Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
ELENA
The first thing she noticed when she stepped out of her car was the noise. It sounded like a war was being waged in her living room. As she approached the house, she heard voices too.
"No, no, RETREAT! There’s too many of them!" That was Finn's voice, pitched higher than she'd ever heard it.
"I'm trying! I'm out of ammo!" Miguel yelled back.
Elena unlocked the door and stepped inside, unprepared for the scene that greeted her.
The living room had been transformed into what could only be described as a teenage boy's dream habitat.
An empty pizza box lay open on the coffee table, surrounded by scattered napkins and two glasses sticky with what she assumed was soda.
Miguel and Finn sat side by side on the floor, backs against the couch, controllers gripped in white-knuckled hands as they stared with unbreakable focus at the television screen.
On that screen, rendered in horrifying detail, zombies were being gunned down by what appeared to be extremely high-powered weaponry.
"Hey Mom," Miguel said without looking away from the TV. His thumbs moved frantically over the controller.
"Dr. Herrera," Finn acknowledged, equally distracted, his usual formality somehow even more amusing given that he was currently unloading a machine gun into a horde of zombies.
Elena set down her purse as she took in this new dynamic between Finn and Miguel. "I see you two had a quiet evening," she said dryly.
"Mm-hmm," Miguel mumbled, leaning physically to the right as if it might help his character make a sharp turn on screen. "How was the date?" he asked.
Elena hesitated. "Oh, it was okay."
She noticed Finn's thumbs hesitate on the controller, his character momentarily standing still before resuming fire.
"Just okay?" Miguel pressed, still not looking at her.
"Just okay," she confirmed, kicking off her heels with relief. The restaurant's marble floors had not been kind to her feet.
She moved toward the kitchen, gathering discarded napkins along the way. When she reached the trash can, she discovered an empty two-liter bottle of Mountain Dew nestled among the pizza crusts and paper plates.
"Guys," she called, poking her head back into the living room, "why is there a huge empty bottle of Mountain Dew in the garbage?"
Miguel's reaction was immediate and dramatic. Without taking his eyes off the screen, he extended an accusatory finger toward Finn. "I caught Finn drinking Mountain Dew in the closet."
Elena turned to Finn, eyebrows raised in mock outrage. Zombies had just surrounded his character, but he paused the game. This drew a groan from Miguel. Then he turned to face her with a look of immense regret.
"That is... correct," he admitted solemnly. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."
The utter sincerity of his confession, delivered as if he were acknowledging a serious breach of laboratory protocol rather than drinking soda, nearly broke her composure. She pressed her lips together to suppress a smile, attempting to maintain some semblance of parental authority.
“And this game,” she said, while gesturing towards the screen displaying the frozen, blood-splattered zombies. "This game is way too violent. When did you get this?"
Miguel's face assumed an expression of exaggerated innocence that she recognized immediately as his lying face. "This is Minecraft," he claimed, voice rising slightly. "I've had this for a while."
“No. Just no. This is not Minecraft.”
Miguel held his ground. “This is Minecraft, Mom. Actually, a little bit of trivia for you… did you know Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time?”
Elena stared in disbelief at the screen, where what appeared to be a zombie's head was captured in the moment of exploding into a red mist. "Oh, bullshit, mijo. Excuse my Spanish."
Miguel didn't miss a beat. "No, seriously, it's a mod for the game."
"I don't know what a mod is, but I know this definitely isn't Minecraft," Elena said, crossing her arms. "It's time to turn it off. It's already past your bedtime."
Miguel's face fell, his controller lowering. "But Mom, we were just getting to the good part! Finn and I reached level eight. We have never done that before.”
Miguel nudged Finn, probing for backup. Finn smartly stayed quiet. Miguel shot him a betrayed look. "Dude, whose side are you on?"
Finn blinked, looking a little scared. “Please, for the love of God. Do not bring me into this.”
Elena saw her opportunity. Moving toward the television as if to examine the game more closely, she deliberately knocked over a stack of coasters on the side table. As she bent to pick them up, her hand 'accidentally’ brushed against the power button on the console.
The screen went black. "NO!" Miguel wailed, dropping to his knees in theatrical despair. "We were so close! We'll never get back to level eight!"
Elena straightened, feigning innocence. "Oh, I'm so sorry. How did that happen?"
Miguel narrowed his eyes at her. "That was cold, Mom. Ice cold."
