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Known struggles

The next morning, Catalina’s eyes fluttered open. She stretched her arms out for a whole minute then began to sit up from the bed, a powerful energetic sensation spread throughout her body. She had been able to sleep all night because Carlos carried the babies while she did so.

She looked around her small dark stuffy bedroom and the wooden crib around the corner that she has been able to get for $5dollars down the street at a garage sale, it was empty the babies weren’t in it, so she got up from bed and got out of the room.

She found Carlos, carrying them, he smiled when he saw her then pressed a kiss to her forehead when she was close enough “Good morning honey, how was your night?”

“Amazing, did they cry all night? I can’t remember a thing” she asked

“Nope, my daughters were so good” he answered with a childish smile. Catalina smiled too.

Then she sat on a chair and extended her arms, Carlos placed each of the babies carefully in her arms while she urged him to go take a bath quickly in the one bathroom she and Mrs Allaway shared down the hall before she and her kids were in so he could go to work. While she carried her babies Carlos had gone to take a bath and a few minutes later he stepped back in. Went to the bedroom to change into his work overalls and was set for work.

Before he left he told her “Hice el desayuno, come y no olvides tu medicina” (i made breakfast, eat and don’t forget your medicine)

She responded “Lo haré, ¿te has comido?” (I will, what about you? Have you eaten yourself?)

He smiled then said “ No te preocupes por mí, empaqué” (Don’t worry about me, i packed lunch) he held up the small brown paper bag he was holding and she nodded.

“Okay”

“Bye honey, I love you”

“I love you more”

And he left. Then Catalina stood up with the babies in her arms, and closed the door with all its locks. Security came before Prevention in the Ghetto. Then she went back to her seat, now they were both wide away, “Hello MyLoves ” she said then she nursed them and cuddled them back to sleep. After placing them in their crib, she ate the heated remains of the food from last night and tried cleaning up a little. She knew she wasn’t strong enough yet but she couldn’t help it.

When she was done, she washed the babies, she had been terrified doing so, they were so fragile and her hands had been shaking. She thought of calling Mrs Allaway but reckoned she was already long at work. Gathering the courage, Catalina managed to steady her hands and do it. She dressed them up warmly and by the time she was done, Keira was awake, her sister was still asleep, thankfully.

She stood while carrying Kira by the small window in the living area, which was also the only room in the house. She had to wait till one of Mrs Allaway’s kids were back from school before she could go take a bath too, because the thought of leaving the babies alone just for a minute scared her. News of babies being kidnapped in Queens was very common nowadays.

Just after three, she stepped out of her apartment after she had layed Keira to sleep next to her sister in the crib. She knocked on Mrs Allaway’s door and a few minutes later as expected a tall brown skin teenage girl opened the door.

“Hello Mrs Catalina” she said

“Hi, Aaliyah.—can i ask you a favor?”

“Sure, what?”

“Can you come watch the twins for me? I want to go take my bath”

“Oh sure!” The girl said

“Really? Thank you”

“Lemme just turn off the stove and I’mma be there in abit”

“Okay”

The girl closed the door and went back in.

In the evening, Trisha stopped by after work with some food. She carried the twins while Catalina ate and told her all about her day.

“That old witch had a roll today” She said

“Really what happened again?”

“She was yelling at everyone today and—she told me to tell you, she give you two weeks else you fired, i told her it ain’t possible and she said it ain’t none of her problem whatsoever. She so Cruel, damn. I always wonder why God still be keepin’ her alive”

Catalina sighed, wondering how she was going to resume work two weeks from now with her babies still so young. Trisha could see the look of worry on her face.

“Hey, don’t let none of that bother you, i’ll tell her, i’ll be workin’ me and you portions”

Catalina gave her a weary smile “ That’s very kind of you Tris, but we both know She not gonna agree”

“Then what’s you gonna do?”

Catalina sighed again then shrugged “I dunno.—but i definitely can’t lose this job, Carlos needs help. His job pays little, barely enough for rent and now we four of us. I’ll figure something out” she said, even if she knew no way of figuring that particular situation of hers out.

When Carlos came back home, Catalina didn’t discuss her situation with Madam Lola, she put out water for his bath and heated up his dinner. She didn’t want to stress him up even more, though he never complained, she knew he was doing his best.

That night as they lay in bed, Catalina couldn’t sleep and the babies were not the reason why. She was thinking of how to handle the Madam Lola situation. She kept tossing and turning ,careful not to wake Carlos up. Then she simply closed her eyes and prayed God helped her figure something out.

Two weeks later, Catalina and Carlos got information that Carlos’s mother was coming to visit. No-one was more happier than Catalina to hear that news. Vera Ortiz was a great woman and loving one too. She treated Catalina better than anyone had ever did since she was child. After Catalina parents passed, she lived with a non-chalant aunt and basically had to struggle for her needs by herself at such a tender age. So having a mother-in-law like Vera was something she considered a blessing.

The day Vera arrived, she explained Carlos’s Papa couldn’t come because of the lack of transportation fare. Poverty wasn’t a strange symptom in the family anymore, although life in Puerto Rico was better, America was the land of dreams. That was the reason why Catalina and Carlos had made the biggest sacrifice of their lives and decided to move to a different country to seek better opportunities.