Chapter Ten #2
“Salud,” I said, clinking my glass against hers before tapping it against Mamí’s.
The chilled dry wine slid down my throat, grounding me in the moment. It was going to be a good night. I was with my parents and my best friend and her boyfriend…who was also my friend.
I clamped my eyes closed and took another sip.
“Carmen,” my father said, and I opened my eyes as he stopped at the counter, Alex by his side. Each man held a tumbler of gold liquid. “This is Alex. He was just telling me that he’s never had papa rellenas before.”
Mami’s brows shot up and she placed her wineglass down on the countertop.
Stepping closer to Alex, she let out a low gust of air.
“Qué guapo.” She flashed a quick, flirty smile at Caitlin, and then reached for a plate, piling it high with several of the pillowy bites.
“Ay, well you will now. Come try some, Alex.”
Alex accepted the plate with a dip of his head. He met my gaze for a passing moment before he brought a rellena to his mouth and took a bite. His eyes closed a second later.
“My God, that’s delicious.”
“I know,” Mamí said, making zero effort to sound modest. “Rellenos de papas are made all over Latin America, but in Puerto Rico, they’re traditionally made with beef.
However, when we moved here to Arizona, I tried Mexican chorizo for the first time and have loved it ever since.
So I add it to the rellenas for my own little twist, and I think the combination of the potatoes with the spicy sausage works great. ”
Papí and I nodded our agreement, but it was Alex who said, “Chorizo! That’s what I tasted. It’s a perfect combo.”
Mamí lifted her glass of wine to her lips, smugness wafting off her in waves.
“There are also some maduros and pastelillos. Grab some of those, too,” Papí said, pointing to the other items on the tray.
Alex obediently added more bites to his plate and then slid onto a stool next to me, his feast of appetizers before him. “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Mendoza,” he murmured, and without another word, he began to eat.
We chatted for a half hour or so, Caitlin detailing for my parents the work she’d been doing as of late, and Alex answering questions about the Scorpions and their prospects during the playoffs.
Eventually, we settled at the dining room table as Mamí brought out the pernil to grand fanfare.
The cuero was cooked to perfection, and my mouth watered, imagining how flavorful it would taste.
While my mother cut the meat into slices, separating the cuero to be savored separately, my dad turned to Alex, who sat next to Caitlin and across the table from me.
“Have you had pernil before?”
“I have, but not fresh out of the oven like this.” Alex watched as my mother carefully sliced through the tender meat with ease. “It smells incredible.”
“It’s going to taste even better,” I said, rubbing my hands together like a cartoon villain.
“Oh, I have no doubt,” Alex murmured.
Soon the only sounds at the table were the ting of forks against ceramic and happy murmurs of satisfied diners. I legitimately could not stop myself from moaning as the first flavorful bite of pernil hit my tongue.
“That good?”
I glanced up at my father’s words, but my eyes immediately collided with Alex’s. He was watching me, red stripes across his cheeks, his throat bobbing on a swallow.
Oh God, I was so embarrassing. Did I really need to moan like I was having an orgasm at the dinner table? I pressed my lips together as mortification swept through my body.
But when Alex dropped his gaze to stare at my mouth, I paused. He didn’t look disgusted at—
“So, Alex,” Mamí said, her wineglass dangling from her fingers. “Sofia mentioned that your parents are from Puerto Rico. Where are they from?”
Her question cut through the tension spiking in my blood, and even Alex took a moment to wipe his face with a napkin. “They’re from Carolina.”
“Oh, Carmen’s cousin lives in Carolina.” Papí frowned as he glanced at Mamí. “Linda still lives there, right?”
Mamí nodded. “She does. I wonder if she knows your family.”
“She might.” Alex lifted a shoulder. “Although my parents came stateside right after high school and have only gone back a time or two.”
“I think Sofia mentioned that they’re retired military.”
“Yes. Air Force.” Alex’s smile was a tad embarrassed. “My sisters and I were all born in different states, and I’ve never actually been to Puerto Rico myself.”
“Never?” When Alex nodded, Mamí’s expression turned soft. “Well, next time we go visit, you’ll have to come with us. We can take a trip to Carolina, and you can see firsthand where your family is from.”
With his mouth open, Alex blinked. He swung his head to me and then looked back at my mother. “Th-that’s incredibly kind of you to offer.”
“Especially because you just met him,” I added, scowling.
“Ay, as if you and Caitlin don’t know him.” Mamí scoffed. “Every Puerto Rican deserves to go home if they wish to. They deserve to visit the land that nurtured their ancestors.”
