Lelani nodded as she opened her purse and extracted a Kleenex to wipe her eyes.
Anna looked up at Edmond. “Do you mind taking Lelani home?”
“Not if that’s what you really want.”
Anna nodded. “Thanks.”
“Lucky you,” Gil said to Edmond. “Wish I were in your shoes.”
“Never mind,” said Anna. “Both of you better run while you can.”
Gil handed Edmond his truck keys. “Here, take my truck so you can get out.”
“That’s right,” said Lelani. “Your car is boxed in.”
So Edmond handed Anna his keys. “Yeah. We’ll switch them around later.”
They were all outside now, and Anna wished she could run away with them. Instead, she watched as Gil took Lelani aside and kissed her. Then to her surprise, Edmond came over and gave Anna a quick peck. “See you later, Princess,” he called as he and Lelani made a dash to Gil’s pickup.
“Guess it’s just you and me now,” said Gil as he put an arm around Anna’s shoulder and walked toward the front door. “Let’s take ’em on, sis.”
“You got it!”
They were barely back in the house when their grandmother approached them again. “Where are your guests?”
“You mean Edmond and Lelani?” asked Gil.
Abuela glanced around the room as if hoping to spy them.
“They left.”
Her arched brows lifted higher. “Without saying good-bye?”
“Yes, Abuela,” said Anna. “You hurt Lelani’s feelings. I asked Edmond to take her—”
“I hurt her feelings?” Abuela’s hand touched her chest as if she were shocked. “I only said what everyone knew was true. Does the truth hurt so much?”
“It hurts when it’s wielded like a sword, Abuela.” Gil shook his head. “You don’t even know Lelani, but you feel comfortable cutting her to shreds.”
“Cutting her to shreds?” She blinked. “What an imagination you have.”
“We all witnessed it, Abuela,” said Anna firmly. “You treated Lelani horribly.”
Now their grandmother frowned sadly, as if she’d been deeply wounded by their accusation, although Anna knew this was unlikely. “I cannot believe how my own grandchildren can speak with such disrespect. Such a way to treat your elders.” She glanced over to where their mother was watching with wide eyes. “I thought my daughter had raised her children better than this.”
“Our parents raised us to think for ourselves,” said Gil. “And to respect people for who they are, not what their heritage is or what—”
“Enough!” Abuela held up her hand. “I cannot bear to hear you speaking with such disrespect.”
“But it’s the way you spoke,” persisted Anna. “It’s the way you treated our guests.”
“And like cowards they have run away,” pointed out Abuela with a victorious glint in her dark eyes.
“We encouraged them to leave,” said Gil. “But don’t think they’ve left for good, Abuela. In fact, if I have my way, Lelani will be around for a long, long time.”
“Are you suggesting you plan to marry that girl?” demanded Abuela.
“I’m suggesting that this is my life,” he told her, “and I will live it as I think is best. And if I choose to spend my life with Lelani, there is nothing you can do to change that. So you might as well just get used to it, Abuela.”
She just stared at him now.
“The same goes for me too,” added Anna. “If and when I decide to get married, I will marry whomever I want to marry. And no one will stop me.”
Abuela used an unladylike Spanish expression and the room became very quiet.
“And since everyone seems to be listening,” continued Gil, “you may as well know that Anna and I are making our declaration of independence.”
“That’s right,” said Anna. “No one is going to tell us who we can or cannot marry.”
Now several of the cousins clapped quietly. But some of the older, more conservative relatives simply looked on with expressions that ranged from concern to disgust.
“And if any of you don’t like who we chose,” said Gil, “then we just won’t invite you to our weddings.”
Anna smiled as some of their relatives, particularly the older women, reacted as if hurt or appalled. “Like that’s going to happen,” she said quickly. “Naturally, we would never leave anyone out. Not that either of us is planning to get married anytime soon.”
“I’m just saying,” continued Gil. “If you love me, you better love the girl I’m going with too.”
“Same goes for me,” said Anna.
“So …” Tia Elisa came over to Anna’s side with a sly look in her eye. “Let me see if you got anything on that ring finger yet?”
Anna threw back her head and laughed loudly. “Trust me, when and if that happens, you’ll all be among the first to know.” She glanced at her mother now. “Right?”
With a glum expression, her mom nodded. But at least she nodded, and she didn’t even say anything, almost as if she were surrendering. Or perhaps it was just hopeful thinking on Anna’s part. But somehow, despite all the stress and pain and tears, Anna felt that she and Gil had made a little headway tonight.
Four
Kendall Weis
“I’m not putting up with this anymore!” Kendall dropped the box that she’d been carrying and planted herself in the doorway to the garage with her hands on her hips. She stared angrily at her three housemates, wishing she’d never invited them to come live with her. Really, they were all just a big pain in the behind. What had made her think she needed them in the first place? She sat down on the garage step now and, placing her elbows on her knees, she jutted out her chin and glared at them. “Why is everyone picking on me?”
“We’re not picking on you,” said Lelani calmly.
