And Then There Was Victor

Chapter 23

How can a day be one of the worst and best of your life? It felt silly to even consider my feelings when Yara was at the center of the storm. I simply watched from the sidelines and I damned my empathy the entire time. Mercy picked me up, Yara's parents would be bringing me back as Mercy had to go back to school after it was done. I should have driven. I should've done a lot of things.

Mercy drove behind Yara's parents, their faces had been grave and serious. Usually they waved at us and greeted us. Not today. Today we were witnesses to Yara's fall from grace and there was a part of them that resented us. They could not hide the truth from us.

Mercy and I talked about Yara the entire time to Lakeland and when we arrived Yara was standing next to the guy, Rafael. This was my first time seeing him. He was not tall and not that handsome. He was not someone I would've though Yara would love. He was unimpressive. He was dark with a scruff, and ill-fitting clothes. His car was a white Honda Civic, dropped on the ground and a Coastie bumper sticker on it. His jeans didn't fit well and he wore an oversized Polo that nearly hit his knees. Mercy looked at me and we had a small unspoken conversation. She got pregnant by this guy? Yara for her part looked strong and proud. Her chin was held high and she held tightly to Rafael's hand. Defiant.

"Rafael, these are my best friends, Mercy and Becka," Yara's voice was steady. Rafael looked at us, a glance and then nodded. There was no interest in his face, his face was clouded and troubled but it was perhaps because of the way Yara's dad was glaring at him.

Words were tight as our muscles, snippets of facts. Such as the time of the appointment, had all the medical information been sent, how long would the procedure take, and such. The clinic did a lot of other things, it was an out-patient center and the waiting room was packed with cotton-heads, old Floridians. Removal of bunions or other mundane things were performed. In the mist of them we sat, us with our heavy secret, a bunch of dark Hispanics in their small town. I tried to talk to Yara but she was either with Rafael or talking to her parents in hushed voices. I should have seen it coming, truly I should have, but I didn't.

Yara came back from the reception desk, she had been told it would be about another 45 minutes, she casually mentioned that she had provided the father's name. That's when Yara's mom stood up, crossed the waiting room and got in Rafael's face.

"You've ruined her!" She screamed and all the cotton-heads turned to the commotion. "She was my pearl, my baby!"

And she hit him, smacked him, and Yara tried pulling her away then Yara's Dad stormed out of the center. That didn't deter Yara's mom from screaming.

Mercy and I stood up, truly unsure of what to do, restraining her mom? We didn't think so. I stupidly tried to calm her.

"Mrs. Martinez –"

"YOU, SHUT UP! You're not the knocked up one! You're not the one getting an abortion to suck the dead baby out!" She had reeled on me.

"Don't yell at her!" Yara shoved her mom. "This is not about you!"

And then her mother hit Yara, SMACK, across the face. And Rafael stood up, pulling Yara away but Mrs. Martinez, tall as she was, went after them, stumbling over people in the waiting room. Her loud screams shocked the entire building and nurses came out, telling her if she didn't calm down, they would kick her out.

Mrs. Martinez then yelled at them. "Don't you tell me to calm down! He has ruined her! Taken her! She's a good Christian girl and now she won't be married! She's spoiled and done! He's used her as a whore and she spread herself for him!"

It became a gibberish of English and Spanish as she screamed. Security was finally called, a small balding man who could never stand a chance against Mrs. Martinez. Mrs. Martinez finally stormed to the other side of the waiting room, by us and plopped down. As she sat next to us, I could still hear her, the same words over and over. A whore. Used her. My pearl. My hope.