Maya's Choice (15 page)

“You were cute, but you needed the touch of a woman.” Mom laughed.

“Don't listen to your mother, girls. I was a suave man fresh out of the military, and I had the moves, the looks and—”

My mother interrupted him. “No money and no car. Your father was a disciplined man and he—”

“Do you want to tell this story or are you going to let me tell it?” My father broke up my mother's version of events.

“Go on.” She waved him off.

“True, I didn't have much money or a car, but I had heart.”

“So, get to the part about how you guys met,” said my little brother as he sat on the floor next to my mother.

“Well, your mother was a cheerleader and was the best dancer on the squad. She could move like no other girl on the team. Whenever she danced she stood out from the crowd. She was whipping her hair back and forth long before Willow Smith was born. I went to all of the basketball and football games just to watch her perform.”

“Your father and his friends made a habit of hanging
around begging girls for their phone numbers like sailors on shore leave. The only reason they were near us was because of our revealing outfits. We showed a lot of skin,” my mother added.

My father laughed. “Oh, yeah, because she had this one white outfit that hugged her body like a glove and—”

“Herman, they get the picture.” My mother caught him before he got too caught up in the memory.

My father smiled again. “Anyway, at the time she was dating one of the football players, and I was doing my best to steal her away from him.”

“Wait, you mean that Mom had a boyfriend and you took her from him?” asked Paul, who seemed to believe that this was an important historical news flash he'd missed.

“He was no good for her, son. She didn't know it at the time, but I did. She was my woman, my soul mate, and I wasn't going to allow her to get away from me,” my father said with pride.

“So, how did you take her from the other guy?” Paul continued with his questions.

“Well, as luck would have it, the following semester your mom and I ended up in the same chemistry class. I made sure that she wound up being my lab partner.”

“Your father
insisted
that I become his partner,” my mother once again interjected.

“I knew a lot about chemistry and didn't want to see her struggling with the class, so I offered to help her with her studies. We ended up spending a lot of time together.” Dad smiled at the memory.

“Well, what about her boyfriend? Didn't he get mad?” Paul asked.

“Oh, yes, he got very angry and extremely jealous if I remember correctly,” my father said, glancing over at my mother.

“Yes, he was,” she admitted.

“Anyway, she didn't know it, but I was secretly talking to her girlfriends who didn't like the guy she was dating. They were telling me all of the things that she liked and didn't like. So by having the inside scoop, I knew I'd be able to win her over.”

“Wow, that is so special,” I said as I tucked my legs beneath me.

“But, Dad, wasn't that disrespectful?” Paul asked.

“All is fair in love and war,” said my Dad.

“Huh?” Paul was completely clueless.

“I didn't take her, son. I was a total gentleman during those days. I treated your mother like a queen. Her boyfriend, on the other hand, well, that's another story.” My father turned to my mother.

“Yes. The guy I was dating and thought I was in love with turned out to be a real monster,” said my mother.

“What did he do?” asked Paul.

“He was an abusive guy. At the beginning of our relationship he would tell me that his jealousy was a sign of his love for me. Then he started questioning who I was with during the day and who I had been talking to.”

“Then his suspicions were right, because you were talking to Dad,” Paul pointed out.

“At that time your father and I weren't romantically in
volved at all. We were just friends. But my boyfriend at the time had been acting this way long before your father came around. He'd accuse me of flirting with other men when we'd go out, which of course, I wasn't. Then it got to the point that he didn't want me to ever leave his side because he feared that I'd meet someone and leave him. He'd call all of the time and come to my dorm unannounced. He was very insecure and I stupidly tried to change him.”

“So, you guys kept dating?” asked Paul.

“Yes,” my mother answered.

“I'd hoped they'd break up, but your mother hung in there with him. I think she believed he was going to get drafted into the NFL and she'd marry him and live a life of luxury.”

“No, I didn't,” my mother disputed that claim.

“That's not what your girlfriends told me,” Dad countered.

“They were just nosy gossip girls,” Mom said, not giving any weight or validity to their perception of her during that time period.

