Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!
Warnings: mentions of rape, miscarriage, child-napping, graphic body horror in flashbacks, gory imagery, and death.
October turns into November and just like that, Halloween has come and gone. At the sound of something smashing and clattering, Lourdes bolts up in her bed and rubs her eyes free of sleep. She rips the comforter off herself and turns on her bedside lamp with her heart pounding. With her battery-operated analog clock clutched tightly in her hand for a weapon, she leaves her room to investigate, flipping every light switch until her whole apartment is no longer filled with darkness. She sees no one, but she keeps her clock raised above her head, ready to attack if need be.
"Hello? Is anyone there? Show yourself!" she demands, but there isn't an answer. She whirls around quickly, but nobody is trying to sneak up behind her. She searches closets, the pantry, and under the beds, but doesn't find a soul.
Lourdes walks slowly back to her bed while breathing heavily. "No tengo la energía para esto," she mumbles to herself. "Ow! ¡Hijo de puta puta!"
I don't have the energy for this. Son of a fucking bitch!
She glances down at an object she'd stepped on and jumps back from it quickly. It's a piece of one of her many special candles that are now strewn around the floor, each broken in several pieces. She kneels down in shock, closes her hands around a few, and gasps as waves of sadness and anger come over her. She'd spent so much money on these and now her whole collection had been ruined. She'd get more, but she doesn't know how long it'll take her to get enough to fight whoever the stalker is. Santería is more than just a hobby and something she does to help people-it's her profession. Without her candles, it won't work, which means she's out of a job for the time being. She'd ask Celeste Chapman for assistance with her financial troubles, since the woman does have money, but she doesn't want to be too much trouble for her wealthy friend. She quickly calls Charles, who she'd only met yesterday, but she trusts that he's a good cop since he always helps her family, their friends, and all the kids.
"Hello?" he answers.
"Hi, Charles, it's Lourdes, Gloria's aunt...um, I think someone broke into my apartment just now and deliberately destroyed my candles that I use when I practice Santería. I didn't see any sign of forced entry, but maybe they used a window. That's the only way they could get in..."
"Okay, I'll come over to check it out right now. What's the address?" he asks.
"I live near my niece on the second level, apartment number five," she informs him.
"Alright, got it."
"Thank you!" she says gratefully.
"Welcome!"
Like she always does, Gloria thanks her lucky stars that Arturo is locked up. This could've been hers and the boys' scariest Halloween yet, what with him being obsessed with broken down carnival ride infested cornfields and dark, empty roads near the woods in the dead of night. He'd taken them all to those places in the summer and even in the daytime, they were abandoned and eerie looking. The word around the city was that Piper had been killed in a cornfield, so she has no idea why the teenagers go to the one near their school.
Gloria expects Christina to be her bubbly self again like kids are long after a bad dream, but when she wakes the little girl up, Christina gets out of bed lethargically and trudges to the bathroom. Normally, she's full of energy, so this concerns Gloria. "You feelin' better or still sick?" she asks her youngest niece figure.
Christina yawns. "I'm tired, but I didn't throw up anymore."
"Aww...well, once you get breakfast in that tummy of yours, I bet you'll be charged up again!"
"I guess."
The second weird thing is that Christina flinches sharply when Benny hugs her. She never does that since she trusts him. They're best friends. "Chrissy, it's me, don't be scared!" he says.
"I know...sorry," she mumbles.
She seems okay again until they go into the kitchen with the toddlers. Upon Leon telling her good morning as he passes her, she takes a step back and sucks her thumb while hiding behind Gloria. She silently sits down at the table. Gloria exchanges worried looks with Aleida and Leon since Christina seems to have regressed all because of something completely made up.
"What is with you, nena?" Aleida wonders out loud. "I thought you ain't shy around Leon no more. He won't hurt you!"
Christina hugs her knees to her chest. "I can't say it in front of a boy." She waves Aleida to come forward and then she whispers something into her mommy's ear. Aleida looks confused at first, and then horrified.
"No!"
"What?" Gloria asks quietly, walking closer to Aleida.
"El gran lobo malo estaba en su habitación y él olfateaba sus partes privadas. Ella dijo que sabes esa primera parte," Aleida responds, and Gloria lets out a gasp.
The Big Bad Wolf was in her room and he sniffed her privates. She said you know that first part.
"Sí, pero fue un mal sueño...eso es lo que pensé, pero ahora...está mostrando señales de que algún hombre malo estaba demasiado cerca de ella. Saltó cuando mi hijo le dio un abrazo, le tiene miedo a Leon otra vez y...no la he visto vacía desde que la conocí. Ella lloró tanto anoche que vomitó. La pobre era tan débil. Ella realmente se puso nerviosa."
Yeah, but it was a bad dream...that's what I thought, but now...she's showing signs that some bad man was way too close to her. She jumped when my son gave her a hug, she's afraid of Leon again, and...I haven't seen her soul empty like this since when I first met her. She cried so much last night that she puked. The poor thing was so weak. She really got herself worked up.
Aleida glances outside at the cop cars parked on the curb. "We gotta tell 'em!"
Gloria nods in agreement. They eat first and she, Aleida, and Leon tell the kids about therapy with Debbie. "You liked her, right?" Gloria checks.
"Yeah!" the toddlers and Benny chorus, and Christina manages a small smile and bobs her head up and down slightly.
"Okay, that's great! Well...you can start going today if you'd like. It'll really help...maybe she'll have you draw pictures if you don't feel like talking. She'll most likely be cool with sitting there in silence with you guys, too," Leon says gently.
"Miss Debbie was loads of fun!" Benny mentions excitedly. "She's nice, too!"
"She's like our teacher," Christina murmurs, but she doesn't make eye contact with Leon.
"Excellent! We'll let Diane know at work and text Debbie," Aleida informs the children.
"Yaaaaay!" Benny cheers, and Gloria smiles down at him. It's not until she looks at her phone, that she learns the reason why Charles isn't parked by their place. He's at Lourdes' because he's helping her clean up the mess of her wrecked Santería candles. Gloria's heart shatters at this since they were her aunt's pride and joy. She'd share hers, but there still isn't enough to keep the stalker away now.
The experience she had last night of caring for Christina, meanwhile, is making her long for her own daughters, and she sighs wistfully. "I wish I could've seen my girls dressed up yesterday evening...I'm sorry, guys, I know Christina is having a crisis...I shouldn't be thinking about them."
"It's okay, Tía Gloria," Christina mumbles. "Benny said he has two big sissies, but he never saw them before!"
"Where are they again, Mommy?" Benny wants to know.
"They're with their daddy, sweetheart. Remember, I told you? Some people have different papas but the same mama, or the other way around," Gloria explains. "I showed you a picture of them when they were babies."
"Oh, yeah!" Benny nods and goes back to his breakfast.
"They're around Tricia's age, right?" Aleida asks.
Gloria raises an eyebrow at her. "I thought you never listen when Red speaks."
"Only when she's barkin' orders at us when we're already working hard, but I for sure remember who her kids are, especially Nicky and Tricia. She talks about 'em nonstop!"
"That she does! Uh, Tricia's eleven, they're a year older...and they go to school with her! Marie Curie Middle."
"You should enlist her help," Aleida suggests and Leon nods in agreement. "Like, have her send them to your bodega or somethin' so you can officially meet. Scrollin' down their Facebook pages ain't gonna do shit except cause you to miss them more as the days go by."
"I know. It's just...I gotta do a lot of making up. I erred in millions of ways."
"I'm sure you was a better motha than me," Aleida tells Gloria. "You're my role model in that area."
Gloria beams at the compliment, but there had to have been a reason that her daughters had never tried to reach out to her. She knows she should be the one to start reconnecting with them. "Well, thanks, Lei...but I wasn't as perfect as you thought."
"You learned quicker and regretted that all on your own. I had to have other people's assistance," Aleida points out.
"I had Lourdes', but still did fuckin' food stamp fraud. My first bad choice, all because I was poor."
