The Misbegotten

“I agree, Steve, there is no other way I can allow you to meet with her, unless we all are there with you,” stated Ramona. A few moments had passed and she’d recovered some of her composure. “After that’s happened today, I think it’s only fair.”

I sighed in total agreement. Complications were piling up way to fast. I didn’t want to make the situation any worse by letting my newfound abilities fuck them up even more. “I better call her and get this over with then,” I announced.

Every single female face about me grimaced.

“Right now, Estefan? Do you have to do it this very moment?” asked Ramona. Her voice was neutral, but her eyes were flashing.

I looked over at her.

She hadn’t come any closer. She just stood there with both hands of her hips, her head tilted toward me, extenuating her point.

“Why put it off? What for? You know and I know I have to call her now and agree to meet with her. After what Jacob told me, I have too. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell her what I knew and something bad happened because I didn’t speak up.”

“You think it’s going to make a difference, though Eff?” It was Leda. This surprised me, because she usually stayed out of intense conversations between me and my girlfriend. She noticed my quizzical expression and went on. “I’m talking about Lisa. I mean, there’s not a whole lot we can do for her. For all we know, she might already be –.”

“Leda, shut up!” yelled Sandy. “Just don’t say it!”

Leda’s eyes widened at her friend for moment, and then hardened. “I was only… I mean, I didn’t mean to be mean. I just -.”

Now it was my turn to cut her off. “Everyone deserves to know the truth - no matter how hopeless.”

Ramona huffed through clenched teeth, moved toward the couch, flopping down to brood. She stared at the TV, eyes glued, rigid with fear and anger.

Leda shrugged and nodded turning toward Sandy, mouthing a silent “sorry” to which Sandy smiled. It was a worn, tired version of the brilliant one she usually flashed.

“Imma call her from the kitchen where it’s quieter,” I declared. I pulled my cell phone from one of my pockets as I made my way out of the room.

From behind, I heard Ramona say: “Go with him Katie, please.”

Maybe she hadn’t meant for me to hear or maybe she had. I didn’t know and didn’t care. This was about Lisa, and not about the fact, at one time, I had loved Tirza a ton.

I walked into the kitchen with the cell to my ear, having accessed Tirza’s contact information. It dialed her number upon my command.

She answered on the second ring.

Fuck, she had been waiting alright.

“Estefan, oh my god, I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon. I thought, Ramona would… well, you know delay you or something,” she said in a single breath.

“Where do you want to do this?” I asked, not in the mood to mince words or bandy about various topics. Even though the day wasn’t particularly old, I was rapidly losing my fight against the mental fatigue. I felt besieged on all sides of my consciousness.

A short, stunned silence ensued.

“So, you’ll meet with me then?” she asked, timid. She sounded more like herself to me than she had in many, many months.

“Yes, with conditions. But, yes, I will meet with you.” It was evasive, but I wanted her to ask why, so I could explain what the girls decided beforehand. You know, get the bullshit out of the way.

“With conditions…?” she repeated, opening the door I wanted her to open.

“It cannot be alone, Tirza. Ramona won’t allow it to happen any other way,” I stated clearly. “She agreed to let us meet, but under no circumstances can we meet in private.” I chuckled apologetically into the tiny microphone on the cell. “Sorry,” I added as an afterthought.

Another spell of utter quiet from her followed. I knew she was thinking, weighing what I had told her against her own thoughts on the matter.

“I guess that will have to do,” she said in a rush. “At this point, it really doesn’t make all that much of a difference, right?”

I shrugged into the phone, but stayed quiet.

Katie came to the threshold of the kitchen, leaning with her shoulder against the door frame. I saw her thin smile at my glance. I knew she didn’t like being someone else’s babysitter. But, we both knew how jealous Ramona could get at times. The fact she hadn’t come herself spoke volumes to the changes going on within her. Despite all the torment, I had to tip my hat at her. She had come a long way.

“So, when and where do you wanna meet?” I queried, looking away from my cousin.

“I don’t know.” Her way of letting me know she was thinking. “How ‘bout tomorrow at the Highland Park Rec. Center?” she offered moments later.

“Sounds good,” I began. “Does eleven o’clock work for you?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect.”

