dsbauden@att.net

Chapter Twenty-One

We got down to Crystal's apartment to find Nonnie in the parlor with a client. Much to my dismay I was going to have to wait until she was free.

"How long do these things usually last?" I asked impatiently.

"It really depends on what they are looking to achieve from their visit." She stated simply.

"God! I've got to know how to get back there, Crystal. There has got to be a way." I started to pace in the living room.

"Frankie, you have got to calm down. Whether you realize it or not, you are still sick. You still have a fever and you are very weak. Please sit down and relax your body until she is finished, ok? For me?" She pleaded.

"Fine." I reluctantly acquiesced to her request. She was always right anyway.

I sat down on the couch and leaned over to Crystal. She reached around my shoulders and pulled my head to her shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Frankie. We are going to figure out how to get you back to Annie. Just relax ok?" She said as she rubbed my head.

"Mmm, you always know how to make me feel better."

"What the hell kind of friend would I be, if I didn't know how to make you feel better?"

"You are the best friend in the world, Crystal. Thank you." I snuggled closer.

"You're welcome, Frankie." She kissed the top of my head and continued to rub my head and neck.

We waited for what seemed like hours, but Nonnie finally came out of her parlor and found us sitting on the couch.

"Frankie, darling. Are you feeling better? You still look a little pale though." Nonnie said as she caressed my cheek.

"Hi, Nonnie. Yes, I am feeling much better. But I,"

"Nonnie, there is something going on here. I need to talk to you." Crystal uncharacteristically butted in. "Frankie, will you excuse us for a minute?"

"Sure." I said confusedly.

It was very odd that Crystal would do that. She seemed like she didn't want me to hear what she had to say to Nonnie.

What could she possibly say to her that I couldn't hear? We are like sisters for Christ's sake!

I sat on the couch forever. I rested my head on the armrest of the couch and felt myself drift off. It was about an hour later when they woke me.

"Morning sleepy head." Crystal smiled.

"What? Oh I must have fallen asleep. Sorry." I rubbed my eyes.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry, but I really wanted to talk to Nonnie about all of this. Sometimes you get a little emotional about this thing, so I wanted to talk to her rationally about this, before we spoke to you about what we think we can do."

"What we can do?"

"Yeah, about Annie." She confirmed.

"What do you want to know?" I asked.

"Well, we want to find out a little bit more about her. Do you know her last name for example?"

"Of course, it's Parker." I smiled proudly.

"Ok, has she lived in Chicago a long time?" Crystal continued.

"Well, as far as I know, she has lived in the Chicago area all her life. Why all the questions?"

"Well before we can try anything, we usually like to do some research."

"What kind of research? She isn't someone I made up Crystal. We are NOT having this discussion again." I was starting to feel angry.

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant. There's not an easy way to say this Frankie, so I'm just gonna tell you."

"Tell me what?" I suddenly felt worried about her answer.

"We need to find out if she is alive or dead." She stated flatly.

"What?"

"Well the fact that she has called you back to 1974 tells me that she is probably not alive anymore." Crystal softly said.

"Jesus." I breathed out.

"Frankie, it's not like that." I held up my hands.

"I know, I know. I was just going to say that I never even considered that possibility. The thought of that really scares me." I honestly said.

We sat in silence for a long time. Crystal was just waiting for me to say something about what I wanted to do. I was waiting for her to tell me what could be done. This was really starting to confuse me. I just sat there and absorbed the possibility that Annie might not be alive in this time.

"How can we be sure whether or not she is alive or not?" The word "dead" was just not appealing to me at the moment.

"Well first we need to check the city's records to see if there is a record of her death. If she has died, there will be records of how and when it happened. You also said she went to Loyola University, we can check to see if she graduated and if there is any Alumni information. I think the first way is our best bet, but the other is just another option since you don't know too much about her." She looked carefully my way to judge my expression.

"Ok, when can we start this? I really want this mystery to be over." I needed closure to all of this. I couldn't take much more.

"Well as soon as your fever goes down, we'll start. I think you need one more night's sleep, and then we can start the investigation." Crystal stated practically.

"Crystal, I feel fine. Can we please just go to City Hall today?"

"Not unless you want to break in. They have been closed for at least three hours."

I checked my watch and it was about eight in the evening. I had absolutely no sense of time since I got back home.

