Valerie
I went into labour at thirty-eight weeks. Steve and I have another daughter. I named her Mary Alice. She had dark hair like her aunt Stephanie. Hopefully, Mary Alice would be an easier child than her aunt. Mom said Stephanie was too independent and never conformed to the rules. I knew that firsthand.
Stephanie was supposed to marry Dickie Orr. I couldn't attend the wedding because I got put on bedrest during the last three months of pregnancy. Amy came to LA to help me with Angie. I appreciate the help.
The nurse took blood samples from Mary Alice, claiming the doctor needed to run tests on my daughter. She said Mary Alice showed signs of a genetic congenital disability. I let them test Angie for the same issue.
It was three weeks before I learned the results of the tests. Angie and Mary Alice weren't Steve's biological daughters. Steve said I could stay in our house and bed to maintain appearances. He gave me an allowance to pay for myself. I had to rely on money from Dad, Mom and Stephanie to buy clothes for the girls. Steve covered the cost of groceries, not including diapers and baby food. He refused to support my daughters.
I felt ashamed for sleeping with Joe Morelli twice and having his children. Steve said we wouldn't have sex anymore. I had to go elsewhere or use a vibrator. He purchased a luxury model for me. Though, I had to wait a few more weeks before I could even do that.
Steve confessed to having affairs after learning about my indiscretion with Joe before our wedding day. He refused to tell me how he found out. I was devastated, but who was I to judge Steve? We were married when I slept with Joe the second time. I tried to pass it off as being drunk. Steve didn't believe me. He was right not to trust my word. I wasn't so drunk that I couldn't control my urges. Joseph Morelli was my Achilles heel. I couldn't resist his charms.
Stephanie thought I was an idiot. I couldn't disagree. My sister talked to me an hour before her wedding ceremony to Dickie Orr. Steve commented that Stephanie didn't deserve the same fate as him, which meant Dickie was cheating on Stephanie. I suggested Stephanie should get someone to visit their house before going through with the marriage. Stephanie contacted an old-school friend, Vince Conti, for assistance. Vince asked his commanding officer, a man he called Ranger, to go with him and Stephanie to Dickie's house.
They found Dickie Orr screwing Joyce Barnhardt on the dining room table. The table was so new that the bubble wrap was still around its legs. Stephanie received the delivery a few minutes before leaving for the rehearsal the previous night. My sister was devastated. She escaped to parts unknown with Ranger. I hoped Stephanie didn't sleep with the man when she was supposed to marry Dickie Orr. What was I saying? Stephanie dumped Dickie. She was free to sleep with anyone she wanted.
Mom called when Stephanie didn't arrive at the church. She said Dad was happy because he didn't like Dickie. Of course, Mom was appalled by Stephanie's behaviour. It was her fault that Dickie slept with Barnhardt before their ceremony. Was it Steve's fault that I had sex with Morelli? No. Nobody was to blame but me. Thank goodness Stephanie found out about Dickie's affair before they got married.
Stephanie would have been devastated if her husband cheated on her. Finding out Dickie was screwing Joyce Barnhardt, Stephanie's nemesis, must have been hard enough for Stephanie to cope with. I hoped she would find solace in her second chance.
My phone rang. Thankfully, it didn't wake Angie or Mary Alice from their naps. I cheerfully answered, "Hello. You've reached the Corelli residence."
"Hi, Val. How are you?" Stephanie asked.
"I should be asking you that question," I replied.
"What's going on, Valerie? Why did you sleep with Joe?" Stephanie asked. I confessed to Stephanie about my daughters' paternity and Steve's affairs. She didn't believe my affair warranted Steve cheating on me.
"Steph, you know how I feel about Joe. I thought he would date me after we had sex. Then he slept with you when you were sixteen. I was hurt. I couldn't resist him when he showed me some attention during the bachelor-bachelorette party. I thought he would stop the wedding and confess his love," I confessed.
Stephanie sighed. "Valerie, many women in the Burg were charmed by Morelli. He didn't love any of his conquests. Joseph Morelli was only consumed with popping cherries. I heard he was competing with his cousin, Mooch. Valerie, please stay away from the Morelli men. They will only hurt you more. Does Joe know he has two daughters?"
"No. I don't want him to know, either. It's my penance for cheating on Steve," I replied.
