AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Less seasoned?” José offers and they all laugh.
“That’s not what I was going to say,” I scold him.
“But it’s what you were thinking, no?”
“Pendejo,” I mutter under my breath.
“Hey! No cursing, Ana!” José yells in mock horror.
“Don’t yell, Sé!” I yell back at him.
“Ay dios mio,” my mother says and walks back into the kitchen. My father laughs and follows her.
“No estoy bromeando,” I hiss at my siblings. I’m not joking. “Ya basta.” Knock it off.
The door opens then and Hayden comes back in with his parents in tow. They are smiling, although I can tell their body language is a bit reserved, nervous.
“Hi, Marion, Thomas,” I say, walking over to greet them. “So glad you both could make it.” I hug them both.
“Thank you so much for having us, Ana. Your parent’s home is beautiful.” Marion smiles.
“Thank you so much.” I return the smile and then gesture behind me. “Let me introduce you to my insane family.” They laugh. I add under my breath, “ I apologize in advance.” They chuckle once more.
As I lead the way, Hayden puts his hand on my lower back, in a sign of reassurance. “You both know Maddie and Elliot.” I wave my hand in their direction and they exchange greetings. “My brother, José, and my sister, Isabel.” To their credit, my siblings both smile kindly and say hello. I finish the introductions with everyone else, and then bring them to the kitchen where my parents are finishing up with the food.
“Mama, Papa, this is Marion and Thomas Albrecht.” I wave them forward. “And these are my parents, José and Ramona.”
My mother rushes over to wrap Marion in a huge hug and Hayden whispers to me after he feels my spine stiffen, “They’re fine, don’t worry.”
I only relax after Marion returns my mother’s hug sincerely and asks if there is anything she can help with. At that moment, I know that my mother is instantly taken by her. The fathers get talking about business, a lawyer and an investment banker—two peas in a pod.
Hayden ushers me towards the French doors that lead outside. “I told you everything will be okay.” He smiles and wraps his arms around me. I lean into him.
“It’s only been five minutes. And my brother and sister cannot be trusted,” I say, looking up at him.
He laughs and shakes his head. “My parents are fine. I gave them hell for years, so they’re good at handling a little evening of fun.”
“Yeah, fun. That’s what we’ll call it.” I laugh and he leans down to kiss me.
The evening actually goes very smoothly. The only time I see Hayden’s parents get a little uncomfortable is when my dad opens the smoker and they see the whole pig that is roasting.
“I told you to warn them about that,” I hiss at Hayden, swatting him in his stomach.
“I forgot, I’m sorry,” he says, hiding his laughter. “They’re fine.”
And they are. Even when my brother grabs an olive off the table and walks over to them offering them the honor of eating the ‘pig’s eye’. When they so preciously and politely decline, he then pops it in his mouth and their faces look horrified for a moment. My mom threatens him in Spanish with the chancleta and he runs off laughing. We apologize and explain the joke, and they laugh genuinely, finding the whole ordeal funny.
We eat and mingle and talk for hours before my mom brings the cake out—a massive sheet cake that would feed fifty instead of the fifteen or so people that are actually here. It has white icing with blue piping around the sides that read, ‘Happy Birthday Hayden!’ in orange icing.
We sing in English the first time through, but then we start our family birthday chant after the normal birthday song ends, which is the normal song again but faster and with clapping and Hayden has to hold my mom’s hand as she spins him in a circle, even though he stands a foot taller than her. It’s comical and we are all laughing by the time it’s over, including Hayden’s parents.
Haven and Elise FaceTime to say hi and wish him a happy birthday. Hayden brings his phone around the house and introduces them to everyone.
It is ten at night by the time everything calms down. His parents left around eight since they had a longer drive home. Maddie and Elliot stuck around to help clean up but then went to her parent’s house for the night just a little while ago.
Hayden and I lay on a blanket in the backyard, looking for shooting stars. He lays on his back with one arm behind his head and the other around me. I’m nestled into his side, one arm curled up against my body and the other across his chest.
“Can't believe it’s almost been a year,” he says.
