by Alice Dee
He stopped at her apartments and stared out of the windshield. She could invite him back in; they could both forget about the interruption and hit ‘resume’. But now Dominic was on her mind again, and to be with Shane would be kind of deceptive…and slutty. She glanced at him, wondering if he thought that of her already. Maybe sex was all he wanted. Maybe he couldn’t get it anywhere else and would do anything to get it.
Hope cracked the door open. No. Shane was a walking blast of fun in the sun. He was hilarious and was always smiling and everyone caught his sunlight like magic. He was a patient, good looking guy with everything going for him. Whether he knew it or not, he could bag and tag almost anyone and Hope knew that soon, he would wake up. It was tough as bong glass but she didn’t invite him back in. She told him he was right, she needed time, again.
She didn’t need any more time trying to make a choice between the two. Shane figured she’d had plenty of time to think. If she can’t make a choice now, when would she? It pained him to think about letting her go but he felt he had no choice. He could feel the tension between Hope and Dominic. He could see it in her eyes that she really liked him. Shane didn’t know why considering the type of guy Dominic was perceived as by most. Well, it was her choice and she had made it a long time ago.
“It’s been real confusing knowing you,” Shane said, his tone and expression hard and cold as arctic ice.
She got out of the car and was about to lean into the window to say something but Shane didn’t want to stick around. She backed away from the car quickly, a breeze sweeping her. His tomato red tail lights vanished amongst other cars on the street. It hurt her to see him leave like that, to see him leave at all. She went inside her apartment and slammed the door closed, hands over her face. She backed against the door and slid down, crying over bent knees.
She hated this. She hated how she felt about Dominic. She was sure he had used her. He had a girlfriend he ended going back to. He dropped her clean and here she was, deep in the dregs over him. She hated how she felt for Shane. She hated disappointing him and confusing him. If only Dominic wasn’t in the picture, things would be perfect like one.
54... The Return of Zefar
Shamayla needed several staples and stitches to seal her scalp together. The doctor told her how lucky she was the fall wasn’t fatal. She didn’t want to admit to anyone that she was ninety-nine percent sure she’d lost her sense of taste. She reminded herself it could have been a lot worse. What if it’d been her vision that was slammed senseless from her head?
Dominic went to the hospital at nine. Shamayla was sitting up in bed, flipping through channels on TV. He tapped on her door. She was real surprised to see him but happy.
“Come in.”
Dominic left a bouquet of flowers at her feet and walked around side of her bed. Her hair was flipped over to one side. She showed him the baseball like stitching on her shaved scalp.
“You look good with half your head shaved.”
She smiled bashfully at him.
“Thank you for the flowers.”
“When you getting out of here?”
“In a couple hours.”
Dominic was staring in her face but she could tell his mind was somewhere else.
“Has Hope been by?” he casually asked.
“Not yet. She’ll be here though.” She tilted her head. “Why aren’t you two together?”
Dominic didn’t know what to say. He stared at her stupidly for seconds.
As she was about to ask him what happened between them two, the door swung open.
It was Hope, wearing a snug white cotton dress, dark glasses masking half her face. She saw Dominic sitting beside Shamayla and then time seemed to slow down.
“I just wanted to see how you’re doing,” he said, standing up. “I’ll get out of your hair,” he said, wondering if he shouldn’t have said that. He kissed Shamayla’s freshly shaved head. She waved to him and watched him head to the door.
“Hey,” he said to Hope, who glanced at him at then looked at the ground.
“Hi,” she replied.
He didn’t stop. He moved passed her and walked out.
“Hey,” Hope said, walking over to Shamayla. She pushed her dark glasses to the top of her head. Her jaw nearly fell when she saw how Shamayla’s scalp was clamped together.
“How do you feel?”
“Surprisingly okay,” Shamayla said with a nod. “Does it look bad?”
Hope looked at the nasty stitching in Shamayla’s scalp, thick like leather.
“It’ll heal up and hair grows fast.” She sat with Shamayla and asked the inevitable questions. Shamayla believed it was a mugging gone awry or, making perfect sense, Zefar.
“He came by an hour ago. We’ve been talking.”
“You and Zefar?” Hope lowered her brows. “He was allowed in here?”
“He’s my husband, so yes.”
“What’s going on Shamayla? Of course he did this. Have the police questioned him? You were knocked unconscious; you could’ve died!”
Shamayla was quiet for a moment. Hope felt bad for going off on her considering Shamayla was in battered shape.
“Going back is what I have to do right now. Until I figure something out, let’s just put a stop to this war. I’m tired of running Hope.”
“You can stay with me.” Hope knew Shamayla was staying with random people. She’d offered Shamayla to stay with her over and over but Shamayla couldn’t stay in one place too long. It was as if she was restless, didn’t know where to plant herself. Hope started to think Shamayla was lost without Zefar.
“You’re going back?”
“You know, he threatened Dominic’s life. Justin could’ve died last night. He doesn’t deserve this. Until I figure things out, I need to go back.”
Hope shook her head.
“What about Justin?”
Shamayla’s eyes teared up.
“Well I have to let him go now don’t I?”
