Life on Banana Street

The Molested

-June-

“26 more days, love,” Gabe said walking past me to the bathroom.

I smiled and said, “Yep. Better get me something nice.”

“Oh don’t worry.”

As I was wondering what he was going to get me, the doorbell rang.

“Coming!”

I opened the door and this frightened woman stood at the door with a child in her arms.

“May I help you?”

“Please! Please! Take this baby! Don’t ask questions!”

“O-ok?” She handed me the infant and she ran away.

“Gabe!” I said with a pitch of worry in my voice.

“Yeah Hun?”

“Can you come here for a sec?”

“Alright.” He walked in the entry way and stopped dead in his tracks. “What the hell?”

“I don’t know.”

“What happened?”

“Well this lady was at the door and she told me to take the baby and to not ask questions.”

“Well I want to ask some questions!”

“Gabe, try to be reasonable. Obviously, she couldn’t take care of this.”

“And she thinks she can just waltz right in here and give it to us like we can?”

“We can. And we will.”

“What?”

“Yeah! What else are we gonna do with it?”

“Put it up for adoption.”

“We can’t do that…”

“Why the hell not? It’s not like it’s ours or anything!”

“That’s just it! We don’t have any records of when it was born or how old it is or any of that.”

“Well, baby. I’m not ready to be a father.”

“I’m not ready to be a mother, but we can do this.”

“I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

“You don’t know about what?”

“About keeping it. Maybe we can do the same thing she did and give it to someone else.”

“No.”

“Why? I don’t want to lose my freedom and I’m sure you don’t want to either!”

“I guess you’re right, but what are we gonna do with it?”

“Put it up for adoption. Come on I’ll drive you downtown.”

We got in the car with the baby as Gabe drove.

“Gabe, what do I say if they ask when it was born or anything?”

“Just say a lady gave it to you earlier today.”

“What if they don’t buy it?”

“Shit, Addie. I don’t know!”

“Well rawr. You don’t have to jump down my throat!”

“I’m sorry baby, it’s just that the kid is getting my nerves all worked up.”

“It’s ok. I don’t blame you. I’m not the bright side of life either.”

He smiled and kissed my hand. “I love you, Addie.”

I love you. I love you. Those words floated around in my head. He loved me? Did I feel the same way?

“Well…” he said.

“Well what?”

“Well that wasn’t the exact reaction I was hoping for.”

“Oh, I was just thinking.”

“Of what?”

“If I loved you back.”

There was a pause. “So do you?”

I thought about it and responded, “Y-yes. I love you.”

“You do?”

“Yeah! I do…”

“I’m glad. I’m really glad.”

“Well we’ve been dating for about 5 months now right?”

“Yeah. There about. I’m just so happy!”

“Me too.”

“You don’t seem enthused.”

“But I am. If only you knew what was going on inside me.”

“Oh. Right.”

“What you don’t believe me?”

“I didn’t say that, I’m just agreeing with you.”

“Oh okay.”

I started to play with the baby; put my finger on its nose, the works.

“What are you doing?”

“Well there’s nothing else to do…”

“You’re gonna get attached to it, and I’ll never forgive myself.”

“What do you mean you’ll never forgive yourself?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you saying you’ll be sorry for going out with me?”

“No. I’m saying I’m sorry for driving you all the way down here and not even give it away.”

“That doesn’t make sense but ok.”

Gabe pulled into this deserted parking lot with a tall, slender building that looked like it could topple over any minute.

“Ok. We’re here.”

We all got out of the car. Now I understood! There was a sign that said ’Social Services.’ Wait, oh no! Social Services!

“Gabe, I’m scared.”

“Of what?” He asked looking at me funny.

“Social Services.”

“Why?…”

“They tried to take me in earlier this year.”

“Alright. That’s kinda crazy, but just stay close to me. I won’t let them hurt you.”

“Thank you.”

As soon as we opened the door, the inside was totally different than the ghetto outside. It was warm and inviting.

“Hello, my name is Mary Watkins at Berkeley Social Services. How may I be of service?”

“Um we need to put this baby up for adoption.”

“Oh, that’s a cute baby. Why ever?”

“It’s not ours.”

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. Right this way.”

She led us down the deserted hallway of offices to the stairs at the back of the building. We soon got to the 3rd floor and she stuck us with this fat guy who looked like he’d rather eat the baby than put it up for adoption.

“Hello, I’m Nicholas-” He stopped and stared at me.

“Hi Nicky!”

“Addie. What. Are. You. Doing. Here.”

“Baby. Adoption.”

“Oh. Well, I need some information. You know, Addie, I never thought that I’d see you with a kid.”

“It’s not mine…”

“Of course it’s not. It never is!” He said with a chuckle.

“No, I mean it. It’s not.”

“Oh, and who is this handsome young fellow?!” He said still smiling.

“Sorry, Nicky, but he’s not gay.”

“That’s a shame. If you were I woulda had you all to myself.”

Yeah like a HoHo. I looked over at Gabe and I could tell that he was uncomfortable.

“Look, Nicky can we just get through this?”

“Yeah of course.” He cleared his throat. “So what is the baby’s full name?”

“Uhm, we’re not exactly sure. It was dropped on our doorstep.”

“Is that right?”

“Um yes it is. We have no record of the child.”

“Hmm well I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do for you.”

“Oh come on now there’s gotta be something you can do!”

“There’s nothing. I can not fix it. Only you can fix it. I guess you have to do the same thing the previous owner did. Give it to someone else.”

“But I don’t understand. I live on the 3rd floor of my apartment building. Why would this woman come up there and leave? Wouldn’t it make more sense if she went to the 1st floor?”

“Of course it would, but you don’t know that. You must have been set up.”

“Could it be anyone from our school?”

“Well who do you know that knows you don’t want kids.”

I thought about it and at the same time, we both said, “Tre.”

“That mother f-”

“Please, please.” Nicky put his hands up as if to stop. “There are children present.”

“Oh. Right. I forgot.”

A few minutes later, we got done at Social Services and we drove home, very silently.

“I can’t believe this Gabe.”

“I can’t believe this either! How could you go out with such a Bone Head?”

“It was different when we were together. You don’t know the half of it.”

“Oh, I don’t know the half about how he cheated on you with your best friend?”

“Yeah! You don’t. That was the bad side. If you only knew how he really was.”

“I’m not sure if I want to know him because the only interaction I had with that Ass Wipe was when he picked a fight with me. Over you.”

“Sorry! It’s not my fault he still has feelings for me.”

“Yeah I’m sure he has feelings for you after he CHEATED ON YOU!”

“Yeah well-”

“I’m sick of all this shit, Addie! All you do when you bring up the subject of Tre is try to defend him like what he did wasn’t that bad!”

“Ugh I’m tired of you yelling at me! Maybe this relationship wasn’t meant to be.”

“What are you saying? You want to break up?”

“No. I love you.”

“Then what the hell was that all about?”

“Gabe, I’m tired of you yelling at me. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Oh come on, something has to be wrong. You weren’t always like this.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been like this the whole time.”

“No. No. Not when I first met you. You were as nice as hell.”

“Ok. Maybe something is bothering me.”

“See! I told you! Ok, go ahead and tell me.”

“If I tell you, you swear not to say anything to anybody?”

“Shit, this must be serious.”

“It is…I was…molested as a child.”