Page 48 of A Curvy Girl’s Hurricane Survival Guide

I managed to stop myself from shedding more than a tear or two. I must be getting better at controlling my emotions after all the crying over the last few days.

My phone dings, another message from Trevor.

Trevor

Just landed

I knock out a response.

Cai

The Vaquita Cafe. It’s just a few blocks away.

I don’t know if it will even be open, but I don’t want to meet Trevor at my house, and I know I can walk there if need be.

By the time I get back to the house, Sonny has his backpack on and is in the living room, chatting with my family and laughing at some story my Tia Elena is telling. He sees me and shoots me a sad smile. Something stirs in me as he looks at me like that. I almost ask him not to leave out loud. I almost repeat the sentiments I shared outside, but the little bit of shame I have left won out.

“Cayetana,” Tia Elena calls to me. “Sonny says you saw some Cocuyos last night!”

I nod, remembering the moment in the closet.

“Your Tia was telling me about the hurricane you spent in the bathroom with your cousins, and you told them stories about Cocuyos,” Sonny says.

My hand flies to my mouth. “Oh, I had forgotten about that! I was making them up, and at that age, I thought they had to have shock value to keep them entertained!”

“Yeah, she was saying you gave them nightmares for a week!” Sonny chuckles. “Those must’ve been some stories!”

“They were about Cocuyos that would spy on children and report back to the Orishas, the Saneteria Gods. I guess I made them a little too sneaky in my telling. I remember whispering to them, ‘The kids didn’t know that in the darkness were two glowing eyes, listening, waiting for the moment they would see something to report back to Shango.’” I retell it the way I had said it back then, a hint of malice and foreboding in my tone.

“They even gave me goosebumps!” Tia Elena adds. “That’s when I knew what a gift she had for telling stories.”

Telling stories, yes; communicating, no.

Sonny’s phone buzzes. “Ok, that’s me. I’m meeting the car at the end of the street in case it has any issue getting around that downed tree.” He stands up and, after expressing his gratitude a dozen times, he kisses most of the family goodbye at least twice.

“Mind if I walk with you?” I ask Sonny.

“Not at all,” he replies.

“Familia, I’ll be back in a few!” I call to my family, who have already started retreating farther into the house, before I step out into the heat and close the door behind us.

We walk in silence for a minute. His hands are shoved into his pockets.

I search for something to say to fill the dead air. “I hope your car isn’t waiting long. I know Cuban goodbyes always take forever. I would feel bad if you missed your flight because of us.”

“Oh no, that won’t happen. I remember you mentioned the long goodbyes, so I gave myself time. Plus, it’s a chartered flight, so there’s no ‘missing’ it.”

“Oh yeah, that makes sense.” My heart sinks a bit, not realizing I was hoping that he might miss his flight. “So are you on your way back to Arizona?”

“Yeah, at least for today. Then I have a convention. Some panels. I can’t remember where exactly now. It’s going to be pretty crazy from now until the release in a few months.” He says, already sounding tired.

“Uhhh, Silent Knight?” I say, trying to recall the game.

Sonny smiles at me warmly. “Yeah, exactly! Well, the sequel.”

This is painful; there is so much more I want to say, but I have already said so much. Too much probably. A black luxury sedan pulls up by the downed tree up ahead.

“Thanks for walking me,” he says as we approach it.