A/N: A different POV because I want to concentrate on what's happening. Also, every NYC activity I describe is something I've done or experienced :)
A Much Needed Break
Midi stared at Daddy as he packed their bags. They were gonna stay at RangeMan! Med was packing as fast as he could and Midi knew he should choose the kicks he wanted to take, but he couldn't.
Mommy always chose his shoes. Mommy always told him what to wear. Mommy always did their packing.
Daddy let him choose his outfits but Med said Midi didn't know how to dress fly, so Med chose his outfits. Ever since Uncle Thomas told Med he was fly at Thanksgiving, Med told Midi what to wear. Med was Uncle Thomas's favorite and they both knew it.
Then again, Uncle Thomas told him he was like his Daddy, so maybe Uncle Thomas wasn't so bad.
He liked living with Daddy. Daddy didn't yell. He tucked them in at night and when Midi cried, Daddy held him. He never told him to 'Man up!' or 'Shut up with that crying shit!' He held Midi and rubbed his back and asked if Midi wanted to talk about it. No, he didn't want to talk about it. He wanted Daddy to fix it. Daddy could fix anything! He always had. Why wasn't he fixing this?
Med said talking about it wouldn't make Mommy come home again, so move on. Look at what they had. They had Daddy. He read bedtime stories. Daddy made dinner, good dinners, and played Xbox with them. Daddy helped with homework and took them to the library and he always, always, played with them.
Daddy never seemed to get mad and he didn't mind them crawling in bed with him because Daddy didn't have another lady in the house. There weren't any ladies who would get mad and throw him out of the bed, yelling about him fucking up the groove. Midi didn't know what that meant, but Med did and he got mad every time one of Mommy's boyfriends said it.
Med was mad a lot.
Daddy loved Mommy, Midi thought. He didn't need another lady. Daddy and Mommy and Med and Midi. That's how it should be.
Midi finally grabbed his Nikes. He liked his new kicks. Med walked in and looked around.
"You didn't pull anything?" Midi shook his head. Med sighed. "Yo, bro, you got your kicks?" Midi held up his Nikes and Med tapped his chin like Daddy, thinking. "Good, but grab your boots too. Let's get you some outfits ready."
Med started grabbing outfits from Daddy's closet. Midi watched as Med started putting outfits together, pulling jeans and shirts so Midi would be fly too. Daddy walked in and watched, smiling.
"Took Tio Thomas's little rules on dressing serious, huh?"
"Yup. I gotta stay fly." Med stared at the pile of clothes in front of them. "Daddy?"
"Hmm?"
"You think we'll need to dress up?"
"What's the rule?"
"Always pack one dressy outfit, just in case," Med recited.
He grabbed Midi's new suit, still in its plastic, and put it on the bed. Getting fitted for a suit had been fun. Midi watched as his brother packed more and more stuff until he finally said, "You're packing all my clothes."
"Yup. Daddy said that we might go straight from RangeMan to Miami, so we're just gonna pack everything we might need, just in case that's what's up."
"What about Mommy?" Midi asked, worried Mommy might be all alone for Christmas.
He didn't miss the look of annoyance. "We'll visit Mommy, Midi. Quit stressing us about it."
"Med," Daddy said sternly. Med sighed and gave Midi an apologetic look but the damage was done. Midi went to the living room and sat on the couch. He was trying not to cry. Daddy came in and sat down next to him. Midi cried into Daddy's side while Daddy held him and rubbed his back.
Med might not miss Mommy, but he did. He wanted his Mommy out of jail. He wanted his Daddy in love with Mommy again. Daddy and Mommy and Med and Midi. All living together.
Mommy promised him that's how it would be.
Santa was his last chance. If Daddy couldn't fix this, then Santa had to deliver.
—oOo—
Annie listened as Dedu raged at her Mommy in Russian. "You stupid blya! Your boyfriend is behind this! I know it!"
She heard her mother sniff. "He can't be! Why now? Annie's four! He's been trying to get her for years! Why now, now that he has partial custody of her? Why not right after she was born?!"
"I don't know but if you'd done as I told you—" The argument was cut off as Dedu and Mommy shut the door.
Annie packed her bags quietly. She was going to Daddy's until after New Year's. Daddy promised her the Rockettes and the Christmas tree and time in Manhattan. He was going to take her skating in Central Park and on a carriage ride, just her and Daddy. They'd have tea at the Russian Tea Room and Daddy would let her order and then, maybe, they'd go visit Abuela again. Maybe they would visit Cousin Nia too and she was looking forward to it. Cousin Nia knew all the coolest stuff and she and Tía Leni knew how to shop and make Annie look pretty.
She grabbed all the pretty clothes Daddy bought her and tried to stuff them in her bags. Mommy had been angry when she came home with all her pretty clothes and she and Babu had hung them up, Babu smiling over how pretty and sparkly everything was. Daddy had bought lots of pink things for Annie, pink and yellow. Whatever Annie wanted and whatever Tía Leni thought was cute, Daddy bought it.
"Look at him," Mommy had sneered, an ugly look on her face as she'd examined the blue jeans with pink rhinestones. "Trying to buy love, buy affection." She'd popped a rhinestone off the pocket and held it in Annie's face. "See? See how cheap this is? Held on by glue. That's cheap, just like him."
Annie stared at the jeans she'd loved, the pink heart now missing a rhinestone, and the tears flowed. Babu rolled in, knowing that hearing her grandfather yell at her mother upset her, and pulled her into a tight hug. Annie hugged back, wishing Daddy had not made Mommy mad. Maybe time with Daddy was a bad thing, even though she liked time with Daddy. Time with Daddy was nothing like Mommy and Dedu said it would be. But ever since the 'people' told Mommy that she had to make sure Annie and Daddy spent time together, Mommy had been angry and unhappy.
Babu sighed. Ana was still angry about Jorge's losing his job on Wall Street, losing his money, and Pytr telling her she needed to dump him. Jorge could do nothing for him, Pytr raged. His name meant nothing. His name was worthless! Ana told her father that Jorge was rich and working to be richer. He was a man like Pytr, self-made, and climbing. He would be rich and powerful someday and Ana loved him. The ring Jorge gave Ana calmed Pytr a little after he had it appraised. Maybe it would work out.
It didn't.
Pytr raged again, especially after Cooper, the young WASP Pytr had wanted Ana to marry, got engaged. He sailed through the financial collapse fine, Pytr screamed, because his name meant something. 'Those' people all knew each other. They did favors for each other, helped each other. Cooper would have been able to help them refinance the restaurants, so they wouldn't have the foot of the Bratva on their necks holding them down. Jorge? Jorge was a gopnik, no name, nothing. Ana loved Jorge, but she feared her father more and what Pytr said went.
It never occurred to Ana to point out that if Pytr had never taken the loan from the Bratva, they wouldn't be in this jam anyway.
