SEVENTY-SEVEN
Bibiana
“Bibi!” Antonio—Emilio’s brother—calls my name, and I poke my head out of the bathroom door, toothbrush still in my mouth.
“What?” The word is garbled, but he gets the gist.
“You’re going to be late. Let’s get this show on the road.” I groan and duck my head back inside the bathroom, glancing at my phone for the time. Shit. It’s almost six. I am going to be late.
I spit the toothpaste in the sink, add a quick layer of gloss over my lips and grab a hair tie, hastily throwing my hair up as I make my way to the front door. Antonio waits for me, keys in hand and a smile on his face. “Ready?”
“Yes. Sorry.”
He chuckles. “Don’t apologize.”
He opens the door for me and ushers me outside where Emilio has Luis in his arms as Roberto runs around the yard, Sofia right behind him as she tries to catch up and tag him, but he’s too quick. Their laughter is infectious, and Luis waves his hands in the air, eager to join the fun.
“I’ll be back,” Antonio calls out and three heads turn our way. Emilio’s eyes meet mine and a smile spreads over his face, nearly taking my breath away. He looks at me like I hang the moon and stars and I still can’t understand why. He was right when he said moving in with him and his family was the right move for us. I haven’t been living here long, but already it’s like a weight has been lifted off my chest.
At first, I was nervous. I thought he was going to push for more than I was willing to give and I kept waiting for the moment when he would demand a relationship, but he never did.
I’ve been living with the Chavez family for almost a month now and not once has Emilio crossed the line of friendship. We have movie nights as a family and every Sunday we barbecue with our friends. Everyone comes over and we have carne asada and tortillas. Sofia helps me make the rice and beans, and the boys put together the salsa. It’s a family affair, and something I look forward to every week.
When I don’t work, Emilio and I put Luis to bed together. It’s not usually a big deal, just a bedtime story and then we tuck him in my bed. I considered asking Mom for his crib, but I like having my boy snuggled up beside me. And on nights I do work, Emilio puts him to sleep in my room for me and lays with him until I get home, carefully slipping away as I take the spot he vacated.
Only lately, I haven’t wanted him to go.
“Let’s give Momma a kiss,” Emilio says and my heart stutters, but then I realize he’s leaning forward to allow Luis to get closer. My boy reaches out to smoosh my face in his tiny hands, giving me an open-mouthed and slobbery kiss on the nose as he tries to all but eat my face. “Thank you,benzinho,” I tell him.
“Bibi!” Antonio calls again.
“I’ll see you boys later,” I tell Emilio. “Gotta run if I don’t want to miss my ride.”
Emilio snorts. “Antonio wouldn’t leave you and you know it.”
True, but still… I rush around the car and climb in the passenger seat, making sure to buckle my seat belt. My heart is full as I watch my family continue to play in the front yard, and I wonder not for the first time, if I gave in to my wants, would our lives be even better?
* * *
I slipin the back for my ten-minute break, my feet tired and my shoulders stiff. We’re deader than dead, which should make my job easier, but it seems to only make the night drag on longer. At least when we’re busy time flies by and the next thing I know, we’re closing. When it’s like this, all I can do is think, and right now I’m not sure thinking is what I should be doing.
“How’s it going out there?” Allie asks, setting a stack of plates aside.
“Slow,” I tell her, hopping up on the countertop to sit. “I’m taking my ten.”
She wipes her hands with a towel and jumps on the counter opposite me. “Cool, I’ll take mine too.”
She tosses me an apple and I bite into it, swinging my legs back and forth in front of me. “How’s living at the Chavez house going?” she asks with a small smirk.
“Fishing?” I ask her, because this question comes up near daily.
She shrugs. “Maybe. Can you blame me? It’s been a month and I don’t know, it’s weird.”
My brows furrow. “How is it weird?”
“Haven’t you noticed that Emilio’s been acting strange?”
I shrug my shoulders, not really sure what she’s getting at. He seems like the same old Emilio to me.
