Elizabeth

24: Nicky

Two Years

Romeo

"We are going to Texas," Dad says. He barges in my room. I'm sleeping...kind of.

There's alcohol glass stuck in my room, and I smell like it too.

"You can do it yourself," I scoff.

"Up. Now," he says. He throws me out of bed. "Take a shower. Plane leaves in thirty minutes."

"No."

"I'm not fucking arguing this. Get up and out of bed."

"What do you expect me to do in Texas?" I scoff.

"Eliza Diaz is in Texas," is all Dad says. With those words, I perk up. "She works at a bar as a bartender. There's not much information about her. There's a birth certificate of a two-year-old boy."

"A boy," I mumble. I get up and rub my face with my hands. "Don't fuck with me, Dad. I can't take this."

"I'm not," is all he says. He begins to clean up my room. "But if it's her, you need to clean up."

...

Elizabeth

Later that night

It's been two years.

Aaron keeps telling me to start healing.

I remind him that I don't love him the way he loves me.

He doesn't care. He wants me to be kind to myself, but I can't be kind. I'm a single mother to a two-year-old son. He often asks about Daddy. He's too young to understand what really happened. Would I even tell him the truth when he is older?

"I need you to work the floor for a minute. I've got a call I need to take," Aaron says.

"But, Dominic," I remind. He's in my arms. Aaron's already halfway upstairs and I've got a floor full of people who want to eat. I come behind the bar and popped open some beers for those waiting while ringing up others who were ready to pay.

"Mama?" Asks little Dominic.

"Not now, baby," I whisper as I hold him with one arm while ringing up another customer.

How has my life come down to this?

The bell to the bar rings again. "Welcome in! Find a table and I'll be there in a few!" I say. They take a table and I start filling up waters for them as they look over the menu on their phones.

Eventually, Aaron comes back down. He helps me. So, while I do some booking, he takes care of the food and drinks.

"Welcome!" He says to another group who has just walked in. "Eliza, get that table cleared off for them."

"Yeah," I say as I fumble with Dominic. He's on the edge of falling asleep in my arms.

As I walk to clear the table, I can smell the smoke of the man who has just walked inside. I can smell the cologne on him and the once-familiar scent of this man. I almost fall dizzy because of how fast I turn my head.