Page 25 of Vega

“He had a sign-up sheet, brackets, and somebody working the door,” Aunt Denise continued. “I only found out because one little boy’s mother called me demanding her son’s money back.”

Carla looked toward her sons with a teasing smirk. “Those two have been terrorists since they learned how to walk. When they were five, they figured out how to unlock the back door and disappeared for almost three hours.”

Lowe laughed. “We just went to the park.”

“You crossed two busy streets to get there!”

“We looked both ways,” Lux said, shrugging.

“You were five!”

Prodigy shook his head, chuckling. “Who came up with the plan?”

Carla pointed at Lux. “He did. Lux packed snacks, bottled water, and a change of clothes in two backpacks.”

Wise looked at Lowe. “What did you contribute?”

“I carried the money.”

“What money?” I asked.

“The money they stole from my purse,” Carla answered.

“We borrowed it,” Lux corrected.

“You bought ice cream for every child at the park.”

Lowe smiled. “We were learning how to run shit.”

Carla stared at both of them. “I spent three hours believing they had been kidnapped while they were at the park buying friends. I thought Debra was going to kill me for losing her son.”

“You found us, though,” Lowe said.

Carla reached for her wine. “And people wonder why I drink.”

As we all laughed, I looked towards my aunt and noticed she was pouting.

“You good?” I asked her.

Her frown deepened. “This conversation makes me think about Mercy, makes me wonder what kind of child she would have been.”

The table quieted as we all mourned Prodigy’s little sister. Denise and Renzo had gotten pregnant with their baby girl a year after Prodigy was born. We never got to meet her, though. Aunt Denise was eight months pregnant when she got into a car accident and Mercy was killed. Denise woke up from surgery without a baby. It was devastating for her and my uncle because Mercy was supposed to complete their family. All Denise and Renzo wanted was two kids; a girl and a boy.

Marcus rubbed Denise’s shoulder soothingly. She blew a heavy breath, shook her head like she was shaking off the heavy thoughts and forced a smile. “Anyway, let’s change the subject.”

Marcus looked toward Prodigy. “How is the search going?”

Prodigy lowered his fork. “Slow.”

Aunt Denise sighed. “Because there is nothing to find.”

Prodigy looked at her, warning, “Ma.”

“I know you don’t like hearing it, but your father left because he didn’t want the responsibility of being a husband and father anymore. Finding him will not change that.”

My father set down his glass. “He didn’t leave willingly.”

Aunt Denise turned toward him. “Salvatore, we have had this conversation.”