The first thing Nessa sees is Ray Diaz. "Oscar," she questions. "Why is this man in my house?" She quickly turns into mom mode when she sees Celine, Cesar and Ruby, "And why aren't you guys on your way to school?" The three quickly head out without saying a word closing the door behind them. Nessa puts the groceries on the kitchen table before turning to look at Oscar. She puts her hand on her hips and says, "You wanna tell me what's going on?"
Nessa looks crosses are arms as she leans against the table. Her thick curly brown hair is tucked into a bun. Her lips are pressed tight together. Her eyes narrow her eyes at the back of Ray Diaz's head before looking back at Oscar. "Why my babies walk out of here like they just got whooped?"
"Cause they did," Oscar says as he gets up from the couch. He walks past her and starts to put the groceries away. "Go sit down," he tells Nessa. Nessa raises an eyebrow and doesn't go to sit. Nessa pulls Oscar from the fridge and kisses him.
"What did they do so early in the morning," she smirks as Oscar leans away from her. Nessa usually doesn't have trouble to the twins. They don't seem to rebel as much when she's around.
"Celine got a smart ass mouth," Oscar grumbles. "Cesar snuck out this morning and got his ear pierced."
"He what," she questions angrily. "Who did it? Did it look ok?"
"Don't know. Him and Ruby got it together but they both looked like they were infected."
"Did you at least try to clean them?" Oscar looks away. "Babe?! You sent them to school with infected piercings?!"
"Calm down," he grabs her by the waist, pulling her closer to get a kiss on her full lips. "I'm sure they're fine."
"If Cesar comes back her with a puffy ass ear that's on the verge of bleeding you're sleeping on the couch." Vanessa sighs. She really doesn't want to think about anything bad happening to the twins. It's on her mind daily from just a small paper cut to death and it weighs on her. Every other day a patient in her section of the hospital dies and to think something could happen to her own little family is just painful.
Oscar looks her in the eyes and sees they are beginning to water, tears ready to poor. He cupped her face and caresses her cheek with his thumb. "Rough night at work," he asks. Nessa nods, smiling at him with sadness in her eyes. "You should go lay down," he suggests.
Nessa ignores Oscar's attempts to make her feel better and shakes her head. She looks towards Ray who just sits in their living room chair smoking a cigarette. She begins to walk over to the living room but Oscar grabs her wrist and stops her. Nessa turns and gives Oscar an exasperated look. "Do you wanna ask questions," she asks whispering and irritated.
"I just wanna make sure you alright," he whispers back.
"I'm fine." Oscar lets go of her wrist and they walk toward the living room. When they sit down Oscar slides the ash tray to Ray. Ray taps the cigarette into a tequila bottle cap. Oscar frowns and his eyes narrow with a sniff.
"It looks different," Ray says looking around the room. He hardly makes eye contact as he looks at how white the walls are and how clean it is. There's different furniture and decorations than there had been 14 years ago. "Smells different too," he says. There's no smell of weed or nicotine with mixture of booze trying to be covered up by fabuloso.
"Glade,"Nessa replies. "Bath and Body Works too." She lifts one leg over the other as she makes eye contact with him. "When'd you get out," she asks. Oscars arms hang on the head of the couch. He brings one arm around Nessa, his hand clenching into a fist.
"Yesterday," Ray answers looking around.
"How was the ride here," Nessa asks just as quickly as he answers.
"Long," Ray bringing his cigarette to his lips.
Nessa's eyes narrow and Spooky's fist clenches harder, his nails close to breaking flesh.
Ray finally acknowledges Nessa's eyes. "What's your name? I remember you from back then. Didn't think you'd still be around."
"Vanessa Collins," she replies curtly. "Your future daughter-in-law." She lifts up her left hand showing the diamond ring on her finger.
"I figured when I saw the ring earlier," Ray acknowledges. "Congratulations." There's a brief pause. Silence washes over them. Nessa nods her head in thanks.
"What are your plans," Vanessa asks. She puts a hand on Spooky's thigh to keep it from beginning to shake.
"Don't got none. Gonna head up to Bakersfield. Got a job lined up. There's a dude up there real big on giving second chances to people like me." He begins to look around the house again, every other moment taking a drag of his cigarette. He holds out the pack of cigarettes, offering them one. The couple just stares at him. Nessa crosses her arms. "How the twins," he says before looking at Oscar, putting the pack back in his pocket. "They doing well in school?"
"Of course they are," Oscar snaps at him before Vanessa could reply.
"How bout you," Ray asks. "Going to college?"
"You serious," Spooky asks. His brow raised, astonished that his father asked such a dumb fucking question.
Vanessa quickly responds knowing his temper. "Where are you staying," she crosses her arms and her lips are tight.
Ray looks are in the eyes with a smirk, "Here." He blows out smoke into a circle.
Spooky removes his arm from behind Nessa. "I'm not doing this shit," Oscar gets up, wipes his hand over his face, sniffing and clearing his throat. Nessa watches his back as he walks down the hall to their room before slamming the door.
"You'd have to sleep on the couch. It's got a pullout bed," Nessa says to Ray. "I ain't letting the twins give up they bed for you." She gets up from the couch. "You can't stay here long either. You fucked up their lives enough."
"I had a shitty dad too, mija."
"That doesn't mean you should've been one as well," Nessa snaps as begins to walk away. She stops are turns her head to him. "I'm giving you three weeks. You need to be gone by then."
"Oscar don't want me around," he asks.
"He doesn't. And he'd let you stay as long as you need," Nessa tells him. "I on the other hand, don't want you in this house and around the twins. If you're here more than three weeks I'm telling Cuchillos you're alive."
