The Life and Death of Girl Unknown (UNDER REVISION AND EDITING)

Chapter 7: American Boys.

"Henry, you scared me." I breathlessly laughed it off as if we do this often. His sour features never changed into soft apologetic looks but they soured further until it looked like he was sucking on a lemon.

"You keep that hellion of an abomination off of my property." Henry snarled at me coldly. My gut twisted as a fire was lit in my stomach. I smacked my lips together and shook my head.

"My son is not a hellion nor an abomination."

"He's a mud-blood. They're both mixed mutts." Henry was one racist sonofabitch. Everyone in town knows that Juice is Puerto Rican but they don't know his old man is black. I'm the first person to know that, but apparently Henry can smell mixed races and he has no problem calling it out.

I had a hard time trying to keep my cool. But he was talking about my two babies, and everybody knows that you don't mess with the Cubs unless you're prepared to deal with mama bear. But with a deep breath I managed to keep myself calm. I put on a fake pretty smile and nodded once at him.

"I'll tell Percy to stay off of you property." I told him before turning on my heel and opened the driver side door to climb into the cool seat. I could see out the corner of my eye Henry was still standing there staring at me and Daylon with his dead blue eyes before he did a waddling 180 and shuffled his way back to the lawn chair on his front porch. I sighed heavily, running my fingers through my hair, even though most of it was put into a ponytail. I turned the SUV on and pulled out of the driveway while the radio played Charming's number one classic rock radio station: QX103.1. I could resist the urge to sing along to every song as I drove down the residential areas before turning left onto the main road towards town. We could've walked into town but I need to pick up a few things from some stores and I don't feel like carrying it all back. Besides Juice wants us to come to the shop at lunch because he has something for me. It makes me wonder what exactly is going on inside his head.

I pulled into a parking slot in front of one of the stores I needed to go into. After I pulled the stroller out of the trunk I mounted the baby bag in the small basket at the bottom and strapped my purse over my chest so it settled on my hip. When I mounted Daylon's car seat onto the bass of the stroller he didn't even wrinkle his nose let alone wake up.

The shop bell rang as I backed into the door to keep it open enough for Daylon's stroller to fit through.

"Maria!" I heard a familiar voice call my name proudly. I smiled when I saw Wayne standing in one of the low rising aisles with his usual smile brightening Harriet's store. I smiled and pushed the stroller up the same aisle.

"Good morning Wayne, what're you doing here so early?" I asked happily. Wayne held up a tin of coffee, carton of milk and a big bag of sugar.

"I'm just getting some necessities for ol' home sweet home. What're you and the little one doing here so early?" He bounced the question into my court after replying with a reasonable answer. Wayne was a cop for so many years that I think he can't go a day without a cup of coffee. I smiled again and looked down at Daylon.

"We're just out for the morning before we go see daddy at lunch." I replied honestly. Wayne's smile faded and he looked suddenly saddened or disheartened.

"Y'know there have been some disturbance calls down at the station." Wayne said flatly. I shrugged at his remark.

"Nothing new there." I put in my two cents. Wayne nodded in agreement.

"Yes that's true but they've been coming from your neighbourhood. Yesterday there was some yelling and a concerned resident said they were scared for you and the boys. But I'm scared for Juice too. You two live next to a skin head you know that right?"

"Yes we know Henry O'Flanagan is a racist S.O.B. I got the speech this morning. As for yesterday Juice and I were plying Mario Cart while the kids were out, that game can get intense." I excused the argument from yesterday while the innocence of a video game. Wayne knew better though, he's been around the Sons long enough to know better.

"Maria, if there is anything that I can help with, tell me. I know it must be stressful for the both of you to look after Percy and now the new baby but there is no need to get physical with each other through frustration." Wayne had me lost now. My eyebrows furrowed confusedly.

"I'm sorry, what's this about?" I questioned seriously.

"I've seen the bruises Maria, the one on his neck and the ones on your wrists." Wayne's heart was in the right place but he assumed certain things led up to it. I couldn't help but laugh at his statement. .

"Wayne, Juice clothes lined himself when he was taking a leak in the woods a couple nights ago. And the bruises on my wrists are well, they're from kinky sex, to put it matter-of-factly. Yes, we did get into an argument yesterday but that's not what the yelling was from. It really was from Mario cart." I honestly told him with a smile. Wayne looked like a wave of relief washed over him. He apologized for assuming things but his offer still stands that if we need help to give him a call. He went on to pay for his things then jump into his truck and went back to ol' home sweet home. I rounded up what I need then paid for it.

The air outside was getting warmer but it still was nice and cool. I pushed the stroller down the sidewalk with the plastic bag in the basket with the baby bag. I froze with a sudden icy blast of fear. My heart was engulfed in ice and my lungs fell short of breath. I stared at the tall man that emerged from the shop, putting his wallet back into his jacket pocket as he scanned the small crowd outside. His matching eyes found me standing there like a complete idiot. He looked stunned but a smile crossed his face. I finally snapped out of it and turned around to go into the other direction.

"Maria?!" He called my name but I pretended not to hear him. I just kept walking until loud fast footsteps crept up behind me faster than I could walk without running. He lunged around me with a wide smile.

"Maria, it's dad." He told me but I already knew who he was. I forced a smile.

"OhmyGod, what're you doing in Charming?" I questioned automatically. He shrugged his shoulder and brushed off the seriousness I had in that question.

"I found out that you were here so I decided to come and see how my baby is living. I see you're watching in a friend's baby." He assumed that Daylon wasn't mine. As much as I hated him knowing that I'm a mother, I hated it even more knowing that he is referring my baby as my friend's son.

I smacked my lips together and watched as he swooned over Daylon happily.

"Actually this is my son, Daylon. He's your grandson, well one of them anyway." I announced happily. Dad's expression went from happy to serious in a split second. His eyebrow arched slightly.

"How many kids do you have?" He asked curiously. I shrugged slightly and and grinned.

"Two boys, Percy is going to be 7 and Daylon is barely 5 weeks." I replied with a great amount of pride in my voice. I was proud of my two boys just by being alive. His eyebrows furrowed tightly and his mouth drew a grim line.

"Who's the father?" Great, we're going here. Dad really doesn't like Juice and when he finds out Juice is the father of the boys, he's going to lose his shit.

"The only man I've ever loved." I replied happily. I wasn't going to lie to him about who the father was because that's hurting Juice and the boys. I can't hurt Juice.

"You're still with him?"

"Of course."

"He's going to get you either hurt or killed, Maria." He snapped at me coldly. I rolled my eyes at him.

"He's a better father than you ever were." I snarled to him coldly before I marched away from the doom and gloom cloud. What I said was true though, my dad was rarely around so I was passed from my mom's two dads to him. Juice comes home at night and spends time with the boys, he helps with homework and helps get them ready for bed. He's a better father than either of ours. That's the dead honest truth.