of worry.
"We'll have results in three to five days," The woman finally said, coming back with a receipt. "I...suppose if this is a secret, you won't want this mailed out to you."
"Right," Misty nodded her head. "I'll come back and get the results myself." She thanked the woman and walked back to her car, feeling her nerves on end. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the results now. She didn't want to know if her husband was cheating on her.
...
Another match won. The trainer from Pallet town -who reminded him so much of Ash- walked out, cradling his Charmander and heading towards the Pokemon Center. Brock checked his watch. Yep. That was his last match scheduled for the next two hours.
Rose had been held up in the office all day long, and it was almost noon. Outside the sun was beating down on the grass, but the chill of fall was in the air. Brock liked that weather though, but today, he wasn't feeling his usual love for the autumn air.
He had to do it, though. He peeked her head into the office and saw Rose counting the money, filing it away. He could almost forget about the scene he had seen yesterday morning of his father and mother-in-law in the throws of their passion and lust. It looked so normal in here now.
However, his tone wasn't very friendly and Rose couldn't help but notice.
"I'm going over to see Mom for a bit," he said. "Keep the place locked up until I get back."
"Alright, Darling," she said, putting a wad of cash away. "Brock," she said, before he turned away, he stopped and turned around. "I'm curious why you are letting me stay around and keep my job here. My daughter clearly wants me gone. She hasn't said so much as boo to me since...yesterday's incident."
Brock sighed and walked over to her. "Rose, I was raised by the most generous, caring and loving mother that a kid could ever ask for. Even though what you did will hurt her, I know she would want me to do the right thing and help someone who is in need. You are in my house and my gym by nothing but my good graces. I'm giving you an opportunity to get your life on track," he said, his dark eyes sparkling.
Rose almost got lost in him. He looked so much like Flint, when Flint was his age, but he was a different man. Clearly a product of the woman who raised him. Rose felt incredibly guilty.
"I'm helping you because I love your daughter, and she may not realize it right now, but she does love you, Rose. When you treat her the way you do, it hurts her, and that means she still wishes you would just love her," Then as if reading her mind, he spoke again. "And I am nothing like my father."
...
1995
Misty looked out the window as they passed through Viridian Forest. The trees were tall, dark, and seemed to hide the creepiest creatures in the depths. Like bugs. She really hated bugs. Lilly sat in the backseat on one of side of her, and Daisy on the other. She was always in the middle. Violet got special priveleges and got to sit in the front seat, switching to a radio station.
Her mother puffed on a cigarette, her long red nails reminded Misty of talons. She wasn't sure where they were going, but Violet had said it was some kind of big party that only gym leaders got to go to. It was summer time, and her skin burned on the leather of the seat as the sun beat down on the car.
They soon arrived in Viridian City, and the whole town was decorated in banners, lights, food vendors and gift shops. Rose parked the car right by a large van and ordered the girls out of the car, Misty waited until Lilly stumbled out and then she tumbled out after her onto the graveled driveway.
There were gym leaders from all over. A woman with long, shiny blue hair was holding the hand of a little girl with the same colored hair, wearing a gloom on her dress. A teenage boy with blond hair and strong muscles was showing some of the younger kids how to evolve a Pikachu into a Raichu.
Misty became increasingly interested in what the teenage boy was doing, and she ventured off on her own, joining the group of boys who were watching. A boy, who was a few years older than she was, was standing at the front, watching intensely as they Pikachu evolved.
"That's cool," Misty said, and the boy looked at her. He was tan, with slanted eyes and spikey hair. A graveler was on his shirt, a blue triangle shape behind it.
He smiled at her. "I'm Brock."
"I-I'm Misty," she stuttered. She hadn't been around many boys before. She was only allowed to hang out with her sisters, but being around a boy made her nervous. His eyes fell on the horsea doll she had in her hands.
"You must be from the water gym," he said, grinning. "I'm from Pewter City. We train rock types. My dad says I'm first in line to take over the gym in a few years."
"My pokemon would beat yours," Misty said, giggling.
"Not mine," Brock said, folding his arms across his chest. "Water types are dumb."
Misty scowled at him. "No they aren't! Rock types are ugly...and dumb!"
