Valentina - [wlw]

twenty five

So far so good. I'm starting to wonder if I should record this?

I pretend to look at my phone for a second and silent it instead, then start a video but place my phone facedown so no one can see I'm recording.

"What do you mean you'll get in trouble?" I asked curiously.

Sophia glanced around again.
"N-nothing. I just mean he'll get angry with me if I talk about it again. I don't like making my dad angry... it scares me sometimes."

I looked at her with a sorrow expression.
I knew that feeling once. My foster parents would scare the living hell out of me when one of them got pissed over anything.

Mostly because that meant they'd be taking it out on me. I was the punching bag.

"Sophia.. has anything bad ever happened when your dad gets super angry?" I asked in a soft voice. Doing my best to tread lightly.

Sophia stayed quiet.

"Sophia..?" I asked again.

Her bottom lip trembled a bit reminding me of Vivi the night Valentina almost didn't let her sleep with us. Sophia unzipped her backpack and reached inside grabbing her teddy, hugging it to her tightly.

"Hey it's okay.." I placed a hand on her arm gently. "We don't have to talk about it anymore if it upsets you. But just know I'm here if you want to talk alright?"

Sophia nodded sniffling and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

I smiled at her rubbing her back comfortingly trying to calm Sophia down.

She continued to hug her teddy tightly. Fiddling with the locket a little which gave me an idea for a conversation starter.

"I like your locket.. I remember you showing it to me last time. I have one too." I said showing her the gold locket I wore around my neck.

Sophia looked at it and smiled a little.
"Do you have a picture inside it too?"

"Mhmm.." I nodded. "Wanna see?"

She nodded and turned her body more towards me. I grabbed my locket opening it to show her the photo inside of it.

"She's pretty.. who is that?" Sophia asked.

"She was my aunt. But she passed away when I was little.. she was really sick." I said taking a deep breath after.

Sophia reached for my locket, softly stroking the photo with her thumb. "So was my mommy.. she was super sick so my dad had to take care of her all of the time."

I watched her pull her hand back.

"Dad said she was too ill for me to be around her because she could get me sick, so she had to stay in their bedroom all the time. I miss her.." Sophia said frowning.

Something about what she said didn't sit right with me. Parker is Doctor, if his wife was so ill to the point of contagion wouldn't she put in the hospital and not left at home?

"I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sure she was an amazing mommy huh?" I said.

Sophia nodded and opened her own locket.
"Yeah. I bet my real mom is an amazing mommy too.." she said pausing. "I just wish she wanted me."

Oh baby you have no idea.

I pressed my lips together refraining from commenting. Something tells me Parker told her that Valentina didn't want Sophia to begin with. Which was absolutely not true.

"I think she did." I said brightly causing Sophia to look up at me confused.

"I think your mom loves you just as much as your mommy did. If not more because she's probably out there right now missing you and trying to find her way back to you." I said knowing there might be consequences to this.