Winds Of Heaven

Chapter 2

Ariana looked up with a lazy smile. "I'm a city girl. I love Chicago."

Teasing Arina, Camila grunted and got up. She offered her hand. "You love to spend money." She lifted Ariana and pulled her close.

"Don't bring the whole country up on me, Ms. Cabello. You love the city's spotlight too. You can't stay away from Chicago for too long." She reached out and held Camila's chest. "I'd like to take credit for that."

"You should too," Camila whispered, then laughed and stepped away. "I need to get organized. We have to leave in the morning." She slapped Ariana's rear and walked down the hallway to the bedroom.

It was a long trip back from Wisconsin. Well, long for Camila. Ariana snored the whole way to Chicago. She parked in the underground garage of Ariana's apartment building. "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."

Ariana groaned and stretched. "Are we back already?"

"Yes, darling. Thank you for keeping me company." Camila unbuckled her seatbelt. Ariana leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

"Come on, Ariana, I have a meeting with John." She opened the trunk and took out two suitcases. Shaking her head, she accompanied them to the elevator. Two suitcases for three days, she thought.

Ariana lazily met Camila in the elevator. "I suppose you can handle two suitcases on your own," Camila said as the elevator doors opened. She kissed Ariana and patted her cheek. "See you at rehearsal. Study your music. I want to hear some feeling in those chords."

"Don't be a jerk, Mila," Ariana said as she carried the luggage with her and pressed the button. "I had a great time. See you later." She waved and blew a kiss as the doors closed.

Camila stood still for a moment, looking at the elevator door; she smiled sadly. "I'll miss you too." She shook her head and walked away.

After dropping off Ariana at her sleek skyscraper, Camila drove through the bustling streets of downtown Chicago – something she hated doing. Ever since she made enough money composing music for movies and television, she moved from her high-rise to a cozy wooden house up in Wisconsin, her beloved adopted state. Situated by a small lake, it was a world apart from her busy hometown.

Camila smiled as she reminisced about her childhood in this city. Her mother was always there, nurturing Camila's love for music and the piano. She laughed openly as she remembered the day she told her mother and grandmother that she was gay.

She was nineteen and had just started college on a music scholarship...

Flashback On

Camila sat at the piano in the living room. She ran her fingers through her long brown hair and cracked her knuckles.

"Arrrgg," her grandmother shouted. "Don't do that. Sinuhe, tell her to stop that."

Camila heard her mother laugh; she did it again. Sometimes she loved teasing her grandmother. She then opened the sheet music and began to play, feeling alive as her fingers touched the black and white keys. With smiling eyes, she played the music she had composed. As she played, she looked up and saw her mother smiling, though tears welled up in her eyes.

Her grandmother sniffed loudly and sipped her tea. "How the hell are you going to make it to Carnegie Hall if you don't play the classics?" she asked gruffly.

Camila smiled as she played. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No, you might as well finish," her grandmother said, then winked at Camila's mother.

Camila stopped and furrowed her brow deeply.

"What's the matter, Camila?" Sinuhe walked up to the piano.