Turning A New Leaf

Forty-Five

Krist had been told of Nina's divorce in April. Fabian had been unfaithful and abusive towards her, which resulted in her moving back to Oregon and in with her sister, Marisol.

With Nina living there, Rocco wasn't over often, and if he was, Marisol would pick him up from Krist, or Atira would drop him off.

Despite avoiding one another like the plague, they still crossed paths a few times. No words were exchanged, though the expression on Nina's face had said enough.

Fernando's son Victor's birthday party was the first weekend of May. Atira was under the weather, and Marisol had been busy setting up for the party, so Krist was who had to bring Rocco to the party.

Nina had answered the door for them, wordlessly moving aside to allow them in, the same bitter expression on her face as always.

Krist sent Rocco out back to play with his cousins before confronting Nina, "Aye, I want to talk to you for a minute," he told her, cornering her in the kitchen.

"There is nothing to talk about," she snapped, folding her arms over her chest.

"Really? Because of the way you act towards me and my kid, it sure the fuck seems like there is," Krist told her bluntly.

"I don't have a problem with your kid. I have a problem with you."

"That's fine, but it's honestly bullshit to me that every time you see Rocco, you act like he ain't even here, and you don't even acknowledge him. Dude, he will legit say hi to you, and you pretend you don't hear him," Krist replied, feeling his anger bubbling, "You can say that's not true, but Rocco tells me that, and so does everybody else."

Nina stared hard at Krist, her brown eyes flashing dark with fury, "Look, I don't mean to do that. It's just hard for me to even look at him."

"It ain't his fault his parents are pieces of shit," Krist snapped, "You don't feel like a fucking lame being mean to a little ass kid?"

"I am not trying to be mean! Do you at all understand why it would be hard for me to look at a child who is a reminder of the fact that you slept with her? Krist, it hurts to look at him! He looks exactly how I pictured our son. I know you're out here living your life like he never existed because, to you, he may as well not have. You didn't feel him moving and kicking. You didn't give birth to him. You weren't even there when the doctor told me his heart stopped.

"And then you have the balls to act like you don't understand why I have an issue with you and why I don't feel comfortable seeing your child. I've moved on from everything you did to me, but that doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt. It doesn't mean that I still don't miss my son," she told him, the hurt creeping into her voice.

"You don't think that losing him didn't affect me at all?" Krist asked.

"No, Krist, I don't," Nina replied coldly.

Krist shoved his hands in the pocket of his sweatshirt, jaw clenched, and gave her a long, hard stare before turning to leave. He wasn't sure what he'd hoped to accomplish by speaking to her but had wished it had gone better.

He hadn't wanted her forgiveness. It was apparent that was something that would never happen, and given the shit he'd done, he didn't expect it. However,  a little civility would have been nice for the sake of Rocco.

****

"How's my baby?" Krist called as he walked into the bedroom where Atira was resting.

"Active," Atira told him, her hand on her little exposed bump. She'd begun feeling the tiny flutters of movement only the day prior.

Krist crawled into the bed beside her and kissed her, placing his hand on her belly, knowing full well there wasn't any way he could feel the tiny kicks yet, "I'm happy to hear that," he said with a smile.

"I can't believe we can find out the gender on Monday," she smiled, "I mean, I don't care either way and want a healthy baby, but it's still exciting nonetheless."

"I already know it's a boy," Krist grinned, "I don't make girls."

"Just for you saying that, it's going to be a girl," Atira teased.

"I talked to Nina when I dropped Rocco off," Krist admitted, not that he was going to hide it from his wife.

Atira stiffened. She knew that Rocco's mother, Karla, was Nina's sister and that it was inevitable that she would cross paths with Krist. Still, it was hard not to feel insecure, especially with Nina freshly separated and living at Marisol's.

"Oh?" Atira asked, pulling the hem of her shirt down to cover her belly.

"I told her she needs to quit acting like Rocco don't exist when he's there because she has a problem with me," he replied.

"What did she say?"

"She tried to say she don't and then said she ain't comfortable around him because she thinks of the baby she...we lost and that him passing didn't bother me," Krist told her, "Basically, that only she cared. I don't know, just some dumb ass shit that ain't true."

"I can't say that I don't blame her for feeling that way," Atira replied quietly, "I mean, everything I have heard from you and her family about how things happened, I would feel the same way."

Krist shot Atira a wounded look, "So you think I didn't care either or that it didn't bother me?"

Atira sat up, "No, Krist, I meant I can see how she would feel like that was the case. I know it hurt you, but didn't you do a lot of very questionable things after he was born?"

By questionable, she meant he got high and fuck around being Nina's back. This was true, and at the time, because he was high, he wasn't all that bothered by what happened to his son. Of course, when he would come down every couple of days, the guilt and grief hit him tenfold. Nina didn't see that side of it, however.

"Just because I did shady crap doesn't mean I wasn't bothered. She acts like I am some piece of shit who don't have feelings," Krist countered.

Atira sighed. She completely understood where Nina was coming from and wasn't trying to offend Krist more than she had by implying Nina had a point.

"I can go pick Rocco up after the party ends," she told him. "Why do you care if Nina hates you anyway?"

Krist's eyes went black for a moment. The question had pissed him off, "What are you trying to imply? That I want her back?"

The thought had crossed Atira's mind, and she didn't like it. "I just don't understand why you're so concerned about how she thinks of you. Would you be fine with me trying to resolve some grudge with Kevin?"

"Bro, that is entirely different. You have no reason to even talk to that lame-ass dude. I got to deal with Nina because she's Rocco's aunt. If she was just some fucking broad I never had to see, then it would be different," he told her, standing to his feet.

"It just feels like there is an awful lot of communication between you and your exes. I'm not trying to accuse you of anything, but first, Lainey was randomly contacting you, and now you're having conversations with Nina. Are you going to start talking to Heather, too?"

Krist sneered at her in a way she was unfamiliar with, his eyes dark, "You're fucking tripping, bro. If I wanted any of those bitches, I'd fucking be with them. Look through my phone, I ain't tryna be with anyone other than you," he snapped., "I never once initiated contact with Lainey, it ain't my fault she was a psycho who kept hitting me up and I legit never talked to Nina until today, because she was right there. If I was trying to be fucking sneak around why would I even mention any of that to you? Wouldn't I hide it?"

"Wherea are you going?" Atira asked as Krist went to leave the bedroom.

"Outside to fucking smoke," he snapped.