Page 6 of Falling for the Enemy

There was always this child-like excitement when he placed a bet. I could see it written all over his face, the possibilities. I also knew that it wouldn't be long at all before the possibilities would turn into struggle because he would have to figure out how he was going to make it through the week after he had lost it all.

The horses were let loose, and I waited for that crushing look on his face. I knew it was coming, it always came, and all I could do was be there for him when he wasted hundreds of dollars that he had no chance of getting back. I had seen it so many times, but I still didn't understand it. Why he was so convinced that it would ever be any different, I couldn’t honestly say for sure.

When his ‘surefire’ horse did not win like he thought, it took a minute to see the doom in his face. He had put all of his money on one horse, one race, and, of course, I wanted to say, ‘I told you so’, but it wouldn't do any good. He already felt bad enough without me rubbing it in.

On the way to the parking lot, he explained how he couldn't believe that such a thing had happened. I told him that it was messed up, but on the inside I think we both knew that he was ridiculous for doing it. I had much to say, but he didn't want to hear it and honestly I didn't want to say it.

We parted ways and that open smile on his tan face was gone when he got to his car. I told him I'd see him tomorrow and he just waved me off. I wished there was something I could do to help him, but I didn't know what. I drove home thinking about Jeremy and other impossible situations. Why did that thought bring me to Amber? Was she another impossible situation? It sure felt like it.

I went to work that evening and promised myself that I wouldn’t think of Amber. She was on my mind because I knew I couldn't have her and that bothered my ego or something. I thought about her all night and by morning I was ready to see her. She was out on her porch, drinking her first cup of coffee and she seemed to be so peaceful. That smile, that easy smile that she gave me as I walked to my house, was enough to make my heart stop.

I was exhausted though, so I went in the house pretty quickly and took a shower, ready to get some sleep. The new neighbor was killing my sleep schedule and I was even grumpy at work today, which didn't go over well with my coworkers. I couldn't explain the situation either. What was I going to say, that some young chick had moved in next door and now I couldn’t keep my mind off of her? I couldn’t admit that. I couldn't even admit that to myself or say it out loud.

So, I was just going to have to pull myself together and get some rest. I didn't know if it would work, but I had every right to expect that it would. About the time I was ready to drift off, I heard someone at the door and cursed out loud. Whoever it was, it better be good.

By the time I got to the door I was close to yelling, but the first person I saw was my seven-year-old niece standing there. She had an innocent look and as soon as she saw me, there was a big smile that crossed her face and melted my heart.

“Alice? What are you doing here? Where's your mother?” I looked for my sister and after a minute I moved to help her with some bags. I didn't even know she was coming, but that was how Lidia was. She got something in her head and that was that. I was afraid to ask why Alice and a whole lot of luggage was now at my door.

Instead of asking, I invited her in and figured with a little bit of patience I would find out why. I wanted to mention that I was tired as hell and it was time for me to go to sleep, but family came first. It was another saying that I heard Shirley say all the time and I caught myself saying it as well. That old woman had a lot of wisdom. She always knew just how to look at things.

Alice was running through the house, making sure that nothing had changed and touching everything on the way. She was good at that, and I still looked at her in amazement because of all the energy that she had. It was confounding the amount of energy bottled up in such a tiny little girl, and it wasn't the first time that I thought whoever could figure out how to bottle it would be rich.

I turned to my sister and asked her what was up.

“Does something have to be up for me to visit my big brother?”

She was adding the big brother part and I could tell that she was about to ask a favor. It wouldn't be so bad if my sister understood what favors meant. This could very well be a favor that I was going to find harder than usual to go along with. I just got that feeling for some reason.

“What do you need, Lidia?”

She kind of pouted and started to say that I was assuming something. We both knew that I was, and we both knew that I was right. I wished she would just tell me what was going on, instead of playing these games.

“You might as well tell me what’s going on. Alice is in the other room, but she won’t be in there for long. Has something happened?” I asked, keeping my voice down for little ears.

“Let's just say that Mark and I are breaking up, and I was hoping you could watch her for a couple of days, so that I can get everything out and move.” It all came out in a rush.

They had been dating for a little over a year and I thought they were doing well. I was quite surprised to hear that they weren't, even more surprised to hear that she wanted me to take her daughter for that long. That was the first time she’d asked something like that.

I asked her if everything was okay, and she insisted that it was. She just didn't want Alice around. I felt like there was more to the story, but I just let it go. I would probably find out the truth eventually, but for now Lidia didn’t want to talk about it.

“Of course, I will take Alice. Is that all you need help with?”

Lidia insisted that it was, and I wondered what was going on truly, but also knowing that with my sister, there was a good chance that I would never know the whole truth. She then started into a list of things I had to know, like I'd never watched Alice before. Not for this long and with no more than a few minutes of notice, but it wouldn't be the first time. I’d watched my niece quite a bit when she was younger and since I had no kids of my own, we had definitely bonded. Alice was a cute kid and she made me wonder what it would be like to have some of my own. It wasn't enough of a wonder to actually do anything about it, of course, or even talk about it with someone I was dating, but it did make we wonder.

My sister didn't stay long enough to illuminate on what she was doing, and I just took it as her normal self. She left, and Alice and I looked at each other for a few minutes. She wanted to know what she was doing there and why she was dropped off. The little girl wanted to know how long until her mom came back and, of course, I had none of those answers. I should have those answers but because her mom was as she was, I didn't. I told her that we were just going to play it by ear, and I asked her if she minded staying with me for a little while. She said that, of course, she didn't and at least I had that going for me. We had a good bond and at the moment, I wasn't thinking about the logistics of it all. I had to go to work in a couple of hours but in that moment, I was just thinking about getting dinner started.

I had practically nothing in the house, so the two of us were going to have to go shopping. It was only as I was buying cereal for the next morning that I realized I wouldn't be there to make her breakfast. I couldn’t just leave her by herself. I was tempted to call my sister and figure out how important it was that she take off for the next few days. I would be home to get Alice on the bus for school, which was helpful, but I had to work the next two nights and there was no way that I was leaving Alice there by herself. I was going to have to come up with something pretty quick though. Who was I supposed to ask?

I had many friends, but none that I would trust my niece with or any small child for that matter. I was drawing a complete blank when I tried to think of someone. It was a shame. I would have asked my ex to do it, she was great with kids, but that was half the problem and the reason that we’d split up. She wanted them and I hadn’t.

As I made dinner and time got closer to when I had to be at work, my head was racked with who I should call. I almost called my ex before another woman came to mind instead. She was local too and even though I didn't know her very well, I trusted her. I felt like anyone that had Shirley as a grandmother and was trusted by her to take care of her prized possession of her house, had to be the kind of person that I could count on to look out for my niece for a few hours while she slept. It was just while she slept after all, it wasn’t like it was going to be anything more than that.

I went to the other room and called the number that she had called me from a few days before. I didn't quite know what to say, so when she answered quickly, I fell over my words a little bit. Finally, I told her that I needed to ask her a favor and damned if I didn't feel like my sister asking. She seemed reserved when she asked what it was that I needed, it almost didn’t come out. What other choice did I have though?

“I was hoping that you might be free this evening.”

“Yeah, I don’t know if that is a good idea, Frank…”

---