The Broposal

Chapter Twenty-Seven Han

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

HAN

M y phone’s constant buzzing on my nightstand woke me up long after the sun had risen. My body obviously needed the rest, and I wasn’t about to fight it. Since I’d found out about my mom three days ago, sleep was a little harder to come by, so one in the afternoon still felt early as hell. I checked my phone to see a random number lit across the screen. In my half-asleep haze, I answered it.

“Hello?” I mumbled, my morning voice making it clear I’d just woken up.

“Hi, Alejandro? This is John Jones, Cedric’s friend. I assume he told you about me?”

“John Jones?” I asked, still half asleep.

“That’s right! Sorry to call on Thanksgiving. I can do pro bono for a friend, but I still have a full client list.”

I rubbed my temple with my free hand. I sure as hell never heard of anyone named John Jones. I vaguely remembered Kenny telling me to expect a call today, though. As soon as the memory hit, my morning fog vanished, and I almost fumbled off the bed trying to straighten up. “You’re that lawyer, right?”

A chuckle, “Right! I’m calling for our consultation. Is this a good time?”

I sat up straighter, like that might make my voice sound less groggy. “Yeah, it’s a great time. Thanks so much for calling, Mr. Jones.”

“Great! I have a few questions for you if you don’t mind…”

Mr. Jones went on to ask me a bunch of the same questions the USCIS officer had asked the other day. About a half hour passed before I had answered all of them.

“Excellent! Excellent, excellent. You’re in a great position here, Mr. Torres. You’re already way ahead of the curve since you’ve gotten started on your application early. While there’s not too much else you can do until after you’re officially married, you’re still in a great spot. Now, you’re going to be tested on civics and your English—which I don’t see you having any problem with—but other than that, you really shouldn’t need me unless you run into any trouble. If I’m wrong and the process isn’t as smooth as I think it’ll be for you, feel free to give me a call and we can go from there, all right?”

“Wow… thank you so much. Thank you. I’ll definitely do that.”

“You have a great day now.”

“You too…”

I could hardly believe the relief that flooded over me when I hung up. A professional immigration lawyer said we’d have no problem. A real professional told me we would be set. Even knowing about Jackie’s baby. He’d actually said it looked great that we were planning on fighting for custody. This was going to work out. And more than that, it was going to be easy . I reached for my crutches against the wall and maneuvered myself into the living room, where Kenny was watching Up .

“Hey, Han…” Kenny scrambled to change the movie when he saw me come out of the room. Apparently, Up was too sad to expose me to right now. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” I said automatically. “Just got off the call with your dad’s lawyer friend.”

Kenny raised an eyebrow. “And?”

I went over to the couch and plopped down next to Kenny, forcing Luna onto his lap so I could sit. “He said we don’t need him, but to call if anything goes wrong. He seemed really optimistic about the whole thing.”

“That’s awesome!” Kenny’s smile seemed to take over his entire face, and I grinned back.

Kenny wrapped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed me in a side hug.

“So…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I heard from Jackie…”

I lifted my head, waiting for him to go on.

“She’s keeping the baby, for sure now.”

I nodded. “We’ll figure it out. You’re not alone, okay, bro?”

Kenny rolled his eyes, but after a second he gave me a sad smile. “I know I’m not. Thanks. And… you’re not alone either, okay? I mean it.”

I knew where Kenny was trying to go with that, so I grabbed the remote and pulled up Fast Five on the TV. It was a change from the “I need to cry” kids’ movies Kenny was probably expecting me to pick, but whatever. I didn’t need to cry. I needed a distraction.

While the movie played, I couldn’t shake the guilt welling up. Kenny was going through with the marriage, but I had to wonder if Jackie was the one he really wanted to marry. The last thing I wanted was to be the reason Kenny didn’t get to have the family he’d dreamed of, even if she was the reincarnation of the devil herself. I was glad Kenny wasn’t marrying her, obviously, but I didn’t want it to be because of me . I wanted it to be because Kenny knew he deserved better. Maybe he did know. I hoped so. And part of me wondered if this would be something Kenny might hold against me in the future, if it would be a source of bitterness that would eventually tear us apart.

