Star-Crossed Lovers

By: Jocelyn A. Uy
	

	We begin the story early in the school year at Sunville High School, 
home of the Sunville Seminoles. It seemed like any normal day for the 
junior, Melina Natalie Veracruz, and the senior, David Marcus O'Shea. Both 
Melina and David drove to school in their cars, a Neon Expresso & a ‘98 
Volkswagen Beetle, respectively. One little "fender bender" would change 
their lives forever. As Melina was backing out of her parking spot, David 
accidentally bumped into her car. Of course both were angry, but once they 
saw each other, it was love at first sight. They each said hello to each 
other, shyly. Then, David introduced himself to her. She replied by telling 
him her name. They began talking to each other when she realized she would 
be late for work (Häagen-Däaz). They each said goodbye as they both entered 
their cars and drove to their destinations. David drove to a park where the 
varsity football team was about to start practicing (home field was 
refertilized). He caught up with his friends, who asked him why the star 
quarterback was almost late to practice. His friends' names were Paul 
McDouglas (RB, #44) & Ryan O'Bailey (K, #3). He told them that he met a very 
pretty girl as he was leaving the parking lot. They asked who she was, and 
he told them her name. Both Paul and Ryan paused in shock. They asked him 
why he would be interested in "a girl like her." David just said that she 
was good-looking and she seemed to have a good sense of humor. They just 
told him that he shouldn't go for her. Then they went to practice. David 
went to practice, confused as ever. Melina was just arriving at her work 
when David began practice. She looked kind of dreamy-eyed, and she was 
smiling when she walked into work. Her co-workers questioned her and she 
just told them that she was in a good mood. After Melina was done at work 
and David was done at practice, they each went to their homes. They both 
went to school the next day feeling very uncomfortable. Melina began talking 
to her friends, Teresa Escudero and Lisa Reyes. They asked her what she did 
the day before. She told them she met a "fine" guy. They asked who he was, 
and she told them. Both her friends' faces just stared at her with open 
mouths. They asked if she knew who he was, and Melina told them that she had 
no idea he existed until that point. Right then, the school began a pep 
rally for homecoming (Fall ‘98). They first introduced the homecoming court 
(men & women). David wasn't on the court, though he was nominated. Then they 
introduced the Varsity Football team. They walked in one by one. Melina 
wasn't really paying attention. All she was looking for was her older 
brother, Christian Veracruz (#24), who was a cornerback on the team. Then 
someone on the microphone yelled, "And now here is the star quarterback and 
team captain: David O'Shea!" Melina quickly turned around and saw the guy 
she met the day before on the pedestal with his jersey (#11) on and a 
microphone. He began talking about the team, the season, and how they were 
doing. She just stood there in shock. She couldn't believe it. Then her 
friends began telling Melina that David was vain and "a player." They also 
mentioned that Filipinos don't go out with white men. She replied by saying 
that they were racist. But, of course, they denied it. Then after the pep 
rally, she ran to David and asked for his number. Her friends just ditched 
her and went to lunch. He gave her his number, with a smile, and she just 
melted. Then, she gave him her number. Right when that happened, her brother 
walked out and saw them together. He instantly became angry. Then Christian 
pulled her away and asked her what she was doing with a "slimeball" like 
him. She just said that David asked for her number and she asked for his 
number. Christian told Melina that it was wrong for "a girl like her" to go 
out with "a guy like him." He just said it wasn't right. Melina began 
accusing her brother of racism. Christian denied it (duh!), but he also said 
that he knows how David acts. Christian just wanted to protect her from 
getting hurt. Then Melina replied by saying that it was her life, and it was 
her choice. Christian then said that he didn't want to argue, so he'd talk 
to her at home. Angry, Melina stomped off toward her friends. Of course, 
Lisa and Teresa gave Melina the cold shoulder. So, she decided to eat alone. 
