Page 10 of Praying for Thunder

Ani balked. “He’s only four.”

Dio lifted a brow that had an earring.

Anita rolled her eyes. “Fine. He spends every day with a bunch of… aunts.”

I loved my aunts and was willing to tell anyone who wanted to listen. “Aunt Moo-Moo—”

“Moola, baby.”

“Moola?” asked Dio. “As in money?”

I happily added, “Aunt Candy…”

Standing up, Dio teased, “Candy and money? Where you raisin’ this kid, a strip club?” He laughed as he walked to a long black leather chair until he realized he was the only one finding humor. His shoulders seized, causing his dark blue t-shirt to tighten around his tattooed arms. He told himself, “Diablo, can you please shut your mouth?” Slowly, he faced Ani. “I’m sorry.” He cringed. “Yet again.”

Staring at him, Anita blew air past her upper lip, and then her shoulders eased. “It’s okay.” She shrugged. “It may not be an ‘ideal’ environment for him, but he gets more hugs than any child I’ve ever known.”

Dio smirked. “Would you get angry if I said I’m jealous of all the attention he gets from babes?”

That made her laugh. “No.” She watched me. “I’m sure he’d be the envy of most men.” After a pause, she winked at Dio. “Not that he cares, but he gets to watch them all undress, too.”

Dio feigned envy, grabbing his chest. “Say it ain’t so!” After falling backward, he joked, “Does he need a babysitter? I could, uh, come and sit with him, and, uh,” He lifted his hands into the air in an innocent shrug, “put my hand over his eyes, or something like that, while they undress.”

She sucked on her teeth and then gestured about. “Don’t you have a job already?”

“Not as cool as that one.”

This time, Anita laughed so hard she had to grab her stomach. Dio not judging her profession really put her at ease.

“Whew! You made me work for that laugh.” From over the back of the chair, he held out a hand. “I’m Diablo.”

Caught off guard, Ani swallowed. “Oh.” Shaking his hand, she said, “Uh, Suzan. That’s right. My name is Suzan.”

“Suzan, eh?” His tongue pushed against the ring to the right of his mouth. “Alright.” He sat on a little stool with wheels and rolled to grab a sketchbook of see-through paper. “Nice to meet you, Suzan.”

Paper! “Can I please have a piece of your paper?”

“Sure!” Dio rolled over to me in a smooth manner. “Want a pencil, too?”

“Yes, sir!” I accepted the offering, excited to draw right away. “Thank you!”

Anita was impressed. “Wow. You’re great with kids.”

“Thanks!” Dio rolled back to where he was and tapped the long chair for Anita to sit. “Talk to me about the angel wings you’re wanting.”

Forgetting to remove her backpack, she grabbed her chest as nerves suddenly took over. Sitting down, she was now at the same level as Dio. “Umm…” She got quiet. “I want ones to represent,” her voice shook, “one of the best people that has ever entered my life.”

His lightheartedness drifted away, and his expression softened after some thought. “You’re rather young for such a statement, don’t ya think?”

“And you’re too young to understand.”

Shaking his head, he corrected, “Not exactly.” He started drawing with a black pencil like the one he gave me. “What would you like? A name? Clouds? A date of her, uh, passing?”

“N-Name?” Anita pondered, thinking any trail was a bad one. “No. No name. Maybe the clouds…” Her mind drifted to the night my mother died, with so many clouds in the sky. She closed her eyes. “Lightning.”

“Wow. You want lightning in the clouds behind the angel wings?”

Her eyes opened. “What?”