Rogue Alliance

TWENTY-SIX



“Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you…”

Shyla stood, her hands clasped with glee as her mother held a homemade birthday cake burning with twelve candles and sang Happy Birthday.

It wasn’t just her birthday which made her so happy. It was the fact that her mom was home, and looked joyful for once. She had been working so many extra shifts lately to compensate for dad’s unemployment. Shyla had not only been missing her, she’d been alone more and more with dad. His moods had only grown worse, as did his drinking.

But she didn’t want to think of that today. She wanted to celebrate her birthday with her mom.

When the song finished she leaned over, closed her eyes, and blew out the candles with a silent wish. Guilt tried to shove aside her cheer as she believed the wish was selfish and bad. But she wished it nonetheless. She knew it wouldn’t come true anyway, so it couldn’t hurt.

When she opened her eyes she saw that her mother’s were gleaming with tears. “Oh, my baby is growing up. I can’t believe you’re twelve years old.”

“Time to get a job,” her dad teased with a chuckle.

She ignored his jibe. There was a time when she used to find his quick quips funny, but over the past few years everything he did seemed evil and ugly. She hated him.

“Oh, Dave, quit giving her a hard time,” her mom said, “it’s her birthday.”

“Yeah, but you’re gonna spoil her giving her a piece of cake before dinner. You’re going about it all backward, Sandra.”

Her mom waved her hand, blowing him off.

“Rules are made to be broken, especially on birthdays. Besides, this is the first time I’ve ever baked one from scratch. I’m proud of it.”

She set the cake on the table and put her hands on her hips.

“Now, speaking of dinner, where would you like to eat tonight, Shyla?”

Shyla rose up on her toes in anticipation.

“You mean we get to go out to dinner? But we never get to. It costs too much.”

“Yeah, well, I saved a little extra on the side and I want to celebrate my baby girl’s twelfth birthday.”

“Yeah!” Shyla jumped up and down. It would be the best birthday ever. She just wished dad would stay home so she could have her mom all to herself.

They went to Black Angus that night. She stuffed herself on steak and a baked potato and garlic bread with a ton of butter. Her dad ordered too many pint-sized beers and by the time they left the restaurant he already had that dark look in his eyes. There would be an argument. It wasn’t rocket science.

Later that night after the screaming was over, she sat up in her room and cried until her face felt chapped.

The knock on her door was soft; Mom.

“Come in.”

She walked in with two paper plates full of cake. She had a smile pasted to her face, shame in her eye and a fat lower lip.

“I brought you some cake, baby girl.”

Shyla didn’t feel like having cake. Her stomach felt tight and hot. Every time her dad laid an unwanted hand on either of them it brought on a flush of overwhelming emotions. When it was mom, she felt anger; burning and boiling. When it was her, it was relentless shame and disgust. But it was useless to make a stink over it.

“Thanks, mom.”

She reached out and took the plate. It would hurt her if she didn’t.

Taking a bite of the rich, moist chocolate cake, her throat constricted and she feared she wouldn’t be able to swallow it down. Tears burned at the back of her eyelids.

Mom set her plate on the bed and pulled out a small box.

“I have a present for you,”she said.

Shyla choked down the cake and stared at the small jewelry box.

“I couldn’t afford to buy you something this year, but I think this will be even better.”

When she held out her hand, Shyla reached out and carefully grabbed the box. Unsure of her emotions, she opened it and stared in awe at the pair of sapphire earrings.

“They were my mother’s. She wore them when she was a young woman and passed them to me before she died. I always knew I would pass them down to you when it felt right. I think today is that day. You are a young lady now. You deserve something beautiful.”

Shyla flung herself into her mom’s lap.

“Thank you. I love them. They are so pretty.”

Her mom brushed a hand down her back.

“You are pretty Shyla. And smart. And you can do anything you want. Someday you are going to do good things, great things. You are going to make the world a better place. I just know it. I believe in you. Forever and ever.”



*



Shyla woke when a solid knock landed on her front door. She didn’t want to be awake. She wanted to hold on to the dream, to her mother’s presence.

The knocking persisted.

After she’d left Hal’s place, she’d gone for a run to burn off steam and the remnants of her hangover. Without showering, she’d sat on her couch and thumbed through the pile of bills she’d been neglecting. She must have fallen asleep because, as she rose off the couch and walked to the door, the apartment was nearly dark with only the last bits of twilight seeping in.

Groggy, she opened the door.

Hal stood with perfectly straight posture and looked uncomfortable.

“Hey, Hal. Is everything okay?”

“Can I come in?”

She didn’t miss the fact that he hadn’t answered the question. Stepping back she let him in.

“Sure. Be my guest.”

She shut the door and flicked on the hall light.

“Sorry, I’m not myself right now,” she said, “I must have fallen asleep. Can I get you something; water, soda, tequila?”

“No thanks,” Hal said, holding back, “I can’t stay long. The wife and I are supposed to have dinner with her parents.”

Shyla sensed his agitation. Leaning a shoulder against the wall she crossed a foot over the other.

“All right then. What’s up? I can tell something’s eatin’ at you so spit it out.”

“Eli Straton and I had a conversation this afternoon.”

“Yeah, and?”

“You’re off the case, Shyla.”

She’d known it was coming. Embarrassment at her failure and anger at their authority made her feel queasy, but she squashed the emotions down and tried her best to remain detached and professional.

“This is crap, Hal. And you know it.”

He shook his head solemnly.

“No, Shyla, I think this is absolutely the right decision. Everything is too tentative right now. Your safety is the priority. You need to break it off with Victor before tomorrow night. Eli doesn’t want you anywhere near him.”

“So that’s it?”

“For now, it is. Eli wants a conference call with the team next Monday. We’ll regroup and decide what the next step is.”

“Fine,”she sighed in resignation.

Hal narrowed his gaze.

“Fine?”

“Yeah, fine. What else do you want me to say? I told you earlier today that I think the case is still solid, that I have had contact with Victor. I don’t think there’s anything I can say that will make you guys believe that I have this under control. So what’s the point?”

Hal nodded and looked uncomfortable.

“Okay, well…why don’t you take the next few days and rest a bit? You’ll feel better by Monday.”

“Yeah, okay. Maybe you’re right. I could use some down time. Now you’d better head out and get to your engagement.”

He turned and opened the door. Hesitating, he glanced back.

“You going to be okay?” he asked.

“Psh, who me? Yeah, I’ll be just fine. Thanks, Hal.”

He gave a weak smile.

“I’ll see you Monday. Goodnight, Shyla.” He shut the door behind him.

Her earlier dream was still fresh in her mind; the anticipation of great things to come followed by disappointment and frustration. She touched her earlobes and thought of her mother’s declaration: ‘you will make the world a better place’.

Damn right she would. So what if Eli had forbidden it? Rules were meant to be broken, weren’t they?