"Is there an Al Vandetta here?" The man standing in front of me had placed down a bag of sour cream chips. He brushed the smokey black curl away from his eyes before I gave him a once over. He was wearing a thin jacket over a Gokemaine shirt, he had shorts on while there was snow on the ground, he looked like a little boy who had dressed himself for the first time. I was shocked to see the amber eyes I had known staring back at me. Scars made up the lower part of his face, leaving almost no unscarred flesh. I couldn't help but stare. I felt like crying and screaming at him. I heard Feri moving in the back, he came back into the storefront with a box full of small chip bags. He must've seen something wrong with the way I was interacting with the kid because he slid into the counter with me. He placed his hand lightly onto the killing bat. He looked at the boy. The kid taking it as a question repeated himself.
"I'm looking for Al Vandetta." Feri's mouth remained slightly agape as a breathy word escaped his mouth.
"Jesse." Jesse's eyes lit up with recognition.
"Surprise." He looked kind of shaky, but he had the faint outline of a smile on his face. I couldn't muster out more than a look of loss. If Jesse was here that meant that she was somewhere nearby. I felt fear stick its icy fingers onto my neck.
"I'm gonna go get dad." I didn't wait for a reply from Feri. I slammed my way through the gated stairs and hurried to find him. I forced my way through the sticky front door. "Dad?!" I called out into the room hoping that he hadn't snuck off for a nap. I heard the bathroom door open as my dad slumped his way into the living room, toweled Bee in hand. He was smiling when he came into the room, I guess my expression didn't help him hold onto it.
"What's wrong?" He looked worried. He went to sit by me on the couch, but I stopped him.
"You need to go downstairs and help Feri." I wasn't trying to be elusive. I couldn't think of anything to say. "There's someone down there that you gotta see." He wrapped the towel securely around Bees waist and set her into my lap.
"I'll be right back Ami, get her dressed I guess." He thudded down the stairs. I sat on the couch with a nearly asleep toddler in my lap, I glanced toward the pictures beside the couch. All five of us together. I snatched my head back to the now fussy toddler in my lap.
"C'mon Bee, let's get you dressed." I scooped her up into my arms, fiddling with her weight. I had to shimmy her into her pull ups. She stood there like she was too good to help me get her dressed. I left her alone in the middle of the room while I dug through her dresser. I got her into a rainbow's onesie and put her away into her playpen next to her toy box.
I found myself wandering around the apartment. Dreading the outcome of downstairs. I laid down onto the couch just in time to hear the rattling of gates. My dad came into the door, followed by Jesse and Feri.
"I've decided that your brother's spending the night." My dad sat down beside me and started unlacing his working shoes. Feri helped Jesse sit down to take off some ratty goth boots. Feri slid off his canns and I untied my all-stars, I nodded at the boy I hadn't seen in what felt like forever.
"Where's he gonna sleep?" Feri called out from beside the door.
"Get the old futon mattress out of your closet and I'll give him some blankets." He tossed his shoes over their heads to the shoe rack. Jesse seemed overly nervous. My dad was at the doorway now heading towards the kitchen. "C'mere Jesse we need to talk." Dad shuffled into the kitchen with Jesse shyly following behind.
"I'll go find him some jammies, his don't look so good, can you get down the futon before dinner?" Feri asked me as he forced himself up off of the ground. I nodded at him as I got off of the couch. I tried to walk away from him but he grabbed my arm. "Ami, please try and be nice to him." I yanked my arm away from Feri's grasp.
"I don't have a problem with Jesse, I have a problem with Sara." He acted like he understood what I was saying but he repeated his sentence not letting me butt back in. "Whatever man, I'm gonna go get the mattress out." I felt like slamming my door and stomping around, and I don't know why.