by Cherry Kay
“She doesn’t have to,” Alex replied. “She’s free to do what she wants.”
Iesha closed her eyes. “Let’s just all go home.”
Alex nodded, willing to separate from them. This wasn’t the time to talk to her. She needed time, and time had been taken from her in the form of Terrence. So this was Terrence, the man she was supposed to marry. She would have become Mrs. Kinsley if he hadn’t gone wayward. He shuddered at the thought of her getting back together with him. That wouldn’t happen, right?
The man dripped of sleaze, or maybe he was just biased. Who wouldn’t be? He had cheated on his fiancé, just mere months before their wedding, and had gotten another woman pregnant. He was virile, and sleazy, that was what he was… and what were the odds that he would see them here? He had just wanted a drink. All he wanted was a quiet night, with his bottle of beer or two, and then perhaps, he would talk to her the following day. Would that still happen now that Terrence was here?
“Let’s,” Alex agreed, turning his back, ready to leave them, even if he didn’t want to. He wanted Iesha safe.
“Can I see you tomorrow?” he heard Terrence ask Iesha.
“Terrence, no. No, just no. Go back. We’re done here,” Iesha said quietly.
Alex spun around. “Are you done harassing her?”
“Harassing her?” Terrence laughed mirthfully. “We’re having a civilized, adult conversation, a conversation that doesn’t include you.”
“Are you all for this?” Alex asked Iesha, wanting their ‘conversation’ to end, and he knew she wanted to leave as well.
She shook her head. “We’re all tired,” she said, “let’s get some rest.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Terrence’s voice sounded hopeful.
Iesha shook her head and said nothing.
“Why?” Terrence said. “You can’t say anything because this twat is here?”
Twat? Alex’s eyes narrowed. It was a threat already, but he didn’t want to throw the first punch. He realized Terrence was taunting him on purpose, and it was too late to back down now. “I figured you were childish enough for name calling.”
“Did this guy hurt you in any way?” Terrence asked Iesha.
Iesha shook her head. “I’m tired. Can we all just go home?”
“So this is the guy you like? And you can’t even look at him? What did he do to you, huh? He isn’t man enough to face whatever he did?” Terrence said.
“That’s between me and him,” Iesha responded. “But for now, we need to go home.”
“I’d like to finish this now,” Alex suddenly spoke up, and Iesha’s eyes widened, while Terrence’s eyes narrowed, almost snakelike.
“What do you mean?” Iesha whispered.
“If you want this guy in your life, just tell me, just tell me and I’ll never bother you again,” Alex uttered, unable to believe he had managed to say those words.
He saw the strain in her eyes, and the way her lips shook. Was he hurting her? He didn’t want her hurt. He just wanted to know if she still wanted him in her life… he needed her, but he couldn’t force her to be with him. He was hoping against hope that she wouldn’t reconcile with Terrence, no matter how deceptively charming the bastard was.
“I don’t,” Iesha said, looking at him, like they were the only two people on the café’s veranda.
“I’m glad,” Alex uttered, feeling relief flood through him.
Terrence’s eyes grew livid, and without warning, he quickly landed a punch to Alex’s face, sending Alex reeling to the floor, stumbling against a few chairs and tables. The commotion brought the waiters in the restaurant running for them.
Alex fought back, landing an uppercut to Terrence’s face, relying heavily on muscle memory for the jabs he needed to beat the living daylights out of this cheating low life. Terrence staggered to the wooden floor, his arms covering his face, as Alex beat him. He saw red, as much as Terrence did, and he wasn’t going to let him win this one, not without a good fight.
“Stop it!” Iesha shouted, trying to pull Alex away from Terrence, whose face now had blood trickling down. “Alex, please!”
Those magic words did the deed, and Alex found himself breathing out heavily, as he stumbled away from Terrence, his butt on the floor, his knuckles raw and bleeding as well. The waiters quickly helped the men up, with one restraining Terrence from retaliating.
“Is that all you got?” Terrence hissed.
