It felt like an ordinary day as Katherine Glover drove to the Supermarket with her baby daughter. She eased her foot off the gas as she approached a stoplight. Then her cellphone rang; she gazed at it for a while. It was an unknown caller; she declined the call and drove through the intersection. She looked in the rearview mirror; where Mila slept peacefully in the baby seat, she smiled joyfully—suddenly her cellphone rang again… but this time curiosity got the better of her.
"Hello." she answered. "Hey Kathy, it's Toni." Antonio greeted. "Hey Toni, how're you doing?" Katherine gasped. "I'm alright, just a bit bored. How about you?" he asked. "I'm doing great, clocked off from work a few minutes ago… So, what's up?" she replied. Antonio cleared his throat. "Kathy, I was wondering if— we… could talk?" he asked. "Yeah, sure, I'm all ears." she said. "It would be better if we spoke in person, rather than talking over the phone." he stated. "It would, but I'm not in the Palm right now." she replied devastatingly. "Not really a problem, I'm in funky Town, we could meet up somewhere?" he suggested. "Mm—how about KO, I'm headed there right now."
"That's not far from me… uh, I'll meet up in a few minutes." Antonio responded hastily. "Okay… no problem, I'll see you soon, bye." she replied generously. Katherine flung her phone on the seat and drove to KO supermarket.
Ten minutes later, she finally reached the entrance of KO. She scanned the lot for parking. Suddenly, Mila woke up with tears. 'No, I have to sort Mila out quickly.' Katherine thought to herself. Eventually, she parked in a spot and rushed to the backseat. Katherine dug into Mila's backpack for the baby bottle. Then, she cradled her gently, Mila nibbled on the teat… her cellphone buzzed again, but she forgot it on the driver's seat. Katherine let it ring until it cut to voicemail, 'Hey Kathy, I'm in the parking lot… come on—could you please pick up the phone?' This message played through voicemail— Suddenly, by surprise… THUMP! A hand struck the back window of her car. "What the hell!" She yelped. Antonio peeped through the window with a smile on his face. "Oh man, you should have seen your face." he joked. "That's not funny! Uhh, you're so childish." Katherine huffed. "Yeah, yeah, can I come in?" Antonio asked. She unlocked the car, and he climbed in. His eyes softened as he looked at Mila; she dozed off peacefully, warm in Katherine's arms. "You are such a great mother, Kathy." he complimented her. "Really? sometimes I feel like I'm the bad person, you know?" Katherine stated. He cupped her face with his hand. "No, you're not. I can't imagine my life without you." Antonio confessed. "You're just saying things." As tears rolled down her cheek, "Shh… Don't cry, I'm here if you need to talk." he wiped her tears. She smiled blissfully, "I'm sorry… It's been a while since anyone made me feel seen." Katherine replied. "Huh? Doesn't Steph give praise to his queen once in a while?" he asked. "Our relationship doesn't feel the same anymore; it almost feels like we are both invisible to each other, yet the love once lost lingers in blurred memories. He is my husband, and I can't…" she confessed to him. "Kathy, love is a two-way street. If your husband's not showing you affection, you shouldn't let that hold you back from finding someone who will. You deserve to be loved completely." Antonio responded adoringly.
Katherine slowly put Mila in her baby seat; Antonio carried her, then left her on the front seat. Sensually, she reached out and gripped his collar. Her breath hitched as she pulled him closer, their faces inches apart. Antonio grinned as he leaned in; he paused… Antonio searched her eyes as if he silently asked for permission. Katherine closed the distance. Her palm pressed gently against his cheek, and finally their lips met—soft at first, then desperate. The air in the car grew thick with heat and guilt. Antonio slid his hand under her coat; his fingers brushed her side like he had memorized the shape of her. Katherine unfastened the buttons on his red polo one by one; her heartbeat drummed in her ears. Their hands moved like they'd done this a thousand times—like this was the only time. He lifted her onto his lap, her body filled with goosebumps, anticipation, and shame. "Wait." he whispered, his voice grew hoarse. "Are you sure about this?"… She paused—just for a moment. "We're already in the thick of it." she said breathlessly. "Don't ruin it." She guided his hand, and he responded without hesitation, his touch both cautious and possessive. The line between passion and regret blurred with each other, and for a moment, the world outside grew distant from her mind, as the fogged-up windows disappeared in the shade of the lot.
Crystal Avenue. 4:57 pm.
Stephen Glover stood vigilant in front of the kitchen door. He stared outside, though his mind was empty. Then, a faint sound of a cry broke the silence. Without a second thought, he rushed upstairs. He climbed the steps quickly. Once he reached the bedroom, he hung over the baby cot, "Hey, don't worry, daddy's here, Akirá." Stephen picked him up. He kissed his forehead gently and soothed Akirá with whispers. An ugly stench caught his nose. "Akirá…did you mess yourself?" he asked euphoniously. 'I have to change him.' he thought to himself. He took Akirá to the table, then he cleaned him carefully. After he dressed Akirá in a fresh set of clothes, they made their way downstairs.
