With that said, seemingly unable to help herself, Natasha lurched forward and wrapped her arms around Hector’s waist for a quick hug. Hector patted her awkwardly, then she released him and stepped back.
“Okay, our minute is up,” I said, pleased with what had just transpired and hopeful that these two would eventually have at least an amicable relationship. “Now we’re off to spread our good news around to Natasha’s sisters and our friends. I’ll see you before dinner service.”
Hector nodded and said, “Congrats again, Jericho, you deserve all the happiness in the world.”
Natasha ~ Present
TODAY HAD BEEN A GOOD day.
A great day.
The best day.
After finding out that yes, we are indeed pregnant, having Jericho propose, and having a somewhat scary, but positive, introduction to Hector, we’d gone to tell everyone else the news. Millie, Jackson, and Kayla were ecstatic, Dru a little less so, but still happy, and everyone at Three Sisters was thrilled at the prospect of another wedding, and a baby to be our mascot.
Mick was still in Philly, but we’d also told Rob, Jan, Ty, and Rebecca, although by video chat rather than in person. And, when Mick called to give Jericho an update, he’d shared the good news with him as well.
The only bleak spot on the day was that although he’d had a couple leads, Mick still hadn’t been able to locate Jericho’s mom.
Still, all in all, best day ever.
To top it off, we were laying on the couch, watching a singing competition, while I snacked on popcorn and Jericho rubbed my feet.
Pure bliss.
“You know, after today, I kind of hate myself for what I put us through,” I told Jericho, not because I wanted him to argue, or say nice things about me, but because it was true.
I’d spent so long being afraid. Of being abandoned, of change, really, of allowing myself to really be happy. I’d been sabotaging my own happiness because of the lives my parents lived, rather than working to prove that I could do differently.
“I don’t hate you,” Jericho replied. “In fact, I love you more right this second than I ever have before.”
“I feel the same,” I assured him, then asked, “But doesn’t it make you angry when you realize we could have been this happy the whole time?”
“No.”
“Why not?” I asked, curious.
“Because being apart made it possible for us to be where we are today. We both accomplished great things professionally, and although we may not have been as fulfilled personally as we could’ve been, we found our support systems. Who knows how things would have played out? I, for one, couldn’t be happier with where we are today.”
“Me neither,” I agreed softly.
Just then, Newt jumped up on the couch to see what we were doing. Ignoring the two of us, he went up on the back cushions and pawed his spot until it was to his liking, then laid down and closed his eyes.
Jericho found a tender place in my foot and rubbed it deeply, causing me to moan and slide a little farther down into the couch.
“Do you still want a dog?” he asked.
“Yeah, eventually.”
“Big, small, or medium sized?”
“Hmmmm.” I looked up as if deep in thought, then said, “Medium.”
“Do you have a breed in mind?”
I shook my head.
“No, just a sweet dog that will be a good family dog. Mostly an indoor dog, who will sleep in bed with us.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Of course, she’s going to be part of the family.”
“She? Okay. Noted.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Nothing, just that I’m listening and storing away information for future use,” Jericho replied, then turned back to the TV. “What do you think of her?”
“I hope she wins it all,” I said.
“I’m rooting for Victor to win.”
I was about to argue when Jericho’s phone rang.
“What’s up, Renee?”
Renee was one of his hostesses at Prime Beef. After we’d shared our news, Jericho had gone into work while I did the same. At about eight thirty, he’d picked me up and brought me home, with takeout, so we could relax, eat dinner, and watch TV together.
When he disconnected, Jericho patted me on the foot, his face apologetic.
“Looks like I need to head back in,” he said, and when I moved my feet off of him, he stood. “There’s a guest at the restaurant who wants to talk to me. She wouldn’t settle for the night manager, or Hector, so I’m going to go take care of it.”
“Okay,” I said, tilting my head back for the kiss he offered. “I’ll probably finish this then go up and soak in the tub for a while.”
“Sounds good, I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’m sorry to have to leave.”
“Hey, not feeling guilty for our jobs, remember. If anyone can understand the demands of the food service industry, it’s me, right? Go do what you need to, Newt and I will be fine here,” I assured him, gesturing to Newt, who didn’t bother to open his eyes, let alone concur.
“Thanks, babe. Do you need anything?” When I shook my head, he said, “Well, if that changes, shoot me a text and I’ll stop on the way home.”
“Will do. I love you,” I called as he headed toward the door.
“I love you, too.”
Jericho ~ Past
“YOU GO ON OUTSIDE NOW, while I take care of business,” my mother said. Her eyes had that glassy look that I hated, and the tall guy with the big belly in our living room was giving me a look that said if I didn’t get moving, he’d kick me until I did.
So, I left.
It was already dark, and kinda cold. Although, if I had a jacket, it probably wouldn’t be so bad.
“I hate her,” I mumbled, then looked over my shoulder, sure I’d see her standing there, ready to smack the words out of my mouth.
