Italian Liaisons

True Colors Shine Darkly Melina was working on her laptop one late autumn day. It was cold and rainy and almost dark, even though it was barely after 3 PM. She looked out the living room window and into the empty carport. Soon her Italian bella would be home from the college where she taught Italian literature. A tourist from the US, Melina had met Ariella at the university, they’d fallen in love, and then they’d quickly gotten as close to a marriage as what Melina called the hateful and bigoted laws would allow them to get. And then Melina had learned her language. Having previously learned Spanish, it didn’t take too long to do. It meant a lot to Melina to be a part of such a loving and accepting family. Especially since her own parents were gone and she had no siblings, aunts, or uncles. She didn’t care for her sister-in-law Rena, who wasn’t very fond of those “selfish” Americans, but she adored her mother-in-law, Lissi, and Ari’s close friend, Nara, who also taught Italian lit at the university and who also knew English. Melina heard Ari’s car pull up and was quick to greet the woman she loved, nine years her senior, as she entered the house with her satchel. Ari smiled warmly as she held Melina in a loving embrace. “Come è il mio amore?” Ari asked. “Bene,” Melina answered, letting Ari know she was alright. She watched Ari as she placed her satchel down by the plush chair in the living room and then removed the parka she’d been wearing. She was only a few inches taller than Melina’s petite frame. She had a great body and was in great shape. Melina loved gazing into Ari’s dark brown eyes. Her glossy black hair was cropped short and looked especially good on her, unlike most women. You’d never guess that the conservatively dressed—even seemingly meek—woman was actually a pretty good boxer. They ate dinner and made small talk. Afterward, they were about to sit down in the living room and relax with hot coffee when Ari bumped the chair, which bumped the desk that her laptop sat on. The screensaver disabled itself. Melina was getting ready to turn the kitchen light off when she heard Ari cry out in shock. “Che nel mondo!” “What?” Melina asked as Ari stared dumbfounded at the laptop’s monitor. “What is this?” Ari asked in Italian. “It’s a picture of me,” Melina replied, also in Italian. She didn’t have to add that it was not only a picture of her but a picture of her in lingerie, for it was plenty obvious enough. “That’s certainly not online, is it? Online for others to see?” Melina inhaled slowly and chose her words carefully as Ari eyed her intently. She didn’t want to lie to her. In Italian, she explained that she’d been receiving payment to appear on a site where women submitted scantily clad pictures of themselves. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me about this?” Ari demanded, eyes now glinting dangerously. “I thought you knew.” Ok, so maybe she was somewhat of a liar. The truth was that she believed that what Ari didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. Damn her for leaving that page up! Ari then surprised her with a slew of swears. “You dirty, lying, cheating whore!” “How can I be a cheating whore when I’m not having sex with any of these people? They never see my private spots. They don’t have a clue as to who I am, where I am, or…” Ari cut her off by surprising her even more with a swift slap across the face. Melina placed a hand on her stinging cheek. Then, shock turning to rage, she lunged at Ari. She fully intended to kick her ass. However, all she ended up doing was simply flailing her fists, for Ari had yet another surprise waiting for her with the way she so quickly knocked her to the floor and started kicking at her. Melina’s rage was now turning to genuine fear as she struggled to suck air into her lungs while Ari knocked the wind out of her, cussing her out, threatening her, calling her every name in the book. She really expected to be able to take Ari. Ari might’ve been a boxer, and in as good of shape as she was, but she had been more pissed than Ari. Or so she thought. Yet no matter who was more pissed and determined, Ari was clearly much tougher than she was. The phone rang. Would she be saved by the bell? God, she hoped so! To Melina’s relief, Ari gave up on her and answered the phone with a very breathy “Ciao?” As fast as Ari rambled, Melina could tell that it was Lissi on the other end of the line and that she was telling her about what had just happened. Not wanting to chance getting kicked across the living room floor a second time once Ari hung up from her mother, Melina quickly slipped into her sneakers that were by the door, grabbed her jacket, and slipped out into the cold, wet evening. Melina walked, oblivious to the raindrops falling upon her. She was too filled with emotion to care or to notice. Where had this irrational temper come from? Ari had treated her like a queen in the six months they’d been together. So just where had this dark side of Ari’s come