𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨- 𝙀𝙡𝙞 𝙈𝙤𝙨𝙠𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙯/ 𝙃𝙖𝙬𝙠

Twenty Two

Daniel poured some wine for Amanda in her wineglass as they sat across from Alexander and Lauren Crown for brunch at the fancy restaurant. They were one of the oldest clients of the Larusso auto group and quite chatty people, sometimes a little too chatty. They both were in their mid forties, and looked like old money. 

The four have been there for the last ten minutes and it was going so well. Alexander made a silly joke that made everyone in the table laugh out loud, even almost have tears come out of Daniel's eyes.

" So I heard your daughter...Flora is back home now?" Lauren asked looking at Amanda with concern as her smile composed. Flora was never not home, for her California was her second home, Bloomsbury was always the first one.

" Yes, she has been doing so well for a while." Amanda told taking a sip of her wineglass anxiously and she hated how quiet the restaurant was, and how sad the sound of the piano in the background was, " It feels so great, you know."

Who hurt the pianist? Amanda wondered. 

" We are so proud of her." Daniel added with a smile and he indeed looked proud, even though Flora become quite rude because of how unfair life has been for her she learned kindness as well, " She has been so brave."

" You ask me, she's a lucky one." Alexander chuckled, before turning a little bit serious,  " You guys made a very wise decision, moving to England when you did."

" It wasn't easy, I know." Lauren sympathically said, " We've been through the exact same situation, so we know exactly how you guys must've struggled."

Amanda's eyebrows rose up and she couldn't help but let out a scoff. Same situation? Bullshit. No one knew how they felt. And it was always annoying when someone said they did when they were not even close to having a similar situation. 

" Mummy! Why doesn't God kill me already?" Flora asked taking heavy quick breaths making Amanda swallow a gulp to control her tears. The room looked like grief and smelt like it. Daniel was outside waiting for the extra oxygen cylinders to arrive. 

" It's going to be okay soon, sweetheart. " Amanda promised kissing her forehead and felt like she was deceiving her daughter. 

" It's n-not." Flora almost shouted feeling rage, before she felt out of breathe, it was unfair, and she wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, but her lungs wouldn't allow her to " Fuck.... it hurts, I can't even cry." She couldn't hold her breath long enough to cry and she couldn't laugh without a care in the world.

Amanda just pressed her lips together to prevent her sobs from being heard.

" I'm so mad at God," Flora gasped as she squeezed Amanda's hand, " I wanna throw darts at that arsehole."

Amanda chuckled as tears went down her cheeks, " Which God do you wanna throw darts at? We are gonna print them out."

" Jesus and all the pretty Greek Gods in the universe," Flora grinned, but her face was all red, like she has been left in an ice castle alone and naked. That's how the pain felt like as well, " Let's destroy those bastards!"

"Now Daniel, you know how Alex's father got diagnosed with Cancer three years ago." Lauren sighed tiredly, Daniel looked at Amanda in worry, And he could see the discomfort in how she was sipping her wine to avoid saying something, " He was only 76. The treatments, doctors, hospitals. We tried it all but nothing worked. Your daughter however, as Alex said she's lu-"

" Jessi! Tell mumma!" Seven year old Flora cooed, " Lenni is so small, we can't leave him out, he'll die." As she pierced out of the cozy living room window, looking at the stray kitten on their front yard, almost getting lost in the snow.