“What’re you doing, Shamayla?”
“It’s not right to be getting innocent people involved. Last night was serious and I’m going to stop this.”
Things were only getting worse for Hope. Now her only true friend was going to leave her. She’d be back on her own.
“You’re going back to Zefar and you’re leaving me.”
“Sit,” Shamayla said patting the bed.
Hope swept her dress under her and sat down. Shamayla put her hand on Hope’s.
“I trust you like a sister. No one has ever been there for me like you have.” Shamayla paused and inhaled.
“Remember I told you I met some people from west Vegas, people that could help me out with Zefar?”
Hope nodded, her serious eyes on Shamayla’s.
“We talked about it. They can make it look like an armed robbery, a carjacking, whatever.”
“Do you hear yourself?”
“To divorce him would be stupid. I’ll be left with nothing. No, I’m going back to him. The fact that he could have had me killed…”
Hope shook her head.
“Shamayla we’re talking about a life here.”
“He tried to have me hurt last night. Look at me, look what happened!” Shamayla shook her head. “No, I need to do this.”
The door opened and a nurse walked in.
“Knock-knock Mrs. Kahn…”
“It’s far from over,” Shamayla whispered to Hope. “Just believe in me.”
“Love you,” Hope hugged her only friend in the world and kissed her head in the exact spot Dominic kissed it. As Hope was leaving the hospital, she saw Justin sitting outside on a bench with his head in his hands. Dominic was talking to him.
“I fuckin’ loved her,” she heard Justin say. She turned over her shoulder and saw Dominic looking back at her.
55... Choked up
Tristan was furious. She was avoiding Dominic and out of excuses. She didn’t want to be at home because she knew Dominic would be there waiting fo
r her. She and Charla hung out at Charla’s cousin’s house, pool side roasting their skin in the dry sun. Charla lay by the pool sweeping her hand through the glistening water while Tristan shouted at someone over the phone.
“You couldn’t come up with anything? A mugging, a carjacking gone wrong… what the hell was that? You couldn’t even get the right girl!”
Tristan covered her right eye with her hand, silent on the verge of frustrated tears.
“She’s Mexican, not frikken Arabian, you morons!”
Charla sat up and watched Tristan stress. Charla was looking at Tristan but inside her head was a different picture. She waited for Tristan who, fed up, hung up the phone, tears dripping off her cheeks. Her hair was down and her roots were out an inch or so.
“It’s over Tristan, it happened.”
“You don’t understand. I have to come clean now. What else am I going to tell him?”
“Tell him the guy was someone you recognized, like a friend.”
“No, that won’t work. Dominic will pry… he’ll want to know who the guy is and he’ll go as far as going after him.”
“He already knows you know something.”
“What do I do?”
“Forget about Dominic right now. The real focus is Hope. She’s the reason all this started.”
“Fuck Hope! I need to figure out a way to get out of this!”
“I know what will make you feel better and help clear your head?”
Tristan crossed her arms and frowned.
“What?”
“Let’s get this bitch once and for all. And screw Dominic’s questions. Were you always so whipped you have to explain anything to him?
“I’m not whipped.”
“Then worry about Dominic when the time comes. Make it up as you go along.”
Tristan nodded.
“We’ll scope her out ourselves and we’ll beat her ass!” Charla grabbed her beach towel off a nearby chair. “Tomorrow night we’ll go to her work and we’ll wait for her.”
Tristan’s heart was beating faster and faster.
“Beat her up, really?”
“Don’t you want to?”
“She’s so fragile looking…I’ll break her in two.”
Charla put her hands on her hips.
“Why haven’t you?”
“I just feel like violence is… it’s uncivilized.”
“Check out the world around you. Uncivil is the only way to be.”
2 hours later…
Charla opened her trunk and she and Tristan peered inside. Charla unzipped a black duffel bag.
“What’s that?”
“Spray paint. Wouldn’t it be nice to spray her hair or her face?”
Tristan glanced at Charla and then looked at the bag, reaching inside for a can. It was heavy with liquid. She tilted it, the ball inside rolling through the thickness of paint.
“Vivid orange? That’s bright!”
Charla shrugged.
“I’m a genius, I know.” Charla took the can from Tristan and tossed it the bag, zipped it and slammed the hood of her trunk.
“I’m going to dinner tonight with my family. Julie’s on her way up here.”
“Driving?”
“Yeah with a friend. You should come. After dinner I’ll bail for a bit. I have to spend time with my sister.”
“No problem. Don’t forget to wear rings,” Charla said to Tristan as she walked to the driver’s side door. “You talking to Dominic yet?”
“No but he’s still trying to call me. I’ll call him later…my alibi.”
Charla smiled and waved to Tristan.
56... Loose lips bomb ships
Josephine, Dan, Tristan, her sister Julie and Charla were going to have dinner at some restaurant and Tristan decided it was a good idea to invite Dominic. She finally returned his call after ignoring him for nearly 24 hours. He was livid but willing to hear an explanation. She decided to go with the lie that she was afraid Dominic would take it too far and beat the guy to death.
“Why did you protect him?”
Tristan bit her lip. Charla said to make this up as it came along.