At the end of the day, everyone went home. Christian and Melina went home 
together on this day. The next day would be the homecoming game. While 
entering their house, they began arguing about the incident after the rally. 
At that moment, their parents, Carlos and Maria Veracruz, came in wondering 
why they both were yelling at each other. Christian told his parents what 
happened, and they firmly agreed. Melina became extremely frustrated and 
argued with them. They told her sternly that she shouldn't go out with 
David. Then they grounded her from going to the homecoming game. She became 
extremely angry, and she went into her room and wept. When David got home, 
his parents, Daniel Sr. and Rebecca O'Shea, were very angry at him. They 
said they received a call from one of his friend's parents telling them that 
David was interested in a Filipino girl. They wondered if it was true, and 
he said yes. Then out came his older brother: 24 year old Daniel O'Shea Jr. 
He seemed angrier than any of his parents. Daniel asked David if he was 
telling the truth. Of course, David said yes. Then Daniel became furious and 
grabbed David by the shirt. He began telling him that David should not go 
out with "their kind." David then asked why they were so against Filipinos, 
and they replied by saying that it was just a tradition. Then David said 
that he was going against the tradition. He just grabbed his letterman 
jacket, walked out the door, entered his car, and began driving around. He 
drove to a diner. He ordered a slice of strawberry pie (mmm!) and he asked 
the waitress if there was a phone around. She said there was one in the 
back. After eating and paying for the pie, he went to the phone. He began 
dialing: 878-3588. (Ironically that spells, "TRUELUV.") Melina answered it 
and David asked for her. She then realized who it was and began talking to 
him. They both found out what happened to each of them and they decided to 
meet each other at the homecoming game. Though Melina was grounded, she had 
to think of a plan to get out of the house. Then she ran to her younger 
sister, Martha Veracruz. Martha was reading a novel, Things Fall Apart. 
Melina then asked Martha for a favor. Of course Martha was skeptical, but 
she listened anyway. Melina asked her if she would just lie in Melina's bed 
and impersonate Melina whenever her parents checked on her. Martha was 
shocked by the idea! Melina told Martha the specifics of why she wanted to 
do this, and Martha understood. She had a secret crush on one of her 
classmates: an African-American named Keyshawn Tomkins. David never really 
went back to his house that night. He got a hotel room for the night. He had 
some money left over from the diner. Finally the day arrived: the homecoming 
game. (Friday was the game- school had the day off. Saturday was the dance.) 
Christian was at his house getting ready to go play in the game. He took a 
quick look at Melina and shook his head. He then went to the football field. 
Melina then began to get ready for her secret date with David. It was all 
planned. Martha told her friend to say that she was staying over. Then 
Martha would take Melina's place in her bed while Melina would walk to the 
football field (though it was a mile & a half, she chose to walk it). David 
checked out of his hotel room and he went to the gift shop of the hotel. 
There he bought some fresh cut roses. He decided he was going to ask Melina 
to the homecoming dance. (He had a bid for him and his ex, Kristen McSteed. 
Since she dumped him, he still had the bid.) He then drove to the football 
field to get ready for the game against their rivals, the St. Michael 
Military Academy Patriots. Melina was secretly getting ready to go to the 
game when her younger brother, Calvin Veracruz, ran up to her. He began 
asking her what she was doing. She just said nothing. Then he started 
talking about what happened to him in school. He said a girl spilled her hot 
lunch and no one was helping her. Then he gave the girl his lunch and he 
helped her clean up the mess. Then Melina asked who the little girl was and 
Calvin said it was Roberta O'Shea. Melina just paused, looked at Calvin, and 
asked him if he liked her. He said sort of. From that, Melina gave him a hug 
and said that's nice. He walked away and Melina just smiled at him. Melina 
then found Martha and asked her if she was still up for "the plan." Martha 
then told her that she found out their mom and dad were also going to the 
game to see their brother play. Melina panicked! If her parents saw her at 
the game talking to David, the consequences could be very harsh! She had to 
figure out a different plan. Martha suggested that she asked one of her 
brother's friends to take her. Melina agreed, thanked her sister, and went 
to the phone. She then called Christian's best friend and ex-boyfriend, 
Shawn Aguila. Though they were exes, they still remained friends. She began 
dialing: 276-5387. (Ironically, that spells "BROKEUP.") When she called, 
Shawn was just getting ready to go to the game. She asked him if he could 
give her a ride to the game. He said sure and then suspiciously asked why. 
