Chapter 68

Marla asked me to be early, so I knocked on Tammy’s door at eight o’clock. The girls were dressed, but I suspected that they didn’t get much sleep because all three looked tired. Marla gave me directions to the clinic, and everyone was very quiet on the way over. I asked Marla what time I should pick her up when I pulled up in front, and she answered, “Park the car and come in.”

Denise was sitting with her arm around Desi when I got inside, but I didn’t see Marla. Denise answered, “She went inside to talk to the doctors,” when I asked where she was, so I sat next to them. Desi was so nervous that she was shaking. I held her hand until Marla came out and told us that it would be a while because we didn’t have an appointment.

The ‘while’ turned out to be nearly two hours, and the waiting room began to fill up. The girls who came in were all nervous, and they rarely looked at the other people in the room. They would sit quietly as soon as they checked in and stare at the floor until their name was called. They usually had someone with them; a friend, sometimes a mother or father, sometimes both. A pretty Asian girl not much older than I am came in about an hour after we got there. She checked in, then sat in a corner by herself. Marla excused herself and went to her after about five minutes. They talked for a minute or two, then Marla sat with her, and Marla went inside with her when the girl’s name was called. Marla came out a minute later and said, “I’m going to be in here for a while. Please stay with the girls.”

Marla came to us a few minutes later, and said, “The girl is here by herself. They’re going to abort her right now, and I don’t want her to be alone. The girl came here on a bus, Pete. Would you mind taking her home when it’s over? She lives about twenty minutes from here.”

“Yes, of course I will. Is she going to be okay?”

There was sadness in Marla’s voice, when she said, Yeah, she’ll be fine,” and she went back inside.

Desi suddenly said, “Oh God!” and her face was a mask of horror when I looked at her.

Marla came out twenty minutes later, and said, “There’s an exit around back, Pete. Meet us there.”

I drove the car around, and Marla came out with a very shaken looking girl. I helped her into the car, and Marla handed me a paper with an address on it that wasn’t far from where Kate and Ben live. We rode in silence all the way there, and I stopped in front of a large house set well back from the street. I started to get out of the car to help her, but she stopped me with, “No! Please don’t. I can make it.” She straightened herself and started for the house, but she hadn’t gone a half dozen steps when she stopped and it looked like she was going to fall, so I ran to her and took her arm. We stood there for a minute, then she said, “I’m fine now. You can...” Her eyes closed and she started to slump toward the ground. I caught her in time, and I picked her up in my arms and carried her to the house. I rang the bell but there was no answer. I was considering taking her back to the clinic when she came around. She suddenly cried, “What are you doing,” and tried to break away from me, but she couldn’t stand when her feet touched the ground, so I held her until she calmed a bit, then I said, “There doesn’t seem to be anyone home.”

She shook her head to clear it, then she reached in a pocket and handed me a key. I opened the door, but she still couldn’t walk, so I picked her up and she directed me to a bedroom at the rear of the house where I laid her on the bed. She was still for a minute, and it looked like she was sleeping. I was concerned, and I didn’t want to leave until I was sure that she was okay, so I sat in a chair next to the bed for a minute.

I looked around at the bedroom. It was large and beautifully decorated. Pictures of her with what I guessed were her folks were on the walls and nightstand. The woman was a tiny Asian lady and a tall, dignified-looking Asian man was with her.

She finally opened her eyes and said, “Sorry to be such a bother.”

“It’s no bother, you’ve been through a lot.”

“It could have been a lot worse if it wasn’t for your friend. Is she your wife?”

“No, she’s a friend.”

“Well, the two of you have been wonderful. She gave me her number. Tell her that I’ll call her later and thank her properly.”

“I will. I should get back. Are you going to be okay?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine. I’ve been so worried that I haven’t eaten for a few days.”

“Can I get you something before I go?”

“Could you get me some apple juice? There’s some in the fridge.”

I went to the kitchen and poured her some juice. Her hand was shaking when I got back and handed it to her, so I asked, “Are you sure that you’re going to be okay?”

She drank half the glass without stopping, then she lay back for a minute. She finally said, “I’m already feeling better.”

She held her hand out to me, and she asked, “What’s your name?” when I took it.

“Pete Baker.”

She said, “Thanks, Pete, my name is Ming,” and she started to sit up, but it was obvious that she was weak, so I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her. There was terror on her face for a split second, but it quickly went away when I said, “Relax. I know the way out.”

Marla was pacing back and forth outside the clinic when I got back. I parked the car, and she slipped in beside me.

