Chapter 29: Good Tidings

I continued to visit my assigned nurse practitioner every two weeks and she administered my ultrasounds. At my age I was told I would have to have extra monitoring to make sure I didn't deliver too early, but my baby boy was growing at a healthy pace so that put my heart at ease.

 

On Halloween night I celebrated with an open house party. Almost everyone in The Crew, minus Robbie and Crystal, attended. My home was then filled with unsavory characters known as Sonny's best hombres. I was surprisingly happy to see Carlos drunk, but in good health. He slurred a Merry Christmas to me through alcohol saturated breath. Then he asked me to have sex with him. If it weren't for Jimmy and Destiney I might have never gotten away.

 

"Thanks," I said to the them.

 

They stood together holding hands. Destiney had on a pair of all black high top heels with leather pants the color of tar. Her shirt was striped red and white and she wore a leather jacket. Jimmy also wore a leather jacket with a pair of rolled up blue jeans.

 

"Grease," Destiney said laughing at the expression on my face.

 

"It wasn't a costume party," I said smiling.

 

"We know that now. Jimmy has such an imagination and he insisted we go as Danny Zuko and Sandy," Destiney said loud enough for me to hear over the music.

 

"That's fine. I hope you two are enjoying yourselves," I replied to her.

 

"We are. Your house is beautiful," Destiney commented and I thanked her.

 

My home, technically Sonny's property, had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There was a spacious kitchen, living room, and garage. When Langston first entered the house he whistled.

 

"Moving on up, babe," he told me and the he took me by the waist and we kissed.

 

"I'm so grateful to Sonny for letting me live here by myself," I said as I mindlessly looked around.

 

"By yourself, huh?" Langston said to me with wide eyes.

 

That's when the invisible bugs started going up my back.

 

"Yes. Only because I don't think Sonny would want a guy living here like that," I said quickly coming up with an excuse.

 

"Do you think he wants you to live out here all alone in this type of neighborhood?" Langston asked me and I knew what he was saying was the truth.

 

"I don't know," I said cautiously.

 

I felt like my wall that I'd put up to block out Langston and all the awful things he'd ever done was beginning to crack. I was afraid and yet so vulnerable.

 

"I have a job not too far from here and by June I'll be done with school. If you want I can teach you how to drive and give you rides from here to Semper," Langston explained to me and I was taken back.

 

He had really thought all this through.

 

The baby kicked and I faked a pregnancy related pain. Langston led me to the bedroom where I immediately hit the pillow and went into a deep sleep. By the time I woke up I saw some of his clothes hanging up in the master suite's (my bedroom) closet. My breathing ceased and it took me a long time to realize that the shower was going.

 

Slowly I rose and crept into the bathroom which joined my room. Langston was in there singing his head off. His voice was awful, but somehow I was filled with the warmest sensation ever.

 

'This is crazy' I thought to myself, 'he raped me! I'll be damed if I ever let him forget.'

 

Yet somehow I did. Langston settled in quite nicely and on my first night in my new house, with it's walls painted so deeply blue that it felt like I was swimming in the ocean rather than sleeping, we slept together. And by slept I truly do mean sleep.

 

How I could ever trust this man who had taken the most precious part of me away forever was beyond my comprehension.

 

Sonny, my noble brother, seemed to have no issue with it.

 

"Live and let die," Sonny said one night while he was over watching TV and Langston was working.

 

I stood now the hostess of my very own fort and no one could tell me what to do.

 

"Be sure to try the punch," I said to Jimmy and Destiney as I turned to speak with other guests.

 

No one left until late into the night despite there being school in the morning. I was just closing the front door when Violetta popped out of one of the spare bedrooms with her hair tousled and shirt on back wards.

 

"Sorry, I lost...on my way... to bathroom..." she stammered.

 

Right behind her came Sonny who was smiling like a Cheshire cat.

 

"I'm taking Violetta home now. You two have a good night," Sonny said to me as he took Violetta's hand and exited the house with her.

 

I looked over at Langston who was now laughing.

 

"Time for us to get some sleep. I have a big chemistry test in the morning and I need at least four hours in the sack," Langston said.

 

We usually went to bed together which we did nightly because somehow a set schedule soothed me.

 

 

 

Days turned into weeks and those weeks into a month. A little after Thanksgiving Langston and I were invited to the house for a pre-wedding dinner. The invitation came via text message from mom and I sighed.

 

"What is it?" Langston asked me.

 

We were sitting on the couch with the air conditioner going. My body was a furnace and the heater would just make me antsy.

 

"My mom wants us to go over for a dinner to celebrate she and Arthur's wedding," I huffed.

 

"If you don't want to go, then we can stay home," Langston said as he pulled me closer to him.

 

"It's my mom's wedding. I have to be apart of of this," I said even though deep down inside I would rather miss this abomination than go back to the place I once called home.

 

Langston's cell phone went off and he leaped off the couch to get it.