Alex made a move for it, but Iesha stopped him, holding onto his chest. “Stop it,” she cried. Alex didn’t even notice that blood was seeping from his lip. She looked at Terrence. “Stop it, Terrence.”
Terrence shook his head, and he shook himself free from the waiters’ constraints. “Let go of me,” he muttered. He looked Iesha straight in the eye. “So it’s him or me, Iesha.”
“Don’t do this, not now,” Iesha told him, close to tears. Alex knew she was as stressed as he was, and the bastard was making her choose now?”
“Why?” Terrence said. “I know you still want me in your life. We had all those good memories. You certainly can’t replace those with him. You just met the guy, right?”
“Time has got nothing to do with her getting back with you,” Alex spoke up, readying himself for another bout of restaurant boxing.
“How did he hurt you, Iesha?” Terrence’s voice grew soft. “If you can’t defend him now, if you can’t see yourself with him, then he must’ve done something to you, something to hurt you so bad.”
Iesha shuddered, taking a step back from Alex.
“What you saw, it wasn’t like that,” Alex said. “I’ve always been honest with you, Iesha. I don’t intend to compare myself with him, to see who did less damage. I want to make something out of this. I want us happy, together.”
Terrence laughed. “Are you really falling for this crap? He can’t be better than me, Iesha. We were together for nearly seven years, and I want more years with you.”
Iesha closed her eyes. “I can’t do this, not now. Excuse me.”
“Well, now look what you did, you jackass,” Terrence said to Alex.
Alex shook his head and turned his back to them, and just as he did, Terrence sneakily hit his head, sending Alex face down on the floor.
“Alex!” Iesha cried out.
*
She saw him fall on the floor, and her heart stopped for a moment. Without another breath, she ran for him, flipping him over. He was unconscious, but still breathing. By the time she looked up to Terrence, she saw police officers walking into the restaurant. He had hit Alex with a wooden pepper grinder.
Her hands were shaking as she reached for Alex’s phone, searching for Anita’s number. “Hello? Hello? Anita? It’s Iesha. Alex has been badly wounded. We’re at Nova Icaria, in one of the restaurants. Yes the police already called for an ambulance. Take him where? Alright, I’ll tell them.” She ended the call abruptly, slipping his phone into her pocket, just as medics arrived. Iesha couldn’t help but cry as she rode that seemingly long ride to the emergency room. She almost lost her fluency in Spanish, and she forced herself to calm down, knowing it wouldn’t do Alex or her any good.
Was there a lot of blood? It seemed like it. There was blood seeping out of the bandages they put on his head. His face was pale, as were his hands. They made her wait in a brightly lit visitor’s area. She couldn’t go in the emergency room. Iesha couldn’t find herself sitting still, and she paced and paced some more, looking at the door once in a while, desperate for some news.
Moments later, the door flew open, and out came a familiar face. Anita looked calm as she approached her.
“Is he alright?” Iesha asked.
Anita smiled. “It’ll take more than that to kill my brother. Good thing I was in the OB department when you called.”
“How… how is it? It looked bad.”
“He needed five stitches; in fact, he’s already awake. The ER resident has asked for a few tests though, a CT scan for starters. Other than that you have nothing more
to worry about…” Anita’s voice trailed off, seeing the look on her face. She took a seat beside Iesha. “So, what happened? I have to know. I am a doctor, and he is my brother, after all.”
Iesha took a deep breath, trying to control her shaking. “I didn’t expect it would happen,” she began. “My former fiancé came, unexpectedly, and I didn’t know Alex would be in that restaurant. They said a few words, and then he punched Alex, and Alex fought back.”
“Typical of Alex,” Anita said. “Although, I thought he’d have been over this phase by now.”
Iesha looked at her, confused.
“I suppose he didn’t tell you. He was a bit of a rebel back in school. Suspensions were the norm,” she said with a laugh. “He was a scrawny little boy back then, and he decided one day to take up boxing lessons.”
