Amore Mio ✓

LXXV. Luggages

Alice's POV:

Two weeks have passed since Randy's death.

Two weeks after I saw Carla.

I've been calling her, but Carla's phone was off or, more specifically, canceled. I tried calling her house, but no one picked up.

Throwing my phone down, I rested my elbow against the couch armchair staring at the black television screen. The couch beside me creaked, and Neilson rubs my arm, "Hey, it will be okay," he comforts me as I laid my head on his shoulder.

I bit my trembling lips, "What if something happened to Carla?"

Neilson held me tighter, "Oh no no, Angel, don't think that."

"Carla is pregnant, and Rand-" I couldn't speak any further, only dug myself into his chest, a muffled cry lingering in the air as Neilson patted my back, attempting to soothe me.

After several hours of crying and a mountain of used tissues, I finally calmed down. Neilson handed me a cup of hot chocolate, brushing my wet hair back. I pulled the soft blanket over me, feeling the warmth of the container as the mellow scent of chocolate invaded my senses. I sip on the liquid, exhaling a long breath.

"Have you tried calling her house?" he asks.

I nod, "No one is picking up. I even tried to go to her house, but no one opened the front door no matter how much I rang the bell."

"What about everyone else? Did they manage t-"

I shook my head, "No one heard from her since Randy's funeral."

"Have you gone to Randy's house?"

I look at him, taking a few blinks. "No, I haven't."

I laid the cup down, allowing the blanket to fall off my lap. Neilson grabbed my wrist, pulling me back on the couch. "It's late. You don't want to disturb Mrs.Ricci. Go tomorrow morning."

The next morning, I drove to Randy's house. Parking my car on the street, I turned on the alarm and walked towards his house. I stopped staring at the dead yellow grass hiding behind a metal fence. I took a step back, noticing his home looked like every single one locating in the street. The cream paint was chipping off of the walls while wild vines climbed up in the corners. The glass was cracked, handed together by a window frame with large flakes of white paint lying like dandruff. The place was old, and it looked abandoned.

Clutching onto my purse, I stepped forwards towards the red front door and knocked twice. I would ring the bell but remembered it's broken, and they didn't have any spare money to fix it. After some long silence, I knock again, wondering if Mrs.Ricci is working. The second she was released from the hospital, she started working still, wanting to keep her mind off Randy.

I look through the smudged window and scream: "Hello? Is anyone home?"

I knock at the door again, then turn towards the street, releasing a sigh. The door creaks open, and I spun around, eyes meeting with steel blues. "Carla?"

My body slams against her, and she chuckles, "What's up?"

"What's up? What's up?! Carla! You haven't been in school for like two weeks! No one can reach you! What do you mean what's up!" The tears were leaking from my eyes before I knew it.

She gave me a small smile, "I'm sorry. My parents cut off my phone line."

"Carla, why are you here?"

Scanning her body, I realized she was in blue and red boxers with a large white t-shirt with a yellow stain on the side, which I assumed to belong to Randy. Her dirty blonde hair was tied up into a messy side bun that covers her swollen red eyes.