Thank you for beta'ing, MsScheeheide!

"Hey, there," a raspy female voice says behind her as she's on her way to pick up Raiza from the Dunkin' Donuts that the little girl and Allie are at. "You're lookin' gooood, lady."

She turns around to see two younger women linking arms, one blonde and the other brunette. They're scantily dressed with a lot of makeup on their faces and they're wearing huge, dangly earrings. They have red leather jackets, matching beanies, sheer, black flower-patterned stockings, and white socks with lace peeking over their red boots to keep them warm. "Hi." Blanca smiles at them. "Gracias."

"May we interest you in a threesome, miss?" the dark-haired lady asks in a sultry Egyptian accent.

Blanca furrows her brows in confusion and then her brain registers it. They're prostitutes and they look strangely familiar. "Um, I'm flattered, pero no, gracias...tengo mi amor, Diablo. I'm not una lesbiana. Plus, I'm homeless, got nothin' to give you anyway. Lo siento."

"It's all right." The shorter of the two grins at her and waves. Just before they leave, Maritza catches up to Blanca. "Oh, hey, Yess-"

"Yes what? Sorry, chicas, I ain't servicin' you either. ¡Adiós, have a good night!" Maritza waves them off and then hugs Blanca. "Hola, Mamí, ¿cómo estás?"

Blanca kisses her cheek. "¿Muy bien, y tú?"

Maritza grins. "Fantastic!" She laughs lightly. "Yo, at least they weren't gross elderly men, right?"

"¡Cierto!" Blanca agrees. "What's wrong?" she asks as Maritza's happy facial expression morphs into an irritated one.

True!

"This jerk stole la comida that I got from the store! Now, we don't got nothin', we gotta dig through the trash! Lo siento, Mamí, I held onto it real tight, but he just snatched it away from me!"

"Carajo..." Blanca sighs sadly and cups Maritza's face. "I'm not mad at you, querida. Where was Vee during all this? She should've bought you more! In fact...she should've been with you until you were standing right in front of me."

"She had other shit to do and I was almost here, but I'm fine, I promise. We tried chasing him down, but he was way too fast for us."

"On foot? Doesn't she have a car?"

"Yeah, but we knew that by the time we got inside and started up the engine, he'd be long gone. Either way, we lost him."

"Oh, alright. Let's see if there's anything good in here." Blanca walks to a nearby dumpster and lifts the lid. "Ew," they both mutter, holding their noses as the smell wafts through the air. Blanca grabs the side of the large trash bin, steps onto the bottom ledge, and peers inside. It's not too full. There's all kinds of debris, but she can't see anything they can eat. She'll have to climb in and wade through it until she finds something. The stench is nauseating, but she does her best not to throw up.

"Mami, don't...noooo..."

"Gracias a Diós I'm wearing my sneakers instead of my boots and these gloves aren't the fancy ones Diablo got me." Blanca looks behind her to see Maritza glancing around worriedly. "I'll hurry. We have to get Raiza now, but we all need food in our bellies." After jumping in by hoisting herself up and swinging her legs over, she rifles through the garbage, picks up a plastic container of spoiled pasta that's half gone, and tosses it to the side since it has mold on it. Then, she finds some overripe bananas and soft persimmons that don't look too bad, so she shoves them into her coat pockets. Upon discovering Frosted Flakes cereal, she holds up the box triumphantly. "Our breakfast! It's open, but there's a lot in here!"

"Why would someone waste a whole thing of it?"

"They probably tried it once and didn't like it, or their parent complained that it was unhealthy and made 'em throw it out. This should be enough to last us for a week!" Blanca laughs as she spies a square of chocolate cake wedged in between a broken Christmas decoration and a rotten pumpkin. It's protected by plastic wrap, so it should be safe and edible. "Here's dessert!"

Maritza claps. "Yay!"

"Okay..." Blanca breathes heavily; she's been moving around there quite a bit. Some dried rice and popcorn kernels are starting to get in her shoes and it's so uncomfortable, but she'll hunt for a few seconds longer. She burps loudly, pukes in her mouth, and spits out the orange bile on a cracked wine glass.