"At least you didn't do drugs at fifteen. That really fucked me up."
"Maybe I could pay Red a visit like, now, discuss this plan of having them come to my bodega with Tricia, and I'll be at work when you are?"
Aleida nods at Gloria's request. "Sure!"
"Good luck!" both Aleida and Leon holler after Gloria.
"What's wrong?" Leon wants to know as he and Aleida come closer to the cop car that Rick Hopper is in. She's walking stiffly and she looks like she wants to rip someone's head off.
Aleida scowls. "I'm so angry and stressed out, I gotta take it out on someone, so I'mma pick a fight with his ass. He's my ex...he gave me Christina, yet never acted like a dad to her. That motherfucker did a total one-eighty on me one day and left like the pussy he is. I'd already mentally dumped him, but whatever. He expected me to babysit his nana when me and my daughters had to live with his lousy ass for a while because we were once so poor that we got evicted...I couldn't even find a one dollar bill in the couch cushions at my old place to take us to McDonald's! All I knew was drugs and even that didn't really help me. So...when we were kicked out, I had to let him give me anal in exchange for us staying with him. I'm over here like...I wanna make real money, so he encouraged my heroin packing habit and selling it on the corner. I realize now that I should've demanded to get paid for taking care of his tea lovin' diaper-wearing nana who I barely knew...and that was awkward enough when I did it for free. One time, I got so pissed off that I put a chair under a door handle and basically locked her in her room so she'd stop asking me for shit. I had my own children to mother, you know?"
Leon nods his head yes. He feels terrible for Aleida experiencing so much financial hardship before he met her, that she had to resort to an illegal job. "He should've hired you...what a pansy-ass white boy! You're not her slave!"
Aleida chuckles softly. "Yeah, and speaking of which...he made me be his little housewife...cook him shit and it's like, make it the fuck yourself! It's your stupid apartment! I got kids to feed, too!"
"Idiot," Leon comments and wraps an arm around her. "Well, you got me now."
"Mm-hm. You're a thousand, million times better than anyone I've ever dated...or fucked," Aleida murmurs. They grin at each other.
"I strive to win your heart every day," Leon tells her.
Aleida keeps smiling, but then she stops when she raps on Rick's window a few times, startling him from his phone.
"Whoa! Aleida...haven't seen you in a while," he says nervously.
She frowns. "Why the fuck do you think? You're just out here 'cause it's your job. You still playin' that dumb Fantasy Inmate game?"
"Fantasy-" Leon starts to whisper.
"Don't ask," Aleida mumbles while rolling her eyes. She turns back to Rick with a fierce expression in her eyes. "You degrading piece of shit. You really do that to women? I'm glad I dropped you when I did."
"I used to when I worked at the women's maximum security facility. Relax, they never found out. You only care because you were a criminal, remember?"
Leon clears his throat and glares at Rick. "Watch what you say to my girl. If I recall correctly, you also used to be a felon. How the hell are you a police officer?" He pretends to think and rubs his jaw with his thumb and index finger. "Oh, that's it...white privilege!"
Rick puts his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I'm helping you guys, right? Now, what did you two need?"
"I'm about to fucking kick your tire!" Aleida seethes, but Leon gives her hand a comforting squeeze. "If you must know, asshole, this morning, your daughter reported to us, that some creepy wolfman or whatever, snuck into her room, showed himself, and scared the fuck out of her. He also put his nose near her...pelvis region." Aleida gestures to her lower half. "Like, smelling if she wet herself. Anyway, the point is...did you or the others see anything outside that window below the fire escape?"
"We didn't notice, but there's no such thing as a wolfman." Rick sends her an amused grin. "She probably just had a bad dream. Don't make a big deal out of it."
Leon slams his hand on the window and Rick jumps. "We have a stalker! I ask you not to make light of this, fool! The poor little girl was terrified."
"I understand that, but we need proof. Otherwise, you're wasting our time with what's most likely a child's nightmare. You could maybe install a camera in the kid's room."
"Yeah, that's what I'll do," Leon decides aloud.
"We got a security system, but Christina said he climbed out the window, so he didn't trigger the alarm or nothin'," Aleida says.
"Christina, right...that's her name." At Rick's statement, Aleida scoffs and Leon shakes his head. "Could I speak with her, maybe try to reconnect-"
"It's too late for that!" Aleida interrupts him.
"Aleida, you know I only wanted revenge on you for not giving two shits about my nana," Rick protests. "You thought she was extra baggage, so I felt that way about your kids, too."
"Look, I'm sorry about how I treated her back then, but Christina isn't only my daughter, she's yours, too!" Aleida points out.
"Well, I didn't feel a connection to her...but that was a long time ago. I'm a real man now more than ever. I could be the father that Christina has been looking for all these years! Give me a chance, Aleida, please," Rick begs, sounding completely pathetic. Leon rolls his eyes internally.
She crosses her arms over her chest and frowns. "Christina won't remember you. She don't even know you."
"Not even a statement? You can be with her."
Aleida sighs sharply. "She'd rather talk to Charles if she's gotta tell a cop what she witnessed. She ain't comfortable around men...it was hard enough for her to get close to Leon, and she's just started to feel comfortable around him and Charles. Last night's incident made her take a step back, though. She barely looked Leon's way."
"Fine, whatever," Rick relents.
"Fantastic. I have to go to work." Aleida jumps up on Leon and makes out with him, and Leon carries her away from Rick and into the apartment.
"What a joke that loser was! The only useful thing he said was to put in security cameras," Leon comments.
"Yeah...I hope that finally puts an end to things," Aleida murmurs.
After taking his girlfriend and the children to work and school, Leon starts on the security cameras. A knock at the door sounds, so Leon glances through the peephole. He sees Rick looking right back at him. "Jesus Christ," he mutters to himself and opens the door. "What?" he asks with a rough edge to his tone.
"Now that Aleida's not here, I wanted to tell you something. I need to protect another man from falling for her shit," Rick starts out.
"She owned up to that, but she's not like that anymore," Leon defends his girlfriend.
"Dude, she's bad news and she'll turn on you eventually!"
"Don't call me dude. We're not friends," Leon retorts tightly. He starts to slam the door in Rick's face, but the other guy holds it in place. "She told me everything...and how you were a lame douchebag who treated her like a prostitute. Seriously, you let her in your home, only to pump your wiener into her and try to turn her into some fifties housewife? What the goddamn hell is wrong with you?"
"My nana did tell her she smelled like a hooker. She was right. You don't know if Aleida's fucking dudes behind your back! She's not to be trusted! She's a whore and a bad parent!" Rick insists.
Leon grits his teeth, grabs him by his shirt, and jostles him slightly, but he resists the urge to punch the asshole. "Listen to me, you pasty white boy!" he hisses. "Don't you ever say those things about her again. Aleida is an amazing woman who's been through...so much shit. Life wasn't easy for her, she did what she could to make money for her and her kids. It wasn't her fault she never had a great support system like myself and Gloria. I love her-"
"Yeah, I can see why...she's sexy, great figure and all, but she cheated on me!"
"Probably because you kept thinking ladies were all damsels in distress! They don't like that shit. Also...she's more than hot, alright? Aleida is in college for her GED and she's wanting to run a nail salon in the future. She's smart, beautiful, strong, sassy, funny, and yeah, she's got a temper, but that's only when you get on her bad side," Leon proclaims.
"I thought she was magnificent when I first met her, too. Few weeks after we started going out, you could say anything to her and get snapped at. She's manipulating you, and you're already in her trap. Have fun trying to crawl your way out."
"There's a difference between you and me, though. I'm actually taking the time to get to know her and her kids...I let her open up to me and never made judgments...she hasn't touched a single drug since Gloria came along anyway, and I lived alone before moving in with her for her family's protection. I'm part of them now...I get along very well with Gloria and her sons, Daya, Christina, sort of, and even little Emilio got up the courage to joke around with me-"
"She's got another one?" Rick laughs humorlessly. "What'd I tell ya? I bet that was from her affair. How old is the boy?"
