Lonely Heart (18 page)

“After the stunt they pulled on your mother, I doubt they’ve got the cojones to show their faces tonight,” Antonio said when Fernando glanced at the empty seats again.

“I know, but skipping this makes matters worse. Family is family, especially your sisters. The fact they are alive is a blessing.” Fernando patted Antonio on the shoulder.

“Thanks.” Antonio turned his attention to me. I could tell he needed to change the subject. “So what do you think?”

I smiled, hoping my enthusiasm blanketed the pain in his eyes. “It’s beautiful, like a fairytale.” I reached for his hand. He accepted, then kissed the back of my wrist.

A throat cleared. “Where has mi hijo been hiding esta chica preciosa con un pelo dorado y brillante?”

My eyes widened. Antonio’s father switched between English and Spanish so smoothly it was impossible to catch a word. Everyone at the table laughed.

“I haven’t been hiding her, Papi.”

“What did he say?” I asked, my nosiness getting the best of me.

“He asked where his son has been hiding this beautiful young woman with golden hair,” Adrianna replied then laughed. Antonio appeared embarrassed.

“Gracias,” I hoped my use of Antonio’s second tongue was done correctly. With my accent, it was hard to roll the r’s. His father smiled, nodding his head. “Lo siento…um…” I searched my memory in an attempt to remember some of the phrases Antonio taught me over the last few months. “Hablo…hablo un poco de español.”

Everyone smiled.

“It is no problem, we all speak English,” Mrs. Alvarez said. “We will speak English, okay?”

“Gracias, but no. I like tryin’ to figure out what you’re sayin’.” I shrugged. “Besides, it’s the only way to learn, right?”

Another round of laughter came from the group along with their nod of approval.

“They like you,” Antonio said, sliding his arm around the back of my chair. He seemed pleased.

I sat back, lost in the conversation around me, attempting to pick up as many words as possible. Before long, dinner was served. Women, or rather family members and neighbors, as Antonio explained, came to the table and placed a large bucket of ice, unopened two liter bottles of soda, and cups on the table. Next aluminum foil packages filled with tortilla shells, and several bowls of fresh condiments and sauces smelling divine were placed in front of us.

“The pico de gallo, sour cream, and avocado sauce is for the─”, his description was interrupted when plates of mouthwatering authentic Hispanic cuisine arrived. My stomach growled in anticipation.

“You have arroz con gandules y pernil which is rice with pigeon peas and roast pork shoulder. You eat it with the tortilla or top it off however you like.” He demonstrated. “And of course this is salad and tostones or plantains.”

I looked around the table as everyone dug in.
Please God, don’t let me make a fool of myself and drop anything on my crisp yellow dress.
I followed his lead, letting the excess fall on the plate and not the table cloth.

“Todo bien?” his father asked.

“¡Sí, todo bien!”

“Te gustaría un cerveza?”

I looked up and found smiling faces of two men who pushed a large cooler on a cart. One of them retrieved beer.

“Dos cervezas, por favor. Gracias,” Antonio said, passing me the first one after twisting off the top, and accepting the second.

“Don’t be surprised when they come back again in fifteen minutes. Beer is going to be flowing all night,” Adrianna said, before sipping her own.

“Wow.”

“It’s a man thing,” she rolled her eyes.

“What about the women?” I asked, glancing around the table.

“Oh, we drink too, just not as much.”

I tasted my beer, a foreign brand I’d never heard of, fighting the urge to make a face.

“It’s okay if you don’t like it. Our beer is a bit different from American beer,” Antonio explained.

I laughed. “Well, it’s not like I can tell, I’m a mixed drink kinda gal.”

“None of that here. Take this…” Antonio filled a plastic cup with ice, then topped if off with soda.

I accepted with a sheepish grin. “This isn’t gonna get me kicked out, is it? After all, I’m the only white girl here.”

Laugher erupted from his family as they toasted me with beer bottles.

As soon as dinner ended, several party hosts appeared to remove the empty plates and collect the aluminum cans. I glanced around the room, astonished by the amount of cans littering the surrounding tables. It seemed every man in the room was in a drinking competition.

Antonio crushed his fourth can.