"Oooh, Mami, give up, we got plenty now. You're already getting real sick...I thought you vomited or somethin'."

"It's just acid reflux, probably 'cause this is disgusting, so I'll need some water, which we have. I'm almost done. Last batch, they're inside a brown paper bag. Crunchy taco shells, cauliflower nuggets, and an almost empty package of Goldfish that probably went stale, but are hopefully still good. Ven aquí." She waves Maritza over and hands her the goodies. Her oldest daughter takes them with a grateful smile and stuffs them into one of the black garbage bags.

By the time they get to the shelter with Raiza, they've washed their hands and eaten their dinner, which were the cauliflower nuggets inside the taco shells, and cake was after. They finish off the Goldfish right before bed.

"Mommy, I don't feel good..." Raiza says and then sneezes a few times.

"Yeah? Poor baby..." Blanca feels her forehead, but she doesn't have a fever, just a runny nose. Maritza hands her some tissue and Blanca helps her blow her nose. The little girl has a coughing fit suddenly and Blanca holds her through it. She gives Raiza some water that's inside a tall, purple Sistema bottle that she'd found on the curb and washed in the staff room at work. "Here, take more agua."

Raiza quickly drinks it down and moans. "My throat hurts..."

"Orange juice and vitamin C would remedy that...too bad we don't have any. I'll get some tomorrow at the grocery store, they have a pharmacy in the back...I hope I can."

Maritza fishes out her wallet from her fake Fendi purse that Vee has apparently given to her for free. "How much dinero do you need?"

"I can't take cash from you..."

"Mami." Maritza holds her gaze. "This is a medical emergency. You haven't even gotten your paycheck yet. I'm loaded, 'member? I love helpin' with the dough."

Blanca thinks for a minute. "Forty bucks. Muchas gracias, nena."

"Kay." Maritza hands her two crisp twenty-dollar bills. She beams at her teenager as she pockets the money and zippers it up. "Anytime." They wrap their arms around each other and hum softly as Blanca rocks them back and forth and pecks the top of her head. Maritza puckers her lips and presses them to Blanca's cheek. "Buenas noches."

"Buenas noches, angelita."

Then, she gets inside of her bright pink sleeping bag, zips it closed, and conceals herself, so Blanca knows she'll be dead to the world soon. Raiza lays her head down on her Dora the Explorer themed pillow. After tucking herself and Raiza into their ratty comforter and worn-out sheets, Blanca covers her with a Powerpuff Girls blanket and a pink flower-patterned throw and kisses her cheek. Sobs wrack her tiny body and she squirms around, kicking her legs, as Blanca massages her back in a calm, circular motion and sings her a lullaby.

"Yeah, I'd be cryin' too if I had to lay on Dora's face night after night," a gruff voice says above them.

Blanca glares up at Cindy. "Hey, she needs Hispanic representation!"

"No need to get defensive, I was tryin' to be funny. You don't really like the program either, you said. What's the matta with her?"

"I think she's developing a cold, but I hope it's just a twenty-four-hour bug. I don't have the right medicine. We'll have to wait 'til la mañana to get it."

"Dang..." Cindy shakes her head. "Could also be from the declining temperatures, 'cause it's damn frigid in here."

"They oughta turn up the heat, but I'd rather not bitch about it."

"Good night, y'all. Hope she'll feel better soon."

"Thanks! Night." They wave goodbye at each other.

"Care to let us in on why you were pretending you had no clue who we were?" Shani asks the next afternoon as Maritza takes a spot next to her on the fancy couch after praying to Beyoncé above for Raiza's health to improve.

"Yeah, you mouthed, please, go while you hugged that woman...it was pretty weird," Nicky adds.

"Was she a friend of yours?" Shani wonders aloud. "Are you embarrassed to be seen with us?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to diss you like that. She's my mom, she doesn't know that I do...this." Maritza gestures around the brothel. "She thinks I'm a maid. She'd fucking kill me if she found out the truth."

"Ahh, so she's totally clueless..." Nicky smirks. "Well, she's hot, too, so I'll give her that." Shani glares at her, appearing to be hurt. "Not as much as you, of course, darling! Come on, you know you're the sexiest lady in the world. We're just not blind, we can all admire beauty. You're the one who suggested the threesome!"