While she wasn’t wrong, she was embarrassingly eager. “You have no chill,” I grumbled.
Caitlin snorted a laugh. “I love your big generous spirit, Mrs. Mendoza.”
My mother’s response was lost because my father chimed in. “Hey, your mother’s right. If Alex wants to visit Puerto Rico, he should. And we have plenty of time to get to know him before this summer. Especially if we go to a game.”
While Caitlin and I chuckled, Alex went noticeably still. “You’re planning a trip for this summer?”
Papí uncurled a finger from around his tumbler to point it at me. “Didn’t Sofia tell you?”
“Why would I tell him?” I raised a palm. “We haven’t planned out the dates.”
“Well, then let’s do that.” Mamí stood and set her dirty plate on the countertop, then grabbed the calendar from the wall next to the cordless phone my parents still insisted on using.
Spreading the calendar open on the table, she flipped to the month of June.
“Are you teaching summer school, Santi?”
My father shook his head. “I just have to be back in the office by early August to meet new graduate students.”
“Hmm.” Mamí traced a finger over the days, her brows knitted together. “How about the second week in June, then?”
When my father nodded, Mamí turned to look at Caitlin, raising her brows.
“I wish I could go, but I’ll be abroad all summer. First to Europe, and then to Asia.” Caitlin knotted her hands together and pressed them to her chest. “Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Beijing, and then Tokyo. I’m incredibly excited.”
“Dang, C, that’s impressive.” I whistled. “But it also sounds exhausting.”
Caitlin snorted. “I’m going to be dead on my feet when I finally get home, but it will be worth it for all the connections I’ll be making.”
I grinned my biggest smile at her. “I’m happy for you. You deserve the first-class treatment.”
“Good for you, querida. But we’ll miss you,” Mamí said, before turning to look at me. “And you? Can you request the second week in June off?”
Pushing my tongue against the back of my teeth, I weighed what to say…until Caitlin cut through my thoughts. “Sofia won’t have any issues if she’s still without a job by then.”
The whole table went silent, but I couldn’t figure out if that was because of the roaring in my ears.
Had Caitlin really just spilled my secret?
I had told her my parents didn’t know I’d been laid off, and I didn’t want them to know.
Why in the hell would she tell them, and like this?
My stomach roiled, and I struggled to maintain my composure, not daring to look at either my mother or father.
Mamí slowly put down her wineglass. “?Qué quiere decir, ella?”
“?Perdiste tu trabajo?” Papí added, but I didn’t look his way.
With a calmness I absolutely did not feel I murmured, “I was laid off.”
“?Cuando?” Mamí bit out.
“Five months ago,” I whispered.
“Cinco meses,” my father murmured in disbelief.
I fixed my gaze on my plate. I couldn’t look at Caitlin, unsure if I would rage at her or cry. And I sure as hell couldn’t look at Alex.
Holy fuck, could the earth split open and swallow me whole?
“?Por que no nos lo dijiste?” Mamí demanded, her tone clipped.
Desperate to escape, I clenched my eyes closed. “No quería que te preocuparas.”
Mamí hissed through her teeth. “Por supuesto que nos preocuparemos.”
“Ay, mi amor.” Papí’s warm hand engulfed mine, and I opened my eyes to meet his. Fire burned up my throat, and I blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay.
“I’m sorry, Sofia,” Caitlin exclaimed suddenly, and when I finally looked to her, her chin was quivering. “I wouldn’t have said anything if I knew you hadn’t told them. You usually tell them everything.”
Caitlin wasn’t wrong. My parents and I were very close…so I was acutely aware of how my omission devastated them.
Yet Caitlin knew I hadn’t told my parents about being laid off from Desert Media 360. I told her the night we had dinner. The night I met Alex. Did she truly not remember that?
Nothing made sense in the moment, and it was hard to parse through my memories when anger, embarrassment, and guilt bubbled in my chest, and I was one ill-placed comment away from erupting in a torrent of tears. Before I said something I regretted, I needed to change the subject.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, but now’s not the time to discuss it.” I met my mother’s hurt gaze first, before turning to my father. “Podemos hablar después de que nuestros invitados se vayan.”
To my great relief, my parents seemed to remember Caitlin and Alex were present and quickly nodded.
With a Sagittarian-like tenacity, I forced the conversation away from my unemployment and to Caitlin’s humanities speech and the sights and sounds we caught at homecoming.
And even while I bullied myself to smile and laugh as I recounted the events of the day, I felt Alex’s steady gaze on me…but I didn’t dare meet it.