Jasmine
Travis stands behind me. "I figured I shouldn't say anything. You did good yknow? Standing up to her."
I nod softly.
"About today—" he starts, before his phone rings.
This late? Who would be calling him this late?
He frowns before answering. "Damon?"
I hear him. I hear the horse response on the other end and I know, so I school my face.
"Gone,"
"What?" Travis asks. "You broke up, what did you say?"
"She's gone," he says again.
Travis drops his phone and looks at me. He smiles. "So about the baby. Did you get rid of the baby? I thought you didn't because you didn't drink but then you did."
"Was that Damon?" I ask.
Travis nods.
"What did he say?"
Travis shrugs. "I couldn't hear him. He went into a tunnel."
I pick up his phone, handing it to him. "You should call him back."
He glanced at the phone. "It's cracked I can't."
"Use mine," I offer.
He shrugs. "I don't know his number. It's fine. It's just Damon being stupid he can call back later. Anyway, your mom—"
I reach out and hold his hand. "What did Damon say, Travis?"
He shakes his head, "I dunno. I dunno. You want something to drink, Miss?" He let's go of my hand, going into the kitchen.
"Less, you still you have the baby then you really shouldn't." He rambles, "Yeah I heard one glass of wine ain't bad for a baby, hell half my siblings where born on meth I think the kids alright—"
He paused. "Anyway, uh...so you feel better?"
What should I say? What should I do. His phone rings again in my hand. He glanced at it.
"Oh uh. I'll take that. You might hurt yourself. Broken glass yknow?"
He grabs it. "Just gonna throw this away now."
"I heard what Damon said, Travis."
"Mh?"
"I think you should call him back," I say quietly.
"No, no." He waves it away, "tell me about the baby. You keep avoiding me. Did you...did you abort it?"
I swallow. "Not yet."
"Heh. Don't say not yet. Maybe you won't. You just need more time. It's a big decision."
Something wrong with his sister. How long will it take for him to come to his senses? How do I...help?
"Travis?"
"Hm?"
"You wanna watch Grey's Anatomy?"
He smiled. "Yeah! I'd love that!"
We watch Grey's Anatomy even though I'm sure Wes is dead on a table somewhere. But I think this is what I'm supposed to do.
He doesn't want to face this. So I shouldn't make him. I don't think. That's what he does for me. When I don't want to face things we ignore it.
So we're ignoring it. Even though I want to cry, I suck it up.
"You know Syphillis can lead to blindness insanity, and death." He says, "STDS are bad but yknow most of them can be cured. A baby is worse, since you can't really be cured of a baby."
"Abortion is a cure."
He chuckles. "Not really. Once you have a baby, even if you get rid of it, you'll never be cured of it. It just doesn't keep...living."
He swallowed. "Anyway, I guess I should get up now, Miss."
"And do what?" I ask.
He shrugs. "Go see my dead sister I guess."
• • •
I go with him. Wes is in her bed when we get there. Damon is standing outside the door. He left Roman there. Sitting next to his mother.
Travis comes up to him murmuring. "Why didn't you call an ambulance?"
"Ambulance for what she's dead. She was talking. We were...talking and then she just stopped. She just stopped—"
Travis closed his eyes. "Why do you have your son, sitting next to his dead mother?"
"I don't know," Damon shrugs.
Travis sighs. "Cooper? What were you doing? What're is the ambulance? Where is the corner? Why didn't anyone call anyone—"
Cooper shakes his head. "I—I don't know—I didn't know what to do—I—"
"You what?! You're two adults. There is a corpse why didn't anyone do anything?"
"I didn't know what to do," Cooper looks away. "I—Wes always..."
Travis sighs. "Well...Wes can't can't anymore. So call the corner, start calling the rest of us. See if you can..track down Mom and Pop give em the news." Travis says. "And you, take Roman out of here. She'll stink soon."
Everyone stands around.
Travis sighs. "Go! Go!"
He sits down. "This is what I didn't want Wes. To be you. And here we go. Not even been a day." He whispers.
"Uh...Trav what's Sammy's number? And uh...And Gina's too."
He sighs. "It's a...there's a list on the fridge. It says on the fridge everyone number everyone address keeping calling till you get them," Travis says.
Cooper nods leaving the room.
Damon comes in. "Uh...his car seat, his stuff I don't—"
Travis groans. "Car seat in front of the door, get diapers, wipes his bag it's in his room take a blanket and some food. If he asks...don't tell him."
Damon nods, sniffles. "Thanks man."
Travis looks up at me. "It's over now. I'm Wes now, you know. This is the rest of life. And just wait, everyone's coming to town."
He smiles. "So you are still pregnant?"
I nod. "For now."
"No, no this is great. This is the height of my responsibility. See, now I get to parent what is this? Is it at nine? Nine kids. Oh shit. I better learn how to count."