"Valerie, you should get a job supporting your daughters. We know Joe won't help you with the girls. You said Steve gave you documents relinquishing legal guardianship because of the paternity results. Do you have proof the girls belong to Morelli?" Stephanie wondered.
"No. But, Steph, I didn't have sex with anyone else. Only Steve and Joe. Since Steve isn't the father, then it has to be Joe. I'm not proud of what I have done. My girls are going to pay for my mistakes. I could get a job, but most of my income would get spent on daycare costs."
I patiently waited for Stephanie to form a response. Stephanie might be impulsive, but she was intelligent. My sister had a perfect GPA at Douglass College until I told her about my affair with Morelli. Her grades suffered because I never considered her feelings, or Steve's for that matter. Everything happening to me, I deserved for betraying my husband and sister. Stephanie should hate me, but for some strange reason, she doesn't. She's helping me pay for my daughters' clothes and other necessities.
"I'm not trying to minimize your parental duties, Valerie. The Corelli family has mob connections. You need a bank account that Steve can't access. Would getting a job cut off the support from Steve?" Stephanie asked. I never considered that angle. Without muting the call, I grabbed the paperwork Steve gave me from Angie's dresser.
"Steve said I can get a job, but he will not assist with childcare expenses while I work. Anything I earn, I can spend on the girls. He will continue giving me an allowance to spend on myself," I replied. Steve was being fair.
"And he continues paying the household expenses?"
"Yes. Steve would pay for groceries, too. I have to use my allowance, which Steve said is basically an alimony payment, to pay for diapers and baby food. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop." I was exhausted. Steve and I couldn't get divorced without it affecting his job. It would take time for me to save enough money to move back to Trenton.
"Remember you are entitled to fifty percent of the assets accumulated after you and Steve exchanged vows. I can give you money to move home," Stephanie offered.
"You do enough for me and the girls, Stephanie. I can't let you do that," I replied.
"Fair enough."
"Tell me about Ranger."
Stephanie laughed. She explained what happened when they entered Dickie's house. It was disgusting when people had sex on a dining room table. There weren't enough cleaners to get rid of that mess.
Ranger comforted Stephanie as her friend, Vince, tossed the tramp from the house. Stephanie and Ranger went to the bedroom to pack her clothes and other belongings. She had just moved into their home. My sister was living in Miami with Ranger and his Army friends. She quit her job at E. E. Martin and accepted another one at a marketing company in Miami, working for Sherman and associates. I wondered if she'd ever return to Trenton. Stephanie said she'd relocate once her friends completed their military service. They were saving money to start a security company.
"I don't know what I'd do without him," Stephanie confessed.
"Did you get your money back for the honeymoon in Hawaii?" I asked.
"Oh my God. Hawaii was beautiful. The sand is pale, and the water blue. Carlos and I had a wonderful time," Stephanie replied. I could picture her blushing from the slip-up. She took her three week honeymoon with Ranger.
"Did you say Carlos? Is that Ranger's real name?" I teased.
"We're not discussing Ranger and me," Stephanie replied, remembering to call him by his street name. My sister was hiding something. What was Stephanie hiding? I knew she wouldn't spill the beans. She kept changing the subject whenever I mentioned his name.
"Fine. Seriously, Steph, the girls and I are okay for now. I'm potty training Angie. It won't take much longer. Mary Alice is nursing, and I can purée our meals for her. She has a hearty appetite. Her eyes are blue like yours." Stephanie laughed when I said Mary Alice had curly hair.
"Mary Alice is going to be a handful if she takes after me. Promise me you won't let Mom steamroll her into fitting in with the Burg." Mom tried to get Stephanie to conform to the Burg standards but was unsuccessful. Stephanie refused to follow the Burg rules.
"I promise, Steph. Are you thinking about having children with Ranger?" I asked. Stephanie laughed and said she had to go. She only had an hour to talk.
~~~~~
Stephanie
Carlos wrapped his arms around me. I didn't exactly lie to my sister about only having an hour to talk. My workday was finished. Turning in his arms, I asked, "When did you get home?"
"A few minutes ago," Carlos replied. He kissed me and rested his forehead against mine.
"Did you get called?"
"I did. Are you going to be okay?" Carlos asked, tucking a loose curl behind my ear. He loved touching my hair. Dickie hated the curls and wanted me to get my hair chemically straightened. I refused.
