“Where exactly do you plan on going?” I asked with a puzzled look.
“Anywhere but here,” Alex replied.
We drove for miles and miles, still not knowing where to go.
“I’m so tired. Will you drive so I can take a nap?” Alex asked politely.
“Sure, dear, pull over,” I replied.
Alex pulled his truck over and we switched spots.
“Ah, thank you, babe,” said Alex.
“You’re welcome, sweetie,” I said with a smile.
I began to drive and as I was driving, I began to think. I thought about all the things that would happen to us if we got caught by the police.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Blanquita Portillo. I live in a hot desert near Palm Springs, California. I would like to share a little bit of what my family is like.
My father is an alcoholic. When he’s drunk, he’s physically and verbally abusive. My mother smokes pot. After Dad beats her, she smokes to make herself feel better. My brother, Xavier, is a troublemaker. He gets a rush out of doing illegal and stupid things with his friends. Also, he gets into fistfights almost every day at school.
There is one last person I would like to tell you about, his name is Alex. He
happens to be my boyfriend. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. We’ve been dating for almost two years. We’ve taken our relationship to the biggest step; we plan on getting married after high school. Thing is, we’re going to have to. I’m now three and a half months pregnant with a baby girl. I hide my baby bump by wearing shirts that are at least two sizes bigger than my normal shirt size.
I haven’t told my parents yet; I’m too scared. Yet, Alex has been encouraging me to tell them because after all, they’ll have to know some time. Lately, I’ve been spending my time in my room, lying on my bed, thinking of all the ways my parents would react. I know for sure that my dad would scream his lungs out at me and probably plot to kill Alex.
“It’s time for dinner!” Mom shouted.
“Okay, I’m coming!” I exclaimed.
I rushed down the stairs and set the table. We’re having steak, corn on the cob, bacon burgers, and mashed potatoes. This is our family’s favorite dinner! Of course, my dad has a few beers along with the meal.
“So, Blanquita, how are things going with Alex? Mom asked.
“Wonderful!” I exclaimed.
“Does he remember your anniversary is in a few days?” asked Mom.
“I hope so,” I replied.
“He better have!” Dad shouted.
“Calm down,” Xavier scoffed.
“Don’t sass me! Eat your dinner!” Dad shouted again.
“Can we please eat dinner in peace?” Mom asked politely.
It was dead silent for at least a minute. I really want to tell my parents, just to get the whole thing off of my shoulders.
“Mom, Dad, after dinner can I talk to you alone?” I asked.
“What’d you do this time?” Xavier asked in a snobby tone.
“Mind your own business, brat!” I snapped.
“Hey! Stop it!” Mom yelled.
Dad picked up his plate and threw his dishes into the sink.
“I’ll be waiting for you upstairs,” Dad said.
“Well, let’s go Blanquita,” said Mom.
Mom and I walked up the stairs and into her bedroom.
“What’d you want to talk about?” asked Dad.
“This isn’t going to be easy to say, or for you to take in,” I said softly.
“What is it?” Mom asked.
“I’m pregnant,” I said shamefully.
“Oh my gosh,” Mom sobbed.
“WHAT? TELL HIM TO COME OVER HERE RIGHT NOW! I NEED TO HAVE A TALK WITH THAT BOY!” Dad screamed.
“Okay..” I said with tears flowing down my face.
I picked up my phone and called Alex.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Hey.. I told them, Dad wants you to come over so he can talk with you,” I said.
“Okay, I’ll be right over,” he replied.
“He’ll be on his way, Dad,” I said.
“THE SECOND HE WALKS IN THIS DOOR, HE’LL WISH HE WAS NEVER BORN!” Dad screamed.
“Don’t yell like that!” Mom exclaimed.
“SHUT UP!” Dad yelled, then he slapped her.
Mom started to cry, “I HATE YOU!” she cried.
Alex bursted into the doors, he heard Mom scream and cry.
“What’s going on here?” Alex questioned.
Dad rushed down the stairs, “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU GOT MY DAUGHTER PREGNANT!” he began to charge at Alex, as if he was ready to beat him.
They began to wrestle; Dad began to throw in some punches.
“GET OFF OF HIM!” I yelled.
“Call the police!” Alex exclaimed.
I quickly ran to the phone and dialed 911.
“What is your emergency?” asked the operator.
“My dad is beating my boyfriend!” I exclaimed.
“Okay, we’ll send an officer right away, ma’am,” the operator replied.