Only after she dumped Jorge did she realize she was pregnant and Pytr nearly beat the girl into a coma to lose the baby. When it didn't happen, Ana waited until the bruises healed and went back to Jorge. He was thrilled about the baby, but Pytr pressured Ana to end it. Both the baby and the relationship. It was the first time Ana stood up to her father about anything. She couldn't. She wouldn't. But, in the end, she ended the relationship. She kept the baby.
They'd been so close to convincing another man to marry Ana, the son of an associate of theirs, but he decided he didn't want to deal with a 'soiled' woman like Ana, whose 'baby daddy' was still hanging around making demands. That was the moment Ana's love for Jorge died. Why couldn't he disappear? Why did he insist on seeing his daughter? Annie was just a girl. No one valued daughters except mothers, so what was he playing at?
Annie was a strong girl. Tough. Pytr took one look at that beautiful little face and melted. Dedu would die for that little girl and she would do the family right. She would accomplish what her blya of a mother had not. The sight of Jorge, trying to insert himself into the child's life, trying to be a father, infuriated him. He wanted Jorge to give up, go away, and never come back. Jorge was a reminder of nearly losing their restaurant, nearly losing everything for the wedding Ana wanted. A wedding to the wrong man, a man who could do nothing for them.
And now, new pressure. A strange man, one they'd never met, had arrived at the restaurant and asked to speak to Pytr. By the time he left, Pytr was white and shaking. Babu would never forget that sight. Her strong, physical husband was shaking like a newborn colt. Pytr had yet to come out of the bottle and Ana's face was lined and worried. Ana was their accountant and it was her job to hide the money they were given.
Ana would be the first to go to jail.
Annie wiped her face and Babu smiled. "Better?" Annie nodded. "Then let's fold all these pretty clothes. No need to wrinkle the pretty things your Daddy bought you." Babu helped Annie pack and she wished that her husband would disappear.
Ana took the blows now. Babu was in a wheelchair, helpless, because she'd taken them for thirty years. She couldn't get Ana to understand that a man who demanded time with his daughter, a man who had never shown any interest in being violent towards her, was the man she should marry. She'd spent thirty years teaching her daughter fear. Now, her daughter was too afraid to do what was right for her daughter.
Babu looked at Annie, her big brown eyes and wavy chestnut hair, and prayed for her.
O God, our heavenly Father, Who lovest mankind, and art most merciful and compassionate, have mercy upon our children.
—oOo—
"So Aunt Steph, what are we going to do first?"
Angie was thrilled to visit New York City! She'd been looking forward to this trip ever since Aunt Steph mentioned it. Plus, they were allowed to miss three days of school! She had a list of places she wanted to go and things she wanted to see and she couldn't wait!
Even if they never left the hotel room, anything was better than home. The gossip was vicious and Mom spent hours at night ignoring the phone. Angie and MA ignored the taunts and jeers at school. Everyone was talking about her family.
Grandma was an alcoholic. Everyone knew. Grandma and Angie walked into Giovichinni's and the whispers started and people stared, but Grandma held her head high and ordered her lunch meat. At the end, they walked to the door and Grandma turned back around.
"Yes, gossip about me. Talk about me. I know you will the moment I leave, but I want you to think about this: I'm getting help. Some of you will go home and drink a bottle and pass out still thinking you're better than me." She looked around the room at certain people. Angie could tell who was an alcoholic because those people dropped their eyes. "And even as drunk as I was, I still cooked and cleaned better than most of you do sober. So talk about that!"
So there, Angie thought, proud of her Grandma, who walked out with her head held high.
Mom was embarrassed. Her grandma was a molester, her mother was a drunk and her sister … well, Aunt Steph was Aunt Steph. There weren't any more fights about money anymore either. Mom had accepted that they were poor and that she had to work. Albert and Mom sat them down and told them that Santa wouldn't bring as much as last year, so what was the biggest thing they wanted? Mom and Albert would work with Santa to get them that.
MA was heartbroken. She had a massive list and she intended to ask the real Santa at Macy's in NYC for everything on it. It had taken MA a week to pare her list down to ten things and she refused to take anything else off it. Angie didn't believe in Santa anymore, but she pretended for MA.
So this trip to NYC, away from Mom's unhappiness and Albert's exhaustion, away from the rumors and whispers and side looks, was welcome.
"Well, we're going to go to RangeMan first"—MA bounced happily in excitement—"so I can drop this car off then we're going to check into the hotel."
"Are we going to visit the NYC RangeMen?" MA asked.
"No, we're just going to be there long enough to drop my car off. We're going to take a taxi to the hotel—"
"Mom said not to trust the taxi drivers," Angie said. "They're foreign and they don't speak English and they'll scam us."
Aunt Steph snorted. "That's half of Trenton." Aunt Steph had a good point there, Angie acknowledged. "Then we're going to go to dinner and something special." She looked at Angie. "I have a surprise for each of you and your surprise is tonight."
Angie wondered what it could be. They drove up to RangeMan and waved to Mr. Les, who was in the garage watching.
"Taxi is five minutes away, Steph."
"Ok." Aunt Steph wasn't joking and teasing Mr. Les like she usually did and that was weird, but Annie shrugged it off and grabbed her bags. They walked around to the front of the building and Mr. Les teased her and MA, telling them that Aunt Steph hadn't made plans and she was going to abandon them in the hotel and send food every so often.
Aunt Steph rolled her eyes and promised them that she had made plans and they were going to have lots of fun. The taxi pulled up and Mr. Les took their bags and helped the cabbie load them as they crawled in the backseat to begin their NYC adventure.
Their hotel was exotic, like something out of a movie. There were animal prints everywhere and lots of velvets and corduroy. Angie felt the difference now that Grandma was sewing stuff for them. Their room was a suite, but it was still tiny. The bathroom was the size of MA's closet and there wasn't a refrigerator or a microwave like there was when Mom booked the rooms. There was a mini-fridge full of tiny bottles, but Aunt Steph requested someone empty it.
Angie and MA looked out of the windows. They had a view of the tiny park across the street and … of Broadway! They could see Broadway! Aunt Steph sniffed, unhappy, but sighed and accepted the room they were given. It was a suite, the bellhop said. One of the biggest rooms in this hotel.
They got dressed and relaxed a little until Aunt Steph said it was time to go.
Angie's surprise? Ballet at Lincoln Center. The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, which was right across the street from their hotel.
It didn't matter that they were in tiny seats in the very back. They were at Lincoln Center, a famous place, to watch the New York City Ballet dance the Nutcracker. Both Angie and MA leaned forward, thrilled, overjoyed to watch this for the very first time. The pretty ballerinas, the toys coming to life, the big strong soldiers (MA whispered the soldiers reminded her of RangeMen and they both laughed), everything about the Nutcracker was wonderful. Everyone in the building was smiling, loving the show. Mom always played the music in the house during Christmas, but watching the ballerinas pirouette and jete live? Watching the toys come to life, laughing and smiling with everyone? Listening to a full orchestra play her favorite holiday music?
