Carlos pulled into my driveway and shut the car off. I turned to look at him, biting my lip nervously. "I don't know why my parents didn't make it to the game tonight. Are you sure you want to come in?" I asked hesitantly.
"Of course, Babe." He reassured me.
I blew out a sigh and nodded. He climbed out of the car, reaching back to take my hand.
"OK." I said weakly, climbing out after him.
We pushed open the front door, but no one was in the living room. I looked over at Carlos, and he shrugged back at me. "Hello?" I called, but no one answered.
I could hear muffled voices coming from the back of the house, so I grabbed Carlos's hand and headed towards them. Pushing open the closed kitchen door, I saw my parents sitting at the table. My mother was holding her face in her hands and sobbing. My dad was sitting next to her, rubbing her back and trying to be supportive.
"Mom?" I asked tentatively, and she glanced up. Seeing Carlos and me standing in the doorway, she grabbed a tissue and mopped up her face.
She jumped up from her seat, sniffling. "Carlos, so good to see you again. Can I get you both something to drink? A piece of cake?"
I shook my head no. "We're fine, mom. What's wrong?"
My mother pressed a shaky hand to her neck. "It's Valerie." She rasped.
"Is she OK?" I asked, concerned.
"She just found out that she's pregnant." My mom whispered.
I waited, but that was the entire problem. I shrugged my shoulders. "OK. So what?"
My mother's quivering lips pressed into a thin line. "So she's not married, that's what!"
I bit my lip to prevent the wide grin from spreading across my face. I know it was mean, but sometimes it was nice to see the perfect child take a nosedive down off of her pedestal.
"She and Steve are engaged, mom. So they move up the wedding a little bit, what's the big deal? It won't be the first time someone from the Burg had to have a rush wedding."
My mother sighed. "She doesn't know if there's going to be a wedding."
My forehead creased in confusion. "What do you mean 'she doesn't know if there's going to be a wedding?' "
My mother cleared her throat. "Valerie just found out this morning that she was pregnant. She made a big, special lunch so that she and Steve could celebrate between his morning and evening classes, and she told Steve over dessert."
Her voice broke, and she paused, looking down and taking deep breaths. We all waited silently.
She continued, her voice still scratchy. "Steve wasn't happy about the news. He said that it was too bad that she was pregnant. That he's never wanted kids. He liked other people's, but he never wanted any of his own. He got up and walked out, and Valerie hasn't seen him since." My mother dissolved into fresh tears.
I stood wide eyed looking back and forth between my mother who was crying hysterically and my father who looked like he wanted to get a hold of Steve and personally remove the body part that had started this whole problem.
"So where is he?" I asked, stunned.
My mother shook her head. "She doesn't know. He's been gone for hours now."
"They never talked about having kids?" I wondered out loud. "They're engaged for crying out loud! Isn't this a discussion they should have had already?"
My mom sniffed. "Well, Steve had told Valerie that he didn't want kids, but we both thought he'd change his mind once she got pregnant."
I stared at my mother in shock. "Please tell me that you did not encourage her to get pregnant on purpose."
My mother didn't answer right away, and my father's head whipped over to look at her. "Helen?" he asked.
She twisted her hands and looked down at the floor. "Well, Steve wasn't sure if he still wanted to get married or not. He had met a girl in one of his classes. They had been partnered together for several projects, and he thought there was something there between the two of them. He thought that maybe he and Val should break off the engagement."
I drew in a surprised breath. "And you thought that if she got pregnant, he'd stay?"
She nodded silently.
"Mother that's terrible!" I gasped.
She looked up defiantly. "Well, it still may work. We don't know. He could have left to break things off with this other girl."
"Yeah, and then Valerie will be stuck in a loveless marriage with a guy who doesn't want to be there and who resents her and the baby." I said snarkily.
My dad growled. "Or he'll leave her and she'll be a single parent with no job and no support. She'll probably end up moving back in here."
My mother covered her face and began to wail again.
"Is this why you missed the game tonight?" I asked in a hollow voice. "Because of Valerie?"