I knew I owed Kenny way more than I would ever be able to pay back, and I didn’t know how to cope with that. And it wasn’t like I could just talk to Kenny about it, either. No matter how guilty I felt, I desperately needed him to go through with this. I couldn’t risk talking about it with him if it might make him change his mind. Besides, anything serious I would try to say would just lead to Kenny trying to get me to talk about my mom again, which I really wasn’t trying to do.

It was all giving me a headache. Or maybe that was because I hadn’t had my caffeine fix for the day. The second option was solvable, so I went with that one.

“Here, let me help you,” Kenny said when he noticed me trying to get up.

“Nah, I got it,” I said. I didn’t want Kenny helping me with anything else. He helped me too much, and I had nothing to give back. The least I could do was make my own damned coffee. I used my crutches—the ones Kenny wouldn’t let me pay him back for—to pull myself up. I slipped them under my arms and went over to the kitchen to make some coffee, which proved much more difficult than I’d thought. You would think something as simple as making coffee wouldn’t be that hard to do on one foot. It was so much more effort than coffee should ever take, but it was worth it to not be even more indebted to Kenny.

“You sure you’re up for the party tonight?” Kenny asked. “I’m sure everyone will understand if we cancel.” But it sounded more like he was the one who wanted to cancel. To be honest, I would have loved to cancel. Kenny had told me about his mom’s idea to switch things up and make it a “bachelor party” instead of Thanksgiving, but that didn’t put me any more in the mood to go.

“I don’t know. To be honest, it’d be really nice not to have to move until work tomorrow.” I’d probably be stuck on the couch for the party anyway with my ankle the way it was, but going to Kenny’s parents’ house still meant making my way out of the apartment, down the stairs, to the car, and from the car to their living room. Then again in reverse.

“I’ll tell them we’re not up to it,” Kenny offered, but it didn’t give me the relief I’d hoped for.

I’d been ignoring everyone since I found out about my mom. I hadn’t answered my phone at all, and the only reason I answered for the lawyer was because I didn’t recognize the number. So I knew not going to the party would just make everyone that much more worried about me, and it’d be that much longer before they’d leave me alone.

Kenny typed away on his phone for a moment before putting it away. “It’s canceled. We’re officially good to do nothing until work tomorrow.”

“Thank fuck.”

After that, Kenny and I spent a couple of hours playing Injustice before Luna started barking at the door. Then came the knocking.

The door wasn’t locked, so it opened before either me or Kenny made it over. Elisa and Cedric walked right in, carrying a Crock-Pot full of tamales.

“Surprise!” they both chanted as Cedric set the tamales down on the kitchen counter.

“What are you guys doing here?” Kenny asked, looking back and forth from me to them like he was afraid of my reaction.

“We wanted to celebrate your bachelor party with you! Since getting to us was a problem, we decided to bring the party to you!” Elisa clapped her hands in excitement, and I tried to hide the disappointment on my face. It was a sweet gesture, really. And I had to admit, the tamales smelled good.

Before I had a chance to decide how I felt about it, there was another knock on the door, followed by the distinct sound of a baby laughing behind it. Kenny and I both winced at the sound, though probably for different reasons. I recognized that laugh as Mateo’s, which meant my family was here, too.

Elisa opened the door for them, and Mariana walked in, holding Mateo on her hip. Tía Mary came right behind her, carrying several to-go bags from her favorite local Mexican restaurant. Kenny got up quickly to grab the bags, then placed them on the counter next to the tamales.

Leti came in next with a bottle of tequila in one hand and Tatiana’s hand in the other. Before I could react to the fact that Leti and Tatiana were now seemingly an item, Tío Nacho walked in, fully uniformed in his mariachi getup. All four other members of his band trailed behind him, singing “La Marcha de Zacatecas” at full volume, and everyone danced into formations with their arms, creating bridges for Kenny and me to walk through, as if we were at a wedding reception.

