Jada91: I was only saying it was the last chapter because this story is really starting to piss me off. Thanks for your input… I needed it. The entire story is from Letty's 'perspective' (that's a big word), unless it states otherwise. I chose Letty because I really like her character and I've been doing it for years. Yes, her "ex-husband"… he's not named… but he will be soon because he's coming back. I just couldn't think of a good name. I think I have one now. Dom probably (?) didn't recognize Letty because it's been so long. It probably just blew over his head or something. Yeah… that's what happened. She might have changed… shorter/grayer hair? Sheesh, I'm writing this as if I'm not writing this story.
Bima: Holy crap… I love you… You have given reviews on almost every chapter since my last story. You are the greatest!
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Chapter Four
"Hey Lorynn." Dom said across the yard to Lorynn. "You ready to go?" Lorynn nodded and took one look at Mari before she walked across the yard to his car. Dom leaned in and kissed my cheek softly. "See you around, Letty."
"Yeah." I said back quietly. Why did he have to be leaving? I didn't want him to leave. "Hey…" Good save, was getting into his car.
"Yes?" He asked.
"We're going to cookout tomorrow, you and Lorynn are welcome to come. Plus it might give us some time to talk about… things." He nodded and smiled. "Tomorrow around seven. BYOB." He nodded again.
"We'll try." He said. I gave a small smile as he started his car. "See you soon Letty." Was he grinning? He must have been. He knew I was clutching onto this because I knew I wanted him around me. Did I still have feelings? No way! Did he? I doubted it quickly. "Bye."
"See ya." I replied. I watched him drive away. I turned and walked toward the front door. The kids were asking questions but I kept walking. They followed me into the house. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. I walked to the table and flopped down into a chair. Mari sat next to me and took the beer. I took it away from her and opened it, taking a long drink. That felt good. Mari reached to take it but I wouldn't let her.
"No drinking!" Mari said loudly.
"Leave me alone, Mari." I said taking another drink.
"Mom. Please don't drink." I was too mad not to drink. "Please." It was more of a whimper now.
"Who'd you sleep with that got you pregnant?"
"Nobody."
"Were you raped?"
"No."
"Then it wasn't nobody." Mari sighed and I shook my head. "Mari just tell me!" I was just begging to know now. I need to know. I wanted to kill the little bastard. Mari knew that and refused to tell me for that reason. Maybe she had feelings for him. But I know she didn't have a boyfriend. She just had her friend Dani. I hope she wasn't a lesbian. I don't know if I could accept that especially with a baby on the way. No, no I was jumping to conclusions. Letty, this is crazy. She doesn't want to tell you, get over it! I screamed to myself. I took a long drink of my beer and Mari glared at me. Next thing I know, the bottle's being ripped from my hand and being thrown across the room. It hit the wall and fell to little pieces. The contents were now in a puddle on the floor around the broken glass. I stood up and shoved Mari as hard as I could. She fell backwards onto the floor in her chair. She stood up and looked at me with a hard glare.
"Mom." DJ tried. Mari shoved me back. I slapped her hard and she whimpered but came back at me with the same anger and force. We've never fought like this and now we both had bruising cheeks. DJ stepped between us.
"Dani's brother." Mari said as DJ shoved me back into the counter. Mari had her teeth gritted and I noticed.
"What?" I questioned.
"I slept with Dani's older brother." I raised an eyebrow at her and she nodded.
"He's twenty."
"The same age difference between you and dad so don't even try that." She screamed half-heartedly.
"But."
I got cut off.
"No!" She screamed. "I've listened to
you bitch and moan about your husband leaving. It was your fault he
left anyway!" She didn't care; she just didn't care who she
was hurting. "He hated your kids and he hated you.
You're the one who fucked up! So don't tell me I'm fucked
because he left you." Mari's face was bright red; mine was red
but not as bright as hers.
"Mari." I started.
"Fuck you!" She screamed. DJ was making sure I didn't go flying at her with my fists in front of me, swinging. Mari sighed and walked out the back door.
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Dani looked up as she heard a knock on her window. She took off her headphones and looked at her window. Dani got out of her chair and made her way to the window.
"Mari? What are you doing here?" She asked quietly so she didn't wake up anybody else in the house.
"Can I come in?" She asked. Dani nodded and helped her climb in the window. Mari sat down on her bed and sighed.
"What's wrong?" She asked sitting next to her.
"Me and mom got into a really big fight. I said fuck you and left." She sighed and looked at her friend.
