"They are both such stupid girls," Galina Reznikov comments and tucks short strands of her red hair behind her ears. "Gloria, pregnant again, comes to me crying about how her pig fucker of a boyfriend left her for the second time. She had Cecilia two years ago, left the child back with her mother and father when she visited them in Puerto Rico. Now Elena...she called up Milagros, asked if she'd mind taking in another granddaughter. I think if she can't take care of her kids, she shouldn't be having them. They need her more...but she always whines about wanting a man, too. I told her that her children come first and foremost. Plus, I suggested that if she's so desperate for male affections, just date Fahri, then, he won't knock her up willy-nilly and then leave her. Lourdes said the same things I did. What does Gloria do right after her twenty-first birthday bash? She just runs off with some other idiot who's a little too harsh with her. I can see it in him. Oh, and speaking of such things, that horrible mess of a man, Dean Juarez, caused quite a commotion last time he and Blanca were here...I warned her of him, but she ignored me...and skipped town! Fucking Arizona! All the way across the country! Either of them end up dead, well I'll obviously blame their boyfriends, but I wish they'd just listened to me!" Galina plops down on the stool in front of Karla while sighing. She adjusts her green apron over her dark blue and white dress. "Okay, my back hurts. I'm finished ranting."
Karla leans back on her hands and her legs hang off the counter. "Trust me, Galina, I've talked to them time and time again about this shit you're saying-"
"Language, Karla."
Karla rolls her eyes. "So, you're allowed to swear, but I'm not?" Galina quirks her eyebrow up questioningly at the young El Salvadoran, daring her to argue further. To be fair though, she'd make an excellent lawyer someday if she wanted to do that on top of teaching kindergarten to four and five-year-olds and Spanish to middle and high schoolers. "Sorry. Stuff. I've discussed it with them...and it just falls on deaf ears. I got a right mind to actually yell at Trina for not monitoring her daughter more carefully...and Lourdes, well we know that she's lectured Gloria plenty...but let's face it, Glo's just turned twenty-one, a year older than me...she's been doing whatever she wanted since she was eighteen and Lourdes can't really control her anymore. She wants to mess up her own life, we can't stop her, ya know? Let her learn the hard way, maybe. I just hope it doesn't kill her."
"She was like a little sister to me," Galina mumbles, shaking her head sadly and sniffling. "I can't imagine her...gone."
Karla smoothes out some wrinkles in her green and white plaid miniskirt. "Yeah, I felt the same about Blanca. I still do." Her voice cracks. "She's...she's in Arizona now with a toddler and that...god-awful husband who's...most likely abusin' her. I can't prove it, though, which is why I didn't tell Charles. I just really hope she and her little girl will get away from him or that he'll die somehow." Karla wipes her eyes, smudging her eyeliner a bit. She brushes a falling tear off her cheek.
"Maybe the Russian mafia will get him. Or we could hire a hit man..."
"We tried all that, remember? The asshole left the state and fuckin' Carlos Litvack and Linda Ferguson got 'em all arrested and deported," Karla grumbles.
"That's right...but I'm still in contact with the boss. They'll get out soon, and Ganya will be able to sniff out both those motherfuckers, Dean and Arturo."
Karla smirks and brushes her bangs to one side. "Yeah...hey, you didn't care when I just cursed twice. I dropped the F bomb...and the A bomb."
"You're angry. You're cussing out people who deserve it, not just using bad words in conversation. It's alright, honey."
"Thanks. Hey...don't ya think it's weird that not only have the girls ruined their lives, but the boys who could've been their significant others fell into bad habits right after they left, too?" Karla wonders aloud. "First it was Diablo with his armed robbery, now Fahri's gone and become Lee Burley's drug dealer! At least that's what Alex says..."
Galina huffs out a breath of disappointment. "They seem to be coping terribly! They were never even with the girls!"
"It's just so sad," Karla comments. "Still dumb, though. You don't see us doing that!"
"I know! Alright, I start work in a few." Galina stands up and jerks her thumb over her shoulder. "Get off my counter."
"Yes, ma'am," Karla says jokingly. She jumps to the floor and then steadies herself. "I'm glad we vented to each other."
