*The title of this chapter is named after a song by The Bee Gees*
Over A Year Later
Time seemed to have flown past with the utmost swiftness. It was the middle of December in 2013; the three respective offspring of Rhonda, Nadine and Patty were over a year and a half old; twenty-one months to be exact. All three babies, Prince, Sidra and Harry were walking effortlessly by then and even attempting to speak. Words such as 'no', 'mommy' and 'daddy' were used most frequently by these adorable, ever-growing lads. Between work and education, their parents all continued to do the best that they could in raising them.
It was past midnight when Sid was driving home from work one Saturday night. For him, it was an exhausting but rewarding day. He was working a double that day, coming in at eight in the morning and leaving at twelve o clock midnight. His hard work earned him a little over four hundred dollars in tips. Since he, Nadine and their daughter finally moved out of Nadine's parents' house shortly before Sidra's first birthday, he and Nadine was going to need all the money they could to support their family.
As Sid was driving and looking forward to nothing but a good night's sleep when he got home, never did he imagine that, on his way home, he would stumble upon something—or someone—that would greatly impact and change his life, perhaps not for the better. It was the night he met a young woman by the name of Priscilla Corvi. Stopping at a red light, there wasn't much traffic at that time except for a black car right in front of Sid's. All of a sudden, the traffic light turned green and the black car was not moving or going anywhere.
"What the hell?" Sid grunted, in confusion.
He honked his horn as a way to get the car ahead of him to pay attention to the green light and drive. When the car continued to sit still, Sid sighed with annoyance and attempted to go around but he stopped when he saw the passenger's door of the car in front of him fly open. Out stepped a tall, young lady with curly dark hair with light-brown streaks that hung about inch above her shoulders and pale skin. She had on a gray trench coat, a knee-length white skirt with black fishnet stockings underneath and a pair of new yet inexpensive gray, high-heeled boots on her feet. She was also carrying a black purse.
Standing in the middle of the street, the woman started cursing at whoever the driver was. Even with his windows rolled up, Sid could hear what sounded like a thick, New York-Italian accent.
"You're a real fucking scumbag, you know that?!" she screamed.
"Fuck you, you dirty, slut bitch!" the driver, apparently a male, screamed back.
"Your mother is a slut, you asshole!" the woman yelled." Considering that you can disrespect a fucking woman like that in public is a fucking testament to the screwed up job that the bitch who bred you did with raising you!"
Taking obvious offense to that verbal low-blow, a full, unopened, plastic water bottle went flying out of the window at full speed. Luckily, the woman dodged it just in time but it only enraged her even more. Immediately after that, the mystery man behind the wheel finally started driving off.
"I will fuck you up, you stupid fucking coward!" the young woman cried out as the vehicle fled from sight." When I see in you in New York, I'm going to get someone to knock you the fuck out! Dickhead!"
Sid witnessed the entire scene in a mixture of shock, pity and disgust. As a young man who was nothing but sweet and caring towards his girlfriend and his daughter, it disturbed him to see a female, even a female he didn't know, be humiliated and disrespected that way. If only Sid had the courage and the energy, he would have bolted out of his car and beat that guy senseless before he sped off. Suddenly, the beeping of a couple cars that just pulled up behind him snapped him out of his thoughts.
Sid put his hand up to the drivers behind him as a signal of an apology for his lack of attention on the road. The woman was already on the sidewalk, walking promptly. Each stride of her feet was taken in angry and aggravation. She also had a lit cigarette in her hand. Concerned, Sid pulled over to the right at the side of the curb to let the cars behind him pass by. Holding his foot on the break, he rolled his passenger's side window down and spoke to the distressed woman.
"Hey, are you okay?" Sid asked.
"Do I look okay?" the woman responded, with frustration in her tone." Didn't you see what that fucking loser just did?"
"Yeah, I did and I'm so sorry," Sid responded, sympathetically." Should I, um, call the police for you or something?"
"No, he's going to need the police because if I ever see his ass, he's dead!" she shouted.
"Screw it; I'm sure he's not even worth it," Sid insisted.
"Listen, I appreciate your concern but it's freezing out here and I need to get home as soon as possible," she said, straightforwardly." If you're not driving me home then I'd rather keep walking, so I can get the hell out of this damn cold."
"Come on; hop in," Sid urged, motioning with his hand.
"Should I put out my cigarette or—?"
"No, don't worry about it. Come in."
The young woman quickly hurried to the passenger's door of Sid's car, took a seat inside and shut the door. Easing off of the brake and putting his foot on the gas, Sid started moving again.
"Before I even asked if you were okay, I had every intention on offering you a ride," Sid told her." What a complete asshole that guy was. No one deserves to be treated like that. Was that your boyfriend?"
"Hell no!" she exclaimed." I don't get into relationships with guys like that. Are you kidding me?"
"Oh, well, I just thought that—"
"No, that was not my boyfriend," she cut him off." He was simply a date. He went out for the first time and he was the most boring, arrogant, inattentive bastard I've ever met. We have nothing in common and his stupid pride couldn't handle the truth, so we had a big argument and what you just witnessed is what it eventually escalated to. Ugh, and he really thought he still had a chance to fuck me tonight. In his dreams!"
"So what? You don't have sex on the first date; only a pig wouldn't respect that," Sid commented.