"That's none of your business!" Leon yells and then flips him off. "Get the fuck back into your car right now before I knock your punk ass out cold and call Charles on you for harassment!" He pushes Rick off the threshold, making him stumble back, and then he closes the door and locks it. "Stupid fucker!" he grumbles and gets back to his job.
"You want me to do what now?" Tricia asks, clearly in shock as she throws her bag on over her shoulder.
"I know it sounds like a lot, honey, but how bad can it be? I'm not sure how else to contact them! If I did it through Facebook, it'd be weird, and forget about me showing up at you girls' school! It'd be way less awkward if you did it," Gloria tells her.
"They're the most popular girls in school. They never give me the time of day and they live up to their last names!"
"They're fuckin' spoiled brats," Nicky adds as she packs her backpack, and Tricia gestures to her with a vigorous nod.
"Nicky!" Red says firmly.
"What? They are, Ma. They remind me of myself at that age."
"Don't insult someone else's children in front of them," Red chastises her.
"It's fine, Red...I get why they're like that. Being under the influence of a coconut for years can do that to anyone. They get their arrogance from their dad, I'm positive." Gloria turns to Tricia. "Maybe you could try just...setting them up with the Gonzales boys? They can be in on this, too."
"They run with my crew...I don't think the girls are that fond of us," Tricia says dejectedly. "They're haughty and rude a lot of the time."
"They need me more than ever, then," Gloria mutters. "That asshole...anyway, how about you just talk to Flaca's twin brothers and come up with somethin'? I'm hoping to see 'em after school. They don't even have to date the dudes, just be friends...they're only twelve, so..."
"A mother should never be prevented from seeing her babies unless she's a horrible person, and Gloria has the best intentions," Red puts in, and Gloria sends her a thankful smile. "It would mean so much to her if you made an attempt to help her out in reuniting with her daughters, Trish."
"Yeah, but..." Tricia eyes Gloria warily. "You're not even that close of friends with my mom. Why are you asking for favors from her kids?"
"We're work friends and run in different age groups, but I've gone to a bar or two with her," Red contradicts Tricia.
"Gloria's comforted me a number of times," Nicky puts in, and she and Gloria beam at each other. "Come on, kid...do this for me? This is a mom who actually wants to see her children! She's even got photos she's kept for a dozen years. I bet Marka burned up all of mine before moving to God knows where with Paolo."
Tricia sighs. "Okay," she relents.
"Thank you so much," Gloria says gratefully. "I'll make you a peach pie for your troubles."
"Nah, you don't owe me anything," Tricia says. "Sorry for being kinda mean earlier."
"You weren't," Gloria assures her.
"So, I remember last year's election was a year ago from tomorrow...I remember I said that I hoped John Kerry won because if it'd been Bush for a second term and the apocalypse had gotten worse, like it did, I wanted to literally move to Berlin," Alex announces at lunchtime.
"That would not have been not a bad plan, but I'm glad you didn't, or else I would've never met you," Michelle comments, and the others nod in agreement. "We should all do it now, though, like even your mom and Charles!"
"Yeah, no shit, 'cause we're still minors!" Alex says.
"It's just too bad none of us got the money," Flaca complains and Maritza groans aloud.
"Bush ain't that awful...the Fox News-" Lorna begins, but Nicky shushes her.
"First of all, baby, that channel is for bigots. Don't believe anything on there. MSNBC is where it's at," Nicky informs her.
Maritza pats Nicky's back and smiles at her. "Listen to your chica, Lorna."
"We all hate the deplorable Republicans, so I hope to God you aren't one of them," Blanca tells Lorna sourly.
"Secondly, have you seen the racism and sexism and homophobia that exists today?" Diablo continues.
"It's because they got Bush for a president...again...and they think it's okay to spew nonsense...because that horrible person in charge of America...started nine-eleven, by the way, invading a country he had no business intruding...and thus, created a war against innocent Muslims!" Daya puts in.
"He's a complete idiot," Adarsh goes on.
"So are the people voting for him, and I know you're not that dumb," Daya tells Lorna with a pleading look on her face.
"Well...I grew up watching that, so..." Lorna sighs in defeat. "I just don't know a lot of this stuff, okay?"
"It's too bad none of us can vote," Allison gripes.
"I wish we could," Hassan adds.
"Good thing I can!" Taystee announces, smiling brightly. "I'll do it in the midterm elections next year for all of us."
"Thanks," everyone murmurs at once.
"It's not fair that they don't let kids under eighteen vote," Alana points out. "We're pretty smart!"
"Yeah!" they exclaim in unison.
"So, change in topic, who could replace Maria in the band?" Flaca asks the group once Pennsatucky and Nathan join them. "Of course Taystee and Poussey can be part of it."
"Thanks. Too bad Sankey's a Nazi, she was a good singer," Taystee mutters.
"Waste of a talent if I do say so myself!" Pennsatucky says.
"Yeah, none of the eight-eight will be involved!" Poussey states strongly.
"Of course not, nah, but we're like...at a loss. We need a drummer! We got plenty of singers," Maritza points out.
"Why don't you advertise on YouTube?" Nicky suggests. "Someone's bound to volunteer!"
Flaca and Maritza gasp at the same time and then beam excitedly. "Yes!" they squeal, and Flaca gets her phone out of her purse. She waves Maritza, Nicky, Pennsatucky, Alana, Taystee, and Poussey closer to her so she can get them all in the frame.
"Oh...before we start, is it cool if Cindy can be in it?" Taystee asks. "She's fab. I'll tell her to tone down the 'tude she got with you girls."
"That'd be chill of you, but don't she usually hang with Janae and not really with us?" Maritza asks.
"Well, yeah, but we're thinking this could be a chance for her to let her anger out or somethin'," Poussey replies.
"Sure," Flaca murmurs and the other band girls nod in agreement. "What about Janae? She gotta find some escape for her rage, too."
"She ain't talented like that, she's more of a track star than anything," Taystee informs them. "She'd be all, the only tunes I'm into is rap on my headphones while I pound my feet into the ground over and over!"
"You would think with all that running, she wouldn't be so mad all the time," Alana mumbles. "No offense."
"None taken," Poussey says. "So, should we get Cindy for the video or just have her meet us at Friendly's? Diane could use some of the entertainment, so..."
"My mom has been dying for music there!" Alex points out in the background and they all grin.
"Bring your girl over here," Pennsatucky says, and Taystee gets up. A few minutes later, she returns with Cindy.
"What's up with y'all basic bitches finally including black folks?" Cindy asks while lifting her arms up into a V shape. Taystee and Poussey narrow their eyes at her, but she ignores them.
Flaca rolls her eyes. "We didn't know y'all were interested, but of course, y'all are welcome. We're inclusive."
"You know, just because the ho you admire hates the woman we love, shouldn't be a reason for us chicks to be at each other's throats, okay?" Lorna snaps.
Cindy turns around to glare at the smaller girl. "Bitch, I could lift you up and literally toss you to the other side of the room, so I'd watch my mouth if I were you." Lorna gulps and her eyes widen in fear as Taystee and Poussey hold their friend back.
"Hey!" Nicky puts her hand up in front of Cindy's face. "We're trying to make peace here. No threats." She turns to Lorna. "Babe...we don't have the same views on hers and Taystee's mentor, but insulting Vee makes it worse!"
"You wouldn't want 'em trashin' Glo," Daya points out.
Lorna puts her hands up in surrender. "I tried to word it right. Sorry."
"You got the message right, but you're officially banned from talking until they finish," Blanca says sarcastically, and Lorna pretends to zip her lips shut.
Maritza sighs impatiently and reaches up to press the record button on Flaca's phone. "Hey, y'all, Flaritza here! We got our band crew with us and we was wondering if anyone would like to be our drummer!"
"Check out our stuff on our channel if y'all are interested, and let us know in the comments!" Flaca tacks on to Maritza's introduction.
"Byyyyyeee!" everyone calls out and then Flaca stops the recording. After posting it, they sit in their original spots and continue to eat.
