Part 51
"Oh shit!" I hissed, "Shit, we're gonna get caught! Goddamn it Dom, I know this piece of shit goes faster than this!" He weaved through the traffic on our side of the road with alarming precision.
"We're fine," he said through clenched teeth. With all of his strength, he jerked the wheel to the right, turning onto a side street. He slowed down and I was able to breathe again as I heard the sirens pass. We came to a rolling stop by a large building, which provided some cover. As soon as the car stopped, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. I couldn't believe what had just happened.
"Don't you ever, ever do that to me again!" I said with a raised voice as I slunk back into my seat. I placed my elbow on the door where the window was open and rested my forehead in my hand. I could hear Dom sigh, and looked up in time to see him press against the steering wheel and stretch out.
"I'm sorry," he finally said after a long period of quiet. I nodded and apologized for yelling. He looked at me from his seat, and reached a hand out to me. I held it with my own, tracing his fingers with my eyes, memorizing the moment. After another stretch of not talking, he interrupted my memorizing with three little words, "Let's get married."
I looked up skeptically, to see if he was serious. He nodded. "Ok," I said, "let's get married."
"Aright," he replied, turning back to face the road. "When?"
Feeling adventurous, I answered, "Tonight." His face returned my earlier skepticism. "Right now. Let's go. We'll go to Vegas." I was beaming.
"Ok," he said, turning on the ignition, "Vegas it is."
We rode through the cool desert night, our average speed being between 100 and 120 miles-per-hour. I tried to explain that the car was not made to withstand that kind of speed on dusty, gravelly roads, but my advice was ignored. Instead, Dom stayed focused completely on Vegas.
A few hours after his initial proposal, we were closing in on a very brightly lit piece of land. Soon, we came to the famous sign. "'The Fabulous Las Vegas Welcomes You,'" I read, smiling. Dom turned his head to look at me from the driver's seat.
"You ready?" he asked.
"Waiting and willing," I replied, blowing him and air kiss. He laughed at my sorry attempt at a joke, his voice filling the car. "Don't patronize me," I said, feigning offense.
"You know you like it," he replied, still laughing.
"Well, I suppose you've got a point- Ooh! Stop!" I interrupted myself. We'd come to the first wedding chapel, and I was ready to wed.
He stopped, and we walked hurriedly into the small, white building. Pink and blue neon signs decorated the inside, which, surprisingly, was rather immaculate... Almost boring. Nevertheless, it was an open wedding chapel, so it was fine by me. We were met at a reception desk by an older, pleasant faced, portly woman with bleached-blonde hair and bright red lipstick. Her white uniform resembled that of a nurse's, but seemed to be a few sizes too small as she stepped around her desk to show us into a waiting room. The forms we'd been given included medical papers, a marriage certificate, and two drafts for wills.
"Whoa," Dom whispered, "we're just tryin to get married... Do ya think they think we have life insurance or somethin?" he asked, smiling. We filled out the necessary information on all of the papers, except the wills.
"Ma'am?" I asked, walking out to the reception area, "these wills-"
"Oh yes, I suppose I forgot to tell you," she said, with her high-pitched voice that had come to severely annoy me in the total of ten minutes that we'd been in the building, "these are your will drafts. It's included with your prenups. See," she said, pointing to a space, "this is where you and your fiance over there divvy up who gets what. Kids, cars, the house, in case of a divorce, annulment, or sudden death." She blinked a few times and gave me what Dom and I would later refer to as, her trademark smile, which probably showed every tooth in her mouth.
"Well," I said, scrunching my brow, "all right then. So we just fill these out, and take them to them into the chapel and have them notarized?" I asked. She nodded. I thanked the woman and she began walking back to her post.
"Oh, do you have rings?" she asked.
"Damn it!" I hissed. I turned and smiled, "No, but do we really need them?" By now, I'd left Dom alone for too long, so he sauntered out, sliding his arm around my shoulders.
"Well of course!" the receptionist enthused. I looked at Dom, and he nodded. "Here," she led us to a small display case. "This is our emergency diamond collection," she explained, showing me the rings. They all had reasonable sized diamonds, but were all gold, fake-looking, and hideously ugly. I turned to Dom, who shrugged.
"I don't really like gold," I said, trying to stay polite. Even that didn't stop her.
"Well why didn't ya say so?" she screeched. I found myself being pulled to another edge of the room, to yet another display case. Contrary to the one before it, this case displayed simple, yet elegant, silver bands. No gaudy rejects from the Mr. T Collection, and no raised stones. She pulled out a delecate ring and handed it to me. I moved it through my fingers, switching it from hand to hand, as I examined it. The flat, round stones were spaced evenly around the band, nestled within the metal, which meant no worries about snagging it or cutting someone, and the simplicity of the ring itself was very attractive.
"I like this one," I said, trying it on. I held up my left hand, complete with the ring, for Dom to see.
"Gorgeous," he said, kissing my cheek. "We'll take it."
"Oh wonderful!" The woman began bustling about, ringing up reciepts and the like. "And now for the gentleman..."
"I don't really need one..." he started.
"Yes, you do," I said, remembering the stabbing glances from Letty and near fight from earlier. "Do you have one similar in a man's style?" I asked. He knew that he'd been beat and took a step back, allowing me to have my way with the purchase. We were able to find another, wider ring for Dominic, with larger, square stones. I chose the rings, and the woman happily totaled our entire ceremony.
"That will be... including services and the rings... 8,000 dollars," she chirpped. I looked expectantly at Dom, who produced the bulk of the money he'd taken to the races. As he forked over the cash, I took off my ring and handed it to the receptionist-turned-saleswoman.
"Okay, now if you'll go back and finish with your forms, Father Gellar will see you in a few minutes." I smiled and thanked her, then walked back into the waiting room. We proceeded to fill out the will drafts.
"'In the event of my death, I give full custody of my minor child or children to...'" Dom read. He looked at me, his eyes wide. "To who? Hector? Leon?"
"I think Leon and Mercedes," I said finally, after careful consideration. I'd taken care of them both for a long time, but I trusted that Leon and Mercedes were more responible than Hector. I thought breifly about Brian and Mia, but didn't think it would be fair to burden them, especially because they didn't really know me.
"Ok then, Leon and Mercedes Ferrano." I nodded and wrote the names. We were finished. I took the papers to the notary desk and was stamped, sealed, and ready to go.
"Are you sure you're aright with this?" I asked as we waited for the priest. I looked at Dom, and he looked down at me, smiling.
"Never been more sure of anything in my life," he replied. He leaned down and softly kissed my lips.
"Huh hmm." We were interrupted by a man clearing his throat. I looked in front of us to see a young man in a red uniform usuhering us toward the altar. "Sir, Miss," he said politely, "please, this way."
As we walked slowly with the usher into the shallow room, perhaps it was a full 10 foot hike from the door to the priest, an Elvis-ized, rock and roll, guitar version of the "Wedding March" was cued. I smiled, looked at Dom, who was smiling back at me, then continued walking forward. When we reached him, the priest began speaking at once. He went on with the standard, cookie-cutter ceremonial speech: "Ladies and geltlemen, we are gathered here today to join..." blah blah blah; "If anyone has any objection, let him speak now or forever hold his..." yeah, yeah; "Do you, Dominic Toretto take Zoraida Moreno to be your lawfully wedded wife?" "I do" yadda yadda yadda; "With this ring, I thee wed," and so on and so forth. Finally, the words I'd been waiting for had arrived...
"By the power vested in me by the city of Las Vegas in the great state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." We wasted no time locking lips. When he pulled away, there was a giddy smile plastered to Dom's face, and I'm sure I was mirroring the look. We left the small establishment, hopped in the car, and headed back to Hector's.
"My God," I said, sighing, "everybody's gonna trip."
"'S alright," he said, looking at me, "Mrs. Toretto." I smiled, loving the sound of my new name. Zoraida Toretto. Six months before, I never would've thought it possible.
We arrived back at Hector's as the sun was rising. Instead of going straight to my brother's house, Dom said he wanted to take me somewhere. We ended up on a beach, watching the sunrise. It was a breathtaking sight, but when Dom told me about how his parents used to take him and his sister there when they were young, I knew I was sharing it with the most special person in the world. I laid my seat back and watched with awe. Dom followed suit, reclining his seat as well. His hand reached over to mine, and grabbed it. Periodically, I could feel his grasp tighten, as if to make sure that I was still there. His hand finally settle on my stomach, and I was overcome with a feeling of guilt.
"Dominic..." I said softly. He looked at me.
"Yeah?" he asked dreamily. His voice was light, as if he'd been lost in thought.
"About this situation..." I said, nodding toward his hand.
He cut me off, "Don't worry, baby, I'll take care of everything... You don't have to worry about anything..." I could sense the tension in his voice, and wasn't quite sure if he was ready for my news. I had to tell him though, before my lie became larger than life.
"No, Dom, listen," I said, sitting up, "I've got something really important to say, and I need you to listen..." He nodded and propped himself up on his elbow. "I-I'm-I'm not really pregnant," I said quickly. His face twisted as he tried to take in what I'd said. A calm look washed over him, and he laid back on his seat, with his hands behind his head. "I only said I was to cover up for my sister-" I stopped short, because I'd almost said way too much.
"Wait a second..." he said, looking at the ceiling of the car, "Mercedes... Leon... She's the one who's pregnant?"
"Yeah," I said, swallowing hard. He smiled, but I couldn't tell if he was happy or being a jerk.
"Thank God," he said, sitting up.
"Wha- Huh?" I asked, confused. Did he not want kids?, I wondered aloud.
"No, no, I want kids. I definitely want kids," he reinforced, "I just wanna be able to take care of 'em all." He winked and smiled at me. "All thiry-two of 'em," he joked, sitting up.
"Thrirty-two? I don't think so sweetie. More like three, maybe four, if you're lucky," I argued jokingly. His face was nearing mine, his lips curved in a playful smile as they began a slow motion toward mine.
"We'll talk," he snickered. I smiled and pulled him to me by his shirt, pressing our lips together. "Ok, to Hector's. They're probably wondering where we are," he said once we'd stopped kissing. I sat up, and the seat snapped behind me into place.
"Hector!" I said. "Oh my God Dom, what am I gonna tell Hector?"
"About what?" he asked. I gave him a warning look, which must've turned on a light, because his eyes widened a little.
