Reclaiming

By Gabrielle R. Demonico

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual
events or locales is purely coincidental.

***

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***

“Is that the last of it?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Tricia groaned. She placed a box on the kitchen floor and as she stood she massaged her lower back.

“I appreciate it.” Daniella said. “I wish it wasn’t getting so late. I know you have to work tomorrow.”

“It’s not a problem.” Tricia replied. “I’m better off doing this tonight instead of ruining the weekend hauling your crap all over the place.”

“Hey!” Daniella exclaimed.

Tricia laughed and plopped down in a nearby dining room chair.

“Huh,” she said as she peered through a sliver in the curtains, “Are they still here?”

Daniella sat down across from her and huffed, “Oh yeah, they’ll be here all night.”

Tricia looked back in Daniella
’s direction, shook her head and asked, “They are here
day
and
night
? Good lord. Why didn’t you tell me all of this was going on? How long’s it been now?”

“About a month.” Daniella replied. Exhaustion laced her tone. “Ever since I first moved to Pine Hill. I’m sorry I didn’t mention it to you; I just didn’t want you to worry.”

“Well, I
am
worried and for that matter, confused,” Tricia said. “I don’t understand. Why are they doing it? The police seriously can’t think you had anything to do with this, right?”

Daniella shrugged.
“At first I didn’t think so but Billy is the one behind the surveillance. I can’t say for certain but his job might be on the line.”

“What do you mean?” Tricia asked. “Because Jett escaped?”

“Yes.” Daniella replied. “Since that day they’ve been watching me. It seems as if they feel Jett is going to contact anyone, it’s going to be me. That, plus they tacked another charge on him for assaulting an officer when he got away from Billy.”

Tricia leaned across the table. Her features turned solemn.
“Jett still hasn’t contacted you though, has he?” She asked. “I mean, you’d tell me if he had…
right
Daniella?”

“Ugh, yes…” Daniella groaned. “I haven’t heard anything from him and I can’t imagine I will.” She broke her gaze with Tricia and turned to look out the window once again. With a distant stare in her eyes she said, “Not that I would want that anyway. It’s a big mess and I am all alone right in the middle of it.”

“That’s shit. What a fucking jerk. Sorry about all of this, honey.” Tricia said as she took Daniella’s hands in hers. “And you aren’t alone at all. I’m right here and your mom is a phone call away.”

Daniella
’s trancelike state broke for a moment, she turned back to Tricia and said, “I know. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

But if the past month proved one thing to her it
’s maybe she was a bigger fool than she ever realized. After all they’d been through for him to just disappear without any contact… it…
hurt
. Daniella was angry and with each day that passed, the emotion intensified. All she wanted was an explanation, nothing more. But at this point, the only thing it seemed like she would get is proof everyone else was right about him and she, as usual, was wrong.

Daniella looked down at the kitchen table and fidgeted with a napkin.
“You know, about the only thing they haven’t done at this point is tap my phone. At least I don’t think they have...”

“
Honey…
” Tricia said.

“It’s okay,” Daniella replied. “Believe it or not I’m getting used to it. Hell, I’m even on a first name basis with them now. There’s the daytime guys, Mike and Carl and then, there’s those two out there now.” She gestured in the direction of the nondescript pewter-colored sedan parked across the street. “In the driver’s seat, the sandy haired one, that’s Mitchell. You can’t see the other guy,
Brad but he’s the nicest of the four.”

Tricia nodded as she continued to look out the window at the undercover vehicle.

***

Daniella remained quiet for a moment with a sad smile on her face and said,
“Well, you should probably get going, right?”

“Not just yet,” Tricia replied. “I’m getting hungry. The least you could do is feed me for helping you move in, right?”

“Yes, I guess so…”

A few minutes later, they sat down in the living room with leftover pizza and a half empty bottle of wine. After Daniella took a couple of bites, she raised her hand to her mouth and covered it. A remorseful look came over her face.

Tricia looked at her with confusion. “What?” She said. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

Daniella swallowed a bite and said,
“Buttons… I’m so sorry about him. God, I’m such an awful friend.”

Buttons was Tricia
’s twelve year old tabby cat. Due to a long illness, Tricia recently put him to sleep. It was a terrible ordeal for her. As much as Daniella tried to be there in a supportive way, deep down she knew it wasn’t enough. To make matters worse, she hadn’t mentioned how bad she felt since Tricia came over to her apartment.

For a moment, Tricia didn
’t respond. Daniella saw the hurt begin to swell in her eyes. A small pool of tears collected in her lower eyelids.

“It’s okay,” Tricia sniffed. “I know you loved him too. Really, you’ve been dealing with a lot. Don’t worry about it.”

“I know,” Daniella nodded. “Still, I feel so terrible. Buttons was such a good boy.”

“Yes, he was.” For a few seconds she fought hard to hold back tears. Fearing the worst, Daniella put her plate down and slid close to her friend but as she neared, Tricia began to chuckle.

“What?” Daniella said as she leaned away. “Why are you laughing?”

Tricia wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.
“Do you remember the time when I first moved into that shitty place over on Elwick Street?”

Daniella nodded.
“Oh yeah, I thought you were out of your mind living in that apartment.”

“I’m pretty sure I was.” Tricia said as she nodded. “Anyway, that first night I was there. Your mom bought me that automatic vacuum thingy. Remember?”

