Libra was in the middle of frosting a cake when the phone rang. The sound startled her, and she nearly smeared frosting all over the kitchen counter. She sighed, setting the spatula down before wiping her hands on a dishrag.
“Hello?” she answered, expecting it to be one of the church ladies asking about the upcoming bake sale. Instead, there was a pause, then a familiar voice that sent chills down her spine.
“Mom, it’s me…Gemini.”
Libra’s heart skipped a beat. Her son hadn’t called in weeks, and now, hearing his voice brought an overwhelming mix of relief and dread.
“Gemini, where have you been? Your father and I have been worried sick!” she exclaimed, her voice rising with a mix of anger and concern. She could already hear Capricorn, her husband, muttering something from the living room about “damn kids these days” as he pretended to focus on his newspaper.
“Mom, I don’t have time to explain everything, but I need your help. I’m in trouble. Serious trouble,” Gemini’s voice wavered.
Libra’s grip tightened on the phone. “What kind of trouble, Gemini?” she asked, although part of her already knew it wasn’t the usual kind of trouble that came from a failed college exam or a bad breakup.
There was a brief pause, then Gemini confessed, “I got involved in a jewelry heist.”
Libra nearly dropped the phone. “You… you did what?”
“I know, I know. It was a stupid mistake, okay? But it’s too late now, and the cops are after me. I need a place to hide, just for a while,” Gemini pleaded.
Libra felt the room spin around her. Her son—a part of a jewelry heist? It sounded like something out of one of those ridiculous action movies Capricorn liked to watch on Saturday nights.
“Gemini, what in heaven’s name were you thinking?” she hissed into the phone, her voice dropping to a whisper as if the walls themselves had ears.
“I wasn’t, Mom. I wasn’t thinking at all. I got in with the wrong crowd. It just… happened. Please, I need you and Dad. You’re the only ones I can trust,” Gemini’s voice cracked with desperation.
Libra’s mind raced. How could her sweet, albeit sometimes misguided, boy have ended up like this? But before she could ask anything else, Capricorn walked into the kitchen, eyebrows knitted in curiosity.
“Darling, who’s on the phone?” he asked, reaching for a cup of coffee.
Libra quickly covered the mouthpiece, trying to think of something, anything, to say that wouldn’t alarm him. But she knew there was no point in lying. Capricorn was many things—stubborn, grumpy, and perpetually unsatisfied with the state of his lawn—but he was also sharp as a tack.
“It’s Gemini,” she finally said, lowering the phone slightly. “And he’s in a lot of trouble.”
Capricorn’s eyes narrowed. “Trouble? What kind of trouble?”
Libra swallowed hard. “The kind that involves a jewelry store… and some stolen diamonds.”
Capricorn’s reaction was immediate. His eyes bulged, and he spat out the coffee he’d just taken a sip of. “He did what? That boy’s lost his damn mind!”
“Capricorn, please!” Libra hissed, trying to keep her composure. “He’s on the run, and he needs our help.”
Capricorn shook his head vehemently. “Oh, no. We are not getting mixed up in this. He needs to turn himself in, face the music!”
“Capricorn, he’s our son,” Libra whispered fiercely, trying to hold back tears. “He’s scared. We can’t just abandon him.”
Capricorn clenched his jaw, turning away from her. “And what do you suggest we do, Libra? Huh? Just open our doors to the police and say, ‘Here he is, take him away’?”
Libra took a step closer, her voice trembling with emotion. “No, Capricorn, but we can’t turn our backs on him either. He’s our child!”
“He’s a grown man who made his own choices,” Capricorn snapped, the frustration in his voice barely contained. “Choices that have put us all in a big mess!”
“But he’s still our son!” Libra’s voice cracked, her tears threatening to spill over. “I know you’re angry, but this isn’t just about what he’s done—it’s about who he is. We raised him, we taught him right from wrong, and now he needs us more than ever.”
Capricorn rubbed his temples, his resolve wavering. “And if we help him, we could all end up in more trouble than we’re already in. Have you thought about that? We could lose everything, Libra.”
“I don’t care about that!” she cried, her voice breaking. “I care about Gemini! He’s in a serious trouble and scared, Capricorn. He’s out of his depth, and he’s looking to us for help. We can’t just leave him to face this alone.”
Capricorn stared at her, his stern expression softening just a bit as the weight of her words sank in. He knew she was right, but the fear gnawing at him wouldn’t let go. “And what if it all goes wrong? What if helping him only makes things worse?”
Libra wiped at her eyes, her voice steadying. “It might. But doing nothing is worse. We can’t abandon him, Capricorn. Not now, not ever.”
