Hadley had an uneventful few days. What had turned into a happy time visiting family and getting her life back on track had backfired like most everything in her life. The one thing she was proud of was that she carried proudly in her womb until /last night/.

 

Her head was still in a daze from the previous discussions the night before, and she didn't feel like she knew where to turn. Hadley spent the evening at a local Jazz bar drinking away her sorrows and singing a sultry jazz tune to get her mind off of the fact that she had motherhood ripped from her not once but twice.

 

Hadley made her trek home, walking down the streets of Haithan to avoid anywhere or anyplace to do with the Romanos, and she was far from their turf. Then she heard the sound of a spray can, not knowing how much that would change the trajectory of her life.

 

Whipping her head around, she took notice of a little 12-year-old boy she had seen near The Pie Hole. The kid was dirty and malnourished, and his clothes were tattered, but he smiled as he made the art against the dirty brick of the alley.

 

"Yo kid, what are you doing?"

 

Hadley shouted as she sucked on the end of her lipstick-stained cigarette.

 

He looked at her, dropped the can, and began running off.

 

Not today.

 

"Wait, kid!" She said as she attempted to run after him, but with her health the way it was, she tripped and fell in the street. It was a common occurrence for her.

 

However, the little pitter patters of his shoes on the pavement stopped, and before long, she peered up, and the little boy was helping her to her feet. He had come back. She looked at the boy and finally got a glimpse of him, and she saw him all over. "Thanks, kid; what is your name?"

 

"Yeah-a, I am-a Vin-ney. I saw you at a de pizza shop with dem cool men."

 

Hadley looked up at the sky as the kid spoke and wanted to shake her head at God. Did he just bring another Italian into her life?

 

"What you workin' on over there, kid?"

 

Hadley asked as she reached to ruffle the kid's hair- and then she saw it like it was a sign. The Tag with a large cross, "You catholic boy?" Hadley asked.

 

"Yes, I was-a tryna uh… make sumthin' cool fo tha pizza man."

 

Stefano. Mhm. Christ.

 

Then it dawned on her. Maybe this kid came into her life for a reason?

 

"You like pineapple on pizza, kid?"

 

He shook his head.

 

"You will get along fine with them men, but be careful, kid, but it looks like your life ain't nothin' to smile about. Come, let me take you to get some dinner."

 

At the diner, Hadley learned that he was a little Italian boy living on the streets with his junkie mother, but she had taken off a month ago. He had taken a liking to the Romano men and wanted to be like them, so he devised a tag design to impress them.

 

"You go spread those around town, that art; I will make sure you got some money for it" She reached into her purse and pulled out a 100. The kid lived in a trap house with his friend's mother. Could Hadley let that happen?

 

She bought out her phone and shot a text to Stef. This kid was a sign. A gift.

 

"You meet me at the Pizza shop tomorrow, we are taking you shopping. You smell like shit, and there is no way we can have your hair looking like that. Now eat up, honey" She looked toward the diner waitress and said,

 

"Whatever this angel wants."

 

A smirk on her face followed by a pang at the notion of motherhood lost.

 

(If you see tags around sugar row, this is the little culprit. Romano's would not risk getting themselves dirty with spray paint)