"Oh," he said, "that. Well..." I watched as a mischevious look spread from his lips to his eyes. "We did sign papers saying that custody of our kids would go to Leon and Mercedes... Why don't we give 'em somethin to take care of?" he asked. I laughed.
"You're serious?" I said, raising my eyebrows. He nodded. "Here, in the car, at the beach, with the sun rising in the background?" I asked, stalling only to make him more impatient.
"Hell yeah," he answered enthusiastically. "Right here, right now. I won't letcha down," he said, giving me an over-exggerated wink.
I thought for a moment. "Aright," I said finally.
"Yeah?"
"Mmhmm... Right now, come on," I ordered. He smiled, laughed, and began unbuckling his belt. I laid my seat back again, then reached over his hands as they worked, to the release on his seat. He fell back with it, and landed with a soft thud. I laughed at him, then helped him get rid of the pants. When we were sufficiently undressed, I slid over onto his lap. He moved the seat all the way back, and I took control of the situation.
Fifteen minutes, a few breathy "I love you's," and about a bajillion kisses later, we were on our way to Hector's, for real.
----------------
Part 52
I sat on one end of the couch in complete silence. Not only was I refusing to talk to Leon, but my sister wasn't home yet and it had been nearly four hours. My elbow rested on the arm of the couch and I had my index finger on my temple. I closed my eyes and for the first time in my life... I prayed, for real. I wanted my sister and Dom to be ok, I didn't wanna have to pull off another daring escape for either of them.
"Ya ok?" I heard Leon asked. I felt his hands on my knees and his thighs on either side of my legs. He was obviously kneeling in front of me.
"Just worried about my sister," I answered quickly.
"I hope they're both in jail," a bitter voice said next to me. I rolled my eyes then opened them to see Letty. "And you know what I say?" she continued.
"Shut up," I said as a warning to her.
"Good riddance," she finished. I shook my head, pushed Leon out my way, and stood up.
"I have had about enough of your mouth," I said to her.
"What do you mean?" she asked with straight attitude.
"I mean quit bad-mouthin my sister."
"The fuck you talkin about? I thought we were friends."
"We were," I answered quickly. "Blood is thicker than water."
"You wanna make somethin of it?" Letty asked, getting in my face. And anyone who knew me knew that I wouldn't stand for that.
"You got that will filled out correctly?" I asked. She laughed at me.
"Real funny," she chuckled. Acting as though I didn't wanna fight her, I turned and started to walk away. I then spun around and jacked her right cheek with my left fist. She was caught by Hector on her way down to the ground.
"Come on!" I yelled, putting my arms out. I started to run after her, but there was an arm around my shoulders and I was pulled away. "Get the fuck off me!" I demanded of the person holding on to me.
"Calm down," I heard Dom's soothing voice in my ear. I continued kicking and punching the air in front of me, hoping I would slither out of his grasp, but that didn't happen.
"Stop it!" my sister yelled as she entered the living room where the whole thing was taking place.
"Someone has to put her in her place!" I yelled my reply.
"Not by you! You're pregnant!" My breathing stopped and I looked at her. She didn't realize what she'd just said and when she did, she closed her eyes and swallowed hard.
"I'm confused," Hector said. I ignored him and looked at Leon. His eyebrows were curled as he stared at Z with an open mouth. He finally looked at me and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Dom slowly put me down.
"So," I said, breaking the silence. "Say something." I wanted to cry because of Z's big mouth, but I wouldn't let my weaknesses show. He remained quiet. "That's what I thought," I whispered and walked out the front door, down the stairs, and stood on the sidewalk. I looked up at the sky and my mind went blank. What had just happened?
"I'm sorry," someone said. I turned and saw Dom standing next to me. He was the last person in the world I expected to come outside.
"Why are you sorry?" I laughed. "You didn't say it, you're not the one who got me pregnant, you're not the one who just found out you're gonna be a father, you're not the one who's having the baby!"
"I am the one who got married though," he said. I closed my eyes, shook my head, and looked at him.
"What?" I stammered. He laughed and nodded.
"Z and I... we got married in Vegas," he said.
"Good for you," I said, nodding. I was happy for them, at least there was one happy couple. Someone cleared their throat from behind us and we both turned around to find Leon standing there.
"Thanks," I said to Dom, thanking him for actually coming outside with me. We hugged quickly and he kissed my forehead. "My brother-in-law," I chanted, smiling. As he passed Leon, he patted his shoulder, but Leon appeared as though he didn't even feel it. He approached me and I began playing with the silver band he'd given me on my ring finger. If he was gonna ask for it back, he wasn't gettin it.
"So," I urged him to say something.
"We're gonna have a baby," he stated the obvious.
"Yeah."
"I'm gonna be a dad?" he asked, a smile tugging hard at his lips. I did the smiling for him.
"Yeah," I whispered, nodding.
"We're gonna have a family."
"Going to?" I questioned his staying with me.
"I'm not goin anywhere," he replied. I giggled as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. I pulled away and pressed our foreheads together.
"We're havin a baby," I cooed. He smiled and we rubbed our noses before kissing again.
"Can I come out now?! I'm dyin over here!" Dom exclaimed from behind the stairs. We laughed and invited him back over. We hugged again and he shared a quick, manly hug with Leon. We headed toward the stairs with me in the middle and my arms wrapped around theirs.
"Oh, Dom and Z got married," I informed Leon.
"No!" Leon breathed.
"Yeah," Dom said.
"They beat us," Leon said.
"I know!" I exclaimed. "Speaking of getting married," I said, turning my attention to Dom. "I didn't see you guys come in, but did you carry my sister across the threshold?"
"No," he answered. "We heard the yellin so we hurried inside."
"Can't believe you didn't carry her across the threshold," I breathed as I headed inside Hector's apartment.
"Everything ok?" Z quickly asked.
"Fine," I said.
"Where's Dom and Leon?" I turned toward the door just as they entered: Dom was carrying Leon across the threshold instead of my sister and Leon was sprinkling pink flower petals over Dom's head.
"Oh... my... God," I said slowly.
"Hey," Hector said, wandering over toward us. "The neighbors have those same flowers."
"Not anymore," Leon said, smiling and nodding. He looked back at Dom and continued dropping the petals all around.
"Fine," Z said. "If that's the way you want it. We're gettin a divorce," she said playfully. Dom looked at Leon just before dropping him. I gasped.
"That wasn't very nice!" I said to Dom as I picked Leon up.
"Oh my God!" Hector yelled. He had one hand on his forehead as he slowly sat on a stool at his bar. "One sister is pregnant and the other is pregnant and married?!"
"Oh, no," Z stated. "I'm not pregnant." Hector muttered something in Spanish as he put his elbows on the bar. Leon and I headed toward the couch, which meant we had to pass Letty. As I did, our faces met centimeters apart and I kept looking at her as she walked the other way.
"You need to control that funky ass temper of yours," Leon told me.
"Shut up," I said playfully.
We all finally settled down to watch a movie. Dom and I sat on the couch with Z and Leon between our legs. Hector was on the floor with Letty, Brian and Mia were on the recliner, and Vince was at the bar... he lived there. I had put in my favorite movie, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," just because I loved Jason Mewes who played Jay.
"I'd do 'em," I said, referring to Jason.
"That must mean you'd do me too," Dom said. I looked at me with a lifted eyebrow.
"Are you skinny with long hair?" I asked him.
"No, but I'm big and bald."
"Exactly."
"I am 110% more of a man than he is." I lightly slapped his cheek and pointed at him.
"Fuck you baldy!" I said. Finally everyone was the way they should've been: happy.
----------------
Part 53
We were on the third showing of "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and I was seated on the floor with Dom, who'd been kicked off of the couch by Leon. He was sitting against the couch's bottom, with me pressed between his legs. His massive arms were resting on his bent knees, and I was examining his hands. The silver ring on his left ring finger was absolutely exquisite. I hadn't noticed it before, but the thing gleamed and sparkled in the dim lighting of Hector's apartment. It was breathtaking. I was married to this man, who had an incredible ring. I tried to watch the remainder of the movie, but I found my eyes were drawn repeatedly back to the silver band.
"What's up?" Dom whispered seriously. His lips grazed my ear accidently, making me shiver.
"Shut up over there!" Mercedes exclaimed, "Can you not see that we're trying to watch this movie?"
"Yeah," Leon muttered, "for the third damn time..."
"Hey you," my sister replied, pointing at him, "shh!"
"Well, if you'll excuse us," Dom said, standing up. "Whoa! Head rush!" He leaned against the arm of the couch. I stood slowly and stretched my arms over my head. Dom grabbed my waist and pulled me to him, nearly knocking me over in the process. I let out a squeal, and was silently reprimanded by Mercedes and a stone-cold glare.
"Sorry, sorry," I apologized. "Come along, Mr. Toretto," I said, stepping over Letty's legs. I couldn't see her face, but I'm sure I would've been happy.
"Lead the way, Mrs. Toretto," he said just as maliciously. I watched him take on long stride over the other woman's body and I laughed as he almost ran into me. He walked behind me, and I was in no particular rush to get anywhere. I felt hands on my hips and arms around my waist. I kept walking, but leaned my head back, my eyes closed. I was scooped up, and tossed onto a bed. I giggled uncontrollably as Dom jumped next to me and began smothering my face and neck with kisses. I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him straight down, his face a mere inch away from mine. I kissed him softly, and his arms gave way, resulting in his falling on top of me. I moved my legs to allow him to slip between them, as we continued kissing. With every skin-to-skin touch, every motion, every breath, I fell more in love with him.
Of course, as always, kissing Dom lead to other, more strenuous physical activities. The sun was now setting on the first day of our new life, and the moon would soon be out. I looked up, and saw Hector's mirrors. "I swear to God," I said softly, pulling the sheet to my chin, "Hector's gonna kick us out, just because he can't use his bed." Dom laughed his low, rumbling laugh, then put his hands behind his head as he lie next to me, otherwise unmoving and silent. I wondered what was going through his mind, because he'd been extremely quiet since Letty and Mercedes' altercation.
I sat up and held the sheet to my now-heaving chest. I'd never get over how gorgeous he looked every night. Even if we hadn't been tumbling around, his body emitted a certain glow, one that was beautiful and peaceful.