Melina told him, and he was shocked. Yet, he still agreed to take her after 
her parents left. He had a secret girlfriend: an Indian girl named Reenja 
Patel, so he understood what she was going through. After Melina's had left, 
Martha told her the coast was clear. Then Melina waved to Christian who was 
hiding in his car, which was parked across the street. He then moved his car 
to the front of her house. Melina was wearing some nice jeans, canvas shoes, 
and a spirit week T-shirt. (Go Seminoles!) She got into his car, a black 
1997 Rav 4. Then they drove to the football field, which was already packed 
with screaming fans. They found a seat, away from her parents, and began 
watching the game. First, Melina's friend Lisa began singing the national 
anthem. Then both teams began playing. It was a gruesome battle, but with 
David's accurate passing, the Seminoles were able to pull it off. They won 
20-14 on a great pass by David. Melina's brother had one of the touchdowns. 
He intercepted a pass, and ran it back for a touchdown, tying the game at 
14. After the game had ended, they announced who the homecoming queen was. 
Guess what? It was David's ex, Kristen McSteed. She was the most popular 
girl in school. She was the head cheerleader and she used to go out with the 
star quarterback. Then Melina hid under one of the bleachers. This was where 
David told her he would be. He then ran from the locker room to the 
bleachers. There they met. They began talking about what had happened. Then 
David pulled out the flowers and his class ring. First he put the ring on 
Melina's finger. Then while giving her the flowers, he asked her if she 
would like to go to the homecoming dance with him. She paused in shock and 
delight, then said yes. She began to shiver because a cold breeze blew by 
them. Being extremely noble, David took off his letterman jacket and put it 
on her. Melina looked at him and told him thank you. Then they both gazed 
into each other's eyes. David gently placed his hand on her cheek. Then he 
said that he had never seen anyone so beautiful in his entire life. Melina 
then replied by saying that neither had she. From that, they began kissing. 
About a minute or two passed by when they were suddenly interrupted. David 
was shoved onto the ground. Looking up, David saw it was Christian. He 
looked extremely angry. Christian began yelling at David, telling him to 
stay away from his sister. David then replied that he was falling in love 
with her. Melina then looked at David and asked if it was the truth. He said 
yes. Then Christian punched David in the face, pulled Melina away, then told 
David that if he ever saw him with Melina, he'd kill him. Melina and 
Christian then walked away. She tried to look back at David, but Christian 
forced her head forward, away from him. David got up slowly and left. He 
went back home. Back at Melina's house, she was scolded by her family yet 
again for disobeying them. She was then grounded for the month. David got 
home and his family began asking him what happened to his eye. He just told 
them it happened during the game. He then went up to his room, and sat on 
his bed. The next day came, and everybody still had attitudes from the day 
before. Melina secretly had her sister bring a phone into her room. She 
decided to call David. She began dialing: 337-8469. (Ironically, that 
spells, "DESTINY.") David's little brother, Darin O'Shea, answered the 
phone. He had no clue of what was going on. He asked whom she wanted to 
speak to and, of course, she said David. Darin then went to get David, who 
had just finished taking a shower (which means no shirt, towel wrapped 
around him, and your imagination) and now was shaving in the bathroom. David 
got the phone and Melina then said hello. Realizing it was her, David asked 
if she was ready for the dance. She said yes, but there was a problem. She 
told him she was grounded for a month. David then asked if she had a plan. 
