All She Can Take

T H I R T Y - N I N E

*Character Fun Update: I'm excited about putting a face to Sid and Phil. I'm going to allow a few more chapters to go up before I reveal who they are. If you haven't voted please go to the 'Character Fun' chapter and cast your vote*

Now back to the story....

Sidney tried to keep her car in the lane as she hurtled down the highway but her trembling hands were making it near impossible. She had to get the money in order to get Phillip back and before she processed anything she was on her way to the only place that she knew where untapped money sat. She had never asked for it and swore she never would but that was before Phil's blood was seeping into pristine white tiles on a bathroom floor. Sid's chest heaved as another sob crept up.

It was well after midnight so the roads were clear. For this drive she would usually put on aggressive rap, like DMX with his growls and shouts, to help fortify her for the meeting with her mother but tonight the racket in her head was more than enough noise in the ramp her up. She couldn't get the sound of Phil's gut-wrenching moans out of her head. She can't remember a time when she longed to make someone hurt feel better. 

He doesn't deserve this, was what kept going on over and over in her head and she remembered that she felt the same way about her father. The thought sent shivers through her spine and her hands to clutch the wheel as she made her way out of the city. The winding roads disappeared beneath her as she pressed on. Sidney was completely unaware of if she would get the assistance that she was looking for from her mother. But she had to try.

The code to the gate was entered with trembling fingers. She was on autopilot and for once didn't grimace at the grinding sound of the wrought iron fence pulling back. This time it didn't make her stomach drop. For the first time she anticipated being able to go in and face her mother. She knew there was no way that she could have this conversation without bringing up what she knew. The photo of her dad and Kru together confirmed what she already knew and what she was sure her mother knew as well. She couldn't understand how her mother wouldn't allow her to tell the police that this man - this brutal man - had robbed their family of their pillar. 

Sydney couldn't count the number of times that her father was able to change an entire situation. As a kid, she recalled how her mother would come in the door after a long day of work completely drained upset and angry and how her father would pull her into his arms and start swaying. No music playing. Nothing happening. Just the two of them and the rhythm of their bodies and they would be sucked into this little bubble that he created. Sidney was only now realizing that that bubble was not just for her mother. Her father had managed to create that bubble for all of them. As soon as he was gone that bubble burst and each of them have been floating without an anchor ever since.

Though it was late on a Sunday night Sid heard music flowing from the large house as she approached. The lights on the ground floor were all on and a single light from the second floor shone dimly. She rang the doorbell and waited. It wasn't long before the door was pulled open. Her face wrinkled at the sight of Regis. His middle aged belly reaching out toward her and a stupid grin plastered on his face. He looked a bit sauced and the culprit, a nearly empty champagne glass, was held tightly in his left hand.

"Oh, Sidney!" His slurred voice rose over the music. On a good day Sidney wouldn't want to partake in idle chitchat with him and today she especially didn't want to. She brushed by him not bothering to offer niceties. Phil's battered face flashed before her eyes again and she winced.

"Is my mom around?"

"Yes, of course. I'll go get her." Regis seemed to sober up a bit and tried to gain control of his slurring. Sid was fragile at the moment and he sensed it. But not fragile like an antique lamp. No she was fragile like an explosive. One wrong move and her worry and rage were liable to take out an entire city block.