Twisted Fates (Fates Reborn)

by GM Scherbert

  Heading into the shop, Alba is running towards me before the door is shut. Jumping up into my arms, she points behind me before speaking. “Lil, you see Daddy?”

  “Yeah, Doodlebug I saw him. I was just talking to him for a little bit. He was so happy to finally meet you, he couldn’t believe that you looked so much like him.”

  “Momma’s sad?”

  My eyes shoot to Raz and I see the concern in her face. “No, Doodlebug momma just knows how much Daddy is gonna love you and she is happy that he finally got the chance to meet you. Not sad, she would never be sad when it came to you, and how much your gonna love getting to know and spend time with your Daddy.”

  “Lil, lub you.” is all she gets out before her arms wrap tightly around my neck and she is wiggling to get down. Placing her gently on her feet, I cut the distance between Raz and I, reaching out to wipe a tear away from her cheek.

  “He’ll be back Raz. He needs to get his thoughts together, and have a little space, but he’ll be back. If I couldn’t get away from you, I know that he won’t be able to either.” Wrapping her up in my arms, her perfume fills my nose, and my thoughts turn back to that summer and the first time we were together.

  That summer….

  Whenever I come home this place seems to get more, I don’t know, boring. I don’t know how I got through my years of living in Zion growing up, but after being in California these last two years, I know one thing for sure. I’m not coming back to Zion after I’m done with school. I mean I’ll come and visit with my family and shit, but I am surely not going to live here, I need more. I need the variety and spice that I have found in Cali, and that shit just ain’t found here and this first three weeks back after my Sophomore year are fucking just proving it to me more.

  The bar where I’ve found a job is okay, but fuck the owner is kind of a disturbing guy, always looking at the woman like he has an itch to scratch. Fucking disgusting if you ask me, and I should fucking know. I have had more than enough fucking looks from not just him at the bar, but most of the business men that come into this place. Most of them have rings on their fingers, jobs in Chicago, quiet little lives here in Zion with a wife and children, but having a piece on the side wouldn’t be far from the norm. Fucking disgusting.

  I have always thought that if you are with someone, you should be with that one person alone. I myself have never thought that I would be able to find someone that I would want to settle down with though. I’m so fucking young and spending this time with someone else, for longer than a few dates, doesn’t appeal to me. Not until the first time I see Raz, that is.

  She comes into the bar one night after finishing up at the shop, and she is like a ray of fucking sunshine in this dank dark place. The tattoos that are on full display running up and down her body have most of the men and a few other women finding it hard to divert their gaze. The red polka dot pinup dress she wears, is something that would stand out in just about any other bar, the suits and business attire that fill this place screeching to a halt with the change. The eyes that roam over her body, must do little to deter her though, because she is up at the bar in moments, bubbling with energy as she orders a drink.

  “Excuse me darling, I was wondering about getting a drink. Although, I gotta say this is not at all the type of place that I thought it was.” Looking around the bar, she takes in the twenty or so customers, most of whom have focused their attention on her. “These folks never seen any color in their lives or what? All that gray and black, wait a second- is this a funeral or something?”

  A giggle leaves my lips with her question, and my eyes catch the twinkle of lust in hers as she looks back towards me. As we look each other over, I wonder about this girl, no woman, that has walked into my life. I see the gleam in her that’s screams her uniqueness for all to see. She is open for anything, and I know that my summer is about to get a fuck ton more interesting.

  “No Mama, not a funeral, although I do see what you mean. These folks just mainly work in Chicago and are just stopping in on their way home for a little something to ease the transition. It’s more of a business bar than anything, a place to hold meetings, discuss shit, you know?” Nodding her head in agreement, she spins back around looking again towards the crowd. In doing so I can’t help but catch the sweetest smell.

  My eyes can’t stop their perusal of her body, and I take note of the ink covering her as I go. I wonder about the tattoos and piercings, the story behind each of them. I don’t have any and I haven’t really had much experience with someone who is so heavily inked. I know she’s a person just like anyone else, but fuck my thoughts are having a hard time remembering that. I mean there is bare flesh on her, and there are areas of her hidden to my view, but she has a lot of ink and I find myself wanting to know more. Wanting to know the story behind each and every one, and learn it while she is giving into my every desire. A desire which I haven’t felt since that first girl, my first love of all those years ago.

  Fuck, being a demanding bitch is something that I have always known that I am. Being a lesbian on the other hand was not even on my radar until I was around fourteen or maybe fifteen years old. Maybe that’s just when that sort of shit comes on, all I can remember or know is when it happened for me about ten years ago.

  I remember all the girls in my class talking about Joe Lindek and me wondering what the big deal with him was, how they dreamt of marring him and having his babies, and me being less than enthused about the idea. I mean I could appreciate that he was handsome, that he had a nice way about himself, that his body was sure to be something fucking hot to look at as he got older, that he spoke with any and every person in our class with the same easiness. I liked all those different things about him, but didn’t get the flutters in my stomach, the stress in my thoughts, the shortness of breath like I did when I was around her.