“Did you get her home okay?”

“Yeah, but she’s really weak.”

“I know. The doctor didn’t want to release her, but she insisted. I think that she wanted to get home before her folks showed up.”

“She said that she hadn’t eaten in a few days. Is she going to be okay?”

“The doctor says that she’ll be fine after a few days rest and a couple of good meals. He gave her some supplements, I hope that she remembers to take them.”

“Why wouldn’t she?”

“She has a lot on her mind. This is a traumatic time for her. The pregnancy wasn’t her fault.”

I remembered how frightened she looked when I put my hand on her to keep her from sitting up, and I said, “She was raped, wasn’t she?”

Marla nodded, then she sighed, “This place is so intense it gets to me sometimes.”

“Where are the girls?”

“They’re inside with the doctor, they should be out in a little while.”

“Are they, uhh, going to do the operation now?”

“I don’t think that she’ll need an operation. I’m pretty sure that she’s not pregnant.”

“What about the missed periods”

“She didn’t miss a period. She forgot about the last one, and this one isn’t even due yet. She got scared and confused when she started feeling bad.”

“Then why are we here?”

“For several reasons. Desi does have a problem, and I wanted the girls and you to see what can happen if you’re not careful about sex.”

“So, what is Desi’s problem?”

“Her mother and I are pretty sure that she has an STD. That’s why she didn’t insist on coming along.”

“A sexually transmitted disease? Could it be serious?”

“Hell yes, it can be deadly, but I’m pretty sure that I know what it is from the way she describes it. They’ll give her some medicine if it’s what I think it is, and she’ll be out of there in a little while.”

“So she’ll be fine?”

“She’s not out of the woods by a long shot. It’ll take a few days for the medicine to take effect, so she’ll be uncomfortable for a while. The hard part is that she’s going to have to go to everyone she’s been with, tell them what happened, and tell them to get checked.”

“She says that she hasn’t been with that many guys.”

“She said she hasn’t had sex with that many guys, but there are different kinds of sex. The ‘heavy petting’ thing may have involved things other than a penis. Fingers, even tongues can spread these things, as well.”

“But wouldn’t a guy know if he had it?”

“Not always. Some guys can have it for a long time without symptoms. Some girls, too.”

Marla started back inside, and a shudder ran down my back as I followed her. Sex had taken on a whole different meaning, and I vowed to be a lot more careful.

Marla motioned for me to follow her when we got to the lobby, and we went through a door where a nurse was sitting at a desk, working with a computer.

Marla said, “This is the person I told you about, Mrs. Brown.”

The lady nodded to me, and said, “Give me your hand.”

I reached toward her and she put a device on my finger that looked like the one they used at the clinic where I’d been checked for STDs. I felt the slight prick from the needle as it took a blood sample, and I looked at Marla while it was happening. She had a smile on her face, so I gave her a wry smile back and shook my head at her in resignation.

Marla left before I had a chance to say anything, so I went back to the lobby and sat down when it was over.

Denise came out and sat with me a minute later. She looked tired and upset, so I put my arm around her. She snuggled next to me, and I held her for a while. She finally said, “I was really worried for her. I’m really afraid of what her dad would have done if she was pregnant and he found out about it. He has a violent temper when it comes to his family.”

“Has he ever been rough with you?

“No, never. He’s been wonderful to me. Did you notice that my complexion is better? He arranged the whole thing. He says that the insurance took care of it, but I suspect that he paid for a lot of it himself.”

“Well, it’s been successful. You sure look great.”

“Why, thank you, Pete. No one ever said that to me.”

“How come? Aren’t you dating?”

“No, some guys asked me out, but I said no so many times that they don’t ask me anymore. I’m sure that everyone thinks I’m gay or something, but I’m kind of scared to tell the truth.”

I was trying to think of something to say when Marla came out and said, “Pick Desi up at the back door, I’ll be out in a minute.”

Denise and I got in the car and drove to the back. Desi was there, waiting. Denise went to her, and they slid in the back seat together. Desi was pale as a ghost, so Denise put her arm around her and we waited for Marla. She came out a few minutes later, and asked if anyone was hungry. Denise and I nodded, but Desi said that she wasn’t hungry and just wanted to lie down, so we stopped at a fast food place and picked up some burgers.

We went inside when we got to Tammy’s, and Marla said, “The three of you are friends, and you seem to know a lot about each other, so, with Desi’s permission, I’m going to tell you what’s next,” when we finished eating.