“In fact, we’re actually helping you,” pointed out Megan. “I’d think you might be a little more appreciative.”
“You act like you’re helping me, but the whole time you’re making mean comments.”
“What mean comments?” asked Megan. She looked slightly irritated now, and Kendall knew that if she made Megan, the organizer, unhappy, this whole garage-sale idea might go by the wayside. But on the other hand, Kendall wasn’t sure she cared. Why should she care? And why should she, Kendall Weis, be having a garage sale in the first place? It was nuts. She couldn’t even remember why she’d let Megan talk her into it. In fact, it seemed like there were a lot of things she couldn’t remember. Maybe pregnancy did that to a person. Was it possible that the child growing within her was absorbing brain cells?
“What mean comments?” asked Megan again.
“Huh?” Kendall looked blankly at her.
“You accused us of picking on you and making mean comments,” Megan reminded her.
“Oh, yeah.”
“Like what?” persisted Megan.
“Like what Anna said a few minutes ago. She thought I wasn’t listening, but I heard her. And I may not always show it, but I do have feelings.”
“I only asked why all this stuff had to come down from the attic when it’s obvious that you won’t be having a garage sale for at least a week or more.” Anna’s voice sounded irritated now. “Sorry if I offended you.”
“I already told you guys.” Kendall glanced over to where Megan was shoving some boxes closer together to make room. “It’s all Megan’s fault.”
“My fault?” Megan dropped the box with a loud thunk.
“I hope my grandmother’s china wasn’t in there,” snapped Kendall.
“Your grandmother kept china in the attic?”
“You never know.” Kendall folded her arms across her chest, trying not to notice how her waist seemed thicker today t
han it had been yesterday. How was that possible? But that wasn’t the only thing; now her breasts were starting to ache. Being pregnant was not for the faint of heart. And maybe it wasn’t for Kendall either.
Still, there was the Matthew factor to consider. Oh, sure, he’d acted like a jerk when she informed him, but all that could change when he discovered that he was actually the father. Hopefully it would be a boy. Fathers seemed to like sons.
“So why is this all my fault, Kendall?” Megan was standing in front of Kendall now. And although her tone sounded fairly pleasant, she still looked somewhat aggravated, and she had a funny looking dark smudge of dirt on the tip of her nose, although Kendall didn’t think now was the right time to mention it.
“Because you’re the one who told me to get some things together for a garage sale,” Kendall explained in her most patient voice.
“I didn’t mean to empty the attic into the living room.” Megan shook her head as she reached for the broom. “Even a child would know better than that.”
“Now you’re calling me a child?” Kendall felt like a pot that was beginning to boil. “Real nice.”
“I’m not calling you a child,” Megan backtracked. “I’m sorry. I think I’m just tired.”
“Why not call her a child?” sniped Anna. “She acts like one.”
Kendall whirled around and glared at Anna now. “You should talk, Princess!”
“Princess?” Anna laughed. “You are calling me princess? That’s rather incongruous.”
Kendall hated it when her friends used big words. It was like they wanted to trip her up. Usually she just ignored them, but sometimes she wanted to buy a dictionary—and throw it at them. “See,” said Kendall. “You’re proving my point. You’re all mean and bossy and you all think you’re better than me.”
Kendall started crying. She hadn’t really wanted to cry, but most of the time she couldn’t help it these days. It seemed like her emotions were all over the place. She knew it had to do with being pregnant—kind of like having a constant case of PMS. But, really, why did women put up with this stuff? Why wasn’t there some kind of magic pill that would make her feel better? Or maybe just make it all go away?
Lelani handed her a wrinkled tissue. “It’s not used,” she said.
Kendall wiped her eyes and blew her nose.
“I’m sorry,” said Anna. “I didn’t mean to say that.” She pushed her dark curls away from her face. “Sometimes I’m just like my mom and grandma … things come pouring out of my mouth and then I’m sorry later.”
Kendall nodded and sniffed. “Yeah, but I guess it was kind of true. I suppose I do act like a child sometimes. A child having a child. Pretty lame, huh?”
“Having a child might help you to … well, to grow up,” suggested Megan quietly.
“You mean if I keep the child.” Kendall sat down on the step again. “But I’m still not sure.”
“Not sure about what?” asked Anna.
“About whether or not I’ll have this baby.”
“You mean you’re still considering an abortion?” Anna frowned like she was seriously disappointed in Kendall.
“I know it’s against your religion to get an abortion.” Kendall sighed. “But it’s my body and my choice. A woman’s right to choose.”
“What about the baby’s right?” asked Anna.
“You mean the fetus,” Kendall corrected her. She’d done some reading online. “Until the baby is born, it’s called a fetus.”
“It’s only called a fetus when you’re thinking about killing it,” said Anna stubbornly.
“You’re not killing it,” explained Kendall, “you’re terminating the pregnancy.”
“What planet are you from?” demanded Anna. “You have a baby—an unborn child—in your womb. It is alive and well, and if you don’t kill the poor child, it will probably grow up to be a beautiful human being someday.” She frowned now. “Well, I guess that all depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“On whether the child’s mother decides to grow up first!” Anna pushed past Kendall and stomped into the house, slamming the door behind her.