Angie knew she'd never forget this night. She was grateful Aunt Steph still paid for their ballet and gymnastics classes. She still wanted to be a ballerina. Maybe she should tell Aunt Steph that she wanted to concentrate on ballet more. The ballerinas were beautiful and strong and graceful.
They could fly!
They walked out twirling, still high, still happy about seeing it live. They had dinner at the restaurant next to the hotel and and left full, their imaginations still seeing pretty ballerinas and happy toys.
"Thank you, Aunt Steph!" Angie said, snuggling next to her in the large bed that night. "That was the best gift ever."
—oOo—
Med looked at the girls in front of him and sighed.
Outnumbered three to two.
Today was day three of the NYC review and Daddy was nervous. He'd made it clear that back talk was not gonna be tolerated, especially not this week. Med was cool with that. He loved Daddy and what Daddy said went.
He just had questions.
Like, why were there so many girls? Where had all these girls come from and why were they in Mr. Javier's apartment?
Today, they were camping in Mr. Javier's apartment and Ms. Lucia was chillin' with them. Daddy, Mr. Javier, and the Boss Lady all said she didn't have to, but Ms. Lucia had rolled her eyes and said she wanted to. Besides, she was sure that someone (or maybe five someones) would like some cookies.
Med loved Ms. Lucia and step one was to go charm her into making sure he'd get an extra cookie or two. That 'no extra sugar' thing Daddy had them on sucked.
Daddy had other plans, though. Daddy introduced him to Stephanie Plum, the Boss Lady. The Boss Lady seemed cool. She wasn't what he was expecting. Med expected this stern lady who wore pant suits and frowned a lot. Miss Steph (she asked him to call her Steph) wore jeans and sneakers. She had curly brown hair and a big smile. She seemed really friendly and Daddy poked him to remind him to behave. She smiled at him and asked him about school and how he was doing. He answered politely (not moaning about all the homework the teachers had given them) like Mommy and Daddy taught him and she said he reminded her of Daddy so much.
That made Med smile. Everyone always said that, that Med reminded them of his Daddy. Then Midi walked over and she gasped.
"Mack, he looks just like you," she whispered. Daddy grinned and introduced Midi and Med tried not to let that hurt. OK, so Midi looked exactly like Daddy. People said he acted like Daddy, so that was good enough.
But he wished he looked more like Daddy. Everyone said he favored his mother a bit more. What did that mean, favored? He was darker than Midi and people said he had Mommy's nose and lips. That wasn't a bad thing, right?
Mr. Jorge showed up with Annie and he and Midi waved. Annie he knew and she was cool, but …
"Hi, I'm MA." The younger girl did some weird stuff when she came over to say hi. She made a noise and Med wondered if she was smokin' that stuff.
"Sup. I'm Med, short for Ahmed."
"Hi, Med. I'm a palomino. What are you?"
"Dominican," he replied, confused. What was a palomino? Where was that from? Man, Daddy had some explaining to do. The younger girl made that noise again and did her shuffle-hop thing away from him. He was relieved. He wasn't sure what to talk to her about. The older one walked over and he wondered what her story was gonna be.
"Hi, Ahmed. I'm Angie, short for Angela."
Aigh, this one he could get with. She wasn't actin' weird. He stuck his hand out to shake and she shook, firm but not hard. Daddy was right. The rules applied everywhere. Introduce yourself, shake hands, ask about 'em.
"So, where you from?"
"Trenton. You have a weird accent."
He shrugged. "Brooklyn." He pointed to Midi, who was holding hands with Annie and watching the weird girl in fascination. "That's my brother Midi, short for Hamid, and that's Annie with him. I don't know if that's a nickname. Yo, is that your sister?"
Angie sighed. "She thinks she's a horse."
"For real?" She nodded. "You tell her horses end up as dog food?"
"Really?"
"Yeah." He had no idea where he picked up that fact, but he remembered stuff like that. The girl, Angie, looked over at her sister like she was gonna play a mean trick and Med was happy his knowledge was about to go to good use.
"So what's your brother's story? He looks like he wants to cry."
Good point. He liked Angie. She seemed cool. "My brother, he cries for our Mommy. Leave him alone about that," he said fiercely and she took a step back and nodded.
"Fine. What's wrong with your Mommy, if you don't mind me asking?"
"She's in jail."
Angie gasped. "Oh. OK, I won't say anything."
"Cool. Thanks."
Med was philosophical about this. If Mommy could come home, she would. Since she hadn't, she couldn't. Simple to understand. Daddy told them that when you made mistakes, you had to be punished. Whatever Mommy did, it was a big mistake. Med kinda remembered the time when Daddy was being punished. 'They' punished him for a long time but he came home. He remembered that day. Daddy had picked him up from school the next day and hugged him and hugged him.
Mommy would come home when her punishment was over. Simple as that.
Angie stared at Med. He wasn't like the other boys in Trenton. He was nice. He wasn't trying to pinch her or make fun of her. He didn't whisper nasty things to her about her mom or Aunt Steph. He looked directly at her and talked to her, like she was an old friend.
"Your parents are divorced?"
She'd touched a nerve with her new friend. He looked uneasy. "Yeah?"
She nodded. "Mine too." He relaxed a little and frowned, looking thoughtful.
"Yo, your folks get back together? Like, remarry?" He was curious. He didn't know anyone whose parents had and he had a sneaking suspicion that Mommy and Daddy would not get back together.
"Mom married Albert. We have another little sister, Lisa, and Mom's pregnant again."
"Wow." Just as he thought. Yeah, he was with Tio Thomas. Time for Daddy to find a lady. He might like having another little brother. Midi was cool, most of the time. This whole baby-phase thing he had going because of Mommy was annoying though.
"Yeah."
"You like your new Daddy?" Better find out if it's a good idea.
She shrugged. "Yeah, I do. Albert is nice and he spends time with us. My Daddy never did that."
"Where's your Daddy?"
She shrugged. "I'm not sure. We talk to him on the phone sometimes. He doesn't call much."
"Why they break up?"
"Daddy was playing hide the cannoli with our babysitter."
Damn. With the babysitter? That's raw. "But you see him, right? Like, he comes for visitation, right?"
"No."
Word, Med thought. Daddy always said don't assume what other people go through. No matter what, Mommy and Daddy loved him and Midi. They fought over him and Midi, to spend more time with them. This girl's Daddy didn't spend time with them?
Med couldn't imagine that.
—oOo—
MA felt like the odd girl out, as usual.
Aunt Steph had told her that she and Med were the same age, but when she introduced herself to him, he looked at her like she was weird.
As usual.
He and Angie seemed to get along. Everyone liked Angie. Angie was normal, whatever normal was. They were talking now, as she galloped around the room. She was hoping to make a friend, but no luck.
"I like Arabians," the other girl said softly. MA stopped galloping. The other girl, Annie, was smiling at her. "I like Black Beauty and the Saddle Club. Mommy reads them to me. What about you?"
