Unexpected

Part 4: Don't

"Grandfather! No! I'm having fun here, Auntie! Please don't send me back! Please!" Helen sighs heavily and rolls her eyes as she continues up the stairs.

"The only reason I agreed to this in the first place is because your Grandfather begged me to take you off his hands for a bit. He's under a lot of stress from your father's passing and..." She waits, expecting some sort of comment or half thought remark, but when none comes- she turns around and finds Daphne missing. "Pearl?! This is not funny!"

Walking down a few steps, she peaks around the corner to try and spot her, but she finds no one. Looking back up the stairs, she wonders if she missed the girl slipping passed her.

"Pearl?!" She waits and listens to her echo resonate off the cinder block walls. "Daphne!"

***

Picking up Luna from the nursery, Max yawns tiredly, but is glad the child has fallen asleep. She's less fussy when she's asleep.

More compliant and loving.

Getting in an elevator, he rides it down and gets to the lobby. Popping in his headphones, he listens to some classical music as he walks home in the dark night sky, illuminated with orange florescent lights and the changing street lights and blinking car signals.

He goes down into the subway- a quicker route at night- one where he can relax and just think about nicer things.

He gets on the train, sits in one of the first few seats near the door and just closes his eyes as he sits there holding Luna protectively against his chest.

He listens to Mozart and Bach. Mendelssohn. Kodaly. Bartok and Tchaikovsky.

As he reaches the second stop on the subway, he gets up and departs, moving tiredly slow and pained by the thoughts of the tragedy that was today.

Dying almost would have be preferable to the disaster between him and Helen. If he didn't push and would have just let her speak- things probably would have been better between them. He'll, maybe they would have come to a peaceful understanding or at least discovered something worth knowing.

What he shared was less than worthy.

Her views.

Her views were just a poisonous.

Now, he can't fully blame her for saying what she had.

He backed her into an emotional corner and gave her no clear opening to move passed his words.

He gave her no choice and he should have.

Walking up his apartment steps, he makes his way inside and up to his apartment. Unlocking the door, he can barely keep his eyes open, he's so exhausted. He shuts the door, heads to out Luna in bed, when a knock takes him by surprise. Looking at his watch, it's 9:20. Only a mad person would disrupt someone at that late hour.

Knock knock knock.

Going to the door, he looks out his peephole and sees no one standing on the other side.

"Fucking weird." He mumbles as he turns to head back to his bedroom to sleep.

Knock knock knock!

"The fuck..." Looking out the peephole once more, he finds no one. As he pulls about a foot away from the door, the knocking begins and he throws open the door- fully convinced that he's going insane.

Until.

"Pearl?" She calls out as she searches her floor. "Excuse me, Maria- have you seen a little girl. Similar skin tone to me- maybe a shade lighter. Tiny ringlet curls in two pigtails. She was wearing a green jumper and blue jeans. Um...she has a necklace on- there's an elephant on the chain. Have you seen her?"