"Listen, I am the realest, most straightforward bitch you will ever meet," she stated." If I'm into a guy enough to fuck him on the first date, I'll do it. I've done it. I don't give a fuck. But as soon as I notice something about him that I see as a turn off—not a chance!"
Listening to this young woman speak was astonishing to Sid. He seemed to be learning a lot about her despite knowing her less than five minutes.
"Boy Howdy. You seem like a fearless soul," Sid told her, with a chuckle." Total opposite of me. You must be really bold to get into a stranger's car right after some other guy just pulled some really jerk-ish crap on you."
"Oh please, I know looks can be deceiving but you're probably the most harmless looking thing I've ever seen," she said, laughing for the first time." How old are you? Seventeen? Eighteen?"
Sid blushed and replied." Uh no, I actually just turned twenty-one last month."
"I'm only a year older than you," she told him.
"Wow, I thought you were even older than that," Sid said.
The girl glanced over at him as if shocked at his comment. She took a drag of cigarette and exhaled.
"No, I'm not saying you look old," Sid quickly said, nervously." I just—I don't know."
"Oh, it's okay, don't worry about it," she chuckled." I had a few rough years in my young life, so it probably shows in my face."
Sid took a quick but thorough glance at her face and then refocused on the road. He found her strangely attractive. She had a round face and a set of full lips, much like those of actress Angelina Jolie. There was something about her pretty, copper-colored eyes that told the story of a young lady who has had a difficult past.
"So, what's your name?"
"Priscilla," she told him, before taking another drag of her cigarette." Yours?"
"Sid."
"I forgot to thank you for the ride," Priscilla said." How rude of me."
"It's okay," Sid said." By the way, I can tell by the way you talk that you're Italian. Am I right?"
Priscilla nodded." Yup. I'm Italian. Born and raised in Queens, New York. I just moved to Hillwood about four months ago."
"Nice," Sid nodded." I'm Italian too but I don't sound like it."
"Yeah, you don't."
"So, where exactly am I taking you, Priscilla?"
"I live on Stowbridge Street, right across the street from that Laundromat that used to be there."
"Oh yeah, I know where that is," Sid said." My dad lives about four blocks from there, actually."
"Again, I really appreciate this ride, Sid."
"No problem," Sid assured her, with a smile.
"Oh, there's a car seat in the back," Priscilla observed." You have a kid?"
"Yeah, a daughter."
"Aaaw, do you have a picture of her?" Priscilla asked, curiously.
"Of course. Lots."
Sid handed Priscilla his iphone and pointed her out to a series of photos of Sidra. Priscilla scrolled through the pictures of the adorable little girl that ranged from her newborn stages to her current age.
"She is so cute!" Priscilla said." What's her name?"
"Sidra. She'll be two years old in March."
"Is her mother black, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Yeah—well half black," Sid replied.
"Yeah, your daughter's really tan," Priscilla said." So pretty."
"Thanks," Sid smiled.
"So, you and your baby's mom are still together?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, that's nice."
"Do you have any kids?"
"No," Priscilla replied, with a chuckle." I love kids but I'm in no position to be anyone's mom right now."
"Neither were me and my girlfriend," Sid said, with a soft laugh." But it happened and we're managing."
"Yeah, that's usually how it is for young parents," Priscilla nodded." I was almost a mom twice but you know—I had a miscarriage when I was seventeen and then I had an abortion the following year. My mother wanted to kill me for that. You know how Catholics are about that kind of thing. Are you Catholic?"
"Technically yeah, I've had confirmation and shit like that when I was little but I wasn't raised going to church and stuff," Sid told her.
"Oh."
"Wow Priscilla, you're sharing a lot of info about yourself with me," Sid stated." I don't mind though. I'm just saying….."
Priscilla chuckled and responded honestly." I have nothing to be ashamed of. My past is my past. I own up to all of my mistakes. I prefer to be honest about who I was then and who I am now. Even now I'm still trying to find myself. Love it or hate it, I had a complicated life to put it nicely and I don't mind talking about it, even to strangers. Does that make me weird?"
"No, I can actually respect that about you," Sid said.
"Besides, it's not like you're going to remember me anyway once you drop me off home," Priscilla told him.
Sid didn't respond; he just smiled at her and then looked back at the road ahead of him. There was something about Priscilla that felt so magnetic to him. He honestly couldn't see himself not remembering her. When Priscilla flipped her hair over her shoulder, Sid noticed a tattoo on the left side of neck that said Dookie.
"Who's Dookie?" he asked, curiously.
"Huh?"
"I'm talking about your tattoo."
"Oh, the Green Day album," Priscilla told him.
Sid's eyes lit up." Oh shit, you're a Green Day fan too?!"
"Are you kidding me? I live for Green Day," Priscilla replied, excitedly.
"That's my favorite band ever!" Sid exclaimed.
"Mine too!"
"If my band was like Green Day, that would be awesome," Sid stated.
"Wow, you're in a band?"
"Yeah, if you wanna call it that," Sid laughed." It's just four of us; me and my best buds. We have a drummer, a bassist and two guitarists—I'm one of the guitarists. But we have no vocalist or even a name for that matter."
"Aw."
"But whatever, it's not like I get much time to play often," Sid shrugged." I work and take care of my girl and my baby. That's my life."
"So, how would you feel if your other three band members found another guitarist to replace you?" Priscilla asked.
"I'd be kind of sad—but good luck with that," Sid responded.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because if they were serious enough about the band, they would have a found a vocalist, a replacement guitarist and a bassist by now," Sid told her.
