Chapter 3
Dom asked Le to take me to get checked for my bruised ribs, but I had other plans.
As I looked out the window, I saw some Mexican and Chicano guys showing off their Low riders to some fascinated chicks, I saw Don Tito cooking up his usual steaming plates of Plantains and fried pork. Hell yeah!
"Leon pull over, man. I'm starving." He parked the car and we got out. I felt like I haven't ate in forever. I remembered I was eating for two. I am so happy. I'm going to have a little Dom Jr. Mine is special. It's our blood. Hell, it can even be just mine. I'll love it so much.
We walked into the steamy restaurant called "La Isla". Vince told me about it and it's hella good. Vince doesn't look like someone who knows a lot, but I gotta hand it to him, he knows good food. The curvy waitress sat us down and smiled. Good. She was decent, I won't have to punch anyone today. While we were waiting for our food, I decided to tell Leon. He was the only person I could trust, except for Mia of course.
"Leon. I got somethin' I gotta tell ya." I looked down at my hands. He looked at me and must have known I was serious, because he took my hand right away.
"What Let. You can tell my anything." His brow was creased. I smiled because I could tell he was genuinely worried. Good ol' Leon.
"I'm think I'm pregnant. But you can't tell Dom. Not yet." His mouth dropped. His face was twitching like he didn't know how to react.
"Letty...I...wow." His eyes were huge. "I'm sorry I just can't picture you as a mom. You've always been one of the guys."
"Yeah, I know. I didnt plan it though. The past few days I've been sick as a dog and I thought it was all the beer and shit, but I felt under my navel and I have a knot. I want to get checked, Leon. Today. I'm scared because with all the shit that has happened to me lately, I don't want it to come out fucked up, man. It'll be my fault. I mean, I was in a wreck because of Dom's greedy ass and I'm always fighting with Dom about all his bullshit. Plus, I'm not the most healthy person I know. I drink like hell. But you know what Leon, I'm going to quit from now on. No more stupid shit."
Leon must have been impressed because his eyebrows were in the middle of his forehead.
"Letty, I'm really proud of you for handling it so well. Especially, since...you don't like hospitals."
At the mention of the word "hospitals" I got dizzy. Memories of my family flooded back. The wreck...the hospital....so much fucking white...my family...their deaths...and I was the only survivor...Dom took me in...
"That doesn't change anything, I just want to go to a clinic, or a doctor. I'm not setting foot in a hospital."
Leon looked down. Thinking hard.
"Well you can just have the baby in the house. My sister had hers that way and you can be around the people you love. I mean, Dom's gonna find out sooner or later anyway. It's kinda hard hiding a pregnancy."
"Yeah, but I'll be the one to tell him, aiight." I didn't want him to hear it from anyone else.
"But Letty...promise me...that you are gonna tell him soon, before he finds out on his own."
"Yeah, man. But Leon, he doesn't love me anymore. All the nights he comes home and he's been with other girls, and I fuckin' know it. He comes home a fuckin' mess, with hickies, lipstick on his fuckin' clothes, and smellin' like a fuckin' woman. Shit. What the fuck, you know? What have I done to him that's so bad?" My eyes watered up right there in the restaurant, and I wiped them away as the waitress came. I looked out the window as she came by with our food. I didn't want anyone to see me like this.
"Letty, if we knew the answer to that one, we'd be rich." He shook his head. "But if you ever need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to come to me. Whether it's cash, a ride, an excuse, whatever. Just promise me you won't keep nothin' from me, ok?"
"Promise." I took a big heap of food and stuffed it in my mouth.
He was looking down at his food, and all of a sudden his head popped up and he looked at me with realization."
"Letty...that's why you fucked with Dom about the NOS in your car. You wanted to race and get cash. Tell me I'm wrong..."
"Leon, you know me too well and honestly...it's startin' to freak me out."
* * *
Leon held my hand as we walked into the clinic. For the first time, I wasn't all confident and shit. I had turned into a little mouse by these people that were just...normal. I sat and as the nurse came to me my hands were in a cold sweat.
"Are you...Arletta?" She asked.
"Yeah..." Who was that? That definitely didn't sound like me. Leon must have noticed too, because he looked at me with a look of surprise.
"Come on, follow me, sweetheart." She seemed nice enough.
"I punched him in the arm. "I guess I let you down, huh? You always thought I was Super girl or somethin'"
He just smiled.