My mother's head snapped up, and she looked up at me blankly. "The game?" I watched as recognition dawned on her face, and she looked horrified. "The game! The Homecoming game! Oh no! Stephanie, I'm so sorry! It completely slipped my mind when Valerie called."
I nodded stiffly. I was used to coming in second in the favorite child race, but that didn't make it hurt any less.
She reached out and grabbed my hands. "Did you find someone to help you with your fire batons? Or did Mrs. George help you?"
I looked back at Carlos and smiled. "Actually, Carlos helped me."
My mother looked up at Carlos and blinked in surprise. He had been standing there so quietly through the whole discussion that I think she had forgotten he was there.
My mother nodded at him. "Thank you."
He nodded back. "No problem. I was happy to help."
She tilted her head and looked at Carlos as if she were considering something. Finally she smiled at him. "Carlos, you're a man. What do you think of this whole situation with Valerie?"
He looked at me wide eyed, like a deer caught in the headlights. Clearly, he did not want to be drug into this family discussion, and I didn't blame him. "Mom…" I started.
She waved her hand at me, urging me to be quiet. "You keep telling me what a horrible thing I've done. I want to hear a guy's perspective on this whole situation."
She turned back towards Carlos. "So, Carlos, if Stephanie told you that she was pregnant, what would you do? Would you do the right thing and marry her? Or would you abandon her and your child to chase after some bimbo that you met in a class at school?"
"Mother!" I gasped, blushing furiously. I was ready to continue, but Carlos put his hands on my shoulders and gently squeezed.
"Well, Mrs. Plum," he began. "First of all, if Stephanie were pregnant, I'd like to think that it was because we had both decided it was something we wanted. But even if it were unplanned, I would hope that it wouldn't be because she was trying to trick me into marrying her."
My mother raised an eyebrow at him. "So you wouldn't marry her?"
Carlos answered calmly. "I didn't say that. But I don't think that any man would appreciate being tricked into something he didn't want. And it sounds like this is something Valerie's fiancé didn't want. He told her that he didn't want kids. He told her that he wanted to break off the engagement. I don't see how either of you thought that any good could come from her being pregnant."
My mother glared at him and stuck her hands on her hips. "Children are a gift from God!" she spat out.
Carlos nodded. "Yes, they are."
"Then how can you say that no good can come from her being pregnant?"
"I meant no good for Valerie or her fiancé. Unless he has a change of heart, I don't think that any of this is going to work out the way that you and Valerie wanted it to."
My father stood up and walked over to stand beside Carlos. He clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Well said, son." He looked over at my mom. "Helen, that's exactly what I told you earlier when Valerie called. You need to quit meddling in the lives of our children. If Valerie and Steve aren't meant to be together, let them break off the engagement. Let them both find someone else that makes them happy instead of forcing them to struggle through each day being miserable."
My mother took in a shaky breath. "You think I'm making Valerie miserable?"
My father nodded. "I think that's exactly what you've done. You've gotten her in a no-win situation. Either Steve stays and they're both unhappy, or he leaves and she's left to raise a child on her own."
My mother started sobbing even harder and pushed past us all, running out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
My father let out a sigh and headed towards the stairs, following her up to their bedroom. I winced as she slammed the door and looked over at Carlos.
"Sorry!" I whispered.
He just shook his head and wrapped his arms around me, pulling my chest against his. He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Just for the record, Babe, I would be thrilled if you were pregnant with my baby someday. I would marry you in a heartbeat."
I looked up at him in surprise. "W-w-w-what?" I stammered, turning a bright red.
He grinned and kissed the tip of my nose. "Not right now, but someday, Babe, I'd love to have babies with you. Lots and lots of little ones with wild curly hair and blue eyes."
I grinned back mischievously. "What if they end up with straight hair and dark eyes?"
He growled and pulled me closer. "We'll give them back and keep trying."
I smacked his chest playfully. "You're a nut!"
"And you love me," he teased.
