Chapter 6
A month had gone by.
Miguel and Tulio were a mere shadow of what they used to look like. They both had lost a lot of weight, since they used all the money they got to buy food, clothes, diapers and toys for Maria. They barely slept and barely went out. They were unshaven, sore and were nearly insane. Every time the baby made even the slightest whimper, it was always pandemonium. Even though they truly loved her, it was killing them.
One day, as Miguel and Tulio were staring off into space and trying to keep awake, there was a knock at the door. "Cervantes? Saldovar? Open up! Your rent was due yesterday!" It was Inigo, the landlord.
"Miguel... Go get it... I don't think I can get up." Tulio gave a little, pathetic sigh, and painfully went to sleep, giving out loud snores.
Miguel groaned as he got up, fumbled for about a minute with the locks, and opened the door. "Uh...What?"
"Jesus Christ Cervantes, you look like crap!" Inigo was a skinny, perverted little man, with greasy brown hair and squinty eyes. But Miguel had to admit, he looked a lot better than he did right now. "Just please tell me what you want."
"Your rent was due yesterday!"
"Oh... Oh, okay...uh... J-just a minute." Miguel fumbled around in his pockets and gave him a fistful of coins. "Take it, I'm too tired to count it." As Miguel began to close the door, Inigo slipped his foot in to stop it. "Look Cervantes, I'm really not the kind of man to say this, but I'm worried about the two of you. This kid you found is, uh, screwin' up your lives. And if this rent stuff continues, then how am I gonna pay my hookers?"
"Oh lord, that would be terrible." Miguel said sarcastically. "Now, if you will excuse me-"
"Wait wait wait wait wait, I have more!..... Now, I'm gonna do you a little favor. How about I take the kid for the night, while you two catch up on your...uh…'Beauty sleep.' Cuz frankly, heh heh heh, ya need it. How about it Cervantes?... Cervantes?"
Miguel had fallen asleep standing up in the doorway.
"CERVANTES!"
"I'll get it, what flavor?!" Miguel screamed, his eyes popping open and then immediately drooping again.
"How about it, man?"
"Huh?... Okay sure, no problem..."
"Excellent! Now, let me just get the little wench and I'll be on my way." Inigo walked into the room and picked up the sleeping baby. "Whew! Man, this place stinks of sour milk and crap! Might I suggest some incense, or some scented candles? Hehehe. Buenos noches, mis amigos!" And with that he closed the door, and Miguel fell into his bed face first and blacked out.
-------------------------
Tulio woke up the next day and cracked his neck back into place. It took a minute to open his eyes, and he looked around the room. He saw Miguel with his face in his pillow and snoring loudly. He looked over to where Maria's bed was, only to find it empty. At first he didn't seem to mind, but reality slowly crept into his mind. "Huh, Maria's gone... Maria's gone?... MARIA'S GONE?!?!?!?!?!?! MIGUUUUUEEEEEEEEL!!!!!!!!"
"Mmm, yes, I'm a natural blonde..."
"MIGUEL, WAKE UP!!!!!!!!! MARIA'S GONE!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Huh? No she's not, she's-" Miguel glanced over his shoulder to find Maria's empty bed. "NOT IN BED!!!!!!!"
"What the hell happened, Miguel?!?!
"I-I-I-I-I don't know!!!!!!! The last thing I remember was looking at Maria, then I was at the door, then I fell!!!!!!
"Wait a minute." Tulio said. "You were at the door? Do you remember anyone coming in?"
"No!!!... Wait a minute. YES!!!! OH MY GOD, MARIA'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Now now, w-w-we don't know that for sure."
But it was to late. Miguel was bawling. "Oh my god, I let Maria get kidnaaaaaapped!!!!! I was supposed to watch her, and...and...AAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!" Miguel raised his head and screamed as tears came streaming down his cheeks.
"Miguel! Miguel! MIGUEL!!!!!!" Tulio slapped Miguel hard across the face and left him shocked, but still sniffling.
"Alright, now, we're going to look for her, and we're are going to find her. Okay?"
Miguel finally caught his breath from all of his screaming. "O-okay."
"Alright, let's go."
---------------
"Have you seen a baby around here?"
"No."
"Excuse me, have you seen a little baby girl?"
"No."