"Yeah, she can keep up her attractiveness, even while being down on her luck." Shani seems to be in better spirits. "We didn't have any idea she was completely penniless."

"It's hard to tell with Mami sometimes, but you've never seen her when she's fully let herself go. She has to appear nice a lot and super professional because she works with old people. I think she's super pretty no matter what, but I'm biased, 'cause I'm her daughter."

"I woulda never guessed it," Nicky says. "You don't look alike..."

"Mami adopted me when I was a baby," Maritza explains. "My biological mom was too poor to take care of me, and also, she was deported back to Colombia. So, my parents took me in, but then real bad shit happened...long story short, we had to run away. He was a terrible monster."

Nicky and Shani nod their heads in understanding. "Do you mean your father?" Shani wonders aloud gently.

"Yeah," Maritza responds softly. "I ain't gonna get into it."

"That's okay, we understand. If you ever wanna share, you're more than welcome to. I've got first-hand experience with shitty dads," Nicky informs her.

"Did he hit your ma?" The question comes out before Maritza can stop it from escaping her mouth.

Nicky shakes her head no. "Just cheated on her and abandoned us both...but she wasn't the best person, either." She scoffs. "He was more of a fucking coward than anything. Why'd you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." Maritza sighs sadly, wishing Dean was simply a jerk who broke her mother's heart and not currently hunting them down like a wild animal stalking its prey. Nicky and Shani are so fortunate that nobody is after them.

"I don't know my dad at all," Angie says as she approaches them with Leanne.

"Well, aren't you lucky." Nicky gives the tall methhead a once-over.

"You're looking at me in the same way I stare at my beloved collection of troll dolls," Angie comments. "It's weird."

"What..." Nicky gives her a perplexed look. "No, I'm not! I'm just high."

"Are you checking her out like a dyke lesbo? Go fuck your own soggy box, because Angie doesn't want you!" Leanne states rudely.

"Oh, just sniff bleach and make art out of your own earwax like you said you wanted to do, you fucking idiots," Shani mutters and she, Maritza, and Nicky flip them off.

"The funniest thing happened to me yesterday..." Blanca chuckles, unable to get the memory from last night out of her mind. "These two women tried to hook up with me...sell their bodies for sex, I should say."

Cindy guffaws and slaps her thigh a few times. "Damn, girl! See, you still got it."

"I never said I didn't...but anyway, um, I'm not sure how to tell Diablo, or if I should..." Blanca shivers, remembering Dean's furious tirades against her if someone simply held her gaze for a second too long. A flirtatious comment, especially one that earned a giggle or blush from her, would've meant a trip to the hospital. She's aware that Diablo would never do that, though.

"Well, you didn't fuck 'em, right?" Camilla wants to know.

"No, I wouldn't cheat on mi amor."

"Good, 'cause that'd be a whole other mess," Cindy mutters. "Just let him know, it's a thing that happens."

Blanca tucks a thick clump of hair behind her ear and swallows a few times, trying to make her mouth less dry. They're going to get some water. "Not to me. I...I've never met anyone with that occupation. I've only passed a few in my thirty-two years, but they paid me no mind, probably because I wasn't alone."

"Well, you're part of our homeless world now, so situations like that are gonna be a hell of a lot more common. You're out and about, nightlife is all around ya, so get used to it," Camilla tells her.

"Anybody ever hit on you?" Blanca asks them. She adjusts her pink beanie, pulling it further down her forehead and ears.

"Nah, no beefcakes at least. Only desperate losers who I'd never say yes to," Cindy grumbles.

"I mean sex workers."

"Ah! A few, sure...but only if we don't look too poor, like if we recently came from work," Camilla murmurs. "We only accept the real cheap ones...most are so expensive. Two hundred dollars an evening! I don't got that kind of money to blow."

"I like my cold, hard cash right where it is." Cindy pats her pocket.

Blanca nods in understanding. "Me, too."

"How is Raiza, by the way?" Camilla asks. "Cindy told me she wasn't feeling well last night?"

"She's a little better...I think that shelter was just so dusty and full of smokers...and she has allergies. Vitamin C and OJ probably helped, too. It was almost like magic!"