Boxing lessons? She almost laughed aloud. She couldn’t imagine Alex being bullied and all. Still, it couldn’t assuage her emotions of concern—no, worry. Alex was inside, stitched up, certainly bruised, and it put things into perspective for her. She realized she couldn’t bear to have a life without him, no matter the time spent together, no matter what they had gone through together. Titles weren’t needed, not now. They would take things one day at a time, but they would be together.
Anita excused herself, and she nodded, thanking her. He was going to be transferred to a room, overnight, to wait for lab results. A nurse gladly showed her to Alex’s room, and she sat there once more, looking outside, facing the city’s twinkling lights. Alex was shuffled in by a nurse and an orderly moments later, sound asleep. Anita followed suit, and she saw Iesha by the windowsill.
“We had to give him a sedative. He wouldn’t stay still,” Anita quipped with a smile. “Insisted on walking home. He’ll wake up in a few. The lab tests will be out in a few hours. Who’s bringing you home?”
“I’ll stay until he wakes up. Do your parents know?”
Anita shook her head. “I didn’t call them yet. I don’t think I have to, though. This isn’t a life and death situation. He’s been through worse accidents, like that time he slipped on ice and fractured his arm.”
Iesha grimaced.
“He’ll be fine,” Anita added. Then she looked at Iesha. “Will you be?”
Iesha nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”
“And you’re just staying here?”
“Yes. He’ll need a familiar face to wake up to.”
“Considering you were one of the last faces he saw before he got conked out?” Anita laughed, “I’ll come back in a couple of hours.”
Iesha nodded. The room was quiet once more, and all she could hear were the sounds of ventilation and the public announcement system that sounded off once in a while. She could barely hear him breathing as he slept. His head wasn’t heavily wrapped up, but the bruise on his right cheek grew purple-ish, and it swelled a little. Without another thought, she dragged her chair close to his bed, held his hand, and then she fell asleep.
*
Alex woke up with a start. He couldn’t move, he realized; he couldn’t move without feeling sharp pains all over. What the hell…? Then he remembered, as he blinked slowly, looking around the room. He was supposed to be in a restaurant, right? He was supposed to beat the crap out of someone else… Terrence. He felt something on his hand. He looked down, and he saw her, sleeping beside the hospital bed.
He didn’t make a sound. She had probably waited. How long had he been out? So he failed in protecting his ego, and he failed in protecting Iesha? Not like she needed protecting… she looked fine, albeit tired. Her sleep was uneasy. He moved his palm a little, and she stirred.
“Alex?” she groaned, and then she bolted awake. “You’re up. How do you feel?”
“How long have I been out?”
“A couple of hours. You were in the emergency room for a while. Do you remember that?”
He nodded. “A little.”
“How are you feeling?” she pressed on.
“Confused. I’m in pain everywhere, but I know it’s just my head. I’m guessing I didn’t win?” he joked.
“Win? It was a fluke. He hit your head when you turned your back against him.”
“With what?”
“A pepper grinder,” she breathed out.
“I got knocked out by food?” he said, closing his eyes with a faint smile. “You need rest, you know.”
“I’ve slept a bit,” she said. “Do you need pain medications?”
“Do they have something for the bitter taste of defeat?”
“It wasn’t a contest,” she said. “I didn’t want you there.”
“Of course you wouldn’t want me there. I didn’t expect you’d be there. I just wanted a drink,” he explained.
“You’re talking too much,” she said.
“I’d been rehearsing what to say to you,” he told her. “Apology and all.”
She shook her head. “I should apologize. I overreacted that night.”
“You had every right to be mad,” he said with a sigh. Alex grimaced a little as he adjusted himself on the bed. “I let her in my house, because she was crying and all.”
“I believe you.”
He eyed her. “You believe me? Why?”
“Because you were there, even if Terrence was there. And you didn’t leave me, even if you could have.”
“I know you’d kick his balls or something if he tried anything.”
“I had wanted to avoid some sort of confrontation, actually.”