"What's the matter?" I asked, putting my head on his chest. He moved his arm to place it on my naked back, which had come uncovered as I moved to the awkward position. It felt good to have his strength around me. I was used to being the strong one, always on the lookout. It was nice to be with someone who knew the stress of total responsibility. We would make excellent parents.
"Hector told me..." he started meekly, "that he had Edwin find your father... He knows where your dad is." I sat up and nodded.
"Yeah, so what? So do I," I said nonchalantly. Dom's face contorted as he eyed me suspiciously, "Hector said you guys didn't know where he was."
I sighed heavily and dropped my head. I rolled it from side to side, cracking my neck in various places. "Hector didn't know, Mercedes didn't know, but I know. I've known since he left." I didn't really feel like talking about it, but I knew that he was going to make me.
"What? I'm confused," Dom said slowly, "Talk to me, Z. What happened?"
I sighed again and began telling him about my parents. Being the eldest child, I recieved the brunt of the punishments, responsibilities, and memories from our home, so I was best equipped. Our father was a full- blooded, hot-tempered Mexican man by the name of Hector Garcia Moreno Sr. who, when Hector and Mercedes last saw him, had jet black hair, made of tight ringlet curls. His face, which had stayed burned into my mind, was handsome, and his skin was dark like mine. The three of us had his eyes, dark brown and emotional. I'd been 18 years old when he left, unable to deal with the stress of raising three kids on his own, after our mother's death.
"What happened to your mother?" Dom asked softly, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I continued with my story. I told him what I'd told Hector and Mercedes many times, that our parents were killed in an automobile accident. That's all they ever knew. They never knew the reality, which was that our mother was very ill, and had lost a lifelong battle with uterine cancer, and that it was too much for him to handle. Because I was 18, I was named the custodial guardian of my younger siblings, and was given the deed to our house, while our father left, looking for a better life. Not being one to completely disregard his obligations, he kept in touch with me and sent me money to raise my 15-year-old brother and 12-year- old sister, and keep us in the lifestyle to which we were accustomed.
Of course, he'd remarried and had more kids, which I knew, but I'd never told anyone about. I knew where he was, and we continued corresponding until Mercedes was 18. Then, the letters stopped coming, we were old enough to take care of ourselves. Hector had already moved to the States, and our dad knew about Mercedes and I stealing cars, so he figured that he could finally begin his new life with his new family and forget all about us.
"But I can't be mad at him," I said, smiling sadly, "because he took care of us as long as he would've, anyway." Dom was dombfounded. He sat there, indian style on the bed, completely naked, unable to speak.
After a few long minutes of silence, he'd finally regained his composure long enough to say, "Tell me about your mom." I nodded and smiled, swallowing hard. It had always been harder for me to talk about her, because she was such an amazing person.
My mother was an American woman named Rosa, born and raised in Texas. Her family owned a cattle ranch, which is how she met my father. He was a migrant worker, but after weeks of secret meetings, they decided to get married, settle down. My mother's parents were surprisingly helpful, and even offered to let them stay on the property, but my parents wanted a life of their own. They were summoned back to Mexico by his parents, who were very needy people. They hated my mother, but whenever she took us to see them, she always had her head held high, and was cordial and polite. My grandparents spoke no English, so they would talk between themselves in Spanish, not knowing that my mom had been speaking it since she could talk. I would ask her why she never said anything about it, and she always said that it was to, "retain an illusion... make them think they're superior."
As far as I was concerned, my mother was the most beautiful woman in the world. She had tanned skin from long days working outside, and beautiful dark brown hair. Her eyes were the color of robin's eggs, and they always sparkled. I remember how crushed she was when she found out about her illness, but she never showed it. Then, one day, she was rushed to the hospital, and my father called to tell me she was gone.
By this time, I was crying buckets, but Dom put his arms around me and said, "I won't say that I know what you're going through, but I'm here, and if you wanna get things right with your dad, I'll help you."
Days after my heart-felt life story, Dom and I were looking for an apartment of our own, when my sister ran in. "Oh my God!" she said excitedly. As Leon jogged in after her, I asked what was going on, and she managed, through tears and yelps of excitement, to choke out, "It's a girl!" I jumped up and hugged her. We looked at each other and shrieked happily, jumping up and down.
"I think Leon hates her," Mercedes whispered loudly, "becase he wants to name her Ashley." She rolled her eyes and Leon stepped forward.
"I said Ashley Nicole," he protested, "and you said that you liked Nicole!"
"And I do, but I'm sorry, I am not naming my baby Ashley," she turned to me and gave me a funny look. I laughed.
"Hey, this is your argument, not mine!" I said, raising my hands, as if to say, 'It's up to you.'
"What do you think, Dom?" Leon asked, "Ain't Ashley a good name?"
"Hey man, this is your kid, I didn't knock her up!" Dom said, smiling. "I got my own to worry about."
"What's that?" Mercedes questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Come again?"
"I said, 'I got my own to worry about,'" Dom repeated slowly, "Ya catch that?"
"Is there something I should know?" my sister asked, turning to me.
"Not yet," I said, reclaiming my place next to Dom. She eyed me suspiciously, but continued on into the kitchen.
Later that night, Dom had put on the outfit that my sister had bought for him, and I'd cornered him in the kitchen. "Where you goin dressed all sexy like that, Mr. Toretto?" I asked, sliding my arms around his waist. I hooked my fingers into his belt loops and looked up at him.
"Got a race," he answered simply, kissing my forehead.
"Oh?" I asked, suddenly full of attitude, "Were ya just not gonna tell me? Just, slip out the door unnoticed?" My hands had found their familiar place on my hip, and my voice assumed it's icy, lecturing tone. I watched as my husband ran his palms over his head and face and tried to ignore my firey temperament.
"No, I was going to tell you," he said, "but I figured I'd wait til I was leaving."
"Why, Dom? Why would you do that?" I asked, complete with attitude. He muttered something, then pushed past me to go into the living room.
"Leon, V, let's roll," he said calmly. "Edwin!" he yelled. Edwin came dashing out of the bathroom, holding his pants.
"What, man? Damn, can't a nigga take a piss around here?" he asked, looking at me with a strange look. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Dom.
"You're stayin here, right?" he asked. Edwin nodded. "Aright. Love you babe," he said, moving to kiss me. I turned my head and his face ran into my cheek. He looked at me expectantly and tried again, with the same result. "Fine," he said, grabbing his jacket, "whatever." He said good-bye as he walked out the door, followed by Vince, and soon Leon, who had stopped to say his farewells to Mercedes. She was just as mad as I was.
"Edwin!" I called.
"Shit! Come on now," he whined, walking back down the hallway from the bathroom, "I really gotta piss!"
"Little more info than we needed there, friend," Mercedes said sarcastically, flopping herself onto the couch.
"Sorry... What, Z?" he asked impatiently.
"Why aren't you going?" I enquired. As far as I knew, Edwin always raced. Always.
"Cuz I'm s'posed t'watch ya'll two," he said, pointing at us.
"Oh hell no," my sister and I said simultaneously.
"Edwin, go on, go piss... Mercedes, get dressed," I said, walking into Hector's room.
"What? Why?" he asked. I turned to look at the man who was still holding his pants on.
"Because we're goin to that race, whether Dom likes it or not," I replied with conviction. Edwin rolled his eyes, huffed, and walked back into the bathroom. Mercedes and I changed into suitable attire, and were putting on make-up when Edwin emerged form the bathroom.
"You do know that Dom's gonna kill me, right?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe to Hector's bedroom, "I'm'a be one dead nigga. Gon' be on da news an' shit..."
"Shut up and get your car ready," Mercedes said forcefully. Edwin stood there for a moment, stunned. "Go," she said. He didn't move. "I know you're not gonna tell a pregnant Mexican 'no,'" she said, her voice much like mine had been previously. He must've come out of his shock, because he turned and went outside. I heard the car roar to life, and sent my sister outside after him.
I found a sticky note and a pen, and left a note on the TV for whoever came home: 'We all left. Be back soon. Z.' Then I walked out, locked the door, and ran downstairs to the waiting car.
----------------
Part 54
Being the non-fat pregnant woman of the group, I was ordered to sit in the backseat by my older, overprotective sister. And, acting like I was a two- year-old, she buckled my seatbelt for me! I didn't say anything to her because all the while she had the biggest smile on her face I'd ever seen. I wasn't sure if she was smiling because of her recent marriage to Dom or her future niece.
We rode in silence. Edwin was still pissed basically because of his 'kidnapping', and Z still had that stupid grin on her face. I, on the other hand, was beginning to feel sick. I suddenly began to realize why so many women hated pregnancy. But something else caught my attention: how slowly the white lines on the road were passing us.
"You know you drive almost slow enough to drive Miss Daisy," I told Edwin. My sister giggled.
"Yeah, I thought you were a racer," she said.
"Hey," he started. "I got a woman wit' a baby in the backseat and I ain't about to crash this car killin one or bof' of 'em then havin Leon and Dom on my ass!" I smiled. His comment was kinda sweet.
"Besides, does this look like a racing car?" he asked.
"Hells yes!" I exclaimed. "This is a Hemi Cuda if you didn't notice."
"I noticed... it's not a racin car," he argued.
"Oh shut your mouth!" I said.
We finally arrived at the race scene and we got out. Almost immediately, Dom had stomped over to us. He stood in front of me, glaring down on me like I was the only one who got out the car.
"Surprise!" I exclaimed, thrusting my arms out. He continued staring at me. "Isn't it your birthday?" I asked, slowly looking at Z and Edwin for a little help.
"I told you not to come," he said.
"It was him!" Z and I said, pointing to Edwin.
"'Ey!" he yelled, putting his hands up.
"Edwin," Dom yelled.
I smiled and scanned the crowd for Leon, not really wanting to hang around for the beating Edwin was gonna get. I found him... talking to another woman. I pulled my skirt up, ran my fingers through my hair, and slowly, but sexily walked over to them. When Leon saw me, his eyes grew big and he froze. I spun around on my toes so I was facing the girl and standing between them. I arched an eyebrow and my hand found my hip. The girl put her hands up and walked away. I turned to Leon with an expecting look on my face, I wanted an explanation.
"Well, hello," he forced. "You weren't supposed to be here." I continued looking at him, not saying anything. "Love you," he chanted, walking passed me. I laughed as I grabbed his tank top, spun him around, and kissed him roughly.