In the kitchen, Stephen opened the fridge and grabbed the baby's bottle. Akirá wriggled with excitement in his father's arms. He desperately tried to snatch the bottle. "Hey, relax… I'm going to give it just now." Stephen said happily. He sat on the couch with Akirá, and he fed him. He turned the television on a sports channel. As the screen lit up, his teen daughter strolled down the stairs. She took an apple from the fruit stand. "Afternoon, Tokyo." Stephen greeted her, but Tokyo ignored him while she strolled to the door. "Wow… are you really going to ignore your father?" he said, sorrow stained his tone. Tokyo finally made eye contact with him. "Afternoon, Dad, how are you?" she greeted sarcastically. "I'm good, thanks for asking. Anyways… what are you up to? where're you going?" he asked curiously. "I'm going to my friend's house." she replied. "It better not be a boyfriend's house." he stated. "DAD!" Tokyo clamored. "What? You're only 16 years old, and I can't allow my daughter to visit a horny rabbit!" Stephen said. "First of all, Ew… gross! Second of all, I'm turning 18 in 5 months, and third, I'm going to visit Abigail." she answered. "Okay… just don't do anything illegal, capiche?" he said politely. "Okay… whatever, I'll be back by 11 pm." she stated.
"Yeah, you better be, I don't want your mother to argue with me." he said dreadfully as Tokyo walked out through the door. Stephen dialed Katherine, but her phone went to voicemail. 'Why isn't she picking up her phone?' he thought to himself. "Where's LJ when you need him?"
352. Sinister Road. 5:00 pm.
'Planet skate park'.
Lucas Glover was at Planet skate park in downtown San El Zorro. He skated and performed tricks in the half pipe. Abruptly, he spotted Ashley—a short young woman with a dreamy face, her beautiful green almond eyes, and her unique Afro combined with a heavenly figure. Ashley waved at him, and he walked over to her until his friend Joshua threw his arm over his shoulder. Joshua laughed on the top of his lungs, "Oh, LJ you should've seen how Brian just collapsed—" he joked. "Yeah, sure." Lucas said. Joshua was puzzled. "Why so serious?" he asked, then his eyes locked on Ashley. "Oh, okay, you tryn'na hook up with Miss Ashley, huh?" Joshua mocked. "Shut up, bro…I'm just going to go talk to her." he replied. Joshua stopped him in his tracks. Joshua threw his hands in the air, "Alright bro, just don't choke like last time!" he shouted as he returned to the half pipe. Ashley held onto her thigh. "Don't choke like last time?" she giggled. "Don't listen to him, he's a bit crazy sometimes." he stated. "So, how've you been?" Ashley twirled her hair. "I've been good, you know, it's just the studies what're making me stress so much." she said. "Tell me about it—" he began, "Anyways, I was wondering if you could help me out with my studies tonight?" she implored. Lucas sucked his teeth "I don't know…" he hesitated. "Please? You're the only friend I could think of." she persuaded. Lucas held the bridge of his nose. "Okay. When should I pull up?" he agreed. "How about 10 pm?" Ashley suggested. "Cool… guess I'll see you at 10 pm." he replied adoringly. "Yeah… I guess you will." her eyes pierced his conscience."I'm going to head out. I'll see you later." Ashley kissed him on his cheek as she walked away. Lucas stood there—stunned, he did not know what to do or say.
Knock Out Supermarket. 5:15 pm.
The KO parking lot was near deserted and silent. Katherine laid with her head rested on Antonio's chest. Unexpectedly, Mila began to cry; she stirred awake. Katherine jolted quickly. She vociferated, "AhShit, shit, shit… Toni, wake up!" she said worryingly. "Hmm…" he muttered "What's the time?" he asked. "Fuck… I think we overdid it." she said. "It's five fifteen. I got to get back home before Stephen starts getting suspicious." her voice shook with guilt. "Damn… I'm sorry, Kathy. I—I messed up. I came to talk about something, but I pushed the situation a bit too far. Please forgive me." Antonio apologized as she rushed to get in her clothes. "Anyways, what was it that you wanted to talk about?" she asked curiously. Antonio scoffed. "It's about Steph—" he confessed. "What do you mean?" she asked. "I mean. We've been doing all of this behind his back for a year now and…" he stated tensely. "AND!?" she repeated resentfully. "I think it's about time we tell him about… us?" Antonio said nervously. "NO! No fucking way." Katherine replied furiously. "If we do that, he will leave me." she stated. "It's OK, I'll just—" he said. "NO, it's fucking not!" she demanded. "Look, let's just go our separate ways for now, and we'll talk tomorrow, OK?" she suggested. "But—"
"No buts… look… I just really have to get back home right now." she told him. Antonio cradled his clothes and climbed out the car—butt naked. She quickly hopped to the driver's seat and started the car. Katherine rolled the window down. She gazed at him, "Look, I'm sorry we could've ended this in a better fashion…but I've really got to get back home, I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" she said. Antonio sank his head. "It's okay, I understand." he replied. Katherine reversed out of the parking spot with a heavy heart. She turned onto the main road, Llama Crouch Road, and the weight of her decisions sat beside her in silence.