"I like the Saddle Club. My teacher won't let me count their books in the reading program at school. It's at sixth grade level, the rose-red group. I'm in blue bird. Blue bird sucks."
"So is Med," the boy said. That was Midi. She remembered the other boy saying it. "Or maybe he's in the next group up." He shrugged and walked off to the kitchen. The girl, Annie, moved closer.
"Daddy takes me riding sometimes. Have you ridden a horse?"
She nodded. "I don't want to ride, though. I want to be a horse." MA waited for the girl to laugh at her but she smiled instead.
"I want to be a unicorn."
"A unicorn? Unicorns aren't real."
She shrugged. "They are if I want them to be. Plus they're pretty and helpful and their horns are supposed to have magical healing powers."
"Really?"
Annie nodded and held out her hand. "I'll pretend you have a leading string. How's that?"
"I'm a free horse."
"Oh." Her hand dropped.
"Want to gallop with me?"
"Sure?"
MA smiled. Annie smiled. They both started galloping around the room.
—oOo—
Med had never ice skated before in his life.
He'd seen it on TV, watched people skate around in circles and he'd thought that was a stupidest thing ever. Why skate in circles? He and Daddy had watched Blades of Glory together one night when Med couldn't sleep and laughed at the men in the tight skating suits.
Hard not to believe they were gay, although he wasn't completely sure what gay was. Just that the people in the movie kept saying it. Boys kissing with tongues. He knew that.
"Are you sure we can't go through the ice?" he asked Daddy as Mr. Javier helped him put his skates on. That's what always happened in cartoons.
"No, son, no fucking clue," Daddy muttered. Med held out his hand and Daddy gave him a dollar for cursing.
"Need help?" It was the weird girl, MA, who tottered over. Med was tempted to ask how horses ice-skated but decided to keep his mouth shut.
Daddy's rules: if someone offers help, don't insult them.
"You know how?"
"Yeah," Angie said. She looked a little more steady. "MA is the best skater I know. She'll teach you."
"Aunt Steph said we were doing this special for me tonight," she said as she helped Med to his feet. "I love skating. Ice skates, roller skates, doesn't matter."
"Aigh," he said. He stood up when Mr. Jorge told him he could and took MA's hand, really beating back the urge to ask how horses roller-skated.
"OK, first thing you need to know: keep your knees bent. We're just gonna walk right now."
That was harder said than done but MA was a really good teacher. She held his hand and showed him how to alternate feet, slowly, one at a time, and he started getting some speed. He also fell a lot and falling hurt. She showed him how to fall so he didn't hurt himself. He was slow but he was moving.
The wind flew in his face and it was crisp and clean. Everyone around him was smiling and having fun. Lots of people were falling, not just him, and when he fell no one laughed at him. No one laughed at Ahmed Odom from Brooklyn because he didn't know how to skate. People would help him get up again and ask if he was OK. MA took his hand and helped him skate some more. He fell, and got back up, a lot. After his tenth fall, he told MA to go skate. No need to not have fun just because he kept landing on his butt. She shrugged and took off, skating so fast she was a blur, and everyone stopped to watch her.
"That's my little sister," Angie said, sounding proud. Med had to agree. MA had skills!
Mr. Jorge and Ms. Steph had Midi between them and they were skating as a group. Midi's feet were barely touching the ice but he didn't care. He was too busy laughing at Daddy and Mr. Javi holding hands as Daddy tried to learn to skate.
Daddy fell a lot too.
After an hour and a half, Ms. Steph said their time was over. Everyone trudged off and put their shoes back on.
"My butt hurts," Daddy moaned.
"Mine too." Med rubbed something. Mommy used to call him bony. She mighta been right.
Daddy pulled him over and tickled him. "You had a pretty girl helping you, Med." He saw MA smile. "I had Mr. Javier, son."
"Hey, what are you trying to say?!" Mr. Javi looked fake mad.
"That you aren't a pretty girl. Last I heard." Daddy grinned and everyone laughed. "Yo, Jorge, your sister and niece just got here."
Niece? He turned and looked. Yup, another girl but he remembered her from Thanksgiving. Nia? Yeah, Nia and Leni. Tia Leni liked to look at his Daddy like women always looked at his Daddy. Like Daddy was something they wanted to unwrap and eat. He knew enough about sex to know what those looks meant. All that was missing was Mommy to get mad and start yelling at Daddy.
He loved his mommy but he did not miss that.
Outnumbered four to two, Med thought. That's a fraction. He could hear his teacher telling him to simplify the fraction. He did the math.
They were outnumbered 2 to 1. Just no justice in the world.
They walked over to see the fully lit Christmas tree and take pictures and Med took MA's hand. Aigh, she wasn't so bad. Once she had some skates on and she stopped making that noise, she was cool.
"Thanks."
"No problem." She smiled at him. "You're not bad on the ice."
He grinned. "Thanks. Yo, you got that swerve on the ice. How you learn?"
She shrugged. "When we moved back to Trenton. I just learned how."
"Smooth." They turned back around to look at the tree, not realizing that his Daddy and her Aunt Steph were pointing at their hands and laughing silently.
Med had never seen a Christmas tree that big before. It was huge and it had what seemed like a million lights. "Where do they find trees this big?"
"This year's tree is from Connecticut. Last year's tree was from New Jersey." Angie found a sign that gave information about the Christmas tree and read it to everyone.
Cool. He nodded at Angie. She was a smart cookie.
Zoe, Med's crush, would be hurt to know that he hadn't thought of her in days.
—oOo—
Annie snuggled closer to Daddy and smiled.
They were taking a horse drawn carriage through Central Park, just the two of them. Daddy put a blanket on top of them and he'd made her wear thick socks in her shoes but she was still kind of cold. She snuggled closer. Daddies put off a lot of heat.
"Daddy?"
"Yes, princesa?"
She loved Daddy's Spanish accent and she knew princesa was princess. She was Daddy's princess. "What are we doing tomorrow?"
Relaxing, Jorge thought. NYC had passed review. He'd survived a grilling from Ranger, he still had his job, and he'd been told, by Tank, to start planning those client services classes.
The Board had told him he was keeping his job. They were happy with his performance. He'd not been asked to prove proficiency on a gun.
Javi had snorted and told him the LC would not insult either him or Javi with that. If he cleared the standards, they were not going to put him in a gun range and make him prove it all over again. Besides, if someone attacked RM-NYC, Jorge's job would be to coordinate defense of the building. Javi would lead in the field.
Then Javi reminded him he'd done range time with Les before. Javi grinned as Jorge's stomach plummeted, wondering what he needed to correct. "You've already proven you know how to handle the gun, bro. Les loves his guns. If you'd needed correction, he would have corrected you already."
Talk about pressure off. He was sure he'd fumble the gun in front of Ranger. He also realized exactly how good a leader his bro was. Javi always shored him up when he needed it and never let him think he was incapable. Jorge finally, finally, understood why Javi had kept Shane for so long. Too bad Shane had not been worthy of Javi's loyalty.
