“Next week I’ll be going away for a little while.” Bette said looking deeply into Tina’s worried eyes. “What? Why, where are you going?” she asked. ” I’ve got to go to Cuba for a little while. My son…” ” You have a son?” She asked putting on her clothes hastily. ” Well sort of he’s my brother’s son…” ” Isn’t your brother in Cuba? Why can’t he be with his son?” ” BECAUSE HE’S DEAD!” she shouted. ” You said your brother was in Cuba…” ” He is, he’s buried back home in San Luis, he’s been there for two years.”




Set 2yrs. Earlier




” Daddy have you seen Mel today?” Bette asked before she had noticed that Melvin had already walked out of the room. Feeling frustrated Bette just went and got in her car, but she didn’t go anywhere she just sat there thinking to herself about anything and everything. It wasn’t until she heard someone knock on her window did she open her eyes to see Mel leaning on her car obviously high already. ” Jesus ***** Christ you the ***** outta me!” she said getting out of the car heading back into the house. ” Where’s Jesse?” he asked stumbling and damn near falling into the house. ” He’s with Carmen. you know that.” she said heading into like she was about to clean it. By that time Mel had passed out on the couch letting the heroin take its affect. Bette came back into the living room to see her brother obviously killing himself slowly and painfully, but she didn’t know why.




She went back into her room and put on her Gloria Estefan: Amor y Suerte. She let Gloria’s voice cradle her as she fell asleep dreaming of moments like this with her mother. The rest of the day had passed and Bette was still asleep until the sound of thunder came booming through her room as the rain poured down the window in streaks.



” You’ve been asleep for a while.”



” Jesus!” she said noticing Mel sitting in the corner. ” What the ***** are you doin in my room Mel?” she said a little upset about his intrusion.



” I used to watch you sleep all the time when you were a baby, Momma used to tell me you were dreaming about you and me together, your strong big brother, right.” just then a crash of lightening lit up her entire room it was then that Bette noticed the gun in his right hand.



” Mel what the *****…”



” Do you remember her, her smile, her hair, her walk, and her laugh how infectious it was? Do you, because I can’t forget. I see her every time you look at me. Every ***** day is like living with a ghost. When you look at me with her eyes I see how much of a disappointment I’ve become to you and her!” he screamed.



” Mel please tell me… let me help you. I still love you, I still need you. Don’t do this, don’t do this to us.” she said crying and kneeling down at his feet. She looked up to see his eyes filled with years of pain and tears.



” Come on I’ll take you to your room, please just come with me.” she took him in her arms and led him to his room. There she laid him down on the bed as she took the gun out his hand her heart was racing, she then laid the gun on his dresser. Taking a seat in the corner Bette could only imagine what he might’ve done to her or himself had she not woken up when she did. She watched her brother sleep peacefully, she cried quietly and alone in the dark. She had unknowingly cried into sunrise.



With Mel still asleep she went into the kitchen damn near breaking down at the refrigerator, she poured herself a glass of orange juice and was heading back to Mel’s room when heard him saying ” A good Marine, is a brave Marine. A good Marine, is a brave Marine. A good Marine, is a brave Marine.” She walked back into the room to see Mel standing by the window with the gun back in his hand, he turned to her and sobbingly said ” Tell Melito I’m sorry.”



“Mel don’t…” before she could finish her plead the sound of the gun shot filled the room. She dropped the glass and rushed over to her brother. ” MEL, MEL, PLEASE, DON”T, NO, PLEASE MEL, GET UP, DADDY!” she screamed. Melvin came running into the room to see his daughter cradling his lifeless son. ” PLEASE DADDY, HELP ME…” He just picked her up and took her in his room and called the ambulance. Bette sat there in shock. She was completely in a daze when they came and took her brother away. The only thing she remembers seeing was the body bag.



Over the next couple of days Bette was a functioning zombie. The funeral plans were all up to her, Melvin had no input what so ever. It wasn’t until Bette had one of Mel’s suits hanging on his door did Melvin say anything to her. ” What is that?” he asked pointing to the suit.



“That’s the suit I’m taking to funeral home for Mel.”



“I will not have my son buried like that, you will bury my son as a marine, do understand me?” he said raising his voice.



“Sure Daddy.” she said not wanting to fight. Bette went into closet found his marine formal wear and put it in her car. It wasn’t until she was halfway down the road did she felt compelled to pull over, she looked in her rearview mirror and saw his suit, it was almost as if he was right there telling he what to do. She turned the car around and drove home fast, barely giving the car time to stop she hopped out and ran into the house grabbed the suit off the door and was heading out when Melvin saw her. ” Where are you going wit that?”



“I’m burying my brother in this.”



“The ***** you are, he will be buried as a marine.”



“No Daddy, I will not have his last suit be this” she said pulling the suit of the car and throwing it to the ground. ” He never wanted this, this code of honor which you held him to. And when he fell you just kicked him even more. Don’t you understand he was killing himself slowly because of this.”



“I don’t have to listen to this!” he said turning to go back into the house.



” No but you will listen to me,” she said grabbing his arm and turning him around. ” there were days when he was screaming about his own iniquitous behavior and we needed you. He joined the marines for your attention, your approval. But you just shut down when Momma died. Where were you, when we needed you?” she said with a broken voice and tears flowing.



“You don’t understand…”



“Understand what, Daddy talk to me please!”



“I needed her!” he cried out. ” You two had each other. She was all I had.” he said falling to his knees.



“We needed you Daddy.” she said as she went over to her father. And for the first time in years Melvin cried, he cried for every time he should’ve been holding his kids close instead of avoiding them. “I’m sorry” he said holding Bette close for the first time in years. They cried together.



During the funeral Bette just held her brother Jesse, as she gave her father her hand for support, and right there as usual was her cousin Carmen was there for her. It wasn’t until Bette and Carmen were sitting on the porch swing did she ever talk about that day.



“So when are y’all taking him home?” she asked Bette.



“Tomorrow night were flying home with him. And were going to bury him at the house.”



“Hey you ok?” Carmen asked seeing that Bette was obviously lost in thought.



“I don’t know. I just keep playing it over and over again in my head trying figure out what he meant by “tell Melito I’m sorry” because Melito is what my mom would call him.”



“That’s what he said?”



“Yeah, I just can’t figure it out.”



“Umm, look Jo, I need to tell you somethin’.”



“Already I don’t like you callin me Jo.”



“You remember when Mel went to Cuba to “find himself”.



“Yeah he was down there like six months. So who is Melito?”



“Melito is Mel’s son.”



“What?”



“Mel met a friend of mine down there, Alicia…”



“I have a nephew in Cuba?”



“Alicia left him when she found out about his using, but he didn’t know about Melito until he came back…”



“Why are you telling me this now Carmen? Does she want somethin’? Does she even know he’s dead?” she asked wiping away the tears.



“Yeah, she knows. And when you and Melvin land in Cuba she wants you to meet Melito. I know I should’ve told you sooner but Mel begged me not to. He felt like he had disappointed you enough, he didn’t want you to think he was some low-life degenerate running away from his responsibilities.” Bette could only sit in silence totally taken by the moment.



“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to you, I can’t believe you’ve kept this secret from me for months. I thought you were my sister more than a cousin. I can’t believe you.”



“You know it’s not me you’re mad at, I am your sister. You know damn well you would’ve done the same thing if you were me.”



“I just need him back, I needed him Carmen.” Bette said with a breaking voice and tears still flowing. Carmen held her close.



TBC……………………………………………….