"Mmm..." he purred against my lips. He pressed his forehead to mine. "Maybe I should misbehave more often."
"If I see you talking to that hoe again," I said. "I'll cut off your manhood."
"Ooh..." he whispered, his eyes squinting. "That wouldn't be fun."
"No," I said, shaking my head.
He took my hand and led me through the crowd to the middle where Dom was now standing. I watched him lecture the entire group of people and it was boring to me because I had no idea what the hell he was talking about. I turned to Leon because I was gonna ask him what this was all about, but I couldn't speak. He looked amazing, like usual, but this night in particular. He was wearing his sexy white wife-beater, baggy blue jeans with his wallet chain, all that was normal. But he'd slipped on a black beanie and had a toothpick in his mouth. I almost fell over.
"3 G buy in," Dom said, catching my attention.
"What he say?" I stuttered, turning toward Dom.
"3 G buy in," Leon repeated.
"Three... thousand... dollars," I breathed.
"That's a lot more than he usually bets," Leon said. Dom finished his speech and the other three racers placed their rolled up cash in my brother's hand. Leon put his hand on my back and led me out of the crowd with Dom, Z, and Hector following. I grabbed Hector's shirt and pulled him next to me.
"You're gonna steal that right?" I asked. He laughed at me and told me that he was gonna hold it then give it to the winner, which was gonna be Dominic. "Oh, well then it's all good," I said.
"Honey..." Leon whined. But I was too busy lookin at 12,000 dollars in my brother's hand.
"Umm... C'I hold that?" I asked Hector, pointing to the cash.
"Sweetie," Leon said, grabbing my hand.
"I'm talking to my brother!" I stammered.
"Get outta here Mercedes," Hector said.
"But..." I started. Before I could finish my sentence, I was picked up by Leon and carried toward his car. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he looked at me.
"Do you love me?" I asked. He slightly nodded.
"Yeah, I guess," he said. "I mean, I am marrying you."
"You're marrying me because I'm pregnant aren't you!" I yelled, pretending to cry.
"Now that is a harsh indictment," he said. I giggled and kissed him on the cheek as I was finally set on the ground. We got in the car and he flipped on the police scanners. After a few seconds of listening to the static voices feed numbers to the other people, Leon pulled out his cellphone.
"I got a 7-11 in San Dimas, we're a go," he said.
"What's a 7-11?" I asked.
"Drive by."
"There was a drive by in San Dimas?!" I asked, my eyebrows curling and my eyes wide. San Dimas was about 2 miles long.
"I know that was strange to me, too," Leon said, nodding.
I looked toward the race and the crowd had broken up and were now lined up along the street. I saw Dom's red car on the far left, then a blue one, a white one, and a green one. Fire blew from their tailpipes before Hector gave the sign and yelled 'Go!' They sped off at what seemed like full speed and the cheering began. I wasn't all that interested, so I laid the seat back and shut my eyes. I felt Leon's hand on my stomach. I smiled and placed my hands on his, but didn't move.
"Did you know there's a baby growin inside of you?" he asked just when I was about to fall asleep. I opened my eyes only to roll them in his direction.
"Thanks for the late breaking news Dan Rather," I said.
"Just tryin to make conversation," he said, laying his head against the headrest.
"Yeah? Do it in sign language," I said, motioning with my hands.
"Dom won," I heard my brother's voice filter throughout the car. "He's the winner."
"Surprise, surprise," Leon said, putting the cellphone to his lips again. He told me he was gonna go congratulate Dom and for me to stay put.
"Alright," I sighed.
"Promise me," he said.
"Where'm I gonna go?!" I yelled. He laughed, kissed my cheek, then got out and jogged toward the group of people surrounding Dom's car. After a few minutes of being really bored, I got out and leaned my back against the car door.
"You're not too happy," I heard a familiar voice. I turned around to see the short Korean man again.
"What do you want?" I asked. He walked around the car with his hand gliding over the trunk and stood next to me.
"I know what could make you happy," he said calmly.
"You're gonna find a way to drop dead within the next 5 seconds?" I asked. He was not impressing me.
"I know where to find your father," he whispered.
"Me too," I said. "He died when I was 12." He laughed quietly before slowly walking toward the same black Mercedes. He stopped and turned to look at me.
"Ya know the moment of realization is worth... a thousand prayers," he said. He got in the car and drove off.
"What?!" I whispered to myself.
----------------
Part 55
I was celebrating with Dom, Hector, and the gang, when I looked for Mercedes. I knew she wasn't in the mood to be around Dom and everyone, but I didn't know where she was and I was worried. I frantically scanned the scene, hoping to find some sight of my little sister. Eventually, my eyes landed on her and I was able to breathe again, but before I got too comfortable, I noticed that she was talking to someone.
"Holy shit..." I whispered, "Lance, you bastard!" I turned to Dom, who had his arm draped over the shoulders of some white girl with long blonde hair and a Hollywood body. He was laughing heartily as my brother proceeded to tell an un-funny joke that I'd heard times before. I flung a deadly glare at him, and his laughter stopped abruptly. He cast his eyes down, removed his arm from the girl's shoulders and followed me as I stomped away.
"Z! Baby! Wait!" he said, grabbing my arm. He spun me around and I yanked myself free and stared at him. He looked at me, then looked at the ground. He knew I was upset, but he found my one weakness. "Here," he said meekly, handing the money he'd won to me, "I won all this money, you can have it!" His arm was extended toward me, with the bills fanned out for me to take. I almost grabbed the money, but looked back at where my sister was, noting that Lance had taken flight. I pushed Dom's hand out of the way.
"I don't want your money, I want your keys," I said sternly. He looked at me with disbelief.
"You're joking right?" I said nothing, but held my hand out expectantly. He looked at me to make sure that I was serious, then groaned and pulled the keys slowly out of his pocket.
"Come on!" I exclaimed. If I was gonna catch up to Lance, I needed to leave. Dom huffed as he placed the keys in my hand and began rambling on about being careful with his car. I turned around and ran to the car, ignoring him.
"Where you goin?" Hector called, seeing me leave. I ignored him as well, as I was also mad at him for letting Dom hang onto some sleaze. I jumped into the driver's seat and took off.
"Fuck!" I screamed, slamming my hand against the steering wheel. I was mad at Dom, I was mad at Hector, and I was mad at Lance. I sped into the desert, headed intently toward Santa Monica.
The car came to a screeching halt as I slammed on the brakes in front of the large mansion I'd made my way to. The gate was closed, so I drove to the keypad. I punched violently into the keypad the page number that I'd been given.
"Hello?" came a woman's voice. "Who's there?"
"Zoraida," I said roughly. I felt foolish for being harsh with the machine, and slunk back into the seat to wait for the gate to open. It did after a short pause and I rolled into the driveway and saw the same black Benz that had been parked near my sister. "That fuckin guy..." I mumbled.
I jogged up the stairs. The door was open before I reached it. I stared into the expressive eyes of the older man in front of me. His hair was grayer than I'd anticipated, but his face still maintined its powerful, intimidating quality. My eyes wanted to tear up as I stared at the man I'd never forgotten about, even after ten long years. "Papi?" I asked, my voice cracking.
"Zoraida..." he replied seriously. I looked at his face and saw no emotion, but that's how I remembered him. He always kept a stolid appearance when he was thinking or dealing with his feelings. After a few miuntes of silence, he stepped aside to invite me in. I walked in and was greeted by a grand staircase, above which hung the biggest chandelier I'd ever seen. My father turned to usher me into a room, and I followed him. As I walked, I noticed something I hadn't before. My sister and I were our parents. I looked more like my dad than my mom, I walked like him, and I had his firey temper, which was always on high heat. My sister, however, was like our mother. She had her features, her cooler demeanor, her laugh. Hector, somehow, managed to be the perfectly balanced mixture of the two. He resembled our mom more, but it was obvious that he was his father's son.
We walked into a large study, which contained numerous chairs, shelves filled with books, and a large, wooden desk. He pulled a chair from the desk for me, and I sat slowly down. Then he walked around the desk to sit across from me. We sat in silence for a long while. I stared at my father, and he stared back. I couldn't believe how much older he looked, and I'm sure it was hard for him to concieve of the growth I'd achieved.
His eyes lit up as if he'd remembered something, and he yanked open a drawer on his left. He pulled a few items out of it, setting them on the desk. After a few moments of frustrated searching, he found what he was looking for. I was handed a small, bent, faded photograph. My breath almost stopped when I saw it. It was the last picture that we'd taken as a family, a year after my sister was born. My eyes welled up with tears as I traced the picture with my fingers, touching my mother's face lingeringly. I hadn't realized how much I missed my parents until that very moment. I looked at my father, who was staring at me expectantly.
"Papi," I started. His hand went up and I was silenced.
"I know why you came," he said slowly, his accent still thick in his voice. He never mentioned having learned English, so I was a little startled as he continued, "And I've taken care of it. You shouldn't be here." I looked at him incredulously. Was this the man who'd taken us to circuses and parks as children? Was this the man who, when his baby boy was born, he was so overcome with joy that he cried like he'd never stop? Was this my daddy?
"Papi," I said softly, "I'm here because your boy's startin trouble... And Mercedes... Oh Papi," I said, looking up at him, "She's gonna have a baby! You've gotta see her!" His expression didn't change. I slunk back into my chair, ashamed by my sudden outbrst. He was the only person in the world who intimidated me, even after not having seen him for ten years. His drak brown eyes met mine, and I could see that he'd missed us.
"I'll see her," he said after at least five minutes of silence and concentration. A smile threatened to take over his eyes as he thought about his little baby, ready to have one of her own. I thanked him and gave him the number to Hector's and my cell phone number.
"We'll talk," he said, ushering me out the front door. I stepped outside and the door shut quickly behind me. I looked at it, then walked slowly to Dom's car. I gave one last glance at the house before I sped away, hoping to get back to Hector's before Mercedes got worried.
Luckily, when I arrived, my sister wasn't trippin. In fact, she was calm... Almost. "Hector, quit your damn cheatin, this ain't Uno!" she yelled, throwing a pretzel at his head. I looked at the table where Brian, Mercedes, Edwin, Hector, Dom and Leon all sat, and seeing the red, white, and blue chips on the table, I knew they were playing poker. The one game that Mercedes and I were both awesome at.