"Well, we're going to the Rockettes tomorrow. Then we're going to go out to eat at a fancy restaurant."
"What's the Rockettes?"
"It's a dance show. I think you'll like it. You know how the dancers do that high kick?" She nodded. "The Rockettes made that famous."
"Oh."
She concentrated on getting warm. Daddy was warm and he held her tight. When she shivered, Daddy put her in his lap. That was the best thing, surrounded by her very warm, very big, very strong Daddy on a carriage ride through Central Park. The carriage rattled through the grounds, the horses hoofing and snorting at each other as the driver shouted commands and flicked his whip at them. The trees made shadows over them as they passed but the stars (and the lighting) made everything light and bright. Central Park was so pretty at night that Annie forgot to be afraid.
"Daddy?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I come live with you?"
Yes!, Jorge thought. If his little girl wanted to live with him, he'd make something happen. "Of course you can, princesa, but why don't you want to live at home?"
Annie's eyes were starting to feel heavy. "Because Dedu beats up Mommy and yells at Babu. It's quiet at your house and you never yell." She closed her eyes and decided to rest for a minute. This carriage ride was great but she wondered what MA would think. MA was a free horse. These horses were definitely not free.
Jorge sat stiffly, stunned. His daughter had a knack for dropping tiny bombshells on him, leaving him reeling. Tatiana was in an abusive house? Annie was in an abusive house? To hear Pytr talk, he was a doting husband, father, and grandfather.
Then again, to hear Pytr talk, Jorge had hooves and horns and was the devil incarnate.
Why didn't Tatiana leave? She had a degree. Then again, she worked for the family business and Pytr was definitely controlling. Maybe she couldn't leave. Maybe, if she left … oh please, he berated himself mentally. Tatiana's brothers would inherit everything from the restaurants and if Tatiana left, Pytr would fire her. If Tatiana left the business, Pytr would kick her out of the family home too. Homeless andjobless? And unmarried? Pytr would call her unfit and demand to take custody of Annie and, right now, Tatiana couldn't fight on two fronts.
It would be great for him, though.
He thought about what he'd recently overheard Les say to Bobby. I can't fix everyone's problems and hey, if you don't ask for help, I have no obligation to provide it.
Les was right. Annie? He'd try his best to get Annie out of there if Pytr was abusive. Annie was his child, his daughter. He had a right to intervene.
Tatiana? She was on her own.
—oOo—
Kassie Manning was one of fifty new additions to the group on Thursday night. Med, Midi, and Annie all knew her. She was Mr. Doobie's daughter and she was so pretty, her curly blonde hair a real contrast to her light brown skin. Angie wanted to ask … what she was, but Mom had taught her and MA that was a rude question.
She was human. Nothing else mattered.
Kassie was Annie's age and she and Annie were quick to include MA with them. Midi drifted closer to his big brother, who didn't seem to mind his brother's clinginess. Angie wanted to help the adults get everyone ready, but there was no need for her help. There were plenty of adults, plenty of RangeMen and wives, and everyone was ready to go in minutes.
It felt weird to not be needed. No one needed her to wipe a mouth or change a diaper or chaperone a younger kid. She was free to have fun and she realized she wasn't quite sure how.
This left Angie by herself until Mr. Jorge brought over his niece, Nia, to say hello.
"Sup."
Or to say 'sup'. 'Sup' seemed to be the universal hello in NYC. Well, 'yo'. 'Yo' then 'Sup'. Sometimes both together.
"Yo."
"Nice jeans. Love the rhinestones."
"Thanks!" She'd fought with Mom to get these jeans and she liked how they looked. "I love them."
"Those are fly." After that, they were friends for life. Nia was also relieved not to have to babysit and, as much as she liked her new cousin, she was glad to see Annie had some new friends. Midi and one who was actin' like a crack baby.
They rode the subway to Radio City Music Hall (Angie checked those items off her list) and entered the building. Angie really wished she could take pictures, but Aunt Steph told her not to.
"Concentrate on remembering," she said. "When take a picture, you stop paying attention because you're trying to get the picture right. Pay attention and let your mind make the pictures."
That was MA's specialty, not hers, but she tried. Her mind took pictures of the way people hunched themselves against the wind trying to get to the door. She took pictures of fighting to get into the building, getting her ticket from Aunt Steph, and having the man in uniform tear a piece of it away. She took pictures of climbing the worn red carpet up to the balcony and taking her seat in the wooden chairs. She took pictures of how they took up five rows, kids and RangeMen, and how eager they all were to see this show.
Aunt Steph and the RangeMen passed out 3D glasses, for the end of the show, and they sat back. The lights lowered, the curtain was raised, and the show started. Angie was transported. The ladies kicked and danced and tapped across the stage. There were male dancers too, danseurs, and they played the part of elves in Santa's workshop. The music was loud, pulsing, and Angie could feel it in her seat.
She was grateful Aunt Steph told her to concentrate on what she was seeing. People all around them were taking pictures and talking, not really paying attention to the show. How could they when all she could hear was 'Did you get that shot?' and 'I got that shot!'? This was a show, not a bunch of shots! Enjoy the show! Enjoy the dancing!
The show took an intermission and everyone went to the bathroom and got water or popcorn. The show started again and again, Angie was transported. The Rockettes lined up to do the famous high-kick and every kids' mouth dropped. They all did it, in unison, perfectly. Not one person out of sequence. No one was late. And every woman lifted her legs just as high as the next woman. It was perfect … just perfect. They were directed to put on the glasses and they watched Santa come to life and fly around the room before flying right over them!
It was the perfect evening and Angie had tears in her eyes. She wanted to be a dancer. She wanted that gracefulness, that perfection. She wanted to make people smile and laugh and feel something like she just had.
"Aunt Steph?" She hugged her aunt around the waist and Aunt Steph looked down.
"Yes?"
"I want to be a dancer." I want to fly, Aunt Steph.
—oOo—
Midi stared at the place settings in front of him.
Napkin in his lap. He had a fork on his left, knife and spoon on his right. His water was in front of him, on the right above his knife and spoon, and the waiter had just given him a piece of bread. He tried to remember the rules.
Yo, you get bread, you break a small piece off and eat it. Don't eat the whole thing. If they give you butter, butter each small piece before you eat it. Don't butter the whole piece of bread.
He tore into the piece of bread and picked up the little knife he was given with his bread. Daddy had told the waiter to give them adult utensils; His sons knew what to do. Now Midi had to do this right. He couldn't embarrass Daddy.
He looked across and Med was doing the same thing. He broke off a little piece of butter and buttered his bread, then popped it in his mouth. He looked around; Annie was doing the same thing he and Med were. Nia, Angie, and MA tore the bread in half, buttered both sides and tried to cram a whole piece of bread in their mouths.
