"A Second Chance" Chapter 21 Preview
The sun was just about to kiss the horizon when Roxanne and Bucky finally made their way back to civilization.
Bucky looked up at the sky and stated, “I think this is about as far as we can go for today. We’re going to need to find somewhere to stay.”
“We’re probably going to need to find a place to squat for the night,” Ro replied. “We’re going to need to save whatever money we’ve got for wherever we end up going next.”
The two of them had just passed a road sign when Roxanne suddenly stopped walking and turned back to look at the sign. On it was a single word, “Gualán.”
“Is something wrong?” Bucky called when he noticed that Ro had stopped following him.
“That depends,” Ro answered, catching up with him. “I think I might have a solution to our lodging problem, but I don’t love it. So, it just so happens that we’ve arrived at my pa’s hometown, and my abuelita still lives here.”
“Abuelita?” Bucky repeated in confusion.
“It means grandma. Anyway, I know where she lives, and I also know she’ll definitely let us stay with her if we ask.” She sighed, putting a hand on her face. “However, if we do that, we risk leading HYDRA to her, and I’d put another family member in danger, which was exactly why I left New York in the first place.”
“What are our other options?”
“I think motels are out of the question until we can gather more money,” Ro began, grimacing slightly as she thought. “So we’d probably have to either sleep on the street, which is of course not ideal, but it wouldn’t be my first time and probably won’t be the last, by the looks of it. Or we look around for some abandoned place where we can spend the night. But that might take a while, and it won’t be long until it’s dark.”
“And how far would you say your grandmother’s house is from here?”
“Probably less than an hour on foot.”
The conflict in Ro’s expression did not go unnoticed by Bucky. “Look, after what I did to your ex and his team, I seriously doubt they’re gonna try anything tonight,” he told her, attempting to sound as reassuring as he could. “We’re only gonna drop by your grandmother’s, plan our next steps, get some rest, and leave by the morning. We’ll be gone before HYDRA even knows we were there.”
“I hear what you’re saying,” Ro acknowledged, “but it still wouldn’t feel right to risk her like that.”
“We can take turns standing guard, if that’ll make you feel better.”
Ro placed a hand over her mouth, furrowing her brow as she thought hard and weighed her options. “Well, maybe…” she began after a while, but then shook her head. “No! No, we can’t possibly do that. We have to think of something else. We have to think!”
“Hola, Abuelita,” Ro sheepishly greeted the elderly woman on the other side of the doorway.
P.S: For anyone who missed the announcement on my IG and Twitter yesterday, here are the posting dates for the last two ASC chapters of the year:
✨ Chapter 21: Monday, November 10th
✨ Chapter 22: Friday, November 14th
Hope you guys look forward to them! 😁
