Epilogue 2
EPILOGUE 2
Brian
H igh school graduation day and our entire family had shown up to support us. All of our friends were standing all over the gymnasium with their families and loved ones, taking pictures and giving them gifts.
I would have never imagined having such a large crowd come to support Brandon and me. That shit was dope.
Surrounding us in a circle of laughter and love were my father and his wife, all dressed up in designer clothes. Pops had taken a turn for the better a little after Mom had started dating Orlando. We never found out what happened, but it seems he and my mother reached some type of better understanding of how to co-parent. At first, I’d been hesitant to trust my father’s presence, but day by day, he proved to us he wanted to be a better father.
Orlando’s brothers both stood next to two pretty girls who were their latest girlfriends. The dudes kept a revolving door going, but hey, if it worked for them, that was cool. I, for one, was looking for some deep, lasting love. I might be young, but I wanted something solid like what my ma and Orlando had.
Their relationship wasn’t perfect; they disagreed sometimes but always spoke to each other with respect and consideration. They had different goals in life but made it work for each other, supporting each other in everything they did. When Orlando decided not to do law school, my mom stood by him. When mom decided to retire from the event planning business and start an event consulting business for event planners, travel agencies, and hotels instead, Orlando sat by her side on the long nights as she built her business from scratch.
They’d weathered a lot of highs and lows, and still, every day, they showed up for each other.
Ma stood by Orlando’s mother, both laughing at something wild Ma probably said. Maya bounced around from person to person, chatting up with anyone who wanted to hear about the latest animation she was working on with her father.
Maya was my favorite; she had wormed her way into Brandon’s and my hearts, and we protected her like big brothers, always looking out for her. She ran over and gave Brandon’s boyfriend a big hug, then Brandon; then she came to me.
“Hey, sunshine.” I smiled at her, crouching to be at eye level.
“Are you happy, Brian? This was a really fun day with all our family, right?” She grinned, her excitement for us so palpable I couldn’t help but give her another hug and a squeeze.
“Yeah, it’s awesome.”
“Look at Mami Trinidad and Daddy. They can’t keep from kissing each other. It’s gross,” Maya confessed.
I stared at our parents. We still called Orlando by his name, but he was a dad through and through. Today, he gifted us and Mom a painting of a woman who looked like her in a superhero cape with two sons who look very like us. Mom, who is badass, something I’d never tell her, started crying when she saw the art. Right now, they were doing too much, though; Maya was right. Orlando had managed to extricate Ma from the circle and had her in a corner, his hands on her ass and his face buried on her neck. Ma’s laughter was loud. We could hear her from here.
“Yeah, you’re right. They kinda gross sometimes, but you know what? Love is like that sometimes. They are just really, really happy.”
Maya sighed the put-upon sigh of a weary eight-year-old, then nodded in agreement.
“I guess you’re right. Better to be happy and in love. But I hope I am not gross like them when I grow up.” She shuddered.
“Damn, me too, sunshine. Me too.”
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