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Neveah
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My Mama told me I'd lose my head if it weren't attached. Today has been one of those days. First, I ran over a plank of wood that punctured my tire. My Papi, my hero, came and changed the tire and switched cars with me so I wouldn't be late for work again. He was going to take my car to the shop to get new tires for me.
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I get my ass to work just in the nick of time, and I run to my nursing unit as rounds are about to start. I get my assignments and find my best friend Henry at the coffee kiosk. He looks me up and down and shakes his head.
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"What?" I ask him taking the coffee he offers me.
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"Bitch, you got two different shoes on!"
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"No, I don't…." I say, looking down and seeing clear as day. One blue and one black nursing clog. "Oh fuck!"
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"Did you get dressed in the dark?" He laughs.
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"Shut it up! I have extra clothes in my bag with sneakers.”
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"That's right. You're only working four hours today."
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"Yup, it's my besties' birthdays today!"
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"I'll try to make it by later, but if not, tell my besties Happy Birthday."
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"I will," I say with a smile, and we go to our separate departments.
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My shift went without a hitch except for Mr. Jones getting naked multiple times during the day. Working in the memory care unit can be entertaining and heartbreaking all at the same time. I redress Mr. Jones for the fifth time this shift, and I look at the time, and it's the end of my shift. I run to the time clock and tap my badge against it to clock myself out. I run to the locker room and get dressed. As I walk out, I see Henry and wave goodbye to him.
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I meet Papi in the parking lot, and he tosses me my keys, and I toss him his keys. I get in my car and adjust my mirror, seeing my smiling twin besties.
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"Mommy!" They both squeal out.
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"Babies, how was school today?" I ask, noticing a note safety-pinned onto Norah's shirt. "Norah, what did you do, Mija?" Her eyes fill with tears as she grips another paper in her hand. I take the sheet from her tiny hands. It's a flyer for the Father/Daughter dance next month. My Papi took her last year, and they had so much fun.
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"Nowah, hitted Twabis," Noah says, touching his twin sister's arm.
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"Norah hit Travis," I repeat.
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"That's I say, Mama," Noah says,
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"Why did you hit Travis, Norah?" I ask, and again I get crickets from her: Norah's protector, Noah, chimes in again.
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"She hitted him 'cause he said Nowah can't go to the dance, 'cause her don't have a daddy," he says, adjusting his eyeglasses. That little boy Travis is a little shit! Kids can be so hurtful, no matter the age.
"Norah, it's okay Papa can take you. Remember what I always tell you?"
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"Yes, Mama. We have a super Papa." Norah says, and I finally get a smile from her.
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"He gots superpowers, right Mama?" Noah says.
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"Right!" I yell, making them giggle. "Where are we going?"
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"To the doctors," they both say.
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"What’s going to happen there?” I ask.
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“We gonna get shots,” Noah says sadly. I have prepped them every night for the last two weeks.
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“It’s so you don’t get sick, honey,” I say, noticing him drifting off to sleep. “Oh, no, you don’t. Noah, wake up! Where are we going after the doctors?”
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“The Trampoline park!” They scream out.
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“For what?”
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“Our birthday party,” Norah sings out.
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“How old are you today?” I ask. They have the biggest grins, and their matching blue eyes twinkle in the sunlight. I look at my dark brown eyes and back at their light eyes in the mirror—his eyes.
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“Four!” they squeal, holding up four fingers. I pull into the parking lot of the pediatrician's office, and I see the fear in their faces.
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“It’s okay, my loves. It’ll be over so fast.” I open the backdoor, and they unfasten themselves, and I help each of them out of the car. “Ready?” I ask, and they nod as I take them by their hands and lead them into the office.
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We checked in, and I was informed that Dr. Reyes had an emergency and had to leave for the day, but they could squeeze us in with another doctor. We’ve never seen Dr. Jones before, but I’m worried about Noah. He’s been falling asleep a lot and seems tired all the time. I want to make sure he’s okay.
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“Anything concerning you today, Mama?” Dr. Jones asks.
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“Yes, Noah. He seems tired lately and falls asleep everywhere, including at school.”
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“Seems to me that he may be having a growth spurt. This is totally normal at this age. Let’s check their hearts and get those S.H.O.T.S done,” she says. As she is about to put the stethoscope on Noah’s chest, there is a knock on the door. “Come in.”
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“Dr. Jones, there is an emergency call from the hospital.” The medical assistant Jessica says.
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“I’m so sorry,” Dr. Jones says with an apologetic smile.
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“It’s okay, go ahead,” I say, and Dr. Jones leaves the room just as I get a text.
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Henry: I got coverage. I’ll see you at the party.
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Me: Yay, the kids will be thrilled to see you!
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There is a knock on the door, and Jessica returns with two trays of vaccines.
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“Sorry, Dr. Jones got called away to the hospital. She asked that I give Norah and Noah their vaccines.”
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“That’s fine. Okay, kiddos, we have to be brave,” I say, picking up Noah first, and he takes it like a champ. Are there tears, of course, but he doesn’t put up a fight. On the other hand, Norah was like baby hulk fighting.
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We finish up and head to the trampoline park for their birthday, and the shots are long forgotten. Henry and my Papi are waiting at the front entrance for us. The kids see Henry, and they tear off into his waiting arms. Henry has been in my life since we were in the seventh grade, and the boys would tease him because he was openly gay. I was his protector, and he was mine when the girls in high school bullied me for having big tits. Oh, how I love him.
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I invited all their preschool classmates, and they all showed, making my babies so happy. Even that little shit Travis is here. I fill Henry in on the Travis drama as Papi takes the kids to jump so we can have a little break. Every time Travis would pass Henry and me, Henry would give him the evil eye.
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“Stop, he’s just a little boy. A shitty little boy but just a boy.”
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“I’ll trip him on the trampoline.” He laughs. “ I remember when you got pregnant with them. It seems like it was yesterday.”
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“Yeah, it was all your fault,” I roll my eyes and laugh.
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“Bitch, how did I make you lose your virginity to that guy?”
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“Bitch, you begged me to go to music festival camp to be your wing-woman. Once we got there, you found your prey, and I got left by myself. He got ditched too, so we spent the time together.”
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“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that,” he bit back a smile at the memory.
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“Yeah, I was young and dumb. But, look at them. They’re my proudest achievement.”
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“I’m proud of you bitch. You did the damn thing. You finished nursing school all while nursing not one but two babies!”
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“I needed to do it for them. In reality, I did it to prove that I could do it.” I say, getting emotional. We look over at Papi with the kids jumping. Henry hugs me and laughs. “What?”
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“Bitch, I hate to break it to you, but those babies look nothing like you. They have light skin tones, blue eyes, and dirty blonde hair. Here you are looking like Selma Hayek. What was his name again?”
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“I know they look exactly like their father. His name is Tj, or that’s what he told me. When I found out I was pregnant, I was on campus, and I saw him, and he acted like he didn’t know who I was. He said I was batshit crazy, and I slapped him. They don’t need him.” I sigh. “Let’s change the subject,” I say as I see Noah approaching. He looks like he had water poured over him. “Honey, you’re so sweaty.” I notice that he is breathing a bit hard. “Are you okay, Noah?”
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“I want water,” he starts, and his eyes go to the back of his head. My baby boy collapses in my arms.
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