"Oh shit!" I hissed, "Shit, we're gonna get caught! Goddamn it Dom, I know this piece of shit goes faster than this!" He weaved through the traffic on our side of the road with alarming precision.
"We're fine," he said through clenched teeth. With all of his strength, he jerked the wheel to the right, turning onto a side street. He slowed down and I was able to breathe again as I heard the sirens pass. We came to a rolling stop by a large building, which provided some cover. As soon as the car stopped, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. I couldn't believe what had just happened.
"Don't you ever, ever do that to me again!" I said with a raised voice as I slunk back into my seat. I placed my elbow on the door where the window was open and rested my forehead in my hand. I could hear Dom sigh, and looked up in time to see him press against the steering wheel and stretch out.
"I'm sorry," he finally said after a long period of quiet. I nodded and apologized for yelling. He looked at me from his seat, and reached a hand out to me. I held it with my own, tracing his fingers with my eyes, memorizing the moment. After another stretch of not talking, he interrupted my memorizing with three little words, "Let's get married."
I looked up skeptically, to see if he was serious. He nodded. "Ok," I said, "let's get married."
"Aright," he replied, turning back to face the road. "When?"
Feeling adventurous, I answered, "Tonight." His face returned my earlier skepticism. "Right now. Let's go. We'll go to Vegas." I was beaming.
"Ok," he said, turning on the ignition, "Vegas it is."
We rode through the cool desert night, our average speed being between 100 and 120 miles-per-hour. I tried to explain that the car was not made to withstand that kind of speed on dusty, gravelly roads, but my advice was ignored. Instead, Dom stayed focused completely on Vegas.
A few hours after his initial proposal, we were closing in on a very brightly lit piece of land. Soon, we came to the famous sign. "'The Fabulous Las Vegas Welcomes You,'" I read, smiling. Dom turned his head to look at me from the driver's seat.
"You ready?" he asked.
"Waiting and willing," I replied, blowing him and air kiss. He laughed at my sorry attempt at a joke, his voice filling the car. "Don't patronize me," I said, feigning offense.
"You know you like it," he replied, still laughing.
"Well, I suppose you've got a point- Ooh! Stop!" I interrupted myself. We'd come to the first wedding chapel, and I was ready to wed.
He stopped, and we walked hurriedly into the small, white building. Pink and blue neon signs decorated the inside, which, surprisingly, was rather immaculate... Almost boring. Nevertheless, it was an open wedding chapel, so it was fine by me. We were met at a reception desk by an older, pleasant faced, portly woman with bleached-blonde hair and bright red lipstick. Her white uniform resembled that of a nurse's, but seemed to be a few sizes too small as she stepped around her desk to show us into a waiting room. The forms we'd been given included medical papers, a marriage certificate, and two drafts for wills.
"Whoa," Dom whispered, "we're just tryin to get married... Do ya think they think we have life insurance or somethin?" he asked, smiling. We filled out the necessary information on all of the papers, except the wills.
"Ma'am?" I asked, walking out to the reception area, "these wills-"
"Oh yes, I suppose I forgot to tell you," she said, with her high-pitched voice that had come to severely annoy me in the total of ten minutes that we'd been in the building, "these are your will drafts. It's included with your prenups. See," she said, pointing to a space, "this is where you and your fiance over there divvy up who gets what. Kids, cars, the house, in case of a divorce, annulment, or sudden death." She blinked a few times and gave me what Dom and I would later refer to as, her trademark smile, which probably showed every tooth in her mouth.
"Well," I said, scrunching my brow, "all right then. So we just fill these out, and take them to them into the chapel and have them notarized?" I asked. She nodded. I thanked the woman and she began walking back to her post.
"Oh, do you have rings?" she asked.
"Damn it!" I hissed. I turned and smiled, "No, but do we really need them?" By now, I'd left Dom alone for too long, so he sauntered out, sliding his arm around my shoulders.
"Well of course!" the receptionist enthused. I looked at Dom, and he nodded. "Here," she led us to a small display case. "This is our emergency diamond collection," she explained, showing me the rings. They all had reasonable sized diamonds, but were all gold, fake-looking, and hideously ugly. I turned to Dom, who shrugged.
"I don't really like gold," I said, trying to stay polite. Even that didn't stop her.
"Well why didn't ya say so?" she screeched. I found myself being pulled to another edge of the room, to yet another display case. Contrary to the one before it, this case displayed simple, yet elegant, silver bands. No gaudy rejects from the Mr. T Collection, and no raised stones. She pulled out a delecate ring and handed it to me. I moved it through my fingers, switching it from hand to hand, as I examined it. The flat, round stones were spaced evenly around the band, nestled within the metal, which meant no worries about snagging it or cutting someone, and the simplicity of the ring itself was very attractive.
"I like this one," I said, trying it on. I held up my left hand, complete with the ring, for Dom to see.
"Gorgeous," he said, kissing my cheek. "We'll take it."
"Oh wonderful!" The woman began bustling about, ringing up reciepts and the like. "And now for the gentleman..."
"I don't really need one..." he started.
"Yes, you do," I said, remembering the stabbing glances from Letty and near fight from earlier. "Do you have one similar in a man's style?" I asked. He knew that he'd been beat and took a step back, allowing me to have my way with the purchase. We were able to find another, wider ring for Dominic, with larger, square stones. I chose the rings, and the woman happily totaled our entire ceremony.
"That will be... including services and the rings... 8,000 dollars," she chirpped. I looked expectantly at Dom, who produced the bulk of the money he'd taken to the races. As he forked over the cash, I took off my ring and handed it to the receptionist-turned-saleswoman.
"Okay, now if you'll go back and finish with your forms, Father Gellar will see you in a few minutes." I smiled and thanked her, then walked back into the waiting room. We proceeded to fill out the will drafts.
"'In the event of my death, I give full custody of my minor child or children to...'" Dom read. He looked at me, his eyes wide. "To who? Hector? Leon?"
"I think Leon and Mercedes," I said finally, after careful consideration. I'd taken care of them both for a long time, but I trusted that Leon and Mercedes were more responible than Hector. I thought breifly about Brian and Mia, but didn't think it would be fair to burden them, especially because they didn't really know me.
"Ok then, Leon and Mercedes Ferrano." I nodded and wrote the names. We were finished. I took the papers to the notary desk and was stamped, sealed, and ready to go.
"Are you sure you're aright with this?" I asked as we waited for the priest. I looked at Dom, and he looked down at me, smiling.
"Never been more sure of anything in my life," he replied. He leaned down and softly kissed my lips.
"Huh hmm." We were interrupted by a man clearing his throat. I looked in front of us to see a young man in a red uniform usuhering us toward the altar. "Sir, Miss," he said politely, "please, this way."
As we walked slowly with the usher into the shallow room, perhaps it was a full 10 foot hike from the door to the priest, an Elvis-ized, rock and roll, guitar version of the "Wedding March" was cued. I smiled, looked at Dom, who was smiling back at me, then continued walking forward. When we reached him, the priest began speaking at once. He went on with the standard, cookie-cutter ceremonial speech: "Ladies and geltlemen, we are gathered here today to join..." blah blah blah; "If anyone has any objection, let him speak now or forever hold his..." yeah, yeah; "Do you, Dominic Toretto take Zoraida Moreno to be your lawfully wedded wife?" "I do" yadda yadda yadda; "With this ring, I thee wed," and so on and so forth. Finally, the words I'd been waiting for had arrived...
"By the power vested in me by the city of Las Vegas in the great state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." We wasted no time locking lips. When he pulled away, there was a giddy smile plastered to Dom's face, and I'm sure I was mirroring the look. We left the small establishment, hopped in the car, and headed back to Hector's.
"My God," I said, sighing, "everybody's gonna trip."
"'S alright," he said, looking at me, "Mrs. Toretto." I smiled, loving the sound of my new name. Zoraida Toretto. Six months before, I never would've thought it possible.
We arrived back at Hector's as the sun was rising. Instead of going straight to my brother's house, Dom said he wanted to take me somewhere. We ended up on a beach, watching the sunrise. It was a breathtaking sight, but when Dom told me about how his parents used to take him and his sister there when they were young, I knew I was sharing it with the most special person in the world. I laid my seat back and watched with awe. Dom followed suit, reclining his seat as well. His hand reached over to mine, and grabbed it. Periodically, I could feel his grasp tighten, as if to make sure that I was still there. His hand finally settle on my stomach, and I was overcome with a feeling of guilt.
"Dominic..." I said softly. He looked at me.
"Yeah?" he asked dreamily. His voice was light, as if he'd been lost in thought.
"About this situation..." I said, nodding toward his hand.
He cut me off, "Don't worry, baby, I'll take care of everything... You don't have to worry about anything..." I could sense the tension in his voice, and wasn't quite sure if he was ready for my news. I had to tell him though, before my lie became larger than life.
"No, Dom, listen," I said, sitting up, "I've got something really important to say, and I need you to listen..." He nodded and propped himself up on his elbow. "I-I'm-I'm not really pregnant," I said quickly. His face twisted as he tried to take in what I'd said. A calm look washed over him, and he laid back on his seat, with his hands behind his head. "I only said I was to cover up for my sister-" I stopped short, because I'd almost said way too much.
"Wait a second..." he said, looking at the ceiling of the car, "Mercedes... Leon... She's the one who's pregnant?"
"Yeah," I said, swallowing hard. He smiled, but I couldn't tell if he was happy or being a jerk.
"Thank God," he said, sitting up.
"Wha- Huh?" I asked, confused. Did he not want kids?, I wondered aloud.
"No, no, I want kids. I definitely want kids," he reinforced, "I just wanna be able to take care of 'em all." He winked and smiled at me. "All thiry-two of 'em," he joked, sitting up.
"Thrirty-two? I don't think so sweetie. More like three, maybe four, if you're lucky," I argued jokingly. His face was nearing mine, his lips curved in a playful smile as they began a slow motion toward mine.
"We'll talk," he snickered. I smiled and pulled him to me by his shirt, pressing our lips together. "Ok, to Hector's. They're probably wondering where we are," he said once we'd stopped kissing. I sat up, and the seat snapped behind me into place.
"Hector!" I said. "Oh my God Dom, what am I gonna tell Hector?"
"About what?" he asked. I gave him a warning look, which must've turned on a light, because his eyes widened a little.