So was he doing it right or not? "Yes," Mr. Javi whispered. Midi turned to look at Mr. Javi, who winked at him. "You're doing it right."
He smiled down at his plate. Good.
The food arrived and Daddy split a salad and two sausages between him and Med. Midi went for the sausage. These weren't regular hot dogs. These were fancy sausages, that came with other stuff, and Midi slowed down and tried to taste them. The first sausage was … like nothing he'd ever tasted. It was juicy and meaty and it had mashed potatoes and mushrooms. He ate all of it and wondered what that sausage would taste like on a bun with some ketchup.
The second sausage was … weird. It was dark and he wasn't sure if he liked it. He waved at Mr. Javi.
"What's this?"
Mr. Javi looked closely. "It's a lamb sausage. It should taste … strong, I guess would be the word." Midi nodded; sounded like the right word to him. "It has mint in it. Do you taste it?"
"Yes." And it tasted weird. Not bad, really, just weird. He tried the red paste on top, thinking it was ketchup, and spat it out in his napkin. It was hot! It was like hot sauce and it burned! He gulped his water, his eyes watering.
"Midi." Daddy frowned at him and he wiped his eyes.
"The red stuff is spicy, Daddy. It burns," he whimpered.
Daddy tried it from Med's plate and nodded. "Yeah, a little spicy for you." He scraped the rest off Med's sausage. "You OK?"
The stinging had stopped. "Yes, Daddy," he said, wiping his nose with his napkin. His eyes were still watering. Mr. Javi immediately scraped the red sauce off Midi's sausage and put it on his plate. "Thank you," Midi said.
"No problem. How's everything else? You like the salad?"
Midi wasn't a fan of salad but Daddy made them eat some salad every day. No matter what, they had some salad. He tried the salad and he liked it. Everything was chopped up in small pieces. "It's OK."
"So, how did everyone like the Rockettes?" Miss Stephie asked.
Everyone started talking. Midi sat quietly, listening to everyone talk, trying to remember what was said.
Mommy would need to know. They hadn't seen Mommy in four days.
Med might forget Mommy. Daddy might forget Mommy.
But not Midi. Midi would not leave Mommy out. She needed to know since she wasn't here. He didn't want Mommy left out of anything.
—oOo—
Friday! This was MA's favorite day and Aunt Steph had promised her and Angie it would just be them. She slipped out of bed and looked for Angie, finally finding her in the living room of the suite, reading a book.
"MA." Angie put her book down. "You need something?"
"We have any orange juice left?"
Angie shook her head. "I was thinking about going to get some. The grocery store is around the corner."
MA smiled. An adventure! Her follow-the-rules sister wanted an adventure! "Let's go. We can ask one of the bellhops to walk with us."
The girls put on their jeans and T-shirts and went back into the bedroom. "Aunt Steph?"
"Huh?" she groaned, pulling the pillow back over her head.
"We're going to get some orange juice, OK?"
"Sure," she mumbled.
Angie nodded and they grabbed a twenty dollar bill from the bedside dresser. They left the suite and took the elevator down to the ground floor. They waved at the bellhop and asked him where to get OJ.
"The Duane Reade is around the corner," he said, frowning. "How old are you two?"
"Ten and eight," Angie answered.
"Are you from New York?"
"No."
"Then you need to go get an adult."
"We can do this," MA said, indignant. "We're not babies. It's just to the store and back. We're trusted and our aunt knows we're going."
He took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. "OK, I'm coming with you. Yo, Marcus!" The other bellhop nodded. He pointed to them and wiggled his fingers back and forth to say he was walking with them. The bellhop nodded and their bellhop turned to them.
"I'm Daniel. Keep up and never go anywhere in NYC alone if you aren't from here."
"OK," Angie said quietly, chastened. MA didn't care. They were going!
Daniel changed his mind halfway there. "Come on," he said, passing the Duane Reade, "let's hit a real sandwich shop." They went next door to the sandwich place, where Angie and MA realized they could pick up breakfast sandwiches and OJ. MA grabbed the OJ while Angie ordered and, within ten minutes, they had three sandwiches and a carton of OJ.
They took their spoils back to their suite and realized they didn't have a key to get in. They forgot the key. Daniel sighed and used his key to let them in.
Good move. Aunt Steph was up and frantic, stuffing her feet into her shoes.
"Angie! MA! Oh my God, what were you thinking!?" She grabbed them both in a hug and tried to control her breathing.
"We got breakfast," MA said, smiling. Aunt Steph would be so proud of them! They were independent women! They weren't afraid to go get breakfast!
Daniel laughed. "I didn't think they had as much freedom as they were claiming. I think you should keep an eye on them. The younger one is a slick talker."
"Yeah," Aunt Steph said, swallowing hard. She ran into her bedroom and returned and handed him a twenty. "Thank you. Thank you so much for … just watching them."
"No prob." He refused the money, waved to the girls, and walked out.
Aunt Steph collapsed into the sofa and covered her eyes. "Please don't do that again! Your mother would kill me if something happened to you!"
Mom worried too much, MA thought as she bit into her sandwich. Aunt Steph didn't worry about anything. If the worst happened, she'd pick herself up, dust herself off, and do something new. Aunt Steph was a survivor and not even New York City scared her. Her mother hated New York City. It was dirty and had bad traffic and rude people. The people were rapists and muggers and thieves and people got shot and killed every day just for looking someone in the eyes. It wasn't like California, where it was laid back and friendly. It was Trenton, only worse.
MA shuddered. She missed California but only because she missed seeing horses where they lived.
MA? MA wanted to be like Aunt Steph when she grew up. Fearless.
—oOo—
Angie was surprised Aunt Steph was still willing to take them to see Santa. Mom would have grounded them for days and refused to allow them to go anywhere. Aunt Steph told them she was disappointed and they should have made sure she was awake before leaving. They knew she wasn't really awake.
Yeah, that was true.
But after breakfast, Aunt Steph seemed to be over it. They showered and got dressed, ready to have another fun day in Manhattan. They had their lists for Santa and Aunt Steph had smiled and snapped a picture of each one. "A pink tutu, Angie?"
She blushed. "I really do want to dance."
"You were doing great in gymnastics."
"I know." They were in a cab, headed to the 'flagship' Macy's on 34th street. They had the real Santa and Aunt Steph wanted to make sure they got a chance to talk to the real Santa. She didn't believe in Santa anymore, but MA still did and she wouldn't ruin it for her.
They got out of the cab and met up with Mr. Jorge and Mr. Mack and Med, Midi, and Annie. They all trooped up to 'Santaland' and stood in line for what seemed like forever (but was really only forty minutes) until they got to see Santa.
Since Annie was the youngest, she got to go first and she had a long list. Santa listened to her list, chuckling (he 'ho ho ho'd!') and asking if she'd been a very good girl. She said she had and she had the best Daddy and Mommy and she had her list and she hoped Santa would give her what she wanted most, an American Girl doll.
"Which one?" Mr. Jorge muttered.