I pulled back and looked at him seriously. "With all of my heart." I said solemnly.
"Me too," he whispered huskily before pressing his lips against mine.
R&S R&S R&S R&S R&SI woke early the next morning, my body buzzing with nervous energy. Today was the Homecoming dance! I couldn't wait to see Carlos all dressed up in a suit. I shivered at the thought of how handsome he would be. And I couldn't wait to see what kind of surprise he had planned for after the dance.
I took an extra long shower, shaving everything that needed shaved. When I got out of the shower, I towel dried my hair and moisturized myself all over. I tied my robe around my waist and prepared to give myself an at-home spa day. I slathered on the facial mask and then dug through my shoebox of nail polish. I was debating between the sparkly blue, blood red, and hot pink polishes when someone knocked on my bedroom door.
"Come in!" I called out, shaking up the three bottles. I had decided to paint one nail with each color and see which looked best against the dress.
My mother walked in, a determined set to her jaw. She held her chin up defiantly, as if daring me to tell her again that I thought she and Valerie were making a mistake. She was wasting her time. I had decided last night that I was washing my hands of the entire situation. Carlos and I had both given her our opinion of the baby disaster, and she clearly hadn't appreciated it. With any luck at all, my mother and Val would be so busy plotting that they would leave Carlos and me alone.
I looked up and raised my eyebrows at her. "Yes?" I asked.
"Do you have an appointment to get your hair and makeup done today, Stephanie?" she asked stiffly.
How nice of her to think of these things the day of the dance! I nodded. "I made appointments weeks ago when Dickie asked me."
"That's good." She stood in my room staring at me as if she wanted to say something else, but she never did. After a minute or two of silence, she walked back out into the hallway.
I shook my head. I had no idea what she was thinking half the time, and I certainly wasn't about to start guessing now.
I waved my left hand, blowing across the nails to dry them. I studied the nails critically, holding them against the dress. The blue was out. It was cute, but it was the wrong shade of blue, and I was afraid that it looked kind of little kiddish for me to have blue nails at a semi-formal dance. Hmm… that left the red or the pink. I closed one eye and studied them critically. Red. Definitely the red. I pulled out the nail polish remover and wiped off the blue and pink. I painted my fingernails and toenails and then sat back on my bed, listening to the radio while they dried.
R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S
A few hours later, I had eaten a light lunch and finished up my home spa routine. Now I needed to get ready for my hair and makeup appointments. I slipped off my robe and pulled on my undies and a comfy pair of jeans. I rooted through my closet until I found a button-up flannel shirt, and I put that on as well. I had learned my lesson when getting ready for my freshman Homecoming. Instead of a button-up shirt, I had worn a tight, stretchy t-shirt. When I got home, my mother had ended up cutting the shoulder seams in the shirt so that I could get it over my head without yanking out my elaborate up-do. After that, I didn't need to be reminded to wear a button-up shirt when going to get my hair done.
I pulled the box with Mrs. Manoso's combs out of my dress bag and grabbed my coat and purse. I galloped down the stairs yelling goodbye to my parents as I ran for the door. I'm pretty sure that my mother was saying something to me, but I opened the front door and kept going.
I met Mary Lou and Connie at Mr. Alexander's salon, and we were as bad as little kids getting ready to go trick-or-treating. We were grinning and practically jumping up and down as we flipped through magazines and waited for our turn to be beautified.
When it was finally my turn, I handed Mr. Alexander the box with the combs and explained that I wanted my hair full and curly with the sides pulled back. He opened the box and gasped.
Meeting my eyes in the mirror, he said, "These are very beautiful!"
I smiled back. "Thank you. My boyfriend's mother is lending them to me for the dance tonight."
He looked back down at the combs and shook his head. "She must really like you, honey. Do you have any idea how much these are worth?"
I bit my lip nervously. "No. And please don't tell me. I don't want to jinx myself tonight! I'm already afraid that I'm going to lose one of them while I'm dancing!"