My arms were skinny, but they were getting bigger. I’d started working out after school, after seeing how big some of the eighth graders at my school were. I’d followed some of the football players and found them all lifting weights and doing pushups and stuff, so I’d started hanging out and doing what they did.
At first, I’d thought they’d catch me and kick me out, I was only in sixth grade after all, and they usually didn’t want nothing to do with us. But Bo, one of the biggest guys, lived in my same apartment building and said he’d vouch for me.
Whatever that meant.
I think it meant he knew who I was, knew who my mom was . . .
“It’s better for him to come here and work out, gain some muscle so he can take care of himself, then end up on the streets with the druggies, or worse,” I’d heard Bo tell the coach one day.
Anyway, because of that, no one gave me any problems. I’d been going there every day after school, and although the only difference so far was that my body was always sore, I felt like change was coming.
But now, school was closed and my mom wanted me gone, so I had no choice.
My stomach growled, and I tried to remember the last time I’d eaten. It had been a couple days at least. The school offered free lunches for people in need, but my mom didn’t fill out the forms cause, “We don’t need no charity from no damn do-gooders,” so I usually only ate if she remembered to go grocery shopping, or bring something home.
I was thinking I needed to get a job. That way, I could buy food for myself and eat it when she wasn’t around.
“Hey, kid, come here,” a man yelled, but I just started walking faster and turned the corner, then I started running.
“You cold, baby?” one of the women on the corner asked, but I ignored her, too.
Some of these people were nice and tried to help, but I’d met too many of the other kind. The ones who wanted me to sell drugs at school, or suck dick for five bucks, so I’d stopped talking to anyone on these streets.
I’d run about four blocks when I needed to stop and catch my breath. I loo
ked around, trying to figure out where I was. When I recognized the deli, I let out a sigh of relief. This street wasn’t so bad.
I kept walking, making a game out of kicking trash on the sidewalk, when a sound had me looking up and to the left.
A boy about my size was waving at me from behind a dumpster.
At first, I thought about running in the other direction, ‘cause who knew who, or what, was in the alley with that kid, then I heard him ask, “You’re Jericho, right?”
I paused, trying to decide what the smart thing to do was, then shrugged and walked closer to the boy.
“Who’re you?” I asked, looking past him into the alley, relieved when I didn’t see anyone else.
“I’m Hector,” he said, “I’m in your math class.”
I squinted, trying to make him out better in the dark.
“Oh yeah, you sit next to Gunther.”
Hector was pretty new to the school, and was just as quiet as I was, so we’d never really met before.
“Yeah,” he replied with a shrug. “What are you doing out here?”
I mimicked his movement and said, “Just needed to get out of the house for a while. You?”
“Same.”
Just then, my stomach growled again, and I flushed with embarrassment.
“The guy at the deli usually leaves the food he’s gonna throw out just inside the back door, for me and some of the other kids around here. If we don’t eat it, he throws it away, then puts more out the next day. He won’t care if you eat some.”
Hector started walking through the alley, to where I assumed the back door of the deli was, but I stood still watching him, suddenly worried that I’d been wrong to trust him, and it was a trap.
After all, why would a man give food to kids, without wanting something in return.
I watched Hector open the door and disappear for a second, then come back out with a hand full of bread and meat. He walked toward me, holding it out, but I kept my gaze trained on the door.
“It’s legit,” he promised once he was back in front of me. To prove it, Hector put some of the meat in his mouth, chewed and swallowed, then grinned. “See.”
Too hungry to stop, I took the food from his hands and began to eat it as fast as I could.
“Easy,” Hector said. “You’ll get sick if you eat too fast. That’s what happened to me.”
“You live around here?” I asked between bites.
“Yeah, in the bricks,” he said, referring to another apartment complex a couple blocks from mine. “You?”
“Commons,” I replied.
Hector nodded, indicating he knew where that was, then asked, “You want to head down to the park and hang out for a while?”
“Sure,” I said, happy to have a full belly and a new friend.
Little did I know, when I returned home that night, I’d find out that my mom had been arrested and would serve her first stint in jail for soliciting a police officer.
Natasha ~ Present
I’D FINISHED MY BATH AND was lying in bed reading What to Expect When You’re Expecting, when I heard a commotion downstairs. Thinking Jericho was back, I placed the book on the nightstand and got out of bed, making my way down the stairs.
The light in the kitchen that I left on for him was still on, but he wasn’t in there, so I crossed to the living room, about to call out his name, when a movement by the windows caused me to turn that way.
I froze at the sight of a woman, a very skinny woman with frail hair and an angry expression on her face.
“Who are you?” I asked, my mind racing as it searched for a memory of the nearest weapon.
“Who the fuck is you?” she countered, her voice deep and raspy, like someone who’d been smoking for decades.
I reached for my phone in my pocket, then realized that I was wearing my nightgown and did not have pockets, or my phone.
“You’re trespassing. You need to leave this house,” I said, trying to keep my tone firm. Unyielding.
She wasn’t impressed.
“No, you need to go get my boy and bring him here to me. Tell him his momma’s come, just as she promised.”
