A/N Hey, My insomnia is kicking in again and when I can't sleep I write so expect lots of new posts! Enjoy Ya'LL and leave lots of reviews :) , lots of love, the writer!
Weeks went by and it was well into March. A small bump on Katey's stomach developed, but she wore black to camaflouge it. But Katey knew she'd only be able to pull that off for so long.
Katey was terrified of the future, but relaxed a bit when she saw how the money was coming in. Mariah had her father, a banker, set up an account for Katey. Mariah, who had what seemed like an endless supply of money, quickly poured money into the account. Betsy, whose paycheck from the diner wasn't very handsome, donated all her tips to Katey, but stillgave upa little sum of her paycheck. AndKatey herself, hadmuch to contribute to the account. Sara and her husband,Phillip, paid Katey well for babysitting, and was even tipped if she did extra chores around their house.
Every Friday night, the three girls would meet at either Mariah's or Betsy's house, never Katey's, to contribute what money they had come up with during the week. The next morning, they'd deposit it in Katey's bank account.
"Katey, can I ask you a question?"Betsy asked one Friday night, as she finished counting the money,"Are you only keeping this baby because it's Javier's?"
Katey felt her spine stiffen as she stood up off Betsy's bed. She took the envelope out of Betsy's hand.
"Betsy, how much money did you put in here this week?"Katey asked, shaking the envelope of money.
"Twenty,"Betsy answered, confused to why Katey was avoiding her question.
Katey reached into the envelope and pulled out twenty dollars, throwing it down in Betsy's face,"I don't need your money."
"Will you just take the God damn money?"Betsy said tiredly. She was sick of this situation.
"No, I refuse to take your money,"Katey cried, collecting her stuff from Betsy's bedroom,"because I don't want charity from someone who doesn't support my choice to have a baby so young."
"You're right, I don't,"agreed Betsy,"you're throwing your life away over a guy. Take my money. Just take it. You're gonna need it. I know your mom sure isn't going to help you because she will be too ashamed of you. And that Javier guy, he's probably moved on. If he cared about you so much, he would have come to America with you."
"You don't know that,"Mariah piped up, getting frustrated with the other's fighting.
"Mariah's right,"Katey snarled,"you don't know that and you don't know Javier."
''Whatever, stop being so naive,"ranted Betsy,"Javier probably moved to the next thing that wiggled her ass for him. He doesn't want you, he wouldn't want your baby."
With that, Katey ran out of Betsy's room and out of Betsy's house.
But, Betsy had been wrong. Javier hadn't been wrong and he wanted her as much as he wanted her while she had been in Havana. He was lonely and reserved. He still went out to La Rosa Negra on each and every Saturday night but hardly went on the dance floor. He spent more time on the side, at the bar, downing beers. Often, women would flirt with him and try to make a move, but he didn't react. It was like they were invisible to him. He just saw right through them.
It was March now. Over time, the amount of beer Javier drank at La Rosa Negra on a Saturday night slowly diminished. Now, he might have one , if anything. He just knew Katey wouldn't approve. James hurt Katey when had been drinking, Javier knew that. But even though Javier barely drank, he still rarely went on the dancefloor. It felt wrong to him, to touch another woman. To feel the sweat drip slowly off another woman's skin, it made him drown in guilt. He knew Katey wouldn't mind, if she was there, but it made him hurt to think of her in America, doing the foxtrot. Javier hated the foxtrot.
So, when everyone else was dancing at La Rosa Negra, Javier sat on the side thinking of a plan. He needed money. Good jobs, like the one he had the Hotel Oceana, were hard to comeby now, with Batista and the Americans now gone. But, he knew many people knew him because of the dance contest at The Palace. The Cuban bigshots often found him and asked him how he learned to dance the way he did. So, oneday, at La Rosa Negra on a Saturday night, Javier thought of the perfect plan: He would teach dance lessons. When he had enough money, he'd fly to America and find his beloved Katey.
Javier knew the owners of La Rosa Negra. He knew the club didn't open til late in the evening, so in the daytime, like he had done with Katey, he would open it to aspiring dancers. So, he posted flyers all over Havana. He had three different classes, one on Tuesday, one on Thursday, and one on Friday. On other nights, Javier had gotten himself a job as a bartender at another club. He'd work until early the next morning and then limp home, his legs sore fromdancing and being on his feet all night.
But, the pain was nothing compared to how Javier's heart felt. It felt like it was ripped from him, leaving an open wound. He knew Katey never meant to hurt him, and actually, she never hurt him. Javier didn't know who to blame. But, he wondered if Katey still cared, or if she had buried herself in books and studying and forgotten all about him.
After Katey had left Betsy's, she found herself at the bookstore. It was just about to close, but a few customers roamed the store, waiting to be kicked out. Katey looked at the floor, making sure nobody saw who it was. She took some money out of the envelope and went to the baby section, non-fiction. She found some books about pregnancy, labour and pre-natal, and a couple books on names. She brought to the books to the counter, moving quickly and steathly, so nobody would see her.She paid for her books and turned around to leave, not knowing James' mom was standing at another till, watching Katey's every move. Mrs. Phelp's had seen what Katey bought.
Katey left the bookstore unaware that her mother's friend had seen her by pregnancy books. Katey left the bookstore unaware her world was about to fall to pieces. All she knew that her heart hurt, a close friend of hers hated her guts, and the boy she loved was miles away. She needed Javier. She needed him to complete her. She needed to be in his arms. She needed his brown eyes. They were more than brown. They were deep and passionate. His deep and passionate eyes.