Santa seemed to hear that and asked Annie which one she wanted. Annie wanted a doll that looked like her.
Mr. Jorge looked stumped. Angie leaned over and tugged at his sleeve until he leaned down. "They have a new line that lets you make your doll look like you."
He looked relieved. "Thanks!" He started tapping on his phone and Mr. Mack laughed quietly.
"Next time, make a boy."
Mr. Jorge flipped him a finger and kept tapping on his phone. He ran over when it was time to take a picture and he and Annie left. Midi was next and his request was simple.
He wanted his Mommy to come home from the jail place. He was certain Mommy had learned her lesson. This was stupid, making Mommy sit in the jail place this long. Mommy had two boys to take care of and they missed her. Maybe Santa would bring her home for Christmas. Santa was his last chance.
Med and Mr. Mack both groaned quietly. Santa and Midi had a whispered conversation and when Midi hopped off Santa's lap, he was smiling.
Med's request was for Daddy to find a lady. A nice lady who liked boys and knew how to cook and would make their Daddy smile. Someone who'd never yell and might be willing to give him another brother. A sister was OK, if she couldn't manage anything else. Oh, and she had to like dogs.
"Nothing very specific," Aunt Steph whispered, teasing, and Mr. Mack's ears turned red.
Oh, and he'd like an iPad. He was tired of sharing their Daddy's iPad with Midi. Mr. Mack groaned again and escorted his sons out
MA thanked Santa for all the great presents he'd brought her the year before (the bike was the best) but she'd been asking to be a horse for five years and she still hadn't turned into a horse. She wanted a straight answer: Was she ever going to be a horse?
"Well, Mary Alice, I do consult with your parents on the big things, like cars, nannies, and horses. Your Mommy and Daddy said that they wanted to allow you to be a horse, but they didn't have any room for you to live. So, for me to turn you into a horse, tell me, where are you going to live?"
"I'll live in my room."
"You'll be too big for your room. Is there room for you in a garage?"
"We don't have a garage." MA frowned. "I have to figure out where I'm going to live?"
"And eat, and go to school, and play with your sister—"
"I'm not going to be a horse, am I?" MA said mournfully.
Santa smiled. "You want something else?"
"No." MA slumped, dejected, but she perked up for the camera. The elf guided her out and finally, it was Angie's turn.
She didn't sit on Santa's lap. "Look, I don't believe in you, but all the other kids did. I just want to take my picture."
"Sounds like a good idea, kid," Santa said. Angie hopped on his lap, took her picture and followed the elf out.
"You don't believe in Santa anymore?" Aunt Steph asked.
"Hard to believe in Santa when you recognize that the Macy's Santa in Trenton is your grandpa's cabbie buddy," MA replied. Aunt Steph laughed silently and filled out the paperwork to get her picture delivered to Mom.
—oOo—
Annie couldn't stop smiling.
She was dressed in her prettiest dress, a pink and purple plaid, with white tights and her white boots. Daddy had laughed and added a fur lined hat before helping her into her new coat, which was lined in the same white fur. Annie felt like the prettiest girl in the world.
"You look beautiful, Annie," he said, smiling.
"Thank you, Daddy." Daddy had on a gray suit and a purple and pink plaid tie to match Annie. Her Daddy was the handsomest man in the world and he never yelled or was mean. She grabbed his hand and he smiled at her and squeezed it, happy that his daughter now initiated contact with him. He didn't have to tease her to hug him. She hugged him freely now.
He handed his camera to his neighbor, Emma, who spent all her time batting her eyelashes at him. He ignored it and told Annie to smile at the camera. Emma took lots of pictures of Annie in her fine dress and in her coat and hat, ready to go out with her Daddy.
They were going to tea at the Russian Tea Room.
Daddy kept his promises. Annie couldn't understand why Mommy said he wouldn't. Daddy always kept his promises.
The taxi pulled up and Daddy told them where to go. While Annie stared out of the window, Jorge thought about the tense conversation he'd had with Tatiana that morning.
She confessed that someone had threatened her father with a police investigation in exchange for custody of Annie. Her father was furious. Jorge had gotten nervous, wondering how subtly Victor had made that threat (he was the only RangeMan within 100 miles who spoke Russian. Jorge had checked, just in case he ever needed to call in a favor) then calmed. If Victor had walked out of a meeting with Pytr alive, and Jorge was still alive, Victor had delivered that threat effectively.
He wondered what else Les had planned. He'd done everything Les had asked him to and, so far, the winds seemed to favor him. All he'd ever wanted was stress-free visitation with his daughter, but ever since he'd told Candy he wanted full custody, things seemed to be happening. The final hurdle was finding a bigger apartment, but Jorge was on it.
Nothing was going to stop him.
So if Tatiana was calling to tell him her father had been threatened, she was at a breaking point. "OK, what do you need?"
"Money."
Nothing new there. He'd wondered if this was just another way to prove he had other income, for a custody battle. "No."
"Jorge! We have to pay our debts! We—"
"Your father would rather die than owe me money," he'd said harshly. "And I don't have it anyway. I've told you, I'm flat broke."
Tatiana had slammed the phone down and panicked. She had no way to protect her daughter. If she didn't hand Annie over, the stranger might keep the promise. Her father was furious. Tatiana was sure Jorge had nothing to do with it (why wait so long?), but …
The police might start investigating her and her parents and Jorge would get custody for sure while she and her parents were certain to go to jail. If she did hand her daughter over … no, she was a mother. She'd find something, some way to protect her child and keep her. Her father was demanding she hand the child over. Pytr loved Annie but he feared their 'backers' more. It wasn't as if that gopnik would hurt the child. He'd fought too hard to get her.
Tatiana didn't know what to do. They were extended on their credit, they had trimmed all their costs to the bone, and they were running razor thin profit margins. Their backers were already rumbling about the fact that they were having problems making their payments. Jorge's back child support was making ends meet in their home. If Tatiana lost custody, they lost that money!
Pytr wanted her to marry, and marry rich, very soon. Tatiana was trying but she was edging close to thirty now and she refused to marry a Russian or Georgian like her father. No. She refused to be beaten all her life.
Annie had no idea that her mother was trying desperately to find a way to keep custody of her. She just knew she was standing in front of the Russian Tea Room! They walked in and Daddy gave his name. They were shown to a nice table and Daddy allowed her to order, using her very bad Russian. The waiter had smiled and answered her in halting Russian, but Jorge detected a French accent. He broke in and answered a question in French and the waiter, relieved, turned to him. Jorge reordered his daughter's tea in French and winked at her as the waiter left.
"Very good job, muñequita."
"I tried, Daddy. What language did you speak?"
"French."
Her eyes widened. "You know French?"
Daddy smiled. "Oui, mademoiselle."
Annie decided to learn French. Daddy spoke French and Spanish. They were at the Russian Tea Room and the waiter, who should speak Russian, spoke French.
