Mariana Ortiz came over a few days after Letty found me on the phone with
her. She brought a movie with her.
"Hi, Dominic, I thought we could watch Ghostbusters and order pizza or something," Mariana said as she stepped through my front door.
"Okay," I said. I shut the door. Mariana sashayed over to the sofa in a short plaid skirt and a little white top. I was pretty pleased with myself. I actually got the hottest girl in school to come over and watch a movie with me.
"What are you guys doing, Dom?" a voice from behind me said. Leticia came down the stairs, eating a Popsicle and wearing one of my old t-shirts.
"Nothing, Letty, go back upstairs." I was looking forward to spending time with Mariana alone. I didn't mean to sound irritated with Letty, but the shocked expression on her face told me that she was hurt. I sighed as she darted back upstairs, taking the steps two at a time.
"Who was that? Your little sister?" Mariana asked. She settled herself on the couch.
"No, the friend of my little sister."
"Oh."
I popped the movie into the VCR and grabbed the remote. I settled myself next to Mariana and pressed Play.
Upstairs, Letty was bitching to Mia about what I had just done in Mia's room. Letty was pacing Mia's bedroom while Mia toiled over homework at her desk.
"He told me to go back upstairs!" Letty said, rage in her scratchy little voice.
"Dom would never hurt you, Let." Mia put down her pen and turned to face Letty. "He's got his stupid girlfriend here, that's all. They want to have some priversy."
"He doesn't need priversy! Priversy is for married people, your dad said." Letty began to get worked up again.
"Just stay here with me. Help me with my spelling words, okay? Now, read off the words from this list," Mia bossed, handing Letty a small book opened to page sixty-seven.
"Convertible."
"Convertible. C-O-N-V-E-R-T-I-B-L-E. Convertible."
Mariana stayed during the whole movie and dinner. Letty seemed a bit miffed by all of this, but kept quiet. I knew that she was still pissed at me, and I didn't blame her one bit. I had to clear this up or I'd go crazy. I hated when Letty was upset or hurting and I hated myself even more for being the cause of it. When the dishes were done and Mariana's Papi had come to pick her up, I went looking for Letty. She was pushing around some toy action figures in the living room. Mia was on the couch nearby, watching Ghostbusters. I went up to the coffee table where Letty was just making Hulk Hogan smash his head open on the floor after a deadly suicide jump from the edge of the table.
"Whyyyyaaa!" she exclaimed. Hulk's tragic demise elicited an excited giggle of glee from Letty. She ignored me as I plopped onto the floor across from her and picked up a G.I. Joe. I walked the G.I. Joe up to Hulk's body and made him talk.
"Hmmm, you're looking a little sick there, Hulk Hogan!" I said, in the G.I. Joe's voice. Letty snuck a look at me, trying to hide a smile. I continued.
"Maybe I'll give you a little of my super G.I. Joe powers and you'll wake up!" I placed the G.I. Joe on top of Hulk's body and made a zapping noise. I had Letty's full attention by now.
"There! Now let's see if he wakes up!" I picked up Hulk Hogan and made him spring back to life. "Yay! Now we can get into a REAL fight!" I picked up G.I. Joe and began swatting Hulk and Joe into each other, in a fight. Letty was laughing and squealing. Every once in awhile, she'd cheer for Hulk or groan when Joe got a punch in. Letty loved it when I played action figures with her.
"Dom, you're so goofy!" Letty laughed, her black eyes twinkling. The sound of her laughter lifted my heart and I grabbed for Letty. I tackled her onto the floor and began to tickle her. She squealed and twisted beneath me.
"Let, I'm sorry about what I said to you today. I didn't mean to make you feel like shit."
"I was really upset, Dom. But it's okay now." Letty grinned at me. I grabbed her and continued to tickle the pants off of her until Dad came in and sent us all to bed.
"Hi, Dominic, I thought we could watch Ghostbusters and order pizza or something," Mariana said as she stepped through my front door.
"Okay," I said. I shut the door. Mariana sashayed over to the sofa in a short plaid skirt and a little white top. I was pretty pleased with myself. I actually got the hottest girl in school to come over and watch a movie with me.
"What are you guys doing, Dom?" a voice from behind me said. Leticia came down the stairs, eating a Popsicle and wearing one of my old t-shirts.
"Nothing, Letty, go back upstairs." I was looking forward to spending time with Mariana alone. I didn't mean to sound irritated with Letty, but the shocked expression on her face told me that she was hurt. I sighed as she darted back upstairs, taking the steps two at a time.
"Who was that? Your little sister?" Mariana asked. She settled herself on the couch.
"No, the friend of my little sister."
"Oh."
I popped the movie into the VCR and grabbed the remote. I settled myself next to Mariana and pressed Play.
Upstairs, Letty was bitching to Mia about what I had just done in Mia's room. Letty was pacing Mia's bedroom while Mia toiled over homework at her desk.
"He told me to go back upstairs!" Letty said, rage in her scratchy little voice.
"Dom would never hurt you, Let." Mia put down her pen and turned to face Letty. "He's got his stupid girlfriend here, that's all. They want to have some priversy."
"He doesn't need priversy! Priversy is for married people, your dad said." Letty began to get worked up again.
"Just stay here with me. Help me with my spelling words, okay? Now, read off the words from this list," Mia bossed, handing Letty a small book opened to page sixty-seven.
"Convertible."
"Convertible. C-O-N-V-E-R-T-I-B-L-E. Convertible."
Mariana stayed during the whole movie and dinner. Letty seemed a bit miffed by all of this, but kept quiet. I knew that she was still pissed at me, and I didn't blame her one bit. I had to clear this up or I'd go crazy. I hated when Letty was upset or hurting and I hated myself even more for being the cause of it. When the dishes were done and Mariana's Papi had come to pick her up, I went looking for Letty. She was pushing around some toy action figures in the living room. Mia was on the couch nearby, watching Ghostbusters. I went up to the coffee table where Letty was just making Hulk Hogan smash his head open on the floor after a deadly suicide jump from the edge of the table.
"Whyyyyaaa!" she exclaimed. Hulk's tragic demise elicited an excited giggle of glee from Letty. She ignored me as I plopped onto the floor across from her and picked up a G.I. Joe. I walked the G.I. Joe up to Hulk's body and made him talk.
"Hmmm, you're looking a little sick there, Hulk Hogan!" I said, in the G.I. Joe's voice. Letty snuck a look at me, trying to hide a smile. I continued.
"Maybe I'll give you a little of my super G.I. Joe powers and you'll wake up!" I placed the G.I. Joe on top of Hulk's body and made a zapping noise. I had Letty's full attention by now.
"There! Now let's see if he wakes up!" I picked up Hulk Hogan and made him spring back to life. "Yay! Now we can get into a REAL fight!" I picked up G.I. Joe and began swatting Hulk and Joe into each other, in a fight. Letty was laughing and squealing. Every once in awhile, she'd cheer for Hulk or groan when Joe got a punch in. Letty loved it when I played action figures with her.
"Dom, you're so goofy!" Letty laughed, her black eyes twinkling. The sound of her laughter lifted my heart and I grabbed for Letty. I tackled her onto the floor and began to tickle her. She squealed and twisted beneath me.
"Let, I'm sorry about what I said to you today. I didn't mean to make you feel like shit."
"I was really upset, Dom. But it's okay now." Letty grinned at me. I grabbed her and continued to tickle the pants off of her until Dad came in and sent us all to bed.