My eyes widened in horror when I realized that this was Jericho’s mother. How such a tall, gorgeous, wonderful man like my fiancé came from this woman, baffled me.
“Ah, I can see you got your judgy pants on, huh, Ms. Oklahoma or some shit . . . Don’t go looking down your nose at me. You just go on and bring my boy to me.”
“He’s not here,” I said, then snapped my mouth shut.
Shit. I probably shouldn’t have said that, I could have said I was going to get him and went and got my phone.
“I mean, let me go see if I can find him,” I amended, and started to back out of the room.
“Oh, no, Oklahoma, you go ahead and sit your pretty face down there and we’ll wait for Ric to get here.”
“I could go call him,” I offered, trying one last thing as I sat on the nearest chair.
“Nah, I think I’ll go for the . . . element of surprise,” she said, coming close enough so I could see her face.
It was a face with many, many years on it. Hard years. It was weathered and rough and I wondered what life had been like for her in prison.
“So, Oklahoma, you Jericho’s piece like full time, or does he have a bunch like you coming and going?”
I wasn’t sure what I should say, or how honest I could be. I knew Jericho didn’t want anything to do with her, so I couldn’t imagine he’d want her knowing information about his life. Still, maybe if she knew I was going to be her daughter-in-law, it would change her behavior toward me.
“Actually, I’m his fiancée, we’re getting married,” I said, hopeful that she would show the tiniest bit of motherly happiness.
Instead, she hurried over to me and picked up my hand, her eyes widening with glee at the ring on my finger.
I snatched my hand back and sat on it.
“Mmmmm, I see you, girl. Got yourself a good thing goin’ here . . . leading my son around by his dick, getting fancy rings and big-ass houses. We’re just alike, you and I.”
I cringed at her words, and she smiled hatefully.
“Don’t like that, do ya, but it’s true all the same. Don’t see you tied to some dock worker living in a trailer park, do I? Nope, Ms. Oklahoma is bringing my boy to heel and keeping money that is rightfully mine away from me. Is that why he said no? You in his ear, Oklahoma?”
“No, I have nothing to do with your relationship with your son. That’s between you and Jericho.”
Before she could reply, her phone rang. She glared at me, then flipped it open and said, “What?”
Her face got angrier as she listened, then she hung up and swore a string of words that would’ve made a sailor proud.
She flipped the phone shut again without another word.
“Looks like Ric’s goon is making problems for me. That was my parole officer. He needs to see me.”
Relieved that she had to leave, I tried to look contrite as I said, “I’ll tell Jericho you’re looking for him as soon as he gets home.”
“That’s cute, Oklahoma, you’re as dumb as you look. Uh-uh, missy, you’re coming with me as insurance.”
“No!” I cried, standing and placing my hand on my stomach reflexively.
Jericho’s mom tracked my movement, and if was possible, her smile became even more horrible.
“Ah, bun in the oven, that’s why Jericho’s allowing himself to get saddled with a piece like you. Even better,” she said, stepping toward me. I took a step away. “Double the insurance.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I argued.
Then I watched in horror as she pulled a small handgun out of the back of her jeans and pointed it at me.
Right at my stomach.
“Oh, I think you are,” she said, then flicked her wrist toward the door. “Move.”
Jericho ~ Present
BY THE TIME HE’D ARRIVED at Prime Beef, th
e customer had left.
“That’s so weird,” Renee said. “She was standing right there when I called, so she knew you were on the way.”
“Okay, I’m going to go back to my office for a few minutes, just in case she’s in the bathroom or something. Let me know if she shows back up.”
I’d spent a good thirty minutes in my office, then checking reports in the POS. Once we were closed for the night, and it was obvious the lady was gone, I said goodbye to Renee and headed back home.
I figured Natasha had fallen asleep by now, but was thinking of all the fun ways I could wake her up when I pulled up to the house and noticed the lights were on and the front door was wide open.
Fear had my heart pounding in my ears as I jumped out of the still running car and ran for the house.
“Natasha!” I began yelling her name over and over as soon as my feet hit the steps.
I ran inside, looking around, but not seeing anything out of order, so I kept going up the stairs to the bedroom.
The covers on the bed were flipped over, like Natasha had been inside and but had gotten out for one reason or another. The table lamp was on and her book was on the table. I crossed to the bathroom, and although the scent of her bath bomb still filled the air, the lights were off and the room was empty.
I went back into the room and walked closer to the bed, that’s when I noticed her phone on the table behind her book. I picked it up and looked at it, but the most recent call had been when I’d called earlier to see if she was ready to be picked up.
I kept calling her name as I ran back down the stairs.
Her purse was on the counter where she’d put it when we’d gotten home.
Her shoes were by the door.
I ran back outside, jumping off the porch rather than bothering with the stairs, and started running around the back of the house.
I checked the back porch, the backyard, side of the house, even started running farther out on the property, even though I knew there was no reason for her to be back there. Although, there was no logical explanation for what was happening either.
Going on autopilot, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and pushed Hector’s number.
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