by Andromeda
"Well, so you're the new slut that's warming his bed," she says.
Strike one bitch, Rosalinda thinks to herself.
Alphonse clears his throat. "Good afternoon to you too, Georgianna. Where is my son?"
"Our son is waiting for you," Georgianna says, putting emphasis on the word 'our'. "Do you and your...girlfriend want to come inside?"
"Yes, please," Alphonse says. "Rosalinda needs to get out of this direct sunlight."
Rosalinda rolls her eyes. "For the last time, me being out in the sun will not give the baby skin cancer."
"The doctor said it might," Alphonse says pointedly.
"Was he like this with Lukas?" she asks Georgianna, trying to act nice
"He wasn't there for Lukas," Georgianna says pointedly. "So I hope you are good in bed before he leaves you too."
Strike two... Rosalinda thinks.
Georgianna leads them into the living room where they wait. The fast running of feet on the tile alerts them to Lukas as he runs into the room.
"Rose!" he cries when he sees her.
The young boy runs to wrap his arms around her, but Alphonse grabs him before he can touch her. "You have to be careful," he says firmly. "She's pregnant!"
Rosalinda can tell Lukas doesn't know what pregnant means, but he can hear the sharpness and anger in his father's tone; his hangs his head in shame. She shoots Alphonse a glare before kneeling down to Lukas' height. "I still want a hug," she says, smiling. "What do you say?"
Lukas grins and wraps his arms around her tightly. Looking behind him, Rosalinda sees Georgianna glaring.
"Oh, this one has spirit," she says. "And, a heart it seems. She has several bastards of her own?"
Strike three... Rosalinda thinks.
Slowly, she pulls away from Lukas and pulls herself up to her fullest height. Her mouth opens to curse her out, but Alphonse grabs her arm.
"Thank you, Georgianna," he says. "We will bring Lukas back on Monday for school."
"Actually, I was wondering if you could keep him for the next couple of months," Georgianna says. "I have a job and can't take him with me."
Alphonse looks at her and then to Rosalinda, "Mind taking Lukas to the car? I have to...talk to her."
Rosalinda nods and takes Lukas' hand. "Come on, little one; let's go to the car."
Lukas grins eagerly and hurries off with her, not even casting a backward glance at his mother.
Chapter Fourteen – Georgia POV
I have always been jealous of my best friend in the world. Call me a bit selfish, but I've always wanted what she had; a loving family, good looks, smarts, and children—how I badly wanted children. I had none of that; my looks really were one thing, but I only get my flawless appearance after spending hours and hours in front of the mirror.
When I moved to New York, I had nothing but it was with the help of a minor friend that I became a sugar baby. I was picky, however. I wanted to find a man that had lots of money but wouldn't bother me a lot physically and mentally. I thought that Gabriel would be my prince charming. For a 59-year-old man, he was handsome and super rich, and I thought that he wouldn't bother me a lot when it came to personal things. I was wrong.
At first, he was kind to me, buying me whatever I wanted and not demanding that much of my attention; but then in the blink of an eye, he switched. It came slowly at first, telling me how to dress, not allowing me to have guy friends, and being seen not heard whenever we went to an event.
It got much worse, though. I remember the first time he slapped me after I caught him with another girl. We argued for 30 minutes straight, me asking how he could do this to me and him saying he could do whatever the hell he wanted with me; then, as if to prove a point, he slapped me hard across the face.
I can't really remember the feel of the slap at the time though I could feel it afterward, but I do remember the shock. He had hit me; the man that I thought I had loved had hit me. Everything went downhill from there with him controlling all that I could or couldn't do, who I could talk to, where I could go.
I just bit my tongue and went along with it though. I had nothing back in Miami; my mother was married to her fifth husband, I don't know who my real father is, and I had no siblings. The only person I had in the whole world was Rosalinda, but I was too ashamed to face her.
When I heard about Parsons, I knew that deep down she would want this, so I hopped onto the first plane to Miami and told her about it. I secretly didn't want her to become a sugar baby because I knew she'd get all of the nice guys; Gabriel was infatuated with her the moment he saw her, though I had to chuckle to myself when Rosalinda shut him down at the ball.
