Locksmith

It wasn’t hard to convince the boys to come back to the class the second day. They were more than eager to go back and play with the simulators a second day. I think that Natasha probably had something to do with that, but I chose to believe it was because they were actually having fun doing something that I planned. We sat in the same places we had the day before as we watched the rest of the people slowly funnel into the room. I nervously waited to see if she would acknowledge that I had come back or if she would continue to pretend I didn’t exist. I couldn’t blame her for not knowing how to receive me showing up, I ambushed her without any warning, which wasn’t entirely fair on my part. But I didn’t know how else to go about showing up to see her after all this time. After a few minutes, she walked through the door, looking ridiculously good; it wasn’t fair.

“Thank you all for being so understanding about class yesterday. In return, we have this room for a few extra hours today. I have activities if you like some direction, but you are otherwise allowed to use the simulators to see how well you would do working here.” She said softly.

With her permission, the boys were quickly working on the simulators, trying to remember what they’d done the day before. They worked together to try and figure out what the names were, not able to recall the scientific names that Natasha had given them on their own. It was cute to see them working together to figure everything out, and it allowed me to sit back and watch them figure everything out. With my relaxation time, I knew that it would open things up for Natasha to talk to me if she had an issue with us showing up again. Hopefully, if she did, she would keep it to herself and not potentially ruin the one thing that made me cool to my children. As expected, she made the usual rounds to tables and stopped at our table.

“How are we doing today?” She asked cooly.
“This stuff is really cool,” Tommy said with a smile.
“You sound surprised.” She said, raising an eyebrow at him.
“They weren’t sure they’d have fun,” I said, sending them both a look.
“Mom! Come on!” Tommy whined.
“Don’t worry, boys, your mom has never been able to lie to me. It’s my superpower.” She said with a wink.
“You said you didn’t know her!” Billy said as panic sank in.
“That’s my fault, boys.” She said with an apologetic smile.
“How is it your fault that she lied to us?” Tommy asked with a frown.
“You know how I do covert work?” She asked, lowering her volume.
“Yeah.” He said with a nod.
“That means it’s safer for people to say that they don’t know me than to admit they do. Even my sister will say she doesn’t know me.” She said easily.
“You have a sister?” Billy asked with shock.
“I do. And you probably know her.” She said as her eyes flashed to mine.
“We do?” Tommy asked, now looking at me.
“Yelena,” I said with a nod.
“Yelena has a sister?!” Billy asked in shock.
“That’s me,” Natasha said with a nod.
“So, you’ve known our mom since high school?” Tommy questioned.
“Well, I’m slightly older than her, so for about a year and a half, maybe two?” She said with a soft laugh.
“Yeah, about that,” I admitted quietly.
“So, since you know that I know your mom, and I’m not a stranger, can I steal her again?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I suppose so,” Billy said with narrow eyes.

She smiled brightly and offered them a nod before directing me with her eyes. I spared one last glance at the boys before pushing myself to my feet. I had no idea why she would need to speak to me privately once more, but asking questions probably wouldn’t get me very far when I was around the boys. I followed her to the corner of the room we’d been in the day before and did my best to push down any fear I had about being alone with her. My heart was racing in my chest, and she more than likely knew it was. She could always read me better than anyone else, even when I tried to hide my feelings.

“You came back.” She said with surprise.
“What can I say? I’m stubborn.” I said with a shrug.
“Something I do happen to remember.” She said with a breathy laugh.
“Well, the boys also thought you were cool,” I admitted.
“Of course they did. I’m pretty cool if you forgot.” She said with a grin.
“And so humble,” I mumbled, shaking my head.
“What’s your plan?” She asked with a sigh.
“What do you mean?” I asked, confusion setting in.
“You came here, you’re here, I’m here. What was your plan?” She asked with a shrug.
“To reconnect with my sons after the divorce,” I said with a frown.
“And is that the only reason?” She asked carefully.
“Meaning?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Nothing. I hope you get to reconnect with them the way you want. Just something you said yesterday.” She said, shaking her head.
“What did I say yesterday?” I questioned gently.
“Nothing important. I’ll let you get back to enjoying your time with your sons. I’m sorry to have interrupted.” She said evenly.
“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” I said, shaking my head.

She nodded her head and didn’t say another word. I took it as my queue to leave the interaction and made my way back to the table. The boys and I worked together, with me reminding them of the names they couldn’t remember, and before we knew it, we had a well-functioning park on our hands. All of the animals were contained and happy, with the right amount and type of vegetation. Natasha had come back around to look at what we’d done and offered the boys praise for their parks, telling them that they could work at the park with her once they turned eighteen. They both seemed thrilled by the prospect and while I wouldn’t mind a reason to run into Natasha, I didn’t want it to happen because my sons were working at a park with dinosaurs that could kill them. After two hours in the lab, Natasha made her way to the front of the room once again.