"Okay, you two lovebirds can wait here, while the gynecologist comes."
When she left, me and Le burst out laughing. "I never pictured you as my baby's daddy, Le."
He laughed. "You disappointed?"
"Naw, I'm glad."
"Hey man, you think she'll look like a big sumo wrestler dyke bitch? If she fuckin' touches me in the wrong way, I'm laying her out cold."
"I dunno. I wouldn't get into it with...a big sumo wrestler dyke bitch." I laughed so hard I almost peed.
The gynecologist walked in now, and she didn't look like a sumo wrestler nor a dyke bitch.. Actually, she was kind of small and short, with small features and brownish red hair. She looked more like a kindergarten teacher. When she spoke she had a small, soft, little girl voice. She was very feminine. I tried to picture her announcing to her parents that she wants to look at other people's asses.
"Okay, Arletta. Would you feel more comfortable with the gentleman in here, or would you rather him stay here?"
"I'd rather have him stay." When I looked at him, he looked like he was going to freak. Hell he better hold it together.
"uh...Let? Are...you sure? Cuz um..." He was sweating.
"Le, just stare at the floor until I'm done. Don't leave me here alone."
"Ok. Is he your boyfriend or relative?" She asked while putting on her gloves.
"Naw. He's a friend." The answer didn't faze her any and she continued. Like she was used to it.
"Ok, I'm going to insert this into your vagina and this right here, " she pointed to a spot on the torture instrument. "is to hold it open. You will not feel any pain, just discomfort. If you can handle the average size of a penis, you can handle this, ok sweetheart?"
Hell yeah I could handle the average size of a penis. Dom's a fuckin' horse.
Le must have known what I was thinking cuz he snorted and then coughed to cover it up.
After she was done, she asked me if there was any possibility in me being pregnant.
"Um...yeah. I have a knot in my abdomen."
"Ok so...just pull up your shirt, so I can take a look. I tried to cover my ribs, but it was too late. She saw them. She looked really surprised. Like she was trying to find the right words to use to ask me.
"U-uh. May I asked how you got bruised ribs?" She looked me directly in the eyes as if to see if I was lying.
Dom asked Le to take me to get checked for my bruised ribs, but I had other plans.
As I looked out the window, I saw some Mexican and Chicano guys showing off their Low riders to some fascinated chicks, I saw Don Tito cooking up his usual steaming plates of Plantains and fried pork. Hell yeah!
"Leon pull over, man. I'm starving." He parked the car and we got out. I felt like I haven't ate in forever. I remembered I was eating for two. I am so happy. I'm going to have a little Dom Jr. Mine is special. It's our blood. Hell, it can even be just mine. I'll love it so much.
We walked into the steamy restaurant called "La Isla". Vince told me about it and it's hella good. Vince doesn't look like someone who knows a lot, but I gotta hand it to him, he knows good food. The curvy waitress sat us down and smiled. Good. She was decent, I won't have to punch anyone today. While we were waiting for our food, I decided to tell Leon. He was the only person I could trust, except for Mia of course.
"Leon. I got somethin' I gotta tell ya." I looked down at my hands. He looked at me and must have known I was serious, because he took my hand right away.
"What Let. You can tell my anything." His brow was creased. I smiled because I could tell he was genuinely worried. Good ol' Leon.
"I'm think I'm pregnant. But you can't tell Dom. Not yet." His mouth dropped. His face was twitching like he didn't know how to react.
"Letty...I...wow." His eyes were huge. "I'm sorry I just can't picture you as a mom. You've always been one of the guys."
"Yeah, I know. I didnt plan it though. The past few days I've been sick as a dog and I thought it was all the beer and shit, but I felt under my navel and I have a knot. I want to get checked, Leon. Today. I'm scared because with all the shit that has happened to me lately, I don't want it to come out fucked up, man. It'll be my fault. I mean, I was in a wreck because of Dom's greedy ass and I'm always fighting with Dom about all his bullshit. Plus, I'm not the most healthy person I know. I drink like hell. But you know what Leon, I'm going to quit from now on. No more stupid shit."
Leon must have been impressed because his eyebrows were in the middle of his forehead.
"Letty, I'm really proud of you for handling it so well. Especially, since...you don't like hospitals."
