"American Hangover"

Chapter Seven

Lydia sat at the table watching her cousin eat a stake sandwich while her other cousin enjoyed a chicken salad. Lydia sat with them drinking only water. They sat in silence for a while but only until Samantha threw her napkin on the table and said “I’ve had enough.”

Lydia looked at her and Tylin stopped chewing. “First off why aren’t you eating?? Why did you stop eating meat? We’re at a steak house Lydia! And why are you letting this Ahmet fellow bother you? What does he matter anyway?” Samantha yelled.

“He doesn’t and that’s why I’m not bothered. I’m on a diet Sam… Meat is disgusting… I stopped eating it at fifteen, haven’t since. I know where we are Sam Rosario!” Lydia replied.

“Lydia don’t lie...” Tylin said before putting more food in her mouth.

“I’m not….” Lydia said. The three remained quiet until Lydia finally said “On a happier note why don’t you guys set something up. I want you to meet my new boyfriend.” Lydia smiled “He’s pretty hot.”

The girls laughed and Samantha nodded. “I’ll bring Jeff along and Tye can bring who ever she wants.”

“Guys things are settled between Mo and I. He can come along.” Tylin said.

“Settled for now you mean…” Samantha said. “Mhmmm” Lydia added.

“Drop it..” Tylin warned.

“Dropping.” Sam said.

“Falling as week speak… about to hit the ground and BOOM it’s crashed. Happy? I dropped it.” Lydia said a humorous smile on her face.

“HA…HA...HA... Hilarious Lydia…” Tylin said.

“I know…” Lydia glanced at her watch and thought about Kiral. She called his office earlier and they said he’d called in sick. She wanted to visit him but when she left school she was ambushed by her cousins who dragged her to the awful steak house from hell. “Well listen girls. I need to leave. Call me though and we’ll plan something ok?” They each nodded and kissed each other good bye like they had their entire lives. They were three close cousins who were raised in one insane family.

Lydia walked away from the scene and out of the restaurant. She rubbed her forehead and took a deep breath. Life was getting harder again and it was becoming more difficult to get sleep. Along with it all she would be starting a new job at a new law office in two weeks. Soon she would have to handle her retched life and a job with school all in one.

A half hour later Lydia was pulling up to Kiral’s home. She smiled at it but felt so worried that something might be wrong. She wasn’t sure she could handle the sight of him weak and sick. Lydia put her car in park and continued to his front porch. She knocked on his door and waited.

Lydia was greeted by one of the most astonishing images. Looking at her was Kiral whose upper body was bare while his face was bruised. Lydia’s mind and body collided while her body reacted to the abs and muscles that Kiral displayed. Her mind screamed and protested at the sight of the injuries on his face and neck. Kiral sighed and said “come on in”.

Kiral led her though the door way down the hall and into the living room. He sat on the couch and Lydia followed. Kiral was in basketball shorts and sneakers. He failed to where anything else on top of that but Lydia didn’t mind one bit. On his face was a bruised up cheek and a busted lip. His neck had scratched that obviously came from a hand because all four scratches were lined up and went in the same direction.

Lydia’s hands moved faster then her mouth could and her hands touched his chest. She ran her hands over his muscles and continued down his body. When she was close to the bottom of his stomach Kiral’s hands grabbed hers and he looked at her. “You don’t want to go and start something you can’t finish Lydia.” He said.

Lydia looked him in the eyes and they had a silent conversation. He was right. She couldn’t “finish” it and neither did she want to talk about it. Instead she relaxed her hands in his and he let her go. She slid her hands under her legs and held them down. She made a mental note to grow some self control.

“So are you going to tell me what happened?” Lydia asked.

“about what?” he said playing stupid.

“You know what I am talking about.” She said firmly.

“Oh the bruises... well… it’s a funny story.” He said smiling. “Ok well your friend Ahmet decided to stop by my house and we played a game of tackle football and it got a little rough.” He said casually waiting for her response.

“You fought with Ahmet!” Lydia screamed in response removing her hands from under her legs.

“Yea…” Kiral said looking away and refocusing on the T.V.
Lydia calmed herself down and said “Well, did you win?”

Kiral seemed shocked and responded with some laughter and a nod. “I’d say so.”


“Good” Lydia said moving closer to Kiral and wrapping her arms around him. “Does it hurt a lot?” she asked raising her head from his shoulder. She used one hand to touch his cheek softly.

“Nah, not really.” He said with a shrug.

“How about the back of your head?”

“Nope.”

“Good…” Lydia said to him. Almost instantly her had came flying and she smacked him in the back of his head.

“hey!” Kiral said rubbing the back of his head.

“Don’t you dare think that you winning justifies the fact that you fought Ahmet! This isn’t some manly game and you guys can’t just fight and declare who wins me. Did you guys even consider the consequences? If one of you had been very hurt this could lead to domestic dispute or domestic violence and in anyway could involve police. I’m fine with the Idea of Ahmet going to jail but I refuse to loose you because of an idiot who won’t go away.” Lydia said speaking a mile a minute.