"What's wrong with the current bassist?"
"That's my friend Harold; he's literally in the same boat as I am," Sid explained." He has a girlfriend, a baby and we even work at the same restaurant. Our drunk asses got our girlfriends pregnant on the same night—right after prom. His son and my daughter are only days apart in age."
"Wow!" Priscilla exclaimed, then laughed." Interesting life you got there, Sid."
Sid cracked up and said."Please, my life didn't get interesting until prom night. Prior to that, I was just a wimpy, no-girl-scoring virgin. Next thing you know, I'm someone's dad."
"Aaaw," Priscilla said, with a smile.
"You, however—I'm sure you got a lot of interesting stories to tell," Sid said.
"Oh yeah, a lot," Priscilla nodded, with a laugh." But there's no time to share them because my place is only two blocks down."
So, Sid drove down two blocks until Priscilla told him exactly where to stop. The apartment building she lived in was three-stories tall and was owned by a middle-aged couple who resided on the first floor. Priscilla lived on the top floor.
"You live alone?" Sid asked.
Priscilla shook her head." No, I share an apartment with two other girls. I sleep in the living room. There are only two bedrooms in the apartment and my roommates occupy them."
"Why do you have to sleep in the living room?" Sid questioned.
"Well, they were there first," Priscilla explained." It's a fair deal, especially because I have the smallest share of the rent. The girl who found the apartment put an ad online for two roommates. The first one that responded to it automatically got the second bedroom, so that's how I ended up in the living room. It's fine though because I'm hardly ever home."
"Oh, I see," Sid nodded.
"So…. it was nice meeting you, Sid," Priscilla said." Thanks again for the ride."
"You're welcome," Sid grinned.
Priscilla smiled back and then opened the passenger's side of the door to leave but then she stopped.
"Oh shit, I forgot!" Priscilla cursed.
"What's wrong?" Sid asked.
"One of my roommates misplaced her keys, so I gave her mine and my other roommate is staying at some guy's house overnight," Priscilla replied." I have no way to get in and I don't want to wake up the other tenants at this time to let me in the building. Fuck!"
"Oh man," Sid sympathized." So, how were you going get back in if that jerk-off hadn't left you in the cold like that?"
"He's from Queens, actually, just like me and most of my friends and relatives," Priscilla explained." So he was supposed to drop me off at my mother's on his way home. What a shame. Me and both of my roommates were on dates tonight and mine ended up really shitty."
On impulse, Sid asked." Do you know how to get to Queens by car?"
"What? Sid, you're not serious," Priscilla responded, raising an eyebrow." Your baby mama would kill you. Doesn't she know what time you normally get home from work?"
"Yeah. Normally, she would get pissed off if I came home ridiculously late but tonight, I told her that I wanted to hang with my buds and she was actually okay with it," Sid stated." I was just going to go straight home to bed after work but then—I met you and I don't want to leave you stranded."
"How sweet of you," Priscilla told him." I know you must be tired though."
Sid shrugged." I'll be alright. I'll have all morning and afternoon to sleep, so I don't mind."
"You sure about this, Sid?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, you better stop by the gas station and fill your tank," Priscilla stated, pointing to his quarter-full gas meter.
"Yeah, I know."
With that, Sid pulled away from the curb and started driving again. Knowing that this would be a somewhat long ride, Priscilla unfastened her seatbelt, removed her coat and fastened her seatbelt again. The top she wore was sleeveless, so Sid could see the tattoos on both of her arms and her left wrist.
"More tattoos?" Sid was impressed.
"Yeah, I can't get enough of them," Priscilla replied." I have one on each on my calves, one on my right thigh, one on my right boob and one on my left ankle. Do you have any?"
"No way! I'm too scared to get one," Sid admitted.
"Once you get your first one, it's going to be addictive."
Sid shrugged." If you say so."
As Sid drove, he and Priscilla conversed for a couple of minutes until his cell phone rang; it was Harold. He connected his earpiece and answered the call.
"What's up, Harold?"
"Duuuuuuuude," Harold said, obviously high as a kite.
"What's going on, dude?" Sid asked.
"Are you still coming to Stinky's or what?" Harold asked him.
"I can't," Sid replied.
"Ugh! I thought Nadine was okay with you coming over here tonight," Harold complained.
"It's not about Nadine—" Sid said, looking over at Priscilla." I'm kind of…..taking this girl I met to Queens."
"Queens, New York?"
"No, Queens, Romania," Sid muttered, sarcastically.
"Where the hell is Romania?" Harold questioned, confused as usual.
Sid rolled his eyes." Never mind."
"Wait, wait, wait—it just registered in my head," Harold said." Sid Gifaldi is with a girl who is not Nadine? Woooooow."
"Dude, shut up," Sid remarked.
Sid could hear Stinky and Josh's reactions of surprise in the background.
"So, are you going to fuck her?" Harold questioned, curiously." No wonder you're bailing on your boys—again. You're trying to hit that, dude?"
"No! It's not like that," Sid reacted." I'm just driving her to New York. No biggie."
"At this hour?" Harold asked." The only girl worth me doing such a big favor for is Patty. No way am I going above and beyond like that for any other bitch, even if am fucking her. So, no offense, Sid, but I don't get you at all."
"Good for you!" Sid exclaimed, with sarcasm.