I should have told Rosalinda about the abuse Gabriel was giving me but I knew she would literally beat the crap out of him if she found out about it, so I held my tongue. I stayed silent about the abuse and then I remember I day I found out that I was pregnant.
I was overjoyed inwardly because I thought that now I would have a little one to enjoy, to love and cherish as my own, but Gabriel was furious. He accused me of using this baby as a way to get his money and said that if I truly loved him, I would get rid of it.
I was torn; should I give up the one thing that I've wanted most in his whole wide world? Or should I keep the man I thought that I loved. When I wasn't giving my answer quick enough, Gabriel gave me an ultimatum: get rid of the baby or he would break up with me and cut me off.
This, I feared more than anything because unlike Alphonse, Gabriel didn't give me gifts or put anything in my name. My car was in his name, my apartment was in his name—hell, even the credit I have in the shops I go to is in his name. I would be penniless and I couldn't let that happen, so I was forced to sacrifice my hopes and dreams: my child.
Gabriel told me not to go to a clinic, saying that the cost was too much and telling me to get the pills, and I had to buy it with my own money. That was a low blow and I know he knew it; he knew that I'd always wanted a baby, and having me buy the pills that were going to kill it shattered me.
When I got the pills, I returned to my home and sat in the tub, filling it with warm water before taking them out. Taking a deep breath, I climbed inside and took two of the pills. It took 15 minutes for it to take effect and it hurt like hell.
The lady told me that it would cause light cramps and that was it, but she was wrong. I felt as if a limb was being torn off; my eyes spooned out, or something like it. I couldn't hold back the screams of pain as blood began to pour from me, too much blood for my liking.
This wasn't right. I knew it wasn't right and as the pain began to darken my vision, I realized that I was dying and I didn't want to die alone. Gathering my strength, I lifted myself from the tub and clawed my way out of it and to my phone. I could think of only one person to call: Rosalinda. Dialing her number, I could barely speak to her but I knew she got the message because less than 15 minutes later, she kicked open my door.
The darkness enveloped me and when I woke up next, I was in the hospital, a sleeping Rosalinda at my side. The door opened and Gabriel walked in, looking at me up and down, his mouth set in that Donald Trump-like frown, his eyes narrow.
"Did you do it?" he asked.
"Y...yes..." I groaned softly.
"Good," he says. "We're through."
My world came crashing down, my hands going to mouth. "W...what? I did...I did what you said!"
"I didn't think you'd be smart enough to do it," he says with a shrug. "Not only that, but everyone in the hospital knows you had an abortion. I can't have someone like that at my side when I go to board meetings."
"You said you loved me!" I cry, hot tears pouring down my cheeks.
"I say a lot of things in the heat of passion," he says. "That and anything to make you whores open your legs to me. I need a more...respectable woman." He looks to a sleeping Rosalinda hungrily.
"She'll never have you," I say tightly, gritting my teeth against the pain. "She's with someone else!"
"As were you," h
e says with a chuckle. "Women are easily bought and sold to the highest bidder; what makes you think she'll be any different?"
"The fact that she's smarter than you," Rosalinda says lowly, her eyes glaring.
I didn't even know she was awake. Her eyes are locked to Gabriel, her hands curling into fists.
"I know what I want," Gabriel says. "And I want you."
"Well get used to not having what you want," she growls. "Because I'm not for sale."
"We'll see," he says with a smirk as he begins to leave.
"Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out," she calls after him before looking to me. "Gigi, are you ok?"
I wrap the blankets around me as I curl up into a small ball, sobs racking my body as hot tears slide down my cheeks. I just sacrificed all I had for nothing.
Chapter Fifteen
"Over here, Rose! Pass the ball!" Lukas calls out.
Rosalinda laughs as Lukas leaps high in the air to catch the ball she tosses to him.
"Well done, pequeño," she says with a smile. "You're really good at his game!"
