Not So Far Away (Worlds Collide The Duets #1) - LL Meyer Page 0,55
table to drink their coffee. After last night’s choir fiasco, I like that we’re able to bury our differences enough that there’s no squabbling. For once, spending time with my family soothes some of my worry – not only about Ellie, but also about the situation with Lolita.
In the end, the girls and I make a crazy mess in the kitchen, but we’re left with a big batch of pink, chocolate chip waffles, enough for everyone. It’s after noon by the time everything is put to rights, and slowly my family starts disappearing out of the house. Mari to her job at the mall, Desiree out with her boyfriend, and my grandmother out with her knitting circle. I wonder vaguely where my mother’s gotten to, but it’s fleeting. The girls and I are trying to decide what we’d like to do for the day when Jorgie texts me.
Jorgie: My mom’s having a comida. Bring the girls. The back yard is full of nieces and nephews. Mikey will be here. No arguments, see u soon.
Actually it sounds like exactly what I need. Distracting adult conversation while the girls play with other kids.
The five-block walk over to Jorgie’s brings back so many memories of being a kid. It’s a miracle that I ever made it to adulthood considering the things Jorgie, Mike and I used to get up to. Then, nostalgia hits me even harder as we go in the door at Jorgie’s mom’s house. I spent a lot of time here as a kid. Jorgie’s mom, Nora, was almost as much of a mother to me as my grandmother. Nora is so welcoming as she squawks over how tall I am, how big the girls are, how thankful she is for my help in getting Jorgie the job that I almost feel a knot forming in my throat. Good grief, I’m a bit of wreck today.
I catch up with people I haven’t seen in forever – and it feels good. The lilting sounds of Spanglish, the smells of Mexican food, and the easy laughter have me forgetting everything for a while.
We eat around 3 o’clock; tacos de cochinita, rajas con crema, and picadillo. I try to make sure that the girls are eating, but the women in the kitchen shoo me away after they assure me that they’re taking care of it.
Shortly thereafter, Alejandro, of all people, sneaks in, much to the delight of his family. He could pass for a normal guy without his entourage, in jeans and a long-sleeved button-down that covers his tattoos. I think he likes the same things that I do about this place; it’s a nice reprieve from everyday life.
Alejandro makes his way around the room greeting his brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews. When he finally gets to me, he pulls me up from the sofa into a hug.
“Scotty.”
“Tío.”
“What’s it been? A week?” he jokes. “Hey, is my goddaughter here?”
“Yeah, she’s around. You want to say hi later?”
“You bet.”
He’s about to move on to Mike beside me when he says, “Where’s your chula?”
My face falls a bit and Alejandro chuckles. “You screwed it up already?”
I dip my head, embarrassed for some reason. “No, uh, not exactly.”
When I glance back up, he gives me a hard stare. “Not exactly? She didn’t strike me as the type to let you give her the run-around. But I guess you know what you’re doing.”
I scowl as he moves his gangster-ass on to greet Mike. What does he mean by that? I look around the room, trying to picture Ellie here beside me, but I can’t do it. She wouldn’t fit in at all. The language barrier would be tricky enough, but the cultural barrier would be the real killer. Ellie lives alone for fuck’s sake. It doesn’t seem like she even sees her family regularly, let alone has them all up in her business on a daily basis. She wouldn’t be comfortable here and I would be even less comfortable having to babysit her. Just thinking about such an unpleasant scenario is depressing as hell.
A few minutes later when Mikey gets up to get another beer, he asks, “You want one this time?”
“Yeah, sure,” I agree. “Why the fuck not?”
I’m just so tired of life.
Ellie
I’m not at all surprised that Scott’s gone from my bed in the morning. I’d known he couldn’t stay. He had to be home when his girls woke up and I’m completely on board with that.
Despite his absence, I’m all smiles. Last night was