"I made you a flower crown," Frieda says as Diane walks into her classroom. The older lady sets it on top of Diane's head and kisses her cheek. "You could wear it as a necklace, too!"
"Aw, so this is your surprise you had for me. Thanks, Frieda!" Diane beams pleasantly.
"You're very welcome."
"You haven't done this for me since I was seventeen, so what brought it on?"
"I was in the wilderness during our lunch break when I got an Amber Alert. Child abductions are terrible to think about..."
Diane grimaces and her heart hurts for whoever was kidnapped and their family. "Oh yeah, that showed up on my phone, too. It makes me wanna hug Alex extra tight."
"Same. I just hope that kid gets found and brought back home safely."
"Me, too."
The tiniest hint of tears form in Frieda's eyes and a jolt goes through Diane. She'd never seen Frieda cry before, so it frightens her a little. "Diane, would it be alright if I went to therapy with you?"
"Yeah, definitely...I love that you wanna be there to support me."
"Of course," Frieda murmurs. She cups Diane's chin and grins, even though her blue eyes are shining with moisture. "You're my little girl. My baby."
"Well, you're the mom I'd always wished for...but why do you sound so choked up?" Diane squeezes Frieda's hands in an effort to comfort her.
Frieda sniffles and wipes her eyes with her sleeve. "I think I should wait until I arrange a session with Lourdes. It's group, right?"
Diane nods her head yes. "She makes us draw strength from each other."
"That's wonderful." Frieda lifts Diane's chin up and searches her face. "It's nice to see that your black eye is slowly fading away from that fucker's descendant assaulting you."
"Yeah...I covered it with dark blue eyeshadow like always."
"Does it still hurt?" Frieda wonders out loud.
"Not really," Diane responds.
The snow falls gently as Diane races through the woods as fast as her bare feet can carry her. She's only in a small bra that barely holds her heavy breasts up and a thong that's digging into her butt crack uncomfortably. Her heart keeps skipping a few beats and she can barely catch her breath. She tries to ignore the pain as she steps on rocks and sticks since she knows she needs to get away from the Nazi who calls himself her master. He's not far behind, and he has a knife raised in the air, prepared to attack her. She lets out a high-pitched gasp as she trips and then falls to her knees. She's bleeding everywhere and struggling to get up, but she can't. She's too weak at this moment, but she'd attempted to fight him off and escape him just before he was able to burn a swastika into her belly, just above her lower region. She'd struck him in the head with a frying pan and bought herself time to run away, but unfortunately, he'd caught up with her. Diane crawls backward, away from him, feeling winded, and she can barely breathe as he roughly grabs her up off the ground and stomps back to his house. He slams her shaking body down onto the floor and gets on top of her.
"My pet...you were naughty, so you need to be punished. I'll carve my name into your delicious skin to show the world who you belong to." He licks his lips and she shies away from his creepy gaze while shivering violently. "Then comes our symbol." His breath is so rancid, his appearance so ugly, and his touch so predatory, that she closes her eyes and dissociates. She's woken up a second later with a slap across her face and then she starts trembling all over again. She thinks one of her ribs is broken, as he'd been kicking her in the side previously, and she's sure she has a black eye after he punches her. His animalistic hands wrap around her throat and choke her, making her want to throw up. "Never ever leave my sight again, do you hear me, you nasty cunt?" She nods and it hurts to blink back her tears or even move. She has no idea where her adrenaline from earlier had come from. "God, you look sexier than ever," he growls and she whimpers when he finally releases her neck. He keeps his knees on either side of her hips, though, and most of his weight on her legs as he sits on her. "I don't want to murder you, sugar, but you made me furious tonight. You don't get to decide when to leave."
"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I'll do whatever you want-"
"What was that?" he snarls with a menacing gleam in his icy eyes and she gulps with terror flooding through her veins. She's so terrified of him that she'd forgotten what she is to always say when she disobeys him. Chills go up and down her spine and then she remembers.
"I apologize for your inconvenience, sir," she tells him. "I'm not the brightest girl, but at least I got big tits, made just for Your Royal Highness." She grabs her own boobs and squeezes them lightly, feeling dirtier by the minute. She knows she must do this to calm him down and stroke his ego so he doesn't beat her to death. "You-you like that? I-I love y-you, M-master..." she stammers. She trails off when her fear becomes more evident in her voice. He gets off on it, but she wants to be careful of exaggerating. The last time she'd made a bigger show of it than was necessary, he stuffed a stinky, sweaty sock in her mouth, taped her lips shut, and bound her wrists to his bedpost. She'd been forced to kneel down and bend over as he whipped her with his belt buckle until her back, butt, and legs were raw, red, and covered in gruesome welts. They'd left scars which were easily masked in concealer when she had to show herself off to the public. Edward and Phyllis berated her for going against the savage beast she was to marry and demanded that she cover up all of her marks so she wouldn't be considered ugly to suitors. They didn't mind if other men were interested in her and they approved of the guys who went after her.
"Yes. You did a job well done," he answers, and she breathes a huge sigh of relief. She doesn't think she can take any more agony today. "Now, continue to be a good girl for Daddy." He keeps her firmly in place and grabs a razor. It's poised over the area between her chest and belly and the tip of the blades get so close to her delicate skin that she flinches sharply. "Don't move, bitch!" He yanks on her hair as he digs the weapon into her flesh so deep that her small, stinging cuts on other places of her body are nothing compared to this inhumane torture.
"Ouch!" she yelps and grows faint. There's a ringing in her ears and she's about to pass out, and she doesn't dare take a peek at the red liquid gushing out of her. She only looks at his beady eyes, willing herself not to puke on him. He would make her slurp it off of him and gag on it.
Suddenly, his hands fly to the nape of his neck as he rolls off of her quickly and stands up abruptly. He staggers backward and through Diane's low vision, she sees him land on the floor with a thump. "Jesus Christ! What the fuck did you do to me, whore?" He rips a dart out of the back of his neck and then doesn't move anymore, as his assailant has slit his throat open. Diane had known that Frieda would come today, which is why she'd left the front door open on purpose, and the older lady had come in the nick of time, finally.
"Diane? It's Frieda. Honey, can you hear me?" A piece of clothing is pressed tightly onto her wound and a gentle hand wraps around hers.
"Yes," she responds almost quietly. "It hurts...I don't think I can walk...and I-I'm so frozen, but sweltering at the same t-time..."
"I know, baby, but I'll take you to the hospital right now. Come on...I'll carry you."
Diane tries to sit up, but she ends up collapsing in Frieda's arms. She clutches onto the woman she already considers as a mother, even after knowing her for a few hours. She cries softly as she shudders and then begins sobbing because that nightmare is over. Frieda takes off her puffy brown coat and bundles Diane in it.
"Is...is he really dead?" she wants to know after a few hiccups and five minutes of wailing hysterically. She buries herself in Frieda's warm and protective embrace.
"He sure as heck is, sweetheart. Along with slicing his jugular, I used devil's breath from Bone, my boyfriend, and tossed that Nazi into one of his gas chambers. I hope you were comfortable meeting Bone yesterday when you came to my house!"
Diane nods slowly and offers Frieda a small smile. "Oh, that's great! Umm, yeah, he's cool."
"Awesome!"
Frieda rushes her to the emergency room and stays there with her as she gets her injuries treated. Diane's body is so damaged that she can't stand looking at herself. She's pale as a ghost and she isn't able to stop quivering. Frieda puts her hand against her forehead and then on her unscathed cheek. "You're not sweating anymore, at least. Are you still feeling feverish?"
Diane shakes her head no at Frieda's question. "I'm a little better now, actually."
"Marvelous. You can sleep over at my place and I'll take you to school if you'd like?"
"Okay!" Diane agrees happily. That evening, she snuggles in Frieda's arms as she goes to sleep in the older woman's home, feeling extremely relaxed and content. She has to keep reminding herself that nothing and nobody will hurt her here, but it doesn't stop her from screaming in the night from horrifying flashbacks. Frieda comforts her every time she has one.