"Okay, but you've gotta be getting something out of the deal," Harold insisted.
"Bye, Harold!"
"Okay, okay. Geez."
Without another word, Sid hung up on Harold and shook his head. Thankfully, Priscilla couldn't hear what Harold was saying on the other end, as it was quite rude of him to insinuate that Sid couldn't do something kind for another female unless he was guaranteed some sort of sexual favor in return.
Sid was, indeed, attracted to Priscilla but for him, that was where he drew the line. Sadly, Harold, Stinky and Josh, at some point, have already begun cheating on Patty, Gloria and Sheena, respectively. For Harold, it started out with the girl Ashley from work; he ended up sleeping with her. From there, it's been a few other girls as well in the past year or so. Unlike his best friends, Sid hasn't cheated on his girlfriend and he certainly didn't plan on it.
"So, that was your friend?" Priscilla asked, with a laugh.
"Yeah, my best friend," Sid sighed." My annoying, obnoxious, lifelong best friend. The guy's an idiot but I love him like a brother."
"And let me guess, he thinks you picked up some random girl to bang tonight?" Priscilla guessed.
"Uh-huh," Sid nodded.
"Were you planning on a boys' night-out or something like that?" Priscilla questioned.
"More like a boys' night-in," Sid told her." We don't really go out. Traditionally, the four of us—who are my band mates—just chill out in my friend's garage and smoke weed. That's all."
"You smoke?" Priscilla's eyes lit up.
"Yeah, ever since I was like fourteen."
"Hmm. As soon as I get to my cousins', I plan to roll up a nice joint myself," Priscilla stated, shamelessly.
"Sweet."
Priscilla pulled out a tiny bag of marijuana from inside of her boot and asked." Wanna buy some?"
"Is that skunk?"
"Yup."
"Hell yeah," Sid accepted." But we're almost at the gas station, so I'll buy it from you later."
"Okay."
After Sid filled his tank up at the gas station and got on the road. He used the GPS app on his iphone to guide him to the destination. Along the way, his conversation with Priscilla consisted of Green Day, marijuana and other common interests. They briefly discussed each other's childhood without going into much depth about it. Conversation certainly increased the flow of the ride and made time fly pass. After all, the ride was nearly an hour and a half long and that was only because of the lack of traffic at that hour.
After a while, Sid glanced at the GPS and said." Wow, it looks like we're almost there."
"Yup," Priscilla said.
"Is your cousin up at this hour?" Sid asked.
"Definitely," Priscilla nodded." She's a night owl. I texted her twenty minutes ago. She's going to leave the door unlocked."
"Okay."
When they finally pulled up in front of the residence, it was time for Sid and Priscilla to exchange goodbyes.
"Well, this is it," Priscilla said, with a smile." I have a simple plan—shower, smoke, bed. You're a sweet guy. I really appreciated the ride."
"Not a problem at all," Sid assured her, smiling back.
Priscilla unfastened her seatbelt, grabbed her coat and leaned over to give Sid a kiss on the cheek.
"Goodnight," she said.
"Goodnight, Priscilla."
Just as she was about to reach for the passenger's door, Sid spoke up.
"Priscilla?"
"Yes?"
"Um, don't take this as me hitting on you or anything—I'm not that kind of guy but—you know—I was just—uh," Sid was struggling with his words.
"Yes, Sid, you can have my number," Priscilla spoke for him." You're a cool ass guy. We should chill sometime."
"Awesome," Sid responded." I'll send you a text so you can have mine too."
Priscilla gave Sid her cell phone number and he sent her a simple text message so she can also have his. They also made their drug exchange; Sid bought the bag of weed from her. After that, they said goodnight to each other again and Priscilla got out of the car to make her up the stoop of her cousin's place. She smiled and gave Sid a quick wave before she disappeared inside of the house.
Sid would have never imagined what would come after the night he met Priscilla Corvi, whether it would lead to good things or bad things. Without a doubt, she was an intriguing individual; Sid has yet to meet anyone like her—and he still didn't even know the half. The ride back home was even more exhausting and honestly, difficult to remain awake, especially without someone to keep him company for the ride. When he finally made it back to Hillwood, he entered his building and made it upstairs to the fourth floor to the apartment he had with Nadine and their daughter. It was past 3:00Am when Sid finally got in the door.
Once he entered the bedroom, he saw that Nadine was fast sleep with Sidra cuddled up next to her, also asleep. Nadine had her head wrapped in a colorful African-style scarf to protect her hair while she was asleep. They kept a nightlight in the room for Sidra, who absolutely feared the dark; a phobia she obviously inherited from her father. While Nadine was holding Sidra close as they slept, Sidra was hugging her stuffed bumblebee. Even they though their daughter had their own room, she slept with Nadine and Sid more often than not. Sid smiled at them both as he tried to remain quiet. However, Nadine's eyes opened anyway and noticed him.
"Hey," she said, groggily.
"Hey baby," he responded.
"Had fun with the guys?" Nadine asked.
"Oh—um, yeah," Sid lied.
Even though he had no such intentions to pursue Priscilla or any other girl behind Nadine's back, there was still absolutely no way Sid could tell her the truth about where he was without causing her to jump to conclusions of unfaithfulness on his behalf.
Sid walked over to Nadine's side of the bed and gave her a kiss on the lips. After that, he leaned over and kissed Sidra's delicate cheek.
