Carmen was back in the bed as Alex pushed the door open. She slowly stepped in and Carmen smiled.

Carmen: You looked exactly like your mother there. Come here baby, what’s wrong?

Alex walked up to her Madre and gave her a hug, laying her head on her shoulder.

Alex: I’m just really happy you’re back.

Carmen: So am I, I missed you so much you don’t even know.

Carmen kissed the top of her daughter’s head.

Alex: I missed you too, so did mom.

Carmen: She told me about the scholarships, Princeton, Michigan, Penn State that’s amazing Alex. I heard your last report card was phenomenal too.

Alex: Don’t forget UCLA.

Carmen: I saw the State Championship game on TSC, you played amazing.

Alex: You saw that?

Carmen nodded.

Carmen: You’ve grown into this amazing young woman and I really hate myself for not being a part of it. Your mother did an amazing job.

Carmen pushed Alex’s hair out of her face.

Carmen: You’re just like her you know? Always hiding behind that hair, you hide from the world. You hide that beautiful face of yours. You grew out of those facial aspects that were mine. I feel so estranged from you now.

Alex: You don’t have to be.

Carmen: It’s a feeling that’ll take time for me to shake off.

Alex looked over and smiled at her Madre.

Alex: Hopefully that won’t take too long but I better get back to Alice.

Alex got up and walked to the door.

Carmen: Hey Alex?

Alex: Yea.

Carmen: We should have talk like this more often.

Alex: You betcha.

Alex smiled and walked out, just as Shane walked in the door. Shane turned to look at her.

Shane: Hey whatcha doin’ up?

Alex: Just had a bad dream.

Shane walked up to her and put her hands on the teen’s shoulders.

Shane: You okay?

Alex: Yeah, it was just a dream.

Shane: Wanna talk about it?

Alex: I was just, being held down by this man with a gun, naked a concrete floor.