“Okay, that concludes our time here today. The resort offers a lot of cool things for you to do with the rest of your day. I’m sure you’ll find something interesting to do.” She said with a smile.
“Can we go look at the activity board?” Tommy asked brightly.
“Of course,” I said with a nod.

They both got up from the table as quickly as they could, leaving their things behind for me to grab. I wanted to be annoyed, but every part of me was happy that they were having that much fun. Plus, I knew that their frontal lobes had yet to develop, so it was hard to expect them to think about things like remembering their things when something more exciting grabbed their attention. I collected their things and made my way out of the room to find them. They were excitedly talking about something they’d seen on the board, and I prepared myself for whatever they were going to approach me with.

“Okay, lay it on me,” I said with a sigh.
“Hear us out before you say no,” Billy said firmly.
“Starting out like that is never a good thing,” I mumbled quietly.
“Just promise you will.” He said with a sigh.
“Fine. I’ll hear you out. I promise.” I said with a nod.
“Perfect. Okay, take it away.” He said, looking at his brother.
“You know how you let us go in those giant hamster balls on the water?” Tommy asked brightly.
“I do recall that being something that your father talked me into, yes,” I said with a slow nod.
“Okay… Well, they have those for the dinosaurs!” He said happily.
“Explain further,” I mumbled slowly.
“They’re electronic hamster balls that navigate through the paddock so that we can see the dinosaurs up close in ways most people never will. It’s entirely controlled by a pre-programed path.” Billy explained with hopeful eyes.
“You’d be in the paddock with the dinosaurs?” I asked, trying not to lose my mind.
“Yes. But don’t freak out.” Tommy said quickly.
“Lose my mind? Why would I lose my mind about my sons being in the same place as dinosaurs with only a hamster ball to protect them?” I asked, trying to control my voice.
“You’re losing your mind,” Billy said with a groan.
“Give me a good reason to say yes,” I said, swallowing thickly.
“Because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it’s cool?” Tommy tried.
“I’m sorry, but anything that requires me to sign a waiver to send the two of you off on your own to possibly die,” I said, shaking my head.
“Mom! Come on!” Billy argued.
“I said no. Far be it for me to want to keep the two of you alive.” I said with a sigh.
“You never let us do anything! Dad would let us!” Tommy argued.
“Have you read the stories about them? Giant, clear hamster balls in the same area as dinosaurs? It’s asking for an accident.” I said firmly.
“God, you’re so lame! I wish dad was here!” He yelled before storming off.

I sighed deeply as Billy followed behind him. I didn’t mean to upset them or deny them anything they really wanted to do, but I refused to lose them for any reason. If that made me lame in their eyes, I would deal with that and be lame. But with them running off, it meant that the rest of the day was entirely mine, and I had no idea how I was going to spend it. Before I could spend too much time thinking about it, I heard footsteps behind me. I figured it was just someone lingering from the class and expected them to go around me, but they came to a stop behind me.

“Did he have a meeting?” A voice asked, making me jump.
“Jesus. Yeah, Natasha, my thirteen-year-old, had a meeting to attend.” I said, rolling my eyes as she came around to face me.
“Not who I meant, but I’ll forgive the sarcasm because you did get called lame by your own son.” She said, shaking her head.
“Oh. No, he didn’t have a meeting. He wasn’t invited.” I mumbled.
“So, you really married him.” She said quietly.
“And left him. If the outburst didn’t already tell you that.” I grumbled with a sigh.
“They look a lot like you, you know.” She said with a soft smile.
“Really?” I asked with a frown of disbelief.
“Especially the broody one. Reminds me of the alternative girl my sister used to bring around.” She said with a breathy laugh.
“Ha ha, you’re so funny,” I said, shaking my head.
“They seem like good kids. Being a mother looks good on you.” She mumbled quietly.
“I’m glad it looks good. I’m not sure I get points for being a good mother in their eyes,” I said with a bitter laugh.
“What made him call you lame?” She questioned.
“Said no to your giant hamster ball death traps,” I said with a sigh.
“Rightfully so. No one has been hurt yet, but I am against them.” She said, shaking her head.
“You are?” I asked in disbelief.
“They could hurt the dinosaurs or the guests. The risks outweigh the rewards no matter how you look at it.” She said with a shrug.
“Well, could you tell my kids that? Apparently, thinking like that is lame.” I said with a breathy laugh.

