Irreplaceable

Part 5: Clearing out the apartment

Zoro was not fine.

He was more silent and got spooked more easily. If Perona went away even for a tiny moment he would start crying. They, Mihawk included, stayed by Morias for a couple of days. He was more than happy to have them there and even started to bond with Mihawk.

- "What are you two reading?" Perona came into the room while rocking Zoro to sleep. Mihawk and Moria were sitting on the sofa looking rather smug.
- "Wait! That's the photo album! Moria, don't!" But it was already too late.
- "You were really cute dressed up as a bear," Mihawk was smirking. Moria was showing the most adorable five-year-old Perona dressed up as a bear.
- "She wanted to grow up as one. It was a way of life for her. When I told her she couldn't be a princess and a bear, well..." He pointed to the next picture of her now wearing a crown and a tutu over the bear outfit. Mihawks smirk widened as he looked at the picture and then at Perona.
- "You know it's not too late for that yet," Mihawk said and he had the most nastiest look on his face. "I bet we could find a suit your size."

They both laughed grossly.

- "And an astronaut suit,"Moria added, "as she wanted to be the princess bear of all bear astronauts the next week." And of course there was a photo to show along.

- "You two are the worst!" Perona grunted. "Come, Zoro. Let's go find a more peaceful place."

----

- "Zoros gotten a bit better now."
Moria was holding Zoro who was a bit spooked but not crying.
- "Oh, that is good," Perona shouted from the next room. They were teaching Zoro back to his normal self. It wouldn't take long.
Mihawk sat in front of her and let out a small sigh before saying:
- "Lets leave Zoro here with Moria."
Perona looked at him angry.
- "Only for the weekend," he added, "We really need to start the work on the apartment and we can't have Zoro go to another episode like that."

She nodded. She didn't want to upset Zoro and she was ready to deal with the apartment.

----

They went by Mihawks house. A week had been wasted at Morias and it was time to start working. At the apartment Perona pointed out which furniture to keep, sell and trash. Mihawk started taking photos and making ads at online selling pages. Perona went through their old clothes. She could smell her husband everywhere. But still she went through everything, though a bit teary most of the time. By the end of the day she had filled several bags worth of clothes to take for charity. She only kept the newest and most dearest pieces she had. She could buy new some day. She also kept a couple of her husbands clothes. It was funny but she didn't have any favourite clothes of his. His style was very dull in the end. Mihawk had already got a couple of messages concerning the double bed and closet. Thankfully the city was big, so it had a lot of people interested in cheap furniture.

They decided to sleep in the apartment, Perona on the bed and Mihawk on the sofa. They woke up quite early in the morning. Mihawk went to get some breakfast for them, while Perona sorted out the mail that had come there before the address change. Bills, adds and a letter to her husband. It didn't have an address on it, but she knew who had sent it.

----

He looked at the letter grossed out, before tearing it to shreds.
- "Who is it from?"
- "My 'mother'" he said disgusted.
- "But didn't she leave early on?" Perona was baffled.
- "Well it's not my mother actually," he laughed a tiny bit. "It's my father faking to be my mother. Such a cliché, I know."
- "But why?"
- "When my mother left I was about six. I was at the day-care and mothers day was close. We had to make cards to our mothers. I did one like a good boy, but when father came to take me home, I stomped on it and cried that I hated mom. He calmly took the card from me and said he would send it to mother for me. And I had been happy. Maybe getting a card from me telling how much I loved her would get her to come back." He looked angry and Perona petted his cheek looking worried.
- "You don't need to tell me."
- "I want to." He took her hand before pressing his face against it, closing his eyes.
- "I got a letter from her. She explained that it had been her job as a model that made her go. That she was sad that she had left. She promised to write me whenever she could. I had been really happy and told my father about it. He was acting surprised."