"What did you fight over?"
"Well it started with the hickey on my neck. She told me to cut the shit or I'd be deep in it soon." Dane gave Mari and apologetic look. "Then she told DJ about… you know. She left and came back with Lorynn and my dad. He gave her a ride home. Oh, Lorynn's cool now. She's going to help me get my parents back together." Dani nodded and put a hand on Mari's thigh, trying to make her feel better. Mari looked at her and bit her bottom lip. "After he left she went inside and got a beer. I asker her, no begged her not to drink but she did. I took the bottle and threw it at the wall. She shoved so I shoved back. She slapped so I slapped back. Then I told her I slept with your brother."
"Ouch." Dani added in. Mari nodded.
"Yeah. I told her that it was her fault he left her." Dani put her hand on Mari's shoulder. "I feel so bad."
"Shit, I would too. Your mom is the best."
"Gee thanks Dani. That helps." Dani apologized and Mari sighed. "I was gonna tell her. But fuck you came out instead. I've never sworn at my mom like that before. Never." Dani put an arm around Mari's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks Dani. I knew I could count on you to talk to."
"Always." Dani whispered out. Mari smiled and Dani nodded. Dani rested her chin on Mari's shoulder and looked at her neck. She blew on it softly and Mari smiled a little. Dani leaned up and kissed her neck softly, just above where the hickey was.
"Dani." Mari said softly.
"Are you going back home or staying here tonight?" She asked. Mari thought about it but nodded.
"Can I stay? My moms going to kick my ass either way."
"My dad will kick my ass if you stay. But it's worth it."
"Why would he kick your ass if I stayed?" Mari asked but she knew already.
"My dad likes and respects you and your mom. My dad thinks I'm a lesbian. I don't think he'd think straight if he walked in here in the morning you were laying next to me. He'd want to beat my ass."
"I don't want you to risk that. Did you tell him you were a lesbian?"
"No. But to him there's only straight and gay, nothing in between. So to him I'm a lesbian, to all his friends I'm a lesbian."
"So, it's cool for your brother and sister to have friends over the same and opposite sex but your not allowed any friends over. How fucking fair is that?" There was a knock on the door and Mari hit the ground and rolled under Dani's bed. Dani laughed a little and walked to the door. She opened it and it was her step mom.
"Mari's mom just called and she wanted to know if you'd seen Mari." Dani looked at her bed and then back at the woman.
"Nope. I haven't seen her since this afternoon." Her step mom rolled her eyes and walked over to the bed. She got down on her hands and knees and pulled up the bed skirt. She saw her.
"Hello Mari. Your mother is looking for you."
"I know." Mari replied dully. Mari pushed herself out from under her bed. "I don't want to go home."
"Why not?"
"We got into a big fight and I'd rather not." Dani's step mom nodded and smiled a little. "Can I please stay the night here? I'll sleep on the floor or standing up. Don't send me home."
"Fine. You can sleep in Dani's bed… your dad went on a business trip. I mean, if she doesn't mind." Dani smiled a little. "Not that you two would do anything. Please don't give me info." She walked out of the room and Mari leaned against the door wanting to hear what she was going to tell her mom. "Yes, Ms. Ramirez. She's here, she's safe. She's asleep." Mari smiled. "I'll make sure she gets home in the morning. No problem. Bye." She hung up the phone and Dani's step mom smiled at her.
"Thank you." She nodded and Mari went back into Dani's room closing the door behind her. Dani was sitting on her bed when Mari turned around. Dani patted next to her and Mari sat down. "So…"
"Buttons." Mari raised an eyebrow and Dani smiled at her. Mari smiled and opened her mouth to say something but before she could, there were lips covering hers. Dani's lips to be exact. Mari wanted to protest but all that could come out was a soft moan. Whoa… was she supposed to do that? She wondered as she kissed back.
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I sat there and looked at the phone for a few minutes after I hung up with Dani's step mom. DJ was watching me carefully, as if he was taking lessons from a teacher. I looked at him and he smiled a little.
"I'll be back." I said standing up. He nodded and I walked out the back door. I didn't know where I was going. I just walked where my legs led me. I ended back up at the park, but this time in front of a big water fountain that was on. I stared.
"I dare you to jump in." A voice whispered in my ear. It was a deep but kind voice. I turned and looked over my shoulder. It was Dom. "C'mon, I dare you to jump in." I chuckled and shook my head.
