Spread Love, It's The Brooklyn Way

9|| Valentina

You know that feeling where you know you didn't do anything but for some odd reason, deep down inside, you feel like it's your fault? And the feeling is strong for being deep down in your gut. It sticks with you until you admit that you did something wrong. Even if you didn't. You have to lie to yourself and convince your brain that it was all you, not anybody else.

Just. You.

"Family of Valentina Gutiérrez?" The nurse says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

A woman with a messy bun on top of her head in a pantsuit rushes into the waiting area.

"Ms. Young!" Tatiyana hops up and hugs the woman.

"Tatiyana. What happened?"

"Are you Valentina's mother?" The nurse asks.

"Yes, I'm her mother."

"Okay, sign in and follow me."

Ms. Young signs her name on the clipboard at the desk and gets ushered away by the nurse.

"Okay, Ms. Greene, you may come too. Valentina wants to see you."

"Me?"

"Her?" Tatiyana says with a bit of jealousy.

"Yes. Nia Greene, follow me."

I get up, shock still on my face, and follow the nurse to the room.

"Valentina, she's here."

Valentina has the IV hooked up to her right arm. A chair is neatly placed to her left side and a comfy sofa is in front of her where her mother is sitting. Her hair is how it was the night of; a bun. It's loosened though.

"H-hi, Nia," Valentina coughs out.

"Hi, Valentina."

"No please, llamame Val..."

"Valentina, por favor dime qué pasó." I hear her mother say from the couch.

"Mami, pregúntale a Nia." Val points a finger to me.

"Please, tell me what happened to her."

"Mami, why do you even care?"

"Because, Valentina, you're my daughter."

"Do you even want to know why I'm here? Or do you just want to have a reason to leave me with Papá?" Val scoffs and shakes her head.

"Valentina Karla Augusta Gutiérrez!" Her mother shouts.

"It's true! You know it is! You don't love me, you're never there for me, and you wish I was aborted when you had the chance!" Val's eyes start to tear and she starts to cry.

" Well, it's not a lie. I did want you aborted. Now that you're crying like a little baby it reminds me of why I came here anyway. Te llevaré a República Dominicana con tu padre y tu abuela."

"No. No! I don't want to go to back home! I love America, mami!"

"I can finally have some alone time with your stepfather. ¡Adios, hija!" Ms. Young gets up and leaves the room.

"¡Maldita sea! Why didn't you just let me die," Val starts to cry even more.

"I... I..."

"..."

"Because you're important to Tatiyana."

"¿Tatiyana? ¿Mi amor?" Val takes a tissue from the box near her bed and blows her nose.

Why the hell did I just lie to this girl?

"Yes, she just wants you to be okay. She doesn't... she doesn't want your death to be her fault because she... y'know," I glance to the door and look back at Val as to not keep staring at her.