from? Melina tried to get herself to focus on where she was going. She’d try to figure Ari out later. Nara. She would go to Nara. They’d always gotten along well. A car skidded to a stop next to her. Ari! “Get in,” said a familiar voice in Italian. But it wasn’t Ari’s. It was Lissi’s. Melina quickly hopped into the passenger seat, wondering how her mother-in-law could’ve gotten there so fast. She turned to face the woman who had always seemed to adore her. She couldn’t make out her expression too well in the dark. She expected some sympathetic words on account of her daughter’s violent behavior. Not a silence that was almost chilling. In Italian, Lissi asked, “So is this the first time your daughter’s shown her violent side, and over something so menial?” Lissi turned a cold pair of eyes on her that Melina wasn’t used to seeing from what had always been a warm, loving woman. “Be quiet!” she snapped, also in Italian. Helplessness seized Melina’s heart, and she wondered if Lissi had a dark side of her own to introduce her to as well. At a loss for words anyway, Melina studied the woman whose face was only awash in light for seconds at a time as they passed under streetlights. Tall. Jet black wavy hair to the shoulders. Same dark, distinct eyes and eyebrows against crème-colored skin as her daughter. With just a slight crinkling at the corners of her eyes, Lissi was undeniably beautiful for a woman in her late forties. They swung into the driveway next to Lissi’s two-story house. Fearing what may come next, Melina shakily got out of the car and followed Lissi into the house. She walked so fast that she practically had to jog to keep up with her. Once inside the warm, dry house, Lissi faced her, dark eyes flashing with disappointment and anger, and asked, “Che, Melina? Che?” In Italian, she said, “Not that I owe anyone an explanation or that I should have to defend myself to anyone, but I did nothing wrong.” “No? Being a little internet slut isn’t doing anything wrong?” Melina’s eyes narrowed. She was shocked by her mother-in-law’s attitude. “Being an image on a monitor is not being a slut! Nobody touched me. And I never touched them!” “It’s still an explicit form of intimacy,” Lissi said in slow but stern Italian. “No, it’s not.” “You lied to her, Melina. I was so, so fond of you. I still am, but you’ve really disappointed me. And then you…” “Not telling someone about something is not lying.” “Well, most people would disagree in this case. And you must know that or else you’d have told her about it, don’t you think?” “No, Lissi, I don’t. I think there was no reason to mention it. Do you tell everyone every little thing you do?” Lissi shook her head slowly. “It’s sad to hear that you consider that a little thing. Think of how betrayed Ari feels right now.” “Oh, and I don’t have any reason to feel betrayed myself?” Melina shouted back in Italian. “She was wrong too, but you had no right to…” “Fuck you!” Melina screamed in Lissi’s face, fed up with trying to defend herself against Lissi’s prudish stubbornness. Lissi stood still as a statue, never blinking once. But Melina was unfazed. “I thought you were cool,” she continued, now in English as was customary for her when she got overly angry or excited. “I thought you were the nicest, sweetest person next to Ari and Nara. But now I see you’re nothing but a sick, twisted bitch just like your fucking daughter!” Now it was Lissi’s eyes that narrowed, and just when Melina thought she was through being surprised for the time being, another surprise was thrown her way when Lissi warned her not to speak like that ever again to her. In perfect English! The Italian accent was still there, but it was definitely English she had spoken. Melina’s eyes bulged as fear and shock surged throughout her veins. “W-what the fuck? You speak English?” “Yes, ma’am, I do.” “So you don’t tell everyone everything either, do you?” Lissi simply shrugged, arms crossed in front of her. “Where the hell did this come from, and why didn’t you tell me?” “It came from the United States, and I didn’t tell you because Ari asked me not to.” “Does Ari speak English, too?” “No, not at all.” “Why the hell would she ask you not to speak it with me? Nara and I always spoke English together, so why couldn’t we?” “Because she wanted you to learn her language, and she felt that my speaking English with you when we were together would slow the process down.” Melina shook her head incredulously. “Yeah? Well, process this, you fucking bitch. You’re a serious head case, and you need to just go to hell right along with your sick daughter!” Lissi began to slowly advance towards her, arms still casually crossed in front. “I suggest you stop with the foul, disrespectful mouth of yours, little girl.” “Or else what? You gonna do what your demented daughter did? Sorry, but I could beat your near half-a-century ass!” In less than two seconds, Lissi had her on the floor on her back and was straddling her body. Only she had brought her down gently, obviously