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We all stand there, dishes in hand, silent. Alex and I even collide with each other. Finding myself against his back, I feel the need to fill the awkward moment with some witty comment, but nothing comes to my mind.
“What?” Jaime answers, gaping—probably for the first time in his life. Not even the news about my marriage shocked him so much.
“Come on,” Adrián says, taking him by the arm and dragging him into the bathroom, dishes and all.
“Okay, I’m not playing cards either,” Alicia says suddenly. “Marcos always gets all pissed off because I can’t follow his signals. I’m going to sunbathe for a while.”
We take the rest of the things to the kitchen and help clean. I’m the last one to return to the table and when I do, everyone has changed places and seated themselves strategically. Even Jaime and Adrián have returned from the bathroom to sit opposite each other. There’s a smile on Jaime’s face. What the hell happened in that bathroom? I shoot a glance at him that says I want an explanation later.
“Is no one playing with me, or what?” I ask when I see that the couples are already arranged: Mom with Dad, my father-in-law with my mother-in-law, Hugo with Adrián, River with his wife, and Marcos with Alex.
“You can have my place, so you can play with your husband,” Marcos suggests.
“No fucking way,” Alex says. “I do not want to lose.”
Card games have never been my forte, that’s true, but nobody here knows all the practice I’ve acquired over the years. Jaime and I play cards for hours.
“I’ve changed my mind,” my best friend says. “I’m playing. I’ll go with you.”
I accept, of course, and make a space for us between Adrián and River.
“Pris is going to dive into the cards,” River says as he deals.
What? I drop my eyes to where my brother is looking and realize I still have my diving goggles around my neck, but since they don’t bother me at all I leave them where they are, despite the laughter River’s comment has provoked.
And then I put my poker face on, even though we’re not playing poker. In fact, looking around the table I see that everybody has changed their facial expression. We’re all glancing at each other with narrowed eyes. I’ve never seen my in-laws in such a mood.
Let the games begin!
We play Mus, which may seem simple, but isn’t simple at all. It took me years to learn how to play it decently.
It’s best-of-three, and with just one glance Jaime and I decide to start strong, show what we’re capable of together.
The stunned faces of my four brothers and Alex when they see us following the game flawlessly are priceless. I love it. Particularly Alex’s. I note his intense stare, but I don’t look back at first. Then, when I drag my eyes to his, I do it stifling a smile.
“Luck,” Alex says when we win the first game.
“Yes, fucking lucky, that’s all,” River agrees, sharing a glance with his wife. One she seems to understand; I see how she nods.
The rest of my brothers don’t have an opinion on the matter and our parents don’t say a word, but they look happy. You can tell they’re enjoying the moment.
In the middle of the second game, when we’re almost winning again—with River and Cata following close—Marcos can’t help but ask. “Okay, kiddo. When did you learn to play cards?”
“It has to be luck,” Alex insists. “She’s always been terrible at this. She’s too expressive.”
I wink at him and we keep playing, but in the end River and Catalina win that one.
When, two hours later, Jaime and I win the third game, I stand up, high-five my friend and start jumping and yelling up and down the deck. “We won! We won!”
This is unprecedented; I’ve never beaten my brothers at cards. Not at cards, and not at almost anything else. And I’ve never cared. But when I see the way Alex is looking at me... It’s the same look as usual, but behind it, deep down... there’s pride. Pride and happiness. This time he couldn’t hide it from me. And that fills my chest and my heart with something warm.
So I disguise the joy that look gives me with a high from winning the game and, climbing the six steps leading to the stern, I approach the edge screaming like a madwoman, “I won! I won! Alicia, I won!” I yell at my friend, who’s still sunbathing in the stern.
“Somebody please throw her over the rail so she’ll shut up!” I hear someone say in the distance.
I don’t have time to turn around and see who it was because, at that very moment, they throw me into the water. It takes me a second to collide with the surface and feel the cool throughout my body. Mmm... It feels fantastic.
When I emerge, I discover instantly that it was Alex who tipped me over the rail—I know because I catch him high-fiving his super buddy Marc in triumph—but I pretend cluelessness. I swim quickly back to the boat and a second later get on and go up to the stern, pretending I’m not looking for revenge; I act like I have no idea who threw me in. But I’m coming for him.
