Epilogue
One Year Later
Come in. We’re Open.
I turn the sign to face the street, alerting anyone passing by that we’re here and ready. I twist the lock, turn on the neon “OPEN” sign, and pair the Bluetooth speaker with my phone to play the “Chill Music” playlist Valentina made. She says it brings a sense of peace to the restaurant.
It’s been a year since we drove through the camp gates to our reality, and I can’t believe how much has changed.
I look around the restaurant. I take in a deep breath, getting a subtle scent of vanilla.
The restaurant has changed so much. I decided not to take Luciano’s money, and La Mariposa did end up closing.
It just wasn’t meant to be. I like to think it was just time for that chapter to end.
It was almost like closure for me, letting go of the only memory of my father I thought I had.
When I returned, I told my mother the restaurant was closing.
She wasn’t thrilled. We got into a huge fight about it.
She kept blaming Rosita, Roberto, and even me for everything.
I’m no longer the perfect daughter in her eyes.
I messed everything up. We don’t talk much anymore, and I’m no longer plagued with the guilt of calling her every day or trying to keep the restaurant afloat so she doesn’t hate me or tell me I’m not good enough.
I’m past that now. Maybe our relationship will change one day, but I’m still healing for now.
“Morning!” Faye walks in the front door, causing the bell to ding.
“Morning, Faye! Did you grab the—”
“The marketing materials from the print shop? You know it. And I even stopped by the coffee shop and got a little treat,” they say, shaking their iced drink.
They don’t have to tell me that it’s most certainly a pumpkin spice latte.
’Tis the season, I guess. They hand me the papers, and I look at each one carefully, making sure there aren’t any misprints or typos.
They don’t need to be perfect, I try to remind myself.
But when you’re running a new restaurant, you want to make a good impression at every opportunity.
I look at the menu flyers. The restaurant’s name is on the top in a pale-pink color: La Florecita. The little flower. I smile every time I see the name.
“I’ll get started on the arroz con leche for our special this weekend,” Faye says as they put their name tag on that reads “Manager.”
Once I realized I didn’t want to run a restaurant alone, I did the one thing I should have done years ago. I promoted Faye to manager and gave them a hell of a lot of responsibilities, which they handle beautifully. I couldn’t have picked a better employee to be a part of my crew.
“Is Valentina coming by later? I wanted her to see the new logo ideas I’ve marked up.”
“Why does she need to when I’m right here?” I joke.
Faye laughs. “Well, I doubt the co-owner would be too happy if she didn’t also approve of the logo designs, Isa.”
When La Mariposa closed, Valentina and I made a huge decision together.
We took out a business loan and bought La Mariposa from my mother to reopen it.
That way, I knew she’d have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life, and I could live the life I truly wanted to experience.
It was the wisest business decision I have ever made.
Valentina completely revamped the restaurant.
With my permission, she gave the whole place a paint job.
It went from that tacky sponge pattern to a crisp, creamy white.
She hung plants from the ceiling near the front window.
She claims it gives the impression of “health,” which makes me laugh when I think of the arroz con leche Faye is currently making in the kitchen.
The fish tank is also gone, so I no longer have to imagine drowning myself in it because of Elvis Crespo.
The tables are all lined with tablecloths, and the wood floor got a new stain.
The murals are covered up too, which was a little sad for me initially.
Those murals held a lot of memories. I also experienced a serious amount of guilt when we painted over them.
After a couple of panic attacks, we could cover them up, and it was as if a weight had been lifted off my chest. Instead, Valentina curated a beautiful collection of photographs to hang up, telling a story.
Some were ones she took during her travels when she was younger.
One of them was a photograph we took at Camp Hollow Pines.
However, my favorite one is photo of my father standing in front of La Mariposa with the words “My dream came true” under it.
I thought it was the perfect way to keep his memory alive.
“Hola, mi amor!” Valentina shouts as she walks into the restaurant.
She removes her sunglasses, and I swear it’s like watching a supermodel move in slow motion. I’m still so in awe of her. I’m not sure how I got so lucky to say this woman is my girlfriend, but I sure as hell will not question it.
“How’s everything going?”
“Great. Faye gave me the flyers to mail out and also created some logo designs that they want to show us. Inventory is stocked, and we’re ready to fire it up.”
Unsurprisingly, when you go into business with someone who understands marketing and running a business, your business can succeed.
Gone are the signs that say “DELICIOUS CUBAN FOOT” on them.
We had a booming grand opening six months ago, and we’ve been going strong since.
Each month, our revenue increases. I don’t know how she does it.
She has been able to get us a promotional spot on the local radio.
She’s completely revamped our social media channels and hired Maria full-time as our social media manager, which has increased our followers to tens of thousands.
The best part about it all is that I’m not alone.
I don’t feel like I’m juggling ninety things simultaneously, trying to keep the restaurant afloat.
I don’t have a massive to-do list every day for work that I feel obliged to complete in its entirety to avoid failing.
I can delegate work to other people now.
Every employee has received more responsibilities.
I don’t have to stay late at night prepping because I’m worried my employees won’t do it correctly.
And once I stopped worrying, I realized they do it just fine.
No, not just fine. They do it perfectly. Well, as perfect as one can.
I had everything I needed at my disposal, and I refused to see it. I was never alone. I just chose to be alone. I decided to live a lie. Not anymore. Not with Valentina, Maria, Faye, Sofia, and Rosita on my side. It’s practically a family business, even if we’re not all family.
“All right, Faye. These logos look great, and we’ll discuss them more tomorrow. Sound good?” Valentina says.
“You’ve got it. I’ve got everything under control here.”
“I have no doubt. Here’s your to-do list for the night,” I say with a stupid grin on my face. Giving someone else a to-do list that would have plagued me all night is probably one of the best feelings I’ll ever experience. At least for a while.
Valentina and I are heading out for our weekly date night.
Barring death or a major catastrophe, nothing keeps me at this restaurant.
I don’t need to be here 24-7. I need to live my life, and my life now involves the most beautiful, unique woman.
Not only am I taking her to a nice restaurant to eat a delicious meal, but I’m finally living.
As we walk out the door, I touch my pocket to make sure the ring box is still there, ready to change my life forever.
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