Natalia and Brot, Jamie and Francessca    07/25/2012


Natalia leans over the pool table lining up her shot as Brot chalks the tip of his Que-stick.

Brot: What time did you tell them to meet us here?
Natalia: They should be here any second relax.
Jamie: Hey!
Natalia: Hey! (She squeals running to Francessca and hugging her) How are you?
Francessca: I’m good better than good I’m great! Never been happier!
Brot: Hey: Girl! How are you? We missed you!
Francessca: I missed you guys too!
Natalia: So how is your Grandmother?
Francessca: She’s wonderful.
Natalia: And those hunky cousins of yours (She says with a wink grinning from ear to ear)
Brot: Hey! Hey! Hey! What’s this about hunky cousins?
Francessca: They’re good! They say hello.
Natalia: Are they still working in the store?
Francessca: Yep!
Brot: So how’s it going Jamie?
Jamie: Never been better! How’s work?
Brot: Good! I got promoted.
Jamie: Oh wow! Congratulations!
Francessca: Congratulations for what?
Natalia: Brot got promoted today!
Francessca: Congratulation!
Brot: Yeah it’s going to be a change in hours for a while. So I’m glad you’re back to keep Talia company at least till we can move her stuff to my place.
Francessca: What do you mean move your stuff out?
Natalia: We just thought with the baby coming.
Francessca: But you don’t have to move there’s plenty of room.
Jamie: Yeah, besides we both love having you.
Natalia: I don’t think so!
Francessca: I feel like I’m throwing you out in the street, at least stay until after? Give yourself time to find a place.
Natalia: Come on Cess you’re not throwing me out I’ll be fine! Honestly I’m not looking forward to crying and diapers, potential colic. Brot and I talked a lot about this while you were away and we’re ready to take this step. (She move here chair closer to him as she reaches for the bowl of peanuts in the center of the table missing Cassandra and Rego as they stagger through the door both leaning on the bar and sighing loudly from the effort of walking from the car to the bar. Rego turns leaning his back against the bar rail his eyes flicking over Cassandra as she roots through her purse prattling on mindlessly his eyes roam the bar his eyes catching upon Francessca’s profile sitting at one of the high back booths laughing and talking with Natalia and Brot along with her insipid spouse. He pushes away from the bar and begins to walk towards her stopping just behind the booth)
Francessca: You’re sure?
Natalia: Positive! Besides between your parents and Zach you’re going to need a bigger house by the time your baby comes!
Rego: Baby? (Francessca and Jamie’s heads snap around as Rego’s voice booms from behind them)
Francessca: Rego! I didn’t see you standing there. (She says smiling weakly as she rises)
Rego: I bet you didn’t! So you’re pregnant? (His face filled with shock and disbelief)
Francessca: I’m sorry you found out like this I was going to call you.
Cassandra: Pregnant! (She says joining the group her eyes widening in mock shock as she looks from Francessca and Jamie to Rego. Her mind whirling back to Natalia and Francessca talking in the living room maybe there was something she could use from that. She ponders one approach after another discarding them. Now wasn’t the time for Rego to find out that child was his! She needed his full attention but it could be a way to get just that) I knew it! I knew something was up between the two of you I just couldn’t put my finger on it!
Francessca: Shut up!
Jamie: Back off! Now!
Francessca: No Jamie let me talk to him. (She turns towards Rego) Rego please just give me a few seconds to explain!
Rego: Explain what?
Francessca: Just give me five minutes please?
Rego: Tell me how do you explain that you’re a hypocrite in a few minutes?
Cassandra: Five minutes to tell more lies? (Her mind finally snapping upon something useable her eyes opened wide with excitement) Theses two have been sneaking around all along! That’s what you and Natalia were arguing about! (She looks from Natalia to Francessca a satisfied grin playing on her lips) You got pregnant after messing around with Jamie! That’s why you were so angry and ran off! You were ticked that you gave up Jamie for a man who didn’t love you! (She snakes her arm around Rego’s holding him possessively making Francessca stares at her shaking her head laughing in disbelief)
Francessca: What?
Cassandra: Don’t deny it! I heard you!
Natalia: What the hell are you talking about? (She looks at Francessca they both shrug looking back at Cassandra their expressions curious)
Cassandra: One day when I came home and you and Francessca were arguing and I heard you say “I caught you with Jamie.” (Francessca looks at Natalia it wasn’t exactly what she had said but it was darn close)
Francessca: And what else did you hear?
