She really needed a vacation. No one worked as hard as she did. When he was done with soccer, he would book them that trip to Cabo. He couldn’t wait to spend some time with her outside of San Diego. He wanted to teach her how to surf, take her snorkeling, treat her to a spa, and take her to Lover’s Beach.
Ramón and his brothers attacked the ball. They took turns playing one-on-one while the third played goalie. Jaime was the best of the three—he had been a Division One player in college and could’ve probably turned professional. Ramón had been more focused on music than sports. Enrique had been a surfing champion, but surfing wasn’t about winning, it was about simply being.
An hour later, Ramón and his brothers stopped playing. They sat on a bench and gazed at the water.
“So, what’s up with you and Julieta?” Enrique asked.
“She’s my girlfriend.”
Jaime smirked. “Are you whipped?”
“No,” Ramón lied. “But I’m crazy about her.”
Enrique patted Ramón on the shoulder. “That’s cool.”
“Thanks. Hey, did you know Papá stole the fish taco recipe from Julieta’s mom?”
Jaime shook his head. “No. Who told you that?”
“Julieta. I didn’t believe it, either. But I asked Dad, and he said it was true.”
Enrique glared at him. “It doesn’t matter, though. That was forty years ago. Papá built an empire.”
“True. She doesn’t get all the credit. That’s still fucked-up, though, don’t you think?”
Jaime brushed grass off his shorts. “Itisfucked-up. But man, don’t get all crazy with this chick and her family. She knows you have money. Don’t go promising her the world and talking about what we owe them. This is a business.Our business.”
“Since when do you care about the business?”
“I care plenty. We don’t need a scandal.”
“I thought scandals were good for business. Impressions, views, likes.”
Jaime huffed at Ramón. “You don’t show me any respect, do you? You think my job is a joke.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“It’s not that easy, Ramón. There’s a lot that goes into the perfect post, the perfect hashtags.”
Ramónwasalways giving Jaime a hard time. “I’m sorry. I don’t think your job is a joke.”
“Whatever. You’re just like dad. Your idea of success is the numbers, the bottom line. But you don’t appreciate all the things that go into growing a successful media presence. I’m sick of you acting like I don’t contribute shit.”
“I’m really sorry. It won’t happen again. For what it’s worth, I know you are great at your job.”
Jaime didn’t respond.
Enrique broke the silence. “I’m starving. Let’s get some food.”
The brothers grabbed breakfast burritos down the street and then went back to their home. Ramón played video games with his brothers, and they ended up taking the entire day off.
Ramón moved his guitar from the sofa back to the wall. “Guess what? I’m playing music again.”
Enrique smiled. “What? Really? I used to love hearing you play. Why’d you stop?”
“Dad wanted me to go to Stanford and Harvard and take over the business.”
“Just be happy, bro. I mean, look. You could quit Taco King tomorrow and have enough money to live on for the rest of your life. You don’t have to work. I plan to forge my own path soon.”
