Page 61 of Devil's Thirst
CHAPTER 29
AMELIE
I’mprepared to wait for Gloria to return from her appointment, but she answers the door when I knock. Her bubbly grin is quickly doused with worry the second she takes in my disheveled state.
“Mija, what’s happened? Are you okay?” She ushers me inside her tiny place. The money she was given could easily buy her something bigger, but she insists on staying where she is. I don’t necessarily blame her. She’s spent years making a cozy home for herself with personal touches in every nook and cranny. The place is so …Gloriathat I’m instantly blanketed in comfort when I step inside.
“Hey, Mama G. I’m okay—I’ve just been going through a bit of a rough patch.” My attempt at a reassuring smile is watery and weak at best.
“My sweet girl. Come sit with me and tell me all about it.” She takes my hand and pulls us both onto her small sofa like we used to do when I was younger—she sits, and I lay with my head on her lap. Her gentle fingers smooth my frazzled hair and rub comforting circles on my back.
“You know I’m not big on taking risks, especially if it could hurt someone I care about,” I begin vaguely.
“Of course, mija. You always think of others first. Sometimes more than you should.”
“That’s the thing. I think it might be time to take a big risk. To open up to someone in a way that scares me. I think it might be the right thing to do, but there’s a chance it could go horribly wrong.”
“Life is full of risk, Mellie. Doing nothing is a risk. We can never know what the future holds—all wecando is make choices that we can be proud of with the information we have. And if things don’t go our way, we have to give ourselves grace because we made our choice with the best of intentions.”
“But do intentions really matter if someone ends up hurt?”
“Let’s see,” she muses softly. “When your mother tricked me into thinking you’d come home, back when you were missing, I called Lina to the house and lured her into a trap. I had no idea your mother had used me to get to Lina. Should your sister be angry with me for what I did?”
“Absolutely not,” I respond adamantly. “You had no way of knowing what they had planned.”
“Exactly. My intentions were good. I thought I was sharing wonderful news. Would it be hard for me to bear if Lina had been hurt? Of course it would, but that’s life. Sometimes bad things happen. That’s why we do our best to celebrate the good.”
I nod and sit up so I can look into the warm brown eyes that assure me everything will be okay. “I don’t like when bad things happen.”
“I know, mija,” she says with a sad smile. “That’s what happens when your heart is full of the purest kind of love—a love that will see you through those hard times. Trust yourself, sweet girl. Listen to your heart, and don’t let fear change your mind.”
She’s right. I have to find a way to have faith in my choices. I’ve already decided to open up to Sante, but I’ve let fear hold me back. It’s time to cut away those bindings.
“Thank you, Mama G.” I wrap my arms around her and take one more inhale of her lilac-scented perfume. “You always know the right things to say.”
“There has to besomeadvantage to getting old.” She chuckles. “Otherwise, it’s just aching joints and peeing when you sneeze.”
My laughter is a much-needed bandage around my battered heart.
I give her another hug, clean myself up in the bathroom, then head out. When I look at my phone, I see two missed messages and a missed call from Sante.
Sante: You okay? Why are you at Gloria’s and not the theater?
Sante: Mel???
Rather than type out a long explanation, I give him a call.
“I was two minutes from getting in my car,” he snaps in a huff.
I bite back a smile. “I’m not used to having to report my movements to anyone. My parents never cared. I’ve sort of always been on my own in that regard.”
His overprotectiveness fills me with a joy that it probably shouldn’t, but I don’t care. I like knowing that I matter to someone. Gloria was there for emotional support, but she didn’t monitor me the way a parent or a partner would.
“I’m okay, but I need to talk to you. Can you meet me at the apartment?”
“I’ll come get you.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m enjoying the walk, but thank you for offering.”