Never Let Me Go

Birthdays and Letting Go

"Yeah!" Arianna shouts excitedly. "Is that why you didn't go to work today mommy and I didn't go to Mrs. Flowers?" She refers to Catalina's elderly neighbor who watches Arianna almost everyday.

"Si mija," Catalina confirms, reaching out to stroke Arianna's long hair that reaches her belly button. Again, like mother, like daughter. "It's just me and you today."

"Really? Tonight too?!" Ariana gets overly excited and Catalina frowns.

"No, I still have to go to my other job tonight." Catalina grimaces at just the thought of her second "job." She'd give anything to not have it, but she has to provide for Arianna and there's nothing she wouldn't do for the girl. "But, you and I are gonna have so much fun today that I bet you'll just want to have dinner and sleep as soon as we get home."

"Yay!" Arianna jumps up and down, before reaching out to hug Catalina. "Te amo mommy."

"Te amo mija," Catalina grins, kissing the top of her daughters head. "Te amo."

The two spend hours in Chuck E Cheese, both having an amazing time with just being together. Arianna loves spending time with her mother and vice versa. Working two jobs doesn't allow Catalina a lot of free time with her little girl though. After winning several prizes and taking plenty of pictures, the two leave and head over to McDonald's, Arianna's favorite fast food restaurant. After ordering their food and forcing a hyper Aria to eat at least some of her food, Catalina watches as she heads over to the play ball pen.

"Well well well," Catalina freezes at that voice. That all too fucking familiar voice. "If it isn't little miss Angel." She cringes at the use of her stage name.

"What are you doing here Darius?" She sighs, placing her head in her hands. Looking up at him, Catalina hates to admit it, but Darius has to be one of the most attractive men she's ever met. Light skin, 6"2, nice smile, if he wasn't such an asshole, he'd be the perfect guy.

"I didn't realize it was against the law to stop for something to eat," he chuckles, inviting himself to sit in the seat opposite of her. "You know I don't think I've ever seen you with this much clothes on."

She bites her tongue to keep from lashing out at him, "And I don't think I've ever seen you without your pants around your ankles."

He smirks, "Would you like to fix that?"

"Fuck off Darius," she spits back.

"Tch tch tch," he shakes his index finger at her. "Such language in a family friendly establishment?"

"So what the hell are you doing here?" Catalina demands, wishing he would just leave her alone. It's bad enough he owns the club she works at and has to deal with him every night, but now during the day too? No, that's too much.

He cocks his head to the side, "I was just about to ask you the same thing."

She crosses her arms and smirks, "I didn't realize it was against the law to stop for something to eat."

A dangerous glint appears in his eyes, "If I were you I'd watch my fucking mouth, you work for me bitch, not the other way around."

"Not right now I don't," Catalina challenges, refusing to show fear.

"Now see, that's where you're wrong." He laughs and she is reminded once again just how unstable the man really is. "As long as you still owe me for that not so little loan you took out five years ago-"

"Which I would have paid off if you hadn't upped the interest so damn much," she barks back harshly. In desperate need of money to care for her newborn, she had turned to Darius, the neighborhoods most feared drug lord, for a loan. She borrowed 10,000 and he had somehow upped the money she had to pay him back to 50,000.