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“Nancy, is that wise?” Ada queried softly, looking at Mom closely and carrying both the cookies and the flowers.
“I’m going to walk in there,” Mom declared.
It wasn’t that she was in the mood to show off and challenge herself again. This was a pride thing. But she’d already had a long day and this concerned me.
I knew better than to argue and luckily Mom had me to hold on to before she fell. And hold on to me she did. She had my arm in a death grip.
We walked slowly to the house and I saw Rosa, Eddie’s sister, coming around the side.
“Hola!” she called, smiling. “Thought I heard Eddie’s truck. We’re around the back, this way.”
She led us to the back and into a yard that was one of the most magical things I’d ever seen. Late summer blooms were still in the garden, bushes held bunches of Christmas lights, colorful lanterns were strung up high and litlumièreswere down low.
It looked like every chair and card table in the neighborhood had been set up, most of them full of food, and there were more people there than in the parking lot doing tailgates at Mile High Stadium before a Broncos game. I saw Indy, Lee, Ally, Hank, their parents and Indy’s dad hanging around. I gave them a wave.
Soft, Mexican guitar music played in the background.
I realized immediately that I should have made more cookies.
I was impressed that Blanca could pull this off in less than forty-eight hours.
I was terrified that all of this was for Eddie and me.
I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding reception.
“Jet!” Blanca disengaged from a bunch of people and rushed forward. The bunch of people she was with turned and stared at me openly.
I smelled Eddie before I felt his hand at the small of my back and Trixie came around the other side of Ada. I didn’t have the chance to greet them as Blanca was there.
“How are you?” she asked, her eyes smiling with the sheer delight of a mother intent on ending her days spoiling her grandchildren into unruly brats and seeing that time looming brightly just ahead of her.
“Bien. Y tú?” I replied.
She grabbed my cheeks, pulled me down to her and gave me a big kiss on the lips.
“Bien,mi hija,” she said softly, letting my face go.
Uh-oh.
In less than a week, and with Eddie and I only having one (weird) date, I’d graduated to herhija. That meant daughter.
Eek.
I pushed down the panic and made the introductions. “Blanca, I’d like you to meet my mom, Nancy, and our friends, Trixie and Ada.”
Mom’s fingernails were digging into my arm, but she let go, balanced, and held her hand out to Blanca. Blanca took it into both of hers.
“Welcome to my home,” Blanca said.
Mom smiled her majorette smile and I saw Blanca’s eyes become dazzled.
Then Mom grabbed on to my arm again and we nearly both went to the ground as I staggered slightly with the weight she transferred to me. Blanca’s eyes moved to Mom’s hand on my arm and then to me. They were questioning. I shook my head in the barest hint of “no” and she immediately turned her attention to Trixie and Ada while I steadied Mom and myself.
“Jet made you cookies!” Ada announced and shoved the cookies at Blanca.
I turned to Eddie, leaning away from Mom as best as I could while still holding her up.
I got up on tiptoe, put my free hand on Eddie’s bicep and said into his ear, “Mom needs a chair, like, now.”