Cindy grins. "Sweet!"

"Yeah, that's great," Camilla murmurs and Blanca smiles at them. She's so relieved.

"He fucked a hooker!"

"What?"

"He said her name was Lolita. I could smell her stanky-ass lilac perfume on him, Glo," Aleida grumbles, putting her head in her hands. "He said she was tighter than me with bigger tits. The best he ever had." She sniffles. "Really, though? Lolita?"

"You know, that really doesn't surprise me," Karla tells her gently while exchanging a concerned look with Gloria. "Um, I'm more worried about the age of this girl and why she has that nickname."

"It sounds slutty, what more is there to it? Even if it was just an affectionate way to say Lola, that's still a trashy ass ho."

"They're called sex workers, Lei," Margarita corrects her. "If y'all ask me, I'm angrier at Cesar. That motherfucker got me pregnant...sure, he's excited about la bebé and everything, but he expects me to be the housewife." She inspects her freshly painted pink nails and blows on them. "Hell to the no, chicas."

"I'mma get that asshole a propeller beanie next time I see him," Aleida mutters. "I'll tell him to grow the fuck up before we get back together."

"Hey. Maybe you should quit being like Samantha Jones until she met Smith, and only stay with Leon, Ma," Daya suggests as Armaria squeals in her arms and waves a cookie in the air.

Aleida scoffs. "It's like you don't remember Cesar supplying meals."

"Cool, he bought us food." Daya shrugs. "Big whoop! Leon actually cooks and he's nice to us, and he doesn't put his dick into people named Lolita! Samantha never stayed with a dude who mistreated her in any way."

"The man built your daughter a dollhouse," Gloria points out further. "You gotta keep him!"

"Yeah, don't have such low self-esteem. Be with somebody who deserves you," Margarita adds.

"You just mad 'cause Cesar called you a side of bacon," Aleida snaps. "He admitted to Bennett that he used you for sex, basically. He's never said that about me."

Margarita glares at her. "You fucking old school, ungrateful ass bitch! Did you forget who paid for our drinks the other night?"

Aleida narrows her eyes and scowls. "Nah, pero...I thanked you for that already!"

"Ladies, let's calm ourselves!" Karla jumps into their budding argument. "I thought you two were getting along so well!"

"Um, I'm trying to lift her up emotionally, but she ain't havin' it," Margarita complains.

The other woman angrily folds her arms across her chest. Rolling her eyes, Daya turns on her heel. "You're like a twisted, Hispanic version of the Sex and the City girls," she mutters before her departure.

"Not exactly, but okay," Gloria says quietly to herself.

"I'm Miranda, right?" Karla chuckles awkwardly. "Get it, because I can be lawyer-y at times? Miranda rights? Huh?"

Crickets.

"What? Come on, it's funny. You gotta laugh."

An impatient look from Aleida silences her. "Ain't time for jokes right now! I'm having a midlife crisis!"

"Jesus," Margarita grumbles, rubbing her temple. "At what, thirty-five? So fucking dramatic. Karla, you're funny." She grins and the older lady returns it.

Gloria smiles at Karla and squeezes her hand fondly. "It was hilarious, good attempt at cheerin' 'em up." She clears her throat. "Maybe you two just need some space from each other, huh?"

Margarita stands up and puts her purse over her shoulder. "Buena idea. Hasta mañana."

"Adiós!" the women with the exception of Aleida, call out.

"Ugh..." Maritza groans softly in pain. "Period cramps are the worst."

"Oh, mi bebé, lo siento." Blanca puts her book down and lets Maritza lay her head on her lap. "The Advil should kick in soon." Her daughter curls up, mumbling something, and she strokes the girl's raven hair in a soothing motion. She's grateful that they're able to sleep in the library tonight; the shelter is packed and over these past few days, the train station has become too uncomfortable. The pavement doesn't make a great bed and the benches are stuffed with snoring drug addicts. They can't be on the streets; it's way too cold out.

"What's wrong with sissy?" Raiza asks.

"Her tummy hurts," Blanca responds.

"Oh no! Why?"