"We'll be fine, Carlos. Abuela Rosa will take care of us," I replied. "When do you leave? Are you going to be gone long?"
"In a few minutes. I won't make it back in time. I'm sorry, Babe," he whispered.
"Carlos, we'll be fine. Your uncle and aunt promised to stay with us until you come home." I kissed Carlos. "Don't get shot," I whispered.
"Don't go crazy," Carlos replied. He kneeled to kiss the baby bump I was sporting. I was sixteen weeks pregnant, though nobody in my family knew.
My life changed for the better on April 28th. It was supposed to be my wedding date with Dickie. But it was the day I met my soulmate. Carlos and I got married in Hawaii on May 15th. It was fast, but we knew our lives would forever be entwined from the moment we met. The connection was too strong to ignore. I doubt Grandma Mazur could have predicted it.
At first, I thought Carlos would be mad that I got pregnant. How was I supposed to know that my birth control pills were faulty? Was that some moronic plan of my mother's? She was the idiot. I refused to have sex with Dickie unless he wore a condom. Thank goodness I didn't carry any diseases. I got tested when Carlos and I arrived in Miami. We went to Hawaii a few days after I received the surprisingly fast results. Carlos asked his Army Medic friend, Bobby Brown, to run the labs.
I had Carlos use condoms, but we ran out and let things happen. He told me about a woman named Rachel who claimed she was pregnant with his child. Carlos admitted to having sex with the woman once but insisted he used a condom. He married the woman to provide her with his military benefits during the pregnancy. When Rachel gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Julie, Carlos got a paternity test done before filing the birth certificate. He was not the father and refused to take legal responsibility for the child. Carlos got their marriage annulled. It was pretty simple since they never consummated their vows.
Carlos knew I was carrying his child. We never left our private villa. The concierge delivered food twice each week we were there. Three weeks in Hawaii with a Cuban Adonis was better than anything I could have imagined. I was thankful Carlos was happy about our baby.
Abuela Rosa, Tio Luis and Tia Ella hugged Carlos. He kissed me before leaving the house with his black duffle in his hand.
My phone chimed when I locked the door. I grabbed it from my pocket and swiped it to unlock the device.
Carlos: I forgot to say I love you, Babe.
Me: I love you too, Batman.
I wiped the tear from my cheek when the car door slammed. Carlos had to report for duty. His flight to Georgia would leave within the hour. I laughed when Lester Santos, Tank Sherman, Bobby Brown, Vince Conti and Mike Ramsey texted me, demanding I take care of their nephew. I replied, telling them not to get shot. Vince promised to keep Ranger safe.
"Hija, are you okay?" Ella asked.
"I'm fine. I knew Carlos would have to leave soon, but I wasn't expecting him to be away so long," I replied.
"Carlos asked for deployments lasting at least five months. He earns more money and gets to have two months of downtime between missions. Has Carlos told you about the special ops?" Ella wondered.
I nodded, "He has another four years. I understand the risk involved with his military career. My father was in the Army. He was in the Rangers, too. Carlos asked me to keep my maiden name until his term ends. I've hyphenated it for now. The administration office knows Carlos and I are married."
"Do your parents know?" Ella asked. I shook my head. "At least tell your father." I told Ella about my mom, who demanded I returned home to marry the cheating asshole, Dickie Orr. Ella knew I wouldn't share the news with Mom.
I shrugged and called Dad. He answered on the first ring. "Pumpkin, where are you?"
"Oh. I'm sorry, Dad. Didn't Mom tell you I moved?"
"No," Dad grumbled.
Shaking my head, I said, "I live in Miami with my husband, Ricardo Carlos Manoso."
"Give me a minute," Dad replied. He said something to Mom about having to pick up a fare. I waited until Dad was ready to talk. "Was that the young man who took you to Hawaii?" Dad asked, starting the car.
"Yes. Dad, I have more news. Are you driving?"
"I am, but I can handle whatever you need to say," Dad reassured me.
"In twenty-four weeks, you're going to have another grandchild," I replied.
"Pumpkin, please, tell me it's a boy."
"Sorry, but I don't know yet. Carlos and I want to wait until we have the baby."
Dad asked me about my husband, and I told him everything I knew. He was probably gathering enough information from me to ask his buddy in the Army about Carlos. It wouldn't surprise me if Daddy knew everything about my husband's military career within a few days.