“Right after our graduation ceremony in spring of 1990, I got her alone and told her how I truly felt about her,” said my father.

“By that time your father had become a very dear friend. I had feelings for him, but I was torn because I also had feelings for my boyfriend, in spite of all his flaws,” Mom said.

“Your mother left me holding my heart in my hand,” said my father. “And, Paul, let me tell you. It's not easy for a guy to watch the woman he loves walk away.”

“Why did you break his heart, Mom?” Paul turned to look at her.

“His heart wasn't that broken,” she said.

“Yes, it was,” my father said. “A few weeks later I was called up for duty.”

“That's when you went to the Gulf War, right?” I asked.

“Yup. I was shipped off to Texas, where I did some specialized training with chemical weapons. I had to do another two years in the military before I was able to get out. When I finally got out, I moved to Chicago and stayed with relatives until I got a job and my own place.”

“Oh, here comes the good part,” Anna said.

My father chuckled. “I was out one night with some military buddies who had taken me to a dance club where bachata dance competitions were held. Of all the places your mother could have walked into, that night she walked into that one. She was with her sister, Salena, and they were both dressed to kill. Once they sat down, I sent a drink over to their table. When the waitress pointed to me to show your mother who the drink had come from, she couldn't believe that I was there. When I looked into her eyes they sparkled like diamonds.”

“That is so romantic.” I sighed.

“Your father surprised me,” my mother said, picking up the story. “I never expected to see him again. The first thing I asked him when he came over was if he was still single. I was happy beyond words when he said that he was.”

“So, the guy from college, what happened to him?” Paul asked.

“She'd broken up with him—duh!” Anna said, poking fun at Paul.

“A bachata song came on and I asked your mother to dance with me,” my dad explained.

“I was very nervous, because the Herman that I knew in college did not know how to dance at all. So I told him that he shouldn't embarrass himself.”

“Oh, I got your mother real good that night. I pulled her out of her seat and walked her onto the dance floor. I told her to make sure she kept up.” My father met my mother's gaze, and I could still see the love in his eyes that he had for her.

“Your father didn't tell me that while he was in Texas he'd learned a lot about Mexican culture, dance, music and everything.”

“Your mother forgot that before I was in college I spent four years in the military traveling around the world. I'd been to Spain, Japan and Africa. I learned as much about other cultures as I could.”

“So there I was, standing on the dance floor with my sister, Salena, glaring at me as if I'd lost my mind,” said my mother.

“Come here, baby. Let's show them how to bachata,” said my father.

“My feet hurt,” my mother whined.

“I'll rub them when we're done.”

“Go on and do it,” I said, getting up and placing their favorite dance CD, which contained the song they danced to, in the stereo. I pressed Play and took a seat. My father slowly grooved to the rhythm of the melody being played by a Spanish guitar. My mother joined him. They took each other's hands and began to dance. Their bachata dance was filled with spins, turns and lots of hip movement by both partners. I enjoyed watching my parents dance with each other. They'd
been together for so long that they knew each other's moves. Even though they hadn't practiced, they moved with flawless precision. They smiled at each other, they laughed with each other and they enjoyed each other. My heart started to swell. I wanted to have a romantic marriage just like theirs.

Later that evening I ran an errand with my mother. While we walked around the grocery store she got a phone call from my grandmother.

“What do you mean Salena has disappeared?” my mother said as I stood near her and listened with great interest.

“Viviana has no idea where she could be?” she asked.

I could hear my grandmother's muffled voice say, “No.”

“Why would Salena just leave like that? It doesn't make any sense,” my mother said. She was clearly getting upset as we moved down the aisle where all the bread was shelved.

“Who got into a fight?” my mother asked. I glanced over at her because I wanted to know, as well.

“What do you mean you got into a fight?” She stopped walking and so did I.

“Mama, you should've called the police. You can't allow Viviana to drag you into her drama.” My mother paused as my grandmother spoke. “I know you're too old to be fighting.” My mother paused again as my grandmother spoke to her.