  Melissa Filla. She was something else and I knew the first time we were partnered up in Photography class something was different, I wasn’t like the other girls in my class, the ones that constantly eye fucked Joe Lindek. I wanted Melissa to do the things all my female classmates dreamt of Joe doing to them. She was the one I thought about at night when I went home and had my hands all over my own body, beneath my panties, under the sheets….

  The way I feel about this girl that has just walked into the bar reminds me of that. With only one look at her, I know that this summer has just shifted to something more. When I clear my thoughts of the memories of Melissa, I see this woman turn back around to me.

  The smile that comes to my face on her next words consumes me, right along with another whiff of whatever perfume she has on.

  “So darling,” raising an eyebrow at me she squeaks out, “sex on the beach?”

  “Anytime you want, Mama, any fucking time.” Reaching out, I tuck one of the long locks of hair that has fallen into her face behind her ear, running my fingers slowly back down the length of her jaw as I go. “I’ll be done in about two hours, so you might wanna get a drink and pull up a seat to kill the time.”

  The blush that creeps across her face is cute, but the slight move of her thighs rubbing together tells me all I need to know, I got her.

  “Ok well, that sounds like a plan, darling-“

  “Lil, the name is Lil, you’ll do well to remember it, I’m sure you’ll be using it later.”

  “Oh, right, ah, Lil. Could I have a, um, sex on the beach, while waiting for our um, Sex on the beach?” the giggle that leaves her is fucking infections and I smile wide. Turning my head to the side, holding her eyes, waiting only a beat before she says, “I’m Raz by the way. I work right down the street a little ways, at The Branding.”

  “The tattoo shop, huh? Seems to suit you very nicely. Well Raz, I’ll go make you that drink.” Tapping my fingers on the bar just in front of her, reaching over I grab up her hand placing a soft kiss on the underside of her wrist. “Just don’t run off before we get a chance to know each other a little better, huh? I would hate to have to come
track you down.” Taking a breath, the scent she has on is driving me wild and I can’t stop myself from asking, “Could you please give me a hint of what that smell is, it’s simply fucking divine.”

  “Nope that won’t happen, once I give someone my word, it is written in stone for me.” And with that she plops herself down onto the bar stool. Tugging her hand free from mine, she drops her elbows up onto the bar, resting her chin in her hands, she watches me intently. Grabbing a bottle of perfume from her purse she splashes a little onto her wrists before looking at me. “It’s Dolce, it’s the only thing I will wear.”

  “That will be the only thing you have on as soon as we leave this place, Mama.” Making her drink quick, I place it in front of her before heading over to another customer, her eyes never far from me.

  The memories of that first night have frequently come to mind, the way we started what turned into a great few months. How I did take her down to the beach that night, and we did share sex on the beach for not the only time that night. After exchanging numbers we didn’t see each other again for about a week, and she spoke with me at length about the man that she was seeing as well. Never having been with a man or having the want, I spoke with her about it at length.

  Chapter 5

  ~Raz

  The afternoon moves slowly, the next few hours seeming to take forever. Trying to make Alba not notice my distraction and worry is a whole other thing though. She is mostly unaware and that might have something to do with the way Lil is taking over. She has been running around chasing her through the park for going on three hours, while I have been lost in my thoughts. I’m not sure who will go to sleep faster when it comes time for bed, the way they have been at it.

  Waiting for Dominic to process this shit, I know I had years to grasp it, and I know that I have hurt him. Not knowing what I will say to Alba, or how I will need to approach Dominic once he comes back, has my thoughts racing. It was almost too easy between Lil and I, we were able to have our disagreement laid out on the table and talked through within a few hours the night she found out about Alba. I mean I know we didn’t see eye to eye on the way I decided to proceed when I found out I was pregnant, but it is what it was.

  My mind slips back to the night that I found out I was pregnant, the night that my future did a complete one-eighty. The night I went from a care-free twenty something to a woman that was looking at raising a child on her own, with no family or support surrounding her. The night I started this struggle about if I would track him down and tell him about the baby that I had just found out about. A night that started out like so many had before it, but ended so drastically different.

  Finishing up at the shop I knew I was in for a long ass night to follow this long ass day, hopefully one that involved me getting drunk. The ick that I had been dealing with the last few days seems to be gone for the moment at least, which was awesome because I wanted to meet up with some people and have a few drinks. It was Friday fucking night, some well-deserved drinks and possibly even a warm body to get with were in order after this week. I had done eight hours of work every day for the last two weeks, seeing Nick was somewhat short staffed with him needing to deal with some family shit and wasn’t able to work his normal hours.

  There are a few things that have always had me questioning Nick, and why he was so gung ho to be tied down to a woman almost twenty years older than him is one. I mean I see the way that they are together now, and how much that they love each other and shit, but I just don’t see myself having a kid at my age, well fuck our age. Nick is only a year or so older than me, and being settled down, married, with kids- fuck step-kids that are only a couple years younger than me ain’t my idea of a good time.

