“Hey!” screams the man

“I…. Sorry.” Shane mumbles and runs.

Carmen and her girlfriend gaze at their direction.  One of the voices sounded familiar to Carmen.

Shane runs without stopping towards her car.  Once she found it, she opens the door quickly and starts the engine as fast as she could.

“Shit, shit, shit.”  She curses her luck, hitting the wheel. “What if she saw me?  Did she see me?  Did she know it was me?  Nah!”  Shane thinks while driving.  She can’t get rid of the image of Carmen and the baby from her mind.  “She has a baby… a baby… Fuck” that was something that Shane hadn’t counted on.  Carmen now has her own family.  Things are going to be more difficult than she thought.  “Oh man…a son.”

—————————————————————————————————–

1 ½ years ago.  Club Damelo – New York

“Come in, Carmen.  Take a seat.”

“Thanks…” Carmen says shyly trying to remember the name of the woman.

“Nicole.” she smiles.

“Oh right, right… Nicole.” giggles Carmen.  Her captivating smile is still there – Nicole notices – but with a shadow of sadness.

“I’m glad you’ve decided to come.”  Nicole affirms without hiding her excitement.  After all, a talent like Carmen’s is what her new club needs right now.

“Yeah, me too.  Your proposal sounded interesting, so here I am.”

Nicole proceeds to explain to Carmen everything about the job.  After that, she decides to show Carmen the place.

“It’s a great place.  I can’t believe you don’t have a partner.  I bet it’s a huge responsibility to open up a place like this on your own.”

“Well it is a huge responsibility, and I did have a partner – my ex girlfriend, but she…” Nicole pauses with a sad look, “she couldn’t confront the challenge.”

“Oh I see.  Too much work, huh?”

“No, I meant this challenge.” Nicole says caressing her belly.

“Oh… You…um…” Carmen points at Nicole’s belly.

Nicole smiles now with a glow in her face.  “Yes, I’m pregnant.  I was dying to have a baby.  She was, too at the beginning, but then she just freaked out and told me she wasn’t ready.  She wanted me to get an abortion.”  She shakes her head at the memory, “but I told her I was going to have this baby with or without her.  And well, I bought her half of the club, and here it is… All mine.”