"So am I. We needed to."
Karla yanks her black crop top down past her belly button since it had ridden up a little. Love is printed on it in white lettering with matching-colored hearts adorning the word. She leaves the store just as nine-year-old Nicky Nichols walks in. The blonde girl and the young Hispanic woman share a hug. "Nice seein' ya, Nicky. Have a good day, alright?"
"Gracias, I will, Karla! You too. You're still the best babysitter ever!" Nicky's cherubic grin grows even wider as she says this. "Oh, and I wanna wear skirts just like you when I'm older. I really love your outfit...and your hair in the half pony...and your makeup...and your big silver hoops!"
"Aw, thanks, kid! You're too sweet." Karla smiles at Nicky, ruffles her wild hair, and pats her cheek before walking off.
"So are you!" Nicky calls back at the college student. She appears to be lovestruck as she walks into Galina's Russian Market. "She's so pretty, Red," Nicky gushes.
"Yes she is," Galina agrees. "I thought Tiffany was your favorite, though?"
Nicky wrinkles her nose. "Nah, 'cause she got a boyfriend. She and Nathan kiss in front of me and the other girls sometimes. It's nasty! Karla doesn't do that. She's my kind 'a woman. Independent and all, doesn't need a man!"
Galina chuckles. "She has a boyfriend, too, though..."
"Yeah, but they don't make out in front of us. I've never even seen the dude. She's just mentioned him when Lorna asked. Brook started makin' kissing noises and teasin' her and Michelle said they should get married, and Lorna started planning their wedding...but Karla just acted all shy about it! I hung back with Daya, Poussey, Maria, Carmen, and Ramona, since they're almost three and weren't being so silly. Even our other babysitters, Lida and Tiffany, were getting excited!"
"Oh, wow," Red murmurs. "I'm surprised Franny doesn't just watch Lorna on her own, they're sisters!"
"She always wants a playdate with me. Since we were in first grade, we hit it off." Nicky snaps her fingers. "Like that!"
"Aw, that's nice."
"Also, Franny's just three years older than us! Her mommy wouldn't let her be in charge of us, no way! It ain't The Babysitter's Club! Besides that, I don't listen to a bossy twelve-year-old. She's a kid, like me."
"I see."
"Lorna was caught digging in both Karla's and Lida's purses for their dark red lipsticks. They were a little peeved at first, but helped Lorna put it on, just so she could see herself with it."
"She's nine!"
Nicky shrugs. "Eh, I don't blame her. Girls our age wanna grow up."
"Well, just not too fast."
"Karla babysat for just me and Brook recently. God, that kid is soooo annoying!" Nicky complains while rolling her eyes. "Seven years old, and already a fuckin' math nerd!"
"Nicky!" Galina exclaims, astonished at her choice of words. "Watch your mouth, little girl. Where on earth did you even hear that word from?"
"It doesn't matter," Nicky says sheepishly. "I just thought it was normal, what grownups say. I overhear my parents fighting all the time."
Galina's heart goes out to her. "Well, malyshka, I'm sorry you have to listen to that, but you're not an adult. You shouldn't use bad language. What, are you copping an attitude with me already?"
"It's just me expressing my freedom of speech." Nicky folds her arms over her chest and raises an eyebrow.
Galina tosses her hands in the air as more customers come in and look at menus. "I can't argue with that."
"Oh, Theresa, you're about to pop! Any day now, huh?"
Theresa gives Carol Chapman a dirty look. "I'm only seven months along. I'm not some balloon, okay?"
"I know! I was just saying..."
Theresa puts her hand in Carol's face. "Cierra la boca, anciana."
Shut your mouth, old lady.
"Disrespectful on two counts!" Carol's husband Bill jumps in, but Theresa just flips him off. Galina has to smile. Nicky cracks up.
"Do you have a name for her yet?" Galina asks pleasantly as Carol and Bill walk away, confused.
Theresa nods with a prideful beam. "Marisol. Sea and sun. I was at the beach when I thought of it."
Nicky gives her a thumbs up. "Nice!"
"It's pretty," Alison Basara murmurs.
