DESI
“This is.”
“This is who?” the woman on the other line asked. I was speechless. Who was I? I was a nobody, calling up a woman like we were kids. I couldn’t talk to her parents. I hung up again.
Fuck.
“How long did they say the food was gonna be?” Randy called from the other room.
“Thirty minutes.”
“Did you get the bubblegum ice cream?”
“Yes!” I shouted. I closed my eyes and ground my palms into them. Why was I acting like this? I was almost fucking thirty, and I was acting like a kid. Was it because of her, though, or just because I was sick of Aleida? I went to my fridge and grabbed a pair of Budweisers before returning to the living room.
Randy was watching some new show.
“Have you seen this yet? It’s pretty good.”
“What is it?”
“The X-files. I missed this week’s episode last night, but you have satellite TV and they’re already replaying it on another channel.”
“Start paying my bills, man.” I laughed and put my legs up on my table. I popped open my beer. “You watch more TV than I do.”
“I’ll start helping when you pay your own bills.” He snickered. “Your pop helps your brother and sister as much as he does you?”
“My brother and sister are married. But yes, until they were married, he did.”
Randy clicked his tongue. “I’d kill to be in your shoes, man.”
I do have to kill to be in my shoes, man.
“It’s not as fun as you’d think.”
“Right. The whole arranged marriage thing. It does feel a little outdated. People a hundred years ago did that stuff. We’re in the age of technology. Your family needs to grow with the times.”
“I don’t disagree.” I reached into my flannel pocket and removed my cigarettes. I lit one and took a quick puff. “But it is what it is.”
“What happens after you get married?”
“I go to work for my dad.”
“And that is…”
I smirked. “Nice try.”
“One of these days, I’m going to figure out the Amato secret.”
“Then I’ll have to kill you.” I smiled while saying it, but I wasn’t lying. He’d be lucky if it’s me that finds him first. At least I’d do it as quickly and painless as possible. Gianni or Caterina however…
I’d witnessed all of my family feed throughout my entire lifetime. It was always messy and slightly jarring. I didn’t want to be like them, but somewhere deep down, I knew I would be. In less than a year, I’d be ripping out throats and tossing dead bodies into the river as if they were nothing. With one year left, I was stuck right in the middle of my two worlds. The vampires and the humans. Right now, I’d give anything to be simply human.
Randy had been begging me to watch this show with him since it started a month ago, and finally, I decided to give in and relax. I was getting sucked into the story of Scully and Mulder when my doorbell rang.
“Oh, hell yeah, food’s here.” Randy slammed his beer and stood. “You get the door; I’ll get us more drinks.”
I went to the door nervously. What were the odds that it’d be her delivering tonight? I opened the door and… it was not Scout but the other waitress that had brought us our drinks.
