"Can I help you two?" The girl who opened the door repeated, she was around their age. The girl stood 5'9 or 6'0 she looked like a supermodel with her olive skin, green eyes, long curly black hair and fat lips that looked like a ducks bill.
The unsettling feeling of anxiety set itself in Nick's stomach, he clenched his already tight grip on Valerie's poor hand.
Valerie winced at the feeling, she stared down at his hand and then up at him, he was looking the other way. Not making eye contact with neither Valerie or the girl.
Unsure Valerie cracked her neck before taking a deep sigh and saying, "We're looking for a Petunia Young."
The girls facial expression changed, her forehead creased as if the name caused her a great deal of nostalgic pain.
"And who are you guys?" She spoke, her bottom lip quivering but her voice sounding sarcastic and full of attitude. Something Valerie picked up and didn't like.
Again Valerie looked at Nick but he was still looking away like if he tuned out. By the way he was holding onto Valerie's hand it was as if his life depended on it.
"Don't worry about it, we're just here to see Petunia." Valerie snapped back at the girl.
"You come to my house and give me attitude? Little girl you must be out of your fucking mind. Now tell me who you guys are and what you want with Petunia." Her snarky tone and smug face was beginning to piss Valerie off even more.
A witty and sly look emerged onto Valerie's face, "I'm Valerie and this is Nick her son."
Flipping her curly hair off of her shoulder she scoffed, "My step mom didn't ever mention having another son. So fuck off."
About to slam the door in their face, a hand appeared and reopened the door to reveal a tall handsome middle aged man dressed in what Valerie identified to be an Armani suit, the girl stared up at him as he gave her a scolding face.
"And who are our guests Elena?" He asked her, rolling her eyes she gave him a fake smile revealing white, straight teeth.
"Well dad, she claims that the fucking mute standing next to her is Petunia's son."
"Elena that's no way to speak to guests, I apologize for my daughters behavior," He flashed the duo a smile, "would you two like to come in?"
"No, we're here for his mom."
Overwhelming amount of guilt and sadness over ran the mans tan olive face, his dark brown eyes bore into Valerie's who had her eyebrow arched up in defiance waiting for him to speak.
He cleared his throat, "How can I make sure you're really Nick King?"
"How do you know his last name?" Valerie seemed dumbfounded and very suspicious.
These people definitely know about Nick's mother.
"Come in, please." He offered one more time.
//
"Wow so you two came all the way from Washington, to look for Petunia." The man who introduced himself as Antonio said as he held a cigar box in his lap.
Valerie nodded, she had been doing all the talking while Nick was in his fragile state of mind.
"Yeah, and well actually you obviously know something about her since you haven't denied anything." Valerie continued, Antonio nodded his head while he took out a long brown Cuban cigar from the box, reaching to the end table beside his chair he grabbed a black lighter and lit the tip. A red orange shining along with smoke.
He inhaled then momentarily exhaled before replying.
"Why isn't he talking?"
"Look he hasn't seen his mom since he was 6 and she took off he's 18 now and all he wants is to see her so just tell us where she is." Now speaking louder Valerie drew in attention.
"Dad who's this?" Coming up behind Antonio a guy who was maybe Nick's age or a bit older appeared, he looked just like a younger version of Antonio with broad shoulders, a tall athletic build, deep brown eyes and a white smile with a pair of deep set dimples.
"This is Petunia's son Nick and his girlfriend Valerie." Antonio crossed his legs as he stared at Nick then pointed over at Valerie.
"Not his girlfriend." She mumbled loudly earning herself a smile from the attractive guy.
"Nice to meet you I'm Marco." Casually he stuck his arm out to Valerie but she just stared at it and rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Antonio who watched her every move and facial expression with curiosity.
"Great and I'm fucking impatient." She snapped back her voice full of rich sarcasm.
Marco heartily chuckled at her witty remark and took a seat by his father.
"Valerie, I don't know how to tell you this but you're wasting your time looking for Petunia." He said while thick smoke surrounded him and his son.
"What do you mean?"
Silence.
Bitter silence and nothing more.
"I met her 12 years ago in Arizona, she was attempting to hitchhike her way to Nebraska. I mean we fell in love, she loved my two kids and they loved her," He paused, "got married and just about 9 years ago we had a son of our own. Who she named Nicholas. Nine years into our fucking marriage and she tells me about her past and her other son," He stares at Nick intently, "She told me that our Nicholas, was to make up for being a bad mother to him." He pointed at Nick.
A scoff left Valerie's lips, "Then why did she stop writing him why didn't she make the attempt to keep talking to him."
"It was guilt." He replied, "She knew she fucked up and didn't want to pop out of no where and make amends. She wanted to bury her past."
"Bullshit, where is she?" She stood up from the chair she was seated on,
"Calm down." Marco spoke up his voice was now serious.
"Calm down," Valerie mocked, "No where is she we have to talk to her."
"She passed away last year in January after a cardiac arrest." Antonio deadpanned.
"You're lying." Nick spoke up, everyone in the small sitting room turned to look at him, surprised he could talk.
"I have the the certificate of her death." He mentioned, quietly.
The chair fell back when Nick stood up, in a blaze of anger he found himself pushing Antonio making him fall from the chair he sat on and onto the floor. Suddenly he was hit by Marco in the face, Nick fell to the floor and slowly sat back up.
"My mom can't be dead." He cried out, holding the tears in.
"Nick." Valerie whispered crouching on the floor beside him, she gently touched his shoulder but he pulled away violently.
"I want my mom!" He screamed,
"I want my wife." Antonio mentioned feeling empathy for Nick.
He stood up again, looking viscous, like a wounded animal wanting his dignity back for being so fucking weak.
"Fuck this." He murmured hitting Marco in the face with a closed fist,
"Nick!" Valerie shouted in surprise.
Marco grabbed Nick by his collar and shoved him against the wall then back onto the floor where he sat on his chest and just hit Nick with punches feeling his warm blood on his hand, kicking him in the groin with his knee Nick had the upper hand, he stood up and shoved Marco onto a wooden coffee table that broke under his weight, Nick wanted pools of Marco's blood surrounding him.
"Do something!" Valerie screamed at Antonio who was just watching with his cigar in between his fingers.
"Let him tire himself out."
"For fucks sake, he doesn't know when to stop!" She replied.
The only answer to stop Nick was a large ceramic vase in the corner of the beige room.
Running towards it she lifted the heavy vase above her head and walked over to the fighting boys. Where she held it in place above her.
Marco's eyes widened and in a last attempt rolled away from underneath Nick.
Just then the sound of a loud thud, glass shattering on wooden floor and another thud made the world silent.
Like if a monster had just been defeated.
When in reality the monster was just knocked unconscious.