You Never Really Can Fix A Heart

"Ah! Here's Ms. Greene now." Paul, my secretary and one of the artists says. I look up from my phone, smiling, just to stop short, choke on my air, and almost faint.

"Menat?" Rania, my big sister, breathes my name, my real name. I can't speak, I can't blink, I can't move. What's Rania doing in New york? I just stare at her, my eyes wide.

"Menat, is that you?" She comes closer and I can move again, I can think. I take a step back.

"Rania?" My voice is cracky.

"Umm, Audrey?" Paul asks, uncomfortable.

"Paul, this is my sister Rania." I inform him but not taking my eyes off of Rania. She's grown up so much in three and half years. She's grown out her hair just a little, and she's filled out, gained a little muscle. She's beautiful.

"Honey! This is it! This is the one I want." A handsome dark haired man comes over to Rania with paper work in his hands.

"I mean it's perfect right? Just look at this place. So soothing and relaxing, very homey. We can have all the groomsmens' tuxedos custom made by the one and only Audrey Greene. I mean look how perfect it is!" The man, just now, takes his eyes from the Rania and looks up. I look him up and down. He's really pretty on the second look. He has short, staright hair with bright brown eyes. His lips are full, red, and pouty. He's got muscle and they really are beautiful together.

"Umm, that's what I try to have here, a sense of home. Like everybody can come and get whatever it is they're looking for." I smile at him.

"Well, you've definitely accomplished that! You're Audrey Greene, it's so nice to meet you." He smiles and grabs Rania's hand..

"It's lovely." Rania says. She's the same but not how I remember her to be, if that makes any sense. I've missed so much, missed out on so much with my family.

"Let's do it." He says.

"Sure Kareem. It's really nice. I think anything here will go really well with our theme, and hey, maybe we'll get a family discount." Quinn looks back at me now with cold eyes.

"What?" Kareem is a little confused.

"If you're done looking around, I can ring you up." Paul leads Kareem to the register.

"Who's that?" I ask, wanting so badly to be her sister again.

"None of your business, Audrey." Rania turns her back to me.

"Rania!" I plead. She turns toward me.

"I'm sorry rania. I'm sorry." I say, tears in my eyes.

"Thank you for your time, Miss. Greene, was it?" Rania shakes her head then stands next to Kareem. I'm stunned. When did Rania get so, so, mean? I listen to Kareem and Paul talking.

"You came all the way from California, huh?"

"Yeah, I just wanted think that Ms. Greene's originality will fit so perfectly with our wedding. She's brilliant with those I've talked to. I just had to come down and get my tuxedo done by her, you only marry once." Kareem rambles.

"Oh, umm, I'm sorry, but the tuxedo you've choosen, isn't available. Nothing in that section is for sale actually. There should have been a sign up-" Paul starts but I cut him off.

"No, Paul, it's alright, sell it."

"Are you sure Audrey? I mean you have such an attachment to-"

"Sell it. it was for her anyway." I say, walking past them all.

"What's so special about it?" I hear Rania's voice and I stop. I turn around and stare at the her.

"When I was little, my sister, and two other siblings use to dream of our dream weddings, and clothes, and styles that we'd all have one day. That particular collection is of my sisters dream wedding scheme. I designed it to match perfectly to her vision and seeing as I don't see my family anymore it's always been really special to me. That whole wing of the studio has." I tell her.

"Oh, and rania, the collection is so beautiful. You should see it." I smile over at the man who will, apparently, be my brother in law.

"Why don't you show me." Rania smiles at him and I can see the love they have for each other. We all go back and look at the rooms. Kareem looks around quickly but thoroughly while I watch as Rania takes in her childhood dreams.

"Umm, here, the cilent comes and chooses a collection that they feel fits them. That way they can really have a 'sight' for how everything will look. Then, of course, they can tweak the designs, colors, styles. These are just a preview of what I can do for them."

"It's exactly what I wanted." She says about one of the collections.

"Yeah, exactly the way you always described it.." I slide my hand along one of the pieces.

