Upside Down

La Noticia Sorprendente

The Surprising News

The weight of the nerves placed on Natalia's back was more then anyone should have to handle. Her walk was clearly jumpy as she stepped out of her car that was parked in front of his house. It was a simple house he had inherited when his father died in a drive by days after Paloma left. She convinced herself that Pesadilla deserved to know about his possible daughter and that the girl should be able to converse with her biological father.

She released the breath she didn't know she was holding and brought her fist to knock on the door. The first time it was clearly too light for anyone to hear on the inside but then her nerves allowed her hand to pound loud enough for the next-door neighbor to hear.

About a minute passed before the door swung open, revealing Pesadilla in a pair of basketball shorts and everything else bare. Didn't he have things to do other than sit at home and sleep?

"Hey, Natalia, what's up?" Pesadilla's demeanor changed from sleepy to confused. Natalia and him were never really close, she was just the younger sister of his best friend's wife.

"I have to tell you something, but I think you should be sitting when I tell you." The words rushed out of her mouth before she even realized and she wrung her hands nervously and looked down at his feet.

"What's this about, Natalia?" He asked getting frustrated at the random woman coming to claim a random fact that he was apparently dying to know.

"It's important, I promise." Natalia explained and motioned if she could enter. Pesadilla nodded and moved out of the way and led her to the living room. She sat down gingerly and inhaled deeply after his looks that told her to get on with it.

She proceeded to tell Pesadilla everything from the second Paloma entered and when she left without sparing any details that could be important.

"So you're telling me, that Paloma has a daughter who is about 16 or 17 and she could be my daughter? What, no! Paloma would have told me about her being pregnant. There is no way that she is my daughter. Absolutely none," Pesadilla concluded with a firm shake of his head. There was no way that she would have left and not come back to tell him about her pregnancy. She knew she could always count on him for anything that had to do with her.

"No, Mar - Pesadilla, I mean, she looks so much like you. It doesn't hurt to ask for a paternity test." Natalia reasoned with him. He had always wanted children but no one could compete with the love he had with Paloma, he would always compare them to the women he was dating. And because no one could fix completely the hole in his heart, he could never settle down.

"And what if she is my daughter. She's already 16 or 17 as you said. What can I do? Huh?" He asked now getting agitated. "I'm just gonna barge in asking for a DNA test to see if I'm the father? And what if I'm not. I'm gonna cause a huge ass mess for nothing. No thank you. I'd really fucking like it if you left now." He got up and walked towards the entrance with a hesitant Natalia behind him. He swung the door open and motioned her to go through and leave his property. She walked halfway through the doorway and paused to look at him dead in the eyes. She wanted him to open his eyes to the reality.

"I know I'm right, you just won't admit that you can't stand seeing Paloma in the arms of another man. But remember, that is that girl is your daughter, she will continue to call that man dad when you deserve that right. The right Paloma stole from you." Natalia finished off strong with a twist outward and walked back to her car with her head held high. She completed her mission and if he didn't listen to him, that was his own fault. Although no child deserved to not know their real parents. Hopefully she didn't actually believe that he was her father because he was clearly not.