"Why would I jump in? I could get arrested for that."
"No, it's not a felony to jump into a park fountain. Cops never come around here, but if you hear gunshots, it's best if you duck and then run." He smiled and I looked back at the fountain.
"I could get fined. Fined money that I don't have." He nodded.
"If you get caught, I'll pay your fine. But you won't get caught." I nodded a little and looked at him again.
"Dom. I'm too old to be doing stupid dares." He nodded.
"I'm older than you are, Letty. You know that. I've jumped in there before." I rolled my eyes and looked at the fountain. "I didn't get caught." I looked down at myself; I was wearing jeans and a tank top. They wouldn't be ruined if they got wet. I looked at Dom then started toward the fountain. He followed me and I jumped into it, eventually sitting on my butt. The water that was coming out of the top of the statue in the middle was spurting out onto my head. Dom reached out a hand to me and I looked up at him. "Let me help you out." I took his hand and he helped me to my knees and I stopped. I grabbed the fabric from his shirt in my fist and pulled him closer to me. I kissed him, hard but innocently. He grinned when I pulled away, but I didn't let go of his shirt. "Why'd you do that?"
"Dunno." I replied. He nodded and leaned in for another kiss, but I wasn't that easy and Dom should have know that. I pulled on his shirt and pulled him into the fountain with me. I stood up and smiled down at him. He took my hands in his and pulled me back down into the water with him. He pulled me close and kissed me softly. I smiled and shook my head. "We can't do this, Dom."
"Why not?" He questioned with all sincerity.
"Why do you think, Dom? We don't get along unless we're having sex. That's the way it was when we last met. I'm always paranoid about you cheating and you're the same way." Dom nodded sadly and sighed.
"I'm not a cheater if that makes you feel any better."
"You've said that before and you did it, didn't you?" He nodded biting his upper lip. "But I want you around me, I want you around the kids. Don't be such a stranger… it's been ten years and DJ's just met you. That's terrible."
"Yeah, I know. So, what your saying is that now we're seeing each other you don't want to be with me?" I shook my head a little. "Do you still love me?" I looked into his eyes and nodded.
"Of course. I just can't be with you."
"Are you still married?"
"No." I lied quickly. We were separated but no plans of divorce were brought up yet. "Are you?"
"No. Married, but I was never happy."
"That's not my fault, Dom." He nodded and stood up, extending a hand down to help me. I took it and he helped me up. He slipped an arm around my waist and I smiled a little.
"But I was stupid when I let you slip away the first, second, and third time. I don't want it to happen again." I nodded a little. Dom's such a sweetheart but I couldn't accept him back. Not right now, not that easy. I've made that mistake before. He nodded when he realized I was serious about what I said. "How about being friends."
"That I can do. And I don't want you to be a stranger to our kids."
"I won't be. I saw them tonight. I'll come over with Lorynn tomorrow for the cookout." He stepped out of the fountain and helped me out. "I'll say hey to Mari and DJ then."
"Oh…" I thought about what he said.
"Oh what?" He asked.
"You'll find out tomorrow."
"Tell me, Let."
"I had another kid." He looked down and sighed. "She's your daughter, Dom."
"What's her name? How old is she?" I chuckled.
"It's been ten years Dom. So, she's nine and her name is Charleigh, we call her Leigh." He smiled and nodded a little. "You can meet her tomorrow."
"Good. I'd like to meet her." We were quiet for a minute or two just looking at each other. It was obviously uncomfortable for the both of us. "You should let me walk you home."
"Why is that?" I questioned.
"Because I'm offering. Besides, you know I'm not going to try and kill you."
"Oh, I don't know Dom, it's been ten years. You do seem like you've changed." He gave a slight chuckle and took my hands and led me toward my house.
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We both stood in front of my door like two teenagers after their first date. I smiled and he nodded a little. He leaned in for what I thought was going to be a kiss on the lips, but was a kiss on the cheek.
"I really thought you were going to kiss me." He smiled and grinned. He leaned down and kissed my lips softly but quicker than I would have liked it to happen. I wanted to grab him by his collar, take him into my bedroom with the door locked and screw him silly. I couldn't accept him back, I just couldn't. At least not that easily. I nodded and smiled a little. "Do you wanna come in?"
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Five little words to ruin the story. Hehe. I can feel more horns. Okay… so the last chapter wasn't my last. I love writing. I'd be empty if I didn't write, no matter how bad I suck. Heh. Review please. Thanks.