"I'm going to take a shower, I'll be in bed in a minute," he said.
"Alright, baby," Nadine said." Did you eat?"
"Yeah."
Sid went on to the bathroom to take a shower. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about Priscilla ever since he dropped her off in New York. She definitely seemed like someone he could have a lot of fun with and make a good friend out of. Just going to a rock concert or even smoking marijuana together would have been exciting enough. Unlike Harold, Sid didn't feel the need to have romantic/sexual relations with anyone else. After all, he was always pleased to be with Nadine and Sidra, no matter how much he thought about Priscilla.
Meanwhile, Harold was also just coming home very early in the morning after hanging with Stinky and Josh the whole night. He was extremely sleepy and his high was just beginning to come down. As soon as stepped into the apartment, he saw a pillow and a blanket tossed onto the living room sofa. From experience, he knew what that meant. Patty locked him out of the bedroom.
"Ugh, geez!" he groaned, annoyed.
Removing his coat and letting it drop to the floor, he walked down the narrow hall to his and Patty's bedroom. Raising his fist, he knocked on the door. Patty heard him but she ignored him.
"Patty, open the door!" Harold wailed, in complaint.
"Go away," Patty snapped.
"Ugh! Don't start this shit, please!" Harold argued.
Inside the bedroom, Patty groaned and pressed a pillow over her face in frustration.
"Is Harry in there?" Harold asked.
Suddenly, he could hear his little boy yelling, happily." Daddy!"
"Where else would he be, dumb-ass?" Patty retorted." And you just woke him up!"
"Well, then open the goddamn door!" Harold yelled." You know he's going to want to come with me now that he hears that I'm home."
Patty didn't give a vocal response, she just picked Harry up, carried him to the bedroom door opened it and handed him over to Harold.
"Goodnight, Harry," Patty said, kissing her son on the cheek.
"Patty, you're not going to let me in?" Harold asked.
"No. Take Harry and get the hell out of my face," Patty growled.
Without another word, Patty slammed the door shut in Harold's face. He groaned and muttered curse words under his breath as he carried Harry to the living room. Although the twenty-one month old little boy was very round and chubby, he had parents who were strong enough to carry him around as if he weighed nothing.
"What are you doing up?" Harold asked, smiling.
As Harold took a seat on the living room sofa, he sat Harry on his lap, wrapped the blanket around them and turned the television on. The two of them watched cartoons together until they fell asleep on the sofa. Like the story of many troubled relationships, Harold and Patty's son was a mutual comfort for both of them and perhaps a major reason why they were even still together. Harold was well aware why Patty was angry with him. It had nothing to do with him hanging out or smoking weed. He knew that she suspected that he was being unfaithful to her.
Even though he didn't cheat on her that night, he's done it several times already. Patty had no proof of this but she followed her intuition. The truth, in spite of everything, was that she genuinely loved Harold and he loved her very much as well; therefore, breaking up over the notion that he was cheating wouldn't have even crossed her mind until she found solid evidence.
A week and a half went past; Christmas was only two days away. The young moms and dads went all out for their babies for the most anticipated holiday of the year. Although they had rent, utilities and car insurance to worry about, it meant the world to all of them to see that their kids were happy and provided with everything they could ever want.
However, one day at work, Sid was soon to find himself in some serious trouble. It was eight o clock in the morning, an hour before the restaurant was opened to customers, and Sid was downstairs in the basement/storage room of the building with his coworker, a curly red-haired guy named Archie. The room was only used for a monthly shipment of merchandise and inventory, so they knew when to come down there and when not to. Standing in the dark, Sid and Archie used their flashlight apps on their cell phones to guide them.
"Alright, here's twenty," Archie whispered, extending his hand with a twenty dollar bill in it.
"Okay," Sid whispered back, holding out a small bag of marijuana.
Suddenly, the flicking of the light-switch startled them and the entire basement was lit up. Standing on top of the stairs was the general manager, Lauren, with her arms crossed over her chest. She was a thin, dark-haired, green-eyed woman with a serious, uptight personality. Lauren has only recently been assigned to the building as the general manager after the previously one left. In truth, most of the employees and even two of the other managers couldn't stand her.
Staring at Sid and Archie frozen with drugs and cash in their hands, Lauren's lips formed a scowl as she said." You're both fired! Get out."
"Shit," Archie cursed, silently.
"Wait, wait—Lauren!" Sid cried out." Lauren!"
Lauren spun around and walked out of sight. Desperate to plead with her, Sid bolted up the stairs and quickly tried to track Lauren down inside of the restaurant. There was an office for the managers in the back of the kitchen, so Sid quickly hurried over there. Lauren was sitting in a chair, looking through paperwork and pretending not to see Sid at the door. Sid stepped inside of the office, his heart pounding nervously.
"Lauren please—" he started.
"I said you're fired," she cut him off.
"Come on!" Sid begged." Just like that?"
"What the hell do you mean just like that?" Lauren snapped." You think you can sell drugs in my building and expect to still have a job here? Are you an idiot?"
"Clearly, but it won't happen again!" Sid responded, apologetically.
"Yeah, because I fired you," Lauren snarled." What don't you understand about that?"
"Lauren, I make the most sales and bring in the most tips of everyone in this restaurant," Sid stated." I made one stupid mistake; couldn't I just a get disciplinary warning or something?"