At first she said no, but then an idea popped into her head. She would go 
with her brother, her brother's date, and her ex while David would go to the 
dance alone and meet up with her. David was first in disbelief, but then 
realized that it might work. He said that he'd meet her there. Then Melina 
began apologizing to him for her brother's reaction to him. He just said it 
was okay. Then David that he really liked the kiss they shared. She did too. 
All of a sudden David had to hang up. He told her he loved her, blew her a 
"phone kiss," told her goodbye, and then hung up. Melina hung up her phone 
and fell back onto her bed. David just finished his shaving. He wanted to 
look "snazzy" for Melina. Then David's older brother, Daniel Jr., walked 
into the bathroom. He began asking David why he was getting so dressed up. 
David then said that he found a new date for the dance. Of course Daniel 
asked who, and David said that it was another cheerleader. Then Daniel left, 
telling him to have fun. After being in the bathroom, he began getting 
dressed. Walking by his mirror, he started joking around. He began acting 
like Arnold Schwartzenegger, and posed in front of the mirror. His pecs and 
"six pack" were perfect. He put on one of those new kind of tuxedos. It 
didn't have a bow tie or a cummerbund. It did have a vest. The jacket and 
pants were black, the shirt was white, and the vest was red. Melina, on the 
other hand, began telling her brother of what she wanted to do. He said 
great. She then called Shawn and told him the real details. He agreed and 
said he would meet her at her house. She began to get ready. After telling 
her parents she was going to the dance with Shawn, they let her go. Her 
sister helped her with her hair, while her mom did her makeup and found a 
dress for her. After a while, Melina was finally done. She looked extremely 
beautiful. The doorbell then rang. Melina's "date" was there, ready to pick 
her up. He had a traditional tuxedo on. He came in and began talking to the 
parents. Then Christian came out in his tux. It was his dad's tux, and the 
dad wore it to his homecoming dance. It was like a traditional tux, but 
instead of the jacket being black, it was white. Then Christian, Shawn, and 
Melina left the house. Outside the house, a limo was waiting for them. They 
got in and began heading for Christian's date's house. His date, a Filipino 
girl named Lorraine Cardinal, was waiting outside for him. She got in the 
limo and introduced herself to everybody. Then the limo headed for the 
dance. David was just leaving his house at that time. He bought a beautiful 
fire red orchid wrist corsage for Melina. He had a matching boutonniere. He 
got into his Beetle and drove to the dance. David lived closer to the 
school, so he arrived first. He went and entered the dance. They let him in 
stag. He just walked around looking at everybody. He found a seat in the 
corner, then he sat and watched everyone dance. Then Christian and the 
others arrived. They all entered the dance. Both couples then broke off to 
do their own thing. They agreed to meet at the limo at midnight. Shawn went 
with Melina, and she began to look for David. First they went to the 
refreshment table and each grabbed a glass of punch. They took a sip from 
their drinks and quickly spat it out. The punch was spiked with alcohol! 
They quickly put down their drinks and continued searching for David. David 
was just sitting down in the corner staring at the dance floor. It had been 
at least an hour since he sat there. He felt kind of sad because he was 
afraid that Melina had stood him up. Then all of a sudden a beautiful woman 
walked in front of him. He looked up, and saw it was Melina. He stood up 
quickly, admired her looks, then gave her the corsage. Shawn reminded her of 
the curfew. He walked away, and then Melina and David started dancing. The 
first song they danced to was "As Long as You Love Me" by the Backstreet 
Boys. They each complimented each other on how they looked. Then all of a 
sudden, the DJ on stage began playing a slow song. It was "All My Life" by 
K-Ci & JoJo. Melina and David then danced closer. She put her arms around 
his shoulders, and he held her tighter. Melina then complimented him on his 
cologne. He replied by saying it was "Hugo Boss." They looked like a perfect 
couple. They pretty much danced the night away. It was the last dance, when 
they both looked at each other, stared, then kissed each other. They didn't 
know it, but they ended up dancing right next to Christian and his date. 