Jamal and Monse sat across the lunch table from Cesar and Ruby. Cesar, Jamal and Monse roll their eyes as Ruby rants about his infected piercing. Everyone could see the sweat dripping off of him as he worked himself up. Cesar just ate his sandwich and the other two acted like this was normal.
"I didn't even want it. You guys are a terrible influence. My brother's gonna kill me. If it's not treated properly, this could lead to serious complications. My ear could be cut off. I could get brain damage. I could die."
Cesar snickered as he bit into his lunch,. "You're not gonna die compa. Calm down."
"You don't know that. I don't think you're taking this seriously. Have you looked at your ear?!"
"It's red and a little puffy," Cesar replies nonchalantly.
"And you think that's okay?"
Monse throws a french fry at Ruby's face. He quickly turns his head to face her. "What?" He slams his hands onto the table. "Can't you tell I'm having a crisis?!" He throws his head down into his hands shaking his head.
"The whole table is done with your shit. Either shut up and eat or go find Celine, be like her and don't bother with us," Monse snaps.
"Let me just go on the record and say I find this very entertaining," Jamal says taking a few fries off his plate.
"Can we not talk about my sister, Monse," Cesar asks. He's tired of Monse continuously bringing up his family and acting like they're evil beings.
Celine comes from the side, puts her tray down on the table and sits. "Were we talking about me," she asks pretending that she doesn't already know.
"No," Ruby sighs like the overdramatic being that he is. He also doesn't want Celine to roast the fuck out of Monse. "We're talking about how Mario is gonna murder me for being stupid and getting an earring pierced by Jasmine."
Celine scoffs and starts eating her food, "It's not like he's gonna whoop you."
"But he's done it before and this is something that could risk life. My earlobe is inflamed"
"You're starting to sound like Jamal," Celine tells him.
"I'm sorry we can't all be tough like you Celine," Jamal says sarcastically.
"I'm sorry you're scared of your own reflection," Celine replies biting into her burger.
"Celine," Cesar begins to say.
"Hey just because I'm aware that there are parallel dimensions out there doesn't mean I shouldn't be afraid," Jamal combats. "The universe could hate me a spit me into a time vortex by just looking at another person on the other side of a mirror."
"Can we get back to me please," Ruby exclaims.
"No," they yell at him.
"We can't all be as level headed as Monse," Celine says looking at the girl across the table from her. Monse's been glaring at her since she sat down. "What? Nothing to say to my face?" Celine keeps eating never taking her eyes off the girl. "You should remember that half the cholas at this school listen to me. Don't think that because you found your rich ass mom that you're better than anybody here."
"I don't think anything about you other than the fact that you're a bitch," Monse replies.
Celine gets up only to be pulled down by Cesar. "You're lucky my brother likes you," she tells her trying to push herself out of Cesar's hold. "You're just some over righteous Prophet puta. Let go of me Cesar!" When he finally lets her go she grabs her bag and leaves her lunch tray before walking away. "I'll see you after school," she tells her brother, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
Celine and Cesar walk out of the school when times over. They see Sad Eyes leaning against his car smoking a joint. They look at each other, rolling their eyes and walk over to him. "What's with the faces," Sad Eyes say getting in the car. Cesar gets into the front seat.
"Nothing," Celine says slamming the door. "Oscar ask you to pick us up?"
"Nah," Sad Eyes replies as he drives out of the parking lot. "Nessa did. Oscar's out doing business."
The drive to the house isn't long. Nobody spoke as Sad Eyes parked on the street in front of the house. Sad Eyes gets out the car first and heads into house with Celine and Cesar following in after him.
Ray lays on his back on the couch smoking a cigarette. Sad Eyes quickly pulls the gun out from his pocket pointing it at Ray. "Who the fuck are you," he demands.
"Sad Eyes stop," Cesar yells at him."And why the fuck should I when there's a random veterano sitting on the couch?!"
Nessa runs down the hall, "What's going on? What's with the yelling?" She sees Sad Eyes gun is still pointed at Ray. She sighs, rolling her eyes. "Put the gun down Abel. It's their father."
"¿Qué cargos les pasa," he asks her. (What the hell's going on?"
"He just got out," Nessa replies.
"And you're letting him stay," Sad Eyes asks.
"Why wouldn't he stay," Cesar questions. "He's our father."
"He's a menace to society," Nessa replies under her breath. Only Sad Eyes hears her. Celine tries slips out of the room but Nessa grabs her arm. "Didn't we have a talk just yesterday about being disrespectful?"
"Yes ma'am," Celine replies not looking her in the eyes.
"Then why the hell did I come home to find out you were disrespectful this morning." She quickly turns to face Cesar. "And you. Who the hell told you, you could get an earring. I outta whoop you where you stand."
"Sorry," is all Cesar can say.
"Go sit in the kitchen so I can get a look at your ear. And where's Ruby?! I know his is probably infected too."
"He went home," Celine tells Nessa.
"Mario's gonna kill him," she says shaking her head. "Thank you for bringing them home Abel. You staying?"
"Nah," Sad Eyes tells her, taking a quick glance over at Ray. "I got some things to take care of." He put his gun away and walks out the door.
"You two are in so much trouble," Nessa tells the twins. "Don't even think about leaving this house til you need to go to school tomorrow." She looks at Celine, eyes narrowed. "You got one more time before your quince is cancelled." Coming from Nessa instead of Oscar, that's a real threat.
"But everything's already booked," Celine whines. "We just ordered the cake yesterday."
"And it can be just as easily cancelled as it was order," Nessa replies. She turns her attention to Cesar who's sitting in a chair in the kitchen. She grabs her medkit and begins to disinfect the piercing. "Just wait til Oscar gets home," she threatens.