I ran towards my dad and Alex, Alex was almost passed out.
“STOP! STOP IT NOW!” I yelled.
Before I knew it, two officers bursted into our door and cuffed my dad.
“ARREST HIM HE GOT MY DAUGHTER PREGNANT!” My dad screamed, half drunk.
They took my dad and headed to the police station. My mom sat down at the kitchen table crying, while I ran to Alex to make sure he was still breathing.
“Are you alright? Can you breathe okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Alex got up, but fell right back down.
“Oh my gosh! Here, let me help you onto the couch,” I sobbed.
“I think I need to go to the Emergency Room,” said Alex.
“Okay, I’ll take you in,” I said with tears flowing down my face.
“What about your dad? Don’t you want to go see what’s going to happen to him? Alex asked.
“I’ll visit him later, for now, I have to worry about you,” I replied.
Xavier helped me get Alex into my car and we were off to the hospital. By the look in Xavier’s eyes, he was horrified by what he had seen in the last five minutes. He couldn’t believe that Dad almost literally tried to kill Alex.
“Do you think Dad will be in jail for a long time?” Xavier asked.
“I don’t know, bro. We’ll just have to wait and find out,” I replied.
“Hey man, are you gonna be alright? Xavier asked Alex.
“I think so, don’t worry about me,” said Alex.
It began to be hard for me to drive, I could hardly see with all the tears that were bursting out of my eyes. I was afraid of what will happen to my dad and I was worried for Alex. I don’t want to go years without my dad being around, even if he treats us like we’re worthless. Then again, I’m sure my mom will feel somewhat relieved.
“Are we almost there?” Alex cried in pain.
“No, dear. We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes,” I responded.
“Dang, dude. You really got your butt kicked, didn’t you?” Xavier chuckled.
“Hey, I got in a few punches!” Alex exclaimed.
“Hah! Okay, whatever floats your boat,” Xavier said.
“Stop it,” I snapped.
To make things even worse, there was a cop car right behind us. I began to get paranoid, I looked to see if I was speeding; I wasn’t. His lights started to flash, which meant to pull over.
“Great,” I said to myself.
I pulled my car over and rolled my window down.
“Why is there a kid lying down in the back with no seat belt on?” the cop asked.
“My father just got arrested for beating him, now I’m taking him to the hospital,” I replied in fear.
“Oh my,” the cop replied with his eyes wide open.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but can we please go? He almost passed out back at my house,” I said politely.
“Sure, go on ahead,” the cop said nicely.
I rolled up the windows and went on my way. We were at least seven minutes away from the hospital.
“What do you think Mom is doing back at the house?” Xavier asked.
“Probably getting high to get her stress out, like always,” I said in a disappointed tone.
“We really need to help mom quit that stuff, Blanquita,” Xavier replied.
“I know. For right now, can we just focus on Dad and Alex?” I asked politely.
“I guess so,” Xavier said.
“Are we there yet?” Alex asked eagerly.
“We’ll be there in twenty seconds,” I said with a smile.
I was so glad we got there safely. I was afraid we’d get into an accident or something.
“Xavier, help me get Alex into the building,” I said.
Xavier and I headed to the back doors and got Alex up nice and slowly. He seemed somewhat better than what he was like back at our house.
“I think I can walk on my own,” Alex said.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Alex smiled.
What do you know? He was able to walk just fine. It was his face and shoulders that were hurting the worst. We got into the check in part, checked in, and headed straight to the Emergency Room. We sat patiently in the room the nurse escorted us to. We waited for two minutes, those two minutes seemed like two hours.
“What seems to be the pr- oh my gosh! What happened to you?” the doctor asked in shock.
“My father beat him until he was almost unconscious. Is there anything severely wrong with him? Any broken bones?” I asked eagerly.
The doctor examined him a bit and said, “We’ll have to take some X-rays, come with me,”
Xavier and I waited patiently in the waiting room for Alex to come back. I kept thinking about my dad and how long he’ll be in jail and about Alex. I’m afraid for both of them. I just wish my life would be perfect for once.
“Blanquita, Xavier, come with me,” a nurse said.
We got up and went with her to the X-ray room. I took a look at the x-rays, no broken bones!
“So, there’s nothing wrong?” I asked happily.
“Nope, just some severe bruising is all,” the doctor said, “The bruises should be gone in a few weeks,”
“Good, phew,” I said.
“Can I stay the night at your place?” asked Alex.
“Sure, let’s go home,” I said.
