Short Stories

Short 1 part 3

Two weeks later.

Raphael left a week ago, I'm not happy about that. His departure has left me vupnerable. I say this because my father arranged a boyfriend for me.

He is not Raphael. That's the problem.

His name is Tyler and some really white last name. Dearland was it?

I remember when he called me into the shop. I was scared. I was never called in by my father, ever.

There was a strange car parked outside. It looked to be in good condition so I definitely knew it didn't have any business with the shop.

When I reached inside there was nobody. Uncle Tommy wasn't there and no other workers either.

Something was wrong.

Knocking on the door twice I opened it to see my father sitting, staring at a man infront of him.

He had hazelnut hair and warm brown eyes that looked at me kindly.

I would say he was about nineteen or possibly twenty-one.

"Dad. What's going on?" I asked eyeing the young man. He looked at me constantly, like he was trying to memorize my face.

"Sit."

I took a seat right next to the young man.

"One of your uncles have been killed up in Washington by a rivaling gang. He was undercover and they found out."

My heart stopped beating right at that moment. My whole world stood still. I felt as though I couldn't even take a breath.

"W-which one father?" I stammered out. My eyes became heavy and I constantly had to blink to make sure they permanently didn't close.

Looking down his jaw clenched tightly before raising his head and looking me right in my eye so I could see the pain and turmoil he was going through.

"Zita."

A breath of relief washed over me at first and then the sadness.

"God daddy, I'm so sorry." I whispered harshly.

"I have to go up to Washington to...work things out," his fists tightened on the table, turning his knuckles white. "This is Tyler Dearland. He is your new boyfriend, he'll be taking you on the next side of town where you'll be safe. Depending on how things go I'll let you come back here."

My jaw dropped. He wasn't saying what I think he was saying. He couldn't possibly mean it?

"Dad. I can't live with this man. I belong here. I mean what about the shop? Uncle Tommy? Uncle Pedro? Uncle Raphael. You?"

"We'll be fine but you need to be safe. I already legally changed your name to Dearland. You belong to him now."

Was he really saying it?

He was, because two hours later I found myself on the next side of town, in a nice house with two hundred thousand dollars in my bank account and a new boyfriend who hasn't said a word since I met him.

I didn't trust the ones that didn't talk and I didn't trust the ones that talk too much.

"Do you speak?" I asked him once I got settled in. I was standing in the kitchen coiking dinner. My own relief of stress.

He looked at me blankly not even attempting to answer and went back to doing whatever he was doing before.

"Fine. Just ignore me. It's not like its rude or anything to blatantly ignore someone while they are trying to talk to you."

Again he ignores me. He doesn't even look at me this time.

"You're acting like you're the only one who is affected by this whole thing. I just lost an uncle and I know how they do it in Washington. They probably chopped him up and sunk him in a tub of acid." I say absent- mindedly as I wave the kitchen knife in the air. No effect, my words had zero effect on him.

"Let's just lay out some ground rules here. You can go ahead and fuck other girls if you want. I don't really care, I have someone else also. Just don't fuck them here."

And that's all it took to shake him up because in a second he was up and walking towards me in long strides.

Gripping my jaw, he kissed me roughly and that night he took me, right there on the kitchen counter top.

I can't lie though, it was fun.

_____

Three weeks later and I started feeling sick in the morning, nausea and vomiting. I didn't know exactly what was happening but I had a suspicion.

I bought a pregnancy test in the afternoon.

It left me broken.

I just sat on the bathroom floor and cried. What do I tell Tyler? My father? 

The phone rang and Tyler was out. Yes, only me to wallow in my grief.

Crawling to the phone I managed to reach it on the last ring.

"Hello?" I said sniffling.

"Lou, I'm back." That familiar, smooth voice clouded my hearing sending images to my brain to process and fantasize about.

What was I going to tell him?