Chapter Three

Destiny

The early morning sunlight had crept along the hardwood floor, had already tickled along
the lightly colored blankets. Now, its soft golden light reached her still closed eyes, drawing her
from her sleep and back to the world. Letting out a soft grumble, she turned away from the
window, and feeling him next to her, she nuzzled into his bare chest, taking comfort in his familiar
scent, his warmth. The grumbles subsided to contented murmurs as he shifted slightly and began
to run his fingers through her hair. She settled in, willing to stay just like that indefinitely but then
heard the burbling and cooing from the end of the bed that suggested they were not the only ones
woken by the light.
Reluctantly she moved, lifting her head up to look down the bed and then back to Dominic
who still had his eyes close, was still brushing his fingers through her hair. She leaned forward and
lightly kissed his lips, savoring the taste of him and then pulled away, sitting up and reaching for
the t-shirt that had been thrown to the floor the night before.
Dominic barely moved, just shifting back into the warmth of the blankets and she shook
her head, smiling faintly as she slipped on the t-shirt and turned her attention to the baby. He was
wide awake and apparently quite happy, his green eyes open, his arms reaching for her.
Reaching down to pick up the baby, she pulled him in close as he reached up and grabbed
for her curly hair entangling it in his fingers. She gave a small soft smile as she sat down and lifted
the tail of her shirt up to begin to feed the baby boy. She rocked gently with him as he rested his
chubby hand on the middle of her chest. She looked out the window as she fed the baby. The cold
winter days would be evident from this view of their apartment. It wasn’t like looking out her
bedroom window and take in the forested area behind her old home. The smell of the wood
burning in the fireplace downstairs would no longer wake her up. Now, it was other apartments,
and a mess of cars passing and the wail of sirens; the normal city sounds instead of the chirp of
crickets.
She closed her eyes as she took in this precious moment she’d been waiting for with what
felt like years. It now seemed like all her dreams had come true. The alarm buzzed on the
nightstand next to Dominic. He let one of his hands flail wildly about trying to hit the snooze
button, but failing as it was just out of reach. He turned over after sitting up and hitting it finally
and curled back under the covers hiding his face from the bright light.
“We need curtains, Destiny”, he replied his voice slightly muffled by the blanket.
A smile curled at the tips of her lips and she gave a soft laugh. “Okay”, she replied back.
He uncovered his face, looked at the clock, and huffed. He looked over at Destiny who was
rocking the baby and shook his head. He sat up quickly and looked at the alarm that he’d finally
turned off and then back to Destiny. He sat up and looked at her as she reclined casually in the seat near the brightly lit window. Seriously. Just sit there, he mumbled nearly incoherently. He

shook his head again as he walked out of the bedroom and around the corner to the bathroom.
His mumbling had Destiny open her eyes quickly and look in the direction that he’d gone
in. She swallowed hard and hoped she’d heard wrong. She too was still partially asleep and
exhausted from moving into their new apartment, but his tone was not something she was use to
hearing from him. It had her shifting in the seat and wonders what had caused his harshness.
The baby had drifted back to sleep as his feeding ended, she stood up and placed him back
in bed and peeped around the doorway into the bathroom seeing the light on. She looked around
the room and gathered her clothes and dressed.
Lack of sleep, moving, and unpacking had Destiny yawning as she slipped into her sandals
and walked down the hallway to the kitchen. She looked into the bathroom and noticed that
Dominic was looking in the mirror as he finished dressing and cleaning himself. She looked at the
clock in the kitchen and realized just how early it was. It was six a.m. and she felt like she’d already
spent a day working or in school. She looked over at the unfinished homework from last night lying
on the counter. She fixed some coffee and looked in the bare fridge for something to fix for
breakfast. She gave a sigh and closed the door. She pulled a breakfast bar from the cabinet
instead.
She came to the quick realization that living independently is going to be apparently harder
than she’d imagined. They’d put all their savings into a deposit and to turn on the utilities and first
month’s rent. This left nothing for them to buy food for the month, let alone a week. She was
going to have to pull a couple of extra shifts at the gas station for food.
Dominic came down the hallway and grabbed his bag that was draped over the kitchen
chair. She looked up at him and smiled.
“Looks like I’ll be working overtime tonight to get some food for us,” she commented.
She poured him a cup of coffee and scooted the jar of sugar and a small cup of milk
towards him. He gave a shrug and disregarded it.
“Okay,” he said. “Then get some food.”
He looked in his bag and pulled out his wallet and tucked it in the back of his pants pocket.
He walked to the door and opened it.
“Have supper ready,” he said. “I’ve got work later.”
He exited the apartment not giving Destiny enough time to find out when and what he
wanted. She’d opened her mouth to say Goodbye, but was halted by the closing of the door. The
loud sound woke up the slumbering baby in the bedroom.