"Oh," he said, "that. Well..." I watched as a mischevious look spread from his lips to his eyes. "We did sign papers saying that custody of our kids would go to Leon and Mercedes... Why don't we give 'em somethin to take care of?" he asked. I laughed.
"You're serious?" I said, raising my eyebrows. He nodded. "Here, in the car, at the beach, with the sun rising in the background?" I asked, stalling only to make him more impatient.
"Hell yeah," he answered enthusiastically. "Right here, right now. I won't letcha down," he said, giving me an over-exggerated wink.
I thought for a moment. "Aright," I said finally.
"Yeah?"
"Mmhmm... Right now, come on," I ordered. He smiled, laughed, and began unbuckling his belt. I laid my seat back again, then reached over his hands as they worked, to the release on his seat. He fell back with it, and landed with a soft thud. I laughed at him, then helped him get rid of the pants. When we were sufficiently undressed, I slid over onto his lap. He moved the seat all the way back, and I took control of the situation.
Fifteen minutes, a few breathy "I love you's," and about a bajillion kisses later, we were on our way to Hector's, for real.
----------------
Part 52
I sat on one end of the couch in complete silence. Not only was I refusing to talk to Leon, but my sister wasn't home yet and it had been nearly four hours. My elbow rested on the arm of the couch and I had my index finger on my temple. I closed my eyes and for the first time in my life... I prayed, for real. I wanted my sister and Dom to be ok, I didn't wanna have to pull off another daring escape for either of them.
"Ya ok?" I heard Leon asked. I felt his hands on my knees and his thighs on either side of my legs. He was obviously kneeling in front of me.
"Just worried about my sister," I answered quickly.
"I hope they're both in jail," a bitter voice said next to me. I rolled my eyes then opened them to see Letty. "And you know what I say?" she continued.
"Shut up," I said as a warning to her.
"Good riddance," she finished. I shook my head, pushed Leon out my way, and stood up.
"I have had about enough of your mouth," I said to her.
"What do you mean?" she asked with straight attitude.
"I mean quit bad-mouthin my sister."
"The fuck you talkin about? I thought we were friends."
"We were," I answered quickly. "Blood is thicker than water."
"You wanna make somethin of it?" Letty asked, getting in my face. And anyone who knew me knew that I wouldn't stand for that.
"You got that will filled out correctly?" I asked. She laughed at me.
"Real funny," she chuckled. Acting as though I didn't wanna fight her, I turned and started to walk away. I then spun around and jacked her right cheek with my left fist. She was caught by Hector on her way down to the ground.
"Come on!" I yelled, putting my arms out. I started to run after her, but there was an arm around my shoulders and I was pulled away. "Get the fuck off me!" I demanded of the person holding on to me.
"Calm down," I heard Dom's soothing voice in my ear. I continued kicking and punching the air in front of me, hoping I would slither out of his grasp, but that didn't happen.
"Stop it!" my sister yelled as she entered the living room where the whole thing was taking place.
"Someone has to put her in her place!" I yelled my reply.
"Not by you! You're pregnant!" My breathing stopped and I looked at her. She didn't realize what she'd just said and when she did, she closed her eyes and swallowed hard.
"I'm confused," Hector said. I ignored him and looked at Leon. His eyebrows were curled as he stared at Z with an open mouth. He finally looked at me and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Dom slowly put me down.
"So," I said, breaking the silence. "Say something." I wanted to cry because of Z's big mouth, but I wouldn't let my weaknesses show. He remained quiet. "That's what I thought," I whispered and walked out the front door, down the stairs, and stood on the sidewalk. I looked up at the sky and my mind went blank. What had just happened?
"I'm sorry," someone said. I turned and saw Dom standing next to me. He was the last person in the world I expected to come outside.
"Why are you sorry?" I laughed. "You didn't say it, you're not the one who got me pregnant, you're not the one who just found out you're gonna be a father, you're not the one who's having the baby!"
"I am the one who got married though," he said. I closed my eyes, shook my head, and looked at him.
"What?" I stammered. He laughed and nodded.
"Z and I... we got married in Vegas," he said.
"Good for you," I said, nodding. I was happy for them, at least there was one happy couple. Someone cleared their throat from behind us and we both turned around to find Leon standing there.
"Thanks," I said to Dom, thanking him for actually coming outside with me. We hugged quickly and he kissed my forehead. "My brother-in-law," I chanted, smiling. As he passed Leon, he patted his shoulder, but Leon appeared as though he didn't even feel it. He approached me and I began playing with the silver band he'd given me on my ring finger. If he was gonna ask for it back, he wasn't gettin it.
"So," I urged him to say something.
"We're gonna have a baby," he stated the obvious.
"Yeah."
"I'm gonna be a dad?" he asked, a smile tugging hard at his lips. I did the smiling for him.
"Yeah," I whispered, nodding.
"We're gonna have a family."
"Going to?" I questioned his staying with me.
"I'm not goin anywhere," he replied. I giggled as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. I pulled away and pressed our foreheads together.
"We're havin a baby," I cooed. He smiled and we rubbed our noses before kissing again.
"Can I come out now?! I'm dyin over here!" Dom exclaimed from behind the stairs. We laughed and invited him back over. We hugged again and he shared a quick, manly hug with Leon. We headed toward the stairs with me in the middle and my arms wrapped around theirs.
"Oh, Dom and Z got married," I informed Leon.
"No!" Leon breathed.
"Yeah," Dom said.
"They beat us," Leon said.
"I know!" I exclaimed. "Speaking of getting married," I said, turning my attention to Dom. "I didn't see you guys come in, but did you carry my sister across the threshold?"
"No," he answered. "We heard the yellin so we hurried inside."
"Can't believe you didn't carry her across the threshold," I breathed as I headed inside Hector's apartment.
"Everything ok?" Z quickly asked.
"Fine," I said.
"Where's Dom and Leon?" I turned toward the door just as they entered: Dom was carrying Leon across the threshold instead of my sister and Leon was sprinkling pink flower petals over Dom's head.
"Oh... my... God," I said slowly.
"Hey," Hector said, wandering over toward us. "The neighbors have those same flowers."
"Not anymore," Leon said, smiling and nodding. He looked back at Dom and continued dropping the petals all around.
"Fine," Z said. "If that's the way you want it. We're gettin a divorce," she said playfully. Dom looked at Leon just before dropping him. I gasped.
"That wasn't very nice!" I said to Dom as I picked Leon up.
"Oh my God!" Hector yelled. He had one hand on his forehead as he slowly sat on a stool at his bar. "One sister is pregnant and the other is pregnant and married?!"
"Oh, no," Z stated. "I'm not pregnant." Hector muttered something in Spanish as he put his elbows on the bar. Leon and I headed toward the couch, which meant we had to pass Letty. As I did, our faces met centimeters apart and I kept looking at her as she walked the other way.
"You need to control that funky ass temper of yours," Leon told me.
"Shut up," I said playfully.
We all finally settled down to watch a movie. Dom and I sat on the couch with Z and Leon between our legs. Hector was on the floor with Letty, Brian and Mia were on the recliner, and Vince was at the bar... he lived there. I had put in my favorite movie, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," just because I loved Jason Mewes who played Jay.
"I'd do 'em," I said, referring to Jason.
"That must mean you'd do me too," Dom said. I looked at me with a lifted eyebrow.
"Are you skinny with long hair?" I asked him.
"No, but I'm big and bald."
"Exactly."
"I am 110% more of a man than he is." I lightly slapped his cheek and pointed at him.
"Fuck you baldy!" I said. Finally everyone was the way they should've been: happy.
----------------
Part 53
We were on the third showing of "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and I was seated on the floor with Dom, who'd been kicked off of the couch by Leon. He was sitting against the couch's bottom, with me pressed between his legs. His massive arms were resting on his bent knees, and I was examining his hands. The silver ring on his left ring finger was absolutely exquisite. I hadn't noticed it before, but the thing gleamed and sparkled in the dim lighting of Hector's apartment. It was breathtaking. I was married to this man, who had an incredible ring. I tried to watch the remainder of the movie, but I found my eyes were drawn repeatedly back to the silver band.
"What's up?" Dom whispered seriously. His lips grazed my ear accidently, making me shiver.
"Shut up over there!" Mercedes exclaimed, "Can you not see that we're trying to watch this movie?"
"Yeah," Leon muttered, "for the third damn time..."
"Hey you," my sister replied, pointing at him, "shh!"
"Well, if you'll excuse us," Dom said, standing up. "Whoa! Head rush!" He leaned against the arm of the couch. I stood slowly and stretched my arms over my head. Dom grabbed my waist and pulled me to him, nearly knocking me over in the process. I let out a squeal, and was silently reprimanded by Mercedes and a stone-cold glare.
"Sorry, sorry," I apologized. "Come along, Mr. Toretto," I said, stepping over Letty's legs. I couldn't see her face, but I'm sure I would've been happy.
"Lead the way, Mrs. Toretto," he said just as maliciously. I watched him take on long stride over the other woman's body and I laughed as he almost ran into me. He walked behind me, and I was in no particular rush to get anywhere. I felt hands on my hips and arms around my waist. I kept walking, but leaned my head back, my eyes closed. I was scooped up, and tossed onto a bed. I giggled uncontrollably as Dom jumped next to me and began smothering my face and neck with kisses. I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him straight down, his face a mere inch away from mine. I kissed him softly, and his arms gave way, resulting in his falling on top of me. I moved my legs to allow him to slip between them, as we continued kissing. With every skin-to-skin touch, every motion, every breath, I fell more in love with him.
Of course, as always, kissing Dom lead to other, more strenuous physical activities. The sun was now setting on the first day of our new life, and the moon would soon be out. I looked up, and saw Hector's mirrors. "I swear to God," I said softly, pulling the sheet to my chin, "Hector's gonna kick us out, just because he can't use his bed." Dom laughed his low, rumbling laugh, then put his hands behind his head as he lie next to me, otherwise unmoving and silent. I wondered what was going through his mind, because he'd been extremely quiet since Letty and Mercedes' altercation.
I sat up and held the sheet to my now-heaving chest. I'd never get over how gorgeous he looked every night. Even if we hadn't been tumbling around, his body emitted a certain glow, one that was beautiful and peaceful.