not intending to hurt her but to make a very strong point. She wasn’t even putting all her weight on the screaming girl. “You couldn’t beat my 80-year-old ass!” Lissi shouted. “Get it straight, ok? Stick around another 30 years and you’ll see just what I mean. Ari’s not the only fighter in this family. When her father, my husband, was alive, he not only taught her how to fight, but he also taught his wife and his other kids as well.” “Get off! Just get off! Get the hell off!” Melina shoved Lissi in vain. “Not until you calm down and quit screaming.” Melina sobbed, and Lissi felt a twinge of empathy for the girl. “Oh, come on, sweetie,” Lissi said gently as she shifted her weight to sit on the floor alongside Melina. Melina was now crying hard. Lissi tried to comfort her, but she pulled away. Then she stiffened and slowly turned to face Lissi. “Kids? Other kids, as in plural?” Lissi nodded. “Mhm.” “What other kids? Your only other kid is Rena.” Lissi smiled with shocked amusement, then burst out laughing. “Honey,” she said when she could control herself, “Nara’s my daughter, too.” Jesus, how many more times could she be surprised like this in one night? “But–but, I thought she was just Ari’s best friend.” Lissi laughed again. “No, they’re half-sisters, dearie. They have different fathers. The only difference is that my Ari and Rena’s dad wanted to be a dad, Nara’s didn’t.” “But her last name is Lorenzo, not Delgado or Givanni.” “That’s her ex-husband’s name.” “I guess that would explain why she calls you mom.” Lissi pulled herself up to her feet and reached for Melina. “Yeah. Come on.” “No,” Melina said, rising to her feet on her own. “Don’t touch me. Just don’t fucking touch me. I don’t know what’s real and what isn’t anymore.” “What else is it that you’re unsure of?” “Everything. Just everything. The only thing I’m sure of is that I can never return to your daughter. And I’ll never trust any of you ever again. Why didn’t you at least tell me about Nara?” “I had no reason to think you didn’t know.” “You’re sick. All of you. Especially Ari. And just as soon as that psycho is at work tomorrow morning, I’m going to go over to that house, clear out all my stuff, go back to my country, and you’ll all be nothing but a memory.” “And with what money are you going to make this memory happen?” asked Lissi, a touch of amusement playing upon her lips. Melina’s heart sank to the pit of her stomach. Yeah. What money was she going to make it a memory with? Panic began to well up within her. “Fuck this shit!” she screamed. “I’m out of here.” She ran to the door and flung it open. A cold gust of wind blew her overly long hair back behind her as she gazed into the pouring rain that was illuminated by the soft glow of the streetlight. It was coming down in sheets. She looked back at Lissi. “Well, what’s the matter?” Lissi said. “Go. Go on if you think you’d be better off out there.” Feeling utterly defeated, Melina slowly shut the door and leaned her back against it. She shivered with cold and began to cry again. Lissi came towards her and was about to say something when someone who had a key to the house let themselves in the back door. Melina’s heartbeat sped up. “Mom? Mom, it’s me,” they heard Nara call out from the kitchen. “We’re in here,” Lissi called back. “I called Ari and she told me what happened and said that Melina was over here,” said Nara, stopping dead in her tracks at the sight of a bruised and teary-eyed Melina. “Damn that bitch.” “Yeah, I know,” her mother agreed. “I’m sorry, hun,” Nara said to Melina. “I should have warned you about her temper.” “Ari isn’t the only one who did wrong,” Lissi said. “Aw, come on, Mom. Beating the crap out of someone doesn’t compare to posting suggestive pictures. Though I agree,” Nara said, turning back to face Melina. “That wasn’t a very smart thing to do.” “You’re all crazy!” Melina shouted. “First, Ari goes crazy, then Lissi finally gets around to letting me know she speaks English, and now you’re her daughter, too. First chance I get, I’m gone!” “What – wait a minute,” said Nara, waving a hand. “What do you mean, by you’re her daughter, too?” “I thought you were the crazy bitch’s best friend.” Lissi laughed. “Oh, no. No, hun, we’re half-sisters.” Melina realized that this explained the resemblance between Lissi and Nara. If anything, Nara resembled Lissi more than Ari did. “Sister or not, she’s a fucking…” “Hey. Stop swearing and tell me what happened.” Melina repeated the horrifying scenario as briefly as she could. “She saw the picture, then she slapped me. Out of fear, but mostly anger at that point, I lunged for her. But she ended up beating my ass.” “Well, you know she’s a boxer, don’t you?” Nara said. “Yeah, but I was pissed.” The other women snorted. Then Nara said, “Sorry, hun, you may be in good shape and strong and fast for your size, but you’re no fighter. You’re smart, you’re beautiful, but definitely a wimp. Even my mom could take you.” Laughing, Lissi said, “Yeah, I showed her.” Nara