I heard my fathers annoyed exhale as I shut the door behind us.

"Melinda, you have to stop. Youre only going to make things worse for yourself and for these people. His mind is made up and hes not going to change it, so the best we can hope for is that he treats them with respect and keeps his promise to help them move."

"Its not enough, Chris. He doesnt care about these people at all."

"No, but you do, my dear." I was so upset that I had not noticed when Norma opened her door, her kitten in her arms.

"What can I do, Norma?"

"Ask him to put you in charge of overseeing our move. It will build his confidence in you, and help the rest of us have some dignity."

"Thats a wonderful idea, Melinda."

"Yeah, I think youre right, Chris. Okay, Norma, Ill ask him about it. Thanks."

Norma coughed, a deep racking kind of cough that left me concerned, and then she said, "Ply him with your charm, dear, it worked with me."

I laughed and told her that telling my father that he has some beautiful knockers probably wasnt going to work out the same way. I took a deep, calming breath and walked back into our apartment.

"Father, let me oversee these peoples extrication. It will reflect positively on you, and satisfy my concerns as well. A win-win alternative for the both of us."

My fathers face looked smug at first, and then he relented and said, "I was just going to suggest the same thing, Melinda."

I think my mother must have had a talk with him while we were in the hallway, because that was just too easy.

"The eviction notices will go in the mail the first of January and they will be given until the end of June to vacate. We start tearing down buildings on August first."

"Six months is not enough time, father."

"Its more than the city asked for, so dont start whining about it. Im being generous because youre my daughter."

I was ready with a snotty comeback, but Chris gave me a supportive smile, and I changed my mind.

"Thank you father, I will do the best I can with the little you offer me." I guess that was snotty after all, but I said it from the heart.

"Im sorry we have to cut the visit short, but we have to meet someone across town," my mother stood up, "What a quaint little Christmas tree, so urban sheik."

"And I dont think its safe to leave my Mercedes alone in this neighborhood for very long."

I didnt have the heart to tell my father that his car was probably gone by now, or up on bricks without its tires.

"Melinda, will you be home for Christmas? Were wintering in Florida this month, and youre welcome to join us. And bring your friend, Chris... Im sorry, what did you say your last name was?"

"Livingston."

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Chris."

"And you as well."

My father pinched his eyebrows together, "Livingston? Are you any relation to Carl Livingston, the investment guru of the south?"

Chris beamed with pride, "Yes, hes my father."

"Hes the one who helped procured this building for me." My father stated, "Small world isnt it?"

I heard my mother say, as they walked out the door, "Why do the rich kids today want to live in a slum?" I chuckled and thought to myself, if only she knew. But when I looked at Chris, she was dumbstruck and shaking.

Secrets Revealed - Christine Livingston and Melinda Blackstone My father helped him buy this building. I kept repeating those words, trying to rationalize what that meant. My father helped him buy this building. It was like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game I use to play, where you name a person in a movie that connects them to Kevin.

"Wow, what are the odds, right? Your father and my father, partners in crime."

"Its just so extraordinary."

"More like bizarre. Does your father know that you live here?"

I looked at Melinda and wondered about that. "I dont think so. My letters came back unopened and I didnt leave my address when I called them in the beginning. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

I was afraid to say it out loud, but I did, "Unless Meg told them."

"Oh, now that would be just too creepy. She tells my parents and then yours? Why would she be so malicious?"

"I think, if she did, and Im not saying thats the answer, but if she did maybe its because she doesnt want you and I to be friends."

"Yeah, I know, shes got a real hard on for me, thats for sure."

"But I dont believe thats what happened. Im sure your father called mine because hes the best at what he does. I dont think either one of them knew we lived here until after the sale of the building."

"So you dont think it was deliberate on anyones part, including Megs?"

"Yes, I want to believe that it wasnt."

"Well, maybe this is your fathers way of forcing you back home?"

"My father kicked me out, why would he turn around and force me to come home? He doesnt want me back because Im too much of an embarra.s.sment for him."

"Now why would you say that Chris? What happened that put you in this hovel?"