"Gracias," Theresa tells them. "It's also so I can hopefully call her Marisolita Fajita!"
"Ohhh, like the white people say Hannah Banana, right?" five-year-old Cindy Hayes asks.
Theresa nods and pulls at her hair bun. "Exactly."
"Well, shit, then I can call this one Daya Papaya!" Aleida jiggles her two-year-old daughter in her arms and then sets the toddler on her hip. "That motherfucker left me and his own kid, so I'm back on the market for dating Leon or Cesar...or Rick Hopper, I guess, but he's my last choice." She'd been on-and-off with them all since junior year, tried to settle down with a whole other man so people would stop calling her a puta, and she had a baby with this guy, but he apparently turned out to be an asshole. She never had a good mother telling her the right things to do, but swearing in front of children and putting herself before her daughter and coming into the store smelling like smoke are three things Galina Reznikov absolutely hates. She's glad Lillian Hayes is on the same page about at least one of those.
"Excuse me, there are kids here!" Lillian hisses while covering Cindy's and Joy's ears and pulling her daughters close to her sides.
Galina nods in agreement. "Mm-hm. Speaking of which, I wonder where mine are."
Aleida shrugs. "I wouldn't know."
"Yuri was supposed to bring Vasily and Maxsim in today after their rugby practice...he was looking after them since their father's too lazy."
"He probably foolin' around like frat boys do."
"Oh, I hope not..."
"Por favor, I was kidding, he can't even drink yet! Anyway, I need somebody to watch her for me tonight." Aleida kisses the top of Daya's head. "Dayanara needs a father figure since she don't got her bio one no more."
"Ga-ga!" Daya interrupts while reaching for Galina. "Liiiiinaaaa?"
"Hello, missy," she greets the little girl in Aleida's arms and pokes her nose, which makes Daya giggle. "How are you?"
Daya just smiles. "Aleida...you shouldn't be going out on any dates. Your main focus should be your child," Lila Washington scolds her. Her husband James has their tiny human Poussey sitting on his shoulders, but as soon as she squeals Nicky's name, her father sets her down and lets her run-or rather, waddle-on short, stubby legs to Galina's secret favorite girl.
"Hey, chickadee," Nicky greets her and bends down to give Poussey a hug. The blonde girl is careful as she picks the toddler up and sits on a chair with her.
"Yo, yo, yo!"
"Ayiyiyi!" Daya responds to Poussey's gibberish and both little ones start giggling together, which makes the adults exchange grins. Even Aleida seems amused.
That is, until Lila clears her throat and gives her a stern expression. "So, back to what I was sayin'-"
Aleida purses her lips and cocks her head to one side. "Yeah, yeah, I heard ya. I get what you talkin' about and all, but these ain't like random dudes I'm jumpin' in bed with...and I'm so done cryin' over that loser, ready to move on now, it's been like several weeks!" Daya hooks her bitsy index finger through one of Aleida's gold hoops and pulls slightly. "Ow!" Aleida groans through gritted teeth, curses in Spanish under her breath, and pulls Daya's small hand away from her jewelry. "She thinks my earrings are those things the kids hang on at the playground. You see what I mean, though? Mami needs a break." She glances around, appearing somewhat panicked. "So, would someone por favor take her?"
"I understand that, but as long as you'll make more time for your daughter-"
"Why am I listening to somebody who got pregnant when she was in the middle of achieving her art history major and in college the first two years of her kid's life?" Aleida puts her hand in Lila's face. "Adios, tonta! I'll ask Diane Ford or Alex Vause...Dayanara can play with Ashley-Katherine while Mommy has some fun."
Lila glares at Aleida. "Puta, you didn't even finish high school!" The young Puerto Rican woman makes her stormy exit with her middle finger raised high in the air.
"Oh..." Eleven-year-old Piper scoffs as she makes her way to the counter with Lorna. "Such ghetto drama, right?" Joy gives her an incredulous stare, but says nothing. "What? That's what my parents call it. We had to leave as soon as things got loud, but we came back! We were sure there would be a physical fight!" When Lillian isn't looking, Joy flips Piper off, but the blonde just ignores her.