I held Alex’s hand and all three of us walked to the parking lot. I was so relieved that he was okay. Now all I have to left to worry about is Dad.
“Hey, do you think Mom’s gonna be okay with Alex sleeping over?” Alex asked.
“I’m sure she will, she’ll probably be high when we ask anyway,” I said.
“Can you just drop me off at my house?” Alex asked, “I don’t wanna cause anymore trouble,”
We are all exhausted and didn’t say a word after that. It was dead silent the rest of the ride home. It was kind of nice, though. We got to Alex’s place and Xavier and I helped him into his house.
“My gosh, what happened to you?!” asked his mom.
“I’ll explain later, for now, I just wanna go to sleep. Bye Blanquita,” he kissed me, “See ya’ later, Xavier.”
Xavier and I hurried back into my car, we wanted to make sure Mom was all right. I obviously assumed she’d be high, but I just wanna make sure. There was about five minutes left until we got home, I was so tempted to speed.
“Dude, hurry up so we can get home!” Xavier demanded.
“Just chill out, I’m going as fast as I can,” I snapped.
Finally, we got home. Xavier and I rushed to the door and quickly searched around to find out where Mom was. I found her lying in bed, with a gun to her head.
“MOM WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” I screamed. I quickly took the gun from her head and threw it on the ground. I hugged her as tightly as I could.
“Mom, what were you thinking?” I wept.
“I just wanna die. I’m sick of this life. I feel so, so worthless!” she cried.
“Mom, don’t ever try to leave us. Xavier and I love you,” I sobbed.
“I won’t, I promise,” she replied, “where’s Alex?”
“He’s at home with his family,” I replied.
“Just to let you know, Dad will be in jail for three years,” Mom cried.
“Maybe he’ll open his eyes and realize what he’s been doing to all of us our whole lives,” I replied.
“I want to bail him out,” Mom whispered.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I whined.
“I love your father and I can’t last three years without him!” she exclaimed.
“Yes you can, Mom! It’s best for all of us! Do you want him to continue beating you everyday?” I shouted.
“I don’t care about what he does to me, I just care about him, in general,” Mom sobbed.
“I’m so sick of this. You know what? If you’re just going to bring the problem back into our lives, I’ll just leave. I’ll leave and never come back; Xavier will come with me. If you can’t do what’s best for us, then I will!” I exclaimed.
I went to my room; packed everything I would need and went downstairs to tell Xavier we’re going to leave.
“Whoa, what’s all the luggage for?” Xavier asked confusedly.
“Pack your things, we’re leaving,” I demanded.
“Uh, okay,” Xavier shrugged his shoulders.
I helped him pack his things and I picked up the phone to call Alex.
“Hello?” Alex answered.
“Sweetie, pack your things, we’re running away together,” I declared.
“All right, I’ll call you when I’m ready and on my way to your house,” Alex replied.
“Alex is driving us?” asked Xavier.
“Yes,” I responded.
Xavier and I waited for at least ten minutes. I’m sure Alex had to wait for the perfect time to sneak out of his house. The phone rang.
“Hello?” I quickly answered.
“I’m on my way,” Alex replied.
“Okay, see you soon, bye,” I hung up, “Alex is on his way, are you ready?” I asked.
“Yep, I’m all ready to go!” Xavier exclaimed.
“Wait! Don’t go! You can’t leave me!” Mom shouted as she came down the stairs.
“Yes we can. I’m sick of trying to help you out and give us a better life, but all you want to do is have Dad come back when you know it’s better off if he stays in jail!” I yelled.
“Oh, stop it! That’s not true!” Mom yelled back.
“Quit arguing with me, I’m sick of this. Alex is going to be here soon. When we’re gone, you can just get high to make yourself feel better!” I exclaimed.
“Ugh! Stop already!” Xavier shouted.
“Stay out of this!” I snapped.
“He’s right, we should stop. If you stay, I promise I’ll quit smoking,” Mom begged.
“Are you going to let Dad stay in jail?” I asked.
“Of course not!” Mom shouted.
“We’re not staying then. Oh, look Alex is here,” I said.
“Let’s go,” Xavier said in an angry tone.
“No! You can’t!” Mom cried.
“Mom, I love you, but we just can’t keep living like this. I’m so sorry,” I said. I hugged her tightly. I felt a tear from her eye fall onto my shoulder. I knew I was going to miss her so much.