flashed a look of alarm in her mother’s direction. “Don’t worry. I did it gently after getting sworn at for what probably amounted to more in five minutes than in my whole life.” Nara turned back to Melina. “So what happened after she beat you up?” “Your mother rescued me, so to speak.” “You should remember that, too,” said Lissi. “Who knows how far she’d have gone if I hadn’t?” Melina gave her a snotty look, but out of respect for Nara, who was probably tougher than both her mother and Ari put together at nearly six feet tall, she bit her tongue and said nothing. “I ran out of the house when your mother called. Then she picked me up a few minutes later.” “Did Ari tell you the same thing she told us?” Lissi asked Nara. Nara nodded, and Melina said with sarcasm heavy in her voice, “No, I made it up.” “Hey, hey, keep it calm and cool,” Nara said. “Now, what Ari did may’ve been wrong, and yes, my mother should’ve told you up front that she knows English, but we’re still family here.” “The hell we are,” said Melina. “How do I know what secrets you might possess? Huh? What skeletons have you got hiding in your closet? When all of a sudden everyone I thought I knew and trusted proves to have this dark side, I don’t think…” “Hey, listen. You want to start talking dark sides?” Lissi interrupted, anger now creeping back into her voice. “We knew you had problems, we knew there’d be risks, yet we took you in anyway.” Melina looked at Lissi, brows knotted with confusion. “Yeah, babe, those things you never told us about, we found out about anyway. See, I may not be computer savvy, and Ariella might not be computer savvy, but she is,” Lissi said, gesturing toward Nara. “She may not be nearly as knowledgeable as you are, but she knew enough to check into the signs.” “The signs? What are you talking about, you lunatic?” Nara gave her a look of warning as her mother said, “Just some homework I had her do.” “What homework!” Melina screamed. Nara jumped, covered her ears, and hissed, “Stop yelling.” Lissi explained. “Remember that degree I told you about having in psychology and human behavior? Remember how we were discussing how I worked with emotionally disturbed young ladies at a private school before I took over the family antique store?” “Yeah, so?” “So, I recognized the signs of instability within you, and I knew it wasn’t just ADHD at play. I knew something had to have happened in your life and that you had to have experienced some sort of trauma in your life.” “Oh, is that what you decided?” Ignoring her, Lissi said, “We know about your background, Melina.” A moment of uncomfortable silence, then Lissi spoke again. “I’d say you’ve held back a lot more than we have, don’t you think?” “No, I don’t, Lissi. I not only fail to see the point in bringing people down with sad stories of the past, but that was then, this is now.” “That’s true,” Lissi said, nodding her head empathetically. “That’s absolutely true. And while I don’t know if your parents ever abused you or not while they were alive, it seems to me you should have told Ari at least at some point that you were a ward of the state through most of your teenage years. And about the drugs. The getting in trouble with the law. The other stuff.” Melina looked at Nara. “So what were your sources, Detective Lorenzo?” “Mostly your own journal. I googled your name and there it was.” “Did you tell Ari when you did this so-called homework?” Nara nodded, and Melina’s eyes glinted with anger. “You major league asshole,” she snarled. Nara’s eyebrows rose a notch. “And I don’t give a shit if you kick my ass for saying so either!” Melina screamed on. “Just like with Lissi, I thought you were cool. I trusted you. You were always so good to me. I loved hanging out at your place when Ari and Lissi would go antique hunting for more of the shit they love to sell. You’re one of the last ones I thought would let me down like this. I’ll never trust you again!” Nara looked at her almost with a sad expression, then Lissi tried to reason with her. “Melina.” Melina ignored her. “I would have eventually told people everything about me.” “Melina.” “And if you’d really done your homework, you’d know the real reason I was in jail!” “Melina. Oh, Melina,” Lissi said, moving in front of her and blocking her view of Nara. “Don’t Melina me anymore! You’re all crazy, and I’m out of here first chance I get. I can handle the streets. I’ve basically been on my own since I was fourteen years old. It’s nothing new to me.” “Just safer, right?” Lissi asked with sarcasm. “Ma, why don’t you let me take her tonight?” “Because Ari’s a lot more likely to go over there than here.” “She’s already tried to kill herself once,” Nara warned. “Twice,” Melina boldly corrected. “She’ll be ok,” Lissi said to Nara as Melina snorted with disgust, assuring them that they weren’t worth dying for. “Are you sure you want to keep her?” asked Nara. “Yeah,” Lissi said confidentially. “She won’t harm me. And she’s still part of the family, as far as I’m concerned, and