“I was protecting you. When you’re in that zone there’s no telling how far you might go. Look, I realize I screwed up, okay?
Dominic scratched his head. “I don’t think you do.”
“We’ll talk about it later. Look, I’ve been crazy busy with Julie being here and all. Come to dinner, yeah?”
Dominic was baffled. He moved the phone from his ear and stared at it for a moment. He wanted to hang up on her. He put it back to his ear.
“What time?”
“Six-thirty. Come pick me up?”
“All right. Bye.” He hung up and kept his fists balled up. Why did Tristan always have to be so damned shady?
Aside from Tristan’s questionable behavior, Dominic didn’t really mind going to dinner with her and the family anymore. She was probably “the one” and eventually he would probably marry her. He may as well get used to these gatherings. He had no family in Vegas anyway and after they married he would move her back to California and that would be the end of that.
The restaurant had tinted windows, dark interior with red brick arches and fire scheme lights. Dominic, Tristan and Julie sat on one side of the table while Dan, Josephine and Charla sat opposite them. Julie was visiting her dad for two weeks. She had just graduated high school and was starting college in the fall. Conversation was flowing under the red-orange lights and the food smelled delicious. Dominic could smell the cheesy beans and red salsa wafting under his nose. Everyone laughed and ate and had a fine time.
While life rapidly happened around him, Dominic was in state of slow motion, staring at his girlfriend. She was caught up in laughter and her smile was radiant. He decided this wasn’t a battle worth fighting. He let it go. He wouldn’t confront her about it, period. He dropped it like hot ice and tuned into conversation.
Dan got up to pay the bill and Josephine excused herself to the restroom. Dominic followed Dan and offered to pay half the bill but Dan wouldn’t accept it. When they were out of hearing range, Julie kicked at Tristan’s leg.
“You’re going to Italy?”
Tristan nodded.
“Don’t say anything, Dominic doesn’t know yet.”
“You can’t go while you’re pregnant,” Julie scoffed, sipping from her cup.
“She doesn’t know?” Charla asked, shocked.
“Know what?” Julie looked at Tristan. “What does Charla know that I don’t?”
“Nothing.”
Julie tilted her head.
] “You have to tell me, I’m your sister.”
Tristan leaned in whispered that she wasn’t pregnant anymore.
“What? Since when?”
“Last time I was down there. I took care of it.”
“You mean, took care of it-took care of it?” She loudly whispered.
Tristan nodded.
“You did?” A male voice said from behind her.
Startled, Tristan turned her head and saw Dominic standing beside her.
“Let’s go,” Tristan said, pushing at Julie to slide out of her seat as Dan was coming back to the table.
“No, wait.” Dominic put his hand on Tristan’s arm. “What’d you take care of?” He looked at Julie who had just stood up on her feet.
“What were you guys talking about, Julie?”
Tristan licked her lips, her palms were sweaty.
“Let’s go talk outside.”
“No we’ll talk here.”
“Dominic, my dad is standing right there.”
Dan was standing there all right, looking at this group like they were weird.
“We leaving or what?”
Josephine returned to the table. Everyone looked like burglars who’d just been ambushed by cops.
“No, Tristan wants to tell me something. Tell me Tristan.”
She looked back at her boyfriend like she didn’t kn
ow whether to stab him or cry.
“Fine,” she whispered, turning her head in toward him. “I didn’t really lose the baby in a miscarriage. I aborted it.”
“What the fuck?” He angrily pulled his arm away from her. “You did that?”
“Yes.”
“You aborted our baby and told me that you miscarried?”
“Whoa whoa whoa,” Dan said, putting his hands up to calm Dominic.
“Seriously, you did that? You lied to me? About that?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I lied.”
“Why?”
“Let’s go outside, leave them alone,” Josephine suggested. The girls followed Josephine. Dan assured his wife he’d follow her in a moment. He warned Dominic not to flip out or touch his daughter. Dominic saw Dan’s mouth moving but didn’t hear voice inside of them.
“Why?”
“I missed you-“
“No, I know why you lied to get me back. You lied to get me away from her and back with you, I get that. Why did you get the abortion?”
She smeared tears off her face.
“Because I’m not ready…oh fuck!” she cried. “Because I wasn’t sure…I wasn’t sure if it was yours.”
It was a knee to the gut for sure. He kept it all packed inside his chest and bit down on his lip.
“There’s this guy at work-I-you know?” Her eyes flooded with tears. “But baby, I love you. That was a stupid mistake.”
“So you cheated on me before I ever cheated on you?”
She shrugged. “Even I hadn’t you still would’ve.”
“And you lied to me?”
“I missed you. I should never have told you about the pregnancy. I almost didn’t. Not even Charla knows that part-“
“Oh that’s nice.”
“No no, Dominic, we need to talk about this!”
But Dominic didn’t want to talk anymore. He was through talking to her. She moved got up from her seat and chased him out of the restaurant crying. Like a raging bull, he headed toward his truck, moving passed Dan and his wife. He was pretty sure Dan knew about it the whole time. Charla and Julie were standing next to them but all he could see was Charla.