“I love you too, sweetie,” Mom wept, “I promise you guys, I’ll quit smoking, but please, just don’t go,”
“Mom, do you want to come with us?” Xavier asked.
“No, I want you guys to stay!” Mom whined.
“We’re not,” I snapped with anger, “Alex is waiting, let’s go,”
Xavier and I headed out the door; I could hear my mom bawling her eyes out as we closed the door behind us. I felt badly for leaving her, but she chose to stay. Xavier and I put our stuff in the trunk and hopped into the truck,
“Where exactly do you plan on going?” I asked with a puzzled look.
“Anywhere but here,” Alex replied.
We drove for miles and miles, still not knowing where to go.
“I’m so tired. Will you drive so I can take a nap?” Alex asked politely.
“Sure dear, pull over,” I replied.
Alex pulled his truck over and we switched spots.
“Ah, thank you, babe,” said Alex.
“You’re welcome, sweetie,” I said with a smile.
I began to drive and as I was driving, I began to think. I thought about all the things that would happen to us if we got caught by the police. I also thought of Mom and Dad. I really hope she doesn’t actually bail that jerk out of where he belongs.
We traveled for hours, still unaware of where we were going. I was curious about where we were going to sleep and if we had money to eat.
“Hey, Xavier, did you bring the $500 you got from drug dealing?” I asked.
“How did you know about that?” Xavier answered with a curious look.
“Uh, I didn’t. I was joking about the drug dealing part,” I replied.
“Oh, so was I,” he said, “but yes, I did bring it along.”
Now that that was off of my mind, all I had to worry about was where we were going to stay, maybe at a motel or something. Lucky for us, there was a small motel a mile or two away.
“Is that where we’re staying?” Xavier asked with a disgusted look on his face.
“Yes, it’s all we can afford,” I replied.
“What? We’re only using my $500?” Xavier asked.
“No, dork. I brought $300 but we don’t even know how long we’re going to be away from home or how much it’s going to cost,” I said.
“Oh, okay. How much did Alex bring?” asked Xavier.
“I have no clue, wake him up so we can all take our own things into the motel,” I declared.
“Dude, wake up,” Xavier said.
“What? Where are we?” Alex asked.
“We’re at a motel, dear, help with bags please,” I said politely.
I parked the truck, we all got out, grabbed our bags, and headed into the motel.
“Hello, how much is it to stay in a room each night?” I asked the receptionist.
“Do you want one or two beds?” he asked.
“Two please,” I responded.
“That will be $80 a night,” he replied.
“Okay, well, we would like to check in,” I said.
Alex showed him his ID, paid for the night, and got a room key. Nice thing is, we were on the first floor. We headed to our room to get settled in, then figure out what we will be eating the next few days or so.
“Alright, where should we go for dinner?” Alex asked.
“I saw a Famous Dave’s right across the street!” Xavier exclaimed.
“That’s not cheap, we need to preserve our money,” I said.
“Okay, how about we each get one burger and water from McDonald’s?” Alex asked.
“Well, during the day can we go for walks so we don’t get fat from that?” I asked.
“I guess so,” Alex replied.
We got our PJ’s on and lay in bed to fall asleep. I was watching a little bit of T.V. and saw on the news that Mom went insane and was put into an insane asylum. I began to cry my eyes out. I felt so terrible for leaving her. I wanted to leave here right away and go see her.
“Alex! Alex, wake up!” I exclaimed.
“What is it?” asked Alex.
“Mom was sent to an insane asylum, we have to leave tomorrow to go see her!” I cried.
“We can’t, I paid for us to stay here for a week,” Alex said.
“Ask for your money back! I have to see her!” I declared.
“Blanquita, I don’t want to see her,” Xavier said.
“What? Why not?” I sobbed.
“Do you have any idea what I’ve been going through all my life? I had to deal with Mom and her pot, Dad and his alcohol, and you being pregnant. For once, I feel free. I feel like I don’t have to worry about anything anymore,” Xavier declared.
“But, but, but!” I cried.
“But nothing, we’re not seeing her, she probably called the cops on us anyway,” Xavier said with a snobby tone.
Right after Xavier said that, four men were pounding on our door. I went and answered it; it was the police. They immediately arrested all of us for running away from home. They took us to the same station my dad was at earlier. From there we were put in juvenile detention. After I get out of this place, I’m going to tell my kids to never get pregnant before marriage or run away. I knew we would be in here for quite some time; I should probably let the police know I’m pregnant.
Worst part of all this is, today is mine and Alex’s two-year anniversary.