I looked up at her and saw that her dark eyes had lightened with her sincerity. Suddenly I knew I could trust her, and that I had trusted her all along. I told her everything. About the man I almost killed and put in a wheelchair. I told her about how I woke up with my head on a drunks shoulder in the alleyway. I even told her about my disastrous debutant ball. By the time I was finished telling her all my secrets, I was sitting down, my head in my hands, sobbing.

"Thats it? Thats your big bad secret?" Melinda said.

I nodded my head and kept crying because I just couldnt seem to stop the tears from spilling out. Melinda pulled me into her arms and let me cry it out. Her strong arms around me were quite comforting and I found myself never wanting to leave them. She must have sensed that, because she tilted my head up and brushed away a tear with her thumb. She looked at me so softly and then brought her lips to mine. Warm and soft and so inviting, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the tingling sensation. But as she probed my lips with her tongue, I quickly pulled back, pushing her away as I did.

"No, we cant."

She looked at me with such disappointment, that I almost changed my mind.

"Youre right and I shouldnt have taken advantage of you like that."

"You didnt, Melinda, I let you. But I cant let that happen again. You understand, dont you? We have too much at stake to muddle it up now."

"Yes, I understand."

We had an uncomfortable moment of silence, and then finally, Melinda spoke up.

"So, what should we do next?"

"Im not sure. Maybe theres nothing to do."

Almost D-Day - Christine Livingston, Melinda Blackstone and Norma Shelby Another week marked off the calendar and the countdown was in the single digits now. In fact, I was wakened by the town crier who goes by the name of Melinda, announcing six more days until D-Day. Im not sure if she meant to reference a military term for attacking the enemy, but I could understand the similarity if she had. While I knew she counted the days down to prove to herself that she had done it, she had pa.s.sed the test, I found myself wishing that she wouldnt be so happy about it. Because that meant she would leave, and go back to Vegas or her castle in San Francisco. I touched my fingers to my lips and felt the phantom tingle still lingering from her kiss. It meant that she would leave me.

Last week when Melindas father dropped the bombsh.e.l.l that my father was involved in the selling of this building, neither Melinda nor I were sure about what to do. Should I have confronted Meg to see if she had a hand in the bizarre way things were becoming so interconnected? Should I have tried to contact my father again to see if he would intercede on my behalf? No, I couldnt do that because his rejection was still too fresh in my heart.

Finally, Melinda suggested that we just hold off for a while, so that it wouldnt ruin our Christmas if the answers were not what I wanted to hear. She was right. I want to make this Christmas special, because it would be Melindas first Christmas without a new car under the tree.

"Melinda, Im going to check in on Norma, shes not been feeling well the last couple of days and I do not like the sound of that cough of hers."

"Wait, Ill go with you. You know, she wasnt feeling well last week either," Melinda said as she knocked on Normas door.

It seemed to take a long time for Norma to answer the door, and when she did, she was unsteady on her feet, and coughing more aggressively. My heart skipped a beat. I knew from watching television, that a senior is very susceptible to disease, and I feared that Norma had the flu. Melinda led Norma to her chair and then came back over to me.

"What do you think?"

And then it hit me, "Oh my G.o.d! Melinda, one of the great-grandkids was sniffling when she was here. Norma must have caught something from her. We have to get her to a doctor or emergency room, or something."

Melinda said she would go make the call, and walked down the hall to apartment 6C and knocked on their door. As she called for an ambulance, I helped Norma get ready. She fought me every step of the way. I realized that Norma had been keeping her illness a secret from us, and when I questioned her about it, she told me it was because she didnt have a way to pay for it. I a.s.sured her it would be taken care of if I had to work triple shifts and work the streets afterwards. She told me that Melinda was becoming a bad influence on my sense of humor.

Melinda waited for the ambulance and then showed the EMTs up to Normas apartment. I put Normas kitten in my apartment so that it would be safe, and then waited by Normas side. She was suddenly so weak that I feared she might faint. Where the h.e.l.l is that ambulance?

The EMTs rushed in and started asking questions. When Norma refused to answer them, we answered for her. After listening to her heart and lungs, one tech said she needed to go to the hospital. Melinda asked him what was wrong with her and he said it could be the flu or the onset of pneumonia. Oh dear Lord, please, not that.

