Finding Light
Part 12
*“Mom?!” Ramona called out upon opening the door to the apartment and carelessly throwing her bags on the floor.
Lisea appeared from the kitchen and without a word, pulled her daughter into a close embrace, kissing the top of her strawberry hair. “Hey sweetie,” she murmured to the teenager just as Tré stumbled into the apartment, his daughter’s luggage in hand.
When Ramona and her mother finally broke apart, Lisea walked over and greeted her ex-husband with a friendly kiss on the cheek. “How was the flight?” she asked, placing her right hand on Tré’s shoulder and guiding him into the apartment.
“Fine,” he answered, watching Ramona disappear into her bedroom, suitcases in tow. “She slept through most of it.”
Lisea smiled as she led the pair into the kitchen. She poured two cups of coffee and sat down across from him. “Did everything go alright?” she asked in the tone that parents only use when they want to talk about their children privately.
“Yeah, she was perfect” He answered, noticing a distance in Lisea’s usually bright eyes “She really likes it out there.”
“I know she does,” Lisea said quietly, looking down at her hands. Noticing how her nail polish was becoming chipped and faded. She wondered why she hadn’t cared enough lately to fix that.
“Lease,” Tré said quietly, placing his large hand over hers, “Are you ok?”
Lisea nodded, looking up at her ex-husband and realizing that his eyes were filled with worry; worry for her. It was a look that he hadn’t given her in years, and it made her stomach churn. “I’m fine,” she answered in a hoarse whisper.
“Ok,” he said oddly, his eyes returning to their normal, more comical state.
‘Change the subject, change the subject’ Lisea’s mind warned.
“Are you staying around for a few days?” she asked finally, glad that something finally spat out. She stirred her coffee, trying to avoid eye contact with the man across from her.
“Actually yeah…” Tré said, reclining a bit, but keeping a close eye on Lisea. Her hair had gotten darker since he’d last seen her, her face seemed more tired. But nonetheless he saw through the change and noted the features of her face, the same features that so long ago, drove him crazy. And when he realized that he hadn’t exactly finished what he had to say, he stumbled to speak. “I, uh, got reservations at the Ritz for the next few days. I figured I’d, Um, catch up on some things while I’m here”
Lisea looked up at him and offered a small smile just as Ramona bounded into the room, stopping when she saw her parents talking quietly. “Hello,” she said oddly, making her presence known. Both of her parents whipped their heads in her direction, making her wonder what the hell had made them both act so wierd.
“Hey baby,” Tré smiled, starting to get up from the kitchen barstool. He walked over to his daughter and put an arm around her shoulder “I think I’m going to head out,”
“Ok,” Ramona replied, looking up at her father, he wasn’t much taller than she was, but it was just enough so that she had to tilt her head to give him a good look in the eye.
“I’ll be stopping by though, I don’t leave ‘till Monday,” He said more towards Lisea than his daughter.
Tré kissed Ramona goodbye and started toward the door, Lisea followed, opening the door for her ex-husband while he gathered up his things.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Tré asked once again in the same tone of voice he used before, his hand automatically tucking a stray hair behind Lisea’s ear. A move he instantly regretted, it made things a little awkward.
“I’m alright, Tré I swear,” Lisea said, showing a smile as if to make his worries disappear.
“Ok, well, I’ll call you tonight or something” Tré said, offering her a small hug and slipping through the door and down the hallway.*
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
“What do you think?”
“Dad, I think that’s illegal in this country, so I’ll have to decline” Ramona replied. She remained completely deadpan, a trick that she mastered thanks to her father.
Tré shot her a strange look, then decided to play along a bit “Damn, are you sure?!” He lowered his voice “Baby, we don’t have to tell anyone,”
He smirked a little bit and got up off his knee. “No seriously, what do you think?"
“It’s beautiful,” Ramona answered, carefully taking hold of the velvet box in Tré’s hands.
Inside the box was a handcrafted diamond ring, princess cut, and surrounding the central diamond were small sapphires. It was expensive, but it wasn’t huge and flashy; it was perfect for Eliot. “She’s going to love it”
“Ya think?” Tré said, smiling down at the ring before closing the box and carefully putting in his pocket. Ramona smiled and spun around in the barstool as Tré grabbed a soda from the fridge.
“When are you going to ask her?” she asked, stealing his drink and taking a quick sip.
“Tonight,” he replied, fingering the soft velvet in his pocket “We’re going to get dinner, and I don’t know, I’ll do it sometime.” He shrugged and Ramona smiled at how humble her father could be sometimes.
“I’m really happy for you” she smiled, getting up and placing a kiss on her father’s cheek.
Tré hugged her in return, but his mind was elsewhere.
He was hoping that this engagement would be the last. He was determined to make his relationship with Eliot work; and he was detirmined to move on from the guilt that Lisea's death had put on him for so many months.
“And what are you doing tonight?” he asked when his daughter pulled away.
“Staying over Charlottes probably, I’d prefer not to hear you and Eliot having sex tonight” She said with a smirk, looking cherubically up at her father.
Tré’s mouth dropped open “What are you talking about? Eliot is 100% pure”
“Mmhmm,” Ramona smiled “And I’m Ramona Cool, Queen of England.”