"A disciplinary warning?!" Lauren laughed, angrily." Consider yourself lucky I didn't call the police on you. Had I done that, you would have really been in some deep shit! Firing you was me taking it easy on you. And don't talk to me about how good of a server you are. It's a shame I have to let you go but you can and will be replaced."
"Lauren, ninety percent of this whole freaking staff smokes weed!" Sid wailed, on the verge of tears." You know that! What are you going to do, fire everyone?"
"No, I'm firing whoever gets caught," Lauren argued." You think I give a shit what any of you do outside of this restaurant? I couldn't care less what you smoke or sniff or whatever you do, as long as you don't bring that crap to work! Jesus Christ! Did I really have to waste my breath explaining that to you? Common sense! The law! Hello?! I feel like I'm talking to a five year old!"
"You know I have a little girl to feed," Sid responded, with tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Well, I have two little girls and a boy to feed," Lauren said, sharply." So, what's your point? If I let a drug deal slide and the corporate office found about it, I'm screwed. You worked for me and you were supposed to abide by the policy. I am not going to protect you when you did something wrong."
"John would have given me a second chance," Sid said, referring to the previous general manager.
"Well then, John would have been a fool!" Lauren raised her voice." Listen, this is not up for debate. If I have to ask you one more to get the hell out of my building, we're going to have a huge problem here. Now go!"
Sid shook his head and wiped his tears away as he started to walk out of the office.
"And tell your friend not to bother coming in today; he's fired too!" he heard Lauren shout.
Sid felt like a complete fool for what he just did. Many times he has made drug deals, whether he was buying or selling them, in the basement of Sparkle Grub. Others employees have done it as well but no one has gotten caught until now. Unfortunately, Sid had to accept that he was wrong and Lauren was justified in firing him.
With his coat on, he stepped out of the building feeling extremely upset. Archie obviously accepted the loss of his job without putting up an argument since his car was already out of the lot. However, with a girlfriend and a daughter to take care of, Sid had to at least try to reason with the general manager, even though he failed.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Harold stepping out of the vehicle that he shared with Patty.
"What's up, Sid?" Harold called out.
Sid acknowledged Harold with a quick nod and continued walking to his car. Harold could see the puffiness in Sid's eyes and face, thus, knowing instantly that he was upset about something. So Harold ran over to him to see what was wrong.
"What's the matter, dude?" Harold asked, concerned." What are you crying for?"
"I got fucking fired," Sid sobbed.
"What?! Why?!"
"Lauren busted me selling some bud to Archie in the storage room, so she fired us both," Sid told him.
"Oh shit," Harold gasped.
"What am I going to say to Nadine?" Sid sighed, tearing up again." I'm so fucking stupid."
Harold didn't have a response; he just sighed and shook his head, sympathetically.
"Hey, don't feel bad for me," Sid told him." You've got bigger problems."
"What are you talking about?"
"Lauren said you're fired too," Sid revealed.
"What?!" Harold exclaimed." How the fuck did that happen?!"
Sid shook his head, sighed and shrugged.
"I bought some bud from Franco yesterday, did someone rat on me?" Harold freaked out.
"I don't think so."
"Alright. Well, I need to talk to the bitch," Harold growled.
He turned around and prepared to walk into the building but Sid stopped him.
"Harold, don't bother," Sid insisted." Face it. You know why you got fired. You're always late and sometimes you don't show up at all. Meanwhile, I was the best employee in that whole fucking building and I actually gave a shit about my job and I get fired for one fucking slip-up. Great!"
"Oh please, don't even fucking go there, Sid," Harold debated." Your ass got caught and you pissed Lauren off, so she decided to take it out on me too! Gee, thanks a lot for that! If the bitch really wanted to fire me she would have done it a while ago, not when she catches you fucking up!"
"It was only a matter of time before you got fired!" Sid shouted." How many fucking times have I told you to stop being late and stop ditching work?! So, don't put this on me!"
"Okay, then don't fucking judge me or try to make me feel like shit all because your perfect-working-record ass got fired!" Harold snapped.
Sid bit down on his lower lip in frustration, shaking his head. Harold exhaled and calmed down.
"Look Sid, we both screwed up," he said." I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go off on you like that."
"Me neither," Sid murmured.
"I'm just going to go home and prepared to get murdered by Patty," Harold said, regretfully." It was so nice knowing you, dude."
"Hopefully, we'll get buried side by side because Nadine is going to kill my dumb ass too," Sid said, equally regretful.
"Yeah and maybe they can share a prison cell, turn into lesbians and spend the rest of their lives blaming men for ruining them," Harold joked.
Sid laughed but it was painful to do so. Harold was in no joking mood either; it was just something he did at times when he was upset. The two of them chatted and commiserated for the next two minutes or so and then parted ways to drive home. They were not looking forward to the reactions of their girlfriends but they couldn't possibly think of a plausible lie.
As expected, when Harold got home to reveal the news to Patty, she was beyond irate. She yelled at him, called him names and expressed her disappointment in the most vulgar fashion. Patty was already getting sick of some of things that Harold was doing but after she found out that he lost something that their family and household expenses depended on, she really snapped. Harold, however, just tuned her out and allowed her to vent out her frustrations with him. He knew it was coming the moment Sid told him that Lauren fired him.
When Sid broke the news to Nadine, however, he got a different reaction than what he expected. They were sitting in the living room while Sidra was playing on the floor with her toys. To say that Nadine wasn't the least bit disappointed was not realistic; however, she didn't flip out the way that Sid expected her to.
