ANA Reborn by Carl Facciponte - HTML preview
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Chapter 19
t had been three weeks since Ralph shipped out to I Afghanistan.
Ana dialed Alexi’s cell phone during a lunch break. I know revealing myself as Gabriella to Paul would be far too destructive to current relationships.
Still, I want to make good on Gabriella’s promise to contact Alexi that I made after the terrible break-up with Paul.
After a moment, a little girl’s voice answered with a simple, “Hello, who is this?”
With a warm smile reflected in her voice, Ana simply said, “Hot Fudge Sundae.”
“Gabriella!” the squealing little girl’s voice at the other end shouted. “You’re back! I knew you would come back. Can you come over? When can I see you again? Daddy will be so excited to hear you’re back,” came the rapid-fire staccato.
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Ana recoiled slightly at the news. Recovering, she quickly developed a plan and said, “Alexi, I would love to see you face to face again and just hug and squeeze you with all my might, but I have a special secret assignment, and I can’t see you right now. But I need you to know I love you with all my heart and will always watch over you your whole life through.”
“You’re on a secret assignment?”
“Yes, I am. By the way, it’s so secret you can’t tell your dad you talked to me, do you understand?”
“Okay. I think so.”
“Just know I will always love you, and even if you can’t see me, my heart will be near you,” she said with a gentleness in her voice birthed by intermingled love and heartbreak.
“But Gabriella, I don’t understand. Why can’t you see me? Why can’t we play and have fun together again? I love you too, and I want to be near you.”
Ana thought for a second. “Alexi, I have a very, very best friend who comes to see your dad twice a week. She doesn’t have any children, but I 170
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know she loves kids. Could I ask you to do me a huge favor?”
“Sure, anything,” said the little voice.
“Can I ask you to get to know her? Her name is Martha. She is a wonderful person, and I’m sure she would love to get to know you too. I may not be able to see you right now, but maybe making friends with my BFF might make it seem like you and I are close together. Do you think you would be willing to make friends with Martha and know it makes you closer to me?”
The little birdlike voice chirped, “I don’t understand how it would make you and me closer together. But I believe you, so if you say it will, I’ll get to know her. Gabriella, do you think I will ever be able to see you again? I would feel so bad if I knew I couldn’t ever see you again.”
Ana’s heart knew pain. I would give anything to hold that little girl again, feel her warm body in my arms, and smell her golden shampooed hair. But life is what life is, and sometimes there’s nothing you can do.
“Alexi, I will guarantee one day you, and I will be together again. It may not be soon, but we will certainly see each other again. I will always be in your life. I promise.”
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Did I just hear a little sob at the other end? My God, this is breaking my heart. I would give anything if it didn’t have to be this way.
“I love you, honey, but I have to go.
Remember, think of Martha just as you would think of me. She’s a wonderful lady.” And then, with a pronounced sob, said, “I miss you and will always love you. Goodbye, Sweetie. I have to hang up. Love you! Bye-bye.”
Ana cried dry tears quietly for a minute or two before forcing herself to regain her composure and move on to the work tasks at hand.
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