‘I don’t have a home,’ cried Carlotta as they left the doctor’s office. ‘I don’t. I’m twenty-five years old and I live in my mother’s apartment. How can I raise a baby? I don’t even have a real job. At least you two have done something to help Pajaro. I have done nothing except get myself knocked up by the General Manager. I’m a cliché.’
‘I knew something was going to happen today,’ said Grace quietly. ‘I knew it as soon as I woke up. You’ve been on my mind all morning, Lotty.’
Violetta nodded passionately. ‘I knew it also. You have been bugging me also, Carlotta.’
‘Sorry,’ said Carlotta wearily.
‘No, don’t apologise, I guess we’ve found the connection again,’ said Violetta.
‘Perhaps we never lost it, we have just reignited it,’ Grace said, with tears in her eyes.
Her sisters smiled at her and they all held hands for a moment.
As they stopped at Birdie’s apartment, the sisters helped Carlotta out. She then threw up all over the pavement. Violetta held her hair back as Grace dug a tissue from her bag and handed it to her sister.
They went upstairs and put her on the couch. ‘I feel so sick,’ she moaned.
Violetta heard the buzzer and answered it. ‘Chris is here,’ she said to Carlotta. ‘What do you want me to say?’
‘Tell him I’m infectious and I can’t see him for at least nine months.’
‘Really?’
‘No, tell him to go away,’ said Carlotta. ‘I have to get my head straight first before I include him.’
Violetta did as she asked and then rang Jeff. ‘Hey, I have a friend who’s pregnant. No, it’s not me! No, a friend and she’s really sick. Is there anything she can take or do? Really? Wow, OK, I’m going. Hey… I love you,’ she whispered.
Picking up her bag, she walked over to Carlotta. ‘I’m going to the drugstore for a moment, need anything?’
‘I suppose it’s too late for condoms now.’
Violetta was still laughing when she walked outside and saw Chris sitting on the seat outside the building.
‘Hey,’ she said, not surprised to see him.
‘Is she OK?’
‘Yep.’
‘What’s wrong with her?’ he asked.
‘I can’t tell you that, Chris,’ said Violetta, as she walked towards the drugstore down the street.
Chris walked beside her. ‘I really like her,’ he said.
‘Does she know that?’ Violetta stopped walking and faced him.
‘I think so,’ he said. ‘Oh fuck it, I love her.’
‘You should tell her,’ said Violetta.
She started to walk again and turned into the drugstore. Picking up a basket she roamed the aisles with Chris beside her. Violetta started to put items into the basket as she walked. Chris wandered beside her, babbling about Alexia and Carlotta and his wife and she listened and finally walked to the counter. The girl rang up the goods and put them in a bag. ‘That will be sixty-seven thirty,’ she said.
Chris pulled out his wallet and handed over his credit card. ‘I’ll get it,’ he said.
Violetta shrugged. She took the bag and looked at Chris. ‘If you love her then you need to be prepared to do whatever it takes, Chris. And I mean whatever it takes,’ she said, and left the store.
Chris signed the slip and took the receipt and walked outside. He saw Violetta in the distance, quickly walking towards the apartment. He looked down at the receipt.