Christian turned around, saw them together, and went ballistic. He had a 
Swiss Army Knife in his pocket (for some unknown reason). He led his date 
away, then took out the Swiss Army Knife, pulling out, well, the knife 
attachment. He then lunged toward David. Melina looked up and saw her 
brother coming, so she moved herself and David out of the way. Luckily, they 
were just in time. David told Melina to stay where she was. He took off his 
jacket and his vest. He began talking to Christian, trying to convince him 
to throw down the knife. Christian wouldn't budge. David looked away for one 
second, and then Christian slashed David on his upper right arm. David 
fought back by punching Christian in the face. Then they began fighting. 
Since Christian studied jujitsu, he had an advantage over David. He pretty 
much ruled the fight. David did land some really good punches. His brother, 
Daniel, taught him some boxing moves. All of a sudden, they heard sirens 
outside. Someone must have seen them fighting, and then called the police. 
Melina ran, and took the bloody David to the back. They went to the parking 
lot and found David's Beetle. Melina put David in the passenger's seat. She 
then got the keys from his pocket, started up the car, and drove away. 
Afraid of the consequences, she didn't want to go straight home. Instead, 
they found a nearby motel called the "Come On Inn." Luckily, she had enough 
money to check out a room for the night. They had room number 2. They 
entered together. Sorely, David sat on the bed. There was only one bed. In 
pain, he took off his shirt. He had a white tank top on. Melina went to the 
front and asked for a first aid kit. She got one and quickly went back to 
David. Her mom was a nurse, so she learned many medical procedures. She 
helped David out by dressing his wound. As she was putting the bandage on 
the cut, he touched her hand. Then they looked at each other. Their heads 
went closer and closer, then they kissed each other. It became very 
passionate, and they ended up both lying down on the bed and kissing. 
David, being extremely courteous, stopped and asked her if she really wanted 
to continue. She slowly replied by saying yes. They then made love. For both 
of them, it was their first time. Afterwards, it was about 3:00 A.M. They 
both knew that their families were both worried about them and angry with 
them. David decided to drive Melina home. They both entered the Beetle very 
slowly. While in the car, Melina thanked David for a wonderful evening. They 
both told each other that they had never done "that" before, yet they were 
both happy they did "it." Then David started the car and began pulling out 
of the parking lot. They were driving for only a minute or two when they 
reached an intersection. Their light was green, so they proceeded to go. 
Another car came up on their left. Their light was red, but they ignored it. 
They were going 70 miles per hour right David and Melina. David saw them and 
tried to move faster, but it was too late. The other car hit David's car 
smack dab on the driver's side. The driver and the passenger of the other 
car were still alive. Unfortunately, David died instantly on impact. Melina 
got knocked out, but she wasn't dead. By the time Melina regained 
consciousness, she was already in the hospital. Her parents were standing 
outside of her room. She asked them what happened, and they explained it to 
her. She then asked what happened to David. At that moment, a doctor walked 
in to check on her. She then asked him what happened to David. The doctor 
slowly told her that he had died instantly when the crash occurred. His neck 
had snapped. Melina quickly began denying what the doctor had said, and she 
began weeping. In her mind she was screaming for a reason to why this 
happened. The doctor interrupted by telling Melina that she had a broken arm 
and a sprained knee. She would have to stay in bed for a few days. Melina 
and her parents agreed. It was already 8:00 A.M., Sunday morning. She had 
been out for about 4-5 hours. Then the next day, around 2:30 P.M., Shawn 
came in to visit. He bought her some balloons and flowers to cheer her up. 