“He’s here,” Alex suddenly said, realization dawning on him that her former fiancée had flown all this way to be with her. Did she still feel nothing for Terrence? Or was she in some sort of crossroad? Confused and raring to return to America?
“I didn’t think he’d be here. His contacts have done him good…” her voice trailed off, and she looked at her lap. “I’m sorry this had to happen to you, Alex.”
“Maybe it happened for a reason,” Alex told her with a smile.
“You can still smile with stitches on your head? And with your cheek swelling?”
“It hurts a lot,” Alex said, “but I’ve had worse.”
“I didn’t know you were a fighter.”
“Lover and a fighter at the same time. Must be in the blood,” he said. “So… are you going back to California?”
She nodded, and it seemed like she was in distress, just by nodding at him, just by admitting she was indeed going back. It hurt him, too, it hurt him more than the bruises, the stitches—she was really going back.
“When?” he continued.
“You need sleep,” she told him.
“I was already sedated earlier.”
“Well, you need to get better and get out of here quickly.”
“You know, I could have left from the ER earlier. Anita just wouldn’t let me.”
“You needed scans and tests.”
“She’s overreacting.”
“She was being an older sister who happens to be a doctor,” Iesha reminded him.
“Iesha, I don’t want you to go.”
“I think it’s for the best, Alex.”
There were sounds coming from outside, a man’s deep voice and that of a woman’s. The door opened, and in came his parents, with Anita in tow.
Iesha stood up and greeted them in fluent Spanish. His father gave a curt nod, and his mother approached Iesha and gave her a quick hug. Ines then headed for his bedside. What time was it? He looked around to see a small digital clock beside the bed. It was fifteen past eight in the morning. Anita must’ve called them really early if they came here mere hours after that brawl.
“I’ll go now,” Iesha said in a small voice. The rest of his family nodded. He didn’t want her to leave, but he knew she was feeling uncomfortable, even if the whole thing wasn’t her fault. He watched her leave without another word, and he wanted to call out to her, but his body suddenly hurt so much, he made a face.
“What happened now?” his mother asked, sighing.
“Just some stupid incident,” Alex mumbled, his gaze lingering at the door.
“Well, Anita, a summary of his injuries, if you must,” Ines said to her daughter.
Anita handed over a doctor’s chart. “Here, mama.”
Ines scanned the paperwork on it, scrutinizing every lab test and every finding the resident had made earlier. “Well, congratulations on the concussions, five stitches to your scalp, and a hairline fracture on your cheek. What else did we miss?”
“His broken heart,” Anita joked.
Alex rolled his eyes to the best of his current ability. “Really, Anita.”
His mother sighed once more. He saw his father standing by the window sill, looking out into the sunlight and cold wind that assailed the city.
“So, Anita tells me it was a brawl of sorts. Over the young lady?” his father began, still not looking at his son.
Alex said nothing. He closed his eyes instead, willing his father to leave. He was in no position to argue, not when he had just found out that Iesha was leaving.
“I just didn’t like the way he threatened her,” he finally said, knowing they would never shut up about it. They were going to pester him, even if he was sedated and all.
“Threatened her?” his mother looked at him. “Who was this man, anyway?”
“Her ex-fiancé,” Anita chimed in. “She told me the story, while they were stitching him up in ER.”
“Her ex-fiancé flew all the way from America, and then he beat you up?” Ines began.
“I would have won, if I hadn’t my back turned. I wanted to leave, after I beat him up.”
“Where is this man?”
“Somewhere here, in the same hospital. He had to be treated for injuries as well,” Anita said, “unless they moved him to the police station already.”
“Anita, I’d like to have a word with you,” Ines began. “Then we’ll get coffee and breakfast to go for the four of us, should his diet and condition permit.”
So it was just him and his father inside the hospital room. He didn’t look at his father; he just stared at his hospital identification band.
“You haven’t done this in a long time, have you?” Ildefonso began, still not looking at him.