The Taghertys laughed. "And what did you tell her, my dear?"

"I told her that I didn't do anything but talk to him at his level. He... it's funny - he looked at me for a long moment, then declared me to be 'good.' After that, it was just a matter of taking him back to his mom. Apparently being 'good' was reason enough for him to trust me."

"He's actually an astonishing judge of character - given his age and background. Especially when you consider his natural shyness. It took him several visits with his cousins before he actually decided to play with them. Now of course, he runs off to play with them the minute they arrive."

"I can't picture a child of Charisma's as quiet and reserved. He certainly wasn't with me."

"Brianna?" Patrick asked when their chuckles wound down again. "What else happened?" He paused, then pushed forward. "I mean... I think something else must've thrown her off. Otherwise she wouldn't have agreed to go get ice cream with you. Unless... was that the first time you'd been alone together since your arrival? Or have you been rebuilding...?" Brianna's indelicate snort caused his words to trail off. He waited, and finally Brianna spoke.

"We're not rebuilding anything, Papa. She basically told me flat out that the only interaction we'd ever have together would be professional. The only reason we went for ice cream together was because of Adam. He didn't want to let me go back to work after I found him. Ice cream in the afternoon was our compromise."

"Brianna?" Okasa spoke up. "When Adam declared you 'good', what was Charisma's reaction?"

"Aside from accusing me of witchcraft on her son? I don't know, really. I wasn't looking at her either time he said it; I was looking at Adam. He has her eyes, you know."

Okasa laughed. "Yes, I had noticed that." Then she sobered. "Can you think of any reason...?"

Brianna sighed. "Yeah," she said casually - more casual than her speech had been since high school. In her business, informality wasn't acceptable most of the time... even in casual conversation. People expected more. So Okasa knew the minute the slang fell from Brianna's lips, they were finally getting to the crux of the matter.

"Can you share?"

There was another heavy sigh and the Taghertys heard the sound of another cup of coffee being made before Brianna spoke again. "Charisma mentioned my eyes - said Adam was another sucker for green eyes. Then she took Adam and hightailed it out of the dining room like her feet were on fire."

"But that's wonderful!" Okasa exclaimed and Brianna could hear the smile in her voice. "That means she feels... she still...."

"No, Okasa. It means she's still unwilling to feel - or to acknowledge the possibility of... well, anything really. She's not even willing to feign friendship."

Okasa snorted. "So what are you going to do about it, Brianna?"

Brianna shook her head, even though Okasa couldn't see her. She chuckled sadly. "Nothing, Mama O. Not a damn thing. Nothing has changed as far as Charisma is concerned, and she made her choice years ago when she let me walk away without looking back. Despite what it could be if given a chance and as much as I'd like for things to be different...."

"That's bullshit, Brianna Walker! Tell her how you feel! Fight for her!"

Brianna sighed. "I've been fighting for twenty years to make sure she was happy - to make sure she got what she wanted out of life - even while I knew that what she wanted was never going to include me. I'm tired of fighting."

"Then start fighting for something instead of against it!"

"Was there anything else you needed to know, Mama?" she asked respectfully while completely avoiding Okasa's argument. "I still need to get ready to go out."

Okasa bit her lip and relaxed back into Patrick's body when he put his arms around her. "I think that's all for now, Little One. Remember you promised to call me soon."

"I know, Mama O. I will. You and Papa say a prayer at Mass for me this morning. Maybe God will listen to you."

"Oh Sweetheart. God listens to all his children. He just doesn't always answer in our time."

"I'm not sure I have enough life left to wait on His," Brianna said wryly. "I'll call next week. I want to tell you about the new friends I've made here. You'd like them - they think like you do... that Charisma and I should be together."

"Really? How long have you known them?"

"Only since I arrived in the capital, although Charisma has known at least one of them for a while. She's the custodian on our floor of the Senate office building we're in."

"That wouldn't be Esmeralda, would it?"

"Yes, it would," Brianna affirmed with a smile. "She and her partner Saphira helped me out the night I got here and ended up completely lost and they've become good friends since then. I wish you could meet them, Mama. They have something together that is so rare. But they have fought to be together... given up everything for one another. That's why I know...." She trailed off.