Lisea appeared from the kitchen and without a word, pulled her daughter into a close embrace, kissing the top of her strawberry hair. “Hey sweetie,” she murmured to the teenager just as Tré stumbled into the apartment, his daughter’s luggage in hand.
When Ramona and her mother finally broke apart, Lisea walked over and greeted her ex-husband with a friendly kiss on the cheek. “How was the flight?” she asked, placing her right hand on Tré’s shoulder and guiding him into the apartment.
“Fine,” he answered, watching Ramona disappear into her bedroom, suitcases in tow. “She slept through most of it.”
Lisea smiled as she led the pair into the kitchen. She poured two cups of coffee and sat down across from him. “Did everything go alright?” she asked in the tone that parents only use when they want to talk about their children privately.
“Yeah, she was perfect” He answered, noticing a distance in Lisea’s usually bright eyes “She really likes it out there.”
“I know she does,” Lisea said quietly, looking down at her hands. Noticing how her nail polish was becoming chipped and faded. She wondered why she hadn’t cared enough lately to fix that.
“Lease,” Tré said quietly, placing his large hand over hers, “Are you ok?”
Lisea nodded, looking up at her ex-husband and realizing that his eyes were filled with worry; worry for her. It was a look that he hadn’t given her in years, and it made her stomach churn. “I’m fine,” she answered in a hoarse whisper.
“Ok,” he said oddly, his eyes returning to their normal, more comical state.
‘Change the subject, change the subject’ Lisea’s mind warned.
“Are you staying around for a few days?” she asked finally, glad that something finally spat out. She stirred her coffee, trying to avoid eye contact with the man across from her.
“Actually yeah…” Tré said, reclining a bit, but keeping a close eye on Lisea. Her hair had gotten darker since he’d last seen her, her face seemed more tired. But nonetheless he saw through the change and noted the features of her face, the same features that so long ago, drove him crazy. And when he realized that he hadn’t exactly finished what he had to say, he stumbled to speak. “I, uh, got reservations at the Ritz for the next few days. I figured I’d, Um, catch up on some things while I’m here”
Lisea looked up at him and offered a small smile just as Ramona bounded into the room, stopping when she saw her parents talking quietly. “Hello,” she said oddly, making her presence known. Both of her parents whipped their heads in her direction, making her wonder what the hell had made them both act so wierd.
“Hey baby,” Tré smiled, starting to get up from the kitchen barstool. He walked over to his daughter and put an arm around her shoulder “I think I’m going to head out,”
“Ok,” Ramona replied, looking up at her father, he wasn’t much taller than she was, but it was just enough so that she had to tilt her head to give him a good look in the eye.
“I’ll be stopping by though, I don’t leave ‘till Monday,” He said more towards Lisea than his daughter.
Tré kissed Ramona goodbye and started toward the door, Lisea followed, opening the door for her ex-husband while he gathered up his things.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Tré asked once again in the same tone of voice he used before, his hand automatically tucking a stray hair behind Lisea’s ear. A move he instantly regretted, it made things a little awkward.
“I’m alright, Tré I swear,” Lisea said, showing a smile as if to make his worries disappear.
“Ok, well, I’ll call you tonight or something” Tré said, offering her a small hug and slipping through the door and down the hallway.*
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
“What do you think?”
“Dad, I think that’s illegal in this country, so I’ll have to decline” Ramona replied. She remained completely deadpan, a trick that she mastered thanks to her father.
Tré shot her a strange look, then decided to play along a bit “Damn, are you sure?!” He lowered his voice “Baby, we don’t have to tell anyone,”
He smirked a little bit and got up off his knee. “No seriously, what do you think?"
“It’s beautiful,” Ramona answered, carefully taking hold of the velvet box in Tré’s hands.
Inside the box was a handcrafted diamond ring, princess cut, and surrounding the central diamond were small sapphires. It was expensive, but it wasn’t huge and flashy; it was perfect for Eliot. “She’s going to love it”
“Ya think?” Tré said, smiling down at the ring before closing the box and carefully putting in his pocket. Ramona smiled and spun around in the barstool as Tré grabbed a soda from the fridge.
“When are you going to ask her?” she asked, stealing his drink and taking a quick sip.
“Tonight,” he replied, fingering the soft velvet in his pocket “We’re going to get dinner, and I don’t know, I’ll do it sometime.” He shrugged and Ramona smiled at how humble her father could be sometimes.
“I’m really happy for you” she smiled, getting up and placing a kiss on her father’s cheek.
Tré hugged her in return, but his mind was elsewhere.
He was hoping that this engagement would be the last. He was determined to make his relationship with Eliot work; and he was detirmined to move on from the guilt that Lisea's death had put on him for so many months.
“And what are you doing tonight?” he asked when his daughter pulled away.
“Staying over Charlottes probably, I’d prefer not to hear you and Eliot having sex tonight” She said with a smirk, looking cherubically up at her father.
Tré’s mouth dropped open “What are you talking about? Eliot is 100% pure”
“Mmhmm,” Ramona smiled “And I’m Ramona Cool, Queen of England.”