Turning A New Leaf

Seventy Seven

"How did your appointment go?" Linda asked as a very pregnant Brooke waddled into the house, Holly and little Camila in tow.

Brooke slowly lowered herself on to the overstuffed recliner, breathing out, "Oh fine. She's still breach so looks like I will be having a C-section this Wednesday which is disappointing."

Linda frowned, squeezing her shoulder, "I'm sorry, hon, I know how much you were looking forward to a natural birth. Have they scheduled your surgery time?"

"Yes, we go in at four P.M. Surgery will be at six," Brooke replied, grimacing as she shifted in her seat, "Ugh, she has been up in my ribs like crazy today."

"Is there anything I can do to help when you go in?"

"Yes, actually we had a favor to ask," Brooke began.

"Would you be willing to watch Camilla that evening so I can be there as her support person?" Holly finished.

Linda nodded, "Of course! You know, I am glad that something good was able to come out of this whole mess that Brad drug everyone into and that you two became friends."

Holly and Brooke exchanged secretive smiles, nodding in agreement.

"I certainly would not have expected us to be able to be friends a few months ago," Brooke said, her eyes locked with Holly's, "But we are going through pretty much the same thing and it's nice having someone to relate with."

"Who also shares a common disdain for your son," Holly laughed.

Linda laughed, "I love him but I don't blame either of you for feeling that way about him."

****

"Are you just going to bum around here all day?" Nina asked Fernando as she wound the vacuum cord up.

He'd been staying over at Marisol's since his wife and kids had left. As hard as he thought he was, Fernando couldn't handle being home alone, "Shit gives me anxiety like a muhfucker," he had told her.

She may have ripped on him for it but she understood why he would feel that way. They'd grown up surrounded by cousins, aunts and uncles, then he had gotten cliqued up and was surrounded by his homies, his wife and kids, all his side pieces, drug friends, various stints in juvie, jail and prison. Fernando was someone who was rarely alone.

Something had changed in him with Angelina and their kids gone. His jovial demeanor had gone out there door, replaced with a sad shell that didn't feel like her brother.

Nina knew part of it was the fact he'd decide to get off the meth for the first time since he'd started using, he was essentially feeling everything he'd pushed aside for years.

On top of that, Fernando genuinely adored Angelina and their children. Yes, he did sleep around on her and have multiple children outside of the marriage but Angelina had entered their marriage aware of who he was and that he was always who he would be.

He was exactly like their father, Antonio, who had also had multiple women and even an entire family on the side. Gladys, like Angelina, had accepted this was just how things were, focusing on being a loyal and devoted wife to Antonio, just like Angelina was to Fernando.

"Has Angelina talked to you at all?" Nina asked, spraying lemon Pledge on the coffee table, wiping it down with a microfiber rag.

He sat up, slipping his feet into blue bandanna print house shoes, "Nope. Ion if she blocked my number or changed it but my calls an' texts aint goin' through. Her Facebook is gone too."

"Do you want to try calling from my phone?" Nina asked quietly.

Fernando rubbed his face, "Naw, I gotta let her be. If she want to talk, she'll call," he said gloomily.

It hurt Nina to see her brother like that. She couldn't say that this was something a long time coming though.

Fernando slunk off into the kitchen, opening a can of Menudo, "You still be talking to your man?" he asked smugly.

Nina rolled her eyes, "I don't have a man."

"You trying to though," he pointed out.

She let out an exasperated sigh, "Oh my god, Fernando, I'm not even trying to be with him."

He puckered his mouth to the side, "Then what are you trying to do? You know there ain't no reason for y'all to be talking."

Nina scrunched up her face, "To be friends. That's it. It gives me peace to not spend the rest of my life hanging onto bitterness over the shit he did to me in the past. Plus, Rocco is my nephew so for his sake, his dad and aunt shouldn't hate each other."

"You know he ain't gonna leave his wife for you," Fernando told her flatly, "And you stupid as fuck if you think that."

"Why are you so weirdly obsessed with what Krist and I do? You got a thing for him? You worried I'm trying to steal your man?"

Fernando stirred his menudo on the stove, scoffing, "Pshh...I just seen this kind of shit play out way too much in my life."

"In your life because that's the kind of shit you do. Not everyone is like you."

"No, not everyone is like me but I been knowing Krist for how long? He's just like me Nina only he don't see it. And you, you naive as shit."

Nina snickered, "You're whack as fuck, Fernando," she snapped at him before storming into her bedroom and slamming the door.

He was being absolutely ridiculous, just because he couldn't keep his dick to himself didn't mean that everyone else was that way.

Nina laid down on her bed, opening messenger to give Krist a brief rundown of the shit her brother had been carrying on about.

"He brought that same shit up to me when I saw him, talking about how I'm gonna ruin my life or some lame shit like that. Don't get me wrong, I like him but dude legit has no reason to be lecturing nobody on their lives," Krist wrote.

"That's what i told him. I think he's just butthurt he fucked his life up and wants to make everybody else feel as miserable as he does."

****

"Good news," Brad told Madison, "Brooke just accepted an offer on the house."

Madion's eyes lit up, "Oh my gosh, seriously?!"

He gave her a huge grin," Yessss!"

Madison hopped off the bed and into Brad's arms, "So how long until they pay?"

"It's gonna take like a month, no biggie," he hugged her tight, kissing her on the lips.

"What's the first thing you're doing once we get that money?" she asked.

"I'm definitely taking us somewhere good to eat, none of that Applebees shit and then..." he paused dramatically, "I'm gonna marry your sexy lil ass."

Madison pulled back, mouth agape, "You're not joking, are you?"

Bead gave her a serious face, "I promise you, I wouldn't joke about something like that. I love you, Madison. I don't know what is going to happen to me but I know want to marry you before I end up going to prison."

Madison frowned, "Babe, you aren't going to prison," she assured him.