"Why…was it a CIA thing?" Athena begged to know.
"Well yeah, something like that you could say."
"But you're out of the CIA….. right?" her sister questioned, her voice cracking in mid-sentence.
"Sometimes they call me back to do stuff; sometimes it's to do bad things to bad people. Jose Mendoza was one of those bad people that they wanted me to do something about"
"But why Aurora, I thought you were out of that for good….after…….."
Cutting her off in mid speech, the ponytailed woman turned her back and lowered her head. "You know I don't talk about that…ever," she said in a low painful tone.
"I'm sorry," her sibling said as she saw the pain it brought her sister to even rehash something so mournful from her past. A something that only she as her sister knew, a dark moment in Aurora's CIA past that even Kimba knew nothing about.
"Let's just say what I did the other night was something I had to do," Aurora said with her head still lowered. "He was a very bad man and had to be stopped. Please understand I do what I do for you and the girls," she added fighting not to cry.
"I don't understand, you're doing what for me and the girls?"
"Something to make things better for you and them, it's something I have to do."
"Does Kimba know about the other night?" Athena asked placing her hand on her sister shoulder.
"No, she knows little about the things I've done in the past and today. I'm sorry if you don't understand what I do, but this is something I must do.
"Are you going to hurt someone, tell me the truth Aurora?"
"Well sometimes, you just have to kill somebody."
"Oh my God Aurora, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?"
"Just know I love you and the girls, I have to go now," Aurora said not making eye contact and walked out of the house and made her way to her bike. Athena tried to fight back the tears and be strong as she heard her sister's motorcycle fire up and pull off. But her self-control was lost as the roar of the Ninja faded away and she started to cry. The sound of her two girls running down the steps made her stop and hide her true feelings.
"Where did Aunt Aurora go?" the girls said again in almost perfect pitch.
"Your Aunt had to go girls….sorry," Athena said wiping her eyes.
"Is she coming back Mommy?" the youngest asked as her mother replied in a brave voice.