Chapter Twenty-Six
I have mixed feelings about this place. Celebrating Sofia and Luciano in the Berkshires was equally the most stressful and exciting time of my life.
Secrets were revealed. A sister was found.
A romance blossomed. It’s also was where Valentina and I had our first fight, and then where I fought back for our love.
Being in a place you’ll likely never be in again for the rest of your life is weird.
It’s like a fleeting moment. Maybe one day, I’ll wonder if it was just a dream I made up.
If it wasn’t for Valentina, I might have believed this was all a dream.
But here we are, packing up and preparing to return to reality.
“This was a pretty crazy experience, wasn’t it?” Maria chuckles. “I grabbed some extra wedding favors for the road. How’s Miss Piggy?”
“You’ve got that right. I think she’ll get us home.”
“You think? Oh, God. I’m already dreading this. So did you get the investment at least?”
“I’m not sure, actually. I didn’t want to bring it up yesterday, so I’ve been waiting to see Luc this morning. I have a feeling we didn’t. I lied to him. No matter how he feels about the restaurant, who wants to invest in one with so much debt?”
“But didn’t you send him the business proposal?”
I bite my lip. “I did…but I think it might’ve been too late. I rushed to finish it, but honestly, I’m not even sure how good it was. And with everything else? It’s hard to imagine it making a difference.”
Maria nods, concern etched on her face.
“What about the restaurant? What’s going to happen with La Mariposa?”
“I’m not sure,” I say, shrugging. “We’ll just have to take it one day at a time. If you still want to stick around, that is.”
“Until the very end,” Maria promises.
We head out of the cabin, and I lock the door behind me, as instructed by Daniel.
This is it. The wedding is officially over.
I can’t believe I feel sad about it. This must be precisely how the kids feel on the last day of summer camp when their parents are coming by to pick them up.
They’ve just made all these new friends, probably from different parts of the country.
So many memories were created. Laughs were had.
Adventures were taken. To have it all end so abruptly and have to go back to the real world is a lot for an adult.
I can only imagine how kids feel. I, too, would cry and throw a temper tantrum.
In fact, I feel like throwing one now. Maybe we can stay a week longer.
The season is over. Valentina and I can sneak in and live in one of the cabins.
We will put on our best lumberjack outfits to gather firewood, and the others will hunt squirrels for food.
It’ll be cozy and romantic. We’ll have to draw straws to see who has to do the murdering-of-little-critters part, but it sure as hell won’t be me.
As we head back toward the cars, I see Sofia and Luciano packing their luggage in the trunk of their car. This is the moment.
“Hey! Leaving first, I see. Are you heading straight to your honeymoon?”
“You know it!” Sofia shouts. “Three weeks traveling through Greece, Italy, and France. It’s going to be amazing. I’ll send you all the pics, of course. You’ll get sick of me sooner than you think.”
I laugh. “Doubtful.”
The idea of having constant contact with my sister makes all of this so worth it. I’ll finally have someone I can turn to that isn’t just a cousin. Someone who shares something with me. Something deep. We’re connected. I can’t wait to share my secrets, dreams, and rants with Sofia.
“Hey, Isa. Can I talk to you in private quick?” Luciano pulls me aside.
“Yeah, of course. What’s going on?” I say.
“I just want you to know that hearing the truth about the restaurant was a big shock last night. It’s not what I expected for my first investment.”
“I know, Luc. I’m so sorry for lying to you. I was desperate and scared.”
“I’m not saying what you did was okay, but I want you to know I get it.”
“You do?”
“Of course I do. Like I told you, I didn’t come from money. I know what it’s like to struggle. To feel desperate.”
I nod slowly.
“I’m very impressed with you, Isabella.”
“Me? Why?”
“You may have lied. A lot. But it also takes a lot of bravery and growth to admit to not only yourself but those around you what the truth is. It speaks volumes about who you are as a person. I just wanted you to know that. You would be a great business partner.”
“Well, thanks, Luc. That’s kind of you to say.”
“That’s why I want to invest in La Mariposa.”
