Beastly Bones » P. Lahote

[ 03 ]

BOOK 1, Chapter 3

❝ Family is everything ❞

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By the time Alejandra Wilde had come home from work, her children had already finished their homework and were watching cartoons in the living room. She smiled at the fond scene before her eyes and greeted her children. Then she made her way to the kitchen to get started on dinner.

She had just gotten the ingredients out when the doorbell rang. She sighed and went to answer the door, wiping her hands on a rag. She opened the door with a tired smile only to come face to face with a man she wasn't ready to face yet.

"Billy," she breathed out. She closed the door behind her and hugged her arms around herself. "What are you doing here?"

Billy Black sat in his wheelchair with a spine so rigid it looked capable of snapping at any given moment. His eyes were pained as he regarded his sister-in-law with hurt and anger.

"I gave you enough time to come to me and when it became apparent that you weren't going to, I came to you." His tone was even, voice deep.

Alejandra stiffened. "I didn't realize you knew where I lived."

Billy deadpanned at the boldfaced statement. "It's a small town. Everyone knows everything about everyone. Or have you forgotten already?"

Alejandra glared at the man. She bended over, grabbed the sides of his wheelchair, and met his stare with an even gaze. She wasn't afraid of him. "Don't act like you know me William," she murmured in a low voice. "I'm a completely different person now and I don't need you to judge my decisions for me. I did what I had to do."

"You abandoned your family!" Billy exploded as she backed away. "Right when we needed you most! You abandoned us!"

"How dare--"

"Ma?"

The adults turned to see Carmen at the door with Jesus and Lola approaching behind her.

"What's going on?" Jesus carefully asked. His eyes were narrowed at Billy.

Lola and Carmen however, were staring at their mother with knowing looks. They knew who the man in the wheelchair was and his importance to the family. They stayed quiet as Jesus tried to control his anger and Alejandra tried to manage the situation.

"Nothing," Alejandra brushed off with a smile. "Billy was just leaving. Weren't you Billy?"

Billy glared at the woman before him before giving a reluctant nod. "Enjoy your evening kids."

The Wilde family watched the man wheel away from them, all with different emotions on their face. Alejandra watched a man from her past with pained eyes as she struggled not to break down then and there. Lola watched Jacob's father, her uncle, wheel away and could almost feel her mother's pain. Jesus watched the man with cautious eyes, scared of how easily he got riled up at the whole situation. Carmen was curious. She wanted to know about the bad blood between the man she recognized as her uncle from countless of times of snooping, and her mother.

Lola noticed Alejandra had begun to tremble and decided to take over. "Ma, why don't you go and sit. Jesus will get you a drink and Carmen and I will get started on dinner. Alright?"

Alejandra smiled gratefully at her eldest child and they all went back inside, putting the encounter at the back of their minds.

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