It wasn't long before the vomit flavor returned and rose up his throat. There was no holding it in this time. Mauricio bolted to the bathroom, knelt in front of the toilet, and vomited.
He wasn't sure which was worse—the stench of the urine or the putrid smell of the vomit. The turkey sandwich and potatoes he'd eaten earlier came up and floated in the toilet around the business card. Through the chunks of meat, he could see the name on the card.
Mauricio reached in and retrieved the card. He pulled himself up and went to the sink, where he rinsed off the card and his hands. After splashing water on his face, he lumbered back to the room, found the remote, and turned off the television. His head spinning, he rested one hand against the wall to steady himself.
After composing himself, he picked up the phone and dialed the number on the card. It went straight to voice mail and, at the beep, he said the only words he could manage to say without slurring his speech. "This is Mauricio Candela. I'm ready."
He put the phone on its hook and collapsed onto the bed.
That night Mauricio slept with his eyes closed. That night, he dreamed of everything. He dreamed of his wife and children. He dreamed of Eve.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks all our friends and fellow book lovers, including Doris Haynes and Maria Bryson, who served as great readers and guides for the development of this story. Thanks to Mary-Theresa Hussey, for her fantastic edits and passion for the characters. We wrote this story because we sought to create a space for unconventional heroes, particularly queer women and people of color, in the fantasy and speculative fiction space. We are grateful for every invisible hero who inspired us to craft this story.
About the Authors
Berneta L. Haynes was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas but has lived everywhere from Missouri, England, Iowa, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Her first novel, Landrien Moriset, debuted in 2015. An environmental attorney and founding editor of Waking Writer, Berneta lives in Atlanta with her partner and co-author, Lornett B. Vestal. A Chicago native, Lornett served in the U.S. Navy and traveled the world before attending the University of Chicago. An environmentalist, social worker, and politics junkie, he runs the Evolving Man Project, a website centered on promoting social change through insightful discussion, activism, and idea sharing. Eve and the Faders is Lornett’s debut novel. They are working on upcoming speculative fiction and blogging joyously.
Official Site: www.bernetahaynes.com | Twitter: @BernetaWrites | Twitter: @EvolvingManLBV
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