Maritza closes her eyes. "You'll understand when you're older. Basically, it's something painful that girls get when they're like, eleven or twelve. Sometimes even younger, like nine, or as old as sixteen. Owww..." She winces in agony and Blanca rubs comforting circles on her back.

Raiza kisses Maritza's pale cheek and it touches Blanca's heart. "Sorry."

Maritza chucks her little sister's chin. "Gracias, hermanita."

"De nada." Raiza yawns and leans against Blanca. "Love you."

"I love you, too."

"Las adoro a las dos, chicas." Blanca uses her free hand to throw a soft, tan, warm blanket over their bodies. Someone has donated it for free.

I adore the both of you girls.

"Go, Mama! You're doing it!" Raiza claps her hands like the encouraging sweetheart she is. "Yaaaay!" Raiza helps her straighten it out.

"Gracias, princesita," Blanca tells her, sniffling and running a hand under her nose. She runs her fingers through Raiza's short curls and Maritza's long, straight locks as she gazes down at her babies with nothing but adoration and pride.

Maritza whimpers and Blanca's heart cracks.

"I wish you bore me a son," Dean slurs as Blanca serves him and Maritza dinner. "I guess you're just too stupid." He points to a sleeping Raiza in her crib just a few feet away from the table. "She'll be nice enough to give me a grandson." The monster looks over at Maritza, who's stabbing her fork into her ravioli. "Or you will. One of the two of you, then I'll consider you more useful."

"Go to hell," Maritza growls.

Blanca tenses up; she knows things are about to get heated. Dean stands abruptly and grabs Maritza's plate as she shoves her bite into her mouth. He breaks it against the edge of the table, splattering the food everywhere much like he's done with her illusions of a happy marriage, shattering her heart. "Clean this up!" he snarls at Blanca, shoving her. He wags his finger at the now wailing infant as he drags Maritza out of her chair and throws her over his shoulder. "Don't you dare start with me, I've already got your sister to deal with."

"Put me down!" Maritza hollers, pounding his back. Tears spring to Blanca's eyes as she quickly grabs the garbage can and vacuum cleaner.

"I'll throw you in bed without dinner, that's what you get, you nasty little brat!"

"No!" Maritza sobs. "Please, I have low blood sugar, I gotta eat!"

"Not tonight! Be grateful you got one noodle and some sauce. I can't tolerate you misbehaving."

"I'm sorry, Dad, please!" The desperation in her voice is clear. Instead of getting down on her hands and knees and taking care of the mess Dean had made, Blanca runs to her daughter's bedroom, wanting to comfort her and give her some more food. Dean kicks the door in so hard that the knob slams into the wall, creating a small hole in the plaster. He throws her on top of her comforter and makes her stay there.

"Dean, she doesn't deserve to starve...she apologized, a-and-" Blanca stammers in a small voice as she trembles under his beady stare.

"Shut up! What'd I tell you to do?" Dean shouts and backhands Blanca, who instantly crumples to the floor. She cowers in the corner when he shakes his fist at her menacingly. "Don't even think about kissing her good night. She's been a bad girl."

Blanca sits up slowly on her elbows and Maritza yelps as Dean spanks her bottom.

"Stop it!" Blanca shrieks, hoisting herself off the ground shakily. "She faints when she's famished!"

"Aaaaa!" Raiza shouts tearfully. She continues bawling at the top of her lungs.

"Get out of here, you powerless whore," he states plainly, pointing toward the living room. "You don't want Raiza squirming until she falls out of her crib and wanders into the shards. How dare you forget her! You're so cruel. Wow...you really are an evil, sinning Atheist, huh?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be okay," Maritza assures her. "Attend to her. She's more vulnerable than I am."

"I'm sorry, sweet girl." Guilt spreads through her and she wishes she were two people. She really can't protect them both at the same time. She plans to sneak some of the meal to Maritza while Dean is fast asleep. She knows it's a risk, but she'll be quick.

Blanca rushes to Raiza, scoops her up, and hugs her close. "Lo siento, querida," she whispers, kissing the tiny girl's temple and then her small hand while wiping away her tears. She's about to cry, too as she gently places her two-month-old back inside her crib. "Mami's gotta work, but I'll give you snuggles in a moment." She gets down on her hands and knees to pick up each individual piece of plate and food so it can go into the trash. She's careful not to cut herself. Then, she vacuums up the rest.

