AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I thought you were still at it down there, and I was going to bring you dinner.”
“Did you bring David dinner?” He was being petty and bit his tongue.
She wrinkled her brow. “Whoa, that had a little bite to it. Tired? Maybe you should take a shower first. I can heat this up.”
He stomped to the top step and marched across the porch to where she stood. The plate wobbled when he snatched her by the wrist. “Tell me the truth? Are you having David’s baby?”
“Excuse me?”
He let his gaze slip over her form. “I guess you’ve got a ways to go since you’re not showing at all.”
“You’ve got three seconds to let me go.”
He realized he had crossed the line and released her, but it didn’t assuage his anger. “You’re not going to explain yourself?”
She threw the plate on the rocking chair opposite the hammock. A piece of chicken rolled out from beneath the cloth covering the plate to land on the floor, along with a few kernels of corn. Daisy appeared out of nowhere to gobble up the unexpected treat. Jasmeka nodded her head at her. “Eat it all, girl. As for you, I don’t know who you think you are, but I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone else.”
He gaped. “We were practically in bed already.”
“Oh, were we?” She laughed. “You were that confident, huh? Well, you know that idea is looking worse and worse.”
He was starting to wish he’d kept sharper control of his temper. At least he might have gotten more out of her. “You don’t have a problem jumping from one brother’s bed to the next? I should have realized that’s the order of the day down here.”
“Oh, so now you’re accusing me of being a woman who can’t keep her legs closed, and I’m supposed to be what? Following after your family? Tell you what, Miguel. Take care of your business, and stay out of mine.”
She spun on her heel and let the screen door bang as she stormed into the house. He slammed a fist against the porch railing and charged into the house. By the time he made it to the front hall, she was nowhere in sight. He checked the kitchen, but she wasn’t there either. His anger hadn’t cooled, so he decided he’d take a cold shower.
A little while later, the chilled water ran over his back, bringing goose bumps to his skin. He endured it. After soaping up a few times and rinsing off, he washed his hair and stepped out of the shower. Should he look for her or wait until morning?
What would I even say?
An apology came to mind, but he was stubborn by nature. That trait was built in from birth. His stomach growled because he hadn’t eaten, making the decision for him. Rather than the front stairs, he took the back.
Moving with a stealthy step he’d learned from his line of work, he moved toward Aunt Rosa’s private room where she liked to sit and watch TV in the evenings. He wasn’t in the mood to make conversation. To his annoyance, he found the door open and smothered a groan. Maybe she would be turned away from the door.
Voices reached him, his brothers speaking with his Aunt in Spanish. Miguel couldn’t believe she’d lived in America for so many years and didn’t know English.
“Why did you tell him about Jasmeka’s feelings for David?” Aunt Rosa was demanding.
Antonio whined, setting Miguel’s teeth on edge. “He liked her. Anybody could see it. He’s like a bull that—”
“Antonio Torres, you watch your mouth! I won’t have you using filthy language in my house.”
Miguel winced. Technically, it was his house. Tension tightened the muscles at the base of his neck.
“Well he was mad,” Antonio insisted. “I know he’s going to stay away from her now.”
“And what about Jasmeka?” Aunt Rosa said. “She loves you, and you shamed her.”
Angel spoke up. “She wasn’t there when we told him.”
“Who else would have told him?”
The boys were silent.
Angel found the courage to speak after a while. “We’ll go tell her we’re sorry.”
Aunt Rosa sighed. “Leave it be. You can apologize to her later. Maybe he will go away, and we can get back to our happy existence.”
