Finally By Jennifer

The sun was beginning its descent as the warm breeze rustled through the trees. Car horns were honking in the distance and a train whistle wailed three quick blasts. Antonio made his way down the long street searching the front porches for address numbers. He glanced tiredly back to the paper in his hand. It hadn’t turned out to be much of a lead…someone ‘thought’ that ‘maybe’ she looked a ‘little’ familiar. It’s ‘possible’ she lives on Maple Street, he was told. He stopped at the corner and turned slowly in a circle. The search was exhausting him. He had been relentless since she had left Sunset Beach. She offered no explanation, no glimmer of hope that she would ever return. She cut off ties with everyone – Meg, Vanessa, Casey…no one had received a word, not for almost five years. Antonio’s brow began to throb. He rubbed his temples slowly. He was glad he had worn light clothing since the summer evening was still quite warm. He reached up and unbuttoned another button on his pale blue shirt to try and let the breeze cool him off. As he closed his eyes, it all came flooding back.



Gabi walked into his office and quietly closed the door. Antonio looked up from his desk, pleased to see her. He stood from his chair as she moved effortlessly to him. She was so close he could feel her breath on his cheek. Her eyes fell to the floor and she breathed deeply for a moment. She looked up, her soft brown eyes flooded with tears and simply said "Goodbye." Antonio’s face contorted with confusion. He began to speak when she gently placed a finger to his lips. "Please, don’t," she whispered. She placed her hands lovingly on his warm, soft cheeks and after gazing into his soul for an all to brief instant, she placed her lips to his for the last time. He melted into her full, wet kiss and allowed himself to return the tenderness with his own. He moved his hands to her waist, but upon placing them there, she pulled herself away and ran quickly from the room. It took him a moment to comprehend her actions before he raced off after her. He ran all the way out of the Mission, but searching in all directions, she was nowhere in sight.

He opened his eyes to find himself still on the corner. He sighed heavily and crossed the street. He didn’t understand – how could he. He knew they had betrayed his brother and that he had been unable to leave the priesthood for her, but he never imagined that she would leave his life so completely, forever. He walked on aimlessly.

He hadn’t noticed the little girl standing on the sidewalk ahead of him. She stood with her arms wrapped tightly around a ratty old rag doll swaying gently from side to side. Antonio looked up to see her smiling sweetly up at him. The sidewalk was in front of a quaint, pale yellow two-story house with ivory shutters. There was a wrap-around porch with the same ivory railing and a wooden porch swing hung to the right of the front door.

"Hi," the small girl said happily to the stranger before her.

"Well, hello," Antonio offered gently.

He was immediately drawn to her eyes. They were deep and warm and the most beautiful shade of brown. The feeling he got looking into them was strangely familiar. Her soft, dark brown hair hung in two pigtails that landed on her shoulders. She had bright red bows tied around them that matched the laces in her shoes.

He bent down on his knee and extended a hand to her. "How do you do?"

She put her hand to her mouth and giggled. Antonio smiled softly at her innocence. She slowly put her tiny hand in his and shook it with determination.

"What is your name?" he asked her in his friendliest tone.

"My name is Alessandra and this is my dolly, Maggie." She held out her doll for Antonio to admire.

"Oh, she is very beautiful – just like her mommy."

The little girl giggled the same silly way once again and Antonio felt his smile widen. She looked up to him and he was taken by the way her mouth turned up when she smiled.

"You know something, Mister. You look just like my daddy," she said softly as she twirled Maggie by her hair. Antonio was not surprised by her comment. Children often assimilated people they meet with similar physical features to their parents. "Oh I do, do I?" Antonio prodded playfully. Alessandra looked to the ground and Antonio could see the smile disappear from her lips. She let Maggie drag on the dirty sidewalk and began to speak much too woefully for someone of her age, "I don’t get to ever see him, though. My mommy says that he loves me very much even though he can’t be with me and when I go to bed at night we say a prayer so that he knows that we are always thinking of him and that maybe he will feel our love, too." Antonio feels his heart twist at the pain Alessandra exhibits when speaking of her daddy. He is about to speak some priestly words of comfort when she continues, almost without taking a breath. "…And I have a picture of him beside my bed and every night after my mommy tucks me in and leaves, I hold his picture and ask him to come home to me and my mommy because she is very sad. Sometimes I even sneak into her room at night when I hear her crying and I climb next to her and give her the biggest, bestest hug I can so she can stop crying. She cries a lot." Antonio is astounded at the maturity in her words. He pushes one of her pigtails behind her shoulders. "Alessandra, I’m sure your mommy is right. I’m sure your daddy loves you very much. There must be a very good reason that he can’t be with you," he says comfortingly. "My mommy says he has a very important job," she announces proudly. "He makes people all better. He takes care of people who need his help and she says we have to share him with all the people in the world so everybody can be happy." Antonio can’t resist this adorable child. "Your daddy must be a doctor, huh?" "No," she remarks casually. "Mommy says he is a priest." The screen door squeaks open and Gabi steps out onto the porch. Without looking away from the book in her hands, she calls out, "Alessandra, time to come in for dinner." "Mommy, look, I have a new friend," Alessandra calls out cheerfully. She raises her eyes and upon meeting his gaze, the book falls onto the wooden floor. Antonio is kneeling next to Alessandra on the sidewalk. She can see the tears falling silently from his eyes. Gabi is motionless. Her eyes begin to cloud over and she feels like she can’t even take a breath. Antonio glances to Alessandra and back to Gabi. A broad smile begins to overtake her as Antonio places his hand gently on the little girl’s shoulders and leads her up the walk to the house - so her mommy can stop crying…finally.