Not far from them, Alphonse sits on the patio typing away on the computer and talking on the phone. Rosalinda glances at him and frowns. He is supposed to be playing with them as he said that he would try to be more in Lukas’ life; yet, he doesn’t seem to be trying.
"Thank you, Rose," Lukas says, smiling proudly.
"Are you hungry?" she asks. "I am, want to get some lunch?"
He nods eagerly and takes her outstretched hand as they walk into the kitchen; he loves Rose and is never far from her side.
"What do you want to eat?" she asks him.
"Do you make grilled cheese sandwiches?" he asks.
"Of course, I make them," Rosalinda says. "Want me to make you the ones my children love?"
Lukas nods and watches with wide eyes as she gets to work. Rosalinda loves to cook and within moments, she is hard at work making the best grilled cheese sandwich he’s ever seen; thick bread, four kinds of cheeses, grilled chicken and roasted tomatoes with salt and vinegar, and a jalapeno popper at top to taste.
"What kind of chips do you want?" she asks as she washes to butter the pan.
Lukas’ eyes widen. "I can have chips?"
"Of course," she says, nodding. "Why wouldn't you?"
"Georgianna doesn't like me to have chips," he says sadly. "As well as anything sweet or sodas."
Rosalinda frowns slightly; she is a bit of a health nut, but kids are kids and should have some kind of sweets with their meals as long as it's small. She is also still disturbed that Lukas calls his mother 'Georgianna' and not 'mom'.
"Well..." she says slowly. "You can have a sweet thing here. But don't think I'm spoiling you, it will be...a bit of a treat, ok? For being such a good boy."
Lukas smiles happily. "Yes, please! I'll be good, I promise."
Rosalinda smiles at him; he is so delightful and adorable to her; how could anyone hate him? She cooks three sandwiches: one for her, one for Alphonse, and a whole one for Lukas though she only gives him half, seeing as the food is so thick and rich and it will make him full quickly. She wraps the other half in foil to keep warm so that he can eat it later.
"Alphonse?" she calls outside when done. "I made some lunch."
Alphonse walks in holding his computer and takes his sandwich before looking at her, a frown on his lips.
"Are you sure that's good enough for you to eat?" he asks. "That's a lot of...fat."
"Will you, for the love of all that's good and holy, stop worrying?" Rosalinda snaps at him. "Geeze, I'm pregnant, not handicapped!"
"All the more reason for you to watch what you eat," he says.
"Alphonse, I have cheese, grilled chicken, and roasted tomatoes,” she points out. “That's pretty healthy."
"Fine..." he relents. “But...drink some water or something, ok?"
He ruffle’s Lukas’ hair and goes upstairs. Rosalinda suppresses the urge to flip him off but can’t since that Lukas is here. The young boy sadly hangs his head and munches slowly on his sandwich.
"Luke?" she asks gently. "What's wrong?"
"Alphonse doesn't like me...does he?" he asks.
Rosalinda blinks. "You call your father Alphonse?"
"Well, I don't know what else to call him," he says.
"Why not daddy?" she suggests.
"I tried,” he says. “...but he didn't really like that."
Rosalinda has to clench her fist to try to stop her temper; she wants to go upstairs and scream at Alphonse. His son might only be seven years old but they are smart at this age, taking everything in. Studies have shown that their full personalities as well as self-esteem are built from these early stages.
"Well you know what," she says firmly. "You can call him daddy if you want."
"If I call him Daddy...can I call you Mommy?" Lukas asks, looking up at me through his thick lashes.
Rosalinda’s heart freezes in her chest and a blush creeps onto her cheeks.
"Erm...I...I guess..."
"I like you, Rose," he says, looking at her with his large blue eyes. "I like you more than all my...Daddy's...other girlfriends."
Rosalinda can’t help but ask, "He's had others?" Of course, Rose he's had others...
"Yeah..." he says. "But none of them are like you. You love me for me, not just because of my daddy."
"Well, I'll always love you, pequeño," she says, smiling softly. "But things are...complicated between Alphonse and I."
"What does pregnant mean?" he asks.
"Well..." she says slowly, trying to pick out the right words. "It means that I have a baby inside of me; you are going to have a little brother or sister."