"Shit, I guess I have no choice here." I said defeatedly.

"I'm sorry to say that we have to wait." Nonnie finally chimed in.

"Great, I hate waiting." I grumbled.

"Let me give you something for your fever, Frankie. You'll sleep better and it won't seem too long for you to wait if you are asleep." Nonnie said.

"That does sound like a good idea. Maybe I will take you up on that. I'll get lots more done if I'm really rested." I agreed.

"Good girl. This Annie must be really something. You never give in that easily." She smiled at me.

"She is Nonnie. She really is." I whispered.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Morning came and I felt very stiff and sluggish from my sickness. Knowing that I was going to do research that would help me find Annie, made that feeling slightly less apparent. The question was though, if I were to find out that Annie weren't alive anymore, what would that mean of our encounter? Why did she summon me only for me to find out that she wasn't alive? Did she die prematurely? Who was responsible for her death? I didn't know nor would I know those answers until later on that day.

As soon as Crystal woke for the day, she came to see me.

"Good morning, sunshine." She chirped.

"Good morning, yourself." I smiled.

"Are you feeling better today?" She asked concerned.

"As a matter of fact, yes I am. I can't wait to get to City Hall to do some digging." I said excitedly.

"Oh no, first things first. Open." She said as she stuck the thermometer in my mouth.

"Hrrmmpph." I mock growled at her.

"Ooh, I'm so scared. Now hush, you have about two and a half more minutes." She said as she looked at her watch.

Without hearing the actual ding of the timer in my head, I reached up to grab the glass temperature gauge. Crystal, unfortunately, was two seconds ahead of me and pulled it from my mouth.

"Ha! Too slow, you must be ill." She grinned.

"Just tell me what the damn thing says."

"It says 'My name is Frankie, and I'm allowed to go outside today'." She playfully said.

"Great, what time does City Hall open?" I asked hoping she would know that answer.

"I would assume 9 A.M., but I'll call just to be sure." She said grabbing the phonebook from my junk drawer in my kitchen. "Are you sure Mario won't mind working for you today?"

"He loves big paychecks. He'll probably cry when I come back to work." I laughed.

"You're probably right." Crystal agreed.

She picked up the phone and called the city. She asked them their hours and she wrote it down on the scratch pad next to the phone. Crystal hung up the phone and reported the information back to me.

"They are open at nine which was an hour ago and are open until five o'clock tonight. Let's get dressed and mosey on over there." She said happily.

"I'll be right out. I really need to shower this ill body of mine. I haven't seen water since Lake Michigan."

"Lake Michigan?" She asked confused.

"A story, perhaps, for the ride to City Hall." I smirked as I walked towards my bathroom.

"I'm not sure I want to know." She said with a touch of apprehension.

I walked into the bathroom and smiled at my reflection, which still contained that beautiful marking on my neck.

"Good morning you beautiful sucker bite." I smiled. "We are going to find out a little more information on your creator today." I rolled my eyes at my words and stripped down. I leaned over the tub and turned on the water. I stepped in when the water's temperature became bearable.

I took the fastest shower in history that morning. I dried off and ran from the bathroom into my bedroom and changed into the first items of clothing that I saw. I grabbed a pair of jeans and one of my T-shirts. I didn't even look to see if they were clean, or right side out; they were just thrown on. I ran back into the bathroom, dragged a comb through my hair and put it in a Cubs baseball cap. It was my favorite since my Pop gave it to me after our first baseball game together. It usually brought me luck. I was hoping today was no different.

I ran into the kitchen to find Crystal eating a bowl of fruity loopy cereal. I just looked at her with impatience.

"Well? Aren't you ready to go?" I asked while sticking my hands on my hips.

"Easy, killer, I didn't know you were going for the record of fastest shower today. Give me two seconds and I'll be ready. Deal?"

"Fine." I said indignantly and sat next to her to watch her every bite.

"Oh Jesus Christ, let's go already!" She finally said and ran out the door with me in her shadow.

We jumped in my old Nissan and were off to City Hall. In one breath, I was very excited to find out the information to find Annie. In the other breath I was scared shitless. I didn't want to find out that everything I shared with Annie was in the annals of history, never to be relived again. The thought of that made me kind of sick to my stomach again.

"So what happened on your last visit, Frankie?" Crystal asked softly.