"What's the matter?" I asked, putting my head on his chest. He moved his arm to place it on my naked back, which had come uncovered as I moved to the awkward position. It felt good to have his strength around me. I was used to being the strong one, always on the lookout. It was nice to be with someone who knew the stress of total responsibility. We would make excellent parents.
"Hector told me..." he started meekly, "that he had Edwin find your father... He knows where your dad is." I sat up and nodded.
"Yeah, so what? So do I," I said nonchalantly. Dom's face contorted as he eyed me suspiciously, "Hector said you guys didn't know where he was."
I sighed heavily and dropped my head. I rolled it from side to side, cracking my neck in various places. "Hector didn't know, Mercedes didn't know, but I know. I've known since he left." I didn't really feel like talking about it, but I knew that he was going to make me.
"What? I'm confused," Dom said slowly, "Talk to me, Z. What happened?"
I sighed again and began telling him about my parents. Being the eldest child, I recieved the brunt of the punishments, responsibilities, and memories from our home, so I was best equipped. Our father was a full- blooded, hot-tempered Mexican man by the name of Hector Garcia Moreno Sr. who, when Hector and Mercedes last saw him, had jet black hair, made of tight ringlet curls. His face, which had stayed burned into my mind, was handsome, and his skin was dark like mine. The three of us had his eyes, dark brown and emotional. I'd been 18 years old when he left, unable to deal with the stress of raising three kids on his own, after our mother's death.
"What happened to your mother?" Dom asked softly, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I continued with my story. I told him what I'd told Hector and Mercedes many times, that our parents were killed in an automobile accident. That's all they ever knew. They never knew the reality, which was that our mother was very ill, and had lost a lifelong battle with uterine cancer, and that it was too much for him to handle. Because I was 18, I was named the custodial guardian of my younger siblings, and was given the deed to our house, while our father left, looking for a better life. Not being one to completely disregard his obligations, he kept in touch with me and sent me money to raise my 15-year-old brother and 12-year- old sister, and keep us in the lifestyle to which we were accustomed.
Of course, he'd remarried and had more kids, which I knew, but I'd never told anyone about. I knew where he was, and we continued corresponding until Mercedes was 18. Then, the letters stopped coming, we were old enough to take care of ourselves. Hector had already moved to the States, and our dad knew about Mercedes and I stealing cars, so he figured that he could finally begin his new life with his new family and forget all about us.
"But I can't be mad at him," I said, smiling sadly, "because he took care of us as long as he would've, anyway." Dom was dombfounded. He sat there, indian style on the bed, completely naked, unable to speak.
After a few long minutes of silence, he'd finally regained his composure long enough to say, "Tell me about your mom." I nodded and smiled, swallowing hard. It had always been harder for me to talk about her, because she was such an amazing person.
My mother was an American woman named Rosa, born and raised in Texas. Her family owned a cattle ranch, which is how she met my father. He was a migrant worker, but after weeks of secret meetings, they decided to get married, settle down. My mother's parents were surprisingly helpful, and even offered to let them stay on the property, but my parents wanted a life of their own. They were summoned back to Mexico by his parents, who were very needy people. They hated my mother, but whenever she took us to see them, she always had her head held high, and was cordial and polite. My grandparents spoke no English, so they would talk between themselves in Spanish, not knowing that my mom had been speaking it since she could talk. I would ask her why she never said anything about it, and she always said that it was to, "retain an illusion... make them think they're superior."
As far as I was concerned, my mother was the most beautiful woman in the world. She had tanned skin from long days working outside, and beautiful dark brown hair. Her eyes were the color of robin's eggs, and they always sparkled. I remember how crushed she was when she found out about her illness, but she never showed it. Then, one day, she was rushed to the hospital, and my father called to tell me she was gone.
By this time, I was crying buckets, but Dom put his arms around me and said, "I won't say that I know what you're going through, but I'm here, and if you wanna get things right with your dad, I'll help you."
Days after my heart-felt life story, Dom and I were looking for an apartment of our own, when my sister ran in. "Oh my God!" she said excitedly. As Leon jogged in after her, I asked what was going on, and she managed, through tears and yelps of excitement, to choke out, "It's a girl!" I jumped up and hugged her. We looked at each other and shrieked happily, jumping up and down.
"I think Leon hates her," Mercedes whispered loudly, "becase he wants to name her Ashley." She rolled her eyes and Leon stepped forward.
"I said Ashley Nicole," he protested, "and you said that you liked Nicole!"
"And I do, but I'm sorry, I am not naming my baby Ashley," she turned to me and gave me a funny look. I laughed.
"Hey, this is your argument, not mine!" I said, raising my hands, as if to say, 'It's up to you.'
"What do you think, Dom?" Leon asked, "Ain't Ashley a good name?"
"Hey man, this is your kid, I didn't knock her up!" Dom said, smiling. "I got my own to worry about."
"What's that?" Mercedes questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Come again?"
"I said, 'I got my own to worry about,'" Dom repeated slowly, "Ya catch that?"
"Is there something I should know?" my sister asked, turning to me.
"Not yet," I said, reclaiming my place next to Dom. She eyed me suspiciously, but continued on into the kitchen.
Later that night, Dom had put on the outfit that my sister had bought for him, and I'd cornered him in the kitchen. "Where you goin dressed all sexy like that, Mr. Toretto?" I asked, sliding my arms around his waist. I hooked my fingers into his belt loops and looked up at him.
"Got a race," he answered simply, kissing my forehead.
"Oh?" I asked, suddenly full of attitude, "Were ya just not gonna tell me? Just, slip out the door unnoticed?" My hands had found their familiar place on my hip, and my voice assumed it's icy, lecturing tone. I watched as my husband ran his palms over his head and face and tried to ignore my firey temperament.
"No, I was going to tell you," he said, "but I figured I'd wait til I was leaving."
"Why, Dom? Why would you do that?" I asked, complete with attitude. He muttered something, then pushed past me to go into the living room.
"Leon, V, let's roll," he said calmly. "Edwin!" he yelled. Edwin came dashing out of the bathroom, holding his pants.
"What, man? Damn, can't a nigga take a piss around here?" he asked, looking at me with a strange look. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Dom.
"You're stayin here, right?" he asked. Edwin nodded. "Aright. Love you babe," he said, moving to kiss me. I turned my head and his face ran into my cheek. He looked at me expectantly and tried again, with the same result. "Fine," he said, grabbing his jacket, "whatever." He said good-bye as he walked out the door, followed by Vince, and soon Leon, who had stopped to say his farewells to Mercedes. She was just as mad as I was.
"Edwin!" I called.
"Shit! Come on now," he whined, walking back down the hallway from the bathroom, "I really gotta piss!"
"Little more info than we needed there, friend," Mercedes said sarcastically, flopping herself onto the couch.
"Sorry... What, Z?" he asked impatiently.
"Why aren't you going?" I enquired. As far as I knew, Edwin always raced. Always.
"Cuz I'm s'posed t'watch ya'll two," he said, pointing at us.
"Oh hell no," my sister and I said simultaneously.
"Edwin, go on, go piss... Mercedes, get dressed," I said, walking into Hector's room.
"What? Why?" he asked. I turned to look at the man who was still holding his pants on.
"Because we're goin to that race, whether Dom likes it or not," I replied with conviction. Edwin rolled his eyes, huffed, and walked back into the bathroom. Mercedes and I changed into suitable attire, and were putting on make-up when Edwin emerged form the bathroom.
"You do know that Dom's gonna kill me, right?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe to Hector's bedroom, "I'm'a be one dead nigga. Gon' be on da news an' shit..."
"Shut up and get your car ready," Mercedes said forcefully. Edwin stood there for a moment, stunned. "Go," she said. He didn't move. "I know you're not gonna tell a pregnant Mexican 'no,'" she said, her voice much like mine had been previously. He must've come out of his shock, because he turned and went outside. I heard the car roar to life, and sent my sister outside after him.
I found a sticky note and a pen, and left a note on the TV for whoever came home: 'We all left. Be back soon. Z.' Then I walked out, locked the door, and ran downstairs to the waiting car.
----------------
Part 54
Being the non-fat pregnant woman of the group, I was ordered to sit in the backseat by my older, overprotective sister. And, acting like I was a two- year-old, she buckled my seatbelt for me! I didn't say anything to her because all the while she had the biggest smile on her face I'd ever seen. I wasn't sure if she was smiling because of her recent marriage to Dom or her future niece.
We rode in silence. Edwin was still pissed basically because of his 'kidnapping', and Z still had that stupid grin on her face. I, on the other hand, was beginning to feel sick. I suddenly began to realize why so many women hated pregnancy. But something else caught my attention: how slowly the white lines on the road were passing us.
"You know you drive almost slow enough to drive Miss Daisy," I told Edwin. My sister giggled.
"Yeah, I thought you were a racer," she said.
"Hey," he started. "I got a woman wit' a baby in the backseat and I ain't about to crash this car killin one or bof' of 'em then havin Leon and Dom on my ass!" I smiled. His comment was kinda sweet.
"Besides, does this look like a racing car?" he asked.
"Hells yes!" I exclaimed. "This is a Hemi Cuda if you didn't notice."
"I noticed... it's not a racin car," he argued.
"Oh shut your mouth!" I said.
We finally arrived at the race scene and we got out. Almost immediately, Dom had stomped over to us. He stood in front of me, glaring down on me like I was the only one who got out the car.
"Surprise!" I exclaimed, thrusting my arms out. He continued staring at me. "Isn't it your birthday?" I asked, slowly looking at Z and Edwin for a little help.
"I told you not to come," he said.
"It was him!" Z and I said, pointing to Edwin.
"'Ey!" he yelled, putting his hands up.
"Edwin," Dom yelled.
I smiled and scanned the crowd for Leon, not really wanting to hang around for the beating Edwin was gonna get. I found him... talking to another woman. I pulled my skirt up, ran my fingers through my hair, and slowly, but sexily walked over to them. When Leon saw me, his eyes grew big and he froze. I spun around on my toes so I was facing the girl and standing between them. I arched an eyebrow and my hand found my hip. The girl put her hands up and walked away. I turned to Leon with an expecting look on my face, I wanted an explanation.
"Well, hello," he forced. "You weren't supposed to be here." I continued looking at him, not saying anything. "Love you," he chanted, walking passed me. I laughed as I grabbed his tank top, spun him around, and kissed him roughly.
