Page 62 of Mutual Discord

“Javi and Olivia will be here in an hour and a half, and I still have to cut the vegetables for dinner and sweep the patio.” My mother cocked an eyebrow. “You know how your brother likes to eat outside this time of year.”

“Because it’s cold as balls in Chicago right now,” I grumbled, climbing to my feet. There was no use putting off the inevitable. “Do you want me to do the chopping or sweeping?”

Mamí stepped forward and bussed my cheek. “Both.” At my whine, she patted my arm. “Pobrecita. Come on, I’ll pour you a glass of wine.”

The next hour and a half passed quickly as I prepped the various toppings for the chili we were having for dinner and then took the leaf blower to the back patio and front courtyard. Mamí was true to her word, and my wineglass was never empty. By the time my father arrived from the airport with my brother and sister-in-law, I was feeling good, the worries that plagued me all morning blown away like the leaves and dust from the patio.

After allowing Javi to bear-hug me and frizz out my curls, Olivia wrapped me in a firm hug.

“I know what you’ve been up to,” she murmured in my ear.

Pulling back, I stared at her. “What do you mean?”

Olivia’s green eyes sparkled. “Your videos. They’re so good. And you’re internet famous.”

“Oh my God, how do you know about them?” I gasped.

“The nurses were watching them while I was charting one morning, and I thought I recognized your voice.” Olivia’s laugh was a trill of piano keys. “And there you were, talking about Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler.”

“The first Black woman doctor in the US.” I crinkled my nose. “You don’t think the videos are dumb?”

“Why would they be?” Olivia grabbed my shoulders. “You manage to highlight a historical figure in one minute, and in a way that’s funny and endearing and inspiring. I’m so impressed.”

“Oh.” I pressed my lips together, overcome with surprise. “That means so much coming from you.”

And it did. Olivia was a highly sought-after pediatric gastroenterologist who specialized in treating autistic children. Why she gave my brother the time of day when he offered to buy her a drink at an event hosted by the hospital they were both completing their residency at I’ll never know. Olivia was way out of Javi’s league, and he knew it. It was a good thing he was funny. Still, knowing Olivia thought the Matildas were something special made me feel weightless.

Thinking of my brother made me ask, “Does Javi know?”

“Do I know you have a secret identity educating the ignorant and willfully stupid masses about the amazing women who’ve helped make our world a better place?” Javi playfully shoved me before he reeled me back into his side. “Yeah, I know. I know everything.” Olivia and I both groaned in unison at his cocky tone.

“He only knows about the videos because he caught me watching one,” my sister-in-law explained.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” Glancing at his wife, Javi shook his head. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell us. And then I had to find out about your marketing job from Papí.”

I rounded on my father with a snarl. “You told them about Desert Media 360?”

Papí’s complexion turned florid. “I didn’t mean to. It just came out.”

“Sure it did.” I rolled my eyes. “No secret is safe in this family.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to tell Javi and Olivia about your series?” My mother’s stare turned gimlet. “Why are you so determined to keep it a secret?”

The back of my neck felt hot. “Just because I’m not cursed with this family’s incurable case of verbal diarrhea doesn’t mean I’m being secretive.”

Now it was the rest of the family’s turn to groan.

The evening unfurled in the comfortable and casual way that only family dinners can. I told Javi what had happened with my marketing job and how my TikTok series was born, and he told me about a case he’d been working that he was thinking about writing a paper on. In our natural order of things, we eventually turned our attention to Mamí, who endured our teasing with an exasperated but fond smile. Olivia and Papí sat nearby, quietly discussing the clinical trials Olivia and her team were conducting on the ways in which imbalanced gut biome levels may affect maladaptive behaviors in autistic children. We often joked that they were the two scientists of the family because they liked to chat about their research or the latest scientific paper they had read.

Propping my hip against the countertop, I surveyed the room while I drank a glass of water. All the people I loved most were in this room, and I realized I had smiled more in the last two hours than I had in weeks.

At least since I had encountered Alex and Camila on Camelback Mountain.

“So who’s this Alex guy who will be here tomorrow for Nochebuena?” Javi voiced suddenly, a margarita dangling from his fingers.

As if scripted, my mother and father both turned their gazes to me.

“Oh, um.” I took a sip of water to soothe my dry throat. “He’s a friend. He’s also dating Caitlin.”