“Are you gonna be able to drive?” I asked, in a whisper.

He kissed my cheek. “Don’t worry, mi vida, I’ll not only be able to drive, I’ll be able to get it up.” He winked.

My cheeks grew hot as my body temperature shot sky high. Thank God he whispered.

“Okay, this is what happens next…” Adrianna gave a crash course of the next portion of tonight’s festivities. Then Antonio, Adrianna, and their father left to fulfill family duties, leaving me at the table with his grandmother, nephew, Fernando, and his mother, Mrs. Alverez.

The music changed into a more somber style as lights dimmed and our focus was directed to the dance floor.

Mr. Rodriguez, Antonio’s father, appeared, escorting one of his daughters, her hand resting in the crook of his arm. Antonio followed with the other. My mouth fell open along with everyone else’s as we ooh’d and ahh’d.

Since our arrival, I had only spied the twins from a distance at the head table they shared with their friends during dinner. Carmen and Catalina epitomized twin fairy tale princesses.

Both wore elegant taffeta and chiffon gowns. A beautiful shade of sage with a shimmering overlay of translucent purple, pink, and blue that glowed elegantly in the spotlight. The dresses were strapless with fitted bodices decorated with tiny gems repeated over the soft overlay. Both girls wore their hair up with floral hairpieces of different colors to represent their individuality.

Even though we met months ago, it was still hard to tell them apart.

Half way through the song, the girls changed dance partners, allowing each one time to spend with their father. And, as Adrianna explained, Antonio stepped up to help their father raise them all. In their eyes, he was their second father.

The next dance, a waltz, was performed by the twins and their male court made up of cousins. Fourteen young men dressed in handsome white tuxedos formed a box, made up of seven each, around the young ladies, assisting them as they twirled between them to the song,
Dreaming of You
, by Selena.

Antonio stood next to his father on the sideline, his hand resting on his shoulder in what appeared to be emotional support. Adrianna stood on the other side doing the same. Behind them sat a large table full of birthday gifts brought by guests. An easel beside it held an enlarged version of the photograph from Mrs. Alvarez’s living room, the one of Antonio’s mother when she was pregnant.

Not only was today a celebration of fifteen years of life, it was also the day they lost a wife and mother.

More tears came as I realized the significance of Antonio inviting me to share this day with his family.

Next came the most anticipated part of the event, the official welcome to womanhood. Both girls sat in the middle of the dance floor in chairs decorated with balloons and ribbons. Carmen and Catalina held hands in a mixture of excitement and fifteen years of anticipation.

Their grandmother started the ceremony by removing the floral hair combs, replacing each with tiaras just as unique. Next she handed them each a scepter. Both items symbolized the ability to face the challenges of adulthood and responsibility of their lives. She kissed them both on the cheek.

Next, their ballet flats were removed and replaced with their first pair of high heels. Though traditionally done by the mother, Adrianna bore the responsibility with tears. The twins cried as well.

Antonio’s mother had chosen the earrings, necklaces, rings, and bracelets when she learned she was giving birth to twin daughters. Their father held on to them especially for this day. It was the aunts’ job to place them on the twins.

Antonio followed, whispering private words, which made each of them smile as he pulled two envelopes from the breast pocket of his suit. The smile on each of their faces grew so wide I thought they would split in half. He pulled the envelopes back in mock disappointment. They quickly sat straighter and composed themselves as the young women they’d become. He laughed, then handed them the coveted envelopes.

More family members approached bearing gifts and words of encouragement for all to hear. I stopped paying attention as Antonio joined me at the family table. He appeared happy yet sad at the same time. The entire experience was an emotional roller coaster. Lord knows I smiled, laughed, and shed a few tears during the ceremony.

I reached for his hands and squeezed. “Are you okay?”

He watched his sisters. The myriad emotions washed over his face. “You know what? I am. For the last few days I thought it would be impossible to see this day through. The part I feared most is over. I’m good, I’m really good. Thank you for coming tonight, it means more than you know.”

“I’m here whenever you need me, you know that, right?”

Antonio kissed my hand. “Sí, mi vida.”

At that moment, the announcer spoke in rapid fire Spanish as the music changed. Gone were the instrumental sounds that set the tone of the ceremony. In its place was a Salsa band.