Kenny looked over at me apprehensively, like he was worried I’d be upset, but I just laughed. That was our families for you. Kenny laughed, too, as he ducked and walked through the barely-four-person bridge. I rubbed a hand down my face but went along with it and hobbled through myself.

Then the band surrounded Kenny and me, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I never knew what I was supposed to do when this happened. The band would surround me and sing to me every year on my birthday, and for other special occasions. Tío Nacho was so embarrassing. By the time they finished the song, my armpit was aching from supporting myself on the crutch, so I went over to the couch to sit down again.

Tía Mary was at my side in an instant.

“How are you feeling, mijo?” She pressed a hand to my forehead, as if grief would manifest itself in the form of a high fever.

“Fine, Tía.”

“Well, anything you need, you know we’re here for you, okay?”

“I know, Tía. Can we not talk about this right now, though?”

“Okay, mijo.” She kissed my forehead. “So, I hear you’re doing the wedding in the middle of December? So soon!”

“Yeah. I was going to call you…” I suddenly felt bad for all the calls I ignored. I really should have told them.

“No te preocupes. Kenny told us everything, and I want to help! He said you still have some wedding planning to do. I want to volunteer my services for the food. I’m happy to cook.”

Kenny walked up just then with a couple of plates of tamales and tacos and shot glasses of tequila. “Actually, my dad wanted to cook…” he started as he sat down on the couch next to me, but when Tía Mary gave him the meanest mal de ojo, he backtracked real quick. “I don’t see any reason you can’t both cook.”

Leti raised their hand from the kitchen, where they were serving themself a plate. “I got you on the DJ front. You know Angie, from the last show y’all went to? She’s down to do it for free. Plus, I just got ordained, so you don’t need to pay for a priest, either.”

“And obviously your tío and his band will play,” Tía Mary cut in. I laughed. We would barely have to spend a dime. Mary got up to go get herself some food, and Kenny handed me one of the shot glasses, then placed a gentle hand on my knee as I looked to Leti and Tatiana, who were sitting at the table across the room with Mariana and Tía Mary.

“So, you two are dating now?” Kenny asked.

Leti kissed Tatiana’s cheek and smiled. “We are.”

With how well the two of them had always gotten along, even when Tatiana and I were dating, I couldn’t say it really surprised me that they hit it off well enough to try things out. Leti had been single for so long they were starting to get a little bummed, so I was happy for them.

I clinked my shot glass with Kenny’s, and we both downed them. I eyed the tamales, wishing I had some food to make my throat burn less. Kenny noticed almost immediately and got up to get me a plate. Soon enough he came back with the food and two more shot glasses.

“I’m good.” I waved away the shot glass. I had only wanted the one shot to numb the pain in my ankle a bit. I couldn’t be hobbling around drunk. That was just asking for another accident.

“You sure?” Tatiana asked. “You probably have lots of, uh, stuff to get off your mind.”

Leti gave Tatiana a death glare.

“You told her?” Kenny asked protectively, but I held a hand out to calm him.

“It’s fine. I’m fine, okay?” I said, annoyed that it seemed everyone and their mother knew what happened to mine. “Everyone needs to stop worrying about me.”

“More for me then,” Kenny said, and gulped down both shots in quick succession. If anything, Kenny was the one who had lots to get off his mind. Nothing a few shots wouldn’t fix. Tatiana and Leti were quick to follow Kenny’s lead so he at least wasn’t drinking alone.

Kenny leaned on me and sighed, his body limp against mine. I wrapped an arm around him and rubbed his shoulder, knowing exactly why he was trying to get drunk. He was going to be a dad . No matter how bad his baby fever was, this was far from his ideal situation.

