Tortured Souls -Oscar Diaz 2-

Chapter 26

Sofia sat on the counter, a complex expression on her face. "Have you completely lost your mind?"

Oscar laughed at her words. "Think about it, baby. We got nothing tying us here-"

"I beg to differ," she cut him off. Sofia had her family here. They weren't supposed to be leaving for weeks. "I have a job still. I can't just pack up and leave earlier."

Oscar placed a hand on her cheek. "Think about it, okay?"

"Think about what? We can't just leave." It seemed crazy to Sofia. "I mean, what about Cesar? Or Ruby? Oscar-"

"You were right. I have a daughter. We have a daughter." Sofia stared up at him. "This family comes first. I can't help Cesar. He's smart. I'm sure he'll be okay. Plus, he has good friends. Monse, Jamal, Ruby. I'm sure they'll work everything out." It wasn't enough to convince her. "And if I know anything about Ruby, it's that he never backs down from a challenge." Sofia laughed. "Come on."

She sighed, "are you sure you're not trying to move to have another kid?"

It was his turn to laugh. "That's only part of the reason." Sofia stared at him, a faint smile on her face. "I wanna start the next chapter of my life with you." After a moment of contemplation, Sofia nodded. Oscar was right. This family is her life now. Ella is her life. She needed to focus on that and not fixing past mistakes. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes, it's always going to be a yes." Oscar kissed her cheek. "But after Christmas."

Oscar's phone started ringing. "One second." Sofia sighed, slumping against the cabinets. "Hello." He spoke into the phone. She watched as all the happiness drained from his face in seconds.

"Oscar?"

He took a step back. "Okay." With that, he hung up the phone. Sofia waited for him to say something. "They've identified the body." Her heart dropped into her stomach. "We're getting out of here."

"Okay." They needed to leave. There was no timeline, not with the risk of Oscar being arrested for murder. After all, he helped kill Cuchilios.

"Hey," he stopped her. "It's going to be fine. We're going to have a great life far away from here."

"Oscar," she began. "We already have a great life. Do you see that over there?" Sofia pointed at Ella. "We made that. Given it was made entirely by accident, but we still did that." Oscar stared at his sleeping daughter. Never in a million years did he think this would become his life, but he wouldn't change anything. "Our life is perfect, but it will get better after we move."

"Because," he placed a hand on her stomach. "We are definitely having more children."

Sofia smacked his hand away, rolling her eyes. "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. Let's focus on moving first."

"I think I can manage that."

"You better." She patted his chest. Sofia hopped off the counter. "And since you're not busy, you can make dinner since I'm such a bad cook."

As she walked away, Oscar laughed. "Love you."

"Love you too."

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why do we need to take pictures," Sofia questioned into the phone. She was standing in her bedroom folding laundry. The phone was thrown on the mattress. The speaker button was pushed, allowing her to hear better.

"Because," her Abuletia responded. "We need to have family photos. We need to have memories." Sofia hummed in response. "Mija, you have a beautiful family. That is part of our family now, and we have no pictures. It's unacceptable!"

She couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, okay, crazy lady. I'll put together some outfits-"

"Nice outfits. I have Oscar's measurements. I'm making him a suit."

Sofia stopped moving, placing a hand on her hip. "Why do you have his measurements? Better yet, how did you get them?"

"I took them while he was sleeping."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

Abuelita laughed. "Do you have the dress I made Ella still?"

She thought for a moment. "The blue one? Yeah. Why? Do you want that nice of clothing?"

"What part of nice outfits do you not understand?" Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Do I need to come over there and do everything myself?"

It wasn't like Abuelita to get stressed over something this simple. It concerned Sofia. Recently, the woman's attitude had been different. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, why would you ask me that?" There was clear worry in her voice as if she had been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing—that only concerned Sofia more.

"No reason." She decided to pocket the information. "Oh, I already told Ma, but I don't think she told you. Oscar and I are going to leave sooner rather than later, for obvious reasons." Abuelita knew about Cuchilios. She knew her body had been found. It was smart to get out of the area and start over somewhere else.

There was a silence on the other end of the phone. "Leaving?"

"Yeah, we're just going to move earlier. Nothing is keeping us here."

"Okay." Abuelita was crying. "That's fine."

"Are you crying?"

"No," she snapped. "No, I am fine."

Sofia didn't believe her. "Okay, whatever you say."

"We must do these pictures sooner then. I'll tell Ruby."

"Wait-" she hung up the phone. "Damn."

There was a knock on the door. The girl spun around, her black hair flying over her shoulder. "Hey," Oscar pulled at the collar of his shirt. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." Sofia crossed her arms. "Abuelita's acting weird. Has she said anything weird to you recently?"

Oscar walked into the room. "Nothing more than the usual." Sofia pursed her lips. "Is everything okay?"

"She's very adamant we take family pictures, you and Ella included. She's being crazy about everyone looking nice. She even made you a suit."

He sat on the bed, placing his hands on his wife's hips. "Okay? You know how she is. She was the first person to learn about Ella. Maybe she just wants to capture the memories before we're long gone."

Oscar had a point. Sofia was looking too much into it. "You're right. Sorry."

"Don't apologize." She stared at him, a smile on her face. "I came in here to tell you dinners ready."

"Great," Sofia stepped out of his grasp. "I'm starving." Spinning around, she walked towards the kitchen. Oscar stood up, following after her.