Dirty Laundry

''Well are you gonna take it for a test drive?'' he smiled. ''Can I?'' ''Why are you asking me it's your car'' he chuckled. I was gonna need some time to get used to that. ''Let me go get Kyle's
car seat'' I got out of the car and went back inside and grabbed his car seat and strapped him in.

Back in the driver's seat I adjusted everything to me and put the car in reverse and fishtailed it then drove to the end. It was such a smooth ride. I recognized where i was immediately and turned to him briefly ''We live right off commander Shepherd'' I said wide eyed. He nodded. ''This road takes me straight towards my old house and school'' ''Where did you live?'' ''I lived on running man'' ''Really?'' ''Mhmm I still have a friend who lives there with her parents'' ''That's nice'' he mused. ''Lets eat lunch out'' he suggested. ''You want to?'' I asked looking at him as I stopped at a red light. ''Yeah I know a place..do you like gyros?'' ''..Let me guess..Sam's?'' I smiled ''Yeah'' he chuckled. ''I used to eat there all the time when I lived here, my sister was a maniac with lamb meat and tzatziki sauce'' ''It's better in Greece but for the states it's good'' he shrugged.

''Well Sam isn't Greek..I can't remember what he said he was but his wife is the greek one, she's the one who taught him how to cook it'' ''You know them personally?'' ''Not really..I just went alot, after a while you know the people'' I shrugged. ''I go there alot but I never talk to anyone'' ''I'm surprised you talk to me at all, you don't look like someone who likes to talk, Matt told me that in high school you never talked'' he looked down as I mentioned that. ''I like to talk to you'' he shrugged. ''I'm glad'' I smiled. ''You at least have to have one person you like to talk to'' I leaned over kissing his cheek. ''I'm surprised you like me at all'' he snorted. ''Oh come on you're not that bad..just misunderstood'' I giggled. ''Yeah OK'' he snorted sarcastically.

''Oh come on, I'm sure everyone thought you were a quiet freak but that's because they didn't get the chance to know you, I mean you've been friends with Landon and Matt since high school, they must have understood if they accepted you like that. There was a kid in my school that didn't talk and no one cared for him, no one cared to talk to him or even noticed him, he was friends with one of my friends and I met him through my friend, turns out he was a very nice guy he just didn't like to talk is all but when he did he was very nice to talk to he was just misunderstood'' I shrugged.

He didn't say anything but when I looked over at him he was just staring at me ''What?'' I asked rolling my eyes. ''Nothing'' he shrugged. ''Tell me'' I shoved his arm playfully. When he flinched I gasped remembering his bruises ''I'm sorry'' I apologized. ''It's good'' he chuckled.

''Tell me'' I insisted again as I parked in front of the small mom and pop restaurant. ''How is it the one person I give mercy to turns out to be the person I fall in love with'' ''Aww you're so sweet'' I smiled. He snorted looking away as if the gushy lovey shit made him sick. ''Typical man'' I rolled my eyes. ''I didn't mean it like that'' he grabbed my hand playing with my fingers. ''Then what did you mean?'' I snorted. ''I've never told someone I loved them I'm not used to the feeling'' he shrugged.

He didn't look at me he kept his gaze down at my hand. I meshed my lips from smiling. ''I love you too'' I said quietly. ''That's a relief..I wasn't sure how you'd react'' he said still looking at my hand and not me. I took my hand from his grasp and cupped his cheek turning his head to look at me. ''If you're relieved then look at me'' I smiled. His eyes seemed bright and elated. I leaned in and kissed him. Afterwords we got out and he carried Kyle's car seat into the small restaurant.

''Aw shoot..I knew i forgot something..Kyle's baby bag..He's gotta eat he'll get fussy'' ''That's fine we'll take the food to go'' he shrugged. ''OK'' I nodded ''What do you want?'' ''Gyro, no onions extra sauce'' I sat with Kyle and rocked him. I put a blanket over his car seat because
I was superstitious. I didn't want el mal ojo to get him. Sam looked over the counter at me as if he was seeing a ghost. ''Shana?'' he asked. I smile nodding ''Hi Sam'' I waved. ''Shana it's been years since I last saw your face in my shop'' ''How's Maria? and the boys?'' I smiled

''Good..Maria is at home sick but she'll be fine'' ''Aw poor thing'' ''You with him?'' he nodded to Smith. I nodded ''Yeah he's my boyfriend'' ''Why I no see you anymore? where your sister? how your mother?'' he eyed me suspiciously then looked at Kyle's carseat ''You have baby'' he crossed his arms ''Too young'' ''We moved to North Carolina, I moved in with my boyfriend recently and that's my son, my mother is fine and Sasha misses your gyros'' I said breathlessly. ''Your son? let me see the little one'' he smiled like a grandparent seeing their grandchildren. I went to Kyle and took him out holding him to Sam ''Ah such a small boy'' ''He's twenty days old'' ''So little, he look like you more than him'' ''I know..but that happens'' I shrugged.

He gave Kyle back and made a little cross on his forehead then spit on the ground ''Protect from evil eye'' ''I know..in panama we believe in el mal ojo too..'' ''Good'' he nodded sternly. I put Kyle in his car seat and Smith looked at me amused ''Evil eye?'' he asked. ''What?'' ''What is the evil eye?'' ''It's a superstition thing, I can't explain it..it's like a curse that can kill you, it hits babies easily so mother's should cover them up so no one can look at them and give them el mal ojo..'' I spread the blanket across the top shielding Kyle from outside.

''You really believe in that? that some thing will curse Kyle and kill him'' ''Smith it's not funny..it's what I was raised to believe'' I said sternly. ''OK..if you really believe it I'll let you to it'' ''Good'' I nodded.

Sam took a while, as usual, to make our food. He was a bit slow at cooking but his food was always good. I grabbed the bag and Smith took Kyle's car seat. ''Bye Shana I better be seeing you more or I'll have to tell Maria you died'' he chuckled ''OK Sam bye'' I rolled my eyes as we left.

Back at home we ate lunch and I fed Kyle then changed his diaper. ''Why doesn't it stink?''
Smith asked. I shrugged ''Right now all he's eating is formula and it doesn't process like our food I guess'' I shrugged. ''But don't worry, once he starts mixing formula with real food it gets
worse'' I crinkled my nose. I cleaned around his umbilical chord stub and to my great surprise it fell off. ''Smith get a baggy'' ''Why?'' ''We have to save his stub'' ''Why?'' ''It's a baby book thing'' ''Baby book?'' ''You know a few pictures here some hair clippings there his umbilical chord stub, it's so that we can show him what he was when he was a new born'' I shrugged. ''People actually do that?'' ''Yes'' I laughed. ''OK'' he shrugged going downstairs and bringing a little zip lock sandwich baggy. I stored it in an empty shoe box in the closet then put Kyle down for a nap.