“What a little hothead,” said Kendall.
“Abortion is a pretty emotional issue.” Megan was sweeping the garage floor now. “And not just for Catholics either.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Kendall waved her hands to show she was tired of this conversation. In fact, she was just plain tired, period. “Please, spare me. I know where you stand on this whole thing, Megan.”
“You may know where I stand, but I have to agree with Anna. When I hear you using terminology like fetus and termination, it’s all I can do not to scream. Seriously, Kendall, that’s crazy. Anna is right. It’s not a fetus, it’s a baby. And to terminate your pregnancy is just a gentle way of saying you’re killing your baby.”
Kendall pressed her hands to her ears. Why did her friends—or were they her friends?—insist on torturing her like this? “Stop!” she yelled. “I can’t take it.”
Lelani put a hand on Kendall’s shoulder. “Come on,” she gently nudged Kendall toward the door to the kitchen. “Let’s go inside.”
Kendall just nodded, allowing Lelani to lead her into the house and then to sit her at the dining room table, where Kendall burst into fresh tears. She bent over and buried her face with her hands, sobbing almost uncontrollably. “Why is this so hard?” she muttered again and again. Finally, thinking she was alone, she looked up to see that Lelani had brought her a glass of water and was now sitting across from her.
“Do you want to talk?” asked Lelani in a quiet voice.
“I don’t know.” Kendall took a long swig of the water, then used the nearly disintegrated tissue to blot her eyes.
“It’s obvious that you’re still very conflicted about your pregnancy, Kendall.”
“Obviously.” Kendall tried to decipher what Lelani was saying. Conflicted meant you were in conflict, so maybe that was true.
“And you know that I know it’s not easy,” continued Lelani.
“I know.”
“If it’s any consolation, I’m still conflicted myself.”
Kendall blinked. “You mean you wish you’d had an abortion?”
Lelani just shook her head. “No. That’s not what I mean.”
“What then?”
“Meaning I’m not sure I did the right thing to leave my child with my parents. I’m still not sure.”
“Oh.”
“But that’s not what you need to hear.”
“What do I need to hear?”
Lelani kind of smiled. “I don’t honestly know. But I know what I’m going to tell you.”
“What?”
Lelani folded her arms on the surface of the table and sighed. “When I got pregnant, I was in med school.”
“I know. You already told me.”
“Yes, let me finish. Because I was in med school, there were a lot of options for terminating a pregnancy, as you like to say.”
“What do you call it?”
“I call it an abortion.”
“That’s such an ugly word.”
Lelani pressed her lips together and nodded. “Yes. But it’s an ugly procedure too.”
“I thought you just went into a clinic and they did a quick procedure and then you left. The baby is gone. No big deal.”
“That’s not true. It is a big deal. It’s hard on your body. And, depending on how far along you are or which procedure you have done or the skill level of the person administering the procedure, it can actually have some serious side effects or complications.”
“Like what?” Kendall was not convinced. No one had told her anything like this. The sites she’d gone to online made it seem like no big deal. One site said it was similar to ha
ving a tooth pulled, only you could still eat afterward.
“Like with any type of sedated surgery, there can be complications with the anesthesia. Or there can be problems with hemorrhaging or possibly a perforation of the uterus. Or a bladder or bowel injury as a result of—”
“Enough!” cried Kendall. “You’re as bad as Anna.” She stared at Lelani in horror. “Seriously, what is wrong with you people?” Kendall was seized with an irrepressible urge to go lose herself in a mall. Although buying clothing was no longer much fun. Nothing fit right anymore. And she was not the least bit interested in maternity clothes. Still, that left shoes … and handbags!
“I’m sorry.” Lelani stood now. “I was just trying to give you a medical perspective.”
“But you were grossing me out.”
“Sorry. But to be honest, from a doctor’s perspective, an abortion isn’t pretty.”
“So you’re totally opposed to abortion?”
Lelani’s brow creased. “Not totally. For instance, if the woman’s life was endangered, I would absolutely agree.”
“What about her social life?”
“Very funny.” But Lelani wasn’t smiling.
“Any other reasons?”
“Of course. If it were rape or incest … I would absolutely see it differently. Although I’ve heard the statistics of pregnancies as a result of rape are rare.”
“So your reason for opposing abortion is more medical than religious?” Kendall felt a dash of pride for putting out what seemed a fairly intelligent question.
“It’s more personal than medical.”
“Huh?”
“Well, before I got pregnant, while I was in med school, I thought abortion was acceptable. Like you, I thought it was only about a woman’s right to choose.”
“But you changed?”
“Being pregnant changed everything.” Lelani’s espresso colored eyes sparkled, and not for the first time Kendall was somewhat amazed as well as slightly jealous over her beauty. And yet Lelani didn’t even seem to know how gorgeous she was. “Having a baby growing inside of me made me take a second look.”
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