21. Rosa
CHAPTER 21
Rosa
I t’s incredible how quickly our relationship changed the moment we decided to patch things up. Vinny is no longer the jaded man he was when he first kidnapped me. Instead, he’s generous and loving. It could be because we’re away from the city and away from Vinny’s father, but I like to think that he just kept his promise when he said he wanted to keep me happy.
Since I grew up in a family where I never felt safe or protected, it’s a good feeling that I actually get along with Vinny’s grandfather, too. He reminds me a lot of the old fathers who I used to run into around Chinatown. He’s protective and stern yet he has a soft side. I see it come out whenever the topic of Vinny’s father comes up. I don’t feel it’s my place to ask too many questions about their fractured relationship, but a part of me needs to know all I can. This is the family my kids are going to be a part of now, after all.
“When was the last time you saw him?” I ask after we finish picking strawberries. His grandfather is quiet for a few moments as he stares at the sky, the lines in his forehead getting deeper.
“I think Vinny may have been a kid,” he finally answers with a sigh. “We got into a really bad argument and he left and I never saw him again.” I try to think of something encouraging to say, but he continues to speak.
“There’s always been this curiosity in Vinny’s father - Toni. Because I was in the same business when he was a kid, I think he saw the bad stuff as a way of getting power. It’s my fault if I want to blame anyone.” He gestures for me to sit down on the grassy path then hands me one of the freshly cleaned strawberries. The juice is sweet and refreshing after being in the heat all day. I notice the aged scars on his tattooed hands, signs of a life lived long ago
“That’s why I always felt Vinny and I were closer. I knew he had no interest in being the same man that his father grew into, but it’s hard to tell your grandson who he should be when his father has such a big influence on his life.”
The thought of Vinny’s family being splintered that way hits me. It’s not much different from my own, but I never knew any of my grandparents. The most I know of their lives is that they also gambled and made deals with shady people.
I set the strawberries down. “I had no idea it was that bad,” I say after a while. He helps me back up and we continue walking down the rows of strawberries, as the heat starts to die down. It’s almost close to dinner time and I know Marisol has probably created a feast for us. Vinny’s been back at the house prepping the vegetables with her.
“I know your life is back in New York, and Mexico is different for you. But I think it’s best that you live your life and raise the kids out here,” he says.
We pause after a while, and I think hard about what my life could be if we did live in Mexico for the remainder of our lives. Even if I’ve been happy here with lots of peace and space to walk around, I can’t imagine never going back to New York. There’s a part of me that feels that I have unfinished business. Of course, the minute I step back in New York, I could lose my life. Now that I am nearly ready to give birth to the kids, my choices are a lot more limited.
“I want what’s best for the babies,” I whisper.
“Then you’ll want them to live here,” Vinny’s grandfather urges. I know he’s insistent on keeping whatever family he has left together. I don’t have the heart to argue against it.
After we’re back at home and having dinner, Vinny and I spend the rest of the night outside on the back patio. Vinny’s put on more weight around his midsection and his beard has finally been tidied up. He looks sexier than ever and I love seeing him prepping to be a father.
But something else is on his mind and he’s not telling me. I reach over and hold his hand.
“Can you believe that the babies will be here any moment?” I ask with a smile.
He also smiles as he glances over at me. “I’ll be even happier when we’re officially a family.”
I frown as I reply, “We are an official family, right?”
Vinny stares intently at me as his breathing quickens. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the single ring. It’s a stunning diamond with an emerald in the middle. It dawns on me too late — he’s proposing.
“I wanted to do something a lot more romantic, since my grandfather told me I’m not very good at being a romantic man. But I can’t hold on any longer. This is my grandmother’s ring and I wanted to propose—“
Tears flood his eyes. “ I feel like I’ve watched you grow up before my eyes and now we’re both about to be parents for the first time. It’s exhilarating and terrifying all in one. I just want to be a family and be the kind of father and husband that my dad couldn’t be.”
He holds the ring out with a shaky hand and I slip it on my ring finger in awe. It’s strange looking down at the ring. I never imagined that I would ever be in a committed relationship, let alone being married. Seems like some far-off fairy tale.
“I can’t believe this,” I say after a few moments. “But I can’t wait to be your wife.”
Since I have no wedding planning expertise, we happily give Marisol the task to plan our simple nuptials. Only the wedding will be very different from American-style weddings. Marisol and a few other women in the village sew a dress for me. It’s not traditional white, but instead is an off-peach color with flowers around the hem. Once I look at my reflection, I gasp. Although I’m ready to pop, I look…beautiful. Marisol is practically an aunt now and she also has tears in her eyes at the sight of me.
