Bona Fide Baby

Chapter 32 - Drifting

Xiomara glanced at the time on her watch and then back at the hammock. She had more than enough time to take a nap before Amelia came by to pick her up. Donut had woken her up way too early this morning. The kid was like a vampire, prowling the waters of her womb at night, only to sleep during the day. After rolling over to get comfortable, she'd lain awake listening to Omar breathe next to her.

Sometime during that episode she had smoothed out his thick eyebrows, loving the feel of the hairs gliding under her fingertips. Omar had really angular features, all chiseled bones and a prominent jaw. His lips were the softest thing about his face. So full and kissable. On any normal day, his deep set eyes were usually hard and steely, but last night something had changed in their depths. He had opened himself up to her and he was genuinely concern about her happiness. Crazy thing was, she wanted him to be happy too.

She had thought about a lot of things in the quiet of their sanctuary. About their future as a couple, and then as individuals. Willem had given her six months maternity leave, but she wasn't sure she wanted to go back to cleaning toilets and making beds. Everyone in the community where she grew up were either cleaners, garbage men, maintenance guys or strippers. So she'd never wanted more. Never thought she could be more. But hanging around people like Omar, Willem and Amelia lit a fire under her. They inspired her.

At the same time, doubt had crept in, foul and ugly. What if she just ended up having another baby and another? Until she was haggard and old with boobs to her feet. Or she'd go back to school, only to find out that she was too dumb to keep up with eighteen-year-old college kids who actually didn't give a damn about anything else except for parties and sex. Not like sex was a bad thing.

A noise from inside the house distracted her from her thoughts. It sounded like something had banged against a window in the kitchen. Maybe a bird? She went to investigate. Halfway down the hall she stopped and checked in on Esme. Her sister was sound asleep, soft snores coming from her mouth. She continued down the hall and found nothing weird or out of place.

On her way back to the patio, she saw the figure of a woman standing in the doorway. Her feet stalled. What the hell? The person turned around.

"Don't even think about running," Natalya said. Liquid eyes the color of brown paper bags swept over Xiomara, hesitating over her belly before moving on. "Do you know, this glass door right here for some reason never sets off the alarm? Omar doesn't know this, because he rarely uses it to get in. I used to sneak out through here at night and he would have no idea. Oh, how I miss those days."

"You're not welcomed here, Natalya." Xiomara kept her voice light, lazy even, as if Natalya's unwanted presence didn't bother her at all.

Natalya laughed, the sound shrill, jarring Xiomara out of her need for sleep. "She knows my name. How wonderful. I guess we can skip the introductions then and get straight to the point."

"And what point might that be? Omar's moved on. Get over it."

Oops. Maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to say to a clearly unstable person. Natalya's entire demeanor changed. Her eyes grew large and the slight tremor of her hands gave the impression of simmering madness. Today Natalya was dressed in large khaki pants paired with heavy boots. The glassy, malicious look in her eyes did nothing to soften her disheveled appearance.

"And that's the problem isn't it?" Natalya leaned against the doorway, her frail body barely capable of supporting her. "I told him that if I couldn't have him then no else would. But Omar being Omar, he never takes me seriously. Not when I told him that I wanted to have a baby, and certainly not when I told him I was going to slit my wrist if he broke up with me. Yet here you are–" She focused her heavy-lidded eyes on Xiomara's belly like a laser. "–bloated with his bastard baby. It isn't fair."