Echo Park, Los Angeles, 1981
There was an uninvited guest at my fourth birthday party. She came in the form of a screeching, screaming, howling baby with inky black hair and a tiny nose that flared out when she cried. Lung-Baby belonged to Luz and Tito Rodriguez, my best friend Raul's parents.
One day, a few weeks before my fourth birthday party, while playing with Raul, I noticed Luz sitting with my mother on the couch while my mother fed my new baby sister Mia.
"Hey, Raul. Your mom's belly is really big. I remember my mom's belly being that big before. Then one day, it wasn't big anymore. That's when my mom and dad showed me who Mia was at the hospital."
"So that means that Mia is gonna come live at MY house?" asked Raul. "Because you said that after your mom's belly wasn't big anymore, Mia came. So Mia's gonna come live with me!"
I frowned. I liked Mia. I wasn't sure if I wanted Raul and his older brother Diego to share her with me. "Maybe something different will appear after your mom's stomach gets smaller."
Raul shrugged. "I think that a gorilla will come live with us."
"Nahhh. Maybe another baby, just like Mia."
"I hope it's a gorilla."
Just then, Luz stood up and teetered toward Raul and I. Luz bent forward and ruffled my curly hair.
"Okay, Dommy, it's time for Raul and I to go home. Maybe Raul can come back to play tomorrow, okay?" Luz said, in her gentle Spanish accent, using her pet name for me. I nodded and waved goodbye to them as my mom walked them out the front door.
My fourth birthday party arrived. I was so excited that I could barely sleep the night before. We were having a barbecue and Dad was going to let us take turns riding his four-wheeler around the yard. I was playing on our monkey bars when I saw Tito and Luz walk Raul into the yard. My face lit up when I saw them. I jumped down and ran toward Tito. He opened his arms to me in a big hug.
"Hey, Dommy, happy birthday, pal!" Tito exclaimed, squeezing me. Luz hugged me and kissed my curls, her belly still huge.
"Dominic, this is for you!" exclaimed Raul. He held out a gift-wrapped package.
I took it. "Thanks, guys!"
Tito and Luz smiled. "Open it up with the others, Dommy," Luz said. Just then, my mother came out of the house and hugged and kissed Raul's parents. Dad was grilling at the grill and waved to the Rodriguez's. Raul and I ran to the present table to place the Rodriguez's gift on it. Then we ran off to the monkey bars.
"I'm so excited, I can't wait for all my other friends to get here!" I exclaimed to Raul.
"Me, either. I want a piece of cake!" said Raul.
"Later, later," I assured him. Suddenly, I heard a yell come from Luz. She was bent over forward and was crying. I saw Mom and Dad rush over to her. Tito ran inside, yelling that he was going to call the doctor. Raul and I looked at each other worriedly.
"I think your mom is sick!" I said to Raul. We both jumped down and ran to Dad.
"The baby is coming now!" Mom screamed. "I'll get Luz in the car, Tony. You and Tito bring the boys and Mia. Stop for Diego on the way, okay? Lock the house up and turn the grill off!" My dad followed my mom's directions and dragged Raul and I to the car. He buckled us in and went to get Mia and Tito. They came into the car and we sped off, with Mom and Luz in front of us. We stopped at Raul's house to get Diego and then we sped to the hospital, where Luz's stomach would get flat and something, I hoped other than Mia, would appear. When we got there, we waited in a room for a long time, looking at magazines and books. Suddenly, a door opened and a lady in a blue space suit came out and Tito jumped up.
"Mr. Rodriguez," she began. "You have a new daughter."
My heart sank. I looked at Mia, snoozing away in her special seat, and wanted to cry. Dad picked Mia up out of her seat and I just knew that he was going to give her to Raul's mom and dad. I began to cry.
"Dom, what's wrong?" Dad asked me.
"I don't want you to give Mia to Raul's parents!" I wailed. Dad laughed and held Mia over his shoulder and began to pat her back.
"Dom, where would you get that idea?"
"After Mom's stomach got flat, Mia appeared. Then Luz's stomach is flat and now we have to give Mia to them!"
Dad just kept on laughing. "Dom, Raul's parents are having their OWN baby. Mia is ours to keep. Forever."
"Really," I said, sniffing.
"Really. Now, let's go see Raul and Diego's new baby sister." With that, Dad, carrying Mia, led us boys and Tito out of the room and down a hallway to a bunch of windows. That's when I got my first good look at Lung-Baby. It was a small baby, much smaller than Mia, and she was having her hair washed. Her skinny arms and legs were flailing everywhere and she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Underneath all that soap was thick black hair.
"That's the gorilla?" asked Raul hopefully.
Eight-year-old Diego scoffed and punched his arm. "No, dope. That's a baby."
"Is its name Mia?" I asked. I still wasn't sure if Mia would go to the Rodriguez's, despite what Dad said.