"Mmm..." he purred against my lips. He pressed his forehead to mine. "Maybe I should misbehave more often."
"If I see you talking to that hoe again," I said. "I'll cut off your manhood."
"Ooh..." he whispered, his eyes squinting. "That wouldn't be fun."
"No," I said, shaking my head.
He took my hand and led me through the crowd to the middle where Dom was now standing. I watched him lecture the entire group of people and it was boring to me because I had no idea what the hell he was talking about. I turned to Leon because I was gonna ask him what this was all about, but I couldn't speak. He looked amazing, like usual, but this night in particular. He was wearing his sexy white wife-beater, baggy blue jeans with his wallet chain, all that was normal. But he'd slipped on a black beanie and had a toothpick in his mouth. I almost fell over.
"3 G buy in," Dom said, catching my attention.
"What he say?" I stuttered, turning toward Dom.
"3 G buy in," Leon repeated.
"Three... thousand... dollars," I breathed.
"That's a lot more than he usually bets," Leon said. Dom finished his speech and the other three racers placed their rolled up cash in my brother's hand. Leon put his hand on my back and led me out of the crowd with Dom, Z, and Hector following. I grabbed Hector's shirt and pulled him next to me.
"You're gonna steal that right?" I asked. He laughed at me and told me that he was gonna hold it then give it to the winner, which was gonna be Dominic. "Oh, well then it's all good," I said.
"Honey..." Leon whined. But I was too busy lookin at 12,000 dollars in my brother's hand.
"Umm... C'I hold that?" I asked Hector, pointing to the cash.
"Sweetie," Leon said, grabbing my hand.
"I'm talking to my brother!" I stammered.
"Get outta here Mercedes," Hector said.
"But..." I started. Before I could finish my sentence, I was picked up by Leon and carried toward his car. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he looked at me.
"Do you love me?" I asked. He slightly nodded.
"Yeah, I guess," he said. "I mean, I am marrying you."
"You're marrying me because I'm pregnant aren't you!" I yelled, pretending to cry.
"Now that is a harsh indictment," he said. I giggled and kissed him on the cheek as I was finally set on the ground. We got in the car and he flipped on the police scanners. After a few seconds of listening to the static voices feed numbers to the other people, Leon pulled out his cellphone.
"I got a 7-11 in San Dimas, we're a go," he said.
"What's a 7-11?" I asked.
"Drive by."
"There was a drive by in San Dimas?!" I asked, my eyebrows curling and my eyes wide. San Dimas was about 2 miles long.
"I know that was strange to me, too," Leon said, nodding.
I looked toward the race and the crowd had broken up and were now lined up along the street. I saw Dom's red car on the far left, then a blue one, a white one, and a green one. Fire blew from their tailpipes before Hector gave the sign and yelled 'Go!' They sped off at what seemed like full speed and the cheering began. I wasn't all that interested, so I laid the seat back and shut my eyes. I felt Leon's hand on my stomach. I smiled and placed my hands on his, but didn't move.
"Did you know there's a baby growin inside of you?" he asked just when I was about to fall asleep. I opened my eyes only to roll them in his direction.
"Thanks for the late breaking news Dan Rather," I said.
"Just tryin to make conversation," he said, laying his head against the headrest.
"Yeah? Do it in sign language," I said, motioning with my hands.
"Dom won," I heard my brother's voice filter throughout the car. "He's the winner."
"Surprise, surprise," Leon said, putting the cellphone to his lips again. He told me he was gonna go congratulate Dom and for me to stay put.
"Alright," I sighed.
"Promise me," he said.
"Where'm I gonna go?!" I yelled. He laughed, kissed my cheek, then got out and jogged toward the group of people surrounding Dom's car. After a few minutes of being really bored, I got out and leaned my back against the car door.
"You're not too happy," I heard a familiar voice. I turned around to see the short Korean man again.
"What do you want?" I asked. He walked around the car with his hand gliding over the trunk and stood next to me.
"I know what could make you happy," he said calmly.
"You're gonna find a way to drop dead within the next 5 seconds?" I asked. He was not impressing me.
"I know where to find your father," he whispered.
"Me too," I said. "He died when I was 12." He laughed quietly before slowly walking toward the same black Mercedes. He stopped and turned to look at me.
"Ya know the moment of realization is worth... a thousand prayers," he said. He got in the car and drove off.
"What?!" I whispered to myself.
----------------
Part 55
I was celebrating with Dom, Hector, and the gang, when I looked for Mercedes. I knew she wasn't in the mood to be around Dom and everyone, but I didn't know where she was and I was worried. I frantically scanned the scene, hoping to find some sight of my little sister. Eventually, my eyes landed on her and I was able to breathe again, but before I got too comfortable, I noticed that she was talking to someone.
"Holy shit..." I whispered, "Lance, you bastard!" I turned to Dom, who had his arm draped over the shoulders of some white girl with long blonde hair and a Hollywood body. He was laughing heartily as my brother proceeded to tell an un-funny joke that I'd heard times before. I flung a deadly glare at him, and his laughter stopped abruptly. He cast his eyes down, removed his arm from the girl's shoulders and followed me as I stomped away.
"Z! Baby! Wait!" he said, grabbing my arm. He spun me around and I yanked myself free and stared at him. He looked at me, then looked at the ground. He knew I was upset, but he found my one weakness. "Here," he said meekly, handing the money he'd won to me, "I won all this money, you can have it!" His arm was extended toward me, with the bills fanned out for me to take. I almost grabbed the money, but looked back at where my sister was, noting that Lance had taken flight. I pushed Dom's hand out of the way.
"I don't want your money, I want your keys," I said sternly. He looked at me with disbelief.
"You're joking right?" I said nothing, but held my hand out expectantly. He looked at me to make sure that I was serious, then groaned and pulled the keys slowly out of his pocket.
"Come on!" I exclaimed. If I was gonna catch up to Lance, I needed to leave. Dom huffed as he placed the keys in my hand and began rambling on about being careful with his car. I turned around and ran to the car, ignoring him.
"Where you goin?" Hector called, seeing me leave. I ignored him as well, as I was also mad at him for letting Dom hang onto some sleaze. I jumped into the driver's seat and took off.
"Fuck!" I screamed, slamming my hand against the steering wheel. I was mad at Dom, I was mad at Hector, and I was mad at Lance. I sped into the desert, headed intently toward Santa Monica.
The car came to a screeching halt as I slammed on the brakes in front of the large mansion I'd made my way to. The gate was closed, so I drove to the keypad. I punched violently into the keypad the page number that I'd been given.
"Hello?" came a woman's voice. "Who's there?"
"Zoraida," I said roughly. I felt foolish for being harsh with the machine, and slunk back into the seat to wait for the gate to open. It did after a short pause and I rolled into the driveway and saw the same black Benz that had been parked near my sister. "That fuckin guy..." I mumbled.
I jogged up the stairs. The door was open before I reached it. I stared into the expressive eyes of the older man in front of me. His hair was grayer than I'd anticipated, but his face still maintined its powerful, intimidating quality. My eyes wanted to tear up as I stared at the man I'd never forgotten about, even after ten long years. "Papi?" I asked, my voice cracking.
"Zoraida..." he replied seriously. I looked at his face and saw no emotion, but that's how I remembered him. He always kept a stolid appearance when he was thinking or dealing with his feelings. After a few miuntes of silence, he stepped aside to invite me in. I walked in and was greeted by a grand staircase, above which hung the biggest chandelier I'd ever seen. My father turned to usher me into a room, and I followed him. As I walked, I noticed something I hadn't before. My sister and I were our parents. I looked more like my dad than my mom, I walked like him, and I had his firey temper, which was always on high heat. My sister, however, was like our mother. She had her features, her cooler demeanor, her laugh. Hector, somehow, managed to be the perfectly balanced mixture of the two. He resembled our mom more, but it was obvious that he was his father's son.
We walked into a large study, which contained numerous chairs, shelves filled with books, and a large, wooden desk. He pulled a chair from the desk for me, and I sat slowly down. Then he walked around the desk to sit across from me. We sat in silence for a long while. I stared at my father, and he stared back. I couldn't believe how much older he looked, and I'm sure it was hard for him to concieve of the growth I'd achieved.
His eyes lit up as if he'd remembered something, and he yanked open a drawer on his left. He pulled a few items out of it, setting them on the desk. After a few moments of frustrated searching, he found what he was looking for. I was handed a small, bent, faded photograph. My breath almost stopped when I saw it. It was the last picture that we'd taken as a family, a year after my sister was born. My eyes welled up with tears as I traced the picture with my fingers, touching my mother's face lingeringly. I hadn't realized how much I missed my parents until that very moment. I looked at my father, who was staring at me expectantly.
"Papi," I started. His hand went up and I was silenced.
"I know why you came," he said slowly, his accent still thick in his voice. He never mentioned having learned English, so I was a little startled as he continued, "And I've taken care of it. You shouldn't be here." I looked at him incredulously. Was this the man who'd taken us to circuses and parks as children? Was this the man who, when his baby boy was born, he was so overcome with joy that he cried like he'd never stop? Was this my daddy?
"Papi," I said softly, "I'm here because your boy's startin trouble... And Mercedes... Oh Papi," I said, looking up at him, "She's gonna have a baby! You've gotta see her!" His expression didn't change. I slunk back into my chair, ashamed by my sudden outbrst. He was the only person in the world who intimidated me, even after not having seen him for ten years. His drak brown eyes met mine, and I could see that he'd missed us.
"I'll see her," he said after at least five minutes of silence and concentration. A smile threatened to take over his eyes as he thought about his little baby, ready to have one of her own. I thanked him and gave him the number to Hector's and my cell phone number.
"We'll talk," he said, ushering me out the front door. I stepped outside and the door shut quickly behind me. I looked at it, then walked slowly to Dom's car. I gave one last glance at the house before I sped away, hoping to get back to Hector's before Mercedes got worried.
Luckily, when I arrived, my sister wasn't trippin. In fact, she was calm... Almost. "Hector, quit your damn cheatin, this ain't Uno!" she yelled, throwing a pretzel at his head. I looked at the table where Brian, Mercedes, Edwin, Hector, Dom and Leon all sat, and seeing the red, white, and blue chips on the table, I knew they were playing poker. The one game that Mercedes and I were both awesome at.