The next morning, Frieda drives Diane to the curb outside her high school. "Diane, I'm so sorry...but after what I did, cops are gonna come after me. I gotta go into hiding."
"What does that mean?"
"They'll see it as committing murder, and I'm already wanted for three in the South. I gotta leave here..." Frieda explains apologetically.
"I'll come with you!" Diane stares at her pleadingly and clasps her hands together.
"You can't...I'm sorry. It's too dangerous for you to be around me." A somber expression crosses Frieda's face.
"No!" Diane squeaks as she chokes up. "Don't go!"
"I have to..." Frieda murmurs regretfully.
"You're the only adult who cares about me...or at least I thought you were."
"I do, I will forever watch out for ya." Frieda crosses her heart. "I swear on my mama's grave."
"Will you ever be back someday?" Diane asks hopefully.
Frieda holds Diane's face in her hands. "I don't know if we'll see each other again, kid. Whenever I get out of hiding, I plan to work at Martin Van Buren High. I told you I'd always protect you, and I'm keeping that promise. Killing that motherfucker was worth it."
"I'll miss you so much!" Diane wails and then sniffles. Frieda appears to be just as sad, and she pulls her in for a long, tight hug while rocking her from side to side.
It's a good time for Diane to run away with James and Lila, but she thinks they have the right to finish school and she's afraid that her parents could find her before she becomes eighteen and literally burn her alive or sell her into sex slavery. She just has to suffer until college starts in eleven months, and it'll all be behind her.
Diane throws her arms around Frieda and pecks her cheek. "I can't thank you enough for rescuing me twice!"
"I'd do it a million times." Frieda wraps her in a hug and leans up on her tiptoes to kiss Diane's temple.
When Daya is almost finished with her meal and picking up her last tamale, her hand brushes against something slimy and wet underneath it. "Eew..." She notices either a human or animal eyeball leering back up at her. "Oh my god!" she shrieks loudly and jumps so far back that she slips off of her seat. Adarsh and Blanca, who are on either side of her, catch her before she hits the floor. Just about everyone in the cafeteria glances at her in alarm. Her friends' voices are blending together and she spots Aleida and Gloria, rushing over to her with Red following them.
"That's so gross!" Flaca exclaims.
"Some nasty shit right there," Maritza adds.
"What the fuck?" Alex mutters.
"How did Humps get into your lunch?" Lorna wants to know.
From above, Aleida snaps the container closed. "We'll show this to Charles when we get home, alright?"
Daya gags. "I'm gonna throw up..." She gets to her feet, rushes to the nearest garbage can as she hiccups loudly, grips the sides of the trash bin, and lets out a huge amount of vomit while someone holds her hair back and another keeps her steady. Through her tears from coughing up the rest of the contents of her stomach, she sees that Adarsh is preventing her hair from falling in her face and Gloria's hands are on her waist. She's so repulsed by what was in her food that she doesn't care if she has an audience. They should be used to witnessing morning sickness at the very least, what with all the teen pregnancies there are here. When she's finished, Red hands her a bottle of water.
"Rinse your mouth out," the Russian woman suggests as Daya staggers back into Adarsh and Gloria.
"In front of the whole school?" she asks incredulously. Most of them are staring and now she's fully embarrassed. "Hey, show's over!" she hollers. Her friends are being gracious by surrounding her so she can have her privacy.
Everyone quickly goes back to what they were doing and Daya takes a large swig of water, swishes it, and spits the remainder of her puke into the garbage. She wipes her mouth clean as she pants in and out heavily.
"You okay now?" Gloria asks her gently.
Daya nods her head yes. "I can't eat anymore, though."
"I get it," Adarsh sympathizes with her, and the rest of the girls and guys she's close to give her sorrowful looks. She feels overheated from the flush in her cheeks and is shaking from disgust at herself and whoever had put such a horrid thing underneath her tamales.
While at her bodega, Gloria keeps glancing up whenever the door opens, mentally preparing for what she'll say to her daughters and hoping they won't take one look at her and run in the opposite direction. Near the cereal aisle, she notices Yadriel, Pepa, and an older Latina with greying hair who must be his mother, Reba. Yadriel is carrying Pepa while browsing through the boxes of cereal and turning down the sugary cereals that his mother offers to have him give his daughter. Gloria shakes her head at the sight, because the little girl has never rolled over or even tried to sit up on her own, even though she's nearing five months old, and it's because her parents never put her down unless it's for a nap.
"You should spoil her!" Reba protests as he puts back Bocados De Fruta. "Hey, that's her favorite kind!"
"No, Ma. I don't want her to have an unhealthy breakfast," he insists while grabbing Bite Sized Shredded Wheats. "You didn't let me have Frosted Flakes or Froot Loops when I was little. In fact, your damn house is stocked full of Raisin Bran!"
"Whatever, I'm not your abuela."
Yadriel scoffs and rolls his eyes. They continue walking to the counter where Gloria is, when a Hispanic girl comes up to him. "Oh my god, that is the most adorable baby I have ever seen!" Pepa turns to her in interest and Yadriel smiles slightly. Pepa glances over at the girl and beams cutely. "Your little sister?" she asks Yadriel.
"No, my daughter."
She raises her eyebrow. "You're so young...but you know, I find that hot. You don't expect a teen dad to stick around." She grins flirtatiously at him. "I'm Carolina." She pokes Pepa's side and the small child giggles. "I wonder what her name is."
"Pepa..."
"Your daddy's muy guapo, Pepa," Carolina tells the little one and gives Yadriel a meaningful stare, but he just shifts his eyes away from her awkwardly. She coos at Pepa some more, causing the baby to laugh. Even if Maria coddles Pepa, Gloria doesn't think the teenager deserves to be cheated on, so she watches Yadriel carefully to see how he reacts to this random girl flirting with him.
"Her mommy isn't in the picture, so go for it," Reba says with a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows before Yadriel can say anything.
Gloria is about to intervene when Yadriel cuts his mother a look and then turns back to Carolina. "Thanks for the compliment, enjoy your day," he mumbles uncomfortably and passes her without glancing back over his shoulder.
"Well, that was cold," Reba admonishes him. "I can't stand you dating that jailbait Maria, she's more fit to be a criminal than anything."
"I'm seventeen, Ma, I make my own decisions," Yadriel states strongly. "I love that girl, and I'd never be unfaithful. I don't give a shit what you think."
Gloria sends Reba a pointed glare as she rings up Yadriel's purchases. Her eyes travel to Yadriel. "Good job, don't listen to your motha!"
"Why are you inserting yourself in our personal business?" Reba asks.
"I overheard everything and felt the need to step in because you got no right to insult your son's girlfriend. He treasures her so much, you should be happy for him that he found her." Gloria reaches out to touch Pepa's cheek gently and the little girl taps Gloria's hand with a sweet smile on her small face. "They gave you your precious granddaughter. Don't that count for somethin'?"
"Maria's nothing but trouble. Come on, Yadriel," Reba instructs him when he's finished paying. She leaves the store.
"Thanks, Miss Mendoza," Yadriel says politely.
"Oh, no big deal. I just can't stand it when people try to butt in on other's relationships. I got a tip for you, though...I see that Pepa's used to being held all the time, and you and Maria always go to her when she cries. She should be learning how to roll over and sit up, unsupported, as she's almost five months of age...and babies and little children cry...a lot. Sometimes they can figure it out, though, especially if it's about the same thing all the time. You can assure her that she's fine if she just bumped herself. You don't gotta coddle her, or she can't be independent. Does she fuss if you put her down?"
Yadriel nods his head yes. "Every time. Well, I appreciate your advice. Uh...Maria thought it was a good idea and I went along with it, we don't know everything there is about parenting, and everyone has their own styles...but I'll pass along the message. She's in the hospital."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Gloria murmurs.
"Thank you." He makes Pepa wave at Gloria and Gloria returns the gesture while smiling, and then they leave.