 

"Oh, it's my mom. I'll take this in the garage," Langston told me as he answered and left the room.

 

To this day Langston had neglected to introduce me to his mother. I kept pushing away the bad thoughts in my head and told myself it was probably for the best. For one thing I was the girl who had almost ruined her son's life and to some people that was a huge deal.

 

After mom's text message Amber called me and I happily answered.

 

"Hey, it's been awhile," I said into the phone.

 

"I know, I've just been swamped with homework," Amber said and there was talking in the background, "so what's up. How's the domesticated life?"

 

"Nothing much, just sitting here watching TV with Langston. Any juicy gossip from the halls of Graham High?" I asked, nestling my back into the sofa at the same time.

 

Shortly after moving in I'd gone furniture shopping. Mom, true to her word, was still sending me my SSI money, but she warned me when the baby was born it would all stop and I would either have to find a job or move back home. From what Sonny described to me Celia had moved in without a hitch. My old bedroom was now hers and yes, David was a regular guest at the house.

 

"There's some buzz going around," Amber said with her voice cracking.

 

"What?" I asked because I didn't want her to hold back.

 

"You know the whole Daisy and Kimmi video ordeal?" Amber asked me.

 

"As if I could forget!" I said.

 

The TV flashed to a music video and I began moving to the beat.

 

"I'm not sure if Langston's told you, but Daisy tried to commit suicide last week and she's been locked up in a mental ward ever since," Amber said dropping a huge bombshell.

 

"Holy hell!" I said sitting up.

 

"The video did her no good. Her parents pulled her out of Graham and shipped her off to some parochial school out of state," Amber told me and now I doubted her story.

 

"Then how do you know she's in a mental ward?" I asked as I went back to dancing.

 

"You're not going to believe this, but I struck up a friendship with Kyle Spins. We had the same drama class together. He's pretty devastated and says Daisy will never be the same. His parents won't accept a lesbian as daughter," Amber said and I got the impression she wanted me to feel bad.

 

"My life was ruined too. I have a court date in a few days to prove it," I returned and rolled my eyes at her pathetic attempt at sympathy.

 

"About that," Amber said going silent for a moment, "Daisy's mom is trying to get more charges filed against you."

 

"For what?" I asked and now my heart was pumping.

 

"They say there's evidence you released the video during the rally for the whole school to see," Amber said.

 

I closed my eyes even though I knew it wouldn't help.

 

"I didn't...." I said trying to find air, "I didn't do it!"

 

"I told Kyle you would never do such a thing, but he's being bullheaded. Myra, talk to your lawyer. I'm starting to think your situation with Kimmi and Daisy is far from over," Amber said.

 

"Got to go," I said with the little bit of oxygen I was sucking in.

 

I don't know how long I lay there until Langston was above me with his full lips on mine attempting to bring me back to life.

 

"MYRA!" Langston was shouting into my face.

 

"Hold me," I said weakly.

 

Careful not to crush my stomach, Langston rolled over to my left. His sparkling light brown eyes radiated off the television.

 

"What's going on? You were out cold, are you ok? Do you need water?" he asked in quick succession.

 

"The baby is kicking up a storm so I'm sure he's just fine," I said ignoring his questioning.

 

"Tell me," Langston said squeezing my hand, "what in the hell is happening?"

 

I went on to explain Amber's phone call and he became angry. Before I could stop him, Langston had my phone and he was dialing Amber's number. I grabbed it after the first ring.

 

"She's my friend! She was just trying to warn me," I said in a desperate attempt to spare Amber any humiliation which might come about when school re-opened.

 

"I didn't want to tell you about any of this because I knew you'd react bad," Langston said, "you have enough to worry about. In three months our boy will be here and all this ugliness has to go away."

 

"It's not going to be easy," I said getting up from the couch.

 

My legs wobbled, but I managed to make it to one of the empty bedrooms where I called Mr. Litfield. How thrilled I was when he answered on the fourth ring.

 

"Myra," Mr. Litfield said, "happy holidays."

 

"Yes, happy holidays," I said as a standard greeting, "Mr. Litfield did you know about Daisy Spins' hospitalization?"

 

"I'm sad to admit the news was given to me about three days ago," Mr. Litfield confirmed, "now her mother wants more charges brought up against you."

 

"It's all over this video the whole school saw and now they're trying to blame it on me," I said begging him to believe my story.

 

"This has all been brought to my attention, but not to worry. These charges have no grounds," Mr. Litfield reassured.

 

"Are you sure?" I asked in absolute desperation.

 

"I'm sure of it," Mr. Litfield said, "so enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend and I'll see you on December seventh. We'll fight to the end."

 

"Thank you," I said.

 

I hung up my phone and then sank onto the bed. Somehow I knew this wouldn't be good.

Reviews

[Tina Kline]

I sure hope Myra finds some kind of happiness. She has a place of her own to live, Langston is being nice, but things keep happening so she can't just relax and live.

Makes a very good story!