"Oh, why baby?" Nadine asked, shaking her head in disappointment.
"Because I'm an idiot," Sid choked up." I should have thought about you and Sidra."
"That's true but it is what it is," Nadine sighed." We just have to figure something out."
"I'm glad you're taking it easy on me but—I'm so mad at myself for letting my family down," Sid said, staring down at his lap.
"Baby, look at me," Nadine said, softly.
Sid continued to stare down until Nadine gently took both sides of his face with her hands and made him face her. She noticed a tear in the corner of his eye, so she brushed it away with her thumb and smiled at him.
"What did you expect me to do? Yell at you?" she asked him.
Sid didn't reply, he just stared back at her with his puppy-dog eyes.
"Sid, you're my man and I'm not going to get on your case for one screw-up," Nadine continued." We'll get through it. Like I said, we'll figure something out. We have rent due on the first of January and it's almost Christmas already. Sidra has everything we wanted to get for her but we'll have the rent on time somehow. I'll see if I could get more hours at work and until you find another job, you're just going to have to keep Sidra while I'm work or school. That daycare's too expensive with one less person in the house without an income."
"I know," Sid nodded.
"Baby, I'm serious," Nadine told him." I don't want you to beat yourself up. I'm not going to yell at you. You know how much I love you, Sid, and I'm with you through thick and thin."
"You really loosened up a lot on me lately," Sid pointed out.
"Frankly, baby, I'm sick of people thinking that I control you and boss you around," Nadine responded." I'm not about to kick my baby's father when he's down. I loosened up on you because you proved to me that I can rely on you. I had my doubts when I was pregnant and even after we had the baby but I'm over it. I never liked the fact that you smoke weed and I definitely don't like that you got caught selling it at work. Still, I don't have to be on your case about everything because no matter what, you always put me and Sidra first. We were always taken care of."
Sid took Nadine's hand and kissed it." I love you, baby."
"I love you too," Nadine responded." Don't worry, boo. We'll be alright."
With that, they kissed each other softly yet passionately for at least fifteen seconds. After that, Sid just rested his head on Nadine's bosom while she stroked and caressed the side of his face. The way she was taking it was a huge relief for Sid. In all honesty, had she reacted any differently, Sid wouldn't have even known how to handle it. After all, he was a highly sensitive soul.
The Christmas vacation came and went. Despite the hardships and rockiness that the couples were enduring, Patty, Harold, Sid and Nadine made a conscious effort not to let it affect their kids, so they could actually enjoy the holiday. Like every holiday, Rhonda came to Hillwood with Prince to spend the holiday with their family and friends; she returned to California shortly after New Year's. Sid and Nadine have settled their issue quickly and peacefully whereas the tension between Patty and Harold was still there. For the most part, they only interacted if Harry was involved; otherwise, they ignored each other. A couple of weeks after the new year came a brand new semester at university.
At their local college, Patty and Nadine were in the cafeteria together eating and discussing home issues. While trying to focus on the holidays, they haven't really gotten the chance to discuss tough matters.
"I'm still pissed at Harold," Patty said." When am I ever not pissed at him?"
"You don't have to be," Nadine insisted.
"Why shouldn't I be?" Patty shrugged." I understand why you're patient with Sid for losing him job but Harold is so goddamn irresponsible and unreliable. My patience with him is next to zilch."
"Harold's not perfect but—" Nadine started.
"He's far from perfect," Patty stopped her." The guy just gets me so….angry at times."
"So, what are you gonna do?" Nadine asked." Break up with him?"
"I think about it a lot," Patty admitted." But then I remember that I love his stupid ass, for some reason, which makes me equally stupid."
"No, it doesn't, Patty," Nadine assured her." I understand why Harold pisses you off when he makes immature decisions but he loves you. Think about this; he's never had much confidence in himself. What if he only screws up because that's what everyone expects of him? So, when you yell and berate him, it doesn't help at all."
"But I'm not everyone," Patty insisted." I was never the most confident person in the world either; I'm still not. Nadine, I was supposed to be the one person that Harold could relate to better than anyone else. That's how we fell in love in the first place. We both grew up and brought the best out of each other when most people thought we were nothing but mean, antisocial bullies. I don't expect him to be perfect but I do expect him to be an adult and make practical decisions. For the past almost two years, it hasn't been just about us—we have Harry to think about."
"Girl, believe me, I understand," Nadine nodded.
"You know how much hate it when we have to turn to my parents, his parents or even Rhonda to save us from getting our electricity turned off or being evicted?" Patty continued." What the hell is going to do without his job?"
"Uh-huh, Rhonda sent me money to pay our rent not long ago," Nadine told her." We also burrowed money from my parents, Sid's dad and his older sister that we never paid back. One time I even burrowed twenty dollars of my little brother's allowance for gas and I felt bad. It's hard but I told Sid we're going to be okay. I still have to figure something out because my job just laid two people off, so I know they don't have any more hours to offer me. However, Patty, what I want you to understand is that attacking our men for their fuck-ups isn't going to get us anywhere. It could be worse; we could be raising our kids by ourselves while Harold and Sid are running around living their lives without a care in the world."
"Okay, forget the financial problems—Harold is cheating on me," Patty stated." I never asked. I have no proof and he would never tell the truth about it anyway."