She looked at Desi, and Marla looked at me when she nodded, and said, “Desi has an infection called Chlamydia. It’s contagious, and it’s spread by sexual contact. I thought that it was something like this as soon as she described her symptoms, and so did her mother. We agreed to keep it from Desi until she was tested, because I wanted her to see, I actually wanted the three of you to see what can happen when you’re not careful. The doctor treated her with antibiotics, and she should be okay in a few days.”

The three of us have talked a lot since we met, and we think that we know where she caught it. She has only had relations with one person for quite a while. It’s Bob, the boy who you said you know, but she had a brief encounter with a boy who works at the Ice Cream parlor about a month ago. She heard that a girl at school caught something from him since then. The problem is that she’s been with Bob several times since then, and she’s worried that she may have passed it on to him.”

I looked at Desi and said, “What can I do?”

She’d been watching me with a pained expression, and she said, “Are you sure you want to help me?”

I answered, “Sure, little one. Ask me anything,” as gently as I could.

Tears suddenly came in torrents, and Denise had to hold her until she calmed down, then she said, “I have to talk with Bob about this, but I need your help when I talk to Brian. He’s the guy at the ice cream store. I made a mistake with him once, and I’ve avoided him since then, but he said yesterday that he would tell everyone about it if I didn’t do it with him again. He was hinting to about it to those guys he was with when you showed up last night. I have to tell him about the infection, and I don’t want to do it alone.”

“He was one of the guys who I chased away?”

“Yes, he was the one you talked to.”

I was suddenly very angry at the little twerp, and I said, “Don’t talk to him at all, I’ll take care of it.”

It was after twelve o’clock, but the girls were obviously tired, so Marla suggested that they take a nap, and she led me outside. She looked at me with a raised eyebrow and asked, “Are you turned off by what you’ve seen today?”

“Well, I know a lot more about consequences than I did before, but what should I learn from all this? Should I give up sex altogether until I get married?”

“Of course not. I just wanted you to see what can happen when you’re not careful. Remember something. Women generally pay the price with unwanted pregnancy, but everyone loses with disease. Remember what you’ve seen the next time that you have sex.”

“I appreciate what you’ve done by helping Desi. Why are you so concerned about my friends and me?”

“I’m concerned with everyone after what happened to me. We all need more education about sex. I know what I went through, and I watch kids come in the clinic all the time. It’s almost always tragic, and it’s almost always preventable. Remember that rape victim who you took home? Even she could have been helped if she had come to the clinic as soon as it happened. They would have given her some medication, and she wouldn’t have had to go through what she did.”

“Like the Morning After pill?”

“Yes, and there are lots of other things that ... but enough of this. The girls and I were up most of the night. They need some rest, and so do I. I told her mom about everything, and she’d like the girls to be home tonight. Could you maybe give us a few hours?”

“No problem, how about four o’clock?”

She nodded, and I said, “And, uhh, Marla!”

“Yes?”

“Thanks.”

Dad was working in the garage when I got home. I joined him, and he said, “I heard you come in last night. How did the date with Marla go?” after a few minutes.

I answered, “Uhh, it went fine.”

“You got home pretty early, and you left early this morning. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, some stuff happened is all, but it’s fine now.”

Dad knows me pretty well, and he could tell that I was being evasive. He finally said, “Look, I don’t want to pry, but are you sure that everything is okay? Did it have something to do with Denise calling last night?

I don’t lie to Dad, and I was afraid the truth about last night would come out anyway, so I told him everything that happened. He listened quietly until I was finished, then he shook his head and said, “Christ! Little Desi ... Are you sure that she’s okay?”

“Yeah, Marla says that she’s going to be fine.”

“Marla sounds like quite a girl.”

“She is, Dad, she’s amazing.”

“I don’t know much about her, but she seems nice. Are you really interested in her?”

“I don’t know. It’s a little early for that.”

“Well, I know you were pretty upset about Karen leaving, and it’s good to have someone steady in your life, but don’t jump into something too soon.”

“I won’t, Dad, and thanks for your concern, but while we’re talking, can I ask what’s going on with Mom and Mr. Mariani?”

He was quiet for a while, then he sighed, “I think that it’s over.”

That wasn’t the answer I was hoping for, and I said, “It didn’t seem like you worked very hard to stop it from happening, Dad.”

There was a pained look on his face when he said, “I’m sure that you’ve heard of ‘Mid-life crises’, Pete. It’s mostly attributed to men, but women can go through it too. Your mom and I have been married for almost twenty years, and I made some mistakes last year, as you know.”