He also told her about when David's funeral was to be. The school announced 
it. It was on the Wednesday of that week at 10:00 A.M. She told Shawn that 
she had to go to the funeral. Shawn argued with her saying that she was 
still too weak to do anything. She just told him that if he were a true 
friend, he would help her get to the funeral. She then asked him if he knew 
the driver of the other car. He said yes. Shawn told Melina it was David's 
friend, Ryan O'Bailey. His date was drunk and passed out. He also had too 
many drinks from the punch bowl, yet he proceeded to drive. He was put under 
arrest for underage drinking, Driving Under the Influence, and manslaughter. 
She felt sorry for Ryan, but she believed he deserved it. Melina then told 
Shawn that she was thankful for all he did for her. He then told her he had 
to go. He needed to go to basketball tryouts. He left and she said bye. She 
then saw the flowers. On the flowers, there was a card. She took the card, 
opened it, and read it. It said: "To my former love, and now my best friend. 
Get well soon! Don't worry ‘bout a thing. I'll be there for you. Your 
Friend, Shawn Aguila." She felt better after reading the card. At the end of 
the day on Tuesday, she was released from the hospital with a cast on her 
arm and a brace on her knee. The doctor told her parents that all that she 
needed now was time to heal. They agreed. They would not let Melina out of 
the house for one week. Melina called Shawn and told him the details of her 
treatment. He said he would go there right after her parents left the house, 
which was around 7:30 A.M. He would pick Melina up, take her to the grave, 
and then she could pay her respects to David. She asked him why she couldn't 
go to the regular funeral. He told her that the school would probably call 
her parents. She then agreed with his plan. Then the day came. She pretended 
to be asleep when her parents left. Once they both pulled out of the 
driveway, she got up and prepared herself. By the time she was finished, 
Shawn was waiting. She then remembered that she still had David's letterman 
jacket and ring. She had a gold chain, and she put the ring on it. Then she 
wore the chain and ring around her neck. Melina then took the jacket and 
slowly went out to meet Shawn. Since her knee was sprained, she had to use 
crutches to move. As Melina was trying to get into his car, Shawn helped 
her, and gave her a boost. They then proceeded to go to the grave cite of 
David. It took them a ½ hour to get to the sight. There were some students 
already there, but no faculty. Melina and Shawn slowly approached the 
gravestone. Once they reached it, Melina automatically started crying. On 
the gravestone it had a picture of David. The engravings read, "Here lies 
David Marcus O'Shea. Born February 14, 1981. Died November 15, 1998. A great 
young man and a great son." She slowly bowed down next to the grave. She 
placed the jacket next to it, kissed the grave, said a silent prayer, and 
then left. Shawn took Melina back to her house. Luckily, no one told the 
faculty about what she did. Several weeks later, on December 30, the doctor 
called her parents to have Melina come to the hospital for a check 
up/physical. Her knee had healed already, but her arm was still in a cast. 
She had attended school, but now it was Christmas vacation. Her parents 
drove her to the hospital and dropped her off. They would pick her up in 
about an hour. She then proceeded to have the physical. After the physical, 
the doctor then told Melina that they would call with the results in a few 
days. She agreed. After about an hour and fifteen minutes, her parents 
picked her up. She told them that the doctor would call with the results in 
a few days and they said okay. A couple days later, on New Year's Day, the 
parents received a call from the doctor. He told them that Melina is fine 
and healthy, but there is one extremely important thing that he had to 
mention. He told them that she was pregnant. She was about 6-7 weeks into 
the pregnancy. They were in shock. They quickly thanked the doctor, hung up, 
and yelled for Melina to come to them. They were in the kitchen and she was 
in the living room watching television. She stood up and slowly walked to 
them. They both then asked her if she had slept with anybody. She asked why. 
Then they told her that the doctor called saying that she was pregnant. She 
paused in amazement, then she told them that on the night of the Homecoming 
dance and the fatal accident, she slept with David. Melina's mom just shook 
her head while her dad went crazy! He was yelling and screaming at her! Her 
brother heard the ruckus, and walked into the kitchen. Christian asked what 
was going on. Her dad then told him. After hearing that, he just looked at 
Melina, began walking away, and said that he no longer had a sister. At that 
moment, her dad told her to get her stuff, and move out of the house. 