"Other than sharing the most beautiful moment in my life with Annie, something wonderful also happened." I said cryptically.

"Ooh, share please." She said as her leg tucked underneath the other to face me.

"I had breakfast with my parents." I nonchalantly stated.

"You what?!" Crystal said unbelieving.

"I got busted sleeping on the fire escape. I woke up to my Pop's eyes staring down at me. He thought I was homeless and sleeping on his escape." I smiled.

"Oh, God. I bet you almost shit your pants." She grinned.

"Well, that was only the beginning. He asked me inside after I explained some bullshit story about me being too tired to realize I wasn't at home."

"And he believed you?"

"Of course. Wouldn't you believe this face?" I said while giving her my best sad puppy look.

"Oh, Jesus. So what happened next?"

"Well, he walked me into the eat in part of the kitchen where I actually met my mother."

"You actually talked to her?" Her eyes got really wide.

"Yep."

"So what did you think?" She asked apprehensively.

"To tell you the truth, Crystal, she wasn't really nice." I answered honestly.

"Really?"

"Nope. Well I think I struck a nerve in her when I asked her if they had any children." I smugly smiled.

"Oh God, you didn't."

"I did."

"I wasn't born yet, so I guess I wanted to find out a little bit more of what she thought about being a mom. Needless to say, she wasn't very happy and immediately wanted the subject changed. It's no mystery to me now, that my Pop was the one who wanted kids. It definitely wasn't her." I explained.

"Wow. How was your dad through all of this? Did he seem like he wanted to talk about it?"

"Yes, in fact it was when he said he wanted kids, that she really glared at him and demanded a subject change. Bitch."

"Damn. I bet that was really something to see." She pondered.

"It was." I agreed. "Anyway, the rest of the meal was kinda quiet except for a little small talk about movies and such. I really had forgotten what a kind and generous man my Pop was. He asked a total stranger into his house, after they slept on his fire escape without his knowledge, and then asked them to stay for breakfast. Not many people in this day and age would do that. They'd probably call the Police now. Not Pop, he wanted to meet my family the next time I was around the neighborhood." I giggled.

"He was a very special man, Frankie." She said as she touched my forearm.

"I know, I'm just grateful I got to see him again. I gave him a hug and kiss when I left and it was almost as if he knew who I was. It was really freaky." I concluded as we pulled into the parking lot of City Hall.

I took a deep breath and stood from the car. Crystal looked over at me and gave me that reassuring smile I had grown to adore. We approached the Hall steps and I heard Crystal laughing behind me.

"What is so funny?" I asked puzzled.

"You obviously were in quite a hurry this morning. Have you seen what shirt you're wearing?" She couldn't help but laugh.

I looked down to see a white T-shirt and looked back at Crystal with a questioning stare.

"A white T-shirt is bad?" I queried.

"Only when you are wearing it backwards and the front of it says, 'I only sleep with the best'. Nice touch, Frankie." She smiled again.

"Oh shit, I got this for free when I bought my new mattress. I gotta turn this inside out." I said and ran back to the car. Within seconds I had the shirt inside out and backwards.

"Very nice, Frankie, very nice." Crystal smirked as she shook her head and we walked into the building.

"Hey, I could've done that on the stairs." I challenged.

"I don't even want to go there." She knew I would have too.

Chapter Twenty-Three

We strolled up to the nearest occupied window and waited to be helped.

"May I help you?" A small elderly lady asked.

"Yes, I am looking for someone and I was wondering if I could find out if there is a coroner's record of their death." Crystal inquired.

"Just a minute, please." She walked away from the window and returned with a key. "The first hour will cost you ten dollars. Five dollars for every hour after that."

"Ten bucks?" Crystal griped until I threw the money at her. "Is fine, thank you." She finished and took the key from the old woman.

"Go down this hall and take your first right. You'll find what you need in there. There is someone on duty to help you if you can't find what you are looking for." She smiled and disappeared behind the thick glass.

"I can't believe they charge by the hour!" Crystal said unbelieving.

"Well, how else can they guarantee that people won't use these rooms to live in?" I said pragmatically.

"I guess that's true. That's really sad, but true."

"Some people really dislike homeless people. Doesn't matter that most of them are harmless. As I have experienced, what people don't know about, tends to scare them. Hell, look at people when it comes to my sexuality. I've had people grab their kids away from me when they find out that I'm gay. It's a bit ridiculous being that it is the twenty-first century and all, but yet it still happens."

