Cracks

19.8 Frank Cage

Spring 1998, The Rattlesnake

The bar was full, stuffy and noisy. Almost all Oasis Springs had gathered here to watch the game.
"Ten bucks against you!", Dina yelled over the table towards Paolo, which sat on the other side.
"No way they will win! Just look at them!", He yelled back.
"Sorry Dina, but this time luck's not on your side!" Frank added.

"She's soooo gonna lose those!", Paolo laughed at him.
"Impossible, that..." Frank started, when he noticed a faintly familiar perfume. And a faintly familiar voice just behind him asked politely, "Uh, could I get a beer, please?"

He looked on his other side, seeing Linda trying to get the barkeeper's attention.
"You have to be a little bit louder here!, he said to her.

"Oh!", she had noticed him now, and her face lit up. "Hello, Frank!", she smiled.
"Hi! What are you doing here?", he asked her. This was maybe the last place he would have expect her to be.

"Uhm. I think I just broke up with my almost-fiance, and I found I need a drink", she said casually.
Frank was about to make a joke if that one didn't want to leave, too, but decided otherwise when he saw her face.

"Shit happens...", he said instead. "Also, try a Whiskey Cola rather than beer."
"Sounds great."

"Shhh! I cannot hear the game!", Paolo hissed from the other side.
"I cannot believe they are really winning!", George cried out.
Frank almost had forgot the game.

18.1 Graduation

Winter 1998, West residence

Linda finally arrived home. Today had been a hard day. She finally had had her hearing about her doctorate thesis she had submitted. The examiners had been harsh on her, and even though she was more than well prepared, she had needed sometimes to think about their questions.

She was just glad it was over.

Now she looked forward to just relax, maybe take a bath, and read some fiction for a change.

But when she opened the door and started the lights, the room was packed full.

"Congratulations on your Doctorate!", about twenty voices cried out.

"Oh my!" Linda was definitely surprised. "Mae, what's this?", she asked her sister.

"A graduation party for you!", Mae replied cheerfully.

"How did you know I'd pass?", Linda asked her.

"Come on...", her sister said, "You're maybe the smartest person I know, and you work like crazy! There's no chance in the world you wouldn't!"

Maybe that was a bit exaggerated, but Linda still felt flattered a little bit.

"Let me guess – you even got maximum points?", Mae asked then.

"Uhm... yeah", Linda admitted shyly.

"I knew it!"

"Congratulations, you sweet little scientist!", now Brian went forward, and kissed her gently on the cheek.

"Thank you!"

And then Delilah. "Congratulations, Linda! I'm so proud of you!" She hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, Dee!"

"Congratulations! Want a Margherita? Leroy made some, they're quite good!", Diana said to her. It seems everyone wanted to talk to her now.

"Thanks... ", Linda said, taking the glass.

"What did you work on?", Leroy asked her, "Dee said something with plants?"

Linda wasn't used to so much attention.

"Yes, I got some alien plant samples from the SRC. I sequenced their genome code", she explained.

"Really?! So you managed!", Frank said. Linda distantly remembered she might have told him once something about her doctorate work. But she wasn't sure how much anymore, or when it was.

"That plant still gives a big head ache to the astrobiologists at the SRC!", he continued.

Ah yes, he worked there, too.

"Hey Frank, shut up with the nerd talk!", Paolo interrupted him now. "Others want to congratulate her too!"

This was gonna be a long night, Linda thought.

But she was happy.

Marriage is bliss

16.5 Sofia Lopez

Summer 1997, Pizzeria Sunny Morning

After a very elegant dinner, Sofia and Paolo had sat down on the fountain in the Park in front of the pizzeria. The night was warm and the sound from the water splashing behind them soothing.
Paolo had called her on the last day of school, and invited her out, before she could have tried.
To celebrate her high school graduation, he had said.
But Sofia knew better. Celebrating with Paolo usually involved some turntables, endless dancing and litres of cold beer - not a fancy restaurant dinner.
Sofia had known that this must have been the night.

