Earning a Name

"Yes, he's threatening the proprietor of Melodia's."

"Police and fire are on the way. Your name?"

"Wade Coolidge." Wade glared at Martin, not showing fear for the crazed man even as his heart ricocheted around his ribcage.

"Think you're so smart, pussy!" Martin yelled. "Still hiding in your dumb fucking mask, huh?"

"The cops are on the way, Martin." Dia's ire was focused in her burning stare. Wade thought it might actually cut through the hulking man like a laser.

"I tried to free you months ago," Martin sneered.

"By giving me pneumonia that almost killed me!?" Wade's attempts to not escalate were coming up short. His anger management never went through a situation like this.

"Would've kept the woman Chet loves from getting tainted. Bet you're the reason Chet can't see his kid."

"Chet can see Fredo anytime. He just has to do so with supervision." Dia stayed calm. She'd fall apart later, but not around this asshole.

"'Course, if I knew where you lived, maybe I could fix that, too." An evil cackle burbled from chapped and split lips. Martin swayed as he turned back and shambled to his truck. "Already going to jail, may as well make it count!" The man reached for something under his seat, but a twisted door frame and bent seat rail clanged against something metallic.

"Don't make this worse, Martin." Dia's calm still wasn't breaking.

Martin struggled as he tugged from several angles, but couldn't free his prize. The licking flames slithering from below the cab finally drove him away from his target. "I can handle this myself." Martin turned and charged Dia with a grunt and raised fist.

Wade stepped between them. He let the brute come in like a bull, sidestepping his loping steps at the last second. Knocking the man out with a punch would feel so good, but Wade only stuck out a foot and let Martin trip over his legs and skid across the rough pavement.

"Stay right where you are! Both of you!" An authoritative woman's voice rang out as police cruisers pulled up. Officers had their hands on their holsters but didn't have to pull their weapons.

"What happened here?" the officer asked one of the bystanders, Mr. Lou, the strip mall's resident butcher.

"This truck crashed into Melodia's catering van and drove it into the building." The bulky, typically jovial man responded.

"Was this an accident?"

"Accidents don't do another lap around the parking lot before taking out the electric car chargers." Mr. Lou pointed out the missing stalls.

"Fucking government wants to take my truck away!" Martin rolled over. His tanned skin was covered in primarily self-inflicted road rash. "Pussies! All of you!" he roared.

Asphalt did a better job than I would have. Wade barely kept to himself.

Within a few minutes, Martin was in cuffs before the police started getting statements from witnesses. A handful of fire trucks were required to put out the flames that had started slowly, but erupted as they found fuel to devour. They valiantly fought the gasoline-fueled fire, but eventually had to concentrate on keeping the blaze from spreading to the other tenants, not saving the taqueria.

The rest of the morning was interviews with police. "Do you know what he was reaching for?" the police officer asked Wade, as they walked through the confrontation for the fifth time; this time with a detective assigned to the case and the policewoman who had broken up the fight.

"No." Wade shook his head. He had an idea, but didn't want it to be true.

"A forty-five. The detective held up an evidence bag with a charred handgun that had been extracted once the fire had been extinguished."

"My God." Wade mouthed. The closest cover that wasn't burning was too far away if they'd had to dodge gunshots. He clutched Dia closer as the adrenaline finally started to wane.

Dia - A little later that day

"We're fine, mom." Dia was happy to hear from her parents, but had hoped to call them before someone shared the video from the local news.

"Who's this Wade?"

"Wade's my boyfriend."

"About time, Mija. Not everyone will be a cabrón."

"I think my former asshole had something to do with destroying the restaurant." Dia sighed.

"We can rebuild. It's what insurance is for." Her mother didn't seem overly concerned with the fire. "What's important is that you and Fredo are safe."

"Fredo's still at school."

"Good. How's this boyfriend with Fredo?"

"Incredible. He's why Fredo is doing so well at math, and you saw him on the news report. He shaved his head to support Mijo," Dia gushed. She didn't mention that Wade had fought cancer himself, which would come in later conversations.

"Good. That's very important."

