All Her Names
By Kali Fajardo-Anstine, first published in The American Scholar
In contemporary Denver, a young, married Latina woman wants to terminate her pregnancy and turns to her ex-boyfriend for help.
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Plot Summary
Alice is a Latina woman entering her thirties in contemporary Denver. She is married to an auctioneer in his fifties, Gary. Whenever Gary leaves town for his annual auctioneers' convention, Alicia calls Michael, her ex-boyfriend who she admits she's still in love with. Michael is a sales manager at a marijuana dispensary. He and Alicia often spend time graffitiing together at the rail yard. This time, when Gary's at his convention, Alicia calls Michael for a ride to the botanica, a strange and suspicious apothecary. She claims she needs some healing food or medicine for her dog, but in reality, she buys a substance that will terminate her pregnancy. Michael overhears and tells her she should tell Gary, because he has the right to know. Gary also desires to have a child. Alicia recalls the first time she secretly terminated a pregnancy. She had been pregnant with Michael's child. Michael and Alicia go to the rail yard to graffiti and almost get caught. To avoid the consequences, they pretend like they are making love when the cop arrives, claiming they're just excited because they found out they are having a child together. The cop lets them go. Alicia goes back to Gary, and for her 30th birthday, he takes her to a cabin.
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