“Mom, I'll have to talk to Herman about having Viviana stay with us. I just can't spring this on him all of a sudden.” I got involved at that moment. I stood in front of my mother and got her attention and whispered loudly.

“I don't want Viviana to come live with us,” I said with a grave sense of urgency before she agreed to do anything.

“Mom, Viviana has a reputation and she…” My mother paused yet again. “I know your health isn't the best and I know you're on a fixed income. You don't have to remind me.

“I'll talk to Herman tonight about it,” my mother said. I walked away at that moment, because I knew that Grandmother Esmeralda was going to win and Viviana was coming to stay with us for an indefinite length of time.

VIVIANA

My
life really sucks. Not only has my own mother walked out on me, but now my grandmother is shipping me off to live under the same roof with the one person I can hardly get along with—Maya. My grandmother had somehow convinced my aunt Raven to take me in until my mother decided to surface. Although I would be staying with family who had known me all of my life, I still felt as if I were intruding. I also knew that the only reason I was being taken in was because my grandmother wasn't going to have it any other way.

When I arrived back at Maya's house and Aunt Raven met me at the door, she gave me a kiss on the cheek and a big hug.

“You're welcome to stay for as long as necessary,” she said. Although her words were kind and probably genuine, I still felt like the pile of steaming dinosaur crap that had suddenly materialized in the middle of the room.

“Where will I be sleeping, the garage?” I asked sarcastically.

“No, honey, why would you think we'd place you out in the cold garage?” Aunt Raven asked.

“I don't know,” I said, feeling really vulnerable.

“Anna insisted that you sleep in her bedroom with her,” she informed me. I perked up a little. I really liked that girl. “She has a queen-size bed that you guys can share until we can figure out what's going on.”

“Is Anna here?” I asked.

“Yes. Just go on upstairs. You know where to find her.” I gave my aunt another hug before I headed up to Anna's room.

Grandmother Esmeralda decided to stay for a few days until I got settled in. If the truth were to be told, she only stayed because she knew that my being there was putting a lot of pressure on Aunt Raven. It was an unsettling feeling knowing that I was the cause of underlying tension in the house.

While Aunt Raven and Uncle Herman were at work, Grandmother Esmeralda took it upon herself to make sure no major fallouts happened. Anna and I got along well, Maya stayed to herself and Paul got lost in his video games. Although Aunt Raven told her not to, Grandmother Esmeralda did all the laundry, cleaning and cooking for several days. Coming home to a clean house and a hot meal was something that went over well with Uncle Herman.

I received a text message from an old friend who lived in my old neighborhood. He made money on the side as a DJ at parties and said that he was throwing a summer bash and was inviting everyone he knew. I got the address from him,
but was a little disappointed when I realized that it was in the city.

“Damn,” I whispered to myself as I stood in the bathroom and read his text. If I were still living with my mother and Martin I could come and go at will. I knew that in order to go I'd have to get really creative and do a lot of scheming to pull it off without getting caught. After thinking about it for a day, I came up with a plan. It was a risky one, but I was willing to give it a try, because I totally needed to blow off some steam and have some fun for once in my life. I decided that it was best to keep my plans all to myself. The less everyone knew, the better. I figured I'd just sneak out of the house for a few hours and come back in. Aunt Raven had already given me a spare door key and the alarm code for the house. I could exit the house through a side door in the basement, where Grandmother Esmeralda was sleeping on the sofa bed. She slept like a corpse so I knew she wouldn't hear anything. I figured I'd take her car keys and drive myself down to the party. I'd see some old friends, have a good time and be back before anyone noticed that I was gone.

 

On the night of the party I placed the clothes I'd change into in the trunk of Grandmother Esmeralda's car. I waited until 11:30 p.m. when everyone was sound asleep. Once I got out of the house, I was about to get into Grandmother Esmeralda's car, which was parked in the driveway, when I heard someone say, “Where the hell are you going?”

I thought for sure I'd gotten busted by my aunt. I closed my eyes tightly and nervously turned in the direction of the voice, hoping I could come up with a damn good lie.

