Their Broken Pieces by Jessica Gomez

Epilogue

Jasmine&Alex

 

 

Alex visited my house after he left me at the hospital that night. He informed my dad of everything that had happened. He only told him of the night’s events, but left out the fact that I’d come close to being raped. That was a conversation that should be between my dad and me, not my dad and Alex.

Alex told me that Dad’s face turned red as he tried to mutter what Alex believed were cuss words. However, when I returned, he calmed, seeing that I was all right with his own eyes.

We sat down and had a very serious conversation with him, father to daughter. I recapped the details about Margret, who was spending her rehab in a jail-sponsored center for the abuse. I guess Grandma decided that not making her pay for her actions was not acceptable, so I had to go with Alex to the police station to report on her abuse. Child endangerment and assault are what I believe they charged her with. I also gave another report about Mario while I was there. Whether they ever found Mario, my part was done, and I was ready to put it behind me.

Then, I told him about what happened with Mario at the beach, and in the shed… everything. I no longer harbored any secrets from my dad.

I explained my situation to Alex; this topic being sensitive. I told him we loved each other, and in as little detail as possible, gave him enough information for him to understand that our relationship had gone beyond simple boyfriend/girlfriend.

After everything was out, I asked him to hear me out with the request I had. I explained to him how Alex and his mom had been living since the accident. I had already explained to him why Alex had joined a gang in the first place, and that Mrs. Navarro was working her ass off just trying to make ends meet and take care of Alex and herself. This had been just as hard, if not harder, for them, too. I suggested that since we have the room, we should think about letting them move in with us. It certainly would not be any hardship for us, and Maria could find a better job that didn’t work her to the bone.

I was looking for him to disagree, to tell me no, but he completely caught me off guard by blinking his yes, enthusiastically. Since I felt like I was on a roll, I also brought up Carlos’s situation. My dad cried when I explained about Carlos’s dad, and how he beat him too, and Dad seemed to agree that no one should have to be in such a situation, so he would stay with us as well.

I felt like maybe Dad thought he owed me for what had been going on with Margret, but I wasn’t having any of that. What happened, happened. I chose to not say anything, and no one was to blame but Margret. I also stayed on him about taking more time to think about having Alex and his family move into our home. I was happy that he wanted it for me, but I didn’t want it to be just for me. It was a big decision and one that I didn’t want him to say yes to, only to make me happy. I wanted it for both of us.

Even Grandma gave her opinion and thought this house needed a family again, so I had the support of both the people I loved and was ready to begin our new lives together.

Carlos came to his new home with us shortly after my dad gave us the go-ahead. Lucky for Carlos, the knife wound he suffered missed all his vital organs; but he came close to bleeding out. By the time we had gotten him to the hospital, the wound had nearly stopped bleeding, but now he’s back to himself. After getting to know him better and seeing what a wonderful person he truly is, we became the best of friends… Family.

The house is enormous, enough for everyone to have their own rooms. Now, I’ll not say that Alex and I obeyed the rule about sleeping in our own rooms each night. Our parents believed we were old enough and if we could go through everything that we went through together and made it work, then we deserved a little trust.

It’s been almost nine months, and graduation is coming up next week. My grandma has asked Alex, Carlos, and me what we want for our graduation presents. We told her to surprise us, and now we’re impatiently waiting for whatever gifts she comes up with. Right now, my life couldn’t get any more perfect. I couldn’t ask for anything else.

~~~~~

The night before graduation, Jasmine sneaks into my bed in the middle of the night. All right, it’s more like nine, but she’s a welcome warmth next to me. She slips under the comforter and slides her body tightly against mine.

“Mmm,” I purr in her ear.

“Alex,” she says, swatting my arm playfully, making me smile against her neck as I kiss her teasingly. “You know we need to get some sleep. Graduation is at nine tomorrow.”

“Muneca, if you wanted to sleep, you should have stayed in your own room.” I slip my hand under her shirt and run my fingers along her rib cage.

She giggles in response, knowing I already have her trapped and wrapped around my little finger. “What did you have in mind?” she asks, crawling halfway onto my chest, her upper thigh rubbing me in the perfect place.

Having her crawl onto me has my cock hardening instantly. As soon as her bare skin touches mine, I’m at full salute. The thigh rubbing is getting me in trouble, and fast. I take a deep breath and try to calm down, but she knows me too well. Hiding anything from her is impossible.

“What did you have in mind?” After close to a year, I still lack self-control while she’s around, especially when our proximity is this close.

“Cada día te quiero más que ayer. No puedo esperar hasta podemos hacer dulce amor nuevamente.” Her eyes lower seductively.

I should never have taught her Spanish. Hearing those words come from her sweet lips, in my native tongue, makes me want to take her right now. I know mi madre and Carlos are probably still awake, only separated from us by a couple of rooms. We’ll have to wait a few more hours before the coast is clear.

“Mi amor. We have to wait until mi madre is asleep. And what about Carlos? We have our own rules, remember?” Hearing her words, “Each day I love you more than yesterday. I can’t wait until we can make sweet love again.” Float through my mind. How much longer am I expected to hold out? I might break my own rules.

“Oh, I remember. It’s not like Carlos hasn’t heard us before.” She giggles and slides her hand under the waistband of my boxers, caressing the skin directly below my navel. “Doesn’t mean I can’t drive you loco until then.”

Her smile is enough for me to cave, but I keep my cool and wait until mi madre is in her room, asleep. She gave up checking on us long ago, attempting to make sure we were in our rooms. We never were. We were both eighteen now, nothing they could do about it, but we did our best to be respectful of their wishes. But they gave us the lecture about “being safe.” We already practice that, so no words from her were necessary. Carlos is on his own. He’ll have to turn some music on or something.