Trumpets blared, guitars strummed, bells chimed, and hidden behind the wall of musicians, congas played. The party took on a new life. All around us, couples left the tables and headed for the dance floor.

Antonio stood, held his hand out to me, and smiled. “Let’s dance.”

“Dance to what?”

Once again Kaitlyn made me laugh without trying. “The music.”

“Um…,” her eyes shot to the dancers moving in time to the Salsa band. “That is a different style of dancin’. I’m goin’ to look crazy.”

“Ebony and Yasmine are your roommates. Didn’t they teach you anything?” I teased.

“Hip Hop dancin’ is totally different. This rhythm is…fast. I may not be able to keep up.”

I reached for the can of beer sitting on the table. “Finish this, it will help you loosen up. Believe me, it’s not about how you move, just move.” I searched the crowd for the perfect example. My cousin, Hugo, flailed his arms around doing some weird dance all his own. And as usual, women surrounded him, laughing, but not mimicking the movements. “See the guy in the orange shirt?” She nodded. “Will you look like that?”

Kaitlyn burst out laughing. “Hell no!”

I pulled her on her feet. “Then you’ll be fine.” I took a moment to remember exactly how she looked right now because by the end of the night, it would be sweated out. Her hair was pin curled on top of her head, spiral strands rested on each cheek, her make-up flawless; nothing about her said “mommy” at all. The strapless yellow dress was the perfect complement to her creamy skin, green eyes, and sun-kissed golden hair. The stacked open-toe black heels made those sexy legs of hers give me a flashback of having them over my shoulders. My mind went blank momentarily at the image of having them around me again tonight. “You’re going to want to take off your shoes.”

“Uh…no. Do you know how much I paid for these?”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Kaitlyn gulped the remaining beer and made a face. “Don’t blame me when people ask about the white girl.”

I chuckled.

On the dance floor, we merged into the middle of the crowd. It was awkward at first, but she gave it her all. Before long she laughed and twirled in circles. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her this happy other than the day Chloe was born. The more I thought about it, I realized the answer was never.

And this time, I put the smile on those lips.

Five songs later, Kaitlyn gripped my arm. “Oh my God, my feet are killin’ me!”

“I warned you. Come on, let sit down.”

We made our way through the sea of bodies just as another round of beers was delivered. I accepted two cans. “She doesn’t like beer. Do you have water?” I asked, reaching for a napkin to wipe sweat from my brow.

“Don’t worry about it; I’m so thirsty right now I don’t care what it is as long as it’s cold!” She reached for one of the beers, popped the top, then drank every last drop.

My father slapped the table with his fist while laughing. “We’ll make her fit in!” He toasted her with his can and she repeated the gesture.

When done, Kaitlyn leaned down to remove her shoes.

“I got it.” I patted my leg, encouraging her to rest her feet on my thigh. I un-hooked the straps and slipped off the heels. She wiggled her manicured toes. I caught her ankle, pulled it in my lap, and massaged. “It’s my fault. I should have told you to bring comfortable shoes for dancing.”

“It’s alright. I’m havin’ a good time. It’s worth it.” Her genuine smile made it impossible to ignore her lips. What I wouldn’t do for a kiss.

I forced myself to remember we were in public and my hands couldn’t travel past her ankle. She must have felt the same way because after a moment of gazing into each other’s eyes, she broke the spell and turned her attention back to the room.

We watched the dance floor as song after song played. When I finished massaging her feet, Kaitlyn made no move to pull away. I enjoyed having them in my lap.

The music transitioned from fast to slow, giving dancers time to sit down and recuperate. A few couples stayed on the floor while older ones who refused to get lost in the fray of the young ones took advantage of the available space.

Kaitlyn studied the dancers, fascination on her face at the close body contact and smooth precision of the foot changes as the couples, locked together in an embrace, moved as one.

“That is beautiful,” she whispered.

“I’ll teach you.”

She shook her head, blond curls swaying. “I don’t know, Antonio…”

I set her feet on the ground, then stood, holding my hand out. Kaitlyn accepted my silent invitation. My arm around her waist, I whispered in her ear, “You know how to make love, right?”