The conversation lasted an hour, as Dia caught her mother up on many things from the week. Having to slow down as she waited for the insurance adjuster to show up was nice. Phone calls had been too short, as Dia barely had a free moment during her weeks. Guess I won't have to be at the taqueria every day. Her mother eventually passed the phone to Dia's father and maternal grandparents. She had to repeat the day's events a few times, but she could feel the love radiating from Puerto Rico.

After Dia finished her phone calls, the insurance adjuster went through the damage with her. The fire marshal hadn't cleared the building yet, but the gaping hole in the strip mall where a taqueria used to occupy left little doubt that her restaurant was a complete loss. The catering truck was burnt so severely that the exterior had collapsed.

Dia's most significant concern was how she would pay and keep her chef and loyal employees. They could lean into catering until they could rebuild. Dia was going to rebuild, but maybe not at the same location. It was the perfect spot nearly three decades ago, but what used to be the main drag in town had been supplanted by fresh growth. There had been discussions about moving in recent years. This was going to force Dia's hand.

Wade made dinner and helped Fredo with homework, while Dia worked like a madwoman. Just when I thought things couldn't get any more stressful. she mused to herself before Dia finally checked her email. Fredo had been accepted at the research hospital. The month up north needed to happen soon.

"Momma, why did that man burn down the restaurant?" Fredo looked up at her as she finished reading a chapter in Mossflower, a favorite book of Dia's from her youth.

"He was angry, sweetie," Dia explained again. Fredo hadn't seemed satisfied with her earlier explanations, but Dia wasn't sure how to describe the vitriol from the man in a way that wouldn't worry the little boy. Not going to mention that Chet might be involved.

"He didn't handle being mad well." Fredo shook his head as his eyes drooped. Even with the excitement of the day, his treatments were wearing on him again.

"He sure didn't." Dia smiled at her bright little boy.

"Is he going to try and hurt you again?" Fredo's brow furrowed with concern.

"No, Mijo, the police arrested him. He can't get me from jail."

"Does this mean we have to go back to our old apartment?" Fredo looked more concerned.

"I..." She hadn't discussed it with Wade yet, so she didn't know yet, but there'd never been a mention of a time limit to Dia and Fredo staying with Wade. I'd like it to be forever. "I don't think so."

"That's good. I like it here." Fredo smiled, an expression that should be rare for the boy who faced so many hurdles, but it was like he was trying to fit in a lifetime's worth of high spirits in his, thus far, brief life. "I love you, mommy."

"I love you always, Mijo. Rest well." Dia tucked him in, kissed his forehead, and waited a few minutes for him to drift to sleep. Once Dia put Fredo down, it was time to broach the topic with Wade. She stopped by the bathroom first to pick up something to help alleviate an iota of her stress before walking into the bedroom she shared with Wade. She hadn't thought about there being an expiration date on their living arrangement, but that was a topic for another night.

"How you doing, babe?" Wade looked up from the email he was firing off to work. He hadn't once complained about having to duck out of his important meeting as life intervened.

"Okay." Dia slid onto the bed beside him. "I'm not going to keep all my employees, am I?"

"Probably not."

"You get in trouble at work?"

"Boss wasn't thrilled initially, but he understood once he saw the news report. He's delighted that I'm dating someone, though." Wade beamed. "He called you cute."

"Hard to believe that Martin would do that. I mean, he was an asshole, but that..."

"Yeah, that was deranged. I didn't have a high opinion of the man, but he found a way to limbo under that. Palpable example of what happens if you let anger do your thinking." Wade grimaced.

"I think he dug a hole."

"A deep one." Wade grabbed her hand. "I've been replaying the encounter in my mind. Am I doing too much to keep a cap on my anger?"

"The man had a gun, Wade, and we both made it out alive and without puncture wounds."

"If I would have given in and laid his ass out when we got there, he would never have tried to get the gun."

"Wade, I love you, but Martin has a hundred pounds on you and wouldn't have gone down with a single punch."

"I suppose not."

"You're doing great, babe."

"I just worry about keeping you and Fredo safe if anything like that happens again."

"A guy that doesn't lose his cool and can think straight got us out of that situation. That's a better example for Fredo than a guy that resorts to fists first."

"Okay, then I'll keep using what I learned in therapy." Wade showed a thin smile. "You two are critical to me." His smile got a little wider.

"So," Dia sighed and changed subjects. "I got an email from the research hospital."