“Hah! Yes!” Daniella exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. “Oh Buttons hated that thing…”

“Yeah, the first hour he just hissed and swatted at it. Remember how high he jumped the first time it came on?” Tricia laughed.

Daniella laughed as her friend continued, “Even so, by the end of the first week, he was riding around on it like it was his household limo… so funny.”

Daniella smiled and brushed aside a tear from her own eye as well.

Tricia’s laughter began to subside until it was a chuckle once more.

“The day I had to do it,” she began, “put him down I mean… I was a total wreck. I could barely keep myself together. I didn’t think that I would make it.” Tricia said as she sniffed. “Anyway, the doctor who did it said something to me, which at the time I didn’t get but in the weeks afterward, it helped me a lot.”

“Oh? What was that?”

“He told me that I was doing the right thing, that Buttons was suffering and even though it was painful, it was for the best.” She said as she wiped a tear from her eye. “Then he said that real love… is knowing when to let go.”

Daniella looked at her friend’s face. Tricia was as tough as anyone under ordinary circumstances but when it came Buttons that was nowhere near the case. But in spite of the grief she’d endured, she really did appear to be at peace with it.

“I’m glad he was able to help you through that.” Daniella said as she rubbed her friend’s hand.

Tricia smiled and picked up her wine glass. “Yeah, well… to Buttons…”

“To Buttons…” Daniella said as she raised her glass.

***

After about thirty minutes or so they
’d finished their meal. As Daniella straightened up in the kitchen, Tricia approached her with her purse slung over her shoulder.

“Alright, well, I’m going to head home.” She said. “I’ve got a meeting first thing in the morning.”

“Are you sure? You can stay if you want.”

“No, if I stay, I’ll just wind up being late.” Tricia replied. “Ugh, I don’t know what possessed me to take the damn promotion. Ever since I did I work like twice as hard as before and for only a six percent raise! Let that be a lesson to you. Sometimes when you grab for the brass ring, you wind up with handcuffs instead!”

Daniella laughed at her friend as she complained about her newfound responsibilities. A few seconds later, Tricia gathered up the rest of her belongings and started to walk towards the front door. Daniella came out of the kitchen and followed behind her.

“And you know what else?” Tricia asked as she stopped at the front door and turned back to face her.

“What?”

“The higher up you
go, the
lazier
and
dumber
your coworkers become. I mean, it’s ridiculous.” Tricia reached down for the doorknob with her left hand. She placed her right hand on her hip and said, “There’s this guy, Bill Wittman. I shit you not… the guy has his secretary send all his e-mails for him.”

“Oh my God,” Daniella groaned. “Are you serious?”

“Sadly, yes…” Tricia replied. “Like, literally, every time he wants to send something out, she has to come in his office and do it. And he’s a freakin’ Vice President! Anyway, that’s just the tip of the iceberg… it’s ridiculous, really.”

Daniella nodded.
“Yeah. Unbelievable is more like it.”

“Oh well, I’ll live. It’s not my problem he’s a complete bozo.” Tricia said as she repositioned her bag on her shoulder.

Daniella smiled as Tricia opened the door.

“So what are you are you up to this weekend?” Tricia asked. “Please tell me you are getting out and meeting people. If you say that you are going to be here ‘straightening up’ again, I’ll…
” she said as she balled up her fist.

“Well…” Daniella replied as she winced. “My mom has been on my butt about me going out with some guy.”

“Who is he?” Tricia asked with a sudden eagerness in her tone.

“I don’t know much about him other than he is the son of a friend of hers.” Daniella began. “Anyway, I’m supposed to call her tonight and talk about it. That is, unless you really, really,
really
want to stay and then I’ll have an excuse. Anything I can do to change your mind? Please say yes.”

“Nope.” Tricia replied as she stepped out into the hallway. “Anyway, how bad could it possibly be?”

With her hand on the doorknob, Daniella stared at her friend. “Really? What if it was the other way around? What if your mom was fixing you up? Hmm, what would you say
then
?”

Tricia closed her mouth and puffed out her cheeks.

“Exactly,” Daniella replied. “Barf city… so you can see why I’m not exactly hitting speed dial to get the info from her.”

“Yeah, well, even so…” Tricia shrugged. “You never know. He could be a great catch.”

“Are we finished?” Daniella said as she raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah.” Tricia said. “Okay sweetie, well, good luck with all that. I’ll talk to you in a couple of days.”

“Okay,” Daniella replied as she smiled and hugged her friend. “Talk soon. Drive safe.”

“I will,” she replied as she exited the apartment. She reached the top of the stairwell and turned back. “Bye, love
ya!”

“Bye, love you too…”

***

About twenty minutes after Tricia left, Daniella plopped down on the sofa and
called her mom. Although it was late, this wasn’t a conversation she felt like putting off any longer.

“Hello?” Her mother, Marilyn, said as she answered.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Oh, hi honey.” Marilyn replied. “Are you and Tricia having a nice visit?”

“We did. She left already.”

“I thought she was staying over for the night.”

“She couldn’t… work stuff.”

“I see,” Marilyn replied. “Did you need something? I was about to go to bed.”

“Yes,” Daniella replied as she winced. She couldn’t
believe
she was doing this. But, it didn’t matter anyway because she knew her mom would bring it up sooner or later. At least this way, she could do it on her terms.

Well.

Maybe.

“Um, I was calling to find out about the guy you mentioned to me the other day.” Daniella began. “What’s his name,
Babs’ son?”