Page 59 of Spark

“Mia...” He wrapped her in a hug, not saying a word, letting her cry on his shoulder. She let the tears flow; she had held them in for so long.

After several minutes, Mia looked up. Aurelio had closed his eyes, but when he opened them, the pain she felt was reflected in them.

“Aurelio,” she began. But he shushed her gently, placing a hand on her head to pull her in for a kiss on the forehead.

“It's ok, beautiful.” He sighed. “I know. If you want to talk about it, we can. If not, I'm just happy to have you in my arms.” She was grateful for his warmth, his loving embrace, and his understanding.

“I can talk about it,” she said finally, pulling back a little to pull the photo off the wall.

“My dad worked long hours at the scrapyard my whole life. Days would go by when we didn't see him because he was up so early and home so late. My mom left town when I was born; four kids were too much, and she didn't have a glamorous enough life with my dad or some bullshit,” Mia scoffed. She had never known her mom, and at this point in her life, she didn't care to.

“My brothers and I learned to help with whatever we could. Cooking, cleaning, and school. We worked together to help keep our little family going. We weren't dirt poor, but we had our struggles. My dad never let us want for anything; he didwhatever he could to give us the life he thought we deserved. He went to every game, even if it meant working double or triple shifts to make up for lost time.” Mia smiled, remembering how proud he would be watching them play. When she caught a flyball during softball her freshman year, he had run onto the field and lifted her into the air.

“He sounds like an amazing dad,” Aurelio said, smiling.

“He was,” Mia agreed, her heart breaking a little more. The story of why he was in the past was still so raw in her chest.

“Well, we grew up, and my brothers worked in the scrapyard with him all through high school. My dad refused to let them stay there after graduation, pushing college on all of us. He promised there was enough money for us to go to school; we just had to tell him where we would be going. We couldn't believe it. How could he have saved enough money for three kids to go to school? My oldest brother, Melvin,[SS13] got a scholarship for baseball and got a full ride. He has a law degree, his own firm, and everything. Mikey wanted to be just like Dad but finally settled on being a hero. He has worked at the fire station in our hometown for the last five years, I think. Matty went to community college, got a degree in social work, and helps the kids around the state. They all live back home, happy to be close to where Dad is. But I needed to get out. After he passed, I had to leave. I packed up the old girl and took off.” Mia breathed deeply, knowing she had skipped a big part of the story. Aurelio, of course, could tell and was willing to wait for her to be ready to share it. His hands rested on her back as she held the picture close, inspecting her dad's face, keeping the memory of him as fresh as she could.

“My dad said college was a must; he wouldn't have us getting stuck like him, working ourselves to death for someone else. When Melvin got the scholarship, Dad was so relieved.”Her brother loved Florida, the sun, the girls, all of it. [SS14] “Mikey fought hard as graduation approached, refusing to stop helping my dad at the scrapyard. There was a fire one day, and he saved the owner and his wife from their house. Mikey got a taste for it and applied for the firefighter program right after graduation.” And he was good at it. Being a fireman was everything Mikey wanted; he loved the firehouse. [SS15]“Matty didn't know what he wanted. He had always been less motivated than the rest of us, but he wanted to give back to the community. He applied for community college and worked to help Dad pay for school. He works with DCF, helps kids in troubled situations, and finds fosters for them.” Her brothers were amazing men, all thanks to her dad's stern but loving hand. He had raised them right. She wished he could see that. “I was always the one to push, determined to be better, stronger, and faster than my brothers. My dad called me his ‘little spark plug.’” She laughed; it had been years since she had thought about that nickname.

“Sparks for the win, right?” Aurelio said, smiling at her. She giggled; it gave her a reprieve from the heavy emotions.

“Yeah, you're right. I applied for UCLA and got in, but with no scholarships. The bill was outrageous. My dad refused to let me take out a loan, and he said he would not have me go out into the world indebted. I deserved to be free from that kind of burden.” Mia's smile fell; the final turn in the tale was coming quick. “I had no idea; none of us did. Dad couldn't get a loan from any bank because he never built up credit, so he turned to loan sharks. Dad took their money and told me it was legit; that it was all squared away. How were we supposed to know anything different? None of us were at home anymore. He got in deep with them; the scrapyard was not making him enough to pay every month, and he started to fall behind. One day, they decided to visit him at the yard and gave him an ultimatum. Hedidn't like that. He told the sharks they would get the money, but they needed to back off. One of the lackeys decided to put my dad in his place and cracked him over the head with his gun. My dad collapsed and never woke up.” Mia finished the story, her voice going quiet as she reached the end. The truth of her dad's death hung around her.

“Cops arrested the poor kid. He was barely a year older than me. He confessed, and now he's sitting in jail, rotting away. The shark wasn't happy. Someone had to pay him back. He decided that person would be me, but my dad hadn't told him where I was, just that the money was for school. My brothers told me not to come home. It wasn't safe till the shark was taken care of.” Mia remembered her brother on the phone, his voice breaking as he told her to stay away.

“I stayed away. I missed Dad's funeral and my brother’s graduation. I haven't seen them since. We call and text sometimes, but I miss them so much.” Mia grabbed Aurelio, the photo crinkling in her hand as she held onto him. His arms wrapped around her, letting her grieve.

“What happened to the loan shark?” Aurelio asked, his face dark with worry. “Is he still a problem?”

“Yes and no,” she said. “He told my brothers that he wouldn't pursue me. I’m too small a fish in too far away of a pond for him. But if I come home, he said I'm fair game.” Mia sighed; she felt exiled after her dad's death. She hadn't just lost him; she had lost her whole world.

“I have listened. My brothers keep him away, and I stay here. They all promised to be at my graduation. No matter what, they will see me finally walk with my degree, but I don't know if they can.”

“Mia,” Aurelio started, his face determined. “I will do whatever I can to make it happen. I will drive there myself and get them if you want.”

Mia smiled, grateful for the gesture, but she needed to keep him out of it.

“Thank you, but it's okay. My brothers will find a way.” She winked at him, her eyes finally dry. “Sorry to bring things down so hard, but I feel, I don't know, free now that I have shared this with you.”

“Thank you.” He placed a kiss on her cheek. “For letting me in.”

She kissed him back, her lips grazing his sweetly at first until the touch gave way to more. She melted into his arms as the kiss pushed past sweet, mixing with desire. She felt his lust grow against her thigh, driving her heart rate sky-high. Her tongue tangled with his, begging him to take her. Aurelio answered her unspoken call, lifting her off her feet and moving to the bed.

“Wait.” She placed a hand on his chest, forcing space between their lips.

“What's wrong?” Aurelio asked, concerned.

“Nothing, I just want to play out a fantasy I have, if you're willing.”

“Yes,” he growled, his voice growing deep.

Tilting her head, she motioned for him to head to the bathroom. His eyebrows rose, eyes filled with the same hunger as hers. He moved quickly, resuming the kiss and shutting the bathroom door after they crossed the threshold. Gently, he set her on her feet and waited, breath shallow. Turning away, Mia reached into the shower and turned on the hot water. Keeping her back to him, she began to undress, bending over to pull off her trousers, revealing the small piece of lace underneath.

Aurelio's breathing became heavy as he watched, transfixed by her movements. Hands reaching behind her, she unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor as she stepped out of her panties. Mia stepped into the shower, letting the water rain down upon her body.

“Are you coming in?” she asked, her voice filled with lust.

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