Mr. Alexander put one hand on his hip and blew out a huffy breath. "Do you doubt my ability to anchor these in your hair?"
I smiled. "Not at all."
He looked slightly mollified. "Well, good. Because I'll make sure that these combs are stuck in there for the entire dance. They won't be coming out until you want them to."
He proceeded to section off my hair and work his magic hair serum through it, taming the wild curls. He used a curling iron to give me big banana curls and then he played around with different sections of hair, trying to decide how much to pull back. Finally happy with his choice, he began pinning it. When the hair was firmly in place, he picked up the combs and slid them in position. He used a few more bobby pins to secure them before finally standing back to admire his work. He studied me from every angle with a critical eye before finally clapping his hands and breaking into a wide grin.
"Beautiful!" he announced, and I had to agree. My hair looked awesome!
One of Mr. Alexander's assistants did my makeup, and I was wowed by my huge, smoky eyes and pouty red lips. I couldn't wait for Carlos to see me tonight!
Mary Lou, Connie, and I oohed and ahhed over each other's hair and makeup, gushing and complimenting each other left and right. When we were finally all done, we passed around gentle hugs and air kisses. We didn't want to smudge our lipstick, after all!
We headed out to the parking lot, and I climbed into my car, checking out my reflection in the rearview mirror. I looked good! I was busy smiling at myself when the radio station announced the time as 4:30. I gasped. 4:30? I needed to get going! Carlos was going to pick me up about 5:15 so that we could do pictures at my house and then his house before going to the dance. And I still had to get dressed!
I threw the car in reverse and sped home, praying to God that no cops were out patrolling tonight. Making it home in record time, I flew into the house and up the stairs to my room. I peeled off my jeans and flannel shirt, grabbing the strapless bra and thong that matched my dress. I slid them on and then stepped into my dress, pulling it carefully up and over my body. Once the dress was zipped, I stepped into my heels and added my jewelry.
I caught my reflection in the mirror and grinned. Everything looked beautiful together! The hair clips, the dress, the jewelry, the shoes. I felt like Cinderella, just waiting for my Prince Charming!
I ran into the bathroom and quickly swiped on some deodorant, just in case. Then I spritzed the air with my favorite perfume and stepped through the mist. 5:00. Carlos would be here any time now! I grabbed my small clutch purse and tossed in a toothbrush, some gum, lipstick, a compact, and some cash. My black velvet wrap was sitting on my desk, and I folded it over my arm before heading downstairs.
My parents and grandparents were waiting for me in the living room when I came down. My grandpa whistled and asked where the gorgeous model had come from, and my dad mumbled something about his baby being all grown up. Grandma gave me a big hug and told me that Carlos wouldn't know what to do with himself once he saw me. I blushed at that comment because I was pretty sure that he would know exactly what to do.
My mother gently touched the combs in my hair. "Stephanie, where did these come from?"
I smiled. "Carlos's mom is letting me borrow them since they matched my dress."
She nodded. "That was very nice of her."
"She's a very nice lady. We should invite Carlos's parents over for dinner some night."
My mother nodded, but she didn't look very happy about the idea.
Just then the front doorbell rang.
"Stephanie! There's a hot looking black boy on the front porch! Should I let him in?" My grandmother yelled from the foyer.
I wanted to bang my head on the coffee table. For the love of God!
"He's Cuban, grandma! Not black! And yes, let him in, please!" I groaned.
Carlos followed my grandma into the living room, and I think my heart stopped when I saw him. He looked gorgeous! He had on a black suit that fit him perfectly, a white shirt, and a sapphire blue tie that matched my dress exactly. His hair was pulled back, and he looked good enough to eat!
When I finally looked at his face, he was grinning at me, and I could tell that he thought I looked pretty hot, too. I walked over and gave him a hug.
"You look gorgeous, Babe!" he whispered.
"You don't look so bad yourself, Batman!" I teased.
My mother came out of the kitchen with my boutonnière for Carlos, and I pinned it on while my grandmother and mother took pictures. Then Carlos opened the box with my wrist corsage and slid it on my arm while they took more pictures.