"Maria was stalking our girls and doing unthinkable things to them and they never told us?" Diane asks Charles incredulously with her hand pressed to her heart, which clenches in pain. She can't bear to imagine the torture Alex or the others had suffered under Maria. Charles has gathered the moms and Franny at his office.
"They didn't know who was after them," Charles responds.
"Well, either way, they should've said somethin'," Aleida grumbles. "I regret not taking Daya's phone more often."
"My baby got her leg broken because of that lying little bitch," Theresa mutters. "I could kill her!"
"She caused Lorna to indulge in her Christopher obsession," Franny adds icily. "Got her bullied, too."
"You know...I never fully could trust Maria. She always seemed...kinda rude around Alex. Why she let my girl come to her quinceñera and threatened my disgusting ex with a drumstick is beyond me, she was probably being the fake bitch she is, to get Alex to trust her," Diane mutters distastefully. "I hope she never comes near our babies again."
"Well, she's in a mental ward-" Charles starts to assure her.
"She ain't some crazy ho, she just a ho," Aleida interrupts him fiercely. "You gotta know that."
"Maybe she's really got a mental illness like my sister, we got no clue," Franny points out.
"What, cunt-o-mania?" Aleida wonders out loud and frowns. "I can't believe she was in my fucking house...around not just Daya, but the rest of my family, too."
"She came to Friendly's many times, including when Gloria's abuser came in. I keep wondering if she staged that," Diane mutters. "Maybe she helped him out somehow...because he's never appeared again after that."
"Probably, to put your daughter and yourself in danger." Theresa puts in. She switches her attention to Charles. "She better be locked to that bed. She could escape if she isn't."
"To be honest with you, she's in too much pain to move because of her fall down the mountain," Charles reports.
"Good!" Aleida pipes up.
"No matter how much I pushed, they won't put her in handcuffs since she wasn't arrested, just brought to a psychiatric hospital," Charles informs the mothers and Franny.
Diane sighs sadly and the others roll their eyes. "It's okay, babe, you tried. They'll have to run tests on her, though, to see if she's really criminally insane, right?"
Charles nods his head yes. "Mm-hm. They'll have lie detectors and everything."
"That's good...and we'll have to be more watchful of our kids more than ever now," Theresa declares.
"We're already being extra careful since some fucking snake is following our every move," Aleida tells them. "Me, Gloria, our kids, and Leon, I mean. Lourdes also got her candles smashed to chunks."
Diane pats her hand softly and squeezes it. "I'm sorry." The others give Aleida sympathetic looks.
"Thanks," Aleida replies.
"I'm relieved Lorna's done with that Christopher nonsense and ain't being tormented at school no more," Franny states.
"I'm glad, too," Charles says and Diane, Aleida, and Theresa nod in agreement. They each check up on the girls, who are together at Pizza Hut with the rest of their crew and girlfriends at this moment.
The next customers that come through the door of Gloria's bodega send a wave of shock through her, and she does a double take. Seeing her two girls in the flesh almost takes her breath away. She has to play dumb and pretend not to know their names. Elena and Ceci Powers look so jovial as they chat away with Flaca's younger brothers and she can see the cheek dimples and innocent, wide brown eyes they'd obviously gotten from her. They're beautiful and intelligent, but she'd already known that from spying on their accounts. Elena's sleek black tresses are straight and come down to the middle of her back, while Ceci's is curly and cropped to her chin. Neon pink headbands sit in their hair. They're wearing makeup and hoops dangle from their earlobes. Ceci has on a pink flower-patterned dress paired with nude stockings and short brown boots. A white sweater is tied around her waist, and since it's a bit cold outside, Gloria hopes she's warm enough. Elena is in a long-sleeved yellow blouse with a gray jacket over it, dark blue jeans, and black UGG boots. They look like they're in the middle of developing, and Gloria wishes she'd been there to help and give them motherly advice when it started, way before that, even. She regrets not pushing for them harder twelve years ago. She beams at them without giving it a second's thought and they turn blurry as her eyes get misty. A lump makes its way into her throat, but she does her best to gulp it down. It takes all she has not to run up to them, scoop them in her arms, and never let them go. She'd seen her babies on Facebook, but actually having them in her presence, sends her heart into overdrive. She presses her hand to her chest and gasps softly. They're a foot shorter than her, she guesses four feet, three inches.
"What?" her twins wonder aloud in unison as they stroll towards her. Their well-groomed eyebrows furrow in confusion and they drum their perfectly manicured nails on the counter. Marco and Pedro aren't far behind them, but they're talking amongst themselves.
"Oh, nothin'," Gloria mumbles, averting her gaze downwards and then back up at her daughters. "You just look like somebody...anyway, are you searching around here for anything in particular?"
Elena purses her lips, puts her fists on her hips, and gives Gloria a once-over. "Holy shit, lady. Don't be frontin' like you don't know us. You're our birth mom."
"Yes," Gloria whispers, shell-shocked that they're aware of this. She sighs and clears her throat. "I didn't wanna just shout your names and come off as some weirdo."
"We've seen your picture, Gloria," Ceci states, and her own child calling her by her first name stings, but she'd expected it. "How could you walk away from us like that? You left Dad to raise us on his own, and what...now you got more kids that you're actually mothering?"
"Let me explain, okay?" Gloria practically pleads them.
"You abandoned us like most Spanish mamas do," Elena snaps.
Gloria folds her arms across her chest. "Did your father tell you that? You're being raised by a coconut man, so I can't blame you for not respecting me. This should teach you somethin'. Don't get pregnant in high school, or you'll have kids you can't take care of." She frowns. "I want you to understand that although you weren't planned, you were definitely wanted."
"Not by you, that's for damn sure," Ceci retorts.
"I did not just up and leave you girls, alright? I kept photos of you two as infants...and I wrote you letters. Your father sent them all back, but...I really did care. I sobbed for you all the time. My sweet girls...I tried to visit, but your father wouldn't let me. He instructed me to quit contacting you, otherwise, he'd get a restraining order against me."
Elena and Ceci exchange a serious look. "Yeah, we understand his reasoning," Elena mutters. "You can't just drop in and out of our lives whenever you got the time."
"Look, I wanted to mother you! I couldn't go to college and raise children at the same time, but going to school and working got me back on my feet a little and allowed me to be able to support my boys."
"You could've done college later or something! It's just...you replaced us with your sons, but even still, you got involved with that creep, Dad said." Sadness seeps into Ceci's tone.
"I know, but I didn't feel like I'd be good enough to be a mom," Gloria confesses. "I was young, inexperienced with kids...I didn't want you to suffer from that. I never meant to...replace you. I didn't even see it that way. I've always told people I have four children, two girls and two boys. You matter so much to me. I promise. As for that...sadist...I disposed of him, but I honestly did not know he was such an evil person. I had no idea it would get that bad...if I did, I would've never gone against the law. That's his fault that it escalated, not mine." Gloria closes her eyes for a brief moment and then reopens them. "I didn't help myself in committing food stamp fraud and then not wanting cops involved because I did a crime."
"Why would you do such a dumb thing?" Elena asks in a softer voice.
"I wasn't making enough just selling candles and herbs. I do admit that once my relationship with him turned abusive, I could've quit, called the police, and then gave the money to my aunt. Instead, these girls from the high school I work at, they got him arrested and I had to spring into action and deliver the cash to her so she could send some of it back to me once a month. I got very lucky that day."
"Hey, if you needed more money, you could've asked for help! You could've gotten another job!" Ceci points out.
"I know that now. I made bad choices back then...staying with him for so long, first of all. I should've never have let Benny and Julio be exposed to that. I'm aware that as a mother, I need to consider my kids above all else, but I guess I was just afraid. Sometimes, you get the wrong guy, you try to leave, and he threatens to kill you."
"Well, it certainly made things worse when you did something illegal," Elena reminds her bitterly.
"Yeah, but I'm really working to better myself. I swear...I haven't touched that since my close call two months ago. Also, you'll be relieved to know that I'm beginning to date a good guy. He's got a lot of respect for me and the boys."