Melina's dad and brother were disowning her! She pleaded with her parents, 
but there was no success. After she packed all her stuff, she kissed her 
younger siblings good bye and called Shawn to pick her up. She asked if she 
could stay with him and his family. Luckily, he said yes. Melina tried to 
kiss her mother goodbye, but she was too sad to watch Melina leave. Her dad 
wasn't even there. He "went for a walk." He really did not want to see her 
when she left. Shawn came and helped her with her things. She tried to say 
goodbye to her whole family, but not all of them were there. Her mom and 
Christian just ignored her. She began silently weeping, then left the house. 
Shawn then drove her to his house. It took an hour. After the ride, Shawn 
helped Melina into his house. His parents, Simon and Lupe Aguila, were 
already waiting for her arrival. They had prepared a guest room for her. She 
walked into their house and they showed her to her room. It was small, but 
it would have to do. Shawn brought her things in, and she quickly began 
unpacking. In her room was an old dresser with a mirror, a full size bed, a 
small closet, and a little desk next to the bed. On the desk was a tiny 
lamp. The first things Melina unpacked were two pictures. One was a family 
portrait that was framed. She hung it up on the wall. The second was the 
Homecoming picture of David and her. She also had that framed (it was a 
5x7). She put that on the desk next to her bed. After those two things, she 
pretty much made her room like home. Unfortunately, her father was extremely 
angry at her. He withdrew Melina from Sunville. She no longer went to school 
there. A few mornings after she moved in, she got a letter, sent to her 
secretly, from Martha. She told Melina the news. Now Melina could not go 
back to school. As she put the letter away, she all of a sudden felt sick. 
She then ran toward the closest bathroom and puked in the toilet. Slowly she 
flushed the toilet and then she washed her hands and face. This, of course, 
was morning sickness, a usual symptom of being pregnant. Shawn's parents 
came to the bathroom and asked her if she was okay. Melina said she was 
fine, and then they remembered that she was pregnant. Shawn continued to go 
to school after Christmas vacation. Many students and teachers asked him 
what happened, but he didn't want to say anything. He just went on with his 
daily routine. Whenever he came home, he would tutor Melina so she wouldn't 
be behind in her studies.  Approximately seven months later, in July, it was 
time for her to have the baby. Shawn and his parents rushed her to the 
hospital at around 7:00 A.M. on July 17, 1999. After twelve hours of labor, 
the baby was born. At around 3:00 P.M., David Marcus O'Shea-Veracruz Jr. was 
born. Melina was dumbfounded. All she could do was stare at the baby she and 
David Sr. created. After that, everything was okay. Melina later met a young 
Chinese and Cuban man named Juan Carlos Zhou. She married him, and they 
raised David Jr. as their own. They did have kids of their own: Maya Ching 
Zhou, Juan Carlos Zhou Jr., and Shawn Michael Zhou. She still kept in touch 
with Shawn and his family. After she married Juan, she decided to go back to 
school. She did finally graduate from high school and college. The 
relationships between Melina and her family are still kind of touchy. Her 
brother still has not talked to her, and neither had her dad. Her mom, 
sister, and little brother still keep in touch. She still visits David Sr.'s 
grave every November 15 with her son. The letterman jacket, old and dusty, 
is still next to the grave. Also, she still keeps his ring close to her 
heart. She brings it everywhere she goes. It's in a velvet pouch, and she 
puts the pouch in her shirt pocket. David Jr. is now 17 years old. He 
attends Sunville High School and is a straight "A" student. He also is a 
forward on the basketball team and the star quarterback of the football 
team. (Like father like son!) Right now he is going out with a 
Hawaiian-Black girl named Mei-Lei Watson. Melina is very proud of him. He 
reminds her very much of his father.


THE END!!!