There was a long silence as Capricorn wrestled with his emotions, his heart warring with his head. Capricorn looked at her, his stern expression softening just a bit. He knew she was right, but he wasn’t about to make this easy. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he nodded. “Fine. But if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it smart. No half-baked plans, no knee-jerk reactions. We have to be careful.”
Libra nodded, relief washing over her. “Thank you, Capricorn. I know this isn’t easy, but we have to stick together. Gemini needs us now more than ever, and if we approach this the right way, we might just be able to save him—and ourselves—from this mess.” She paused, looking at Capricorn with a determined glint in her eyes. “I trust you to lead us through this, like you always have. I believe in you, in us.”
She put the phone back to her ear. “Gemini, listen to me. Come to the old cabin by the lake. Stay low, and don’t tell anyone where you’re going. We’ll meet you there in a few hours.”
Gemini sighed in relief. “Thank you, Mom. I knew I could count on you.”
As soon as she hung up, Libra turned to Capricorn. “We have to pack some things. Food, blankets, maybe some money. He’s going to need all the help he can get.”
Capricorn grumbled, running a hand through his thinning hair. “I still can’t believe it. Our boy… a jewelry thief. What the hell happened?”
Libra shook her head, already gathering supplies. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
Two hours later, Libra and Capricorn were on the road, the old family SUV loaded with supplies. The drive to the cabin was tense, neither of them saying much. Libra clutched the steering wheel, her mind racing with worry. Capricorn, on the other hand, was furiously chewing on the end of his unlit cigar, a habit he’d picked up whenever he was too stressed to actually light it.
“What are we going to say to him?” Libra finally asked, breaking the silence.
“We’ll start with, ‘What the hell were you thinking, stealing diamonds?’” Capricorn replied gruffly.
Libra sighed. “Capricorn, we need to be supportive. He knows he made a mistake. Let’s not make this harder on him than it already is.”
Capricorn scoffed. “Supportive? The boy’s gone and turned into a criminal! What he needs is a good, swift kick in the pants!”
Libra shot him a look. “That’s not going to help anything right now. He’s already scared. Yelling at him won’t make this any easier.”
Capricorn grumbled something under his breath, but he knew she was right. As much as he wanted to give Gemini a piece of his mind, now wasn’t the time. First, they had to make sure he was safe.
When they finally arrived at the cabin, they found Gemini sitting on the porch steps, looking like a shadow of the boy they once knew. His hair was messy, his clothes disheveled, and the look of fear in his eyes was unmistakable.
“Mom, Dad,” Gemini said, standing up as they approached. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Libra rushed to him, wrapping him in a tight hug. “Oh, Gemini. What have you gotten yourself into?”
Gemini’s voice wavered as he tried to explain. “It was stupid. I got in over my head. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Capricorn crossed his arms, his expression stern but not as harsh as it had been. “Damn right it was stupid. You stole diamonds, for crying out loud! What were you thinking?”
Gemini winced, looking down at his feet. “I wasn’t thinking, Dad. I just… I needed the money. I didn’t see any other way out.”
Libra pulled back slightly, looking at her son with concern. “Money for what, Gemini? What could be so bad that you thought this was the only option?”
Gemini hesitated, then finally admitted, “I was in debt. A lot of debt. Some people… bad people were after me. I thought if I could just get the money, I could pay them off and be done with it. But everything went wrong. Now, I don’t know what to do.”
Libra exchanged a worried glance with Capricorn. This was worse than they thought. “Gemini, you should have come to us,” Libra said softly. “We could have helped you.”
Gemini shook his head. “I didn’t want to drag you into my mess. I thought I could handle it on my own. But now… now I’m in too deep.”
Capricorn sighed, rubbing his temples. “Well, you’re in it now, alright. And so are we.”
“Capricorn!” Libra scolded.
Capricorn threw up his hands in exasperation. “What? It’s the truth!”
Libra sighed, turning back to Gemini. “We’ll figure this out. Together.”
The night was long, filled with tense discussions and desperate plans. Capricorn insisted they needed to lay low, avoid doing anything rash. “We can’t just hide here forever,” Capricorn said, pacing the small living room. “We need a plan. Something that doesn’t end with you in prison for the rest of your life.”
Gemini looked up at his father, a flicker of hope in his eyes. “What do you have in mind?”
Capricorn sat down, the gears in his head visibly turning. “We need to make this look like you’re not running. Like you’re a victim in all this. If we can prove you were coerced or forced into the heist, maybe we can cut a deal.”
Gemini frowned. “And how do we do that?”
Capricorn smirked. “Simple. We find the guys who put you in this mess and make them pay.”
Libra gasped. “Capricorn, you’re not seriously suggesting—”
Capricorn held up a hand. “No, nothing violent. But we can’t just sit here and do nothing. We need leverage. Something that’ll get the cops to look at you as a pawn instead of the mastermind.”
