Page 71 of Dirty Money
“I think I do know. Because, I love you that much too,” she said then took his handsome face between her palms and pulled him in for a kiss.
Their tongues danced as their bodies bid the others to move rhythmically to a song only they heard. Long, sensual movements had them sharing more with one another than they ever had before. Things were different.
They were now a real couple with a real commitment!
The mural, done in soft pink pastels, oranges, and lilacs, had been done in her baby sister’s bedroom. Her father and stepmother were at the hospital, delivering the New Aulora.
Weston came into the nursery with a grin on his face.
“It’s beautiful, peach. Well done!”
Aulora stood back and looked at the wall she’d created for her sister. A unicorn, not an ordinary one, one with fairies embedded in its long, pearly mane, was the focal point. But there was so much more in that mural.
A couple of princesses hid behind tall trees with pale purple moss growing up their massive trunks. Aulora meant it to be the two of them, playing in a fairy forest. She knew they would never get to play together like real siblings, so she made up a fantasy childhood where they both could pretend they had known each other forever.
She couldn’t say she’d grown fond of her stepmother, Clara, who never wavered on her calling her mom. A thing she was finding humor in rather than aggravation. Clara was an odd woman. Though only a few years older than Aulora, she was ancient in many aspects.
Formal dinners were held every Sunday evening. Weston always attended them, with Aulora. Her family had accepted him and their living arrangement, though Clara often told Aulora she needed to get something more permanent with Weston. A ring should be on her finger, in Clara’s opinion.
Aulora was fine without one. She knew she and Weston had something special. No ring was necessary to prove to her that he was the other half of her.
His arm ran around her as they left the room. “I suppose we could go to the hospital now,” Aulora said as they walked down the massive staircase. “I’d like to be there when New Aulora is born.”
“Then we shall go,” Weston said then kissed the side of her head. “I too would like to meet her. I have a confession to make about her name, though.”
“And that would be?”
“I intend on coming up with a cute nickname for her. New Aulora isn’t doing it for me.”
She laughed and nodded. “I was thinking about doing that too. We can come up with something together and make it stick.”
Weston and Aulora were good at things like that. Getting together to make things more tolerable for one another. Life is seldom fair, one needs a cohort to help smooth out the ridges of unfairness.
The two had settled into a comfortable existence together. Aulora was only six weeks from graduating, and Weston was preparing her a surprise party, even though she’d told him not to.
He’d found she never wanted attention focused on her and he was determined to get her to accept a little attention now and then. When he’d asked her what kind of a wedding she’d dreamt of, he was astonished when she told him, she’d never dreamt of one.
Aulora wasn’t exactly a person who gave everything she had to others and expected nothing in return. She was more of a person who did what was necessary for others and never thought about asking anyone to do anything for her.
Weston had stayed true to his word. He didn’t try to fix things for her. He let her make her own way and she was selling her art to others without his help. But he was having a hard time with not giving her anything.
The ride to the hospital was made in silence. He knew she was in an odd spot with it all. She’d been an only child forever. Now she’d have another person in the world who shared her genetics.
“You know, it has run through my head more than a few times that my father could do to my little sister what he did to me,” she confided in Weston.
“I knew something was troubling you. I think your father has matured since he did that to you and your mother. I don’t see it happening again. And I think he and Clara will most likely have more children. My guess is it won’t be long before you have more little brothers and sisters.”
She looked down and he felt the agony that was exuding from her. “And they will all have a wonderful life that might be swept out from under them.”
He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her, giving her a firm squeeze. “I suppose it’s that dramatic flair that makes you so good at what you do. I don’t think you have a thing to worry about. You seem to be waiting for the other shoe to drop. Things to go wrong. Heartache to happen. Just live and don’t worry about the future or what might happen. It’s as if you’re mourning something that hasn’t happened.”
“It feels real, Weston. You have no idea what it’s like to have a great life then all of a sudden find yourself living near poverty level. And then, just as suddenly, put back into your old life. It’s not a thing most people go through.”
“Agreed,” he said as he contemplated her feelings. “But you’re safe from that ever happening again. You’re no child who’s at the whim of your father. What you have is all yours, he made sure of that. And you’ll always be around to make sure your little sisters and brothers never have to go through what you did.”
She looked at him and a smile broke over her face. “You’re right. I never thought about it like that. I have enough money to take care of a ton of kids. They’d never know what it’s like to go from lobster one night to Ramen noodles the next. Not any of my siblings will go a day without knowing if they’ll eat that day or where the hell they’ll get the money to make rent and other bills.”
“See, you can see a silver lining when prompted,” he said as he laughed and kissed her cheek. “I can’t wait to get my hands on that baby, Aulora!”
