Patrice awoke and momentarily forgot about the last night's events. Brian had his arms wrapped around her tightly. Their bodies were tangled together and the bed was thrashed. She reluctantly pulled herself away from Brian. He groaned but quickly fell back asleep. Patrice grabbed his tee shirt from the floor and slipped it over her head; the shirt smelled like Brian's cologne. Patrice smiled inwardly and made her way to her bedroom. She picked out an emerald green summer dress that Brian insisted on buying. He said it matched her eyes perfectly. She grabbed her towel and headed for the shower downstairs. She turned on the shower full blast and waited for the water to heat up. In her mind she was reliving last night. When she wished to see Brian again, this wasn't in her dream. Her dream had come true and then some. She stepped into the warm shower and let her troubles wash down the drain. "Everything is going to be all right now," she said to herself. Even though she was trying to stay cheery, she couldn’t help but remember the date, August 14th, her daughter’s birthday. "How am I going to make it?" She asked herself quietly.
Brian threw on some jeans and a tee shirt and headed downstairs. He heard water running and knew that Patrice was taking a shower. He felt himself getting excited at the mere thought. He began to try and prepare a semi decent breakfast. Patrice exited the bathroom with steam following behind her.
"You should have told me that you were going to take a shower, I would have joined you." Brian said flipping the bacon.
Patrice giggled softly and approached the kitchen. She sat down and accepted the coffee Brian offered. Even when she wasn't looking at him she could feel his eyes on her; she didn't mind. Brian couldn't help but notice that Patrice looked somber. It hit him like a ton of bricks when her remembered. 'August 14th, August 14th.' It kept playing over and over in his head. He stared at the frying bacon. Patrice was lost somewhere in her thoughts; she didn't even notice that Brian had put a plate in front of her.
"Are you okay?" Brian asked, he couldn’t think of anything better to say and promptly scolded himself for that.
"Fine," Patrice said, her voice was shaky.
'Of course she isn't fine!' Brian thought in his head. They ate in silence, comforting each other without words. Patrice picked at her food. Suddenly she left the kitchen. Brian buried his head in his arms and let the built up tears escape. He composed himself quickly when he heard her coming back. She was carrying something in her hand. She laid it in front if him and stood by his side. Brian looked at it and promptly broke into tears; Patrice followed. Soon they were holding each other on the kitchen floor sobbing.
After they both had reasonably regained their composure, they sat side by side in the family room. Brian held the depressing object between them. It was a picture, and her name was Nancy; it was their daughter. The first picture Brian had ever seen of her; it was the only picture Patrice had. The silence was thick and saddening. It was so quiet that they were both startled by the doorbell. Brian went to answer it. When he opened the door nobody was there. He was about to shut it when something caught his eye. He gasped in horror and then he burned with raged. His gasp caught the attention of Patrice who began to cry in frustration.
"She wasn't enough?" She asked helplessly as Brian grabbed onto her and buried her head in the crook of her neck.
He looked down at the awful site again. It was a birthday cake with a knife sticking straight out of it. It said "Happy Birthday Nancy" and had little clowns all over it. Brian lost his temper and kicked it down his walkway, cursing like he never had before, and swore to anyone he didn't. He and Patrice moved back inside. Brian wanted to call his mother; call her and tell her what he wanted to do to her. Instead he called the only person in his family he could trust, Kevin.
