She watched as he took a deep breath and had the feeling he was doing it to prepare himself for whatever he had to say.
“I had a girlfriend in high school, Amanda.She was funny, smart, and so damn talented.She had such dreams—she wanted to go into social work and help families in need—and I knew she would succeed, you know?
“What I didn't know was that her father was an abusive piece of shit.He would get drunk multiple times a week and then beat on her mother.
“One night, he got the most violent he'd ever been, and Amanda had finally had enough.She'd gotten the gun he kept in an unlocked box and screamed at him to stop.
“She wasn't planning on shooting him.She just wanted him to stop.When he saw the gun, he charged at her and she had no choice.She shot him.”
“Oh no,” Sophia said softly.
“Yeah.Despite her mother corroborating her story that it was self-defense, Amanda was charged with aggravated homicide.
“The fucking public defender she had was a joke.He didn't do a damn thing for her.When the DA ripped into her, he didn't even object.“Fuck.You should have seen her face when she was found guilty.I could tell she felt so betrayed and she looked like her entire world had shattered.I can still hear her sob in my dreams.”
When he paused and shuddered, Sophia knew whatever he was going to say next was bad.
“She was killed two months later by a fellow prisoner.All those dreams she'd had were just… gone, buried in a box with her.”
The pain in his voice hurt her heart so much that she felt the urge to go hug him, but didn't.Instead, she reached over and gently squeezed his hand.
“I am so sorry, Axel.That's horrible.She didn't deserve that.Hell, no one does.”
“No, but it happens more than we realize.Anyway, donating is my way of keeping her memory alive.”
“That's really amazing, Axel.That you keep her memory alive like that.”
“Thank you.I've told you mine, and a deal is a deal,” he pointed out.
“Yeah, it is.Mine isn't as grand as yours.Looking back, it was a bit childish,” she replied and fiddled with the edge of the napkin beneath her drink.
“Oh, now I am intrigued.Hit me with it, babygirl,” he said with a grin.“Whatcha got?”
Every time he called her that, Sophia got a warm and fuzzy feeling.She realized she liked it.A lot.Maybe too much.
“Um, well, one Saturday, when I was sixteen, I wanted to go to the midnight showing of Rocky Horror.You know, the Rocky Horror Picture Show?
“Anyway, some friends had gone the weekend before and couldn't stop talking about it and I wanted to know what the fuss was all about.
“When I told my mom, she told me I wasn't allowed, we got into a fight, and she grounded me.
“So, I waited until she went to bed and snuck out.I had to put my car in neutral and push it down the driveway and a bit down the street so she wouldn't hear me leave.”
Axel laughed and shook his head.“Little badass rebel.Did you make it to the show?”
“Yeah, I did, and it was so good!”
“You know it's on video, right?”he inquired.
“Yes, I know, but there was no way she was going to let me buy it, and besides, it's not the same as seeing it on the big screen,” she pointed out.
“Fair enough.”He took a sip of his drink before he spoke again.“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” she replied.
“Why did you wait so long to seek Sinner out?”
Sophia sighed.She should have seen that coming.“It wasn't by choice.Growing up, I had no idea who my father was.When I was little, my mother would make up stories for why I'd never met him.He was a spy, he was in a top secret branch of the military, He was a humanitarian working in third world countries.That kind of thing.