Crystal wrapped her arm around my shoulder and gave me a quick squeeze. "I'm sorry, Frankie. That has to feel horrible."

"No worse than having people spit on you or kick you because you're asleep on the sidewalk." I stopped and took a deep breath. "Boy this has been an uplifting conversation hasn't it? Let's hope we find better news in there." I said as I motioned to the Hall of History.

I inserted the key and walked in with Crystal close behind. I spotted a computer instead of a microfiche machine. I walked over to the available resource and sat down. A woman of large stature walked over to see if we needed assistance.

"Good morning, ladies. Is there anything I can help you find today?" She asked pleasantly.

"Yes, I am trying to find records of an individual. Would you be able to help me find that?" I asked.

"Of course. I need some information. Do you know the full name of the person you wish to research?"

"Yes, her name is Annie Parker. I'm gonna guess that she," I paused not wanting to say the next few words. "I think she died in 1974." Crystal put her hands on my shoulders and began to rub them.

She always knew what I needed.

"OK, let me bring up the program and insert this information and see what we come up with." She said nonchalantly. I almost didn't want to know the answer. I could feel myself tremble with trepidation.

"It'll just be a moment or two. Do you have any other information that might be useful if nothing comes up?" She asked and I searched my head for any more insightful details that Annie may have shared with me. I couldn't think of anything more.

"I'm sorry I don't think so. Let's just see if we can narrow it down to May or June of 1974. Does that help?"

"We'll see. Ah, here we are. Yes, there was a record of a fatal car accident on May 27, 1974 involving William D. Johnson, 24 and Anne M. Parker, 21." My heart was in my throat as she continued to read the screen. "The accident happened at 10:44 P.M. in Rogers Park around Loyola University. It seems that Mr. Johnson was intoxicated while he was driving and hit an oncoming car killing both him and his passenger, Anne Parker."

I could feel Crystal's hands stiffen as the woman read the account of the incident.

I couldn't breathe.

Annie was, dead.

"Does it say if she, " I paused to take a deep breath. "Did she suffer at all?" I managed to choke out.

"According to the records, Mr. Johnson died instantly while the woman was taken by ambulance to Loyola University Hospital. She died on arrival." Seeing my distress of the new information she gazed sympathetically my way. "I'm very sorry. She must've been someone special."

"She was." Crystal chimed in knowing I wouldn't be able to answer.

The woman nodded. "Was there anything else?" I could tell that she really didn't know what to say.

"No, thanks you have been really helpful. We found out all that we needed to." Crystal explained gently.

"OK. If you need anything else, my name is Nancy and I'll be over at the information desk." She said as she motioned to the large marble desk at the front of the room.

"Thank you, Nancy." Crystal said again. I looked over at her and could only nod numbly at her.

Nancy walked away and I felt my resolve crack shamelessly. Crystal took one look at me and I began to sob. She reached down and hugged me from behind.

"I'm so sorry, honey." She held tightly to me.

"She's gone, Crystal," I wept. "I can't believe she's really gone."

We stayed this way for several minutes. My breathing was still erratic but the tears had finally slowed. Crystal's hold on me lessened and she turned to face me to wipe my tears. I looked up at her with my swollen eyes and asked the only question that came to my head.

"What do I do now?" I said sniffling like a toddler.

"Now you leave this up to me. This is what I know best." I had never seen her more determined and confident in my whole life. The woman in front of me had shown me every hat she had ever worn except this one. As much as this Crystal impressed me, she scared me as well. I knew better than anyone that a woman on a mission was one not to be messed with. This was no longer my show, it was hers. And I couldn't think of more capable hands in which to keep my heart safe.

"Let's go home." I suggested. She looked at me and held my face in her hands.

"No, let's go get your other half."

I had never heard sweeter words than that. Crystal stood and walked towards the exit.

"I'm right behind you." I said as I wiped my eyes. I adjusted my cap and took off after Crystal with hopes of finding Annie once again.

