I’d learned from Becky that with money, you can do anything, no matter how bad everything else might be; with money in my pocket, I always stand a chance. I bet it was that bitch Ella who seemed to have just disappeared into thin air. If that wasn’t bad enough, those thugs the Russos had hanging around outside had literally dragged the bags I’d hurriedly packed off my shoulders and kept them. I could’ve sold some of those designer clothes and made good money.
But I wasn’t allowed to keep anything, nothing but the house clothes I was wearing, which was nothing more than an old pair of leggings, an oversized tee-shirt, and a pair of ratty old slippers. To add insult to injury, I couldn’t even enjoy my first ride on a private plane because the large screen in front of me was playing a repeat of Gia’s new life. Gia’s dance, Gia having fun on some island, Gia smiling, laughing, playing… the sound was turned up so that even if I went out onto the damn wing, I’d still hear it.
I covered my ears to block out the sound; not only of that, but Jimmy’s voice was starting to grate on my nerves. “Shut up, just shut the hell up. As soon as this plane lands, I’m getting as far away from you as possible.”
“Why are you acting like this? You used to love your old dad. Did that bitch turn you against me so she could live her fancy life? What all did she tell you?”
He recoiled from my glare and maybe the look of intent on my face. The only thing keeping me from lashing out at him is the fact that I have no idea where this is going, and this piece of shit might be the only thing standing between me and homelessness. Still, I found it almost impossible to keep my feelings bottled up inside a minute longer. It’s his job any damn way, seeing as how someone else has been raising his child for the past decade while he rotted in jail. So, I decided to release some of the anger that was about to choke me.
“Stop bringing up the stupid past like it was some great big deal. Do you know what I remember about the past? Living in a dump, eating soup out of those paper cups from the dollar store and rags.”
“But, it wasn’t all bad; we had some good days. Plenty of people grow up poor and….”
“It doesn’t matter what happened in the past; I don’t want to be around you. Can you give me the life I want? The one you just destroyed? Why didn’t you stay away anyway? Who asked you to come back? I hate you; I hate you, I ha…ouch, you bastard.” I covered my cheek where he’d slapped me and stared in disbelief.
“You’re not gonna talk to me like that. Now stop acting crazy. I didn’t mean to hit you that hard. I remember when you were little, you’d have these fits, and the only way to get you to stop was a little tap. It always seemed to shake you out of whatever was bothering you at the time.”
“You fucking hit me.” At least he had the decency to look contrite, but still. No one has hit me in a long time—that, more than anything, brought home the fact that my life had changed. I felt sick and wrestled the seatbelt off to rush to the bathroom in the back of the plane. The first thing I saw when I pushed through the door was a picture of Gabe and Gia on this very plane.
I didn’t see anything more as I started throwing up my guts. When there was nothing left, I broke down in tears as the severity of the situation set in. He must’ve known this was going to happen. Why else would his family’s private plane be decked out like this? The huge picture was innocent enough, just Gia with her head on his shoulder as she slept.
From the angle, it was obvious someone had stood over them to take it. It wasn’t even that good, but the fact that she rested on him while he looked down at her with such a look of adoration couldn’t be missed. I didn’t have the strength or energy to tear it off the wall and smash it into a million pieces, so I just sat there on the cold floor of the bathroom, feeling sorry for myself as tears poured from my eyes.
I pounded my fist on the floor, feeling defeated for the first time since mom and I had taken over Gia’s life. Mom had always been there to pick up the pieces, always the one to get us back on track whenever things got derailed. But now I don’t even know where she is. Maybe I should’ve answered when she tried calling me after Felix kicked her out.