Norma relented after much begging on my part. She told Melinda where her keys were and to make sure she locked up after they left. Then she asked me to look after Pluto for her. Finally she let the EMTs strap her onto the gurney and carry her down the stairs.

I was in tears, shaking with fear, "She cant die, she just cant. I need her too much." I was rambling, not sure of what I was saying, I just knew my heart was breaking.

Melinda grabbed me by the shoulders and held me tight, "Chris, shes going to be all right. Youll see, shes a feisty old lady whos lived through worse Im sure. Come on, we need to get down to the hospital."

Chapter Nineteen.

Can You Read My Mind - Christine Livingston, Melinda Blackstone, Meg b.u.mgartner and Frankie Bonner After a long bus ride that took its own sweet time about getting there, we were finally at the hospital. They were running tests on Norma but thats all they would tell us because we werent related or had power of attorney. For a moment I thought Melinda was going to ask them if they knew who she was, but she didnt, so we sat down in the waiting room and waited... and waited... and waited. Melinda sat leaning forward, her elbows on her knees, her head down, her hands clasped together. "What is taking so d.a.m.n long?" Her voice was horse, from fighting the tears.

After an hour, Melinda lost patience and demanded to know where Norma was. The nurse said that she was having one last test run, but she promised to tell us as soon as Norma was moved to a room. That answered our questions. They wouldnt admit her if it wasnt life threatening. And then the nurse suggested that we call her family if she had any.

"I dont have Benjamins number, do you?" Melinda appeared calm and collective but underneath, she was shaking like a leaf.

"No, but Frankie will have it."

We rushed over to the payphone but neither one of us had any change on us.

Melinda exclaimed angrily, "f.u.c.k this!"

"Melinda, let me call Meg. I can reverse the charges and I know sh.e.l.l accept the call."

"Isnt that against the test rules?" I could feel her frustration mix with my own.

"f.u.c.k the rules, besides, Im not taking the test, you are."

"I would disagree with you but right now I dont give a s.h.i.t, call Meg."

I dialed the outside operator, gave them Megs cellphone number and asked that she reverse the charges. Meg answered on the second ring, heard the operator mention my name and thankfully accepted the charges. I explained where I was and asked her to call Benjamin and relay the news. She asked if she needed to come be with me, but I a.s.sured her that Melinda was with me and I would be fine. She told me to call collect anytime, even if I just wanted to talk. I asked her if she could read my mind because I was hoping she would say that. After I hung up with her, Melinda and I went back to waiting in the visitors lounge.

Thirty minutes later, the nurse came over and reported that Norma was being moved to intensive care, and then she sat down beside us and whispered that she would call up to the unit coordinator and tell them that we were family and should be allowed visitation. The tears in my eyes blurred my vision so that I thought I saw the glow of a halo behind this angel.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," Melinda said.

"Merry Christmas," the nurse replied, and then went back to her station.

As I watched her walk away, I saw Meg and Frankie walking towards us.

I ran up to Frankie and asked, "Did you reach him?"

She nodded and said, "Theyre not coming."

"How can they not come, she may be dying for G.o.ds sake. Dont they give a s.h.i.t about her?" Melinda said to no one in particular.

Meg sat down beside her and said in a calming voice, "They simply cant afford it, Blackie. Their daughter came down with the flu and they have a lot of doctor bills now."

"They asked me to keep in touch and let them know how shes doing." Frankie offered.

"By the way, Chris, take this." Meg handed me a cellphone, "I know youll want to stay in touch with the hospital if she has to stay here very long."

"You can read my mind! Thank you, Meg. Ill return it as soon as Norma is back home again."

"Keep it. You might need it for some other emergency, like say if Blackie trips over her ego again." Meg said it in jest to lighten the mood, and I held my breath waiting to see if Melinda would accept it as such.

"Yes, keep it, Chris, incase Meg here loses one of her b.a.l.l.s and needs our help finding it."

A moment long enough to hear a pin drop and then laughter replaced our tension.

"Listen, have either of you eaten today?" Frankie asked, and Melinda and I looked at each other and shook our head. "Then lets go upstairs to the cafeteria and get some food."