Miguel and Tulio popped their heads in every single door in the complex, looking for Maria. But none of them had seen her. Miguel started to hyperventilate again after they looked in the last apartment. "We've lost her!!!!! What will we do when the mother comes back?!?! How will explain to this girl that we lost the child that we worked SO HARD TO PROTECT?!?!?! WHAT ARE WE-"
"Miguel! Relax!"
"Re-lax?..." Miguel slowly turned to Tulio, his left eye twitching. "Don't you dare tell me to relax!!! What kind of crazy hypocrite are you?! Who's the guy who's always trying to avoid any danger? You! Who's the guy who worries to the extreme? You! Who always says 'I don't think this is such a good idea.'? YOU!!! YOU YOU YOU!!! Mister 'un-relaxy-er!'" Miguel buried his face in his hands and started to sob.
"But Miguel, we still have one apartment to check!"
Miguel panted a little and looked up. "Huh?!?! Who's?!?!"
"Inigo's."
"Oh puh-lease, Tulio. I'm not THAT careless!!!!!"
"It won't hurt to look. Now come on."
--------------------------
Tulio knocked on the door of Inigo's apartment. "Just a minute!" came a voice. After a little shuffling, Inigo opened the door, and in his arms was...
"MARIA!!!!!!!" A huge grin cracked on Miguel's face, and he grabbed the baby and started to kiss all over her face with big smacks. Then he put on the most evil face he had and hissed at Inigo. "How DARE you steal her from us."
"Yeah pal, you got a lot of explaining to do."
"What? Cervantes, don't you remember anything about last night? You said you'd let me take care of the kid so you could get some sleep."
"Oh yeah right, like I would-... Wait... OH YEAH!!!!!!!!... Uh, I guess I did, didn't I?" Miguel gave a sheepish chuckle and turned a shade of pink.
"Maybe next time I'll ask you when you're fully awake. Okay boys, I have to admit, she's a doll. Whenever you need a break, I'm here for ya. But, just to let you know, I'm gonna have to raise your rent a little. After all, I don't baby-sit for free. Adios!" He slammed the door in their faces, before opening it again. "Oh, and by the way. Babies? Total chick magnets!" SLAM!
"That's just nasty." Tulio said, and they went back to their apartment, kissing Maria and falling deeper in love with her.
But now, they weren't afraid to let anyone else love her too.
A month had gone by.
Miguel and Tulio were a mere shadow of what they used to look like. They both had lost a lot of weight, since they used all the money they got to buy food, clothes, diapers and toys for Maria. They barely slept and barely went out. They were unshaven, sore and were nearly insane. Every time the baby made even the slightest whimper, it was always pandemonium. Even though they truly loved her, it was killing them.
One day, as Miguel and Tulio were staring off into space and trying to keep awake, there was a knock at the door. "Cervantes? Saldovar? Open up! Your rent was due yesterday!" It was Inigo, the landlord.
"Miguel... Go get it... I don't think I can get up." Tulio gave a little, pathetic sigh, and painfully went to sleep, giving out loud snores.
Miguel groaned as he got up, fumbled for about a minute with the locks, and opened the door. "Uh...What?"
"Jesus Christ Cervantes, you look like crap!" Inigo was a skinny, perverted little man, with greasy brown hair and squinty eyes. But Miguel had to admit, he looked a lot better than he did right now. "Just please tell me what you want."
"Your rent was due yesterday!"
"Oh... Oh, okay...uh... J-just a minute." Miguel fumbled around in his pockets and gave him a fistful of coins. "Take it, I'm too tired to count it." As Miguel began to close the door, Inigo slipped his foot in to stop it. "Look Cervantes, I'm really not the kind of man to say this, but I'm worried about the two of you. This kid you found is, uh, screwin' up your lives. And if this rent stuff continues, then how am I gonna pay my hookers?"
"Oh lord, that would be terrible." Miguel said sarcastically. "Now, if you will excuse me-"
"Wait wait wait wait wait, I have more!..... Now, I'm gonna do you a little favor. How about I take the kid for the night, while you two catch up on your...uh…'Beauty sleep.' Cuz frankly, heh heh heh, ya need it. How about it Cervantes?... Cervantes?"
Miguel had fallen asleep standing up in the doorway.
"CERVANTES!"
"I'll get it, what flavor?!" Miguel screamed, his eyes popping open and then immediately drooping again.
"How about it, man?"
"Huh?... Okay sure, no problem..."