"Yeah!" Lorna pipes up. "My daddy was gonna call the police and me and Franny were so scared and my mommy said this is why we don't stop in this neighborhood too much, but we love coming here after church!" She points at the menu. "Can we get pirozhkis, Red?"
Galina nods. "Of course. Also, please tell your families that they don't need to worry. Aleida is all talk, you both know that, and she's hurt...and Lila was just defending herself...and she was right on that Aleida should take a step back from romance since Daya's just two years old!"
"Okay," they mumble.
"Can I babysit, Theresa?" Alison wants to know. "Sure, I'm twelve, but I'm good with little ones. I promise! I help my big sister Layla...and she and her husband are trying for a kid."
"Oh, me too, I'm with Allie, except I'm eleven. I'm tired of being under someone else's care when I'm home alone!" Michelle jumps in.
"Sure! I'm so lucky to have a bunch of babysitters already!" Theresa exclaims. "Thanks, girls."
"You're welcome!" the two reply in unison.
Diane, Charles, Alex, and little Ashley-Katherine-or Katie for short-make their appearances next, and Galina finally doesn't feel like the oldest person in the room at age forty-because she's not. Charles is forty-two while Diane is forty-three. Nicky hands Poussey to her daddy and then races toward Alex with a hundred-watt smile on her angelic, chubby-cheeked face. "Oh my god, I'm so happy to see you!" she exclaims.
"Hey, there, petunia in the cute blue dress!" Alex winds her arms around Nicky and picks her up off the ground a little bit. "Kinda matches the ends of my hair. How you been?"
"Great...but I miss you bunches! I adore the rocker chick look, by the way. Fishnet long-sleeved shirt under the band tee, ultra cool!"
Alex's grin touches her ears almost. Galina just about gets tears in her eyes watching them interact. "Aww, kiddo, thanks...I miss you too. Tell me some fun stories."
"Well, you missed a show just now...which I'll have to repeat to Karla later, but..." They continue talking, but it's indistinct since Galina is now paying attention to making her famous piroshkis.
Galina knows that Alex had been Nicky's favorite babysitter for a while, but she never mentioned it since Les and Marka Nichols banned their daughter from being around the teenage lesbian once she was out of the closet at age fifteen four years ago. So, for Nicky to see Alex, it has to be in places where the Nicholses would never go. Unfortunately, Alex and her family had no idea that the Chapman parents and Joe Morello would be there today, too. Stansie Morello doesn't mind Alex sitting for her girls and six-year-old Mikey, but Joe's a dumb bigot who rules the roost, and what he says goes. After getting their treats, Lorna, Franny, Mikey, Piper, Cal, and Danny follow their parents out of Galina's store. "Oh, that's just not right," Alison mutters.
Diane must have the same thoughts about Nicky and Alex hanging out, since she's frowning as she and Charles stride up to the counter, hand in hand, while Diane carries their daughter Ashley-Katherine with her free arm, balancing the little girl on her hip, pudgy brown legs wrapped securely around the brunette's waist and teensy-weensy fingers clutching onto her Friendly's uniform. "We came here, because we just knew the place was packed. Alex really needed this...she wanted to see Nicky. They are so dumb," Diane grumbles. "When I confronted them, standing up for my sweet girl, they told me it was like having a nineteen-year-old boy there alone with their precious daughters."
"Oh, Christ, I'm sorry to hear that," Galina apologizes.
"Ay dios mío, wow, mama," Theresa mutters.
"That's kinda what we said!" Charles informs her.
"Oh, you'd feel uncomfortable too if it was your kid!" Diane mimics a haughty voice, alternating between high and low pitches, perfectly imitating Carol, Bill, Les, Marka, and Joe. "Seriously, those exact words are what they tried to pull on Charles and me! I'm just like...Alex is nowhere near a dude! She's the most wonderful teenager ever. I'm pissed...but at least Alex can take care of the other girls..." Diane beams, and so does Galina.
