?Running With Scissors ?

?c h a p t e r 40?

None of that changes anything.

"Connie, honey." Michael cautiously grabs my hand. When I don't answer he continues. "Connie, you're bleeding. Come, let me clean you up."

"Yeah and Nick here is a specialist when it comes to finding clues in a mess like this so lets have him do his thing and I can work on tracking the aircraft-"

"-Okay." I interrupt him completely defeated by life.

I didnt even have the guts to tell him that I love him too. .

***

By the time the sun sets, the glass from my feet and arms has been cleaned and bandaged, the North side of the house has been cleared of debris and somewhere in between those, I've managed to find pants and a shirt to wear.

"You need to eat something sweetie." Michael says for the billionth time today. Neither of us move though.

He's cradling me in his arms on the couch, letting me cry, scream and emotionally isolate myself as the feelings come.

"Hey." Nick walks to me and hands me the envelope I had already forgotten about.

"What's that?" Michael asks me as I take.

I look it over the same way I had last night. I can tell it's been sealed for years by the discoloration and slight peeling of the corners. On the front in cursive it says "Daughter" and nothing else.

"Last night Nate slipped it under my door. He said it was from Luca but then the real thing climbed up the wall and I forgot all about it."

After telling the boys I want some privacy, I pull myself together, hoping this isn't Luca asking me to take care of his illegitimate child. I glide my finger inside the opening, creating jagged edges, revealing a single piece of paper. I unfold it and read.

"Dear Daughter,

We have never met but I knew you would eventually find my Luca. He is not my son in the traditional sense but in my heart, he is mine and always has been.

I tried my best to teach him how to be a good man but there was only so much wisdom I could impart to him. That being said, I think he's turned into a wonderful person. I'm sure you know this but he can be a lot to handle. He is rough and rude and somedays completely intolerable but, underneath his brash exterior, he is loyal, kind and thoughtful. Luca will make a fine husband and father and, sense he gave you this letter, I assume you will soon know that first hand.

He never thought he could love someone enough to devote his life completely but I never doubted he'd find you. Maybe I'm wrong and you found him. Either way, I am proud of him for earning your heart.

As I've never been married myself, the only advice I can give you is to never forget why you love him. Hard times will come when one or both of you are in pain, when you can't seem to fix the problems and in those moments, remember why you fell for him in the first place. Love won't magically make issues disappear but it will show you the road to go when you are lost.

I wish I could have told you in person all of the wonderful times I had while raising Luca. Mostly I wish I could have had those times with his children but as I am now, every day is borrowed time.

Please, daughter, take care of my precious son and when you find yourself lost, let love guide you back to each other.

All of my love,

Darlene Price."

Tears are running down my face. I never knew what it was like to have a mother that loves me but here was a woman who could have loved me. She wanted to love me years before I even came to know Luca. My heart breaks and mends all over again.

"Oh god, that's so sad!"

I look behind me to see both Nick and Michael reading the letter over my shoulders.

"Really guys?" I wipe my face and fold the letter back, carefully placing it back in the envelope.

"I'm sorry it's just-"

I put my hand in the air to stop Michael. "It's okay. I go through your mail all the time anyways."

"Okay but. . what?"

Ignoring him, I stand and start finding supplies I need, throwing them in a bag.

"What are you doing?" Nick asks.

Good question. What is my plan? I have no real idea what I'm going to do but whatever it is, it'll probably be dumb and dangerous.

"I'm going to get my man."

"You don't even know who took him!"

"Handle took him. Who else." I say in a 'duh' tone.

"But. . but Connie, they have freaking helicopters with guns! What are you going to do? Buy a tank?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do."

***

Holy Moly!

I'm honestly proud of Constance for actually hitting a bad guy from that kind of distance. I can't even shoot my BB gun straight and here she is taking down a moving target.

TBH that letter had me at 'Daughter'. Now all my unresolved issues are peeking through the cracks! *sighs dramatically*