“So you just waited to see what would happen? That’s not like you.”

“Nothing did happen as far as I know. I could see that they were attracted to each other, but I didn’t feel I had the right to interfere after the way I behaved.”

“Gee, Dad, I don’t know if I could have done that.”

“I have always been in awe of your mother. She was not only one of the smartest, but she was the prettiest girl in school by far. I was blown away when she agreed to go out with me. I still feel that way.”

“Then, how could you have, umm, you know.”

“You mean, how could I have been with other women? That’s a good question, Son, and I’m not sure how to answer it. I would like to blame the ‘deal’ that your mom insisted on, but that was no excuse. I should have stuck it out.”

A voice behind us suddenly broke in with, “No, you shouldn’t. I’m the one to blame, not you. I’m the one who put the operation off for so long.”

Mom walked up, put her arm around Dad, kissed him on the cheek, and said, “Okay, I just got here. What have I missed?”

There was silence for a minute, then Dad said, “Uhh, Pete was wondering about your relationship with Mariani.”

It kind of surprised me that he said it that way, but I understood why. He was even more concerned than I was about this, and it was his way to ask about it without seeming to pry, but I think that Mom knew because she was looking at him when she said, “We have no relationship. I know that he’s interested, but he’s been a gentleman. He never did or said anything suggestive, but I must admit that I was intrigued. He’s a handsome, powerful man, but I have all the man I need. I guess that I never told you, but I’ve always been in awe of you as well.”

I’ve never seen my dad cry, but his eyes were moist when he took her in his arms. They kissed for such a long time that I tried to sneak away, but Dad caught me as I passed and pulled me to them.

I hadn’t felt this good in a long time.

I called Tammy’s house at four, and Marla sounded much more rested when she answered. She said that they were ready, so I picked them up and we headed for Cantil. Marla called Mrs. Torres from the car, and she said that she would meet us at the Grange like before. She was waiting when we pulled in, and she rushed to Desi and held her, while Desi cried and tried to apologize. Mrs. Torres took Desi to her car after a few minutes, then she came back to us and said, “Marla said you promised Desi you would take care of the boy at the ice cream shop, Pete. What are you going to do?”

“I’ll just have a talk with him. Trust me. He’ll cooperate, but I’m concerned about the bread guy at school.”

“Don’t worry about him. I’ll be at school on Monday, and I’ll make sure that he never talks to her again,” then she turned to Marla and said, “Thank you, Dear. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

Marla handed her an envelope and some pills, and she began telling her about them, so Denise and I stepped away. I was struck by how pretty she had become again. She was beginning to look a little like her mother. Her mother has a kind of wild, feline predator look. Denise had a touch of that look, but her face and whole demeanor is much softer. She isn’t as tall, and she doesn’t have her mom’s silicone-enhanced shapeliness, but her whole look is exciting and much different than the vulgar, wise-cracking girl I first met. I must have been staring, because she said, “What’s the matter, Pete?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I was just thinking about how beautiful you’ve become.”

I guess that I embarrassed her, because her eyes got big. She broke out with a big smile, and I think that she would have hugged me, but Marla came up, smiled, and said, “Hey! This one’s mine for the weekend.”

Denise grinned back and answered, “Okay, but don’t break him. I may want to use him some time.”

Marla laughed, and Denise went to her and took her hands. She said, “Thank you. Thank you for what you did for Desi, and for the education.”

Watching the two girls standing there was interesting. It wasn’t two empty-headed schoolgirls talking about makeup or hairstyles. It was two young women talking about something serious, and Denise was no longer the confused, angry girl who I first met. This girl looked poised and confident. And there was Marla. She didn’t look a lot older than Denise at twenty, and I had recently noticed a freshness about her. She had seemed to come alive since she started working at WE, and watching how she had handled things with Desi had impressed me a lot.

I had a strange feeling all of a sudden. Was the world passing me by? I didn’t feel any different, but the people around me seemed to be growing up.

We got in the car and headed toward town. Desi had said that the ice cream boy worked tonight, so I drove back to the store. I saw that the boy I saw earlier, and a heavy-set girl were behind the counter waiting on some customers when I pulled in front. I was trying to figure out what to do, when Marla asked, “Do you have a plan?”

“I need to get him alone and talk to him.”

“You’re not going to hurt him are you?”

“I don’t plan on it, but he has an attitude.”

She sat for a minute, then she asked, “Is there a back way?”

Remembering when I first saw Tammy being attacked by those town girls, I answered, “Yes, there’s an alley behind the place.”