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She smiled again when the German passed her another card. “It’s just a game.”
It was just a game.
I made sure Kulti met my eyes when I got my next round of cards. Nothing was just a game.
“Dad?” I knocked on the door an hour or two later. “Papa?”
He said something from inside that was along the lines of ‘come in,’ so I did. Standing in the doorway between his bedroom and en suite, Dad had a toothbrush in his mouth, already dressed for bed.
“I just wanted to tell you goodnight.” I smiled at him.
He held up a finger and went back into the restroom where I could hear him turn the water on and rinse out his mouth before coming back. “Buenas noches. I had fun tonight.”
“You did?”
My dad nodded seriously, sitting on the bed next to me. “Do you know how hard it’s been for me to not tell anyone that he’s staying at my house?My house, Salsa!” Dad erupted, seriously. This was more like him. “The King is sleeping in my house, he mowedmylawn, and he’s friends withmydaughter.” He put a hand to his chest and took a big, walloping breath. “This is the best present anyone has ever given me.” He paused. “Don’t tell your mom.”
And he was completely, one hundred and ninety-nine percent serious.
I didn’t bring up how he hardly talked, but I did grin at him. I was happy that at least he was acting normal in front of me and eating up just having Kulti in the house. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel weird.”
“Am I sure?Pues si.” He wrapped an arm over my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life.”
I laughed and leaned into him. Only he would be happy just having Kulti in the house even though he didn’t talk to him. “Thank you for not telling everyone.” My parents had decided not to have my extended family come over with the German staying and honestly, I was a little relieved.
“You think he’ll take a picture with me before he leaves so I can send it to yourtios?”
“Yes.”
Dad nodded in pleasure. “I can rub it in their faces later, with theirpinches fotosof their grandkids. Why do I want grandkids when you bring The King home with you?”
I rolled my eyes and patted his leg. “I want you to tell Mom those exact words the next time she asks me when I’m finally going to get married and give her a couple of babies.”
He gave me another side hug. “You know I’ll love you if you play or not.”
I did. “I know.”
“I just want you to be happy.”
“I know.”
“I mean it,” he insisted.
And I smiled. “I know, Dad. I promise I know.”
With one more side hug, he let me go. “Tell your friend I said thank you for doing the yard.”
“You could just tell him yourself,” I said, getting up.
He shook his head. “No. You tell him for me.”
Stubborn mule. “Okay. Goodnight.”
“Buenas noches, amor.”
I backed out of his room with another smile and closed the door behind me. My little sister’s door was closed and that time I didn’t hold back my sigh of annoyance with her. She’d gotten home with my dad after school, said ‘hi’ and then walked into her room and stayed in there for most of the day, only coming out to grab a plate of food and go back in with it. For a second, I debated whether to knock on her door and tell her goodnight just to be a troll but decided against it. We were going out to dinner for our dad’s birthday the next day, and I needed her to chill out as much as possible so it wouldn’t turn into a nightmare.
She was still a turd though.
