TWENTY YEARS LATER
CREAK.
I don't believe it. After twenty years, the front step is still creaking. In a new hotel. With all-new wood steps.
"Della, did you hear that?" I ask the light of my life, one-half me and the other half goddess.
Her red hair flying every which way but still looking like she stepped out of an exclusive salon, Della stares at me with an "oh dad" smile in her eyes and on her lips. Blunt bangs give her a sassy boss babe look. Her eyes favor her mother's fox nature, but sometimes shift to green like mine depending on her mood. She wears her green minidress elegantly, preferring it to a shirt and pants, or a pantsuit. All feminine, but capable of crawling around in the hotel's dusty corders to fix things.
"DAD. You have been hearing that step creak for twenty years. Someone must be playing tricks on you. Or maybe it's just your old age."