At the mention of the word "hospitals" I got dizzy. Memories of my family flooded back. The wreck...the hospital....so much fucking white...my family...their deaths...and I was the only survivor...Dom took me in...
"That doesn't change anything, I just want to go to a clinic, or a doctor. I'm not setting foot in a hospital."
Leon looked down. Thinking hard.
"Well you can just have the baby in the house. My sister had hers that way and you can be around the people you love. I mean, Dom's gonna find out sooner or later anyway. It's kinda hard hiding a pregnancy."
"Yeah, but I'll be the one to tell him, aiight." I didn't want him to hear it from anyone else.
"But Letty...promise me...that you are gonna tell him soon, before he finds out on his own."
"Yeah, man. But Leon, he doesn't love me anymore. All the nights he comes home and he's been with other girls, and I fuckin' know it. He comes home a fuckin' mess, with hickies, lipstick on his fuckin' clothes, and smellin' like a fuckin' woman. Shit. What the fuck, you know? What have I done to him that's so bad?" My eyes watered up right there in the restaurant, and I wiped them away as the waitress came. I looked out the window as she came by with our food. I didn't want anyone to see me like this.
"Letty, if we knew the answer to that one, we'd be rich." He shook his head. "But if you ever need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to come to me. Whether it's cash, a ride, an excuse, whatever. Just promise me you won't keep nothin' from me, ok?"
"Promise." I took a big heap of food and stuffed it in my mouth.
He was looking down at his food, and all of a sudden his head popped up and he looked at me with realization."
"Letty...that's why you fucked with Dom about the NOS in your car. You wanted to race and get cash. Tell me I'm wrong..."
"Leon, you know me too well and honestly...it's startin' to freak me out."
* * *
Leon held my hand as we walked into the clinic. For the first time, I wasn't all confident and shit. I had turned into a little mouse by these people that were just...normal. I sat and as the nurse came to me my hands were in a cold sweat.
"Are you...Arletta?" She asked.
"Yeah..." Who was that? That definitely didn't sound like me. Leon must have noticed too, because he looked at me with a look of surprise.
"Come on, follow me, sweetheart." She seemed nice enough.
"I punched him in the arm. "I guess I let you down, huh? You always thought I was Super girl or somethin'"
He just smiled.
"Okay, you two lovebirds can wait here, while the gynecologist comes."
When she left, me and Le burst out laughing. "I never pictured you as my baby's daddy, Le."
He laughed. "You disappointed?"
"Naw, I'm glad."
"Hey man, you think she'll look like a big sumo wrestler dyke bitch? If she fuckin' touches me in the wrong way, I'm laying her out cold."
"I dunno. I wouldn't get into it with...a big sumo wrestler dyke bitch." I laughed so hard I almost peed.
The gynecologist walked in now, and she didn't look like a sumo wrestler nor a dyke bitch.. Actually, she was kind of small and short, with small features and brownish red hair. She looked more like a kindergarten teacher. When she spoke she had a small, soft, little girl voice. She was very feminine. I tried to picture her announcing to her parents that she wants to look at other people's asses.
"Okay, Arletta. Would you feel more comfortable with the gentleman in here, or would you rather him stay here?"
"I'd rather have him stay." When I looked at him, he looked like he was going to freak. Hell he better hold it together.
"uh...Let? Are...you sure? Cuz um..." He was sweating.
"Le, just stare at the floor until I'm done. Don't leave me here alone."
"Ok. Is he your boyfriend or relative?" She asked while putting on her gloves.
"Naw. He's a friend." The answer didn't faze her any and she continued. Like she was used to it.
"Ok, I'm going to insert this into your vagina and this right here, " she pointed to a spot on the torture instrument. "is to hold it open. You will not feel any pain, just discomfort. If you can handle the average size of a penis, you can handle this, ok sweetheart?"
Hell yeah I could handle the average size of a penis. Dom's a fuckin' horse.
Le must have known what I was thinking cuz he snorted and then coughed to cover it up.
After she was done, she asked me if there was any possibility in me being pregnant.
"Um...yeah. I have a knot in my abdomen."
"Ok so...just pull up your shirt, so I can take a look. I tried to cover my ribs, but it was too late. She saw them. She looked really surprised. Like she was trying to find the right words to use to ask me.
"U-uh. May I asked how you got bruised ribs?" She looked me directly in the eyes as if to see if I was lying.