Hang on Annie, I'm coming for you.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The car came into view as Crystal and I left City Hall. We walked in silence as we approached the vehicle. I looked at Crystal with red rimmed eyes and she immediately motioned for me to hand over the keys to my car. I slid into the passenger seat feeling worse than I could ever remember. She closed the door to the driver's side and leaned over to me and embraced my saddened form. I leaned into her body and began to sob once again. I had no control right now of my emotional state. Who could honestly blame me though? In a matter of minutes my heart had been filled with incredible sorrow. The woman that I had grown to love had been killed in a car accident due to her alcoholic ex-boyfriend. I do stress the word ex.

I didn't think that I had a chance of ever seeing my Annie again. Crystal, however, seemed to be pretty positive about it though. She held me as my sobs lessened and my composure was regained.

"How are you doing, Frankie?" She looked into my eyes.

"I don't know how to feel, Crystal. She's really gone. That bastard drove her literally, to her death. If he wasn't already dead, I'd kill him with my bare hands." I growled. "How am I supposed to feel? I feel numb."

"Well, I'm not going to settle for this being the end. You've already proven that time isn't an issue in this matter. Otherwise, you never would've been able to meet Annie in the first place. True?"

"True. So what are we going to do?" I asked curiously.

"Well, first of all, we need to get something to eat, I am starving. I will do you absolutely no good, if I have an empty stomach. If memory serves, you haven't eaten yet today, so you need to eat as well. Believe me you are going to need your energy." She said cryptically.

"Do I want to know what you have planned?"

"I'll let you know when the time is right, Frankie. I promise." She smiled.

"Somehow I don't think I'm going to like whatever you have planned, Crystal."

"Maybe, maybe not, but we'll know more later. C'mon, I'm buying, let's go get some food."

"I'm not really hungry, Crystal, really." I said as brown eyes turned slowly to look at me. "But I'll try to eat." I finished sweetly. God knows that woman had a temper on her when it came to me eating.

"Good girl. Let's go to the diner on the corner. They always have hash and eggs just the way you like 'em." She suggested.

"Sounds good. Let's go." I weakly smiled at her.

The rest of the car ride was very quiet. It was very apparent to me that Crystal was trying to think of something to do so that Annie and I could be together again. I just don't know what could possibly be done now that we knew she wasn't alive anymore. I really didn't like to use the word dead when it came to Annie. It made everything so final.

We pulled into the Park Diner parking lot and Crystal shut the engine off.

"Okay, Frankie, are you ready to face the public?"

"Am I ever?" I smiled and looked at my reflection from the rearview mirror. I wiped away the dried salt marks on my cheeks and decided that this was as good as it was going to get for now. "I think I'm ready." I said as she smiled and opened the car door.

We walked into the restaurant and waited to be seated. We took a seat on the bench while the hostess took her sweet time finding some menus for us.

"All right ladies, how many? She asked.

Crystal and I just looked at each other and then around us seeing no one else. We looked back at the hostess whose name was Brenda, and smiled. Crystal looked at her and answered, "Two?"

"Fine. Follow me." She said.

"Jesus," I whispered to Crystal who started to giggle at my response.

"Here we are. Your server, Brandy, will be with you in a moment." She said with her fake smile.

"What's up her ass?" I really wanted to know.

"God only knows. It's not like they're busy, shit." She said as she rolled her eyes.

We sat in companionable silence when Brandy arrived.

"How're y'all doin'? Can I take your orders today?" She drawled in some southern tongue.

Could this get any worse?

I looked at Crystal and it seemed she could read my thoughts. She started to laugh under her breath as I gave my order to our server.

"How did you want your eggs?" She blinked wildly at me. I almost couldn't keep up with her eyes. It was making me dizzy just looking at her.

"I would like them over easy, please. Make sure they put the eggs right on top of the hash too, please."

"Sure, honey, no problem." She said as she snapped her gum. I was waiting for Mel and Vera to come out to help us next. "What about your darlin'? You made up your mind yet?" She blinked at Crystal next. It was my turn to stifle a laugh.

"Yes, I would like the large stack of pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon on the side. Please make sure the bacon isn't crawling on the plate. You could even burn it a bit if you'd like." She finished.

"My goodness girly, where you plan on putting all of that?" She joked as her gum snapped again loudly.

"Why don't you let me worry about that, all right? You bring it out, and I guarantee you won't be throwing anything out. K, darlin'?" Crystal smiled that venom smile that usually meant 'I've had it with your shit, now go away.'

"You got it." She blinked at both of us and walked towards the kitchen.