"I am sorry for not calling you earlier, baby", Paolo said. "But I didn't want you to be distracted anymore... I wanted you to finish school first."
So Sara had been right here.
But was she also right about the second - more important part?
Slowly Sofia started to lose all hope.
The night was almost over, and he still hadn't asked her.
And there was no ring in the cake either.

She still didn't want to give up, yet.
"I understand", she lied. "And it had helped me."
"I'm glad you say that...". Paolo said.

Then he got up, pulling her with him.
"You know, I love you very much, baby", he said.
Sofia tried hard not to jump out of excitement and ruin the moment - this must be it!!

He kneeled down in front of her.
"Baby, would you marry me?", he asked.
Despite her excitement and anticipation, her heart stood still for a second.
So romantic!!!

"YES!", she cried out, very much not ladylike, as she always had imaginged to answer.
But her happiness had taken over her.
Sofia had been right with everything!

Paolo laughed, then pulled her into a tight embrace.
"I'm so glad", he said.
"Me too", Sofia replied.
She was.
"Fuck you, Alejandro", she thought.

Marriage is bliss

16.2 Sofia Lopez

Summer 1997, caravan park

After Sofia dressed up, she went out.

No matter how angry she was at her mother, she still felt a bit guilty.

But seeing her boyfriend should cheer her up, so she decided to visit him.

Paolo was sitting outside, chatting with Marcus.

"Sofia! What are you doing here?", he asked her, surprised, but obviously happy to see her.

It had been right to come here.

"Ugh...", she started. "My mom just found another reason to pick on me..."

But she felt a lot better now.

"Poor thing", he said.

"Let's go inside, you can tell me more."

Instead of talking, they ended up kissing quite fast.
It felt good, as always.
Still Sofia couldn't help but feeling worried.
What if Alejandro was right?
What if Paolo never intended to marry her?

After a while, Paolo pulled back.

"What's wrong? You seem quite upset", he asked her.

"Uhm...", Sofia stuttered.

She didn't really want to ask him directly.

That would have been too embarrassing.

So she tried to give him a hint instead.

"It's just... I hate living with my parents already. I want to move out from there!", she exclaimed.

Paolo didn't understand her.

"...but you get everything you want there", he said.

"I don't!", Sofia exclaimed. "My mum keeps bugging me about everything, and now that she got another letter that told her I might drop out of school for skipping, it is even worse!"

The memory of today morning made her angry again.

"Wait...", Paolo thought for a second.

"You might drop out, only one month before finishing?"

Sofia hadn't told Paolo ever about her school problems, there were usually more important things to do.

"Maybe this time you should actually listen to her", he said then.

Oh no. Did he want to tell her what to do now, too?

"Since you got the chance to go to high school, at least finish it, okay?", he said.

Sofia didn't like it at all.

And it seemed the good mood here was ruined, too.

10.2 Spring Wedding

Spring 1997, Peasant's church

After lunch, most of the guests gathered in front of the bar.

Frank sat down on a table with Diana, who was in a great mood.

"To us, the apparently only singles here on this wedding!", she said cheerfully raising her glass.

"You jealous of them?", he teased her.

Diana couldn't answer, when Rosa and Paolo joined them and interrupted their talk.
"Hey Frank, where did you leave your girlfriend?", Rosa asked.

"What girlfriend?", he asked confused.

"The black haired one with the tattoos", Paolo said.

"Oh, that one."

Frank remembered Hanna. He had picked her up once somewhere, and she had come over a few times after that. She didn't had come recently. He didn't even had noticed.

"That was just casual", he added.

"I bet Frank will die single!", Diana laughed.

"Sometimes I have the feeling I'm single, too", Rosa said and her expression changed.

Her husband was touring a lot lately, to promote their new album.