"Well, you gotta make him," Nadine insisted." Make him tell you the truth. If he admits to it, ask him why. At that point, you have to decide if it's worth forgiving and forgetting."
"Nadine, you can't possibly think it's that simple," Patty responded, sternly." Look me in the eye and tell me that you wouldn't be contemplating homicide if Sid ever cheated on you."
Nadine sighed and looked down." I—I just can't imagine Sid cheating on me, to be honest. He wouldn't."
Patty didn't respond; she just frowned. Although Patty wasn't one to cry easily or often, Nadine could clearly see the hurt in her face.
"Patty, I'm sorry—I'm awful at giving advice," Nadine said." I just want to see you happy. You and Harold have been together for so long; you were obviously meant to be. Am I suggesting that you roll over and allow him to treat you like shit? Absolutely not. I just want you two to work it out."
"So do I but there's only so much that I can take," Patty said, with a sigh.
Nadine sighed too, not knowing what else to say.
"Anyway, I have class in ten minutes," Patty announced." Call me later?"
"Sure," Nadine said." My next class is almost an hour away. So, I'm just going to sit here for a while and get my thoughts together."
"Okay. Later, Nadine."
"Later."
Patty and Nadine gave each other a quick smile before Patty tossed out the scraps of her lunch and left the cafeteria. As much as Nadine wanted Patty and Harold to fight for their relationship, she had more important things to worry about such as her own relationship and her own child. In all honesty, Nadine couldn't blame Patty for feeling the way that she felt. If Sid was any less responsible and worst of all, unfaithful, she couldn't see herself being calm and patient either. Money—her own money, not what she burrows from anyone else—would keep their home financially stable and relieve a lot of pressure.
Before Nadine could even start pondering ways to solve her problems, an acquaintance of hers walked over to the table carrying a sandwich and a water bottle. It was a woman named Cherry whom Nadine met the previous semester. Cherry was a tall, slim woman in her late-thirties or early-forties with big, brown eyes, several freckles on her face and a slight overbite. A natural blond, Cherry was actually a nickname and for the longest time, she kept her hair dyed a cherry-red color.
"Hi Nadine," she said, with a kind smile
"Hey," Nadine smiled back.
"Mind if I join?"
"No, of course not," Nadine said." Come to think of it—you're just the person I was looking for."
"Honey, you're just the person I was looking for," Cherry giggled, as she pulled up a chair.
"Okay, what's up?" Nadine asked.
"I can tell right now that this bio course is going to kick my ass this semester," Cherry stated." I know you're good at this stuff. So, do you wanna save my life and agree to help me when I need you?"
"Yeah, no problem," Nadine agreed.
"Sweetie, why do you look so sad?" Cherry asked.
"My baby's father got fired and I'm trying to figure out what we're going to do," Nadine replied.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Cherry sympathized.
"So, that's where you come in," Nadine said.
Cherry gave her a strange look.
"No, I'm not asking you for money," Nadine quickly told her." I'm asking you for—a hook-up. Talk to your boss for me."
"No way," Cherry shook her head." You're way too smart for that. If I had other options in life right now, I wouldn't be in that damn place."
"But it's not illegal," Nadine insisted." How bad could it be? You told me how great the money is."
"Nadine, you seem like a great young lady," Cherry said." I'd hate to see you be reduced to what people like me do for a living. Honey, as soon as I get my degree, I am out of that place. My mom, my dad, my siblings and my twenty-four year old daughter have been disgusted and ashamed of me long enough. Dropping out of high-school, getting pregnant at seventeen, years of prison and then rehab, is the reason why my career options are limited until I finally get that damn degree. You, however, shouldn't have to resort to that. There's got to be something else you could do."
"Like what?" Nadine asked, rhetorically." Get more hours at my current job? I already tried. Find a second job—which I'm not even guaranteed to find as quickly as I need it—and work two jobs on top of being a mom and a college student? As if I'm not stressed enough! I only want to do it temporarily, at least until my man finds another job. I feel for you, Cherry, I really do. But my daughter isn't twenty-four; she's still a baby. I'll be done with it before she's even old enough to understand what I did to provide for her. My boyfriend, family and friends don't even have to know."
"Come on. You really think your boyfriend wouldn't find out?" Cherry said, eyeing her.
"I'd prefer if he didn't know but if he found out—I don't know—he's a lot more understanding than the average guy," Nadine insisted." So Cherry, would you please?"
Cherry remained silent for a few seconds and then she said." Okay."
"Thank you," Nadine said.
"In the meantime, can I see your notes for bio?" Cherry asked.
"Sure," Nadine nodded, reaching into her bag.
"I can't believe I agreed to this," Cherry shook her head." Nadine, you're such an intelligent girl."
"Oh, come on, Cherry, I feel bad enough about it already," Nadine groaned.
"Well, maybe you'll change your mind," Cherry shrugged.
"Cherry, can we just focus on biology right now?" Nadine asked, impatiently." Please?"
"Fine."
Without another word on the subject, Nadine gave Cherry her notes to copy for their Cell and Developmental Biology course. Nadine's decision seemed rather rash because it didn't even cross her mind until Cherry approached the table. However, she was almost certain that she wasn't going to change her mind. Is she really going to go through with it? Is her household in that much trouble? Is Nadine Robinson, of all people, really going to become a stripper?
If Sid's love for her was as deep as hers for him, how would he feel about it?