“Tonight? Before we head home?” She asked, knowing the place that was right around the corner.
The owners were so nice and had known her parents for years. Everyone knew one another around here, even the nice Russian family who owned the storefront next door. They had delicious things in their store, and all kinds of foods and special cookies from Moscow, as well as stationary and other things. She wasn’t really allowed in there anymore. Her father said that he didn’t like the men that frequented the place recently. She remembered some kind of situation over there last year with some men and the owner of the place, who was hardly ever there.
Alayna, the woman who ran the store with her husband, did everything for the owners. They were nice, but seemed scared that day the men arrived causing trouble. Her Papa pulled Annabella away from the front window and made her stay in the back of the store with her brother. After that the actual owners never really came to the store except when they were visiting from Moscow. Now different people ran the store. She found the box with the special oil and vinegar gift set.
“I found one Mamma.” She called out and carefully unpacked the gift box.
She looked up, her Mamma no longer right there and as she stood to see where she went she heard her father laughing and her brother was right in the middle between Mr. Wilder and her Mamma, he was patting Vincenzo’s head.
“Mamma, I found one.” She said again, and they turned to look at her when suddenly there was a loud noise, an explosion.
Her body lifted off the floor, and sent her into the back room against the door taking her breath away. The excruciating pain was instant and stunned her, made her gasp to catch a breath.
There was complete silence. An eerie, unbelievable silence, and then suddenly loud noises, alarms blaring, pain radiated through her body as she attempted to focus wondering what happened. She cried out, was screaming as smoke instantly encased the area, fire moved closer, the walls were caving in and fire, lots and lots of flames began to surround her. She couldn’t see past the doorway that led to nothing but flames and smoke.
“Mamma!” She screamed out. “Papa, Vincenzo! Oh God!” She screamed and screamed as sirens blared louder and louder, the flames coming closer, she had to move.
Her family was dead, caught in the flames. She looked up to the fire extinguisher on the wall as tears ran down her cheeks and her heart pounding so hard inside of her chest she felt like it could explode. She went to move the pain was so deep but her fear was worse. Her family was burning.
She pulled herself up as the fire licked at her clothing, stung her side. She slapped her hand down over it, making the flame go out, but felt the stinging sensation and knew she got burned. The fire was coming closer and closer, she couldn’t breathe, the smoke was getting worse and she reached up for the fire extinguisher then fell back down to the ground. She unclipped the small red ring, pulled, and then turned the extinguisher onto the fire and shot, as it was about to eat her up and kill her.
She was sobbing, moaning in pain, her heart breaking knowing there was no way her family got out. No way. She was sliding backwards, her next thought was to get free, and to get fresh air as her lungs began to burn from the smoke. She was sobbing, coughing and wanted to give up. She needed her mother and father, and her brother. She needed them. Her vision began to blur, the smoke inhalation killing her slowly, when suddenly the back door burst open.
“I got one!” She heard the muffled words, but could barely make out the man in black.
Reflectors were on his body, a mask and helmet, fingers pulling her hand from the grip she had on the fire extinguisher, then strong arms lift her up, one, two three, four firefighters all yelling for an ambulance. She rolled her head to the side knowing she was getting weaker and weaker.
“Mamma! Mamma!” She cried and then darkness overtook her vision.
Chapter One
Rockland County, New York, 2018
“This kind of sucks, doesn’t it?” Louisa said to Annabella and Eve.
“I don’t know, it could be worse.” Eve said to her.
“How the hell could it be worse? Gloria is going to rub this in our faces. She is such a bitch about landing Donovan.” Alexa replied and looked at the dress she put on, and glanced at herself in the mirror.
The six of them, Eve, Annabella, Alexa, Salena, Maggie, and Louisa all shared a large house in town near the Hudson River. They went through college together, bad experiences with men together and now helped one another with life after college. Annabella was between jobs, and trying to figure out what she wanted to do next. Her resumes were out there, but no calls for interviews. Something had to give.
Coming back to New York after years away wasn’t what she had expected. She even resorted to calling up her old college professor, Mr. Wind, to assist. He knew her aunt Grace, had grown up around the city and knew people. He told her if she ever needed anything to call him. She was one of his favorite students, and had encouraged her to head back to New York, to face her fears and to be successful. She had been determined to succeed despite the bad things that happened in her life.
Leaving New York to get away from all the drama surrounding the fire that took her family’s lives and nearly hers too. The culprit was never caught, but the constant reminders by other people continued to surround her. If she were to survive it all she needed to separate. To go somewhere no one really knew what happened. The Point, the town she lived in was a very caring community. When someone was in need, or if tragedy struck, the outpour of help, of care was immense. It was home no matter how hard she tried to deny that.
With that care and attention, came an overwhelming feeling of suffocation and guilt. Annabella lived, but the rest of her family died in that fire and that was something she had to live with a day at a time. The scar on her hip a reminder of the pain she survived.
Always a struggle, obstacles became a process, a way of life and overcoming them. This was no different. It was her perspective that got her through these things, and her focus to live and enjoy this life she had. The scar from being burned, a lasting memory, and reminder of what she survived. Annabella was given a second chance, and that wasn’t something she would take lightly, nor would she ever be a victim again.
“How can you be so calm when we’re going to an engagement party for a woman you were friends with who wound up with the man that you were supposed to be with.” Eve exclaimed, looking at Louisa and then adjusted her large breasts in the top of the blue dress instantly looking sexier than a moment ago.
“This is going to be the most difficult for Louisa. She was the one who dated him for two years. Let’s try to pull it together and be supportive.” Annabella said and then sighed.
Whenever her friends discussed things and talked about life, they made references to them as one unit, one family, and if one guy screwed one of them over then he screwed all of them over. However, they never dated any of the same men. That was a big no, no since high school. Completely unacceptable. They had one another’s backs. Were there for one another no matter what. In fact, Annabella wondered how life would eventually be when they all found men of their dreams and married, just like Gloria was doing. An engagement party? Their first indicator that they were all getting older, and more responsibility was coming their way.
“I’m fine with this. None of you need to worry about me. I dated Donovan senior year of high school and the first year of college, so it isn’t a big deal.” Louisa said and then slid her hands down the very tight red dress she wore. She looked incredible and Annabella was glad. It would let Donovan know what he was missing out on.
Alexa looked at Louisa, raised both eyebrows and then shrugged her shoulders. If Louisa was fine with this then they all would be fine with this situation. After all, Gloria was a friend of theirs as well, she just didn’t live with them and always did her own thing. It wasn’t a surprise that she got married first, it was a surprise that it was to Stevie Marcone, a player with the ladies.