"Wow, what an upgrade!" Ceci exclaims sarcastically. "We won't believe it til we see it, though."
"That's fair," Gloria says. "I can prove it...you could meet him if you want to."
"Maybe not for a while," Elena murmurs.
"Yeah," Ceci agrees with her slightly older sister, only by a minute. "We don't even really know you."
"I didn't mean right away or nothin'." Gloria sets her elbows on the counter and rests her chin in her hands. "We're gonna have to work on repairing our relationship, but without your father's negative influence, okay? He may be good to you, that's excellent if he is, but him painting me as the bad person will just brainwash you against me, like it already has, but you can't let it continue. That's the last thing we need if we're gonna reconnect. You gotta tell him to stop."
"Dad just can't stand you making one stupid decision after another, and we don't approve of it either!" Elena tells her.
"I told you, I've changed my life around. He'd be surprised to see me thriving...probably he'd say I'm bragging, but whatever. Listen...it may be a little easier to get closer since I'm not in prison."
"Isn't that great," Ceci mutters. "You can't force us to be a part of your family. We may be related by blood, but you're just some bitch in a faded photograph to us."
"Don't you take that tone with me, young lady!" Gloria scolds her. "I apologize for everything, alright? I'll make it up to you, and of course I won't pressure you to be like this with me." Gloria crosses her fingers on her right hand. "I'll let you come to me in your own time. I just miss you dearly."
"We already have a mom, so we don't really need you, if that's what you're getting at," Elena says.
It's like a train has just run over Gloria's heart a thousand times over once she hears their words. She deserves them, but at the same time, her girls don't need to be so icy to her. She understands they're only acting out of pain, though. "That's fantastic," Gloria finally says and fakes a smile. She steps out from behind the counter and hugs herself around her midsection, forcing away any tears. "Well...I'll let you keep shopping."
They abruptly walk away from her. "You idiots are dead meat for tricking us!" Ceci tells the Gonzales boys angrily as the girls join up with them.
"You two are just fuckin' coconuts," Marco shoots back at her.
Just like Daya was, Gloria thinks to herself and bites her lip to keep from snorting aloud.
"Yeah, what Mexican can't handle spicy food or speak Spanish?" Pedro adds.
"What the hell do you care?" Elena hisses. "You don't even help your mom sew, you make your sister do it, lazy-ass!"
"Guys, keep it down!" Gloria orders them gently. "It's getting a little loud in here." She strides to the front of the store where they are, but they're already leaving. Ceci trips in her haste, and without thinking, Gloria helps her steady herself. She and Ceci hold hands for a second, but the girl jerks away from her awkwardly. The question slips out of her faster than she can stop them. "Uhh, you okay, sweetie?"
"I'm fine! It's just a stupid balance problem," Ceci insists sharply and then catches up with Elena, Marco, and Pedro.
Gloria watches them go and sniffles. She hadn't even realized she was on the verge of weeping until now, and she feels tiny arms wrap themselves around her legs. She glances down to see Benny and Julio and kneels to their level. She gathers them into a big hug and kisses the tops of their little heads. Guilt washes over her. "Oh, my babies...I'm real sorry for allowing that mean monster to be near us at all..." She looks at her oldest son and cups his chin. "Then he gave you an owie...I'm so, so sorry, cariño!"
Benny snuggles into her. "It's okay. I still love you, Mommy."
"Love Mama too! Don't be sad," Julio puts in and scoots into the embrace even more. Gloria just sits there, holding her sons, and praying that someday, her daughters will forgive her and have moments like this with her, too.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Alex nods her head yes. "I'm fine, Mom, honest!" She rests her head on Diane's shoulder and plops her feet in Michelle's lap. They're at therapy with Gloria, Maritza, Frieda, Red, and Nicky. Flaca and Daya are at home with their mothers while Lorna and Franny had gone out shopping. "Frieda...did you still want to share something?"
Frieda sighs and braces herself for the pity stares she'll get from everyone. "I suppose I should." She's between Diane and Red, and she holds their hands. It's easier to talk that way. "When I was eleven during the Cold War, I was exploring in the woods as per my survivalist daddy's instructions, using a pot of water, a leaf, and a needle for a compass and a pocketknife I'd used to sharpen the end of a big, long stick. I fished, gigged one, had lunch, and then took off my blue dress since I decided to swim that day in my white tank top and undies, but I got leeches." She chuckles to herself and they all grin. "He didn't really show sympathy about those...he was more annoyed that I'd made a mistake. I also took too long comin' back, according to him. Those leeches weren't the worst thing I'd experienced, though. As I was pulling the suckers off me, this...this bearded huge guy came up to me, making conversation. The next thing I knew, he raped me." A collection of gasps fill the room and their eyes are flooded with concern.
"Oh god, Frieda..." Diane whispers and hugs her. Frieda returns the gesture. "I'm real sorry."
"Me, too," the others murmur in unison.
"I hope your father beat the fucker bloody," Red mutters.
Frieda smirks. "He didn't...I killed that son of a bitch...I had twenty-four out of the twenty-six required badges, and I was great at surviving in case the worst were to happen, such as finding safe food to eat if I was stranded in the middle of nowhere and killing animals to make blankets out of their fur to warm myself up. The same girls that teased me and called me smelly, sloppy, and an outer space alien because of my beaver musk I wore to lure deer and shoot 'em dead, cared more about their dolls having Debbie Reynolds bangs than saving their own damn lives. One of 'em gabbed about how her mom wouldn't let her watch Debbie's movies since she was with Eddie Fisher back then. Those stupid cunts weren't learning like I did. See, I was a Nature Scout and our motto was ready for any and all things. My point is, I didn't just sit there, I fought back...that large rapist thought he had me with my little braids. He put his seed in me, after all, but then I stabbed him good with my pocketknife, stuffed a wolfsbane flower into his gaping mouth, and pummeled him with my stick. Making use of what you got is very important, ladies. That's what my daddy taught me." At the end of her story, they're grinning.
"Wow, you're amazing!" Alex compliments her.
"That's such great self-defense, you're truly badass," Gloria continues.
"Yeah, I was really proud of myself."
"You should be," Lourdes murmurs.
"Go, Frieda!" Maritza, Nicky, and Michelle shout in unison.
"I admire you more than ever now!" Diane gushes, and Frieda beams.
"Well, I got my old man to thank, but still...I did it!"
"You must have had nightmares and flashbacks, though," Maritza says somberly.
"I've got pretty tough skin, but even so, I was traumatized from the incident. The fact that I murdered him made me feel a lot better!"
"Oh, I bet! Did you ever tell your dad?" Nicky asks.
Frieda shakes her head no. "I didn't need to...the villian was gone forever. I thought I could keep it a secret, but I got pregnant."
"I had no idea you were a mom!" Diane exclaims. "Why did I never meet this person? Weren't abortions frowned upon until the seventies?"
"Yes, unfortunately, they were illegal. My stomach grew and the questions started. I had to say I was raped, but I took care of the devil. I gave my baby up for adoption. I didn't want to see or know him since it'd be too much of a painful reminder...besides, I was just a preteen. Six years later, I married at eighteen, my husband was abusive while I was with child, so during my second trimester, when I found out I was having a girl, I tore off his member with a dull butcher knife, and he flopped on the kitchen floor along with his penis, dead as a doornail." Frieda curls her lips up into a smug smile. "I still have fond memories of the blood that came outta him. I gave birth at nineteen...sometime in November, I can't even remember...and I was so weak from the intensive labor I'd just gone through, that I couldn't get a good look at her...my daughter." Frieda's voice cracks at the depressing memory. "I just felt her come out of me and was thinking of what to call the little thing. That dirty, rotten nurse...I knew something was wrong with her when it appeared as though she'd painted herself with blackface from head to toe, wore brown colored contacts, and sported an Afro wig. She was clearly a racist white bitch...she'd missed a few spots, too." Diane pales at this. "She told me she was gonna wash the baby, but...they never returned." She gulps down the lump in her throat that's about to rise. "My baby girl was kidnapped. I knew I was doomed when it came to having kids and I couldn't have another one after her."