“Are you sneaking out of our house?” I opened my eyes and realized that it was Maya and not Aunt Raven asking the questions. Sometimes they could sound like each other. Maya was sitting on the front porch on the swing.

“Keep your voice down,” I said as I moved toward her.

“Were you about to take Grandmother Esmeralda's car?” Maya asked.

“I've taken it before and returned it. It's no big deal,” I said.

“You don't even have a driver's license,” Maya said.

“A lot of people don't have a license or insurance, but does that keep them from driving around and getting them to where they need to go?” I asked.

“And exactly where are you going?” she asked.

“None of your business. Besides, what are you doing out here this late?” I whispered softly.

“I couldn't sleep so I came out for some air,” Maya explained.

“It sounds like you're freaking bored to death.” Maya didn't deny what I'd just said. “I'm going out to a party,” I reluctantly informed her.

“You can't just go to a party without asking.” Maya was starting to sound like someone's mother.

“Yes, I can. I always come and go as I please without anyone's permission, and I'm not about to start asking for it now,” I said indignantly.

“I'm telling.” Maya rose to her feet to go squeal.

“If you go in there and say something, I'll deny everything and lie on you. I'll say that I came out to the car to get my purse and saw you out here with Misalo.”

“That's a lie! Misalo wasn't here. My parents wouldn't believe you,” Maya said.

“How do your parents know that you're telling the truth? After all, you did get busted with him in your room. It would be my word against yours. Besides, I'm still in my pajamas. Why would I go to a party in my pj's?” I gambled with my last comment, hoping Maya was the perfect princess that I knew she was, and had never in her life snuck out of the house and stashed a change of clothes somewhere. Maya was silent for a moment. Then to my utter shock she asked, “Where is this party at?”

“Oh, hell no! Don't tell me you want to go,” I said.

“I'm feeling daring, so either you take me or the minute you pull off, I'll wake up everyone in the house and let them know that you've disappeared…just like your mother,” Maya said.

I wanted to choke her for bringing up my mother like that. I was about to drop the entire idea of going to the party and just beat Maya up, when a mean-spirited thought entered my mind. It would be the perfect way to get Maya into some really hot water.

“Okay. I'll take you,” I agreed. “How long will it take you to get ready, because we don't have much time. We've got to get there, have our fun and then come back. I want to be back in the house at about 3:30 a.m.”

“It won't take me long at all,” Maya said.

“I'll be in the car.” I smiled because she had no clue what I was about to do to her.

Maya got dressed in ten minutes and I drove us to the address as quickly as I could. During the drive there I acted
as if everything would be fine and assured Maya that she'd have a great time. When we arrived at the address and entered the house, the party was alive and buzzing with energy. The music was hot, people were dancing and the drinks were flowing. It didn't take me long to run into several people that I knew. A friend gave me a can of beer and I offered one to Maya. I purposely didn't introduce her to anyone there. I wanted her to feel totally lost and friendless. Almost immediately, I could tell that she regretted the decision to come. Knowing that brought me a twisted kind of joy. I raised my can high in the air and screamed. Several friends joined me as I rocked and grooved my way to another section of the house, leaving Maya, the human wallflower, behind.

During all of my excitement I stumbled across several people who were pretty wasted. I took the opportunity to pick their pockets. I grabbed a plastic bag out of the kitchen and went to work. It was so easy. I took jewelry and cash. About two hours after we'd arrived I went looking for Maya. I was actually a little disappointed that she wasn't searching for me. When I found her and saw what she was doing, my jaw hit the floor.

“What were the odds of that happening?
That's
why she hasn't been looking for me,” I muttered to myself as I watched Maya sharing a slow dance with Carlo. If someone had come and told me that Maya was all hugged up with Carlo I would've called them a liar, but there they were, all hugged up.

“Unbelievable,” I murmured as I removed my cell phone and set it to video mode. I stood in a corner and filmed it,
knowing that at some point the video clip would be very useful. Once I'd seen enough, I placed the nail in Maya's coffin, and left her stranded at the party.