“You look like a queen,” she says. She then sits me down at the vanity and works on pulling my hair into a bun. One of the other ladies, Lia, brings a bowl full of flowers and hair accessories. She doesn’t speak any English but she smiles and touches her cheek.
“ Ay, bonita!” she exclaims. I grin, happy to know I’m slowly picking up Spanish.
Marisol works the comb through my hair. “The okra water has been working well. Your hair has grown and now the babies will come out easily.”
I stare down at the engagement ring as a strange feeling takes over me. The way Marisol is gently doing my hair, and Lia is picking out earrings reminds me that I never shared such tender moments with my own mother. Without thinking, I blurt out, “I wonder if my mom would be happy if she were here.”
Marisol and Lia exchange a look. “I bet she would.”
“She seemed to hate me when I was growing up,” I mutter.
Marisol places a few flowers in my hair. “My mother was pretty angry when I was a girl. She worked for a wealthy family but could never find happiness in her life. So, I left home when I turned fifteen.”
Marisol walks in front of me. “Rosa, you are a mother now. And, in a few hours, you’ll be a wife. Whatever life you lived before this doesn’t matter. It’ll be another story you tell your kids when they ask about your past.”
She adds a few finishing touches and Lia places rose earrings in my ears. Once I stare at my reflection again, it’s like I’m a new person. Marisol is right — the past is behind me and now I have a man waiting to marry me. I have a lot to be thankful for.
The small wedding takes a lot of pressure off me. The chapel is just down the road past the strawberry fields with an old priest who can barely stand up straight. Marisol, Lia, and a few other village families are in the chapel, making the service intimate and sweet. The priest goes off on a long tangent in Spanish which gives Vinny and I a few seconds to whisper.
“You look like a fairy,” Vinny whispers.
I stifle a laugh. “Is it too much?”
“I love it,” he continues. “You look angelic.”
I want to kiss him but we haven’t made our vows yet. “I want the kids to live here. I want them to be happy. Leave everything from New York behind.”
Vinny doesn’t say anything for a few moments and I worry he didn’t hear me.
“That’s all I could ask for,” Vinny replies. The priest then ends his sermon and points at Vinny, saying something else in Spanish.
Vinny turns to me. “Rosa, I know we met under…strange circumstances. But I like to think it’s the one thing in my life that actually brought something good. You’ve taught me how to love and forgive. How to move on and find peace in this crazy life.”
The priest then nods at me. I didn’t make vows. I couldn’t find the right words. So, I say what I always hoped I’d be able to say to someone.
“Vinny, I carry you in my spirit and you’re the evidence that there is a God who wants us to be happy in this life,” I say as tears well in my eyes. I try to say more but nothing else comes out. Vinny steps forward and kisses me. I don’t know if the priest has given us the go-ahead, but I suppose we’ve never done things by the book anyway.
After we walk back down the aisle, we’re greeted by the guests. The church doors open and the rest of the village is cheering us on.
“A little Jalisco tradition,” Vinny says as we walk down the road with flowers and rice being thrown at us. Back at the house, a huge feast is waiting for us with a mariachi band. The music and great food give me a warm feeling.
“This was perfect,” I tell Vinny as we have our first dance.
Vinny kisses my forehead. “I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding.” The guests start to leave close to midnight and Vinny and I slip away to have our wedding night.
Thankfully, we have the night to ourselves and loads of booze to celebrate. But with the babies nearly here, I figure we have to tread lightly. We settle for a bath and a romantic movie as Vinny rubs oil on my stomach.
“Is this how life is when we’re not criminals?” I ask.
He laughs. “It could be.”
“Could be?”
Vinny adds more oil. “I have…loose ends to tie up still.”
I jerk away from him, ready to throw the oil bottle at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I want to be sure New York stays in New York, Rosa babe,” Vinny says.
I turn back to the TV. “I thought us coming out here meant that? We’re married, I’m due any second—”
Vinny hugs me and kisses my cheek. “Babe, I want us to be prepared for anything. That’s all I’m saying.”
I force a smile. If any more stress gets to me, I’m afraid it’ll actually hurt the babies. The rest of the night is sweet. Vinny and I fall asleep on the couch and I admire my ring every second I get. Still, I feel a tickle of worry when the thought of that unfinished business creeps in.