"You did!?" Wade was excited. He knew it was the best chance for Fredo's recovery.

"They want us up there soon."

"Okay, no problem."

"The original plan's not going to work." Dia had been prepared to borrow the catering van for a few weeks. The place where she would stay was too far from the hospital, and she didn't want Fredo to pick something up or have to walk too far when he was tired. "Even if I could get a new van in a week, my chef will need it."

"Well, okay. I think you have a few options; it's up to you, but one of them is better for me than the others." Wade wrapped his fingers around Dia's.

"Those would be?"

"We could rent you a car for a month. It's not that expensive, and I need you and Fredo to stay safe if you'll be missing for a month."

"You've already done too much for us." Dia shook her head.

"Still underpaying for having you and Fredo in my life." Wade kissed her on the cheek. "For the second option, you can take my car. I only have to go into the office once a month and can take a ride share that one time."

"Are you sure? What about groceries and errands?"

"I had my groceries and everything else delivered while I was sick. I can do that again. The third option, I go with you two. I can work from home, so it would be the same on the road. I can fly back for the one meeting."

"That seems expensive."

"Worth it."

"It would be nice to have you there with us," Dia contemplated. There was an occasional niggling complaint in her mind that things were moving too fast, but she was ecstatic about where their relationship stood. Wade was the perfect guy for her and her son. "Which one do you prefer?"

"The last one. I'm crazy about you, Dia."

"I feel the same. Do you need to talk to your boss?"

"Yeah, I've had preliminary discussions with him that this might be how things go, and he was amenable."

"There you go, encroaching on my territory again." Dia grinned. "Being a sesquipedalian is my thing."

"Trying to impress you, Dia."

"Good. We can work out details later, but I need to destress." Dia dropped the box of condoms she had collected in the bathroom in Wade's hand. "Get dressed. I need to go for a ride."

"You brought the entire box?"

"I'm very stressed," Dia smirked, as she pulled off her shorts and panties.

"I need a pregame snack then," Wade argued, but tore into the packaging. Dia was finally overthinking there was something dirty about oral sex.

"Think of that as an intermission delight. You need to recharge in between." Dia climbed into his lap, pulling down his boxers and rolling the condom Wade had opened onto his hard cock. Being quiet was sometimes tricky, but she'd also learned to find joy in that game in their months together.

Wade - Weeks later, The night before Fredo's procedure

"Did they make their flight?" Dia asked, as Wade returned from playing chauffeur for Jake and Clementine. Tabi was busy with her doctorate, but she hadn't wanted Clem to miss hanging out with Fredo before his surgery.

"If they didn't make it through the airport when I got them there two hours early, that's on them, not me." Wade collected a kiss as he entered their temporary abode's door. It was a lovely house, though underappreciated as the couple worried about Fredo.

"I can't wait to get back home so he can spend more time with his friends and class." Dia clutched his hand and pulled him toward the kitchen table where papers and her laptop were strewn. Every minute Dia wasn't at the hospital or sleeping, she seemed to be working on rebuilding her business. She was often frazzled, and Wade tried to remove whatever stressors he could from her path.

"Is he still with Grammy and Pop-pop?" Wade used Fredo's name for his paternal grandparents.

They were doing everything to stay in the boy's life since Chet confessed to being a part of the plot, destroying the taqueria and endangering Dia's life. He argued it had come from drunken ramblings and was never supposed to be carried out. Still, he was paying for his indiscretions as he had pushed his unstable friend into acting without warning authorities or Dia. His parents didn't want to lose their connection to their only grandchild.

"Yeah, they'll be home any minute now."

"How's the build going?"

"Good, I think."

Dia had let her chef design the new kitchen, while Roberta, the woman who had been Fredo's babysitter as she finished her degree, was handling the rest of the architecture. They were moving hastily when a piece of prime real estate came open. Sadly, the entire strip mall containing Melodia's prior location would have to be bulldozed. The structure was found to be unsafe by the inspectors. Most of the tenants had dispersed elsewhere, but a few were awaiting the return of a freshly built replacement.

"Roberta send you the sketches?"

"Even better. Three-D fly through." Dia motioned for him to join her by the computer.