"Excellent! Now, let me just get the little wench and I'll be on my way." Inigo walked into the room and picked up the sleeping baby. "Whew! Man, this place stinks of sour milk and crap! Might I suggest some incense, or some scented candles? Hehehe. Buenos noches, mis amigos!" And with that he closed the door, and Miguel fell into his bed face first and blacked out.
-------------------------
Tulio woke up the next day and cracked his neck back into place. It took a minute to open his eyes, and he looked around the room. He saw Miguel with his face in his pillow and snoring loudly. He looked over to where Maria's bed was, only to find it empty. At first he didn't seem to mind, but reality slowly crept into his mind. "Huh, Maria's gone... Maria's gone?... MARIA'S GONE?!?!?!?!?!?! MIGUUUUUEEEEEEEEL!!!!!!!!"
"Mmm, yes, I'm a natural blonde..."
"MIGUEL, WAKE UP!!!!!!!!! MARIA'S GONE!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Huh? No she's not, she's-" Miguel glanced over his shoulder to find Maria's empty bed. "NOT IN BED!!!!!!!"
"What the hell happened, Miguel?!?!
"I-I-I-I-I don't know!!!!!!! The last thing I remember was looking at Maria, then I was at the door, then I fell!!!!!!
"Wait a minute." Tulio said. "You were at the door? Do you remember anyone coming in?"
"No!!!... Wait a minute. YES!!!! OH MY GOD, MARIA'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Now now, w-w-we don't know that for sure."
But it was to late. Miguel was bawling. "Oh my god, I let Maria get kidnaaaaaapped!!!!! I was supposed to watch her, and...and...AAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!" Miguel raised his head and screamed as tears came streaming down his cheeks.
"Miguel! Miguel! MIGUEL!!!!!!" Tulio slapped Miguel hard across the face and left him shocked, but still sniffling.
"Alright, now, we're going to look for her, and we're are going to find her. Okay?"
Miguel finally caught his breath from all of his screaming. "O-okay."
"Alright, let's go."
---------------
"Have you seen a baby around here?"
"No."
"Excuse me, have you seen a little baby girl?"
"No."
Miguel and Tulio popped their heads in every single door in the complex, looking for Maria. But none of them had seen her. Miguel started to hyperventilate again after they looked in the last apartment. "We've lost her!!!!! What will we do when the mother comes back?!?! How will explain to this girl that we lost the child that we worked SO HARD TO PROTECT?!?!?! WHAT ARE WE-"
"Miguel! Relax!"
"Re-lax?..." Miguel slowly turned to Tulio, his left eye twitching. "Don't you dare tell me to relax!!! What kind of crazy hypocrite are you?! Who's the guy who's always trying to avoid any danger? You! Who's the guy who worries to the extreme? You! Who always says 'I don't think this is such a good idea.'? YOU!!! YOU YOU YOU!!! Mister 'un-relaxy-er!'" Miguel buried his face in his hands and started to sob.
"But Miguel, we still have one apartment to check!"
Miguel panted a little and looked up. "Huh?!?! Who's?!?!"
"Inigo's."
"Oh puh-lease, Tulio. I'm not THAT careless!!!!!"
"It won't hurt to look. Now come on."
--------------------------
Tulio knocked on the door of Inigo's apartment. "Just a minute!" came a voice. After a little shuffling, Inigo opened the door, and in his arms was...
"MARIA!!!!!!!" A huge grin cracked on Miguel's face, and he grabbed the baby and started to kiss all over her face with big smacks. Then he put on the most evil face he had and hissed at Inigo. "How DARE you steal her from us."
"Yeah pal, you got a lot of explaining to do."
"What? Cervantes, don't you remember anything about last night? You said you'd let me take care of the kid so you could get some sleep."
"Oh yeah right, like I would-... Wait... OH YEAH!!!!!!!!... Uh, I guess I did, didn't I?" Miguel gave a sheepish chuckle and turned a shade of pink.
"Maybe next time I'll ask you when you're fully awake. Okay boys, I have to admit, she's a doll. Whenever you need a break, I'm here for ya. But, just to let you know, I'm gonna have to raise your rent a little. After all, I don't baby-sit for free. Adios!" He slammed the door in their faces, before opening it again. "Oh, and by the way. Babies? Total chick magnets!" SLAM!
"That's just nasty." Tulio said, and they went back to their apartment, kissing Maria and falling deeper in love with her.
But now, they weren't afraid to let anyone else love her too.