"It's bedtime anyway," she said, unmoved by his dramatics. "You should have been in bed an hour ago."
"Can we at least watch a movie before bed? Please? We were having so much fun, and it's Friday, and Finn taught me this cool move with the shotgun, and we had pizza, and—"
"Breathe, mijo," Elena interrupted, amused despite herself by his relentless stream of begging. "One movie," she conceded. "A short one."
Miguel smiled and then took a dramatic breath. "Can Finn stay for the movie?"
A simple question, but it carried more significance than a simple movie invitation. Miguel's eyes were hopeful, darting between his mother and Finn with barely concealed eagerness. Finn had that neutral expression he usually wore, but she also picked up a hint of excitement as well.
She should say no. She should draw the line somewhere, or this thing between her and Finn would get out of hand at some point.
Watching a movie together at ten on a Friday night with her son?
That felt like a special moment reserved for a romantic relationship.
But it all felt so natural. And she found herself struggling to say no.
And then she looked at her son’s face. She hadn’t seen Miguel so excited in a while.
And part of that excitement came from the copious amounts of Mountain Dew he undoubtedly drank tonight.
But there was another source of Miguel’s excitement tonight.
Finn. And she didn’t want him to leave yet either.
“Finn, would you like to watch a movie with us?” Elena asked.
“I would love to.”
Miguel's enthusiastic cheer warmed her heart. But it was the look on Finn’s face that really got her. He was clearly trying to be subtle, but a big fat smile took over his face.
"Yes!" Miguel pumped his fist in the air. "Mom, you're the best. We're gonna find a great one, don’t you worry. Can we keep the zombie theme going?”
“No. If anything, we will watch the opposite of zombies. And if we're doing this, we're doing it right. With popcorn."
Miguel's eyes widened. "With the merkén?"
Elena nodded, already heading toward the kitchen. "With the merkén."
Behind her, she heard Miguel explaining, "My mom makes the best popcorn in the universe. It's a family secret."
“I can’t wait to try it.”
And then in a hushed tone, Miguel continued, “Dude… imagine if we still had some Mountain Dew to drink with the popcorn.”
“I heard that!” Elena yelled into the living room.
Making merkén popcorn was a ritual that connected her to her Chilean roots. The smoky and spicy chili blend had been her grandmother's recipe. Miguel proclaimed it ‘the best popcorn in the universe’ to anyone who would listen. Tonight, she was sharing it with Finn.
While she waited for the popcorn, she could hear Miguel and Finn in the living room, engaged in what sounded like a debate about movie selection.
“Okay, let’s try this. Type in ‘most bloody zombie movies’,” Miguel suggested.
“Do you really think your mom will be okay with that?”
Elena allowed herself a peek into the living room. “Good point…” Miguel said, pacing around the room in serious thought because this was clearly the biggest decision of his life.
Miguel jumped up in a lightbulb moment. “How about this? Type in ‘least bloody zombie movies.’”
Elena watched as Finn struggled to hold back a laugh.
“Good idea.”
The popping sound of the kernels pulled her back to the kitchen. Elena thought of the foam she awkwardly consumed just a couple of hours ago. Her dinner with David had felt so fake and performative. This… whatever this was, was the complete opposite.
As the popping slowed, she added the merkén. A deep red spice blend, then a drizzle of melted butter. The mixture filled the kitchen with an aroma that made her mouth water in anticipation.
"Is it ready yet?" Miguel appeared in the doorway, practically vibrating with impatience. "Finn says he's never had Chilean food before. Can you believe that?"
"No way," Elena said in feigned surprise, giving the pot one final shake. "Go get changed into pajamas first."
Miguel groaned but complied, thundering down the hallway. Elena poured the popcorn into a large wooden bowl, the red-tinted kernels steaming. When she returned to the living room, Finn was scrolling through movie options. He was looking more relaxed than she'd ever seen him.
"Find anything interesting?" she asked, setting the bowl on the coffee table.
Finn turned, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Well, Miguel was lobbying pretty hard for something with explosions.”
"Can we maybe not do explosions before bed?” God, it almost sounded like they were a family.
"That smells amazing," Finn said, looking at the popcorn.
"Family recipe," Elena explained. "It's a little spicy. I hope that’s okay."
"I like spicy," Finn said.
Miguel returned, now in flannel pajama pants and a wrinkled tee shirt. "I picked Batman," he announced, already reaching for a handful of popcorn. "It’s a classic. Load it up, Finn."