Destined To Collide

The Collision Expands- Chapter 27- Kenny/Gina

"And we will," Gin responds all cheery, "when we go our honeymoon after we tie the knot!" I plant a big one on my girl. I love her to bits but I don't think she really gets it. To be honest, I think she doesn't think there's drama because she's part of it; we both are.

"Yeah, that's not for a couple months, babe," I say back, "I wouldn't be sellin' my business, my family's business, if I didn't think so strong about this."

"Okay, baby," she says, takin' a deep breath and waitin' a few, "I'm going to address the elephant in the room right now. I don't still love Donny, okay? I truly see him as a friend, it was truly all that nostalgia with your sister returning and Janine getting in my head. Frankly, I'd be more worried about her-" she cuts herself off and cups her mouth like she said too much. Gina shakes her head and continues, "the point is, I may still have some affection for Donny but I'd choose you over him every time."

"I ain't gon' lie," I say, honestly, "that was a little bit apart of it but I trust you and I trust him and to be honest, I always knew you wanted me over him anyways." I say with a smile. She smiles back. "Not that it really makes a difference, but I don' think Don knows, even 'til this day that while he was chasin' sis every summer, you and me was sneakin' around."

Gina-

"I wouldn't call that sneaking, Ken," I say back, putting my arms around my guy's shoulders, "he was just too distracted to notice, Even if he'd find out now, he'd have no leg to stand on." We both chuckle.

"It mostly is all the drama that we're caught in the middle of," he says, "it's also everyone else. Don't think I didn't notice your little slip of the tongue a second ago. I know you've been speakin' with Janine. I don't know what's really goin' on with them but I think it's gonna get serious and we're gonna get caught in the middle if we're not careful. It's just everything, babe. I want to go to a place we can start fresh and raise a family."

"Okay, I'll humor you for a sec," I say, "where do you have in mind?" He makes some good points.

"Maybe your family down south in Texas?" he asks, sheepishly. Oh, hell no!

"So, you want to trade your crazy family for mine!?" I say. My parents are Mexican American from suburban Austin, TX, where I lived with them until we moved here for a few years for work; that's how I came to meet Donny and Kenny.

Obviously, because of Kenny, I stayed here after my parents moved back a few years ago. It's not just my parents that live down there, it's my whole family tree. Sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents from both sides. We're a very close, functionally dysfunctional Latino/redneck family.

"It would only be for a little bit, hon." Kenny says back.

"Even for a little bit," I protest, "you've seen them! They're Piranhas! They're overbearingly loving and supportive but also nosy and argumentative."

"I kinda like that," he says back, "it's like havin' the life I probably shoulda have, by rights."

Kenny never really minded my big crazy family. He didn't grow up with the typical big crazy Italian-American family. I only ever met his grandmother once (his father's mother) before she passed, but that was way early on. Kenny never talked about his mom, even though I have seen pictures. It was Donny's mom, Lisa, that became a mom to him and Candace. I loved Lisa, too. Even after me and Donny broke up she still treated me like family, especially after my own family moved back to Texas. I heard that Candace had reconnected with their mom, here and there, actually, but I'm getting off topic.

"Babe, I adore you, but it's one thing spending a little bit of time with them," I say, "even a few weeks. But if we're there long enough to have a child; KaBoom!"

"KaBoom?" Kenny repeats with an amused smile.

"That's the best word to describe it; Kaboom." I say, emphatically. "Just wait until our wedding. You'll see. Then, you'll be begging me to stay here. My family creates drama out of literally everything and nothing all at once. The drama here is nothing compared to-" Kenny holds up a finger, cutting me off. Since we've been talking, he's been casually browsing through the recent mail that's been sitting on the kitchen table until once catches h is eye and his expression goes pale. "What is it, babe? You're scaring me all of a sudden. What's that letter you got there? You look like you've seen a ghost.

Kenny-

"Almost," I say quietly, not believing what's in my hands, "I don't believe this. I know Candace reconnected with her some time back but even with our wedding comin' up, I never even considered her."

"Who, Kenny," Gina asks me, sounding concerned, "who's that letter from and what do they want?"

I look up and gaze straight into my beloved fiancé's beautiful eyes and say, "It's my mother...she wants to come to our wedding." I say softly

Gina-

I take the letter and read it. It's written in broken English and Italian but Spanish is close enough to Italian and I've been around Kenny long enough to know what it says. I look back up at Kenny,

"Babe..." I say slowly, "I think I agree with you about wanting to leave."

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