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For some reason, he looked amused.
Then we both heard, “Mi hijo!”
I turned to see Blanca headed our way, pushing a cart that was loaded down with enough food to feed the Denver Broncos, the Colorado Rockies and the staff at NORAD. She was trailed by another short, female Eddie relative who had a look on her face that was very similar to the one Eddie was wearing.
Eddie bent low and kissed his mom on the cheek. Then Blanca walked to me, reached up and grabbed both sides of my face and hauled me down for a big, old smackaroo right on the mouth.
When she let me go, she turned to the girl behind her.
“This is Jet, Eddie’s girl,” Blanca declared then turned back to me. “This is my youngest daughter, Gloria.”
We greeted each other. I didn’t bother telling her I wasn’t Eddie’s anything (or, at least, trying not to be), and I noticed Gloria had a dimple just like Eddie’s.
“You two are grocery shopping,” Gloria noted, and it was obvious this fact was borderline hilarious to her.
Blanca nodded her head with approval, as if they’d caught us at Dillard’s filling out our wedding list. Then Blanca’s eyes lit. “You’ll come to my house for dinner tonight,” she announced.
No.
No, no, no.
“We’re having dinner at Jet’s, with her mom,” Eddie answered and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.
For about a nanosecond.
Blanca’s eyes widened then narrowed. Then she burst out in a flood of Spanish and I caught the words,madre de ella,primeraandcomidaand I knew I was in trouble. Blanca ended on, “Then you come to my house tomorrow.”
No!
No, no, no, a thousand times no.
I opened my mouth to say something, but Eddie got there first.
“We’ll be there at six.”
My mouth stayed open.
This was going to put amajorcrimp in my plans to keep Eddie at arm’s length (that would be Gulliver’s arm if I was Lilliputian).
“Bring your mother,chiquita. I can’t wait to meet her,” Blanca said.
How come everyone was after me but no one could kill me or maim me? It would make my life so much easier.
“Mom would love that,” I told her, and she would. It would be a meeting of the minds.
A meeting in hell.
Gloria was smiling, full on.
“Maybe we should invite the cousins,” she suggested.
I turned and glared at Eddie, thinking maybe he’d help, but instead he wrapped his arm around my neck and pulled me into his side.
Blanca stared at us with an expression that could only be described as blissful.
Then she snapped out of it.
“Gloria, get another cart,” Blanca ordered. “We’ll have to go back through.Hasta mañana,” she called and she was off on such a mission she went without any kisses good-bye.
