Chapter Eight.
Abby's beaten up yellow roadster car pulled up in front of the small estate house she shared with her brother, Diego.
"Seriously, Abby? Your house?" I asked distastefully.
"Diego isn't in the house okay? Now come on, I'm starving" she replied, stepping out. I sighed before reluctantly getting out of the car and following her all the way through the driveway and into her house.
We were greeted by the presence of Diego, who stood at the kitchen's doorway, arms folded across his chest, eyes on the exit door as if he was actually waiting for us. Of course he was. He's your typical kind of Mexican thug. he has a hefty, tall and well built muscular body structure from all his regular body fitting exercises, a couple of dreadful tattoos running through his neck and all over his upper and lower arms which protruded out of his milk colored armless button up shirt.
Diego has never liked me ever since the day he found out about my friendship with his sister which pretty much explained the glare he threw at me as I walked in after Abby. He's always too rude and straight forward and never welcomed me into the house. Back in the days, I'd thought he only usually has bad mood swings that I just always happens to come across mostly because of his constant consumption of illegal drugs but later on, I realized he just didn't like me. People in general. Imagine the realization.
"Hey Diego," Abby calls, setting her bag down on the couch "what are you doing at home today?"
"I didn't have any job today so I came home" he replied.
The look on Abby's face was exactly what's on my face and we were probably thinking about the same thing. Does Diego never have any 'job' to do? I just stood there, arms folded and minding my own business.
"Well," he throws another look at me "you didn't tell me you were bringing a friend over, Abigail" I held his gaze too till he looked back to Abby.
"Kelsey isn't a stranger,D, and I'm sorry, am I supposed to tell you first before bringing anybody home?"
"That's damn right, Abigail! I am still your big brother and you have to tell me whatever it is you wanna do!"
"Oh really? Isn't this the only time you know how to be my big brother?"
"Hey, hey, what is that supposed to mean,huh?" He corners the couches to face Abby now.
"What I'm saying is you're never even there when I need you and you just pop up one morning and go on about being my big brother?!"
"What? I am doing everything for you, can't you see that? Don't anything ever get into that thick head of yours?!" He poked her forehead.
"Don't yell at me, Diego! You're not the only one doing everything around here. I'm doing something too and you do not have the right to dictate for me!"
"Now hold on a minute!....." He yelled on top of his voice. I stopped understanding what they were yelling at each other about when they started talking in Mexican. I watched them, the anger on his face and the distress in her voice.
I couldn't help the pity I felt for Abby all over again. Her life hasn't been any better from mine. Both of them. Born to a Mexican father and a naive American mother, Abby and Diego has had to live with the hard and cruel experiences of life.
When Abby was seven, their father had been run over by a truck and he'd died instantly. Their mother was a reckless drunk who died of lung cancer when she was eleven and Diego was seventeen. Three years later, they'd managed to move here to start a life on their own.
While struggling to finish her Schooling, she'd joined the strippers club at the age of Eighteen, four years ago. When I newly started working at the club I'd instantly taken a liking in her. Over the years I realized we'd bonded so much, we were pretty much the same. We shared the same screwed up life. We had pretty much the same family too. While she had a responsible father and an irresponsible mother, I had a really responsible mother and a very irresponsible father and we both pretty much lost everything except that she still had someone. She had Diego. She's never been so alone.
"Who was that man you were with last night, huh?" Diego says in english now, tuning back my attention.
"You're tailing me again?!" Abby yelled back.
"Just answer the damn question, Abby! Who was that man? Because Franklin told me he was no good"
"Whoever I'm with is non of your business, Diego! And stop sending your stupid friends to follow me everywhere!"
"I've told you Abby, stop working at that club. You and I know that you do more than just bartendering!" That said he stormed towards me, then disappeared out through the door. Abby slowly sits back against the couch and I moved towards her.