“Excuse me?” I look at him, incredulous.
“You heard me. I want to invest in your business.”
“Luciano, you don’t have to do that. I lied to you. La Mariposa is in debt. There’s no way we’d even be remotely ready to expand—I can barely keep this one location open. I appreciate you doing that, but you don’t have to just because we’re family now.”
“I know, but I want to. We’re family. And not just any family. We’re Latinos, Isa. We look out for each other.”
He hands me a check totaling the amount of the overdue rent.
“What is this?” I blink rapidly, trying to comprehend what is going on.
“I called your landlord, Gabriel, and found out how much La Mariposa owes. Here’s the amount you need to get her back to the green. Then, when I get back from our honeymoon, we can get started.”
“Luc, I can’t accept this,” I say.
“Just hold on to it. Think about it. Wait until I come back, and we can talk some more. Promise me you’ll at least do that?”
He extends his arm out for a handshake. The handshake will signify that we have a deal.
The one motion that could change my life.
La Mariposa could stay open. Faye would keep their job.
I would keep my job. I’d figure out how to change the business over to me instead of my mother.
With this one handshake, I will have done everything I set out to do here.
I will have saved La Mariposa, impressed Luciano, and discovered the big family secret.
“All right, I’ll think about it,” I finally agree, extending my hand.
He reaches in for a hug and lifts me off the ground as a big brother would do. I have a brother now too. I wish I could get a T-shirt in the gift shop that says, “I Went to Camp Hollow Pines for a Wedding, and All I Got Was an Entire Family.”
He sets me down and goes back to packing the car. I walk over to Sofia and give her a huge hug.
“I’m going to miss you…sis. It’s weird not saying ‘prima’ anymore, isn’t it?” I laugh.
“It is. But we’ll get used to it. I’m so happy for you, Isa.
I also really can’t wait to see what you end up doing.
But you better stay in New Jersey! Don’t get up and move to California or something.
I just got a new sister. I can’t have you going on some ten-year-long soul-searching journey, okay? ”
“I won’t,” I say with a chuckle. “I love my home.”
“Bueno, you also have Valentina now, too, huh?” She winks. “You two look so cute together! Don’t fuck this up, Isa. I’ll kill you. I’ll come back from Greece and murder you.”
“I’ll do my absolute best,” I promise.
“Good. Don’t forget to say bye to my mom before you go. If not, she’ll call me and complain about it the entire way to the airport, and I just cannot deal with that. I’m in honeymoon mode. The wedding stress is finally over! Well, ciao, my former prima. I love you!”
I wave as the car drives off, moving farther and farther away from my line of sight.
I already know I will be seeing an excessive amount of photos of their vacation for the next three weeks, both on my phone and on social media.
I’m excited at the thought. Finally, I get to be a part of my sister’s life.
The sister I never knew I had. I don’t want to miss even a single second of it.
I’m already mentally planning the trips we will be going on together to make up for the lost time.
Maybe a road trip to Maine? A tropical girls’ vacation to Puerto Vallarta?
A cross-country train ride to every ghost town in the US? The possibilities are endless.
I continue to walk the campground since I need to drop the key to the main hall at the front desk for Daniel, who has been working tirelessly at getting everyone checked out.
Probably to make sure no one is trying to stay behind and live in one of the cabins with their new girlfriend to hunt squirrels and chop firewood.
I pass by Rosita’s cabin. The door is wide open, and I can see her shuffling inside, gathering the last of her things.
“Hola, Tía!”
“Isabellita! How are you? You know I’m not technically your aunt anymore, verdad?”
“You’ll always be Tía Rosita to me,” I say, grinning. “You’re my family and always will be.”
“Ay, mija, Don’t make me cry. I cried enough yesterday watching my only daughter get married. Ahora que? Now, what do I do with my life?”
I watch as she zips up her luggage and places it on the ground. She straightens the room a bit before slowly heading out the cabin door.
“You’re not alone, Tía. You’ve got me now. And Sofia isn’t going anywhere, trust me. So it’s going to feel like nothing has changed. Except now you get an extra sort-of daughter to bother!” I laugh.
