Oh great! This is just great! You lost her!"
Tony shook his head. "No, don't say that or even think it! You haven't lost her. You can't lose her."
He picked the phone up and dialed home.
RING! RING!
"Oh maybe that's them telling us they took our advice and are eloping to Las Vegas!" Mona grinned. She got up off the couch and went around and picked the phone up.
"Hello!"
"Mona?"
"Yes, it's me. Am I talking to my soon to be son-in-law?"
"What? Mona, what are you talking about?"
'You know. The note we left for you. We said we would fully support the two of you throwing caution to the wind and eloping to Las Vegas."
Tony groaned. "Mona, I don't have time for this. Is she there?"
"Who? Angela?"
"YES ANGELA!" he shouted.
'Whoa back off there Bub!"
He took a couple of deep breaths.
"I'm sorry Mona. I didn't mean to yell. I'm just worried and scared."
"Why? What's wrong?"
Sam and Jonathan got up and walked around and stood beside Mona.
"Mona, what is it?"
'Yeah, what's wrong?"
Mona shook her head at them.
"Tony? What is going on? Did you have a fight?"
"He sighed, "No, we didn't. We were actually having a nice time until Linda showed up."
"LINDA? Who the hell is Linda?"
Sam and Jonathan looked at each other.
'Linda?" Jonathan mouthed. Sam shrugged her shoulders.
"She's a friend of Kathleen's. They work together."
"I see."
"Yeah, and when she saw us together she accused me of two timing Kathleen. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't what it looked like. That she had it all wrong. But she didn't believe me."
"Okay, well I can see how she would think that."
"Mona, that's not all that happened."
"Okay, then out with it."
"Linda asked Angela if she knew that Kathleen was going through a family crisis. Angela said that she did. Then she asked her if that meant she thought she could just steal her man."
"I hope my baby said yes!"
"She didn't say yes. She didn't get a chance to say anything because Linda called her a bitch and slapped her right across the face."
"She did what?!"
"Yeah. We were both so shocked that for a few seconds I couldn't move. Then I checked to make sure she was okay."
"Of course you did." Mona grinned.
'Then I told her she had no right to do that. But she kept going on and on about Angela making the moves on her friend's man." He groaned in frustration.
After a few moments he continued. " I then told her that Angela and I are best friends and if I want to have dinner with my best friend that is my business and that she and Kathleen don't own me."
Mona rolled her eyes at best friends. Yes she knew that they were but couldn't he have just told this Linda chick that he was having dinner with the woman he loved and he was going to tell Kathleen to take a hike?
"And? Go on."
"Linda asked me if I thought sneaking around behind Kathleen's back was okay. I told her that we don't owe her any more explanations and that the conversation was over."
"Did she back off then?"
"Oh no. She told me that I had a lot of nerve two timing the woman I love while she is going through an emotional time."
Mona clutched the phone. "And what did you say to that?"
"I told her that the woman I love is not going through an emotional time. She is sitting right here!"
Mona squealed. "Oh my gosh! You did?!" She covered her hand over the phone.
"He finally said it, kids! He told Angela he loved her."
Sam and Jonathan started jumping up and down.
"Mona!" He yelled.
"Oh, this is great!" she answered him.
"No, it isn't."
"Why what do you mean?"
"We argued some more and then Curtis came with a police officer. He saw Linda slapping Angela on the camera in his office. The officer asked Angela if she wanted to press charges."
"And did she? Please tell me she did."
""She did. But when the officer was escorting her out she looked right at Angela and told her she was going to pay for this."
'Oh no. "
"Curtis then apologized and told us dinner was on the house. Angela said she had to get out of there. I begged her to stay so we could talk but she said that she couldn't. Before I knew what was happening she was out the door and I saw her get into her jag and drive away. I ran to my jeep and drove after her. We had about two, maybe three cars between us. Then I found myself behind her at a stop light. I tried to get her attention but she wouldn't look at me. Then the light turned green and I drove after her but then at one of the crosswalks a family walked through so of course I had no choice but to stop. When I was finally able to go Angela was gone."
'Oh no."
"That's why I'm worried. Mona, she was so upset. I have to find her. Do you think she went to either Isabelle's or Wendy's?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
Tony felt a cold chill come over him.
"Mona? You don't think she is with Andy do you?"
"Why would she go there?"
'"I don't know! To tell him that she will marry him?!"
"Tony, Angela loves you and you told her that you love her. Why would she go to Andy's and tell him she would marry him?"
"I didn't exactly tell her that I loved her. I mean yeah I did but I shouted it to shut Linda up."
Another cold chill went through his body.
"Oh my God. What if the reason Angela is so upset is because she doesn't believe me? What if she thinks I only said it to shut Linda up?!"
"Tony, look don't jump to conclusions! I'll call Isabelle and Wendy and if she is there I will call you back. "
"Okay. Okay. Thanks Mona."
They said goodbye and hung up.
'What's going on Grandma?" Jonathan demanded.
Mona held her hand up and began dialing Isabelle's number.
"Hello?"
"Isabelle, it's Mona. Is Angela there by any chance?"
'No, she isn't.. Is something wrong?"
"Oh no, everything is fine. I just need to talk to her is all."
"Okay. If I hear from her I'll let her know you are looking for her."
'Thanks Isabelle! Bye!"
"Bye!'
Mona hung up and dialed Wendy's number.
"Hello?"
"Wendy, it's Mona. Is Angela there?"
"No, she isn't. Is everything okay?"
"I just wanted to ask her something and she isn't here so I thought maybe she was with you or Isabelle. I already called her and she wasn't there."
"Okay. Well if she comes over I'll tell her that you are looking for her."
"Thanks Wendy. Bye!"
"Bye!"
They hung up.
"All right Mona! What in the world is going on?!"
Mona shook her head and walked around and sat back down on the couch. They followed and sat down beside her. She filled them in on what Tony told her and when she was finished their faces were filled with fear and shock.
"Oh my gosh. Poor Angela!"
"I know."
"Tony is going to keep looking for her right?"
Mona looked at him. "Of course he will. Wherever she is. He will find her."
She got up and walked to the window above the bench. She pulled the curtain back..
"So where are you Angela?"
#######################################################
Angela had kept on driving not knowing or even caring where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away. She thought about going to either Isabelle's or Wendy's but she figured that would be one of the first places he would check and she didn't want to put either one of them in the middle and she didn't want to ask them to lie for her. So she had just kept driving without a destination in mind. But fate stepped in and now she was at one of the last places she ever thought she would be.
She looked around the memories flooding back.
Why here? Why here of all places had she stopped?
The memories were too painful. Actually they were good memories but after everything that had happened the last few months she couldn't help but remember them with a jolt of pain.
She leaned her head on the steering wheel and sobbed. It hurt too much. Why did he tell her he loved her if he didn't mean it? She picked her head up and grabbed a few tissues from her purse and blew her nose. She got out of the car and went around front and leaned against the hood.
She looked up at the sky. It was filled with stars.
"Why Tony? Why did you tell me you loved me if you don't? "
"You're wrong Angela. He does love you.". A voice whispered from behind her.