Before we could leave, they posed us on the porch, in the living room, by the bushes in the front yard, and finally by the old grandfather clock in the dining room.
"Mother, we still have to go to Carlos's house for pictures." I reminded her. "We're going to be late to the dance."
She frowned. "I know, but you only get to go to your Senior Homecoming once, Stephanie, and I want pictures, too!"
"We're getting professional ones taken at the dance, mom." I reminded her.
Finally she agreed and allowed us to escape for the evening. Carlos helped me put the wrap around my shoulders, and then he stuck his elbow out for me to hold onto as we walked out to his car. He helped me into the passenger side and then walked around to climb in on the driver's side. My parents and grandparents stood watching from the front window, and we waved as we pulled away.
As soon as we were out of sight, I unfastened my seat belt and slid over next to Carlos. He grinned at me.
"Lonely all the way over there, Babe?" he teased.
I stuck my tongue out at him. "Nope. The view's just better from this part of the seat."
He put one hand on my knee and slid it up my thigh, just under the hem of my dress. "I completely agree, Babe!" he replied huskily.
I playfully swatted his hand away. "None of that, Mister! We're headed to your parents' house to get pictures! If you leave more hickeys anywhere on my body, your mother will kill you!"
He tipped his head back and laughed hysterically. "You're right about that!" he agreed.
We pulled into his parents' driveway, and Carlos reached in to help me out of the car. I could see a half dozen people in front of the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of the two of us all dressed up.
By the time we made it to the porch, the front door was open, and Mrs. Manoso was standing there beaming.
She held her arms out. "Stephanie! You look so beautiful!" She gave me a big hug.
Fingering the combs in my hair, she whispered, "They look so lovely on you!"
I blushed. "Thank you. And thanks again for letting me borrow them. My hairdresser assured me that he has them anchored so tightly that they aren't going anywhere."
She laughed. "I told you before, Stephanie, I trust you with them."
Carlos's father came over then, with Abuela Rosa right behind him. They had caught the end of our conversation, and Carlos's dad reached up to touch the combs. He turned to his wife.
"These are your combs, Maria?" he asked.
She nodded. "It is such a shame that they never get used, and they matched Stephanie's dress so beautifully."
His father gave me a soft smile. "You are the same age as my lovely bride when she wore them at our wedding."
Mrs. Manoso blushed and patted his arm. "You are still an old flatterer, Ricardo!" She turned to us, "Come, come! Everyone is waiting inside to see the lovely couple!"
We walked inside, and there were tons of people! It turned out that word of Carlos's mystery Homecoming date had spread through the family like wildfire, and everyone wanted to see for themselves if Carlos was really going to a school dance with a girl. There were tons of aunts, uncles, and cousins there to witness this historic event.
Just like at my house, we posed for endless pictures. With Abuela Rosa, by the fireplace, with Carlos's parents, by ourselves, inside, outside, the list went on and on.
Finally Carlos called a halt to the photo shoot. "We have to get going, or we're going to miss the dance!" he told everyone.
Grudgingly, they took their last photos, and then everyone walked out on the front porch to watch us climb into the car and pull away. Once again, Carlos helped me climb into the passenger seat before walking around to his side of the car and climbing in himself.
We waved as we pulled away, and then I slid over into the middle of the front seat. Carlos wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me next to him. "Are you ready to dance, Babe?" he teased.
I put my hand on his leg and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm ready for anything you want to do, Carlos Manoso!" I teased.
He gave me a wicked grin and started pulling over to the side of the road.
I shrieked and smacked his arm. "Carlos!" I scolded him.
He laughed and pulled back on the road. "Anything, huh?" he teased.
I crossed my arms and pouted. "Fine. Almost anything!" I conceded.
He touched my lower lip with his finger. "I have big plans for these pouty lips tonight." He said huskily.
I looked at him wide eyed and felt a shiver work its way down my back. The good kind of shiver. The one that's only 10% fear and 90% anticipation!
TBC