~~~~~

Graduation came and went, nothing special. I could have walked a few months earlier, but I opted to wait for Alex, who finished about a month before everyone else, by studying hard with me. Carlos is the only other person I cared about walking the aisle with, so we made it a family affair. We all walked together; Carlos, Alex, and me.

I thought about putting in college applications and Alex hounded me about it for months, but after everything that has happened in the last three years, I needed a break. My father may not have much more time, and would not live forever. Flirting with the chance that I’d be away at some college while one of them passed would not happen. I could never get this time back, so until then, I’m going to spend time with my family, attend a community college for now, and enjoy every second with my now large, extended family.

~~~~~

Our only celebration after graduation is a barbeque. Even though Jasmine’s father can’t eat with us, he had a fireplace in his room that we took full advantage of, roasting hotdogs, marshmallows, and whatever else we could think to bring with us. Her father seems happier than I’ve seen him in a long time. I know he still holds a lot of hurt inside, but we all work to help him by hanging out, probably more than he likes, but we make sure we spend time together as a family. I find Carlos with him more than anyone, and you can always see how much they both enjoy each other’s company.

I walk toward him after Jasmine takes the potato salad back to the kitchen, about to tell him goodnight when he speaks my name.

“Allllexxxx.”

I stop and stare, stunned. I’m sure I look like a complete moron with tears filling my eyes, because not only is he able to say my name, but he’s a reminder of my father. “Yes, sir,” I say, around my constricted throat.

“No,” he says, closing his eyes and gathering his strength. “I’mm Dddad. I llovvvve yooou.” The words are hard to understand, but when I decipher them, they hit my heart with a solid impact.

My knees tremble, and tears slide from my eyes as I take his hand. “When did you learn to speak so much?” I ask him with a small smile.

He only returns the smile and a hard blink.

“I love you, too. Thank you for doing everything you have for my family. Even after…” I swallow around the lump in my throat. “Even after everything we’ve taken from you.”

“No,” he says, again.

I understand him with only one word. None of this is our fault. Even though some days, I can’t stand the guilt.

That’s how Jasmine finds us when she comes back to the room, hunched over her father, his hand in mine, and tears running down both of our faces.

She runs over, thinking something’s wrong with her dad. “What’s happened?” Her voice panicked.

“Nothing Jaz, we’re just talking,” I reassure her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close.

She looks at me skeptically until her dad speaks again.

“Lllovvve yoou, Jazzzz.” He smiles at her.

Her eyebrows scrunch together. “Daddy?”

He must have read the question in her word, because he beams and says, “Prrractisss.”

A bubble of laughter explodes from her lips, making everyone around the little bed smile wide. “Did he really talk to you?”

“Yes,” I answer.

Her father interrupts, “Bllleesss.” He swallows, trying to form a word.

“Dad, are you all right?”

He blinks once and then opens his mouth again. “Blessssing.” As he finishes the word, triumph overcomes his face.

“Blessing?” Jasmine asks him. “What do you mean?”

I’m pretty sure I understand what he means. He doesn’t know if he’ll be around for us later in life. “I think he wants us to know we have his blessing,” I say to Jasmine.

As the words leave my mouth, he sighs and blinks one long blink.

“We have your blessing for what, Dad?” She takes a minute before she understands. The instant she figures it out, her cheeks and neck turn a brilliant pinkish-red, the color she always turns when she’s super embarrassed.

“Daddy,” she whispers in a chiding tone. If her father could laugh outright, he definitely would have. His smile is huge, held with satisfaction, because not only did she understand him, but he also accomplished embarrassing her. “You want Alex and me to get married.”

“Whoa!” I say, holding my hand up. “I don’t think he means this minute. I think he means whenever we decide… way in the future… that we have his blessing.”

Her father blinks once.

“You must be tuckered out, Dad. You know, with this speech practice and blessing people and all.” She smiles. “You want me to let the nurse know we’re done in here?”

He blinks once, smiling at her sarcastic retort.

“All right. I love you.” Jasmine leans in and kisses her father on the forehead, as she does every night.

We walk up to our rooms hand in hand. When we reach hers, she stands before the door, stalling. I can sense that after tonight, she’d rather not be alone.

“You want to come to my room?”

“Yes, please.”

I walk her to my door and open it for her. “After you, future Mrs. Navarro.”

She gives me about a second after the words leave my mouth before she’s pulling me into the room and closing the door swiftly behind us.

It’s funny how things can seem so hopeless. Life can run so rampant, then out of nowhere, you turn around, and the people you love and care about are surrounding you. My heart is full, and I couldn’t be more content with everyone in my life. The perfect place for me at this moment is right here, with my future wife in my arms.