“Shit, come the fuckon!”
I raised my head up and slammed my fists against the steering wheel. “Why the fuck does my life always end up this way?”
I shrieked like a madwoman in need of a straight-jacket until I felt my stomach rolling over onto itself. With the vibrating of my phone backdropping my angry tirade, I threw open my car door and leaned out. With my hair in my face and my eyes pointed toward the ground, I started dry-heaving through my anger as my stomach tried to turn itself inside out.
Then, I felt something gathering my hair at the nape of my neck.
“Who’s—oouck—who’s there?”
“Sh-sh-sh-sh, calm breaths.”
I barely recognized the voice as a hand came down against my back. It rubbed my shirt softly, coaxing me down from my high as my mouth began to salivate. Threads of saliva dripped to the parking garage floor as I heard quick footsteps rushing toward me.
And when Suri started talking, I realized who had found me. “Gee, thank the Lord. I thought maybe she was upstairs in the bathroom by her office.”
Guadalupe spoke softly. “Nope. She’s down here in her car. I think she could use some water, though.”
I sniffled so hard that snot ran down the back of my throat, and before I knew it, my stomach heaved again. The massive wad of snot touched my tongue, and it made me retch until the fucking thing flew to the parking garage floor. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. I felt someone helping me upright before tucking my feet back into my car.
Then, Guadalupe’s face came into view as she wiped my tears away with a small handkerchief. “You need some water and some deep breaths.”
My breathing was shallow. “How did you—where—I don’t understand how you found me.”
Suri popped out of nowhere and handed me a bottle of water. “Find Your Friends. I used it on your number when I got your text message. You never send messages with typos, so I knew I needed to find you.”
A sob heaved my chest. “What am I gonna do?”
Suri went to speak, but Guadalupe stepped between us. “Why don’t you come with me for a little bit? I think we should talk.”
I didn’t know what to think at this point, so I simply stepped out of the car. Suri closed the door and said she’d wait right there, then Guadalupe threaded her arm with mine. She led me over to a massive van, where she popped the trunk and sat down on its edge. Then, she patted a seat next to her and beckoned for me to sit.
So, I did, because I was done fighting with people for the day.
“Suri tells me you’re expecting,” she said.
I rolled my eyes. “Remind me to thank her for telling everyone my business.”
She pointed at me. “There. That’s the first thing you need to change.”
I blinked. “Sorry, change? It’s my fault when someone is spreading my business around when I don’t want them to?”
“It is your fault when you’re upset with a friend for helping you the best way she knows how, yes.”
I shook my head softly. “Yes, I’m pregnant.”
She nudged me softly. “Does this have anything to do with thatalto, oscuro, y guapowe talked about once?”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Possibly.”
“Let me ask you this: why does it anger you when people try to help?”
I scoffed. “Because most people only want to help if it benefits them. Not the other way around.”
She nodded slowly. “I see. So, you think someone will do something nice, then hold it over your head. Right?”
I shrugged and looked down at my lap. “Essentially, yeah.”
“Well, does Suri do that to you?”