Gemini looked skeptical. “And what if that doesn’t work?”
Capricorn shrugged. “Then you’ll have to turn yourself in and hope for the best. But if we play our cards right, we might be able to avoid that.”
Libra looked between her husband and son, worry etched on her face. “This is risky, Capricorn. If something goes wrong…”
Capricorn nodded grimly. “I know. But it’s the best shot we have.”
Gemini took a deep breath, nodding. “Okay. What do we need to do?”
The following days were a blur of clandestine meetings, phone calls, and anxious waiting. Capricorn used his old connections—ones Libra had thought he’d left behind when he retired from private investigating years ago—to dig up dirt on the men who had dragged Gemini into the heist.
Meanwhile, Gemini did his best to keep out of sight, using the quiet solitude of the cabin to reflect on the mess he’d created. His parents did their best to support him, though the tension was palpable.
“You know,” Gemini said one evening, as they sat around the dinner table, “this is the most time we’ve spent together as a family in years.”
Libra smiled weakly. “Not exactly how I imagined it happening, but I’ll take what I can get.”
Capricorn grunted in agreement, though he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Next time, let’s try for a family reunion that doesn’t involve hiding from the law, alright?”
Gemini laughed softly. “Deal.”
Eventually, Capricorn managed to gather enough evidence to suggest that Gemini had been manipulated into the heist. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something. They handed the evidence over to a lawyer—a friend of Capricorn who owed him a favor—who agreed to present it to the authorities.
A few days later, the police arrived at the cabin. Gemini, with his parents by his side, surrendered peacefully, handing over the evidence they’d collected. It was a tense moment, but Gemini’s lawyer managed to negotiate a deal: reduced charges in exchange for his cooperation in bringing down the criminals who had coerced him.
As Gemini was led away in handcuffs, he turned back to his parents, a mix of gratitude and regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”
Libra shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “We are your parents, Gemini. We’ll always stand by you.”
Capricorn nodded gruffly, a hint of a smile on his face. “Just don’t go stealing any more diamonds, okay?”
Gemini chuckled despite the situation. “I think I’ve learned my lesson.”
Months later, after a long and grueling legal process, Gemini was given a reduced sentence, with the possibility of parole in a few years. The criminals who had coerced him were arrested, thanks to his testimony and the evidence his family had helped gather.
As Libra and Capricorn sat in the courtroom, listening to the final verdict, they exchanged a glance. It hadn’t been easy, but they had faced this ordeal together, as a family. And in the end, that was what mattered most.
When it was all over, Capricorn leaned over to Libra and whispered, “Next time Gemini gets himself into trouble, let’s hope it’s something simple, like a parking ticket.”
Libra chuckled, squeezing his hand. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Libra and Capricorn watched Gemini being led away in handcuffs, their hearts heavy with the weight of the day’s events. The courtroom around them was slowly emptying, the once tense air now filled with the muffled sounds of footsteps and low conversations. Despite the solemn atmosphere, Libra and Capricorn remained seated, unable to leave just yet. They needed a moment to process the gravity of what had transpired and to come to terms with the reality of their son’s situation.
Capricorn sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. “You know, Libra, seeing Gemini like this… it’s not easy.”
Libra nodded, her eyes misty but resolute. “No, it’s not. But despite everything, I’m proud of us. We came together when it mattered most.”
Capricorn gave a wry smile. “Yeah, and that’s what family is all about, right? Standing by each other even when the going gets tough.”
Libra took Capricorn’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Exactly. We might not have been perfect, but we’ve always had each other’s backs. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
Capricorn nodded, his expression softening. “It’s funny. All the arguing, all the stress—it’s worth it if it means we stick together. Even when Gemini made a mistake, we didn’t just turn our backs on him. We worked through it.”
Libra smiled, a sense of calm settling over her. “That’s what makes us a family. The challenges might test us, but they also show us what we’re really made of.”
Capricorn looked out at the bustling street, the city life continuing on, indifferent to the personal turmoil they had just faced. “You know, this whole ordeal has reminded me of something important. No matter how bad things get, we have each other. And that’s something no amount of trouble can take away.”
Libra nodded in agreement. “Yes, and it’s in these moments that we truly find out what family means. It’s about unity, about standing together even when the world seems to be falling apart.”
Capricorn gave her a fond look. “Well, here’s to us, then. For facing the storm together and coming out stronger.”
Libra laughed softly, wiping away a tear. “And here’s to Gemini, too. He has made mistakes, but we’ve shown him that even when things go wrong, there’s always a way to make it right—together.”
As they walked away from the courthouse, hand in hand, the weight of the day seemed a little lighter. They knew there would be more challenges ahead, but with the strength of their family bond, they felt ready to face whatever came next. Together.