“Okay, then, Tirza. It’s settled. Take care until I see you, ok?” I tried to keep any sort of emotion out of my tone, and just managed to do so.

“Yeah, yeah, you too. Oh and Estefan…?”

“Yeah?” I replied with a question.

“Thanks for meeting with me, as a friend – it means a lot. Thanks.”

I thought her voice on the verge of cracking, but I wasn’t so sure. Maybe, I had imagined it. Instead, I let it pass. “No problem, Tirza.”

“See you tomorrow, Effy.”

“Bye,” I said as I heard her say, “K”. We cut the connection at the same time.

I gazed over at Katie with a half-hearted smile.

She returned it.

“Looks like it’s all set for tomorrow at eleven, at the Recreation Center,” I informed her, putting the phone away. I walked up to her.

She looked up into my eyes, her own filled with pride, narrowing as she searched my expression. “You handled that to perfection, cousin,” she muttered, her voice husky.

I let my orbs dance over the hazel cast of hers and unearthed what I expected when I heard that tone in her voice. “You want to kiss me, don’t you?” I prompted feeling a devilish sort of wedge develop along my lips.

I soooo needed a flirty moment at the time.

She rumbled with chuckles, in the hollow of her chest. “You know it.”

“You think we should risk it?” I suggested, coming closer.

She let her head bump against the frame of the entryway, which made her body arch toward me, inviting. Her breasts pushed against the fabric of the top she was wearing. “Aaaah, Eff, you don’t know how much I would love to feel your lips against mine, even for a second.”

“…But…,” I continued for her.

“We can’t take the risk.” She seemed to deflate before her. But her desire wasn’t quelled, her nipples were rock hard and she squeezed her thighs together.

My little cousin wanted some. Heh, heh, heh…

“Tonight then, Kat,” I countered. “Tonight, ok?”

“Absolutely.”

Then, the situation overwhelmed me. I couldn’t resist. I reached around her and grabbed her tight ass, giving it a firm pinch. I forced myself to walk passed her back toward the TV room as if nothing had happened.

“Argh, you bad boy!” she called after me, but only loud enough for the two of us to hear.

I laughed into my hand, crossed the hallway and walked into the TV room. I found Leda standing off to one side, while Sandy - having joined Ramona upon the couch – was speaking to her, fervent. Though I stood at the portal of the room, I could tell she was encouraging my girlfriend, trying to lift her spirits over Tirza. There was no mistaking Ramona’s sulking face in combination with Sandy’s gestures. The sweet-natured girl was bullet-pointing. She was trying her best to convey positive thoughts to the girl before her.

They noticed me then and, as one, turned.

I tried not to stop right there in my tracks. Instead, I took a few half steps forward.

Katie came into the room behind me.

“It’s all set for tomorrow at eleven at the park,” I stated as a matter of fact, my tone even on purpose. “So, if Sandy and the rest of you can pick me and Katie fifteen minutes before that, I guess that would work.”

“That sounds perfect Estefan,” said Ramona. There was no mistaking the sardonic intonation.

Ah shit, come on, baby doll, don’t get all fucking stupid on me now, I thought. I was all the more put off by her remark, because of everything we had agreed to earlier. I mean, how was she going to react at seeing Katie and I make love? She shouldn’t have let something as trivial as Tirza get to her like that. Otherwise, our perverted triad would fail for sure, doomed before it started.

Come on, girl, get it together dammit!

I was about to say something just as disparaging when we were all frozen in place by a series of booming thuds coming from the stairs.

Thinking my brother Martín had fallen down the stairs, I was immobile one second and a flurry of movement the next. Only, I bumped headlong into an equally frantic Jolene.

Her head hit my clavicle so hard the impact sent a jolt throughout my entire body.

The impact threw me back a step. Out of instinct, I reached out to steady her before she fell to the floor in a heap.

She didn’t even appear to notice my clutch. Her eyes as big as nectarines, words came forth in a torrent, one upon the next. It was impossible to comprehend.

“Your brother and sister are sick! Your brother and sister are sick! Your brother and sister are sick! Your brother and sister are sick!”

I placed her square upon her feet, and then looked at Katie.

“Oh shit, Eff, we better go get them before they throw up all over the house!” she shouted.

We sprinted for the stairs, the guests in tow.