"No," Tito laughed. "Leticia."
There was an uninvited guest at my fourth birthday party. She came in the form of a screeching, screaming, howling baby with inky black hair and a tiny nose that flared out when she cried. Lung-Baby belonged to Luz and Tito Rodriguez, my best friend Raul's parents.
One day, a few weeks before my fourth birthday party, while playing with Raul, I noticed Luz sitting with my mother on the couch while my mother fed my new baby sister Mia.
"Hey, Raul. Your mom's belly is really big. I remember my mom's belly being that big before. Then one day, it wasn't big anymore. That's when my mom and dad showed me who Mia was at the hospital."
"So that means that Mia is gonna come live at MY house?" asked Raul. "Because you said that after your mom's belly wasn't big anymore, Mia came. So Mia's gonna come live with me!"
I frowned. I liked Mia. I wasn't sure if I wanted Raul and his older brother Diego to share her with me. "Maybe something different will appear after your mom's stomach gets smaller."
Raul shrugged. "I think that a gorilla will come live with us."
"Nahhh. Maybe another baby, just like Mia."
"I hope it's a gorilla."
Just then, Luz stood up and teetered toward Raul and I. Luz bent forward and ruffled my curly hair.
"Okay, Dommy, it's time for Raul and I to go home. Maybe Raul can come back to play tomorrow, okay?" Luz said, in her gentle Spanish accent, using her pet name for me. I nodded and waved goodbye to them as my mom walked them out the front door.
My fourth birthday party arrived. I was so excited that I could barely sleep the night before. We were having a barbecue and Dad was going to let us take turns riding his four-wheeler around the yard. I was playing on our monkey bars when I saw Tito and Luz walk Raul into the yard. My face lit up when I saw them. I jumped down and ran toward Tito. He opened his arms to me in a big hug.
"Hey, Dommy, happy birthday, pal!" Tito exclaimed, squeezing me. Luz hugged me and kissed my curls, her belly still huge.
"Dominic, this is for you!" exclaimed Raul. He held out a gift-wrapped package.
I took it. "Thanks, guys!"
Tito and Luz smiled. "Open it up with the others, Dommy," Luz said. Just then, my mother came out of the house and hugged and kissed Raul's parents. Dad was grilling at the grill and waved to the Rodriguez's. Raul and I ran to the present table to place the Rodriguez's gift on it. Then we ran off to the monkey bars.
"I'm so excited, I can't wait for all my other friends to get here!" I exclaimed to Raul.
"Me, either. I want a piece of cake!" said Raul.
"Later, later," I assured him. Suddenly, I heard a yell come from Luz. She was bent over forward and was crying. I saw Mom and Dad rush over to her. Tito ran inside, yelling that he was going to call the doctor. Raul and I looked at each other worriedly.
"I think your mom is sick!" I said to Raul. We both jumped down and ran to Dad.
"The baby is coming now!" Mom screamed. "I'll get Luz in the car, Tony. You and Tito bring the boys and Mia. Stop for Diego on the way, okay? Lock the house up and turn the grill off!" My dad followed my mom's directions and dragged Raul and I to the car. He buckled us in and went to get Mia and Tito. They came into the car and we sped off, with Mom and Luz in front of us. We stopped at Raul's house to get Diego and then we sped to the hospital, where Luz's stomach would get flat and something, I hoped other than Mia, would appear. When we got there, we waited in a room for a long time, looking at magazines and books. Suddenly, a door opened and a lady in a blue space suit came out and Tito jumped up.
"Mr. Rodriguez," she began. "You have a new daughter."
My heart sank. I looked at Mia, snoozing away in her special seat, and wanted to cry. Dad picked Mia up out of her seat and I just knew that he was going to give her to Raul's mom and dad. I began to cry.
"Dom, what's wrong?" Dad asked me.
"I don't want you to give Mia to Raul's parents!" I wailed. Dad laughed and held Mia over his shoulder and began to pat her back.
"Dom, where would you get that idea?"
"After Mom's stomach got flat, Mia appeared. Then Luz's stomach is flat and now we have to give Mia to them!"
Dad just kept on laughing. "Dom, Raul's parents are having their OWN baby. Mia is ours to keep. Forever."
"Really," I said, sniffing.
"Really. Now, let's go see Raul and Diego's new baby sister." With that, Dad, carrying Mia, led us boys and Tito out of the room and down a hallway to a bunch of windows. That's when I got my first good look at Lung-Baby. It was a small baby, much smaller than Mia, and she was having her hair washed. Her skinny arms and legs were flailing everywhere and she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Underneath all that soap was thick black hair.
"That's the gorilla?" asked Raul hopefully.
Eight-year-old Diego scoffed and punched his arm. "No, dope. That's a baby."
"Is its name Mia?" I asked. I still wasn't sure if Mia would go to the Rodriguez's, despite what Dad said.
"No," Tito laughed. "Leticia."