Cassandra: Nothing, my phone rang I knew it was Rego (She grins cattily snuggling up to Rego the sight of which making Francessca feel ill) and I stepped back upstairs. I’ve been wondering what that meant for months! Oh my God! (Her hands flying to her mouth eyes wide then her eyes narrow in anger) You were actually going to marry Rego and let him think that Jamie’s baby was his? (She looks at Rego watching his face as her lie takes hold his voice coming out a horse whisper between gritted teeth)
Rego: Deep down you’re nothing more than a conniving tramp! (Jamie’s moves closer to Rego his fist clenched at his sides making Brot step between them)
Jamie: Watch your mouth or it will be the last thing you ever say!
Rego: Look at you? Chomping at the bit! (He laughs bitterly) Always the knight in shinning armor coming to the rescue!
Cassandra: It all makes so much sense now! (She says with a nod smiling happily at her own cleverness)
Francessca: Shut up! (She growls at her then turns back to Rego) Would you just listen for one minute!
Rego: No! No she’s right! It makes perfect sense! You and I hadn’t been together at least in that way, in well over a month before that joke of a wedding! (His eye bighting as he starts to force pieces in to place) That’s what all the taunting from Jamie was about, the calls and finding the two whispering behind my back! All this time I’ve been kicking myself when…(He growls in frustration pounding his fist on the table as he turns away from her) all the drama at the wedding you (His laugh burgeoning on hysteria as he turns back to face her) running away to New York! Making me and everyone else think it was my fault! That I was wrong for everything I did when all the while you were slutting around behind my back!
Jamie: I warned you buddy! (He jumps towards Rego at the same moment Brot wraps his arms around him pinning his arms to his sides affectively gluing him to the spot)
Francessca: Jamie STOP! (She turns towards him raising one brow) Don’t stoop to his level! We should have just stayed at my Grandmothers then I wouldn’t have to look at the two of you! But I wasn’t going to let either of you run me out of town. 
Cassandra: Oh please! You ran away because you’re a drama queen and you wanted someone to chase you! You would have taken who ever got there first! (She snorts driving here point home)
Natalia: She told you and now I’m telling you stay out of it! (She snaps silencing Cassandra at least for the moment)
Francessca: I ran away because you two humiliated me, you had sex in the gazebo of my uncle’s casino the night before our wedding! And that wasn’t the first time it was going on for months! Probably from the day she slithered in to town! (Her head snapping towards Cassandra her eyes flicking over her dismissively) So don’t try to act as if you’re victims! I left because I needed time to think to decide what was best for our baby and me! (She looks over at Jamie her eyes pleading for him to be quiet as she reaches for his hand and holds it tight her anger and disgust with the fact hat he would so easily dismiss the possibility that he could be the father and believing that lying skank solidifying her previous decision) And after tonight, I know I made the right decision.
Rego: So you’re admitting it now? (His mouth twisted in satisfaction)
Francessca: Jamie and I have been together for months.
Rego: How long is months? (Folding his hands across his chest)
Francessca: Since a few weeks after my father came out of the coma.
Rego: I knew something was wrong!
Francessca:  I should have told you when it first happened but I didn’t want to hurt you then when I found out I didn’t know what to do and I panicked. (She lies almost chocking on her words)
Rego: You were pregnant with his child and you were going to let me think it was mine! That’s what happened sweetheart? (His voice booms across the bar silencing the other patrons)
Cassandra: You were really going to lie and try to palm off Jamie’s bastard on Rego! Oh how the beaujoire Bitch has fallen. (She throws her head back and laughs. Francessca’s eyes narrow into slits as her brow drawn together her eyes glittering bright with fury she step closer to Cassandra forcing her to take a step back
Francessca: You should be really careful slinging the word bastard around all things considered! And I kicked your ass once pregnant or not I’ll kick it again if I ever hear that word come out of your mouth directed at my baby! If you do you’ll need a magnifying glass to find the pieces of your teeth after I knock them out of your head! (She hisses between clenched teeth as she steps forward causing Cassandra to step back to avoid her and fall in to the booth seats) Stay away from me and stay away from my family! That goes for both of you! Come on Jamie lets go! (She picks up her purse from the bench and heads for the door calling over her shoulder) Natalia I’ll see you later. (She and Jamie storm hand in and hand through the door pushing it hard enough that it slams against the outer wall making a loud banging noise leaving Rego and Cassandra starring mouth agape)