Although she feels sorry for them that they can rarely interact with their former babysitter, Galina is overjoyed that her daughter figure often gets to spend time with Alex. She's shocked the other parents don't rat her out to her mother and father, though. She knows Carol loves to gossip, especially to Marka, but exposing a nine year old's secret friendship with an older teenage girl who's like her mentor, seems like an incredibly low blow. Galina hopes Carol won't ever stoop to that level. She would hate for Nicky to be punished in any way, especially for something that shouldn't even be a problem with anyone-even if people, including herself, are just getting used to those who aren't straight. It's the early nineties, after all. Alex had been scared to come out, but her mother is accepting. The girl cried tears of joy. Then again, Diane is a white woman married to Charles, a black man. Aleida's fine with any race, and Gloria is best friends with an Arabian guy. Times are changing, and Galina is embracing it with open arms. She had, after all, started wearing jeans in Russia when she was a factory worker under her now ex-husband and boss, Dmitri, twenty years ago. The jeans fad was sparked by Pavel, Dmitri's brother and Galina's former man, but he gave up on it when people started to go missing, namely Galina's best friend and co-worker in the factory, Nadhezda, and her boyfriend Kostya. She has never forgotten any of them. Even though she left Pavel so angrily for quitting, she still feels a strong, sexual desire whenever she thinks of him. She wishes he'd been the one to take her to America, but then again, she would've never had her sons without Dmitri. As unloving and hamsterish that idiot was, she wouldn't trade her boys for the world.
Diane's voice drops to a whisper. "Alex recently met her birth dad at some Death Maiden concert. He...is...a...total...sleazebag," she tells Galina, Lila, James, and Theresa through gritted teeth, and they gasp all together in shock. Lillian is listening in too, but she's also busy watching her daughters and Poussey, who they, including Alison and Michelle, just enjoy fawning over because she's so adorable.
"What happened?" Theresa asks.
"Sorry for butting in, but can I hold her, Mrs. Ford? Please?" Alison eagerly holds her arms out for the toddler. "You look tired, anyway...you both kinda do."
"Yes, sweetheart, you definitely can. I was up half the night...home late from my job, didn't even change. I fell into bed, I was so exhausted." Diane carefully removes little Katie's hands from her dark blue work shirt and her husband unwinds the tiny legs and Katie is soon whimpering softly as she's being moved. They lift her up a little further so her face is between them, and then they kiss her on either side of her cheeks.
"Sorry, Katie, but you kept Daddy up since five this morning." Charles yawns, and Diane does, too. "Do you want to go to Allie now?"
Katie pouts. "I wanna play. You and Mama swing me again!" So they do, they hoist her up between them, holding each of her hands, and swing her back and forth. "Yaaaay!" she cheers and then giggles. She's eventually okay playing with Alison and the rest of the kids, and Lillian joins the adults.
"As I was saying...Alex saw and spoke to Lee Burley for the first time," Diane mutters. She swallows hard before continuing. "My baby introduced herself to that deadbeat washed-up star. That disgusting a-hole actually said he could've...had...sex with her...since he...wouldn't have known she was...his daughter."
"I wanted to go back there to his ratty basement and punch the daylights out of him!" Charles declares.
"Yeah, I felt like doing that too...but Alex told us they'd already left for some concert halfway around the world...like Paris or something. I'm glad his band is about to fail miserably. Screw him!" Diane hisses.
"That pig-fucker," Galina says in a hushed voice, too low for the children to hear. "Your little girl didn't deserve that."
"How awful of him!" Lillian chimes in.
"Eew, gross! Ugh, poor Alex," Theresa adds.
"I know, right? We should take her out for a ladies' night...cheer her up. Of course we'd invite Karla, Aleida, and Layla along...get the ol' gang back together, or, almost all of it..." Lila trails off. Her anger towards Aleida must have dissipated. "Would Alex be okay with that?"
"Good idea, baby," James compliments her, and she beams up at him proudly.
Diane nods. "Sure! She needs some nice friends her age...Tiffany wasn't always that kind to her, the rest of the women she chills with are in their thirties or forties...I'd say she has an old soul, but she does need an evening on the town, and you gals would be fun for her to hang out with."
"What y'all talkin' about?"
