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Me: This is a business arrangement. I picked his name from a list. I do not see him as a cute man-shaped human.

Rachel: What exactly do you think dating in this century is? It’s all about picking names off lists.

Me: WE ARE NOT DATING.

Rachel: I know, I know, sorry. You looked gorgeous at the party btw. I can’t believe I haven’t seen you since then! Ahhh and the wedding is so soon! How is it August already? What are you doing for Labor Day weekend?

Me: I don’t know. Agustín has a “plan” that he refuses to give details about because I might “freak out.” So I’m freaking out.

Rachel: Fun, keep me posted. How’s the speech coming along?

Me: It’s not

Rachel: Well, that’s not what Agustín says.

Me: Are you talking to him behind my back???

Rachel: No! I just thanked him for coming to the party and then asked how things were going.

Me: Goodbye

Me: I love you

Rachel: Mwwwwah!

27Agustín

“We can’t wait to see you, Tío Tín!” Sofia sings as she makes a tiny braid in Caro’s hair.

The two of them smile at me from the screen.

“I can’t wait to see you too,” I say. “Just a few more weeks!”

I’m sitting on Eloise’s couch with the Colonel while Eloise is on the floor, trimming Charleston’s nails. She showed me the itinerary Rachel sent her for the events leading up to the wedding. Rachel reassured her that she only needs to attend the bachelorette party. Not sure how I can help prepare Eloise for that, having never been to a bachelorette myself. So I called Caro to ask, and she was getting a spa day from the Minions.

“Mom is going to make a huge lunch to celebrate you coming back for a visit,” Caro says. I lick my lips. One thing I’ve really missed since moving to New York is my mother’s cooking. “No, Vero, put the scissors down, you are not cutting my hair.”

“You’re no fun,” I hear Vero grumble.

“You can paint my nails instead,” Caro says. “What are you wearing to the wedding?” she asks me.

“A tuxedo,” I say. After the engagement party, I got Diego’s contact info, and he set me up with the company providing all the tuxes for his groomsmen. I never in my life thought I would have any reason to wear a tuxedo. It was a bit surreal going in for a fitting.

Caro whistles. “Minions, Tío Tín is gonna look sooooo handsome in a tux!”

I hear the twins fall to pieces offscreen, laughing hysterically at the image.

“What about Eloise?” she says, as Vero’s forehead intrudes on the bottom of the screen.

“What about her?”

“Is she your girlfriend, Tío Tín?” Vero asks.

“No, she’s my friend,” I say, my stomach dipping as I glance at Eloise. We’re speaking Spanish so it’s not like she can understand what’s being said, but still.

“Do we get to meet her?” Caro asks eagerly.

“No.”