Okasa cleared her throat. "We'll look forward to hearing all about them. I wanna hear what you think about some of your colleagues as well. Given some of the tales Charisma has shared, it could make for a fun conversation."

"I'll just bet."

"All right, Brianna. You go get ready for your day out with your friends."

"Thanks, Mama. Love you. Love you, Papa."

"Love you too," Okasa and Patrick assured Brianna before hanging up their phone. Then they turned to look at one another.

"Are you satisfied now, Papa?"

"I'll agree something is definitely up with our daughter," he agreed reluctantly. "But I'm not sure I know what we're supposed to do about it."

"We're gonna go to church and light a candle and say a prayer. Then I'm gonna go to the post office tomorrow and mail Charisma a package she shoulda gotten years ago. Maybe we could've avoided this whole mess."

"Mama?"

"Trust me, Paddy-me-love. I shoulda done this a long time ago. Now, go get ready for church. We've got some praying to do."


Chapter XXXII

"Knock, knock," Brianna called out even as she knocked on the door of the address Esmeralda had given her. She smiled when Saphira opened the door almost immediately.

"Brianna... welcome! Please come in," gesturing her into the narrow foyer. Brianna held up her hand.

"Hey, Saphira. I um... I actually brought some stuff with me," motioning to her car.

"Brianna, you didn't need to bring anything."

"I know. But I couldn't not. My mother might make an appearance to give me a lesson in manners and deportment." She shuddered dramatically. "I'd rather give that a miss if you don't mind." Brianna turned back to Jas who stood beside the car awaiting her orders.

"Well, let's grab your stuff before Es decides I got lost bringing you to the kitchen."

Brianna handed Saphira a couple bags, then she and Jas hefted a small cooler between them and followed Saphira back towards the house. By this point, Esmeralda had wondered at their delay and she met them at the door, eyebrows high on her forehead in puzzlement.

"Did I miss a memo?" she asked as they passed her on their way into the kitchen. "I thought we invited you over to have lunch with us - not for you to bring it with you," Esmeralda offered with a grin. "Thanks, Jas," she added when Jas turned to leave. Jas gave Esmeralda a snappy salute, then turned to Brianna.

"Is there anything else, Senator?"

"No," Brianna replied, shaking her head. "I'll call you when Saphira and Es are ready to throw me out."

"Yes ma'am," she acknowledged, then went out the door and back to the car. The rest watched her go, following the sound of the car until it faded away. Then they looked at one another and laughed.

Esmeralda opened her arms and offered Brianna a hug that she readily accepted, then Saphira did the same. "Welcome to our home," Esmeralda said. "We're really glad you're here, Brianna. But um... why all the stuff?" gesturing to the things that had been brought in.

Brianna cleared her throat. "Well, my mother taught me that you never go anywhere empty-handed. But I forgot to ask what we were having today, so I brought a few things hoping something would fit in with whatever you were preparing."

Esmeralda smiled gently. "All you needed to bring was yourself, but I'm sure we can probably use any number of things you brought along with you. I've learned to be flexible in my menu making. Besides, we wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your mother, would we?"

"I knew you'd understand."

Esmeralda snorted. "I have a mother too," was her only comment, making Brianna laugh and Saphira snicker. But the awkwardness was broken and they put things away. Saphira fixed them drinks and they crossed into the living room to visit.

"If it was warmer, we could sit out in the backyard."

"It would have to be a lot warmer, Es. There's no reason for you to catch a chill, and I'm pretty sure we'd get frostbite if we stayed outside for too long today. As pretty as the sunshine is, it's not very warm."

"And come mid-summer, we'll be wondering where the cool air has gotten off to."

Brianna smirked. "True. I guess we're never really satisfied." She groaned and twisted her neck, sighing when she felt it pop back into place. "This is wonderful. Thank you both for inviting me."

"We were glad you could come. Most wouldn't, you know."

"Their loss," Brianna stated emphatically. "Can I ask you something? It's been bugging me for... well, since it happened." Saphira and Esmeralda exchanged glances and shrugged, then nodded at Brianna. She looked at Esmeralda. "How do you know Jas?" She chuckled when Esmeralda's eyes widened and her brows flew into her hairline. "I mean, you do know her, right? As more than just a casual acquaintance?"