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With the tip of her head, Natalia accepted. Until then, Sam wasn’t even sure Natalia spoke Spanish. Apart from what she’d told her at the diaspora museum, Natalia didn’t discuss her heritage. She didn’t reveal much at all, but Sam hoped the trip might change that. Instead, it seemed to be making her more reserved.
“Sam, you want another?” Tito asked.
“I’m good Tio, thanks.”
“Oh, come on.” Tito clicked his tongue, his entire cranium a bright red Christmas bulb. “How about some shots?” He wiggled his prematurely white brows. “The night is so young!”
After being browbeaten into two shots of smooth but potent tequila, Sam was tipsy herself when a server wheeled out her parents’ anniversary cake.
When the white and gold three-tier cake was situated in the middle of the dance floor, Sam stood. She raised her champagne flute, but the conversations didn’t quiet down until her cousin Leo gave an earsplitting whistle with both pinkies pressed to his lips.
A cacophony of complaints went up at the sound until the crowd noticed Sam standing. Reaching for their own glasses, her family was as quiet as they were likely to get. Sam took her moment.
“I’d like to make a toast to my parents. Fifty-three years of marriage — can you believe it?” Sam smiled around the room.
“Lucky dog!” One of her dad’s brothers shouted, earning a smattering of chuckles and one judgmental glare from her Tia Angela.
“Mami, Papi,” Sam cleared her throat, booze making her unexpectedly sentimental. “Your love and commitment to each other has always been an inspiration. From little things like Papi bringing you cafecito in bed every morning, to supporting each other through life’s ups and downs. You’re a team.”
Sam’s voice grew thick with emotion. “With so much bad news and noise in the world, your marriage reminds me to have faith that true partnership endures. That compromise and forgiveness help weather the storms.”
She turned to her parents, misty-eyed. “You two give me hope that a forever kind of love exists. Not because it’s all sunshine and rainbows. But because you stick it out together, even when it’s hard.”
Raising her glass higher, Sam continued. “No matter what changes life brings, your roots grow deeper. And your branches continue spreading warmth, shelter, and joy.”
She smiled while wiping a tear before it could fully form. “You’re the sturdiest, most beautiful tree. My safe place to land. My guiding light in the dark.”
When Sam’s voice broke, her father reached for his handkerchief to dry his own eyes. Even Tio Tito wiped his face when he thought no one was looking.
“Thank you for teaching me the strength of unconditional love. For showing me that the right person makes home wherever you are together.”
Sam lifted her glass higher. “To fifty-three years and counting. You inspire me every day. I love you both so much. Happy anniversary.”
“Now let’s dance!” Tio Tito shouted, and the room erupted with music and the sound of a dozen chairs scraping the floor.
“The cake!” someone yelled, before the confection was pushed out of the way and saved from the stampede.
Sam dropped into her seat while draining the small serving of bubbly. She looked over at Natalia, her eyes glossy but expression still unreadable.
“Did that sound as corny out loud as it did in my head?” Sam cringed, hands in her lap as she leaned back in her seat.
Natalia hesitated before offering a tiny head shake. “It was lovely,” she replied in a voice low and soft and unusual.
Lured in by Natalia’s parted lips, by her gentle breaths, Sam drifted closer. She ached to know what thoughts were behind those dark, fathomless eyes as they searched her own. What was hanging in the shrinking space between them. It was so loaded with something Sam just couldn’t decipher.
The noise and chaos of the party faded around them. For a suspended moment, all Sam sensed was Natalia - her subtle floral scent, the heat of her skin so close. She leaned in, tempted to close the gap between them.
Before she could act, her father appeared at Natalia’s side. “May I have this dance, mija?” He extended a hand, eyes twinkling.
Natalia hesitated, looking unsure. For a moment, Sam thought she might decline the invitation. But then Natalia’s eyes flicked to Sam’s father, his hand still extended patiently. She must have sensed his simple, earnest hopefulness.
Sam held her breath, worried Natalia’s rejection might hurt her father’s feelings. He was an unrepentant romantic at heart, always thrilled to spin a lovely lady around the dance floor.
After a pause that felt endless, Natalia dipped her chin gracefully. “I’d be delighted,” she said, placing her elegant hand in his meaty one.
Relief rushed through Sam as Natalia allowed herself to be led toward the crowd. Sam laughed, body flooded with adrenaline and more than a sprinkling of serotonin.
She watched Natalia and her dad at the edge of the mob dancing to Marc Anthony’s high-energy salsa staple, Vivir Mi Vida. Sam’s lungs burned when she starved them of oxygen, her muscles tensed with anticipation like they might snap.