I love her just the same. People in her state need support. Not to be thrown away.” “Oh, I would never suggest she be thrown away. But you can’t watch her all the time, and I agree with you, Ma. Ari’s a madwoman at times, but this one really is unstable. In fact, I didn’t realize just how disturbed she was until tonight.” “Yeah, getting your ass beat and finding out that those closest to you aren’t who they say they are really is disturbing. You both need to shove a broom handle up your asses!” “Hey!” Nara shouted. Melina’s body stiffened. She held her breath, fearing another attack. Nara slowly came towards her, and Melina backed up until she was up against the wall. “Watch your mouth,” Nara said, poking her chest with her finger. “Really, I’ll wash it out with soap if I have to. You got that?” Melina said nothing. She just stared up into Nara’s beautiful face. She looked nothing like Ari. Her full lips looked so kissable, and she was absolutely gorgeous. God, maybe she was a slut! “Do you understand?” Nara asked again even louder. “Yes,” Melina nodded. “I understand you’re still just as crazy as you were minutes ago.” Nara sighed with frustration and turned to Lissi. “Mom, are you sure you don’t want me to take her?” “Yes, I’m sure,” Lissi said with a smile. “She is unstable and she does need help, but I’m pretty sure her bark is a lot worse than her bite.” Nara looked from her mother and back to Melina. “You never know,” Melina said. “You just might come back later to find your crazy mother cut up into little itty-bitty pieces. Or maybe you’ll find that I slit my wrists and bled out like a cow.” Nara sighed again, dropped her head, shook it sadly, then ran her fingers through her long, dark locks. “Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll just kill myself, and then I won’t have to deal with any of you or worry about getting back to the US. I’d only be homeless there anyway, so yeah, I think I’ll go for a major artery.” Again, Nara shook her head, then she asked her mother, “How did she hide this for so long?” “The mentally ill do that sometimes, though she didn’t hide it from me.” “And Ari brought this out in the open?” “Well, yes and no.” “Hey, wait a minute,” said Melina. “Let’s get our terms straight. Am I mental? Or just disturbed? Because if I’m a mental case, then that means I have to be crazy.” “Well,” said Lissi, “I think you’re a little too intelligent to be legally crazy, but I do believe a judge will have to decide that soon enough.” “What!” asked Melina. “I think it’s too soon for you to go back to Ari, and Ari’s going to fight for you, believe me. And so without a court order prohibiting her from having any control over you until she gets herself under control…” “I’m never going back to her!” Melina shouted, cutting Lissi off. “I also don’t think you should be alone and that you might need more help than I could ever give you.” “That’s not up to you to decide!” Melina screamed as Nara went to cover her ears again. “You’re not my mother, and I am not a child.” “I know. That’s why a judge needs to get involved.” “Bullshit! I’m the victim here. And I don’t need a stranger or anyone else deciding things for me!” “Stop yelling!” Nara shouted. “Screw you.” Nara finally threw up her hands and said, “Ok, Ma, that’s it. I have to get out of here. I hate to leave you alone in the lion’s cage, but I can’t take this anymore.” “Don’t worry,” Lissi told her daughter with a slight chuckle. “This is what I went to college for, after all, long before I knew I’d one day take over the store.” Nara started to leave, but then she turned around and faced Melina. “Look, Melina, no matter what you think of me, I still care about you a great deal, and so I’m going to ask you this nicely. You can hate me all you want. I can’t help that. But I want you to promise me you won’t do anything stupid. Ok? Can you do that for me?” Melina hesitated, then said, “I don’t like to make any promises that I might not be able to keep.” Nara bent down so that they were face to face. “Then make sure you keep it.” After Nara was gone, Lissi stood gazing at Melina. She looked so helpless, so innocent, so adorable. She resisted the urge to hug her and instead, she said, “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m getting kind of beat. So why don’t you go up and either shower or take a bath, then we’ll call it a night.” “I take my shower in the mornings.” “Ok. Would you like anything to eat or drink before bed?” Still leaning against the wall, face now turned down to the floor, Melina shook her head of dark blond curls. She felt like a child who was being grounded. “Ok, come on then. I’ll give you a spare toothbrush, then we’ll hit the sack.” Lissi motioned Melina ahead of her, and Melina slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor. After she brushed her teeth with Lissi standing in the open doorway and making her feel even more like a child being punished, she started to head into the guest room as Lissi ran downstairs for something