“Well,” she said. She looked at the closed door that Dominic had rushed out of. She
scowled her forehead not understanding this change. They’d both been under a lot of stress, but
since they moved in together nothing has been as it was before. She heads towards the bedroom
when Devon begins crying loudly.
The slamming door had put the once sleeping baby into a crying fit. His cries deafening as
Destiny entered the room. She quickly reached the crib and lifted the baby up and into her arms,
resting his head upon her shoulder as she coddled him and walked about the room.
“Shh, now Devon,” she whispered to him. “Shh. Daddy is just tired.”
She walked down the hallway towards the sitting area and turned on the radio. The loud,
blaring music startled Destiny but apparently soothed the baby as he calmed down along with
Destiny’s movements. Her nerves were now rattled at any loud sound from Dominic slamming the
door behind him.
She was about to change the station when she realized that the baby was calmer. “Hmm,”
she said to the consoled infant. Walking away from the radio, she gave a soft sway to her hips as
she headed back to the kitchen to grab her own cup of coffee and carefully sip from it. She took
the other coffee cup sitting on the counter and emptied it into her own cup refilling it and fixing it
the way she liked it.
The song on the radio was one she’d heard and listened to with her other friends before
and after school. That was before she’d gotten pregnant and had Devon. She was the envy of the
school for having snagged Dominic, star basketball player. Now, with school, and being a parent
she was less the envy and more a joke.
Destiny had already been through years of struggling to be the star in her father’s eye, so
this change with her classmates was nothing new. Her father thought even less of her, but her
mother was another subject. Destiny and the new baby were the center of her whole world now.
She was a grandmother and much to her husband’s displeasure she helped Destiny and her
grandchild whenever they needed it. Destiny was glad that she had her mother’s help as well as
from Dominic’s family.
She’d walked around the room when she looked at the clock and realized that time was
passing quick. She had to get ready. It was her senior year and Dominic had already graduated
and was taking classes during the day and working at his dad’s company afterwards. He’d yet to
determine what he wanted to specialize in.
The baby had calmed enough that she could dress him to take him to Dominic’s mother to
watch for the day while they were in school and worked. She then began to dress herself for
school and gather her things as well.

She took one look around to make sure everything was off and locked up safe and sound as
she headed out the door. Getting them both in the car, she carefully pulled out of the parking
space and headed towards the Wong residency.
* * *
She’d pulled into the circular driveway and pulled to the side. Putting the car in park, she
looked up at the expansive 2 story house that had the nicely kept yard and landscaping and was
still amazed about it. She was equally surprised by the reactions and actions of the Wong’s. She’d
never really gotten to know them until Dominic and she had announced to them that she was
expecting. It was a mix of surprise, joy, but something else that Destiny could not quite put her
finger on.
Devon was sleeping soundly in the car seat as she peered into the backseat. Dominic’s
mother was standing in the doorway waiting for her. She could see the anxiety she had standing
there so she hurried to get out of the car and bring Devon to her. Unbuckling the car seat with
wildly shaking fingers, she pinched herself with the buckle and idly mumbled a cursing of her own
keeping her tone down to not wake Devon.
She’d pulled the car seat out and Mrs. Wong had already walked down the steps and to the
car. Off you go, she said quickly taking the car seat and baby from her. Don’t be late for school.
She tucked the blanket up in the blanket and dashed back into the house closing the door
behind her. Destiny stood for a few minutes as she watched her baby being taken into the house.
Her heart pitter-pattered for a moment; a gnawing at the back of her mind had her shaking her
head to rid of the thoughts that were gathering.
She shook her wrist to turn the watch around and realized she was close to being late.
Maybe she had a point, she said and got back into the car closing the door and looking once more
at the shadowy dark lit house as she pulled out and headed to school.
As she drove to school she sent a message to her Aunt and mother to meet her after
school at the gas station that she worked at, she wanted to talk. She looked back in her rearview
mirror and shook her head again.
“I must need more sleep,” she said to herself as she drove. Mrs. Wong had not been curt
like she was, then again, Destiny didn’t know much. She barely knew the Wong’s with the
exception of what Dominic had told her.