Roman Roommate

4 - The Boss's Son

"It's only two," Carmen said while lying down on the wooden floor. "I've got salsa lessons later for adults at four."

"Sounds fun," I stated while approaching a Barre and continuing some light leg exercises.

"You think so?"

I shrugged from my position. I enjoyed salsa dancing but I wasn't an expert at it.

"I need someone to take the Saturday salsa shift with Elijah," Carmen hinted.

I never worked weekends so I paused in my movements to stare at her. It's not that I minded working the weekend too much or even working with Elijah. He was a nice guy who was quite handsome until he opened his mouth and his flamboyantly gay voice came out. My problem with this whole predicament was the fact that if I was working, it meant that Carmen couldn't and she lived to work.

"Why can't you do it?" I asked. "Not that I mind, I can squeeze it in if you need me too."

Carmen stood up and walked over to me. Her chestnut hair had begun falling out of her neat bun and her posture fell slightly. Her soft features suddenly became unsure of her own thoughts. She leaned against the Barre I was using.

"My son is coming to visit me."

"Your son?" I knew Carmen had one but she never spoke about him. I has assumed that he lived with her. "How old is he?"

Carmen let out a breath before shaking her head slightly. "I think he'll be... 30 this year."

My eyes widened upon hearing this news. I leaned with one hand against the Barre though I was on the opposite side that Carmen was on. I was expecting her to tell me that he was ten or eleven. After all, she had been on Earth less than I had. My outer appearance was about 25 but I was actually around the 28 mark.

"He only looks about my age though," she added when noting my expression. "I haven't seen him since he was two."

"Why not?" I asked devastated by all this news.

Carmen sighed. "Well I was seduced by his father while I was still in Heaven and because I was seduced I wasn't kicked out. I had the child and was able to raise him until his father demanded custody. Let's just say that he was much more powerful. He took my little boy away from me and I haven't seen him since. Even after I came down to Earth, I couldn't find my baby anywhere but he sought me out because he has some business to attend to in New York. He's coming to visit me for the first time in 28 years."

"Shouldn't you be excited that he's coming?"

"I am," she guaranteed quickly. "It's just come at the most horrible time. I mean, I'm getting my house redone so I have no place for him to stay and I have a lot of work. I had no idea he was going to come out of the blue."

"Why were you kicked out of Heaven?" I asked unconsciously changing the subject. I had never really gotten the full story of that.

"I went against the rule of God," Carmen answered simply. "I wanted to visit my baby boy a few times that I asked for a pass down to Earth but I was denied every time. His father wasn't very...honored in a religious sense. They hated him in other words and since my child had his blood, he was condemned from Heaven after he was taken from me. Since his father was raising him, he was unfit to join us angels. So I went against the Lord by going down to Earth anyway and I basically was told to never come back."

"And you never found your son?"

"Sadly not," Carmen confirmed. "His father hid away the only thing I had to look forward to down here. He has always loved to spite me for his own entertainment. He is a horrible excuse for a man and I regret ever meeting him though, of course, I never regret my son. His father just enjoys putting me through my own personal Hell. He's very good at that."