Secrets of the Past

Chapter 23

They laid there, naked, not talking, for several minutes. They were both feeling blissful and relaxed, Brian's fingers running the length of her arm.

"I'm hungry," he finally said, breaking the silence. "But it looks like we'll be at the mercy of the vending machines. I don't even know how much cash I have."

He got up and grabbed his wallet from his jeans. "I have about $40. But I'll have to see if I can get some change. Do you want to come with me and see what we can find?"

She agreed so they got dressed and headed down to the front desk. The guy at the desk was in the back office and it was a few minutes before he came out. He gave them change and they headed off to the vending machines. They bought an assortment of chips, cookies, crackers and candy, and a couple of drinks, then headed back to their room.

They ate and watched movies for a few hours as they laid in bed. The snow continued to fall outside but neither of them gave it a second thought. They were snuggled under the covers and Giovanna was growing sleepy. She tried to stay awake but it was a losing battle. She was soon snoring lightly, her head on his shoulder and an arm draped across his chest. He watched her sleep for several minutes before drifting off himself.

When he woke he was in bed alone. The television was off and there was a stream of light coming in through a crack in the curtains. It was a bright light. The sun was out. He was afraid to check how much snow had fallen.

Giovanna came out of the bathroom a minute later wearing just a shirt and panties. She smiled at him when she saw he was awake.

"Good morning," she said, leaning over his side of the bed to give him a kiss. He pulled her on top of him and she let out a squeal.

"Good morning." He kissed her then started to tickle her. She screamed and laughed and tried to get away from him but he had a firm grip on her. He relented quickly and she curled up beside him. "Have you looked outside?"

"I have. You aren't going to be pleased."

He groaned. "How bad is it?"

"At least two feet. Probably more. I can turn the tv on and we can see. I'm sure it's on all the local stations." She grabbed the remote from the night stand and clicked it on. As predicted it was the current programming on the local stations, each with their own reporter on the scene, standing outside in the snow.

The amounts in the area varied but it looked like there was a little over 2 feet where they were. Across the bottom of the screen scrolled businesses and activities that were closed and canceled. The reporter was saying that only emergency personnel were allowed on the roads.

He sighed. "This is fuckin' awesome," he said sarcastically. "I just want to get home. See my cats, sleep in my own bed."

"Oh the cats! Did you leave enough food and water out for them?"

"No. I'll call Stacy and see if she can check on them. If the roads aren't too bad over there anyway. Do you know what time it is?"

"Almost 8:00. Go ahead and call her then we can go downstairs and eat. Breakfast is until 9:00 and whatever they have will be better than chips and cookies."

She got dressed while he made his phone call. Stacy told him they'd just gotten a few inches on Staten Island and that she could go over and feed the cats. After he hung up he got dressed and they headed downstairs.

Once they had eaten their fill they went back to their room. Giovanna flopped down in the bed. Brian dropped the room card down on the nightstand and laid next to her on his side, his head propped on one hand.

"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about," he said.

"What's that?" she asked, turning her head to look at him.

He paused before continuing. "It's about your family."

She immediately tensed up and he regretted having uttered the sentence.

"What about them?" she asked.

"Well, I just wondered...have you ever thought about trying to find any of your siblings now?"

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"No real reason. I was just curious."

"Really?" she asked, confusion on her face.

"Well yeah. I mean, they're your family. I understand why you'd never want to talk to your mom again. But your brother and sisters didn't do anything to you. Don't you ever think about what it would be like to have them in your life now?"

"No, because they would just be a constant reminder of the past."

"Yeah but they might help you deal with the past, the pain."

"I've dealt with it already," she said, sounding slightly annoyed. "I've moved on. I've left it all in the past. It doesn't consume me. I really don't know why you're bringing this up."

"I don't know. I guess I don't understand why you wouldn't want to have them in your life. They aren't the ones who hurt you."

"I just told you why."

"Yeah, I know. I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy," she said, turning on her side to face him. "You make me happy. And you're all I need. No one else really matters to me."

He smiled at her. "I love you. I love making you happy, seeing you smile. If you're ok with not having them in your life I won't push the issue."

"Just one of the reasons I love you," she said, leaning in to kiss him. "Thank you for respecting my decision."

"Do you want to watch a movie?" he asked, reaching for the remote.

"Sure. But you have to get under the covers with me."

"Done."