They turn to face Karla, who has returned from God only knows where. Galina doesn't notice her until she speaks, as the others tower over her. "Ladies' night!" Lila and Theresa answer her at the same time, and Karla cheers.
A little dark-haired girl that Galina has never seen before leans against Karla shyly. "Oh! This is Shani, she's seven," Karla introduces her. "She's new and I'm watching her today." She looks down at Shani. "You wanna say hi to everyone?"
"Yeah," Shani whispers in an Egyptian accent. She's so cute, going up to all of the patrons and waving at them with a huge smile on her face. Galina returns the gesture, obviously.
Galina's sons and Vasily's best friend, Lida Chekova, eventually join the children. Layla arrives soon after. Galina doesn't really approve Layla's choice of romantic partner either, since he has a violent streak. She hopes he's never harmed a hair on Layla's head, but he's always been getting into bad fights with people at college over their religion. Yuri stays away from him in school, much to Galina's relief. She's protective of her oldest son, seeing that he's just nineteen and in a fraternity with bigger, older men that could beat him up. She didn't even want him to join one, as hazing is a thing, and he has claustrophobia and is quite sensitive, but he's grown up now. She can't stop him. Every time she sees him, he's an inch taller. She's relieved that eight-year-old Maxsim and fourteen-year-old Vasily haven't reached her height of five-foot-five yet, although Vasily's getting there, even sporting a mustache. She hugs her children one by one, and then Lida.
"Ay dios mío, you're absolutely glowin'!" Karla squeals while exchanging a hug with Theresa and giving her bump a quick peck. "I cannot wait to meet Marisol!"
"Me neither...I'm sick of bein' pregnant!" Theresa looks around at Karla, Lila, Diane, Galina, Layla, and Lillian. "Could y'all help me that day? Imma need a lot of support, and I know y'all except Karla have pushed out newborns before! I'm a first time mama!"
"Sure!" they all tell her in unison.
"I love babies and children! Gracias for inviting me!" Karla claps her hands and grins eagerly.
"You're one of my best friends, K, so obviously I'd ask you to be there!"
"Aw, T, you're sweet." Karla puts her hand on her heart.
The young women beam at each other. "Honestly Karla, I'd do the same for you. We all would!"
"Well, I'm waiting like ten years or so...Ramón hasn't even popped the question yet! Who knows if he's the guy." Karla shrugs. She turns to Alison. "Girl, I love your rainbow tye-dye shirt paired with those bright pink pants! They match your hijab perfectly!"
Alison beams proudly. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome!"
Nicky leaves Alex and squeezes Karla's middle, and Alison does the same thing, sandwiching Katie between them. Michelle, Cindy, and Joy join their group hug and then Poussey toddles to Karla. She wraps her little arms around Karla's legs. Nicky beckons Alex and Lida forward. "Hey, join the circle!" she tells the bespectacled brunette and the blonde. "This is for all our babysitters...even though you're just like my big sister now, Alex!"
So Lida and Alex do.
"Come on, Shani!" Nicky waves over the little Egyptian girl, and she, too, runs up to them all, squeezes herself in beside Nicky, and cuddles up to Karla.
"Aww, girls, why all the love? I appreciate it so much!"
"You were sad, so we wanted to cheer you up!" Michelle lets Karla know.
"I'm not anymore, don't worry about me, little charges." Karla tousles Poussey's hair and leaves a lipstick kiss on Katie's cheek.
"That's good. What about you, Alex?" Nicky wonders aloud. "Lida?"
"Well, I'm fine, but I do enjoy hugs from my favorite girls!" Alex exclaims. "Thanks for asking!"
"I'm good too, you're all so precious!" Lida adds.
"Are you sure?" Alison inquires.
"Yes!" the young women say in unison.
Through her overexcited smile and brightened eyes, as genuine as they probably are, Galina can tell Karla is thinking two of her best girls are truly missing out on everything...for scumbags. She doesn't have to read minds to figure that one out.
She sighs softly, shakes her head, fills a plate with piroshkis, and brings them to the girls. You just can't save everyone, she thinks, while she's giving them a smile.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star in my Universe, MsSchneeheide, Juliette45, and VeraRose19!