Brock gritted his teeth. "Hey little girl, you watch what you say about Rock types. Maybe you are just ugly and dumb!"
A heat rose to her face with embarassment. "I bet you don't even have Pokemon!"
"Do too!" Brock said, holding up a pokeball. "I just caught an Onix last month."
"My Staryu would totally destroy that Onix," Misty said, reaching her Pokeball. Just then, Flint Harrison's voice rang out over the crowd.
"Brock!" He yelled, and Brock looked back. Flint was already approaching them, and Misty cowered when she saw sight of her mother.
"Here he is, Rose," Flint said, putting his large hand on Brock's shoulder. "This is my oldest, Brock. The future gym leader."
Rose smiled down at him. "He's the spitting image of you, Flint." Her eyes sparkled at him as she took in his youthful, handsome features. "He's going to be a heartbreaker one of these days."
Flint smiled and his eyes fell on Misty. "Who is this little cutie?"
Rose's eyes fell on Misty. "Oh, that's my youngest Misty. She's not much of a trainer, but my little Violet is set to take over the gym anyway."
Brock looked over at her, and was about to say something, until he saw the expression on her face. She looked saddened by her mother's comments, but kept quiet.
"Hey," Rose said. "Brock should battle Violet in the junior competition tonight. See if he can withstand a water Pokemon trainer. You know, you boys always have a weakness for the girls from Cerulean City."
"It must be something in the water down here," Flint said, chuckling. He grabbed Brock's hand and led him off, leaving Misty alone. Her mother went off with them, and she saw Brock look back at her, clutching on his father's hand.
Misty made her way to the main area again, and watched the blond teenage boy and his newly evolved Raichu. He smiled at her.
"You lost little girl?" He had an accent like he was from New Jersey.
She looked up at him and then quicly shook her head, his large stature frightening her. She ran from him, remembering that man who had leered at her just a year ago that night. That night when her mother had beaten her so bad she had welts on her legs for days, and they stung like the dickens in the shower.
She made her way to the main arena, stopping by one of the vendors to get a funnel cake and a lemonade with the five dollars Violet had given her to make sure she had money to get something to eat if she got hungry. She didn't think she had enough to really cover it, because she knew six dollars was greater than five, but the man gave it to her anyway, claiming her to be one of the cutest little girls he had ever seen.
She sat down on the hard metal bleachers and started to eat, her eyes searching for the boy with the Graveler on his shirt. He had given her a strange feeling inside, a feeling that she liked, but didn't understand.
After she finished eating, she stood up, threw away her trash and stepped out in the crowd of people walking the street. The heat of the day or starting to get to her, and she had no idea where that boy went. She desparately wanted to cool down. Maybe she could find a nice shaded place and have staryu spray her with water. She had done that a lot of times at home on hot days.
She found a tent in the grass, located under a tree. It was one of the gym leader's tents, where they typically sold their cities souveneirs, like stones from Pewter city, or sea shells from Cerulean City, like the one her mother ran every year.
She noticed a Golem on the side of the tent and the rocks the surrounded it. This must have been the Pewter City tent, and an excitement rose within her when she wondered if that boy was inside. The tent was closed, but maybe he had come in here to cool off from the heat.
She opened the tent, and she froze. Her mother's feet were in the air, and she was moaning, very softly. The man who had dragged Brock off just a half an hour before was between her legs and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.
Misty didn't know what was happening, but she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see a woman, with short, brown hair, curled at the ends around her shoulders. She looked from the scene in front of them, down to Misty and led her away.
"C'mon, Sweety, you don't need to see that," she pulled her away and walked her back over to the stands. "You must be Misty, correct?"
Misty nodded, shyly.
"I'm Lola. I'm the wife to the leader of Pewter City. I saw you talking to my son, Brock, earlier," Lola sat down with her and Misty immediately felt safe with her, but she could see a sadness in the woman's eyes.
"How about we sit and watch the show together?" Lola asked, smiling and putting down a blanket. The blanket had all kinds of water Pokemon on it, and Misty liked that, so she decided to sit with the woman. "You know, I like water Pokemon, too. It's a Cerulean City girl thing." She winked down at Misty, and she immediately smiled.