Frank placed his hand on her shoulder.

Linda was glad she finally caught Delilah alone to chat a little.

"The only thing that actually bothers me, I couldn't find a dress that hides my belly!", her best friend laughed.

"Aww, you can really see something already, when you look closer!"

Linda hadn't noticed it so far.

"Oh no!", Delilah cried out, but still laughing. "I didn't want to be a whale bride!"

"Aww, don't worry", Linda said. "You're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen!"

She really thought that. Delilah's face had been glowing the whole time with happiness. If she wanted to compare her to anything big, it would be rather a star than a whale.

But Linda kept that to herself.

10.1 Spring Wedding

Spring 1997, Peasant's church

Delilah's and Leroy's wedding had been planned in a rush, but the ceremony had been still beautiful.

And the couple was not only beautiful, but also radiating with joy.

In the back yard of the small church the catering company where Leroy worked, had delivered a nice buffet. Linda, as the maid of honour, sat on the table with the bride and groom.

Even though she had helped Delilah to plan the wedding, most of it was done through short phone calls, and they both didn't really had too much time to just chat.

And she barely knew the groom.

She could see that both were really fond of each other.

They had chosen the Lutheran wedding vows, and when they spoke them, it was clear that really meant it.

Linda watched them exchange loving looks while talking about their honeymoon.

"Well... we have to move it to after the baby is born...", Delilah said, looking almost disappointed.

As much disappointment as was possible while radiating so much.
"You have to take care of yourself now, Dee", her husband answered. "A long trip might be too tiresome for you now."

"You have too many guests... It takes forever to get some food!", the best man of the groom interrupted them.

Linda remembered him from the night club a few months ago. She was surprised seeing him here, sitting on the other side of the bridal couple during the ceremony.

But since she arrived in the last minute, she didn't have a chance to talk to him yet.

"Hello Linda", he greeted her, smiling.

So he remembered her, too.

"Of course. How could I forget the alien woman with the short hair?", he said with a smirk.

Linda didn't notice that she had thought out loud, and just wanted to reply, when her best friend interrupted her.

"You two have met before?", Delilah asked.

Her eyes had a suspicious sparkle that Linda hoped wouldn't make her ask any embarrassing questions, like her sister did that night.

"Oh - we just met occasionally once in a night club", she answered quickly, trying to give her best friend a hint to please let it go with that.

Delilah apparently decided to not dig deeper, but she kept that knowing look on her face.

Linda nevertheless felt relieved.

"Uhm... and actually he never introduced himself", she continued then. "So technically he knows me, but I don't know him."

"Sorry. I must have been drunk", the man said casually. "I'm Frank, Leroy's brother."

"It's nice to meet you again, Frank!", Linda said politely.

So he was related to the man from the cinema.

Linda wondered if the tendency for bad pick up lines was in their genes. She would have loved to analyze some cells of the two men.

Okay, he - Frank - had assured her it was not a pick up line.

She wasn't too sure about it, though.

But then again, she didn't know too much about human biology, so it was maybe no use if she analyzed their cells.

"Linda?" Leroy's voice finally reached her.

"Huh? Sorry, I had to think about cell analysis", she said in a casual tone, still absent mindedly studying the two men in front of her.

Delilah and Frank burst out laughing, while Leroy sat there, somewhat confused.

On the other side, Sofia sat on a table with Paolo, Nina and Don.

Sofia really admired Nina. She was pretty, and sooo grown up already. She even lived together with her boyfriend.

"How beautiful everything is!", Sofia said to her. "Nina, don't you two plan to get married, too?"

Don and Paolo talked something about sports that she didn't understand.

And she didn't really care either.

"We were thinking about it...", the other woman replied. "But it is so expensive, so maybe never!"

Sofia couldn't think that there was any woman in the world that wouldn't want to get married.

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Author's note:

since I had a few requests about it, Dee's wedding dress is from Colores Urbanos