"Good fucking God! What the hell is wrong with people these days? Could her eyes flutter any faster? You'd think they were wings for Chrissakes!" I said as Crystal snorted out the water she had just drunk.

"OH JESUS, FRANKIE! Don't do that." She laughed out as she blew her nose into her napkin.

"And how about that gum? You think she's put some serious mileage into that piece with all that chewing? Man, " I couldn't help but pick on her. It was making me feel better and she didn't hear me.

At this time Crystal had leaned into the booth we were seated in to hide her bright red face. She was laughing so hard that it had become silent. Her mouth had a permanent "O" shaped to her lips as she tried to compose herself.

"Ppplease, Frankie, I'm gonna wet myself." She sputtered out. She was taking deep calming breaths and then I looked at her and blinked my eyes like Brandy and sent her into fits of laughter again. I couldn't help it; she was just too easy of a target. Crystal was so easy to amuse once she got going, so I didn't stop, until she came back.

"Here you go ladies. Enjoy." She placed our food down and watched in amazement as Crystal attacked her plate. "You gals just let me know if you need anything else. OK?" She asked.

"Mmhmmm." We both mumbled with full mouths.

We ate until there was no food left. I surprised myself that I actually was hungry and ate all my food. Crystal never ceased to amaze me with the amounts of food she could ingest into that tiny body of hers. We sat for a couple minutes as our food digested and motioned to Brandy for her to bring the check.

"Here you go little darlins, I hope everything was good for ya's." She paused as she looked at the empty plates. "Well, sew my mouth closed for a million years, you really did eat it all, didn't you?" She said surprised.

"I told you nothing would go to waste." Crystal answered.

"Well, that you did. I hope you aren't one of those girls that goes into the little girl's room to throw up everything she just ate." She said accusingly.

"Absolutely not. I think that's more of waste than not eating what's on your plate at all. I'm pretty confident about my appearance, and fuck anyone that thinks differently." Crystal said with a brash tongue.

"Good for you, honey!" She said as her gum snapped again.

I just looked at Crystal and smiled at her. I had never met anyone who spoke his or her mind as much as she did. Until Annie that is. She really let me have it when she thought I was against homosexuals. God that was absurd.

Little did she know where our night would lead after that.

"Earth to Frankie. You ready, babe?" Crystal asked jarring me from my memories.

"Yeah, let's get outta here before Alice gets here." I kidded.

"God, I was thinking about that too! How funny! I was waiting for Mel and Vera too!" She said as we laughed. It was really great how our minds were so in sync sometimes.

We left "Flo" a decent tip and went back to the car. I felt much better so I took my keys back from Crystal and we set off towards home.

Chapter Twenty-Five

I slowed the car as we approached the back parking lot of our building. I was very curious on how Crystal planned on getting me back to Annie. I could feel my sadness creeping back slowly. I don't think it really left me, it just took a nap while I ate.

I knew I would never be able to forget Annie and all that we shared together. So many people don't ever feel what we did in their whole lives. I just hoped I would be able to share all of that with Annie again, very soon.

"OK, Frankie, before we get started, I really need to talk with Nonnie about all of this. Do me a favor and stay at home or go to your shop until I am ready for you, OK?" She said sternly.

"Crystal, why won't you talk about this in front of me? I feel that it's," She cut me off.

"Frankie, please, just trust me on this, all right? Nonnie and I need to get everything together so that we can continue with this. I promise I won't be long, but I know you and I know how you like to ask questions and all of that. There will be plenty of time for your questions, I just have to make sure that Nonnie knows what's going on and that she's clear for the rest of the afternoon, OK?" She smiled and gave me her best puppy dog look. She knew those brown eyes would get her anything she wanted from me.

"Fine, I should go see how Mario is doing anyway. Just do me a favor and come and get me as soon as you guys are ready, all right?" I pleaded.

"I promise, Frankie. I'll be back soon." She assured.

"OK. See you later." I acquiesced.

I walked upstairs to change out of my inside out T-shirt. I took one look at my hair as I took it out of my hat and decided a shower was in order. My hair had started to grow into my Cubs hat, so I gave it a good washing. I dried off and changed into my favorite purple polo shirt and tucked that into my button down fly blue jeans.

