The squealing of the front screen door opening drew Bette back to compose herself. It was Melvin ” I’m sorry.” he said turning around to avoid the emotion that filled air around them. “Daddy, I need to talk to you about somethin’, will you please join me.”she said looking at Carmen who was a little shocked about the events to come.


” You’re not about to tell him now , are you?” she asked under her breath.



“He needs to know before we leave.” she said in response.


Carmen excused herself and went inside, while Melvin took a seat next to Bette on the porch swing.”Daddy,” she said taking his hand and stalling trying to figure out how to start this conversation. “I just found out this myself so please just listen before you ask me any questions.” she took a long sigh while looking intensely into her father’s eyes and said “Mel has a son in Cuba.” her eyes searched his face for some sort of reaction, but his face was just as empty as before.


“I have a grandson in Cuba?” Bette just nodded as she somehow knew what the next question was going to be.



“Do I have a daughter-in-law?” he asked as she knew how firmly he was set on traditional family values.



“I don’t know, her name is Alicia.”they both just sat in silence taking in the situation before Melvin interrupted “I can’t do this now.” Bette was confused now more than ever.



“What do you mean, Daddy?” she asked looking up at her father’s back.



“I’m saying that I can’t go to Cuba and bury my son while looking at a child’s face whose looks like mine!” he exclaimed while grabbing hold of Bette’s shoulders unknowingly frightening her a little. “Please just take Carmen with you and bury Mel, I can’t do it.”he said releasing Bette and gaining back some sense of false composure.



Never having seen that look in her father’s eyes before she knew it would be a mistake for him to go to Cuba now. So Bette asked Carmen if she wouldn’t mind coming with her to Cuba , seeing as how she was going out there later on to visit their Nanna, she just made her trip a little early.



Bette and Carmen boarded the plane while Melvin signed the invoice for Mel’s body and coffin. Bette could she him on the tarmac as he gave the casket a final kiss goodbye. She saw him as he watched them load the coffin on the plane, he then looked up and saw Bette as she waved he blew her a kiss and walked back inside. Carmen took hold of Bette’s hand as they took off towards Cuba. Carmen assured Bette of peace while she took a nap on the way there. Bette woke up with an hour to go she woke to find Carmen still awake listening to her music.



“Hey sweetie you’re awake?” she said looking at Bette who was gazing at her with a look of tranquillity.



“It kills me how much you look like Nanna. The two of you are so beautiful. You both have this air of peace around you, it’s amazing.” she said sitting up and looking out the window. Carmen just watched as Bette’s face fell at the thought of the situation to come. They landed and met with the funeral home, she signed the papers and sent Carmen to receive their bags as she watched them load her brother in the hearse. After making sure things went alright with Mel she met Carmen and the rest of the family outside of the airport. Standing there with open arms was her favorite Auntie Antonia. She hugged Bette for a long time just rocking her back and forth and kissing her forehead, it was overwhelming for them both. After hugging and crying for what seemed like forever they loaded up the bags and headed towards her mother’s house in San Luis.



Bette couldn’t pay any attention to the conversation Toni and Carmen were having, her attention was drawn to the beauty she was afraid of seeing again. She watched the ocean clash against the rocks as they drove along the coast. “Bette, Bette, Bette!” Toni yelled to get her attention.



“Huh?” she said taking her eyes away from the ocean.



“I said momma’s at the house she wants to talk to you ok?”



“Nanna’s at my house?” she asked a little surprised to hear about Nanna being somewhere other than her own house. After pulling up to her house Bette and Carmen began to unload the truck, it was then that Bette noticed a short, gray haired woman with wind blowing her hair so gently, sitting in her mother’s rocking chair in her backyard. Carmen could see that Bette was distracted so she said to her ” Go on, I got it.” Carmen knew how much their Nanna meant to Bette. Bette opened up the gate, never taking her eyes off of her she walked over to her just as she was standing up to see Bette. Bette stopped and looked at her with tears falling, Nanna just opened her arms and held Bette as she cried.



“Come on baby come sit down.” Nanna guided Bette over to a chair across from hers as she took a seat in the rocking chair. Bette began to stop crying as she could smell the salty ocean wind hit her face.



“Oh child, you walk around with so much sorrow inside of you, why?”



“I don’t know .” she said wiping away the tears. Bette knew that she couldn’t hide anything from her, she just felt so exposed.



“It’s killing the passion inside of you, I can see it. Just let it go.”



“I haven’t felt that in a long time , Nanna.”



“But it’s still there, baby, you just have to feed it.” Bette just nodded in agreement as she was going over what she said to her.



“Have you met Alicia, do you know about Melito?” she asked looking deep into her Nanna’s eyes.



“Of course I knew. But it wasn’t my place to tell you. That was up to Mel. I know you’re upset with him now baby, but you’ll forgive someday.”



“I’m afraid that I won’t.”



“But you will baby, your love for him is to strong. Speaking of which here they come now, let me go talk to them, ok you just stay here Josephine.” Taken by the way she felt knowing that her grandmother could say her name and make it sound like that threw Bette. She was completely taken by the situation until her eyes fell upon the grave site that was to house her brother tomorrow morning. She was completely lost in her own mind until she heard “Bette?” She stood up and turned to find a gorgeous, brown skin kissed by the sun, long haired beauty, with dancing eyes standing there holding a baby that looked like her brother with eyes that called to her. She immediately grabbed her face in shock, see couldn’t believe how much of her brothers face was in this child.



“This is Melito, and I’m Alicia.” she said shaking Bette’s hand like a business partner. “Would you like to hold him ?” she asked seeing that Bette couldn’t take eyes off of him. She took him in her arms and felt a rushing wave of happiness and peace,,something she hadn’t felt in a long time.



“He’s beautiful.” she said to Alicia never taking her eyes away from his. By this time everybody left Bette and Alicia alone to get know one another while Carmen went to Nanna’s house to visit with the rest of the family. While Bette sat on a blanket in the backyard playing with Melito the sun was setting and the heat was cooling down just as the lights came on in the backyard giving them enough light to stay outside for a while. By that time Alicia had fixed herself a drink of brandy and was watching Bette play with Melito. It was well into dusk when both Bette and Alicia were sitting watching Melito sleep on the blanket.


“So how did you meet my brother?”



“I was dancing in a club and I saw him dancing with this ***** from my neighborhood, I never even meant to get know him but I just had to do something to piss her off. So I began to dance with him on the slow songs and he was so into my rhythm, we just connected. He walked me home that night and he promised to come back to see me again, and from there we started dating. he was the most gentle person I have ever met he was really the only the person who listened to me at the time. He was sweet,” she said with an accent that was hypnotizing Bette. She was completely lost in her sultry, voice that fell upon the air like sweet rain. There was something bout her that drew Bette further into every word that she was saying.



“Do you want me to freshen up your drink?” Bette asked noticing Alicia’s drink was little low. Bette took her drink and headed into the kitchen, she put a little ice in there but not before rubbing a piece up and down her back and neck hoping for a little relief from the heat that settled in the kitchen. Bette had Alicia’s drink in her hand and was heading outside when she turned the corner and to her surprise there was Alicia. She had been watching Bette the entire time. Almost as a visual conversation between the two she pulled her into her close and hard and kissed her so aggressively and raw. “Oh my god, is this really happening, she has the softest lips, oh Jesus is this real , this can’t be happening, but it feels so good, this is Mel’s girl, oh God Mel?” These thoughts and sentences tickled her mind before she dropped the glass, the sound threw her back into reality. Bette pulled away from her and there was nothing between them but this intense, carnal stare………..




TBC……………………………………………………………………