--chapter one - page five--

Nick stood at the door, nervously adjusting his clothes. Today was the big day. They were going to tell Malu’s parents. Irving and the rest of the crew at management really wanted to prepare Malu for the media blitz she was about to embark upon over the next few months. But in order to do that, their little secret couldn’t be a little secret any longer.

He stood in front of Malu’s Torrance, California apartment. It wasn’t what Nick would consider a home. Fairly urban, not much greenery around. Across an asphalt parking lot was a Carl’s Jr. and a Weinerschnitzel.

The early morning sun beat down on Nick’s back, only worsening his already glum mood. He’d never been much of a morning person, especially when he was on break. But Malu had insisted he meet her parents over breakfast. “Its when they’re at their best.”

Taking a deep breath, Nick reached out to ring the doorbell. The door swung open almost immediately, and Malu stepped out onto the balcony with Nick. She ushered him away from the door, and away from her parents’ ears.

“There’s just a few things I should let you know before we go in there,” Malu said in a hushed voice.

“Why am I suddenly worried?” Nick wondered aloud.

“My parents are very big on manners.” Malu continued on, paying no attention to Nick’s stresses. “Refer to them as Mr. and Mrs. Almajose. Compliment my mother on her cooking, whether or not you like it. And be sure to finish all your food. And if she asks if you want seconds, accept.”

Nick nodded. It sounded reasonable enough. “Anything else?”

“Just pray. They’re not going to be very happy with either of us.”

“What did I get myself involved in this for?” Nick half-groaned, half-mumbled. It was something he’d been wondering a lot lately.

“This is why,” Malu said. She took Nick’s hand and placed in on her stomach, about four inches below her belly button. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to decipher it wasn’t the same soft belly he’d caressed in the Keys. Her body was firmer, beginning to take more of a shape. The small patch of skin beneath the palm of his hand felt like an orange. Nick looked at Malu in amazement. She smiled, knowing she was feeling the exact same thing he was.

“That’s ours, Nick. Our baby. We created it.”

All Nick could do was gulp. He barely knew the girl whose stomach his hand was upon. But it didn’t seem to matter. Because the two had created something miraculous together, something that would bound them together forever.

“Come on,” She said reassuringly. Malu reached up to her stomach, covering Nick's hand in her own. She intertwined their fingers, squeezing his palm affectionately. If Malu had any fear of confronting her parents, it didn't show. She smiled warmly at Nick. “Let’s go inside.”

The apartment was small, but well-kept. It had been a long time since Nick had been in a home that didn’t cost millions of dollars to maintain. The contrast of the simple middle-class home to the extravagance of a pop star lifestyle oddly reassured Nick's nerves. The apartment was humbling and grounding to his easily-inflated ego.

The hub of activity was in the kitchen, where Malu directly lead Nick and herself. The cooking aroma that wafted through the air was foreign to Nick’s American-bred nose. Manning the stove must have been Malu’s mother. Her tiny frame was just about five feet tall, and looked shorter with the traditional housedress she wore. A young girl around fifteen was extracting dishes from a cupboard. She hadn’t changed out of her cotton pajamas, and wore thick-rimmed glasses. A man in his early-fifties sat at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. His white hair was a stark contrast to his reddish skin tones. This was it. The family.

Malu cleared her throat, causing the room to look up at her and Nick. Malu knew how to command presence in a room far better then Nick, even after all his years in the spotlight. She full lips formed into a tight smile, “Everyone, this is Nick.”

The young girl’s mouth dropped open. It was the reaction Nick had never received from Malu that night in the club. The look of recognition. The mother too, he noted, realized who he was, but was more discreet, as most adults were. From the father all Nick received was a blank stare. He must be who Malu gets her facial expressions from, Nick realized.

“Nick, this is my mother, Corina.” Malu wrapped her arm around the shorter woman’s frame, kissing her cheek affectionately. Malu’s mother busied her hands by continuously wringing them out with a dish cloth. Her eyes, meanwhile, scanned Nick from head-to-toe, assessing his character by what he wore.

“Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Almajose.” Shaking Corina’s hand, Nick was grateful for the rushed advice Malu had given him just a few moments before. I’ve never been this formal in my entire life, Nick couldn’t help but think. Malu’s mother demurely nodded her head in response.

“And my father, Amador.” Malu had moved across the room, this time placing a hand on her father’s shoulder. Nick again went through the motions, greeting her father with a friendly handshake. The response Nick received from Malu’s father was a look of someone completely unimpressed. Nick couldn't help but gulp.

“And that over there,” Malu wrinkled up her nose in only the way that a sibling could do. “Is my stupid cousin, Lalaine.”

“That’s a beautiful name,” Nick said, taking a step to the younger girl. She blushed feverishly as he shook her hand. “Malu has told me a lot about you.”

Of course, Malu had barely mentioned her cousin to Nick. Lalaine had barely mentioned any of her family to Nick, other then the most important details. But if there was one family member Nick could win over in the Almajose household, Nick knew it would be Lalaine. He could sense her delight in knowing that Nick Carter knew she, Lalaine Almajose, existed.

But before Lalaine had a chance to reply, Corina hurried the girl along in her chores. The teenager continued to set the table, her eyes glued to Nick the entire time. A few moments later, the entire family was seated at the table. Corina and Amador sat at either end of the table, and Malu and Nick were squished together on a side fit for just one. Lalaine sat across from them, in full staring-view of Nick.

For a few moments, no one said anything at all. They all seemed focused on their food. Nick stared at the large plate in front of him. He’d always been a big eater, but this was A LOT of food. Two runny fried eggs, at least a cup of garlic rice, four funny-looking red sausages, fresh lettuce and several sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. No wonder when I offered Malu food the other day she declined. A meal like this must be enough food for the whole day.

Copying the actions of Malu, Nick poked at his eggs with his fork until they ran. He then mixed up the egg yolk with his rice and took a bite. It certainly wasn’t food he’d eat under any other circumstances. He was more of a Sausage Egg McMuffin kind-of guy. But in aims of pleasing the Almajose family, Nick forced down the food.

“Mom, Dad- I’m pregnant.” Malu said abruptly, her mouth still full of food. The comment came out of nowhere, and no one in the room was prepared for it. Not even Nick. It was just one of Malu’s quirky characteristics he was beginning to learn. She was blunt.

Amador dropped his fork and rested his head in the palm of his hand. Corina looked towards Malu and Nick quietly. Her eyes were filled with disappointment. Lalaine sat up a little straighter in her chair, smirking at her older cousin. The news hit the room different then Nick expected. Instead of being shocked, as Nick had envisioned, Malu’s family already seemed to be weighing out the burden ahead of them.

“When did this happen?” Amador asked. He had made eye contact with neither Malu nor Nick. He sat, rubbing his eyes with the base of his palm. It was remarkable how similar he and his daughter were, Nick noticed, at least in their mannerisms. A huge bombshell had just been dropped on him, yet his voice remained calm and collected.

“Spring Break,” Malu spoke up. Probably the most important conversation she'd ever had with her family, and she continued eating her breakfast like it was an ordinary day. “We met at a club in the Keys, and just kinda hit it off.”

Amador looked to his wife, disapprovingly. “I knew we shouldn’t have let her go off for Spring Break. I’ve seen bits and pieces on MTV. I know what goes on there. But you insisted she go.”

“She had a hard volleyball season and difficult classes!” Corina defended her daughter. A family of multi-taskers, she'd gotten up to refill Nick's plate with more food. “I thought she deserved some time with her friends to have fun.”

“This isn’t Mom’s fault, Dad.” Malu interrupted. For the first time, she sat her fork on the table and looked up. “I’m the one who got pregnant, not her.”

Amador focused his attention to his daughter, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You’re always doing this. Always getting yourself into trouble. Why couldn’t you be more like your cousin? Lalaine spends her weekends studying and volunteering at the hospital. You spend your weekends drinking and playing your silly sport.”

“Funny,” Malu said with bitterness in her voice. “You didn’t seem to think volleyball was so silly when I got my scholarship.”

