"The Parting Shot"

"The Parting Shot"

Everyone thinks about it, but no one likes to talk about it. Maria is 32 and is recently separted from her husband, Paulo. Paulo has been working odd jobs to make ends meet and has not had much success holding down a steady job. Maria, on the other hand, has other worries on her mind. Pregnant with her first child, she has seen less and less of Paulo. This is especially the case late nights on the weekends when he comes in stumbling through the door, reeking of vodka and cheap perfume.

It is Sunday morning and Maria is awakened by a sudden loud bang on her door. "Jesus," she says as she gets up startled out of bed, "who could that be at this hour?" Another loud bang and she quickly slips a sweater on over her nightgown and makes her way towards the door. "Coming," Maria says impatiently, "I hope Paulo is alright," she mutters under her breath.

"Yes, may I help you?," Maria asks tenatively as she opens the door. Elizondo Morales, a childhood friend, stands in the door way, clearly looking flustered. "Where is he, mi amiga?," he asks flatly. Maria raises an eyebrow. "Mi amor no esta aqui ahora," she said. "What do you mean Paulo's not here?," came her friend's angry reply.

"Well, you know how he is," Maria said quietly as she headed for the couch and sat down. "Please, tell me why you are here, Eli," she said. Elizondo wiped his brow and sat down beside her. "I got a call from my father last night saying that he seen Paulo passed out again last night at the bar."

Maria stifled a laugh as she smirked. "Probably walking it off somewhere. Pendejo," she replied. "I do love him but sometimes I wonder, Eli," she said aloud nervously. Elizondo sat up now and leaned closer. "About what?," he asked imploringly. "Whether or not he still carries a torch," she said. "That gringa? I would've had my doubts, but his heart is here," her friend replied.

Maria allowed herself a small smile. "He used to come home with her, you know," she said. Her eyes glistened as she reached for a cigarette. "Knowing that he was doing things with her that we used to," she said as she took a long drag from her cigarette, "wanted a part of me to take a butcher knife to his manhood and let that be the end of it," she finished as she reached out for Elizondo's hand.

"What should we do now, then?," he asked. "Wanna fuck?," Maria suggested as she got up. "What about Paulo?," came the tenuous question, a lump stuck in Elizondo's throat. She smiled and took Elizondo by the hand. Maria let go and coolly walked toward the bedroom. "Do you have any time?," Elizondo asked worriedly.

"Yes," Maria said as she disappeared from view and into the bedroom. Elizondo followed cautiously and stopped in the hallway, the bedroom door ajar. Maria slowly undressed for him. "Enough for us," she replied triumphantly with a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes.

Copyright: 2009, by Raymund Diaz Delizo