Chapter 1: Henpecking

Lupe

Oh, shit! Sally again! Fucking loser with her lame pony tail and her Little-Miss-Sunshine ruffled blouse. Lame-oh!

“What’s it this time, Sally?” I asked her tiredly, knowing that she hated her nickname.

“It’s Sarah, you bitch!” She was so easy!

“Whatever you say, Sally,” I gave back cheerfully. “Again, what’s eating you?”

“What’s going on with you and Elroy?”

A really stupid question. Nothing was going on with Elroy. He had seemed interesting at first sight, a few weeks ago, wearing the right brand of polos, the right jeans, and showing off his pearly-whites to good effect. So I gave him a test ride, nothing more than three movie dates to check his potential. He screwed up royally during the third date, trying to stick his nacho dip-smeared hands under my skirt as soon as the lights were dimmed. He was history as far as I was concerned before the last trailer was showing, and he walked funny when he limped out after me. Outside he started to spew his vitriol at me, calling me a spic slut, a cock tease and worse things, until I decked him for good.

It has to be my Latina heritage. I am Guadeloupe Calderón. My friends would call me Lupe, but then again, I don’t have many friends. I’m a spic after all, a brownie, one of those people, to the lily-white rest of the class.

My parents are third generation Americans and comfortable. Papa owns a chain of tyre dealerships and Mama is an environmental lawyer, slugging it out either with the EPA or some multinational corporation. They have an active social life too, and usually not much time for me, adding to me feeling of suppressed anger. All right, I do have a bad temper, so sue me!

Well, Elroy tried suing me, but the two guys behind the food counter — Latinos like me, only second generation — backed me up, testifying that he had been threatening and abusive, and he was laughed out of the DA’s office. Sally was still standing there, her hands on her hips and trying to look mean. Pathetic!

“Nothing. I’m finished with him, and if you’re just a little bit smart, you’ll give that douchebag a really wide berth. He’s a slime ball.”

“He said you provoked him!”

I gave her a pitiful look. “He would, wouldn’t he? Sister, he’s bad news. I took one for the team trying him on for size, and you better understand that and wise up. Okay?”

“You only took him to hurt me!”

“Oh, puhlease! Why would you figure anywhere in my thinking? Get real! He fancies himself as a bad boy, and you are ... Okay, I’m trying to be nice here: you come over like a good girl, a girl who’ll introduce him to her parents, and that’s the last thing he’d want. You’re better off finding yourself a nice nerd, one who’ll bring flowers for your mom when he picks you up.”