“Ma, Donna is fine. You know how she gets when she’s on assignment.”
“I’m sick of this,” Winona fussed, shaking her head in frustration.
“Mama! Why are you mad at me? I’m actually here,” Bella pointed out.
Bella’s dad walked over, looked down at Bella, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Come on, pumpkin. Let’s get some food in you.”
Bella looked over at her mom. Winona smiled apologetically and nodded toward the kitchen.
“You coming?” Bella asked her mom.
“Honey, do you think I cooked all that food just for you?” Winona chuckled. “Go on. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Bella was concerned about her mom when she went into the kitchen. She didn’t have any children, but she could only imagine how fearful her parents must’ve been, having both of their daughters having such dangerous jobs. She understood why Donna was away so much, but her parents weren’t cops, and they didn’t. How could she and her sister expect them to understand? Her dad was a high school principal, and her mom was a dentist. Bella often felt bad for her parents, especially her mom. She made a mental note to reach out to her twin.
Without any further conversation about her absent sister, Bella and her parents enjoyed a delicious meal. After dinner, they relaxed and drank beer in the family room. Full and comfortable, Bella relaxed on the sofa. She had no desire to move, but she began the notice lustful glances being exchanged between her parents. Bella stood, ready to leave. She knew exactly what the looks meant. Even after so many years, her parents still couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. Bella decided to leave before she got thrown out.
“Sooo, I’m gonna go.” Bella chuckled.
She didn’t get an argument from either of her parents.
“Ooo-kay,” Bella muttered. She grabbed her bag and headed to the door.
“Wait, pumpkin. Let me walk you to the car.”
“Daddy, I’m good. You don’t have to—”
“Little girl, I said wait,” Bill demanded.
Bella did as she was told and stopped at the door. Her dad didn’t like to repeat himself, and Bella wasn’t about to make him. Winona stood to her feet and walked over. She tucked a strand of hair behind Bella’s ear and kissed her cheek.
“Thanks for dinner, Ma.”
Winona’s smile was warm and motherly. “Thanks for coming,” she replied. “I like feeding my babies.”
Bella’s dad opened the front door and held it open for her to exit.
“I’ll see you later, Ma.” Bella stepped out on the porch. It was dark and a bit cool outside.
Her dad followed her out and accompanied her to her car. “Pumpkin, I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything, Daddy. What’s up?”
“See if you can get in touch with your sister and have her call your mom.”
Bella looked up at her dad. He would press for Donna to call home for the sake of their mother, but Bella knew that he wanted to hear from her just as bad as her mom did.
“I’ll do what I can,” Bella promised.
Bill kissed the top of Bella’s head and opened her car door. Bella climbed in.
“Thank you,” he said before closing the door.
Bill stepped back from the curb and waited for Bella to pull off. She wanted to call NiYah to find out if she had discovered something that could help her case, but she knew that he wouldn’t go inside until she pulled away from the curb. So, Bella pulled off, deciding to call NiYah when she got home.
*****