Wade took a seat. It was nice to see her excited about something instead of just worrying about Fredo's procedure tomorrow. However, her toe was tapping on the floor, so the anxious energy wasn't completely alleviated.

"Is this bigger than the old place?" Wade watched, amazed, as the video played a walkthrough of the state-of-the-art space. The familiar crossed state and Puerto Rican flag motif had returned, but it seemed more luxurious.

"Yeah, about twice the size for the dining area and almost three times as large in the kitchen," Dia explained. "We had to work with the layout of the derelict build, which will let us do much more catering."

"Good. The city needs more of your food." Wade grinned. "I think the taqueria in the name will be even more tenuous."

"After thirty years, it's as much of a part of the café as the food." Dia shrugged.

"Like the flag décor."

"Gotta represent where I came from and the outpouring of support we got from the city." Dia glanced at the flags again. "Do you think I should add the city flag after everything?"

Insurance and the money saved wouldn't have been enough to get the new restaurant off the ground alone. Nor would being friends with reliable contractors. The news story rallied the community to support the stalwart of Puerto Rican culture in their metropolis. The same restaurateurs that raved about Dia's food at the New Year's party spearheaded a surprise fundraising effort. Her benefactors paid off both Fredo's hospital bills and anything the insurance company didn't cover for the rebuild.

"That would look incredible. Are you going to have Gabriella mock something up for you?" Wade asked. Her sister was a superb digital artist. She would be nearby in the fall, as she had a full scholarship to the same school where Wade got his education degree. That was much to Dia's feigned chagrin as it was a rival to where Dia got her degree in business. She was mostly thrilled about her baby sister spending more time with her.

"Think she'd come up with something?"

"Of course, my love. Do you still want me to run an online ordering app by my boss?"

"I don't know. Seems like a lot for a restaurant with a single location."

"I guarantee I can get you an incredible deal. It'll work on tablets and phones you already have, so you don't need additional equipment. We could knock it out in a week and make it look professional." Wade tried to sell her a little. Dia often complained about the expense of food arbitrage that the national delivery apps used to make their money. She made less per customer, and the drivers didn't always present her product with proper care.

"Depends. Would you be handling the project?" Dia grabbed his arm and pulled him close for another kiss.

"Only if you want me to." Wade smiled. "If we hire Gabriella to do the art, that can take out a chunk of the expense, and it would give her some practice."

"Worried that AI is going to take her future career away?"

"Nope. The dumb robots can't make anything new. There will always be room for bespoke art like your sister and I do." Wade used to worry about it, but when he got sick, he realized he already had enough apprehension.

"Think we got a few minutes for some stress relief?"

"Fredo should be home soon. Besides, we used the last of my condoms last night."

"Aww."

"Still might be time for me to get a snack in, though." Wade bounced his eyebrows suggestively. "You could keep the skirt on in case they come home."

Dia responded by pushing back her chair, fiddling with something under her skirt, and then handing Wade her panties with a smile. "Come on, to the bedroom." She giggled as she clutched his hand. It had taken a month for Wade to convince Dia that he enjoyed going down on her and that he wasn't just trying to be nice.

Wade was working her up to a second orgasm when the doorbell rang. "All the stress relief you're going to get today." Wade stood and found her lips.

"Better than nothing."

"Not the glowing review I wanted." Wade grinned.

"I meant the time that we had, not your skills." Dia smoothed down her skirt as she stood. "Need reviews for the future girlfriends?" Dia giggled.

"Nah, but I care about reviews from my only client." Wade grabbed another kiss before they went to let in Fredo.

Wade had been hoping to get more time in the bedroom with Dia, even if it only briefly took her mind off her worries. Tomorrow was all or nothing. Either they would be successful, or saving Fredo's life would become precariously challenging. The doctors swore they had a fantastic feeling about the surgery, but the best odds anyone had given them were fifty-fifty. The anxiety had consumed most of Wade's thoughts, and he hadn't given birth to the child.

Fredo had other plans for the group. "Grammy and Pop-pop wanted to show me Home Alone," the boy decried, as he skipped toward the front room. Dia had planned on calling it an early night; sleep would be enough of a struggle without getting him riled up, but it was hard to tell him no while he was fighting for his life. Popcorn had to be eschewed as it was close to the scheduled surgery time.