And Then There Was Victor

Chapter 21

My mouth dropped as I stared at Yara and watched my best friend crumble, her face distorted as she pressed it against the pillow.

"Oh no," I whispered and crawled up to where Yara was, pulling her into my arms as she sobbed on my lap. Her breaths were deep and the sobs excruciating, and I didn't know what to say so I combed her hair back. "It's going to be OK, you're going to be OK."

But even as I said the words, I knew things would be irrevocably changed, Yahaira would be a mom, she'd have to drop out from college at least for a semester or longer and what about the guy? He was married! Would he be what he needed to be for Yara or the baby? My heart suddenly hurt for my best friend because I realized there would be no happy ending for this story. I could not believe that my little problem was kissing Victor when she had actual problems.

"It's not, Becka, it's not going to be OK," Yara sobbed. "My dad, he was so angry, he kicked me out, he said I couldn't come home, he said I was a slut, that I'd always been a slut."

I closed my eyes at her words, my arms tightening around her. "You're not!"

"But I am, I mean who sleeps with a guy who's married?" Yara's breath hitched. "Dad said he would not give me any more money, that if I wanted to fuck around then I would have to figure out on my own how to handle a baby!"

"He can't mean that, your dad loves you," I said rather pathetically.

"He meant it, you had to see his face," she whispered.

"But what about Rafael, does he know?" I asked.

"Yeah and he's so excited," Yara wiped at her eyes. "But he's in the Coast Guard and he can get in real trouble if people find out what happened because his wife is a total bitch, she would make his life hell!"

I didn't answer to that because I thought that if my husband got a 19-year-old pregnant I would be pretty pissed too but it was not my place to tell that to Yara. Especially given the situation.

"Mom said I had ruined everything, that I'd ruined my life and her life." Yara hiccupped.

"This has nothing to do with her, this is your life," I insisted. "Did he go with you to your parents?"

"Yeah, a hell lot of good that did, all they did was yell at him and kick him out," Yara closed her eyes. "I was so embarrassed."

We were silent for a while, I kept petting her hair while she laid quiet and contemplative.

"What are you going to do? With the baby?" I whispered and that had Yara sitting up.

"Keep it!" Yara looked at me in horror.

"Ok!" I held my hands up. "I was just making sure, with your dad not helping and Rafael married..."

"Rafael will help, he loves me, Becka. I love him to death."

To death, what a concept. I'd never want to love someone to death, it was so brutal and final, so drastic and ugly. I never thought love would be like that, not even from the novels that I devoured. Love had been passionate and desperate but never bleak and dark. The heroes in my novels seldom impregnated the heroine while having her as a side chick.

I studied her and nodded, it was a rough moment realizing that your best friend would make her own decisions, her own mistakes, and I dimly wondered if this would be the start of us no longer being as close as we once were.  

"How can I help?" I finally said and we pressed our heads together to talk about what Yara would have to do. She'd get a job, a good job like as a waitress because her cousin told her she could make tons and tons of money as a waitress and I agreed.