After I finished blow drying my hair, I put a touch of makeup on my face and wandered down to Technicolor Classics. I opened my back door and wandered into the shop. It was a slow day, but Mario was putting some new clothing on the front window's mannequin.

"Hey Mario, how have things been going?" I asked.

Mario looked over to me and smiled. He was a decent guy about nineteen years old and loved the classic movies. I think he liked them even more than my Pop did. He was short as men went only about five feet eight or so, which was still shorter than I was. I felt bad for him since he was so young and his hairline had already started to recede. What he lacked in outward appearance, he more than made up for with his personality. Hell, if I were straight and younger, I'd have dated him! I took his hand in a friendly shake and smiled warmly at him.

"Thanks for watching the place, Mario. I haven't been feeling so well as of late." I gave him the abridged version.

"You are very welcome, Miss Frankie. I'm sorry you have been sick. Don't you worry though; this place has been running fine with me here. I won't let anything go wrong to make you worry. It's been kinda slow anyway, so you rest up and feel better. You still look a little pale, Miss Frankie."

"Mario, you know you can call me Frankie. I am as informal of a boss as you'll ever have." I smirked.

Isn't that the truth.

"I know Miss Frankie, but my Poppa would be very disappointed in me if I didn't treat you with respect." He said honestly.

"Please call me Frankie, ok, don't make me feel like an old lady. All right?" I smiled at him.

"Oh, Miss Frankie, I meant no disrespect. I mean, Frankie," He blushed.

"Mario?"

"Yes?"

"Take a deep breath and let it out slowly." I had heard through the grapevine, otherwise known as my neighborhood, that Mario had a crush on me. I could tell that I was flustering him.

He did as I suggested and blew out his breath.

"There, feel any better?" I asked sincerely.

"Yeah, sorry. I just wanna do a good job for you."

"Mario, you've been doing a great job, so don't worry so much, all right?" I said warmly to him.

"Thanks for saying so, Mi, um, Frankie. Um, can I finish up the window now? It might scare some people to have a naked mannequin up there as they pass by."

I laughed, "Of course, Mario, you go right ahead."

It was very obvious to me that he had this place under control. He had even cleaned up a few messes that I hadn't had time to do myself. I turned to go back upstairs.

"Looks great, Mario, thanks for holding down the fort for me. Did you want to get something to eat or use the bathroom or anything while I'm here?" That was the only thing I hated about working alone. You had to close the store just to pee or eat. Unless of course, Crystal dropped food off for me.

"No, Frankie, I'll be fine. You go rest now." He smiled his crooked smile at me and waved.

"OK, Thanks again, Mario." I said to his back.

"Bye." He waved again and I went back upstairs to wait for Crystal.

Chapter Twenty-Six

I walked back upstairs and sat on my couch. I turned on the TV and tried to take my mind off of finding Annie. It was no use. Every commercial especially the Hallmark ones, was reminding me of her. I missed her smile, her scent, but most of all, I missed her sweet voice. I hadn't heard it in awhile. I was hoping to hear it in my dreams last night, or even get taken back, but unfortunately I stayed put.

I heard the footsteps on my back porch and hoped it was Crystal. I turned off the TV and walked towards the kitchen.

"Crystal? Is that you?" I hoped.

"Yeah, babe, miss me?" She joked.

"You know I've been waiting here on pins and needles waiting to hear from you." I pouted.

"Well, if you are ready, Frankie, then lets get started. Nonnie knows the situation and we are ready to go for it." She reassured me.

"Great, you know I am. Let's go!" I excitedly said as I blew past her to get downstairs.

Crystal breathed out a long breath and ran after me. "Wait up, Frankie. You can't do anything until we are all ready." She shouted after me.

I couldn't wait to get started. I knew that I was rushing around and there was probably a good chance that this wouldn't work either, but I couldn't stand being away from Annie any longer. I needed her like I needed air to breathe.

I opened the door into Crystal and Nonnie's home and walked into their kitchen. I found Nonnie sitting quietly at the table sipping some tea.

"Hi, Nonnie. How are you?" I smiled.

"Child, come sit down and let me talk to you about this for a second, all right?" She calmly requested.

"Sure, Nonnie. I'm sure you are going to say that this might not work and that I shouldn't get my hopes up. Right?" I said raising my eyebrows in question.

"You are partly right, as usual." She smiled. "But I want to ask you about this Annie woman and what she means to you."