"You did this from memory?" Rania asks.

"Yup, it's all I have left." I answer.

"Wow."

"Rania? How are you? Who is he? Where's Sarah and Mohammed?" I rush out the questions. rania hesitates about telling me anything.

"I'm happy. That's my fiance Kareem. Mohammed is a Junior in highschool, they let him skip a grade. He's so smart. He's been seeing a girl named Amirah. Sarah married Ahad last year and she just had their first baby, a boy, last month. They named him after daddy. She's really happy, much...more mellow." I smile at the good news, even though I hate myself for missing out on so much of their lives.

"Mom and Dad?"

"Sad and near broke." Is all she says.

"What? Why? What happened?" I'm frantic now.

"Well, their daughter left without a word to be with her boyfriend and hasn't been seen or heard from for a little over three years. They spent every penny they had looking for you Menat." rania is sad for them, mad at me.

"I'm sorry." Is all I can say.

"Yeah, you always were." It hurts to hear that.

"Rania! That was my office.! Can you believe it? They need me back right away." Kareem rolls his eyes..

"Damn. Are you going? I have to stay for the show." She answers her.

"I have to. This sucks!" He kisses her.

"I'll see you tomorrow then and, don't worry, I'll buy everything here." She smiles then watches him leave the store.

"Can we maybe have dinner or something? I need you to meet someone." I tell Rania.

"Why? What happened to Blake?" Just his name makes me shiver and I swallow hard.

"I left him." Is all I say.

"Why?" Rania pushes. I can feel the tears in my eyes starting to form, remembering the life I ran away from, to join the hell I barely survived.

"I, uh, I needed to." I swallow hard again.

"What did he do?" Rania's voice is firm. The tears spill slowly out of my eyes and I can see Rania's face change as she understands what happened.

"He hit you?" The rage flares in Rania's eyes.

"He did a lot more then that Rania." I whisper.

"Oh, Menat." Her arms are around me and it feels so amazing to be hugged.

"Dinner?" I ask, knowing she won't say no.

"Sure."

"We just have to stop at my apartment first, okay?" I pull away from her and wipe my face.

"Alright." Rania smiles and it fills me with hope. I tell Paul that he's in charge for the rest of the day and to switch my meeting with the builders to next week then go back home.

"Menat, this is an amazing place." Rania walks around the living room.

"Thanks, but we have to go see Kaylyn." I tell him.

"Who?"

"The neighbor." I lead him down the hallway to her door.

"Menat! You're early." Kaylyn covered in paint, little fingermarks all over her face. I sigh inwardly and prepare myself for the children's nice clothes to be ruined.

"Yeah, my sister came to the studio and I decided to leave early and spend time with her." I tell her.

"Sister, as in, sister?" She asks, raising her eyebrows and looking at Rania.

"Yes. Kaylyn, this is Rania, Rania, this is Kaylyn." I introduce them. Just then I hear a cup hit the floor, and a splash.

"Oh, shoot. Come in." Kaylyn runs into her dinning room.

"Arrry." I can hear Adom crying.

"Oh, shucks Adom. Don't cry. I can clean this up." Kaylyn's so good with them.

"Yeah?" Adom asks.

"Yeah. Anyway, someone's here to see the two of you. Go on." She sends them my way.

"Momma!" They both scream when they see me. I take a quick glance over at Rania, who's face looks confused, before I squat down to hug them.

"Hey guys! I missed you." I kiss them.

"MaMa! Aint." Adom holds up his blue covered hands.

"Yeah, Mommy." Aaliyah smiles. Painting? Oh, God. I look at my children, who are now wearing shirts they can swim in, which are covered in paint. I smile at them as I stand up and look down at my own clothes. I have blue, and pink splotches of paint all over my shirt.

"Oh, Mommy, you shouldn't a hugged Adom." Aly's face is so serious that I have to laugh.

"It's just a shirt baby." I tell her.

"Anyway, Aaliyah, Adom, I want you to meet your Aunt Rania. She's my big sister." I introduce them.