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Lacey was asleep in her room when they got back to the apartment. Ellena thanked Cherry for babysitting and sent her home to rest up for her dance audition that week.
Kevin grabbed Ellena by the wrists and dragged her into the living room. “Kevin, what are you doing?”
“I just realized how long it has been since I kissed you. Care to refresh my memory?”
Ellena grinned and pushed him down to the couch. She straddled his thighs and sat in his lap. “It would be my pleasure, Mr. Richardson.” She ran her hands through his hair and pushed him back so that his head rested on the back of the couch. Kevin moaned as Ellena placed a wet kiss at the base of his throat and started to work her way up to his mouth. The shrill ring of the telephone interrupted her before she made contact. Ellena jumped at the noise.
“Hello?” She answered after the first ring. “Where are you?” She turned away from Kevin and slid off his lap as she spoke. Kevin had to suppress the urge to laugh at the all-too-familiar words. Ellena’s eyebrows furrowed together as she continued the conversation. “Do you have any idea what time it is? …No, you can’t talk to her. She’s sleeping...No! I won’t wake her up. I don’t hear from you for how long? and then you call in the middle of the night expecting to talk to her…It’s been more than a little while, Eric.” Kevin felt like he shouldn’t be there to overhear this obviously upsetting conversation. He went into the kitchen to get a drink and give Ellena a little privacy. She was trying to keep her tone down so as not to awaken Lacey but Kevin could still hear the stress in her voice. “Try three months! Do you know how many nights she cried herself to sleep waiting for you to call when you had promised?” Kevin stared down at the glass on the counter. He had deduced that Ellena was talking to her brother but he had no idea about the rest of the argument. “No I didn’t get any letter…My address has been the same for two years, so try another excuse…Yes, I got the cheque. It bounced.” A million questions formed in Kevin’s mind as he overheard the bits of the conversation. “Ken has been asking about you. I’ve worked an extra shift for three weeks in a row and he wants me to double shift permanently. I don’t think I can -…Don’t you threaten me!” Kevin’s head shot up and he immediately became angry at the person on the other end of the line. How dare he threaten Ellena? She had raised his child when he hadn’t been able to do so. In Kevin’s opinion he owed this woman so much… and he was threatening her? It didn’t make sense to him. He returned to the living room just as Ellena was saying good bye. He remained silent as she hung up the phone and began to massage her temples.
“Are you all right?” Kevin asked, his voice laced with concern.
He watched Ellena as her features softened slightly. “Yes, I’m okay.”
“Bad phone call?”
“You have no idea.” She replied flatly.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really. I don’t even want to think about it.” She whispered, scrunching her eyes shut.
Kevin sat on the chair across from her. “Are you sure?”
Ellena shook her head and replaced her dismal expression with a plastic smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Do you want a drink?” she asked. He had been watching the muscles in her hands move her fingers over her skin.
“No thank you. I got one when you were on the phone.” He held up his glass full of lemonade.
“No, I mean a real drink. I could really use a drink right now.” Ellena rose from the couch and went into the kitchen. Opening a cupboard, she yelled out to Kevin. “I’ve got vodka, rum, a little bit of rye and some khalua. Hmm…how about a paralyzer?”
“Not sure what a paralyzer is but sure.” Ellena pulled two glasses out of the cupboard and put them on the counter. Dumping in ice cubes, and taking bottles off the shelf she poured various bottles into the two glasses and shook her head while she opened the fridge. “Okay I guess they will be root beer paralyzers because I don’t have any coke. Okay with you?” She peeked around the corner with the same fake smile. Kevin smiled and nodded, even though he was more confused than before.

~*~

Several paralyzers later, Ellena’s spirits had greatly improved. Ellena’s plastic smile had been replaced with a genuine one that made her eyes twinkle. Partly because of the company and partly alcohol induced. Kevin had almost forgotten about the earlier questions in his mind. Almost, but not quite. He was rather curious about the phone call and about the story behind it. They were sitting on the floor in the living room trading stories about performance mistakes and screwing up dance steps.
“Oh Kevin! You should have seen it! It was so awful.” Ellena giggled and took another sip of her drink. “I was trying to finish the number and get off the stage as soon as possible but my dance partner didn’t realize that my skirt had ripped. He grabbed me and dragged me back on stage for an encore. I managed to finish without giving anyone a free show but it was tough. My brother teased me about it for a year.” Ellena laughed bitterly and picked up the two empty glasses on the coffee table. “Time for a refill!”
Kevin wrapped his fingers around her wrists and held her from standing up. “Why don’t you tell me about your brother?”
Ellena’s smile faded. “Nothing to tell. Everyone has their cross to bear and mine would be Eric.”
“Tell me why, Ellena.” Kevin was not about to let this go. “What did he threaten you with tonight on the phone? What control does he have over your job at the club?”
Ellena groaned and leaned her head back against the couch. She stared at the ceiling and grimaced. Kevin put his finger on her chin and turned her to face him. “Tell me Ellena. Maybe I can help you.”
Tears sprang to Ellena’s eyes and she quickly blinked them away before they had a chance to fall. “No one can help me Kevin. Not even you.” She whispered.
Kevin moved closer to her and circled his arms around her waist. “Try me.”
After a brief silence, Ellena swallowed hard and began to talk.