"That's so devastating! If that happened to me with Alex..." Diane shudders and scoots closer to Alex while hugging her. "I couldn't even imagine. You never told me that either..."
"It was too heartbreaking of a topic to bring up," Frieda lets her know morosely. "I put up all kinds of wanted signs, even though I had no photos of her...but since she was disguised as an African American nurse one time, just to steal my daughter, this cruel cunt wasn't ever captured by police. I never found the girl I'd given birth to." They're all looking at her sadly now.
"I appreciate you telling us all of this," Lourdes says. "You're a strong woman, though."
"I just hope she's got a good life and even if she was taken, they gave her a happy childhood. She was probably raised to be a bigot, but as long as nobody hurt her...and if she didn't allow herself to be brainwashed in the first place and she had her own mind, that's a bonus. I'd never raise her...or my son, to be weak and hateful against people who weren't their race." Freida exhales loudly. "I guess that'll always stay a mystery, how my kiddos turned out and whether or not they found each other and somehow realized they were related."
"I miscarried my fifth and haven't really been the same since," Gloria says bleakly. "I know how you feel, Frieda. It's like a hole in your heart?"
Frieda nods her head yes and wipes tears from her eyes that had been threatening to spill. "Mm-hm, a gaping one. I'm sorry you had to go through that."
Gloria looks at her with a tender expression on her face. "So am I, about what happened to you."
"She'd be grown by now...your age, Diane."
"We'd have been best friends, probably," Diane muses solemnly.
"Yeah...she'd be the neatest aunt in the world," Alex continues. "Just like my heroic grandma figure."
At this, Frieda grins at Alex. "You bet, but who knows how she would've turned out. Not everyone follows in their parents' footsteps." She glances at Diane meaningfully.
"Thank god," Nicky mutters.
"I been wondering...where was your mama during all this?" Maritza wonders aloud.
"She passed when my daddy was still a sailor."
"Oh no, that's too bad," Michelle comments.
"Well, the good thing is, I've got a framed photo of 'em both. It's yellowed and faded, but it's my folks."
"I remember that picture on your desk..." Gloria trails off and turns to Diane. "I've always thought you and Frieda's mom shared somewhat of a resemblance...but maybe that's just me overthinking things. I mean, sometimes I look at Ouija and wonder how she's not related to me because her eyes are similar to mine. I can see Aleida in her, too, strangely enough. I dunno what it is..."
"Wow, that's weird. Maybe she's one of your girls," Diane says lightly.
Gloria shakes her head no. "Nah, the ages don't match up. She's older than my girls, and as far as I know, Aleida only has three kids and a fourth in her belly. However...it's almost like you were Frieda's actual daughter." Her gaze flickers between Diane and Frieda.
"Oh, if only," Frieda murmurs wistfully. "I consider her as mine, anyway." She and Diane exchange a smile.
"That's plenty for me," Diane says positively.
A while after therapy is finished, Diane gets a call from Frieda. "I apologize for botherin' ya, honey...but my daddy is dying. He's got dementia, he may not remember me, but I gotta say goodbye to him. I need you there. It's a quick trip to Florida, only three hours, and we'd be flyin' into Miami."
"I'm so sorry, Frieda...tonight? Like, now?"
"Yes, my auntie just phoned me that he don't got much time left. She's been taking care of him. I'll cover the cost of your plane ticket."
"Okay, sure, I'm happy to support you."
"Thank you so much, baby girl. See you soon!"
"Alright, bye!"
Her stomach is in knots for Frieda. She knows that Frieda and her dad had been close. She packs a bag and hugs and kisses Charles and Alex goodbye after explaining why she needs to leave the house so last minute.
"Tell Frieda I'm sorry for her loss!" Alex calls out.
"Give her my condolences too, please," Charles adds.
"I will!" Diane replies.
Frieda had spent most of the flight just staring out the window, and Diane lets her sit there in silence. She's probably feeling guilty about not staying closer to home, but Diane understands why she had to move to New York. Martin Van Buren High had accepted her right away, but there were no good job prospects in Florida. It's busier in the Big Apple. She also had wanted to live someplace where the people were more open-minded because it seemed like everyone but her dad, aunt Jolene, and cousin Arlene, were racist. At least, that's what Frieda had told Diane before.
The hospital is dark and dreary when they arrive, and Lloyd Berlin is lying still in his cot, hooked to machines. It's gravely silent as Frieda hugs her aunt hello and sits by her father. Diane stands behind her with her hands on Frieda's shoulders. "Are we too late?" Frieda asks the elderly white-haired bespectacled woman whose green eyes are glistening with tears.
"No, darlin'...he's still here."
Frieda grins and squeezes her father's hand. "Hi, Daddy. I told you I'd come! I brought Diane with me, she's like my daughter."
"Oh, finally, now we can escape the Reds!" He appears to be worried. "I don't want 'em thinking either of us is weak, so you gotta be strong. Whaddya say we get TV dinners?"
"You ain't in the Marines, Daddy. The Cold War's long over, it's two-thousand-five."
"Arlene?" he asks frailly.
"No, I'm Frieda," she corrects him in a wavery voice. "Arlene's your niece, but she ain't here...she was kidnapped and lobotomized...now she's not in the right mental state to visit you." Diane feels bad that another family member of Frieda's was taken away from her, but she stays calm and neutral for her.
"Like my...my granddaughter?"
"Yeah...except I dunno about the brainwashed part or being in a psychiatric ward."
His tired gaze travels up to Diane and he blinks in confusion. "Janie?"
"Janie is Mama's name." Frieda points at Diane. "This is Diane."
"The spittin' image...I wish I could dance as well as you, darlin', you were incredible..."
"Um...I'm sorry, sir, I'm not your wife," Diane mumbles awkwardly. "I'm sure she was a wonderful woman..."
"You have very striking eyes, the same shade of blue as my Janie's, you must be her," he insists.
Diane, Frieda, and Jolene exchange puzzled glances. "Daddy, you're confusing Diane with Mama. She was the best dancer in all of Florida, but then she had an aneurysm after giving birth to me," Frieda explains. Diane thinks it's a weird coincidence that Frieda's mother had died the same way Mitch did. She can tell Frieda's trying not to cry, although her mother figure sounds a little choked up.
"I apologize, honey..." he rasps out.
"His mind comes and goes," Jolene lets them know.
"'I remember you explaining death to me, I was six and wondering why everyone else had a mama except me. You took me out for ice cream and the amusement park and then we visited Mama's grave. You taught me so much by the time I was eleven, Daddy...like survival skills if I'm lost or alone in nature, and that if you think you know everything, you really don't, and that's unsafe...being overconfident leads to downfall, in other words...and Polaris is in Ursa Minor's tail, Orion is south...and Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka are the stars in Orion's belt. I used to wear braids...and out of all the badges from when I was a Nature Scout, the only two I didn't have were Ice Skating and Troop Dramatics. You wanted me to wear my dungarees, even when I wasn't that cold because we set up a campfire." Frieda swallows hard before continuing. "You told me to take the cyanide pill before the Russians had a chance to hurt us and to put a bullet into a deer's heart instead of its guts, as that's the most effective way to kill it."
Lloyd hums and he looks at peace. Diane isn't sure if he's recalling this information from his memory bank, or if he's preparing to go through the Pearly Gates. "I'm proud of you, Frieda," he mumbles as he closes his eyes. "I love you..."
Frieda kisses his cheek. "I love you too, Daddy."
Diane notices his whole body go limp and his chest stops moving completely. It wasn't rising and falling very much before, though, but there had been slight movement. Now there is none.
Frieda hovers her hand over his mouth uncertainly. "He's gone," she whispers. Diane wraps her arms around Frieda supportively as the older woman stands up and hugs her back. "Thank you for coming with me, Diane."
"You're very welcome."
Thank you for reading and reviewing, MinervaSnape394, Johanna002, and A Star In My Universe!
