Hot & Spicy: De La Cruz Saga (3 page)

CHAPTER FOUR
 

“NIÑOS
,
COME
AND
EAT
!”
CALLS
out Tia Lupe from the middle of the patio. “La comida is served.”

The dining tables are set up around the patio, and the romantic Spanish music is playing in the background.

The patio dining tables are made of beautiful wrought iron with glass tops.

Mi mama always makes sure that the dining tables have fresh rosas. Mi mama loves her rosas.

The only music that is allowed to be heard on Sunday dinners is Mexican Spanish romantic love songs. Los tios want to make sure that los niños all understand, appreciate, y embrace their Mexican culture.

Our casa is the first casa that was built by la familia’s company. Our casa was built with the thought of accommodating the entire familia. As everybody knows about Mexicans, we love to party. The entire familia’s occasions—dinners, parties, gatherings, celebrations, you name it—are held at mis padre’s casa. Our casa is a large typical Mexican-influenced casa with lots of windows, arched pillars, and marbled floors.

The patio is where we hold our parties. It was built larger than your normal patio. The pillars are arched with flower planters built around it, which also have a seating area. The patio floor is a traditional Mexican tile that has a very colorful pattern of blue, yellow, and purple.

The patio also has a stove, a refrigerator, a sink, and a BBQ grille. No, mi papa y tios did not forget the bar. Si, the bar is always full of Coronas y El Patron tequila, la familia favorites.

Inside the familia room there is a pool table. Los primos and I have enjoyed lots of hours playing pool. Outside in the patio we enjoyed our summers swimming y playing cards. The swimming pool has a beautiful waterfall that goes into the swimming pool that appears like a natural beach; and it, of course, has a large Jacuzzi.

Then there is Tia Lupe who will always see los primos as niños, her niños. She walks back to the cocina to tell her comadres Queta and Maria that “todos los niños are here for la familia’s Sunday dinner,” in an excited feliz tone.

Mi mama y mis tias assisted mi padre y tios in whatever they can when the familia’s company was getting started. Each one of our padres had a huge role in making la familia’s company a success. Mi mama, Enriqueta De La Cruz, called Queta by the loving familia, was always answering the phones y ordering the supplies at la familia’s company.

Mi Tia Guadalupe De La Cruz, known as Tia Lupe always made sure that we were well fed. Tia Lupe also was in charge of todos los birthdays y any special events.

Mi Tia Maria De La Cruz always made sure that we were picked up from school, complete our homework, y take us to practice in the sports that we were participating in.

La familia has been and will always be a united familia. The familia De La Cruz has Sunday dinners at mis padre’s casa. Mi mama y mis tias are the cooks. They cook up la entire familia’s favorite comida. We all hold this Sunday dinner as special familia day, and every person in the familia always makes sure to make it. No excuses.

La familia Sunday dinner is an instance to catch up y to share our life’s heartaches, achievements, y dreams. La familia’s individual successes can be attributed to the familia support, encouragement, y amor.

“Aye comadres, I’m muy contenta that Jose Enrique is here for dinner. Maybe we can get some information on his novia,” said la comadre Lupe to la comadre Queta y comadre Maria.

“Mi niño is going to get married,” said the comadre Maria. Not only is she Jose Enrique’s tia but she is also his madrina.

“Si, comadres, Jose Enrique has told los muchachos that he is going to bring his novia to the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration. Francisco and I are muy feliz. We cannot wait to meet her,” said Queta putting the warm tortillas in the baskets.

“Just think maybe we will have some more little nietos running around soon,” said Queta smiling with a dreamy look on her cara. “Si Angel Nicolas will have some primos to play with”

“Wait up, Jose Enrique,” said Paty as she approaches him y wraps her brazo around his waist as they walk to the dinner table.

“Do you have good news for me, Paty?” asks Jose Enrique with a huge hopeful smile. “You know that it is getting harder y harder to keep la familia from finding out the truth.”

“Si, tu novia will be at the office on Monday,” said Paty with a huge grin y a twinkle in her hermoso ojos.

I cannot wait to see Jose Enrique’s cara when he meets Jessica, or should I say when he sees Jessica again. I’m so excited
, thought Paty.

“Really?” asks Jose Enrique with a pleased smile y relief on his cara as he turns to give Paty a hug.

“I’m so feliz that you found mi novia. Is she hot y sexy?” asks Jose Enrique with a wicked smile.

“Tu novia is a real belleza. She is exceptionally sexy, smart, y hot. You name it, and she has it,” said Paty, smiling.

“She sounds great,” said Jose Enrique nodding his cabeza with a smile.
Hmmm I’m trying to think of any of Paty’s amigas that fits this description. Wow I can’t remember any of her amigas. Well gracias dios mio. Soon I will be able to introduce mi novia to la familia.

“Paty does mi novia know the story? Is she okay with it? I don’t want to hurt anybody,” said Jose Enrique looking at Paty’s cara.

“Don’t worry hermano. She knows the story, and she is okay with it,” said Paty. “I know you’re going to like each other a lot. I think you will be a great match,” she adds. “I pray that you recognize that tu novia is tu grand amor, tu alma. I really wish you all the felicidad in the world. I know that you will marry tu novia, hermano,” Paty said, gazing at his cara.

“Okay Paty, you know that I trust you. Let’s just keep mi novia our secret until I meet her, okay? We will see about the wedding,” said Jose Enrique with a huge grin, shrugging his shoulders.

