EIGHTY-TWO

I sat on the floor of the prison cell, whistling to myself till a warden came and opened the door, saying I was free to go.

I looked at him, confused, wondering who would have paid the bail.

I walked out of the facility and saw Luis standing there with his hands in his pocket and a half frown on his face.

"Took you long enough."

In the car ride, I asked,"I don't get it, how did you know I was here?"

"Lucy yells a lot when she doesn't get what she wants."

"And...why did you pay the bail?"

"... I've known you a while and, even I know what Lucy's doing is a bit over the top, I don't agree either with your whole repentance charade, but I can't just let you rot in jail for defending your wife."

I was about to speak when he said,"I have my ways."

I looked at his waist and realized,"Where are your..."

"...guns? Apparently they're high level gear and I'm only given access to them once I reach a certain position."

"You were hired?"

"Yes, and had to use a lot of self control and physical restraint to keep myself from blasting off everyone's appendages for touching them."

I looked at him, then smiled and said,"I'm proud of you."

He looked at me from the corner of his eyes, scoffed, then said,"I don't think Lucy would feel the same if she found out."

He dropped me off at an average bungalow, from which Rose ran to hug me, he then said,"I'm sorry but this is the best I could do for you both, not because I couldn't afford better, but because I know Rose doesn't actually feel very comfortable having a thousand cubed meters of bed space just to herself."

"We don't know how to thank you."I said.

"Save it for later, and here, till you get back on your feet."

I looked at the six letter digit on the cheque and said,"We can't accept this."

He shrugged, put a toothpick in his mouth, then left.

We looked back at the house and I took a deep breath, our new home, and the first thing we saw, walking in, was a six digit cheque on the floor, with a lavish array of housewarming gifts and a note, which said,"Stay out of trouble, I don't want both of us to be homeless by the end of the evening, and don't worry, all of this has been done just by my funding, I didn't use any of Lucy's money...maybe."

I thanked God for a truly loyal friend like him, it was only when in crisis, that he showed his warmest temperament...

***

"Why the heck would you go behind my back and do something like this?!"Lucy fumed.

"Why the heck would you go behind my back and kick your own brother in law out of his own home?!"

"I offered him..."

"A deal? You actually said you'd only free him if he did something only you wanted? Lucy, look at what you're doing."

"I'm trying to keep this family from falling apart and you seem to be enjoying seeing me suffer..."

"Mommy..."

"What?! Thomasina, just go to your room, I'm not in the mood right now."

The child looked at her mother with teary eyes, and Luis rolled his then went to her.

He carried her back to her room and asked her problem, then she opened her fisted palm, showing the smallest of incisors as she said,"My first tooth fell out."

He smirked then said,"You know one thing I used to do when my teeth fell out?"

"Jab them into the throat of whomever knocked it out?"

"I mean naturally, not when I got punched in the face."

"You... put it under your pillow?"

"Exactly, you know why?"

"The tooth fairy would visit?"

"What? No, mythical creatures like the tooth fairy don't, didn't and never would exist, I put it under my pillow so my parents will leave me a surprise."

"What kind of surprise?"

"Well if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, now would it?"

She giggled as he tickled her, then became more serious and asked,"Daddy, is mommy mad at me?"

"What? Sweetie, no, she isn't."

"Is she mad at you?"

"Well, kind of, it's adult stuff, you probably wouldn't understand."

"Could it be because Uncle Tommy and Auntie Rose have decided to pursue a life of separation from the wonted norms of society?"

"...maybe..."He said a little wiser,"... but you'd better get to bed before Lord Dracula comes into your room and sucks you dry like a fleshy raisin unripe with puberty, muahahahaha... succulent."He said with an accent.

"Mythical creatures like that don't exist, didn't exist and would never exist and, I'm only seven."

"We shall see..."He said with an evil grin.

The next day, Thomasina woke up and immediately checked under her pillow and saw an envelope.

She slowly opened it and saw a pearl and gemstone necklace with the bedazzled and gilded tooth as the centrepiece.

She looked at it, then up and ran down the stairs, past her still asleep sisters.

She ran and immediately hugged Luis, who was in the kitchen, so hard he banged his head on the counter.

Rubbing it in pain, she said in one breath,"Thank you very much for giving me this surprise that I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life naturally expecting the twenty-one others you'll make for my collection, sorry about your forehead, goodbye!"

He smirked as he leaned on the very counter then turned back to continue making his breakfast; a cup of Joe.

He walked into the master bedroom where he saw Lucy sobbing on the bed with Lucille trying to comfort her.

The girl frowned at him as he ignored them both, took his keys, a bath, a coat, then left as suddenly as he came in, what he knew was that she just wanted attention, what he didn't earlier, was that he had married such a drama queen, them again, she was an actress and a good one at that, it probably came with the territory.