Que bonita es.”
She waved her hand forward and backward, and CJ mimicked her by waving his chubby arm, transfixed as she sang the verse over and over again. Cole put his arm around my waist and squeezed me into him before planting a kiss on my head. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by my grandmother, who beamed at us before turning and walking towards the house, singing with CJ in her arms, waving her hand back and forth.
My grandmother refusedto let go of CJ for the rest of the afternoon. She somehow managed to serve us dinner with one hand with CJ balanced on her hip. Admittedly, she'd had over a half a century of practice. He sat on her lap as we ate, picking finger-sized chunks of carrot out of her bowl.
“How is it?” I asked Cole.
"This is the best soup I've ever had," he said, barely suppressing a moan. "My friend's mom used to make this when we were kids, but this is better. I don't know why." He ate another heaping spoonful and grabbed a chicken leg from his bowl and took a bite.
"¿Que?" Abuelita questioned, and I realized we were speaking English. I repeated what Cole said about her soup, and she beamed a smile at my prometido.He wrapped his hand around mine and squeezed.
She told us that fresh chicken was her secret, which I knew meant the chicken leg Cole was munching on was probably still walking around attached to a live chicken when we landed this morning before my grandmother broke its neck.
Abuelita noticed Cole wasn't drinking the malta she put in front of him. He picked it up, took a sip, and smiled. Malta most closely resembles beer without the alcohol and has a thick heavy taste like molasses. It was very sweet and best when it was cold.
“You don’t like it, do you?” I whispered, trying to suppress a smile.
“It’s fine.” He was obviously lying.
“It’s okay if you don’t like it. It’s an acquired taste.” I giggled.
“Will she get offended if I don’t finish it?”
"Oh, definitely. If you don't drink and eat everything Abuela puts in front of you, she will take it very personally."
“How can you drink this?” He took another sip and smiled at my grandmother.
"I've been drinking it since I was a kid. I love it." I chuckled at his incredulous expression. "You've been very good to me today, so I'm gonna rescue you." I waited until my grandmother wasn't paying attention, and I switched my empty bottle for Cole's full one.
“Thank you,” he said with a grateful sigh.
"No. Thank you." I looked up at him.
“For what?”
"For today, for last week, for everything," I whispered and glanced at Abuelita. She was laughing at CJ, who was trying to put his finger in her nose. "And thanks for not correcting my grandmother. I know we'll have to tell her eventually, but she looks so happy."
“She does look happy. Let’s make her a little happier.” He grinned at me.
"What do you—" I was interrupted by Cole pressing his lips to mine. His kiss was strong and soft. He may have been putting on a show for my grandmother, but it felt as real as any kiss we shared, with a lot less tongue, of course. We separated to see our dining companions staring at us, smiling.
CJ clapped his hands and yelled, “Tiss! Mo tiss!”
Cole turned to me with eyebrows raised. “Well, do we give the people what they want?” He turned to my grandmother. “¿Debería besar a tu nieta otra vez?”
Abuelita laughed. “Claro.”
We kissed again to cheers, and my grandmother served us her coconut rice pudding that she usually made for special occasions.
After hugging,kissing, and promising to return soon, we climbed back in the SUV. CJ was still upset because we wouldn't let him inside the chicken coop and refused to give goodbye kisses. I also suspected his behavior had a lot to do with his impending naptime.
“So,” I sighed. “What now?”
“Well.” Cole took my hand. “Now we’re gonna meet up with Adam and Kimmy. Then the rest is a surprise.”
“More surprises? I thought I was in charge.” I glared at him.
“The day was yours. The night is mine.”