  The oldest of his step-daughters, Audrey picks up hours at the shop working the front desk a couple times a week. The other two girls come in from time to time, they have made themselves into a real unconventional family but the love that they have between them is awesome to see. To each their own and all that shit, I just can’t see myself settled down with a family like that. Maybe it has something to do with the shit I have had to deal with up until this point. My momma and daddy were not around for me when I was growing up. Each happier to head out and catch whatever drink specials they could at the local watering hole instead of parenting me. Or, that asshole ex of mine who I thought would be such a great escape from my parents. I couldn’t have been further from the truth, and when I finally broke free from him it only took needing stitches for the third time to do that. My ideas of family and friends might just have a fucked up view as I’m thinking on it though.

  I really don’t have anyone else, and it’s sad to say that my boss and his family are the closest thing I have to family, that’s why I don’t have a problem covering for his ass. It was a cold fucking night for October, and I had really hoped that it would’ve warmed up before I finished up cause I brought my bike out today. No such fucking luck so it seems though.

  Locking up behind me, I head straight to my house to get changed and grab my car. Once I get to the house though, the nauseousness I’ve been feeling returns and I know that I won’t be going out tonight. Heading to the walk-in clinic instead, I know I gotta figure this shit out, because I won’t be able to make it through another week of feeling like this while working extra hours and shit.

  Pulling into the parking lot, I’m glad to see that the clinic isn’t very busy and I might be able to get in and out before too long. Walking in, I see the receptionist is free and I head right towards her. She made quick work of checking me in, and handed me a few things that need to be filled out before they will call me back. Filling this fucking paperwork out has me thankful that my job isn’t such tedious and mundane shit, I would die if I had to be a paper pusher.

  As they finally call me back, the first thing they do is grab blood and urine. Putting me into a room, I wait only a few minutes before the NP on duty is knocking on the door. With my grunted reply, the NP comes in and the smile on her face beams.

  “Well, Rosaline, it seems that your sickness isn’t much to be worried about.”

  “What do you mean, I have been feeling like this for going on the second week and I got another full week ahead of me, I need to feel better.”

  “Yes, well that might not be happening for another few months.”

  The look of confusion lets her know, I’m not sure what exactly she is trying to say. Before I am able to question her words, she is dropping a bomb on me that I would have never guessed.

  “Rosaline, you’re pregnant.” With those three words, my life has just be flipped turned upside down.

  “What?” Is out before I am able to process much and the look that crosses her face lets me know this isn’t the first time she has had a reaction as such.

  “Now, Rosaline, there are lots of different options for you and if you need to talk it through I can recommend another doctor, or a psychologist, or even give you the number for a clinic but you need to talk it through with someone before you make a decision like that.“

  “I’m not getting an abortion, I am just shocked.” Fuck this ain’t where I thought this day was headed, I thought I would get some antibiotics and be on my way. “I’ve always been so careful and made my partners were rubbers and shit. UGH!”

  “Well, the first step is gonna be to take an ultrasound and see how far along you are. Make sure that the baby is healthy and see about your due date. I can give you the name of some OBGYNs in the area if you don’t have one?”

  “Yea, thanks I have only ever gone to the clinic for my checkups and shit.”

  “Ok, let me just go grab those and I’ll be right back with them.”

  Exiting the room, I am left with the silence that surrounds me and my thoughts. Thoughts of the last night that we shared together. Thoughts of the way both Dom and Lil took charge of my body, sharing me between the two of them. The night that I would bet any money on was the night this little life was made, almost nine weeks ago. My hand travels down to
my stomach absentmindedly, and I find myself cradling the little life inside of me. I know in that moment, I will have this baby and I will be raising the little one alone. The fear that hits me with that thought, causing a wave of nausea to course through me. I’m able to reach the garbage before I retch what little I have been able to eat these last few days up.

  As my stomach starts to settle, my mind begins to wander again. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be a mom, especially without someone to share the burden with. Dominic is halfway across the world, and I’m sure a child is not something that he is ready for. FUCK! Our whole summer together was based on the thought of not having a relationship. Not being together or doing the whole long-distance thing because we decided against that. I can’t just drop a child on him like that, especially when he is serving overseas that shit won’t keep his mind on the task at hand like it should.

  As the doctor comes back in and hands me the paperwork that she’s readied for me, I make my way outta the office towards the lot. The new future that has been laid out in front of me. Not knowing where to go I find myself calling Alexandra, the bond we have developed over the past years with her is my true friend. The kind of friend who you go to with this type of problem, the type of person who will be there to hold you as you cry, talk something through with you, drink too much booze when the time comes, or even be the one that you call on to bury a body- you know the kind of friend I mean.

  With no answer from her, I try Nick with much the same luck and that’s when I give Audrey a call. She lets me know that her mom and Nick are at the local hospital in room 219 and I should just head on up there to speak with them. She lets me know that if there is anything that she can do to help she is always here for me too. She says they won’t mind, they could use a little distraction anyway, is all she adds before hanging up. I wonder if this situation is the type of distraction that they need, especially if they are visiting someone in the hospital.