After dinner and while Dean is in a deep slumber, Blanca lies awake. When she's positive he's out like a light, she quietly slides out of bed and tiptoes to the kitchen. She's silent as a church mouse as she opens the fridge and pours a glass of water. She puts some leftovers and a plastic spoon into a small bowl. Her footsteps are muted as she moves to Maritza's room and opens her door cautiously, ensuring that it won't creak. She turns on her daughter's bedside lamp and gently wakes her up. The poor girl's stomach rumbles.

"Mmm...Mami, what..."

"Shh, shhh," Blanca whispers, setting her food and drink down on the nightstand. She presses her finger to her lips and then gestures toward the pasta. "Eat and take some agua."

"Muchas gracias, I'm so hungry that I'm weak."

Blanca helps her sit up and she takes a few bites, chewing without making noise. "¿Te gusta?"

Do you like it?

Maritza nods with a smile. "I always love your cooking!"

"¡Bueno!"

"Are you okay? I'm sorry he hit you when you tried to defend me."

"Mm-hm. No necesitas disculparte, nena." Blanca trails her knuckles up and down Maritza's cheek. "You didn't do anything wrong. Solo come y bebe, ¿de acuerdo? I need to wash your bowl and cup and throw away the spoon before he realizes I'm not with him."

No need to be sorry. Just eat and drink, okay?

"Okay." Maritza continues shoving food in her mouth and swallowing, using her water to rinse it down her throat better.

"There's my beautiful girl." Blanca squeezes her hand and Maritza beams. When she's finished, Blanca pecks the top of her head and they embrace each other. "Buenas noches. Te quiero mucho."

Maritza echoes her and then kisses her cheek.

It's not until the next morning, that she's sporting a black eye. She hates looking at her sad self in the mirror and regrets it every time she does.

Blanca suddenly sees the tiniest bit of a purplish bruise on the back of Maritza's neck, so she investigates further, her belly filled with dread. Once she moves Maritza's hair further to the side and her light blue scarf down a bit, she freezes up and slowly gasps in horror as more injuries are revealed. Maritza jumps slightly, but then relaxes.

"Ay dios mió...¿qué pasó aquí?"

Oh my god, what happened here?

"Nothin', Mami, probably from that scumbag who grabbed me the other day," Maritza grumbles. "I'm fine...they don't hurt anymore. I put ice on 'em at work once Vee noticed."

"Looks like he choked you, along with giving you that black eye and split lip."

"Yeah...he did."

Seeing her eldest so beat up wounds her in the worst way. She's reminded of when she was in the exact same position and she hopes nobody will ever hurt Maritza again. "Lo juro, si encuentro a este desgraciado que te lastimó, lo haré sufrir."

I swear, if I find this motherfucker who hurt you, I'll make him suffer.

A smile spreads across Maritza's face and she snuggles further into Blanca, hugging her around her waist.

After the girls sing to a few Spanish pop songs on the radio, Debbie and her girlfriend Nita come to a stop in front of Trudy's Donuts and Coffee. She turns around in her seat. "Okay, ladies, I've got a hankering. Would anyone like a special treat before we hit the freeway?"

"Yeah!" they chorus excitedly.

"Cool!" Nita exclaims. Everyone exits the vehicle and Debbie locks up her car. They all walk to the donut shop. "What do you all want?"

"Chocolate with rainbow sprinkles!" Flaca answers eagerly.

"Oh my god, same!" Elena puts in.

"Count me in for that one, too," Poussey chimes in.

Franziska raises her hand. "Me, three!"

"Chocolate fudge!" Taystee hollers.

"Jelly!" Cat shouts happily.

"Red velvet, bitches!" Daya and Ceci belt out together.

"Somethin' with vanilla cream filling," Daisy murmurs.

"Mmmm, sounds delectable." Katie licks her lips. "I'd like that as well."

They enter the little store and browse pastries while they wait for someone to come out. All they can hear is banging in the backroom. A woman moans loudly while a man grunts repeatedly.