Their tea was delivered and Annie picked out the PB&J on a blini, the pig in a blanket, and one grilled cheese to start. Daddy added some apple slices and she used her best manners, the ones Daddy had recently taught her, to eat her little treats and drink her hot chocolate.
Jorge was thinking that he was grateful he hadn't given up. Fatherhood, that moment, was the best moment of his life. Taking his daughter out for high tea in a Russian restaurant, a nod to her heritage, and feeding her a PB&J blini while smiling at the adorable milk chocolate mustaches on her smiling face was worth every minute of waiting and pain he'd experienced.
This is what he'd missed all those years, this happiness, pure simple happiness and he wanted to hate Tatiana for it but he just felt sorry for her. Unlike every other place they'd been, this place, this memory, would be his alone and he'd enjoy it. No pictures shared on Facebook or Instagram for Tatiana to claim. No, he alone would remember this moment and smile.
"More hot chocolate, princesa?"
"Si, Daddy. Thank you."
He poured, smiling. His baby was trying to speak his language back to him! His baby was learning Spanish!
Jorge knew that he'd never share that moment. Never.
—oOo—
Angie and MA had the best week with Aunt Steph. Angie noticed that Aunt Steph never really blinked over paying for anything, unlike her mother, who did the sums in her head. Aunt Steph paid total attention to them and she never yelled or fussed. She didn't have any chores to do, she didn't have to take care of Lisa, and she didn't have to endure a cooking lesson with Grandma. Aunt Steph took her to every place on her list, took lots of pictures, and ensured they talked to their Mom every night.
The weirdest part of the trip was the phone calls Aunt Steph ignored the second night. Aunt Steph would check the Caller ID and silence the phone without answering.
"Who's that?" Angie asked. Her butt still hurt from all the falling on the ice.
"RangeMan," Aunt Steph had answered.
"Do you have to go to work?"
"Nope. I don't." Aunt Steph stared at her phone for a few moments before sighing and switching the phone to silent. Hours later, Angie woke up and headed to the restroom and Aunt Steph wasn't there.
Mr. Phillips was.
"Mr. Phillips?"
He smiled. "Mark. Hello Angie."
"Hi. Where's Aunt Steph?"
"She was called back to RangeMan. Emergency. She'll be back soon."
Angie shrugged and used the restroom, then went and sat with Mr. Phillips and played Uno. He was really cool. He knew lots of horse facts for MA and he'd taken them to the Bed, Bath and Beyond that was on the next block earlier in the day to grab some Uno Cards.
"Do you have to babysit us?" MA had asked.
"Nope."
"Then why are you babysitting us?"
"Because your aunt called in a favor," he'd replied.
The other best part of the trip was that MA stopped being a horse for a few days. New Yorkers looked at her weirdly but mostly ignored her. Aunt Steph just shrugged. "My niece wants to be a horse." She said it matter of factly, no hint of an apology like Mom. After riding the NYC subway, MA realized that while she was considered weird in Trenton, no one even blinked in NYC, not with the 'weirdos' NYC had. Plus, Aunt Steph paid attention to her. She didn't have to fight for attention from Lisa or 'perfect' Angie.
For the first time in their lives, MA and Angie were equals. Aunt Steph paid attention to both of them. They didn't have to be 'perfect' or 'unusual' for attention. They could just be themselves.
That was the best Christmas present ever.
—oOo—
Aunt Steph drove them back to Trenton the Sunday before Christmas and MA and Angie returned to their usual roles. Angie immediately took Lisa inside, cleaned her up, fed her and put her down for a nap, but for the first time ever she resented it. She didn't want to be 'Perfect' Angie. She wanted to be 'Angie the Dancer', but … Mom needed help. Besides, ballet practice was next Tuesday.
MA was a horse again and that was OK, but … she wondered what it would be like to have all of Mom's attention for once.
Val hugged her girls and welcomed them home. She'd missed them and had cooked their favorites for dinner. She also missed the quiet in the house almost immediately, since MA walked in neighing, and she'd missed Angie's help. Val collapsed onto the couch and fanned herself, hoping her new daughter (another daughter!) would stop kicking. Albert quietly listened to his daughters tell him all about their trip to New York and was thankful Steph had taken them. She was just such a nice person and a great sister-in-law.
Med and Midi visited their Mommy in jail before leaving for Miami. They told her about their week at RangeMan and everything they did and Yala was happy for her babies. They nearly spoke over each other in their enthusiasm to tell her about it and, as usual, Midi gave her more details than Med did.
Midi took his Daddy's hand and walked out of Rikers thankful Santa had told him what to do. Santa told him that when people were held in jail, a man called a 'judge' got to decide when they were allowed to come home. Perhaps Midi should write the 'judge' and ask him to set his Mommy free.
Med loved his Mommy but he was ready to start looking for a lady for Daddy. He'd asked everyone he knew and got the same answer: when Mommies and Daddies got divorced, they never got back together.
Yala, in tears, watched them leave then called her lawyer. Alicia was right. It was time to make some decisions.
Mack got on the plane ready to move his life forward. He was done with Yala and ready to get his sons into good schools and safe environments. He would miss Brooklyn, though, and his NYC bros, more than he'd ever be able to tell them. They'd helped him rebuild himself from a thug and criminal into a legal hustler who was making major paper. He hated that he was being forced to leave Brooklyn like he did something wrong, but his sons came before everything. Their Mommy was going to be in the pen for some time. It was not the time for him to die over his pride.
Jorge spent the days up to and after Christmas looking for a new apartment, a two bedroom in a safe community with good schools. Mack called him from Miami and said that, if everything worked out, he would turn over his apartment to Jorge. It had two bedrooms, was close to RangeMan, and was under rent control. Jorge hung up thinking that RangeMan brotherhood was the most amazing thing he'd ever known.
Annelise only knew that Santa was the best. She had her American Girl doll, one that looked just like her, and she'd talked to Mommy on Christmas and told her about her everything Daddy had done. Tatiana hung up more desperate than ever to come up with a plan to keep her daughter because, so far, Jorge was winning the PR war with their daughter.
Steph flew to Louisiana and had one of the best Christmases of her life with Ranger, Tank, and Lula. She and Chenae got to know each other and finally found where they had things in common. Mrs. CJ? She wondered if she could get Mrs. CJ to move to Miami to stay with her or at least adopt her. Hector video called, a big yellow hat on his head, to say that he'd had one of the best Christmases of his life with Mijo, Nikki and (gag) Mark. Les and Bobby had a wonderful Christmas in Atlanta. They were swigging eggnog and smiling and Les was standing on his head.
Everything was right in the world again.
—oOo—
They were five children, all of whom had some issue at home that made life less happy than it should be but, for one week, they all had fun. They ate, played, and did things they'd never done before.
They forgot about Mommy being in jail.
They forgot about Mommy's pinched face and the yelling and screaming.
They forgot about the lack of money and the quiet tense conversations and the worry.
For one week, they were children. And children?
They just want to have fun.