she’d forgotten. Well, that’s what Melina had thought, but oddly enough, Lissi had grabbed a wind chime from out back. “What’s that for?” Melina asked. “Well,” Lissi began. “If you get up during the night, I would like to know about it.” After Lissi hung the wind chimes on the outside knob of her bedroom door, Melina said, “Oh, so that’s so you know about it if I decide to creep in and maybe try to smother you with your pillow or something?” Lissi grinned. Melina thought she had beautiful teeth despite the circumstances. “No, sweetheart, that’s so that if you leave the bedroom, I’ll know about it.” “What?! I may be single now as far as I’m concerned, and you may be a very lovely woman, straight or not, but I ain’t sacking out with you.” Lissi grinned again. “It’s a king-size bed. There’s plenty of space for you to keep a safe distance from me, though you’re perfectly welcome to sleep on the floor if you’d like.” “Screw this shit! I’m the one who got her ass beat, internet porn queen or not in your prudish opinion, yet I’m being treated like some crazy criminal.” Lissi almost laughed. “It’s not funny!” “No, it’s not. But your wording is. Ever think of writing a novel? Your journals are very well written. I appreciate all the nice things you always said about me.” “Well, that’ll certainly change,” Melina said, prompting yet another grin from Lissi before she added, “I don’t sleep in anything, so you’re just going to have to deal with it. I’m only keeping my panties on.” Still grinning, Lissi said, “That’s fine, Melina. Sleep in whatever you want. I’m going to brush my teeth now.” Lissi left the room, and Melina stripped and slid under the covers. The bed was actually quite comfortable. The heavy comforter was ideal for the cold, wet weather they’d been having. The only discomfort she felt was the scattering of bruises she had from Ari kicking her. But that was nothing compared to the bruising in her mind and heart. She listened to the sounds of Lissi in the bathroom. When she returned a few minutes later, she got undressed and gave Melina yet another surprise. That was one hell of a body the woman had for forty-eight years of age! Trying not to look, she closed her eyes partway. Lissi threw her clothes in a basket in the far corner of the room, and then she opened a drawer in the dresser towards the foot of the bed. Next, she pulled out a short, thin, satiny nightgown and slipped the flimsy pale pink garment over her head. Next, she reached for the switch to the overhead light and flicked it off. Leaving the bedside lamp on, Lissi climbed into bed next to her, though far away from Melina since Melina made sure to be as close as could be to the opposite edge of the bed without slipping off completely. She lay on her side facing Lissi as Lissi picked up a paperback book that was lying on her nightstand. “I’m going to read for a while,” the elegant-looking Italian woman said. But before Lissi got a chance to read the first sentence, the phone rang. It was Ari. In Italian, Lissi said, “No, Ari, I’m taking her down to the courthouse tomorrow. But first, I’m going to take her to the house after you’ve left so she can get some clothes and whatever else she needs.” A moment of silence. “Because she can’t live with you right now and she can’t live on her own either.” More silence. “Because of her history.” Silence. “Yes, she’s aware of it. We’ve discussed it.” “I don’t know about medication, but she’ll probably need some sort of structured support, some form of therapy.” Another round of silence. “Well, the more people that volunteer to take her, the better, though I’d really like for her to stay with me.” Lissi listened to her daughter, then said, “Rena wouldn’t take her, but I suppose Nara would. I’ll find out who will take her tomorrow, because the more that offer to take her, the less likely she’ll be to end up in a harsher place. A harsher place? Melina thought to herself. “Well, I don’t want her in a hospital setting of any kind.” Oh, yeah, sure. The funny farm. Why hadn’t she thought of that one? “Because I think she’d be better off here for now.” Silence. “I know. I don’t expect the judge to decide one way or the other tomorrow. But we’ve got to at least begin the process so that you both can get whatever help you need.” “No, Ari.” “Because we’re going to sleep real soon.” Silence. “I will let you know everything that happens tomorrow, but you’ve got to give Melina some breathing space for a while. Take this time to clear your head and get your act together.” Lissi hung up the phone a few minutes later and, without glancing over at her, resumed reading her book. Melina was amazed that she could concentrate on anything she read after such a chaotic night. Twenty minutes later, Lissi placed her book down and turned off the lamp, submerging the room into darkness. Melina’s body was tired, but her mind churned rapidly as she listened to the sound of the falling rain. How had her world managed to turn itself upside down in less than five hours?