"I am in love with her, Nonnie. I haven't felt like this with any other woman I have ever been with. She is the other half of my being, I just know it." I honestly responded.

"So there is nothing that you wouldn't do, to be with her again, correct?" She asked seriously.

"I would give and do anything to be with her again, Nonnie. I love her that much."

"OK, we've established that much, and that is wonderful. Now, I need you to understand that this may not work exactly the way you want it to. We may get you there and she may already be gone. Do you understand that? Is it going to be enough for you to see her that way? What happens if you show up just as she crashes? There won't be anything that you can do. Am I making sense to you?"

I had to think about that for a second. I had never thought about that aspect of it. I don't know if I could see her in that state. It would kill me I was sure. Not doing one more thing to see her again though, would hurt even more. I think that answered my questions.

"Yes, Nonnie. I would do anything to see her again. I can't not try one more time." I implored to her.

"OK, then let's get on with it." She stated simply and walked into her parlor mumbling something about stubbornness.

Crystal looked over at me and smiled. "Ready?"

"Readier than I'll ever be."

"Then let's go get your girl." She happily said to me as she draped her arm around my shoulders and led me into the back towards their parlor.

"Is Nonnie okay with all of this?" I wasn't sure how she was really feeling about this whole thing.

"What do you mean?" Crystal asked concerned.

"I mean, she almost sounds like she doesn't want to do this."

"I think she is really just concerned about you not finding what you're looking for. She loves you as if you were her own, Frankie. She doesn't like to see you hurting. She just wanted to make sure that you understood all the aspects and you realize as she said, that it might not go the way you would like it to."

"I know, and I love her for it. I just know that I have to do something if there is still a chance for me to do anything. You know?" I asked and felt my eyes begin to well.

"Yes, honey, I'm gonna do everything in my power to get her back for you. I can see how much you love her. It hurts me to see you hurting as well, Frankie. You are my best friend in the whole world. I'll be damned if I'm just gonna sit here and do nothing. So, " She kissed my cheek. "Let's go get your Annie.

"Sounds good to me."

We walked into the back parlor, which really didn't look like anything other than another room. It had a wooden table with four chairs, there was a couch on the wall with a lounge chair next to it. It was a little darker than most rooms, but it was really comfortable. It felt very homey, actually. It would have felt that way even if I hadn't known these two most of my life.

Nonnie was sitting at the table waiting for us to arrive. She didn't have a turban on or anything like that, just so you don't go thinking that she is really out there or something. The only thing that seemed different to me is that there was a bit of incense burning on the back table. Other than that, it was a regular room.

"OK, so where should I sit?" I asked wanting to get this show on the road.

"Where will you be most comfortable? The couch? The table?" Nonnie asked.

"Am I going to go to sleep? Cuz if that's the case, I should park it on the couch." I said pragmatically.

"All right then, please get comfy on the couch." Nonnie pointed to the couch and motioned for Crystal to come closer to me.

"All right." I said as I lay on the couch.

Crystal came and sat on the edge of the couch and just smiled down on me. "You ready, babe?"

"Sure, let's do this."

Nonnie and Crystal both smiled at me. Nonnie took a seat at the table and Crystal remained at the edge of the couch with me. I took a deep breath and tried to relax my body.

"Now, Frankie, the most important thing to remember is not to try to control the situation. Just keep yourself calm and relaxed." Crystal softly said to me. "Now close your eyes. Relax, Frankie. Just trust in me and we'll be fine."

Nonnie put on some music, it was an old classical piece that my Pop loved. I think it was Bach; one of the Brandenburg Concertos. I was brought back to when I was a kid. He used to play those records all the time and whenever I would complain about them, he told me that they would culture me. He was right, I still remember them. I felt really close to him at this time, it was a connection we would always have.

I was very comfortable where I was. I could feel myself getting very relaxed. I could hear Crystal talking softly next to me.

"Imagine yourself flying towards the clouds. The lighter you are the higher you'll fly. Let yourself go, Frankie. Lighten yourself. Feel yourself float. You can see the rainbow above the clouds try to catch it, lighten yourself a bit more, Frankie, you can do it. Do you see it?"

I could, I could see the rainbow she was showing me. I was so close to reaching it. I felt myself nodding at Crystal and she must have seen me since she responded to my actions.