“Okay. La familia will just have to wait a few days until they get to meet her. Maybe you will want to bring tu novia to our next Sunday dinner,” said Paty, smiling really feliz for Jose Enrique y Jessy.

“I don’t know. It might be too soon. Let us get to know each other first, okay?” said Jose Enrique, getting a little nervous.

“Okay hermano,” said Paty as she sits at la familia dinner table. Jose Enrique sits right next to Paty y Bella.

“Hola primo where is tu novia?” asks Bella with a twinkle in her ojos.

“Mi novia is out of town on business,” said Jose Enrique with a smile on his cara taking a bite of his tamale.

I know Bella is just trying to get some information on mi novia to tell los primos. I cannot believe how impatient y nosy los primos are. Well, maybe I can, y maybe I will be doing the same thing
, thought Jose Enrique as he glances around the table. The entire familia is listening y watching as Jose Enrique responds to Bella’s questions about his novia.

“Hola familia, mi novia cannot make it today, y maybe soon she will be here for our Sunday dinner,” said Jose Enrique with a grin as he starts to eat his dinner. La familia starts smiling y los primos clap.

“Tia Lupe tu tamales came out delicious as always. When are you going to teach las primas how to make them?” asks Jose Enrique as he moves out of the way from all the tamales that start to fly his way from his hermana y primas. He knows that payback is a big B.

“Yeah!” shouts Ricky y Tony, backing Jose Enrique as always.

“Las primas need to get ready. They need to learn how to wash, cook, clean, y love before they can get married. Their esposos will want them to know how to do these chores before they will marry las primas!” said Tony as he jumps up from his seat running inside la casa.

“We will learn how to wash, cook, clean, y love when los primos learn how to work,” shouts Claudia standing up to chase Tony into la casa.

“It will be you to say that Claudia,” said Chris. “You are always out on missions like me. You will never learn how to wash, cook, clean, y love,” Chris said with a huge evil grin.

Christian Arturo De La Cruz, or Chris, is a Navy SEAL. Chris lives for excitement. Chris loves it when the risk is great, dangerous, y complex.

Chris will attend the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration. Chris does not want to miss out on la familia’s success. The party is on y Chris is present.

“You need to take that back, Chris,” said Vero. “I will not put up with stupid macho comments from los primos. We have worked hard to be where we are,” said Vero as she jumps up along with Claudia to chase Tony into la casa to beat him up.

The twins, also known as las bebes locas, are constantly working hard on draining la familia of all their patience while attempting to have their fun.

That’s what they call all the predicaments that they dream up, fun. The eldest twin, by a minute, is Claudia De La Cruz. Claudia is not around often. She’s always busy on assignments as an FBI agent.

Claudia wants to rid the world of all the drugs y hoods that has ruin la raza. Claudia is one hot and intense mujer even if she doesn’t think so.

Veronica De La Cruz, or Vero, is our wild, hot, and sassy model. Vero was born a minute later, and that officially makes her the female bebe of the familia.

Vero is as wild as Claudia is serious. Talk about total opposites. Las bebes have always been, and will continue to be, a big problema to la familia peace of mind.

“Aye, primas, you know I’m just joking. You know I love you lots!” yells Chris with a huge grin as he watches his primas chase Tony down.

“Are you going to invite tu hot amigas to the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration for me to dance with?” asks Chris flashing his cute dimples when he smiles, wagging his eyebrows up y down at his prima Paty y hermana Bella.

How can the primas stay mad at their wild y extremely hot primo? Chris is always hot, wild, y fun.

“Only if you bring some of your guapo SEALs to the party,” said Bella with a huge smirk looking at her hermano.

“You’re on, Bella. I’ll invite a couple of mi buddies,” said Chris turning to look at his primo.

“Are you going to make it Javier?” asks Chris across the table watching Javier peel his tamale.

Francisco Javier De La Cruz is the bebe in la familia. Javier decided to go into the Navy to explore different options y explore the world. However, Javier is still not sure if he wants to make the Navy a career or return to school.

“Yeah, I already asked for leave,” said Javier as he peels another of his favorite tamale. Javier is too busy eating to get into all the taunting.

“What about you, Erica? Do you want me to bring a SEAL just for you?” asks Chris as he looks at his hermana Erica, the hot sweet angel of la familia.

I think I will bring Gabriel Corona. Mi SEAL bud for our hot sweet angel, mi hermana Erica. Gabriel is perfect for her
, thought Chris.
I don’t know if he can make it to the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration, but maybe he can come for Christmas. I really think it will work.

Erica Crystal De La Cruz is our hot, sweet, and bella school teacher. Erica loves working with the little kinder niños. She believes that the first school experience is what develops the learning attitude y the niños desire to learn. Mi hermana Erica is of course always dreaming of having her familia. Erica is just la familia hot sweet angel.

“Chris, I don’t think you need to bother. Thanks anyway,” said Erica as she looks at her hermano Chris with her a sweet smile y dimples.

Chris is always teasing her y always threatening to bring his bud to meet her.

I don’t know if it will work out, a SEAL? Uh-uh, too scary
, thought Erica.

“I can also invite some of mis amigas to the party so you can have lots of chicas to dance with, hermano,” said Erica with a sweet smile y dimples.

“Hermana, that will be great, so don’t forget,” said Chris as he starts to stand to search for Javier.
Javier said he will go with me to the clubs to contemplate the chicas,
thought Chris ready to party.