"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man, bake me a cake, as fast as you can; pat it, prick it, and mark it with a K..." Her attention trailed off from the game hearing her phone buzz and in the two seconds she looked away, a swift pat hit her nose from Kenzo. "Kenzo and mommy!" He sang giggling made it hard for her to be even remotely upset. Nodding her head, "Good boy! For Kenzo and mommy." She gave him a kiss on the forehead before taking her attention back to her phone. Much like she thought she saw the first time he was here. Here. Like here, here. Her heart was racing faster than her petite frame could keep up with. He was right on the other side of her door but her body did not move. All the time she spent trying to think of what she would say she came up with absolutely nothing. Maybe that was because she had no idea where he stood or how he was going to react. That was something she always hated about text and phone calls you can never observe the other, read the body language to access the situation. She was completely unprepared, not that anyone could prepare for what was to come. Was anyone really at fault or were they just dealt a lot of short sticks that built a damn between them? Kimberlina could not handle it if she opened that door to find he hated her, no matter how much time had passed her love for him had never faded. The 'what ifs', the 'what could have been' were thoughts that clouded her mind every single day. How could she not? They had shared so much and lost so much but they did it together. Together they were unstoppable. Their only mistake was when they stopped coming together. "Here goes nothing, wish mommy luck." Letting out a deep exhale she put on her best smile as her little man repeatedly yelled 'yuck' at her. Kimberlina walked over to the door, legs felt like jelly but she had unintentionally left him waiting long enough. What if he was no longer there? What if... But he was ....there, right there before her. He looked much like she remembered but older, not in a bad way. Just time lost. "Hi..." Was all she could say, it was all she could muster up as her brain processed he was really standing before her.
It startled her how quickly her phone dinged after sending her text, how quickly he replied asking where she was. It wasn't a secret nor was she ever hiding from him. She had always been right where he first found her, Vegas. After everything was gone and their house no longer stood in Ozark Kimberlina went back to what she knew. Without Lorenzo Vegas felt like the only home she had left. It was the idea of facing him, seeing him again actually before her. That was terrifying. She had refused to play the role of the broken hearted girl once again but truth was she had been broken the whole time. "Vegas penthouse." Was all her shaky fingers managed to send him. Was he really going to come? Was this really going to happen after all this time? More importantly what was she gonna say? Spending hours obsessing was all she could do. Every little noise had her checking the entrance. At this point she was spending her day waiting for a knock she wasn't ready for but was ready for. Of course she wanted to see him but if brought up a flood of emotions she had not been prepared for. Especially since she had been clean for the past year, this was usually the part where she'd snort a few lines of cocaine to ease her nerves. Kimber attempted to put all her focus on the rambunctious toddler but it did not stop her from thinking of Lorenzo. There was a part of her that feared he had changed his mind about coming. She was not sure what to expect at this point but she had an inkling that him reaching out to her had more to do with the little feet running around her penthouse than her.
There was a lot in life that Kimberlina had survived, she has been through more trials than one person should in a lifetime. At this stage in her life she could handle anything; that was until her phone buzzed with a text that she was not prepared for. Slipping away from the comfort of her bed where her son lay still fast asleep. Her stomach felt hollow and all the blood ran from her face. Her emerald hues staring at 'its me Lorenzo' while pacing back and forth. What did she say? Where did she begin? So much time had passed but he had never been far from her mind. While there were moments in her life she wished for this exact moment for their paths to cross even if it was just to know he was alive and well as anyone could be in this world. But things had changed, it was not that simple anymore. There was a lot to tell in the time that had passed between them. Her hues once more stole a glance at the small child curled up in her bed, for a brief moment she felt serenity, a calming that let her know she could do this! Fingers began to type away and quickly backspace everything because he asked her to call. Her finger hovered over the phone icon. All she had to do was hit the button. It was a lot harder to do than she expected. Not because she did not want to hear his voice, she desperately did. This was just a conversation couldn't happen over the phone, it demanded more respect than rhat. It would have to be face to face. "We should talk but in person. Can you come to Vegas? Or I can come to wherever you are." Kimber sent the message before she could allow herself to backspace it. Her heart was unprepared for what needed to happen but she knew her decision to talk in person was not the wrong one.