Debbie shares a disgusted look with Nita. "How unprofessional."

"I know, Deb..."

"There's my good doggie! Oh yeah, Doggett! Fuck...mmm! Whoo!" the guy cheers. The girls glance at each other uncomfortably.

"Now can we feed the ducks those old bits of donut?" his lover asks.

"Yeah, but leave that chocolate ring around your mouth from your four chocolate donuts that you just ate, it looks hot. So does all that mud on your skin."

Flaca wrinkles her nose uncomfortably. "Ew," she whispers, linking arms with Elena.

"That's wack!" Taystee comments.

"What a weird fetish," Poussey says with dismay in her tone. They're all about to leave when the couple exits the backroom. Flaca hides behind Katie, Elena, and Debbie, the only three she's not taller than, for she recognizes this strange pair. She can still see a little over their shoulders.

"Shit! I apologize, females." The man with the repulsive goatee and huge, round eyes, grits his teeth. He turns to the much shorter lady with a contempt expression on his ugly face. "You told me you closed the store," he hisses, wagging his finger at her. They're both in sweats and she's wearing her hair in pigtail braids.

"Sor-ry! I thought I did!" she protests.

Flaca jumps slightly when she notices his other hand clench into a fist at his side. He doesn't do anything, so she sighs with relief.

"Okay, well, that's all right," Nita interjects calmly. "It was just an accident. Do you want us to come back at a later time, maybe tomorrow?"

"Nope, I'll take your orders. I'm the manager here." He shows them his uniform which has a nametag on it that reads Charlie Coates.

Debbie gestures toward the counter. "After you, darling."

Nita grins at her. "No, you go first. I insist...you're the one with the craving."

Smiling, Debbie pats her woman's cheek. "You're too good to me."

"What's with this dyke shit? Just get your food!" the short, white brunette mutters harshly. She'd never wiped her mouth off and there are dirt streaks all over her cheeks and chin, too. "We wanna go back to the pond and play on the grass again."

"Hey." Charlie rests a hand on her shoulder. "We like lesbos. They're fantastic entertainment."

"Ugh. Not for me."

"Yo, Donuts, would you just move forth on gettin' that skinny white ass to work? We want our desserts!" Ceci snaps.

"Demanding and exotic, I appreciate that. It's the perfect combination." He gives her a creepy stare while making his way to the counter. "How old are you, o mysterious señorita?"

"I'll show him mysterious," Elena whispers sharply, tightly grabbing onto her sister's hand protectively.

Before Ceci can answer, Nita clears her throat. "Too young for whatever you're insinuating. You're lucky her mother's not here, otherwise all your teeth would be knocked out of your skull. Leave her alone and do your job. Thanks."

Begrudgingly, he does.

Horns honk and people are yelling from their vehicles, irritated about the New York City traffic. Some are begging their cab drivers not to raise the fare because it's not their fault that the highway is so packed on a Saturday afternoon. Diablo is in his blue truck, stuck in the longest line-up of cars he thinks he's ever seen. "God damn it," he mutters, drumming his fingers on the wheel. "Son of a motherfucker...what pinche cabrón lets this shit happen?" The red light had turned green a few minutes ago, but nobody seems to be moving. He stares out the window, trying to enjoy his blaring music and drown out the noise around him. At least he has heavy metal songs for entertainment.

"Daddy! Look!" In the rearview mirror, Laronne points to something not too far off in the distance. Diablo follows his finger and it takes him a second, but he spots a homeless woman slowly shuffling barefoot on the median with all of her belongings in a shopping cart. Two bulky garbage bags are tied to either side of it and it appears as if she's really struggling. A piece of white cardboard rests in the child's seat and it reads in red lettering, Help me, please! I want my babies back. She's way too thin; he can see it in her jean-clad legs. She's also wearing a magenta puffy jacket, a dirty yellow beanie, grey gloves, and a knitted purple scarf. She's Latina and her curly black hair rests on her shoulders and ends at her chest.

Diablo's heart just about stops. "Ay diós mio, es ella," he breathes out.

Oh my god, it's her.

He would notice her anywhere.

Thank you for reading and reviewing, Juliette45!