We sat in silence for a moment. The car was sitting in the unloading zone of JFK airport. Cars were zipping by. People were rushing into the terminal. Tears filled my eyes. I hadn't been away from my husband for a night since we got married. "I'll be okay."

He nodded. He was focused straight ahead. Bryan was not happy that I was flying across the country. But I had to go. I had to see my father. A knock on my window made me jump. I rolled down the window. An airport security guard leaned down. "Keep it moving folks."

Bryan turned to him and pulled out his NYPD badge. The guard nodded and walked away. He set his badge on the dash. He sighed. "Please, please be careful."

I leaned over and kissed him. We stayed there for a moment. Then I pulled away and opened the door. "I love you."

"Love you too." He said. His blue eyes so tinged with concern. I hated to upset him.

I carefully exited the car. I opened the back door and picked up my bag. Then I waved one last time and then Bryan pulled into traffic. I was worried about him. He was going undercover to catch a drug dealer. The guy had a nasty reputation. Three cops had already died trying to bring him down. I looked up and said a prayer.

I made my way to the ticket counter. The line wasn't very long and I made it up front rather quickly. "Name?" The clerk said.

"Persephone Lockhart."

The woman's eyes narrowed. "You're kidding."

I snorted and shook my head. I pulled out my driver's license and showed it to her. My full name printed across the plastic card. The clerk shook her head. I sighed. I got that reaction a lot when I told people my name. Sometimes I hated it. I wished celebrities would think harder about the unusual names they saddled their children with Sure it looked cool but they weren't the ones that had to live with them.

After getting my tickets I headed to my gate. Sitting down nearby I rummaged in my bag and pulled out my Kindle. I started reading the latest novel by Roy Edison. IT was a crime mystery. I was startled as someone sat down right next to me. A large man with a bad comb over. The odor of cigars and greasy burgers soon permeated the air. I wanted to gag. Being pregnant seemed to make smells even worse. He leaned over to me. His breath was like death. "Hello beautiful."

I tried to fake a smile. "Hello." I said hesitantly.

"What are you reading there?" He said with a scratchy breathy voice.

"A book."

He shifted in his chair. It made a horrible screech. The sound sent shivers up my spine. I hated to be rude but this man's odor was making me nauseous. "What kind of book?"

"It's a crime mystery novel."

He snorted. "Sounds boring."

I could feel my breakfast making its way north. I picked up my bag. "Excuse me." I waddled to the nearest restroom.

When I was finished I came out just as they were announcing boarding for my flight. Luckily I was in first class. I walked to the gate and handed the attendant my ticket and identification. Making my way into the plane I settled into my seat.

I was feeling apprehensive about seeing my father. The last time I saw him was about five years ago. I had just gotten out of the Marine Corps. He came for a random visit as he often did. I was so happy that I had just been accepted to the New York City police academy. He scoffed at the idea. His daughter wanted such a pedestrian life. He tried talking me into being a singer or an actress. But I had no desire. No interest whatsoever to follow in my mother's footsteps. It was bad enough I had to live with the stigma of being Joanie Lynn Collins's daughter. I wasn't going to try and live in her shadow in Hollywood. I wanted more to life. We fought about it. And he left. I hadn't seen him since.

Other passengers filed past me. The grotesque man squeezed by. I smiled as he headed for coach. He seemed disappointed. I was relieved but felt sorry for whomever was stuck flying next to him.

I awoke suddenly from a sound sleep. I looked around and the lady across the aisle from me looked concerned. She reached over and lightly touched my arm. "Are you alright dear?"

I nodded. I was having a rather horrible dream and I sat there out of breath. "Just a bad dream." I moved the seat into an upright position and unfastened my seat belt and stood up to head to the latrine. IT was occupied so I stood there. My baby was moving a lot. I placed my hand on my stomach. IT was such an awesome feeling.

Upon returning to my seat the lady next to me smiled. She appeared to be in her mid-fifties. She wore a nice flowery blouse. She had the real warm "mom" look. "Are you feeling better, dear?"

I smiled and nodded. "Oh yes much."

She looked at my growing belly. "When are you due?"

It was a question I heard often as of late. Most of the time I hated the questions but this lady seemed so friendly I decided to oblige. "July the fourth."

She chuckled. "Oh a patriotic baby. You should name him George or Georgia if it's a girl." I chuckled also. She held out a hand. "I'm Lydia."

I shook her hand. "Persephone." Her eyes lit up.

"Like the Greek Goddess of spring."

I couldn't help but smile. Most people scoffed or shook their heads at my name. "Yes like that." I laughed.

"I bet most people think it's a crazy name."

"Oh you have no idea." I said. "I guess my mother thought it was unique."

"Oh it is," Lydia said. "You shouldn't be embarrassed. It's a beautiful name. You should embrace it."

I was starting to really like this lady. She reminded me of my Aunt Karen. The only real mother I had known. She felt warm like a mother should. The little I remember about my mother was anything but. She often seemed too busy for me. Or she was too high to notice I existed. I smiled. "Thank you."

She nodded. I shifted in my seat. Finding comfort these days wasn't easy. "So do you know what you're having?"

"A boy." My husband had been elated when we found out. Neither of us really cared but he had expressed he wanted a boy.

"I have four."

My eyes widened. "Wow, That's a lot."

She laughed. "Oh yes. But it was all worth it."

Lydia and I talked the rest of the flight. I was a little sad to say goodbye when we reached Los Angeles. She was meeting with one of her sons. We waved goodbye as I crawled into a cab. I sighed as I directed the driver to a hotel.

I stood in front of the mirror in the room. Dark brown eyes stared back at me. I was putting on makeup as I worked up the nerve to go see my father. Surely it wasn't that scary. I had found out about him while in Hell. I had survived Hell. Why was this making me nervous now?

Outside I waited for the cab the front desk had called for me. I looked down at the dress I had on. It wasn't the loveliest. But it fit over my growing belly. It only went a little past my knees. It was a dark blue color. My husband loved it. The cab pulled up and I got in. "Can you take me to Lux?"

The driver looked back at me. He appeared to be Hispanic. He was clean cut and looked around forty years of age. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Very sure."

He shrugged and put the car into gear and we headed towards the club.