"I wish you were my mommy," Misty clung to Lola's arm, watching as the first battle started. It was Brock versus Lola and everyone was anticipating to see if Pewter City's up and coming gym leader could actually knock Cerulean City back a few notches.
Lola put her arm around Misty. "I can't be your mommy, but I can be your friend."
Misty smiled and watched the battle unfold.
...
It felt strange to Brock, to walk into the house he had once grown up in. He had been a grown man for so long now, had a house he walked into every night of his own, to a wife and a child of his own, that now his childhood home felt foreign to him. He felt like he couldn't just plop down on the couch, or open the fridge and pop a couple of grapes out of the bag. He knew his mother wouldn't have minded, but it just wasn't his home anymore.
His mother exited the laundry room with a handful of folded white towels.
"Oh, Hey Honey," she said, smiling. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry to just drop in without calling," Brock said, taking the stack of towels off his mother's hands and putting them into the linen closet. She still kept them in the same place.
"Oh, Sweety, don't worry about that," Lola pulled him into a hug and held him for just a little longer than one might deem normal. Then she pulled back and looked at him, smiling. "You get more and more handsome everytime I see you."
"Oh, c'mon, Mom, Stop it," he grinned, and then followed his mother into the kitchen where she put on a pot of water for tea. Brock sat down at the kitchen island. She asked him about the gym, and then when they ran out of small talk, Brock had to come clean about why he had come over, unannounced in the middle of his work day.
"Mom, listen," he said, wrapping his large hands around the warm coffee mug.
"I know why you are here," she said, taking a quick sip of her tea and straightening out the dark red placemats on the counter, as if to stall, just for a second. Brock stayed quiet, not sure how to respond. His mother's eyes lifted to meet his. The sadness that always clouded out the light in his mother's eyes was back, and Brock knew he didn't have to say anything. She knew. She knew what Flint had done to her.
"Honey, I've known he's been wanting to sleep with that woman for years," Lola finally said, and Brock felt a strange sense of relief. But why? Because his mother already knew and came to terms with it.
"H-how did you know?" He asked, his voice quivering, which it never did, except when he was really nervous.
"I've already caught them once. Long time ago," she said, remembering the day she had pulled Misty away. That woman had never cared where she had sex, or she had sex with, even if it was in front of her daughters. In a way, Lola knew it was a good thing Rose didn't stick around long after Misty was born, that's why Misty grew up to be such a great wife to her son, and mother to her granddaughter.
Brock sighed and grabbed his mother's hands. "I saw them together, in the gym. Yesterday..."
Lola nodded her head. "I know, Honey. But Flint and I are married, and marriage is forever. We have to forgive eachother's transgressions."
"Misty thought I was cheating on her," Brock said, wanting to steer the conversation in another direction. "She found a used condom in the bathroom, but we don't really know whose it is. We have a feeling it had something to do with Rose."
"I wouldn't put it past her," Lola didn't bother to disguise the disgust in her voice, she did cover up the curling of her nose with her coffee mug of warm tea, though.
"I wouldn't cheat on Misty, though," Brock said, and Lola smiled at him.
"Oh I know that," her voice was warm and soft, and Brock felt a comfort come over him. "I've seen the way you look at her. I've always wanted Flint to look at me that way. He never has. But you and Misty, you guys are the real deal. I knew it from the moment you guys were little that you would end up together somehow. I don't know, it was just a feeling."
Brock smiled and chuckled and Lola was reminded of Flint's handsome, charming smile that he had roped her in with. But with Brock, there was a kindness, a warmth, something Flint had always lacked.
"You better get back to the gym," she said, looking at the time.
"Oh, right," he checked his watch. "I got a match in about 15 minutes. Are you OK?"
"I'm fine, Sweetheart," she kissed his cheek and straightened out his button up shirt.
Always look your best, no matter what disasters are happening in your life, he could hear his mother's words in his head as he kissed her on the cheek, and pulled her in for a hug. He gave the best hugs. Big, warm and bear-like, but Lola still felt like she was cradling her baby.
She watched him leave the front yard, and the first of the tears she had been holding back since she came through the door started to show. That facade she had held up in front of him for so many years cracked, then shattered into a million pieces. Her sobs could be heard throughout the entire, empty house.