She allowed me the space to feel the disappointment of letting the boys down, even if she agreed with my choice. Though, her agreement did make me feel better about the decision I’d made. If someone who worked for the park didn’t agree with them, there had to be some risks involved with them, and that was enough for me to know that it was right not to agree. It didn’t make it the popular choice, but I felt good about it. I took a deep breath and refocused on Natasha standing in front of me. I felt bad for keeping her longer than she intended to be there and immediately moved to leave the conversation to give her the rest of her day.

“I’ll let you get on with your night. I’m sure there’s a glass of wine at a bar calling my name.” I said with a forced smile.
“Strange to hear you say that.” She said, letting out a breath.
“What? That I want a drink?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, that exactly.” She confirmed with a nod.
“Please, the first time we kissed, I had been drinking,” I said, rolling my eyes with a laugh.
“You said you were here because you missed me.” She said with a sigh.
“I did,” I said with a nod.
“You don’t get to miss me.” She said, shaking her head.
“What do you mean I don’t get to miss you? Who are you to tell me if I can miss you or not?” I asked as anger flared in my chest.
“You hurt me.” She pushed.
“You left me, Nat. Not the other way around.” I said with a scoff.
“Because you really gave me a choice.” She said, rolling her eyes.
“I wasn’t ready,” I admitted quietly.
“So I moved on and started my life as soon as I could.” She said with a shrug.
“I didn’t say I blamed you,” I mumbled quietly.
“You’re wearing your ring.” She said absentmindedly.
“What?” I asked with a frown.
“Your wedding band. You said you left him, but you’re still wearing his ring.” She said, her eyes glued to my hand.
“I left him,” I said firmly.
“And the ring?” She questioned.
“Is a habit of over a decade that I haven’t managed to break yet,” I said, shaking my head.
“I know something about habits you can’t break.” She said with a breathy laugh.
“You know, I was worried you wouldn’t recognize me when I showed up,” I admitted.
“I… Wanda, a hundred years could go by, and I would still find you in any room.” She said, shaking her head.

The sincerity in her voice pulled at my heart. It was raw and made me feel exactly like she used to when we were in high school. She knew how to talk to me to get me to melt. It had always been her superpower, and I had never quite figured out how to repel it. I did my best to clear my head of the haze she’d encouraged to settle in my mind so I could think clearly. I could see her mind turning, wondering if she should continue the conversation or allow me to go on with my day. There was a part of me that craved to continue a conversation with her, just to hear her voice for a little longer. After so many years of not hearing from her, the sound of her voice was like rediscovering my favorite song. Just when I thought she was going to say goodbye to me, she decided to keep it going.

“I heard about Pietro.” She whispered.
“You did?” I asked with a frown.
“Yelena told me. I wanted to call or to write, but…” She said with a sigh.
“It’s fine,” I said, dismissing it completely.
“Wanda, come on. He was your brother.” She said with a frown.
“Yeah, well, fortunately for you, I doubt that either of those things would have brought him back. So you’re off the hook.” I said flatly.
“That’s not what I meant… I just… I didn’t tell you then, so I’m telling you now. I am so sorry that you lost him.” She said carefully.
“He loved you. He loved you, and you didn’t come back to say goodbye to him.” I said with a scoff.
“Wanda, I was in love with you. I couldn’t go to his funeral, but I still said goodbye to him.” She said with a sigh.
“No. Yelena would’ve told me if you came back.” I said, shaking my head.
I asked her not to. But I said goodbye to him, I swear. I loved him like a brother; I couldn’t leave him without saying goodbye.” She said softly.
“Where did you stay?” I asked with a frown.
“What?” She asked in confusion.
“Where did you stay when you came back? I didn’t see you at your house.” I said flatly.
“Were you looking for me?” She questioned.
“That doesn’t matter. You weren’t at your house.” I said, shrugging slightly.
“I stayed with Carol.” She said with a sigh.
“Right. Of course, you did.” I said with a scoff.
“Wanda, come on. Nothing ever happened with her.” She said gently.
“I should go. Enjoy your evening.” I whispered.
“Wanda, wait!” She called after me, but I ignored her.

Memories flooded my mind as I did my best to get as far away from her as I could. I could hear her trying to get my attention, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t talk to her about him; I could hardly talk to her about herself. Tears built in my eyes, and the world around me became blurry, but my feet wouldn’t stop moving. There was a risk of running into the boys, but I prayed that they would act like normal teenage boys and run in the opposite direction of their mother. I tried to force the memories away, but they demanded to be seen.