“I’m so proud of you, Isabella. You’ve grown so much, even with the loss of your father and the burden of taking over his restaurant.
You persevered. You’re a lot stronger than you think you are.
I can’t wait to continue seeing you grow, but this time not from the sidelines.
I want to be up front and center. I want to be in your life, learning all the amazing things you know, seeing the things you create, and being a support system whenever needed.
Te quiero tanto, mija. If it weren’t for you, I would have never been able to tell you any of these things. Gracias. Por todo.”
I embrace Rosita, and my eyes immediately fill with tears.
I didn’t realize how much I needed this.
I swore my entire life that I was okay being an only child.
I was okay only living my life with my mother once my father died.
I was okay going home to my cat and not having a real social life because it meant I was taking care of my mother and keeping the restaurant afloat.
I never realized how badly I wanted a family.
A real family. A connection with people, even if they aren’t all blood-related.
It doesn’t matter. Because blood doesn’t make a family.
How you treat each other, support each other, and love each other makes you a family.
To me, Sofia is not my half sister. She’s just my sister.
Rosita isn’t just my half sister’s mother.
She’s known my entire life that we weren’t blood-related.
But to me, she’s always been Tía Rosita, just like many of the other adults I grew up calling Tío or Tía.
The difference is, she never made me feel like I didn’t belong.
She treated me like family in every way that mattered.
Maybe that’s why none of us ever questioned it—because in our hearts, she was always family, no matter what the biology said.
She brought me sweets, attended every big milestone, and even tried to pay for me to come to this very campsite so I could have the same experience as Sofia. She is my family.
Once more, I watch as another family member drives away, back to their everyday lives.
It feels as if they’re driving away into a different world.
Or going back to our home planet. Camp Hollow Pines feels like it’s not even in the same galaxy.
Stepping outside may even give me a bit of jet lag.
I head over to Miss Piggy to check on Maria.
She’s been sitting in the car, taking selfies and catching up with friends after a week off from social media.
I walk over to the back to put my luggage in.
As I lower the door, I feel someone tap my shoulder. I turn around to see Valentina standing there, grinning, but there’s sadness in her eyes. She wouldn’t admit to anything if I asked, so I choose not to mention it.
“Hey, babe! Are you all packed up?” I ask as I reach in for a soft kiss.
“I am. It looks like you two are ready to leave?”
“Yup. Ready to go back home. How are you doing?”
“Oh, you know. I’m good. Missing you already.” She shifts between her feet.
“I know, but we’ll see each other soon—I promise.” I smile.
“Call me when you get back. Maybe you can schedule a date with me in between work sometime?” Valentina says shyly.
She is entirely different from the girl I remember at the beginning of the week.
She was smug, bordering on arrogant, and full of way too much confidence.
Now I’ve seen the real Valentina. The perfect combination of confidence and humility.
Witty, silly, caring, and everything I’ve been looking for.
I can’t imagine my life without her. I know the second I make it down to New Jersey, I will want to call her and find out exactly what she’s doing and where she is so I can rush over and hold her in my arms. Maybe she can come over and meet my cat.
Whatever we do, I don’t plan on ever letting her go.
“For you? Always,” I finally reply and kiss her for the last time today, but not the last time forever.
I get inside Miss Piggy and wave goodbye to Valentina as I watch her get smaller and smaller from the side view mirror.
“So, pendeja, did you get the investment?” Maria asks.
“I did. He gave us a check to cover the rent,” I reply.
“Oh shiiit. We’re saved!”
I shrug. “Yeah.”
“Or not? Are you not going to take the money?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“You really are a pendeja,” Maria says on a sigh.
I’m not sure what’s going to happen when we get back. There’s so much that has changed. The future of the restaurant is uncertain. Who knows what will happen between me and my mother and our already-strained relationship? It’s scary, not knowing. But I’m excited. Excited about the possibilities.
Miss Piggy sputters a few times before we drive through the gates and leave Camp Hollow Pines.