“I didn’t plan it… He started it!” Kiral said in his defense sounding like a young boy.

Lydia reached up and rested a hand on Kiral’s cheek. “I’m with you now and I don’t want that to change. Before you came along I considered myself still with Ahmet and I was hoping he’d come back but then you made me realize Ahmet is apart of my past and so I turned around. My past was now behind me and you stand in front of me. I’ll be dammed if it happens any other way. You’re important to me and I need you to know that.”

Kiral moved his hand and wrapped his arms around Lydia. He hugged her close and slid her onto his lap. He hugged her tightly and said “I couldn’t have known until you told me with words. Now that I know Lydia you should know that I won’t leave you and I’m not going to disappear.”

“You promise me that?” Lydia said.

“I promise.” He said hoping this be a promise he’d keep.

“Good because it would be really hard to find a last minute date to Chrissy’s wedding so I need you” Lydia said smiling. Kiral smiled at her teasing and kissed her. He ignored the pain from his lip and continued to kiss her not softly but passionately.

***********************************


Jolene stood standing sideways in front of the mirror. She had a hand on her stomach and a sickened facial expression. She was going to gain so much weight from this baby. She spent so many hours and dollars at that gym and dieting and now it was all gone. Her stomach was flat now but in two months it would show a hint of plump and in six she’d be huge. She grimaced at the thought of all the cravings she would have. All the cravings she had to fight during her weight loss time. This was all so disappointing.

“What are you looking at?” Danny asked from the bed his one eye open. She had woken up in the middle of the night after a nightmare that was telling her future. She would be back to old Jolene and it hurt.

Jolene didn’t have low self esteem and she was always proud of the person she was. No person could bring her down… but herself. “I’m going to get so FAT” Jolene said to Danny. Both of his eyes opened and he sat up.

“You’re going to have a baby. You’re bound to get a little bigger.” He said.

“A LITTLE?!?! I’m going to be huge.” She said holding her hands out to demonstrate how she would look pregnant once more.

“Sunshine you’re going to look beautiful. Seeing you pregnant is the best site a husband could ever have.” He said getting up and standing behind her his image now apart of her reflection. He wrapped his arms around her and laid a hand on her stomach. “Have I ever told you that you glow when you’re pregnant?”

“No…” Jolene said in more of a grunt.

“You do. It’s just seeing you and knowing you’re baring my child makes you glow and nothing could tint that amazing image. So you wont be FAT, you’ll be this gorgeous pregnant woman who is going to be a mother and that, sunshine, that is spectacular.” He said his voice soft. Jolene smiled back at him and sighed.

“Let’s go to sleep” she said to him.

*************************************

Kiral lay on his couch embracing his second day off. He considered calling in sick for the rest of his life. The great thing about it was that he could right his articles from home. He sat up and reached for the can of soda he had on his table along with the remote. He took a satisfying gulp of soda and changed the channel. Just then the bell rang and some one knocked on his door. Wondering who it could be he got up and answered the door. When he opened the door Zhi smiled at him.

“Ready to go tuxedo shopping?” he said to him.

“Tuxedo shopping??” Kiral asked.

“You are going to my wedding right?”

“Yeah… but I didn’t expect to have to go shopping with you.” Kiral said.

“Well you’re my best man… you should come with me to shop.” Zhi said walking into his house and opening his closet. He grabbed Kiral’s jacket and threw it at him.

“Come on in…” Kiral said sarcastically. “Since when am I your best man? We’ve known each other for about a month.”

“Well I was never that close to any of my old friends really and I flipped a coin between you and Danny and you won. So let’s go!” Zhi said walking to Kiral’s living room and turning off the T.V.

“Well, I thought I was just Lydia’s date… But I guess now I’m obligated to go with you.” Kiral said putting on his jacket.

“Yup.” Zhi said exiting his house and Kiral following closing the door behind him.

“You mind if we don’t call it shopping. That’s a little queer.” Kiral said with a smile getting into the passengers side of Zhi’s car.

“No problemo.” Zhi said turning the car on.

“So now Chinese people speak Spanish?” Kiral said to him.

“When you’re with Chrissy who is practically more Puerto Rican then Lydia the Spanish tends to rub off on you.” Zhi laughed.

“Funny… So we have never actually spent time like this huh? Why do you need to go BUYING STUFF with another person? Can’t you do it on your own?” Kiral asked.

“Have you seen what Asian fashion looks like? I need some one to help me pick out something sensible.”

“And you think having a Turkish guy with you is going to help?” Kiral smiled. They both shook their heads and Zhi raised the volume. Tuxedo shopping… Kiral laughed at himself. It was all thanks to Lydia.