Delia was numb. She
began to think back over her years with Vladimir. She thought about their chance meeting in the bar – she had felt it
then; the attraction was there from the beginning. She even swallowed the potion to reverse her
aging for him.
Now she had just lost him; her lover and
best friend – her soul mate. What she
had with Vladimir was something she never thought was possible especially after
her last two failed marriages. Things were completely different with him; she
loved him deeply and never once doubted that he loved her in the same way. Their marriage was full of passion and urgency.
They had no secrets – she recalled the
night he found her secrets and she told him everything, holding nothing back.
Then he revealed his secret – that he was a vampire. Both of them knew that
night, without saying it, that what they had was special and they were blessed
to have found each other.
While she lay in bed, Delia thought
about how her marriage with Francisco was so different from what she had with
Vladimir. They loved each other, but it was decidedly different. It was a sweet, innocent type of love and she
wouldn’t trade the time she had with him for the world. But things with Vladimir were very different, she
didn’t just love Vladimir, she was very much in love with him. Thinking
of Francisco and his random ghostly visits to her gave her hopes that maybe she
might be able to communicate with Vladimir beyond the grave and tell him one
more time how much she loves him.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delia was still not feeling well from the blood loss
coupled with her broken heart. All she wanted to
do was sleep. Valerie and Victoria were
understandably grieving; especially Victoria. At 12 years old, she couldn’t understand why her father just left them
and now her mother was sick and crying all the time. She was very confused and angry.
16 year-old Valerie became the caregiver
and tried her best to console Victoria and explain that their father didn’t
just leave them; that his time had come and he was now with God. Victoria decided she didn’t like God for
taking her Daddy away.
Valerie stayed by her mother's side even when she slept. She even ate her dinner next to her. Valerie was
very worried about her mother. When
Delia woke and saw what this was doing to her daughters she knew she needed to
try and pull herself together. She knew
from past experience with Alex, her ghost baby, that wallowing in self pity didn’t
help.
Delia got up and pulled Valerie into a hug. She loved that she was trying to help and
everything she was doing for her and Victoria, but she couldn’t let her
continue to be caregiver to her mother and little sister.
“Val, you have had to grow up so fast
these past couple of months. God knows,
I am so sorry. I will make this up to
you, I promise.”
“Mother,” replied Valerie, “this isn’t your
fault. I just needed to help, to do something. But I am worried about Victoria; she has
withdrawn from me and sits in the corner playing with some imaginary friend.”
Delia sighed as she looked for Victoria
and saw her sitting in the floor seemingly rocking an invisible baby and
talking to it.
Delia noticed the girls were coping with their loss in
different ways. Valerie poured herself
into her music and did everything she could to make things easier for her
family. She was such a godsend. For
Valerie, the music helped keep her father close to her and helping her mother
gave her a sense of purpose. Victoria, on the other hand, became withdrawn and
sulked a lot.
Delia was beginning to feel a little better physically
so she went into the garden and worked. She hadn’t had time to tell Vladimir that she had found the glo-orb
cutting at the consignment store the day before he was murdered. She needed to plant them and tend to the other
plants that had been neglected following the events of the past few weeks. Working in the garden calmed her and helped her
think more clearly. This would be her gift to Valerie and
Victoria. She would cure them of vampirism.
That made her think of what she was going to do before
Vladimir was killed. She was going to have him turn her. Now she felt no pressure to do that, not yet
anyway. She decided if the cure failed
then she would ask Elvira to turn her.
She wouldn’t remain human if her daughters could not.
She stood up right then and dialed the number that Vladimir had given her that day she took her children to the basement. When Elvira answered, Delia asked
her to come to the house. They needed to talk.There was no love lost between the two of them. Elvira hated her and Delia was ridiculously jealous of Elvira's relationship with her husband. They hadn't spoken since
the Elvira came to the house and yelled at Vladimir for going to the
Festival. Delia was relieved when she
agreed to come by.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Elvira arrived, Delia invited her in. The girls were absorbed in their own worlds; Valerie playing a sad song on the piano and Victoria singing to her imaginary baby.
“What is it Blondie? Why do you make me
come here to see the urchins and watch her play the piano I gave Vlad? Haven’t you
done enough?” said Elvira.
“Elvira, I
understand you are upset and I can’t thank you enough for coming by. Vladimir, he respected you and valued your
friendship. You were his best friend. I – I need to ask you something, but not down
here. Please, let’s go upstairs and talk
where we can have privacy.”
Elvira sighed and silently followed Delia upstairs to the
girl’s room. Delia turned to her and
continued, “Thank you again. I didn’t
want the girl’s to hear what I am about to ask you. Before Vladimir was killed, he was going to
turn me. I am asking you, when I am
ready, if you would do it for me.”
Elvira began to
laugh maniacally and then yelled at Delia, “You HAVE to be joking! There is no way in Hell I would do that! Right now, all I want to do is to suck you
dry Blondie. What nerve. You disgust me! If you want to become a vampire so bad, why
did you wait? YOU cost Vladimir his life.
I would NEVER help you. Have one of your half-breeds do it when they mature.”
“Elvira, please –
don’t,” begged Delia, “I have no one else to turn to. I can’t ask my daughters…Vladimir
would have wanted you …”
“DON’T you bring Vlad into this!” interrupted Elvira, “He
would be here now if he didn’t lov – I mean - whatever." Realizing what she nearly said, she added, "Maybe William will do it, but I doubt it. I am leaving now. Have a good life.” And with that Elvira turned and left.
Delia had known it was a long shot. She hadn’t thought about William. She thought that since Elvira cared for
Vladimir she would, but she had been very wrong. Elvira despised her. She would call William when the time
came. No sense worrying about it now.
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Working in the
garden and the confrontation with Elvira left Delia exhausted and weak. She still hadn’t regained all of her strength
following the attack and knew she needed to eat. She went to the kitchen and pulled some leftover
French toast out of the fridge and ate it while she thought about what had just transpired with Elvira.
She had her daughters but felt so alone. Then she realized her world had revolved
around Vladimir practically since she arrived in Bridgeport. After she ate she decided to go down to the
basement. She had a silly “selfie” that
she had taken of her and Vladimir and wanted to hang it. Hanging it was a symbol of acceptance, of
moving on.
Then she felt a cool breeze moving behind her. Her heart lurched and she hoped that it might
be Vladimir.
She turned around to find Francisco looking at her with pain in
his eyes. It was as if he knew what she wanted and was
sorry it was only him.
She recovered and ran
into his arms to be comforted. She
sobbed for several minutes in his cool embrace. As usual he said nothing and
simply held her until she was composed.
When she finally looked at him, her eyes were filled with love for an old friend.
“Thank you," said Delia, "I so needed a friend and you are always here when I do. How do you do that? How do you know?”
She wanted to ask him if Vladimir would be
able to come to her but was afraid it would be hurtful so she didn’t. Francisco’s ghost just smiled at her questions
without answering them. He said in his
ethereal voice, “I can’t stay my sweet, I just wanted to be sure you were okay.
You will be fine.” Then he vanished in a
puff of blue smoke.
Delia did feel better. Maybe she would be fine. She had her
girls and this time she wasn’t running away. She had family here. The most
family she ever had; four children and five grandchildren.
She always had her children when her world
would get ripped apart and so far they had helped her heal and move on. She knew that Valerie and Victoria would be
the salve that healed her heart this time too. "Thank you Francisco," she
whispered into the air then went upstairs to bed.
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