"How did the baby get inside you?" he asks.
Rosalinda wants to bite her tongue off. Soooo not ready for the birds and the bees talk with this kid.
"W...well...erm..." Think Rosa, think! "You want to get something sweet now?" she asks, reaching for anything that will get his mind off of this.
His face brightens instantly. "Yes, please!"
Smiling and breathing a deep sigh of relief, she takes his hand and leads him to the pantry where the food is stored. Lukas looks at the food with wide eyes, seeing as they are separated by type and color, all thanks to Alphonse's OCD brain.
"I want a piece of cake, please!" he says, pointing to a lemon cake.
Rosalinda smiles. “Good choice."
Taking the cake out, she cuts a piece for him and puts it on his plate, and then cuts a piece for herself. Lukas grins as he begins to eat it, moaning softly at the sweet and lemony taste.
"This is so good!"
Rosalinda can't help but giggle softly before biting into her own.
❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁
"Lukas, your bath is ready," Rosalinda calls from the bathroom later that night.
"Coming!" Lukas calls. He runs into the bathroom and looks at the water. "Did you get my duck?" he asks.
Rosalinda laughs and nod. "Yes, I got your duck. Now if you hurry up, we can watch a cartoon before bed."
The young boy grins and takes off his clothes and climbs into the bathtub. Humming softly, she washes his hair as he washes his body. As she’s doing so, she sees faint lines on the back of his neck and shoulders. Frowning, she looks closer.
"Lukas, what are these marks?" she asks.
Lukas instantly stiffens. "I...I fell down," he says.
"You must have done so pretty hard," she says, gently running her hands over the marks.
"It...it was my fault," he says. "I was running."
Rosalinda knows that he is lying; no one falls down this hard and besides, if he did fall down then he would have a bigger, spread out kind of bruise. These look like as if they were made with some kind of stick. There can be only one person she can think of that could have done this: Georgianna.
Holding her tongue, she helps him from the tub and wraps him in a towel. Drying him off, she playfully chases him up the stairs and helps him int
o his PJ's. She then climbs into his bed and holds him close as they watch a couple episodes of SpongeBob. When she sees that he's beginning to doze off, she turns off the TV and begins to tuck him into bed.
Lukas yawns and rubs his eyes. "Rose? Can you sing me a lullaby?"
Rosalinda smiles and begins to sing a song that her children love called Pequeño bebé silencio: Hush little baby in Spanish.
"Silencio, pequeño bebé, no diga una palabra.
va de Mama de comprar un sinsonte
Y si ese ruiseñor no canta,
va de Mama de comprar un anillo de diamantes
Y si ese anillo de diamantes convierte latón,
va de Mama de comprar un espejo
Y si ese espejo se rompe,
va de Mama que comprar un macho cabrío
Y si ese macho cabrío no se tire,
va de Mama de comprar un carro y toro
Y si ese carro y el toro la vuelta,
va de Mama de comprar un perro llamado Rover
Y si ese perro llamado Rover no va a ladrar
va de Mama que comprar un caballo y un carro
Y si ese caballo y el carro se caen,
Seguirás siendo el pequeño bebé más dulce en la ciudad..."
He is fast asleep by the time Rosalinda is done and she smiles. Bending down, she kisses his forehead whispering softly, "Good night, little one; sleep well."
❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁
After she takes her own bath and is getting ready for bed, she finds Alphonse in his office typing on his computer. No surprise there.
"I'm going to bed," she tells him. "You missed putting Lukas to sleep."
"I was busy," he says, not looking up. "Have to seal a deal with my factories in India."
"Well, make the next one," she says. "Also…I think something is wrong with Lukas."
"He's fine," Alphonse says, still not looking up.
Scowling, Rosalinda walks over and picks up his laptop. She throws it on the ground, not caring if it’s broken in order to get his attention.
Alphonse cannot believe she just did that and swears in French before looking at her. "Rosalinda, what was that for?"
"Oh, that got your attention?” she says, putting her hands on her hips. “Alphonse, this is serious. I think Georgianna might be beating him or something."
