Secrets of the Past

Chapter 30

She got off the ferry in Manhattan twenty minutes early. Her palms were sweating and her stomach was in knots. She hadn't been able to eat anything all day and was starting to feel a little lightheaded. She grabbed a bottle of water in the ferry terminal and sat down. It would take less than five minutes to get to Starbucks.

She'd been with Brian all day but was preoccupied thinking about her sister. Her thoughts bounced from wanting to know everything that had happened since the last time she'd been home to not really wanting to know anything. She tried to think of questions she wanted answers to but there was so much she didn't know she had trouble narrowing it down.

As she walked to the coffee shop she tried to calm her nerves. Chloe was waiting just inside and pushed the door open for her.

"Hi," Chloe said, an unsure smile on her face.

"Hi," Giovanna said, holding out her hand. It seemed so formal but as Brian had said, she was essentially a stranger. Chloe didn't seem to mind and took her hand.

"Thank you for coming," she said, gesturing to a table near the window.

"You're welcome. Do you want anything?"

"I've ordered a drink. Just waiting for it." No sooner had she said that than the barista called her name. Once she settled back into her chair she took a deep breath before speaking.

"I don't know where to start. I have questions and I'm sure you do, too."

"Yeah, I do. But I'm not sure I want answers."

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked. "Why not?"

"Because I put my past behind me a long time ago. I honestly never thought I'd see you again. Any of you."

"What happened?"

"When?"

"Why did you leave?"

"Leave home?" Giovanna asked.

"Yes. You left the house one day and never came back."

"Didn't she tell you?"

"Mom? No. Well, she told us you were...well... Stupid is the nicest way to say it. She told us you had gotten into trouble and wouldn't be back. And she said if you ever came back she would kill you."

"That's nice to hear," Giovanna said with an eye roll, taking a drink of her water. "Well, I'll give you the crib notes version of what happened. I was arrested and went to jail for 2 years."

"What?! You did?! Why?"

"I was with my friends when the idea of stealing a car was brought up. We got caught speeding but instead of pulling over Sara (who was driving) sped up and we were in a police chase. When we finally got caught we were all arrested. When it was discovered the car was stolen we were all charged with grand theft."

"And you only went to jail for two years? Did you call mom?"

"Oh yeah, I wasted my one phone call on her. She had a few choice names for me and told me I was on my own. That was the moment I knew it would be that way from then on. So I had a public defender. He told me to plead guilty and I did. The judge was lenient on me."

"Wow," Chloe said. "So what happened when you got out of jail?"

"I was homeless for about a year until I could save enough money to get an apartment."

"How long have you lived in New York? And why did you move here?"

"I've been here about eleven years. And I came here for work. Plus it's far away from Vegas. I needed to put distance between myself and that hell hole."

"I can understand that," Chloe said, taking a sip from her cup.

"What happened when I didn't come home? Were things better, worse or the same?"

"It fluctuated. Worse for a while, when you were first gone. Remember how it was when Danielle and Andrew left home, how bad she was? It was like that."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Not like you could do anything about it from jail."

"Not really, no," Giovanna said. "But I am sorry. When did you leave?"

"I left when Olivia did. There was no way I was staying there alone with her. I was 16 and I stayed with a friend's family until I graduated."

"Then what did you do?"

"I worked, got a crappy apartment, got married when I was 21. That only lasted a couple of years. Got married again less than three years later and got divorced again last year."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Giovanna said sincerely. She was starting to feel bad for having abandoned her sister. "Do you still live in Vegas?"

"Well, right now I live here, in a shitty motel. I quit my job and took a bus out here."

"Why?! Just to see me?"

"Yes. I mean, when I found out where you were I decided to just start a new life."

"What if you hadn't actually found me? Or if I hadn't agreed to meet with you?"

"I would still be here," Chloe said. "I would still stay here. I'm already looking for a job."

"When did you get here?"

"Three days ago. I was nervous about meeting you so the first day I just wandered around the city and filled out some job applications."

"I see. Do you have money? New York is expensive."

"Yes, I've been saving for quite a while so I have a chunk of change. I know it'll go fast, though, so I need to find a job as soon as possible."

"You seem pretty smart," Giovanna said. "I'm sure you'll find something soon." She looked at the time on her phone. She didn't really have anywhere to be, but she was ready to leave. The conversation had gone better than she'd expected but it was still a lot to take in.

"Do you need to go?"

"Yeah, I told Brian I would be back by 5:00. He's picking me up at the terminal when I get back."

"Ah yes, Brian. Q. How long have you been dating?"

"Almost a year. You know the show then?"

"Yeah, I've seen it. How did you meet?" Chloe asked.

"We met in a bar. Cliche, I know. But he was there after a day of filming and I was there with a friend. Our friends had left before us, we were both sitting at the bar, and started talking."

"Did you know who he was?"

"No, had no idea."

"You live here, where he does, where he's from, where he makes the show, and you didn't know him?"

"No," Giovanna said, shaking her head. "I don't watch a lot of tv."

"Even so, they're popular. You'd never even heard of the show?"

"No. I swear."

"Ok. If you say so."

"I do!" Giovanna laughed.

"Ok, ok. Well look, I'll let you get going. Thank you for meeting me."

"You're welcome. It was good to see you."

"Do you think we could do it again?" Chloe asked, as they both stood and made their way to the door.

"Yes, I'd like that. I'll call you."

"Ok. As of right now my calendar is wide open, so just let me know when you have some free time."

"I will. We'll talk soon." She opened her arms and hugged Chloe.

"Tell Q, Brian, I said hello."

"I will."

She texted Brian as she walked to the ferry to let him know she was headed back.