“Yes, I was happy when you got that scholarship,” Amador admitted. “Because I knew that it would give you the opportunity to study in one of the nation’s best schools. Because with your poor grades and our budget, an athletic scholarship was the only way you could get a college scholarship- and eventually a good job. I don’t want you to have to drive a Federal Express truck like I do.

“But so much for that dream,” Amador said sorrowfully. “Because now you’re pregnant, and you’ll lose your scholarship. And what kind of job will you get as an 18-year-old college drop-out with a kid on the way?”

“I’m sorry I’m not Lalaine,” Malu apologized. Hands crossed in front of her chest, Malu kicked her chair back from the table. Nick and Lalaine both winced at the sound of metal scraping the tile floor. “I’m sorry I don’t get straight-A’s and I’m sorry I won’t become a doctor. I’m sorry I can’t have the life that you wished you could have had.”

Malu's voice rang with bitterness. Nick couldn't help but stare at her, soaking in her words. They hadn’t known a thing about one another that night in Marathon. But every day, Nick was more sure that their encounter was destined to happen. Though she was three years younger then himself, and had grown up in a completely different world, there were common emotions the both of them shared. How often he had pictured himself having a similar conversation with his own mother, telling her he could never be the son she wanted.

“But this is my life." Malu made sure her voice was strong and clear. She stood up partially, resting her hands on the table and leaning closer to her father. "Volleyball was my passion, which for the meantime, is over with. But I have a baby growing inside me- and as much as that freaks me out, it excites me too. So maybe I won’t go to the Olympics, and maybe I won’t graduate college. But I’m going to have this baby- and I hope you’ll be supportive of that.”

“So what happens now?” Amador asked after a few moments of silence. “Where do you two go from here?”

Lalaine stifled a giggle that only she and Nick could understand. The phrase Amador had just muttered reminded both Lalaine and Nick of a song Brian had written years before. They exchanged a small smile, which for some reason, really bothered Malu. She hated that her younger cousin knew more about the father of her baby then she did.

“Are you getting married?” Amador continued to fire questions.

Malu and Nick exchanged a glance. Here it goes. They’d practiced with management the day before, on how to respond when asked this very question. It wasn’t the whole truth, but they’d try their best to pass it off as such. It made things simpler that way, Irving had explained.

“We’re not getting married.” Malu turned to Nick, and took his hand within her own. “We plan to raise this child together. But we don’t want to get married right now- not until after this baby is born at least. I don’t want all my wedding pictures to be of me with a big belly.”

Amador wasn’t surprised by his daughter’s superficial answer. Much to his dismay, Malu had spent more time fixing her make-up then she did doing her chores. It was disappointing to him, for his only daughter to have her child out of wedlock. That’s not how things would have been handled in the old country. But he was in the United States now, and his stubborn American-born daughter was fiercely independent.

“Do you love each other?” Lalaine broke up the conversation. She’d bit her lip as long as she could, but she just had to know.

Nick looked at Malu with all the affection he could muster. It wasn’t too difficult- he’d had enough practice filming music videos and performing in concert. He was a dreamy pop star, and photographers often asked from him a look of pure lust. “I knew the moment I saw her that I’d want to spend the rest of my life with her.”

Malu, on the other hand, had a little more trouble keeping a straight face. She could tolerate Nick okay as a friend, and she couldn’t deny the fact that he was unbelievably sexy. But she would never be able to get past the fact that he was in a boy band. Everything he did seemed to have an underlying façade of bubblegum cheese to it.

“Just how do you plan on raising this baby together, with you tromping all over the world?” Amador asked Nick. So he HAD recognized Nick. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, as Lalaine was clearly a Backstreet fanatic. But Nick had been right in assuming Malu had inherited Amador’s blank, unimpressed stare.

“I’d like to bring Malu on the road with me. I want to be there for every step of her pregnancy. I want to support Malu and our baby: financially, emotionally and physically.” Nick was proud of how articulate he sounded, in comparison to his normal babblings. Maybe Malu’s poise and confidence was rubbing off on him.

“I can’t say I’m proud of what either you two have done,” Amador chose his words carefully. “But given the world we live in today, and the circumstances, I think you’re handling the situation very nicely. It’s going to be a difficult situation for us all, but I’ll try my best to be supportive.”

...to be continued...
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