Then Kenny leaned into me and kissed my cheek, which got hot from the contact. I guess cheek kisses didn’t count when it came to the no-kissing rule. I couldn’t keep track of what we were or weren’t allowed to do at this point. And I wasn’t sure why the hell I wasn’t used to the flirting yet, but it still gave me a fluttering feeling in my gut that I couldn’t quite shake.

I leaned into Kenny’s embrace and took his hands in mine. If he wasn’t going to count non-mouth kisses, then I could play at that game. I brought Kenny’s hand to my mouth and pressed a kiss into his palm.

The immediate blush on his face brought a smile to mine. Then again, the blush could have just been from the alcohol. Before I could think too much into it, my phone rang, and I pulled it out to see a call from my dad.

I quickly pulled myself up by my crutches and went to my room to answer the WhatsApp call, closing the door behind me for privacy.

“Hey, Papi. Everything okay?”

“As okay as it can be, mijo…” There was a long pause. I didn’t break the silence because I didn’t want to rudely ask Then why are you calling me? Finally, he continued. “I’m calling because I need to apologize to you.”

“For what?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“I wasn’t very supportive of you when you told me about your wedding. I just… I need to get used to this kind of thing. So… you’re marrying a boy. And that’s okay. I want to support you. You know you mean a lot to me, right, mijito?”

I felt the knots in my stomach unravel at those words. “Thank you, Papi.”

“Even if you’re just doing it for citizenship. This is none of my business—”

“I think I’m gay,” I blurted out. “I’m… definitely gay.”

I hadn’t told anyone yet, not even Kenny. But as soon as I said it out loud, it was like all the tension I’d been holding on to just floated away.

“Bueno. I thought it might be true. I love you.”

Just when I felt myself choking up, there was a knock on my door.

“Ale, mijo, don’t be so antisocial!” Tía Mary’s voice rang out.

“Coming!” I called out. “I gotta go, Papi. Thank you. I mean that. Love you.”

“Love you too, mijo.”

I made my way out of my room and back to the couch in the living room, where Kenny was still sitting.

“You’re back!” Kenny exclaimed, jumping up and wrapping his arms around my neck. So, Kenny was definitely tipsy, at the very least. We both sat back down on the couch, but soon enough, Kenny got out his phone and stared at it for way too long.

“I have to go. I’ll be right back,” he said, then rushed out the front door without another word.

“Where’d your fiancé go?” Leti asked when they noticed Kenny walk out the door.

I felt my face get hot. I, of all people, should have known where my “fiancé” was headed, but I had no idea. All I knew was that Kenny better not have been driving anywhere, since he was drinking. In fact, I felt the need to go out and check up on him.

“I’ll be right back,” I said, and hoisted myself up with a crutch, then made my way to the door as quickly as I could. I didn’t have to go far, though, because Kenny was sitting against the wall.

With Jackie.

I made sure to walk out and close the door behind me so no one would see her before I said anything. Even then, I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to be mad that Kenny would ditch our “bachelor” party for his ex, but how could I be mad? Jackie was pregnant with his kid, and the marriage wasn’t even real. I had no right.

“Han, I’ll be back in a minute, I promise. We just need a second to talk. Don’t tell anyone she’s here,” Kenny said with a pleading look in his eye.

“Are you serious?” Jackie said. “I have every right to be here. I think it’ll take more than a second, don’t you?”

“It’s our bachelor party,” Kenny said, and Jackie’s face went red.

“Han. Go inside. Now. This is between me and Kenny.” There was venom in her voice.

“If I’m not back in five minutes, come and get me,” Kenny said, and Jackie gave him a feral look that gave me goose bumps. I knew Kenny had meant that he didn’t want to lose track of time, but it made the situation feel that much more dangerous. I didn’t want to leave Kenny alone with her, but I didn’t know what else to do. Someone else would come out and discover Jackie if I didn’t go back inside soon.

“I’ll come back in five minutes,” I said and went back inside, closing the door behind me.