“Tía, what do you mean?” Fernando asks.
“Your mamá has quite the schedule planned for you two.”
“But that’s not what we want.” He groans. “Ava is only staying with us two or three days at most. She has her own plans.”
“Fernando, we talked about this,” I gently remind him.
“No, Ava. Mamá can’t take over our visit.”
Tía Yesenia glances in the mirror at her nephew. “If you want to try asking your mamá to change her plans, good luck. She’s been the most stubborn member of the family since the day she was born.” She laughs and looks to me. “My sister was two weeks past her due date when she was born. My own poor madre was beside herself. The only way Julissa was coming out was by C-section.”
“Now I know which side of the family that particular personality trait comes from.” I giggle.
Fernando crosses his arms and huffs.
“Was he stubborn as a child?”
“Sí. More so than any of my other nephews. I remember when he was about five years old. His cousin had started taking ice skating lessons. He decided it looked like so much fun that he wanted to take them too. But both his parents said no, he was too young. But I knew my nephew wouldn’t budge. Every day for weeks after school, he’d find a way to tag along with his cousins to the rink, watch the class, then practice what they had learned when he got home.” Tía Yesenia turns the cart. “His madre has some videos of him skating around the house in his socks. I’m sure she’d be more than happy to locate them for you if you’re interested, Ava.”
Twin patches of pink appear on his cheeks. “She doesn’t want to see those.”
“Yes, I do!” I exclaim. “Especially if you were a five-year-old cutie pie.”
“Were?” he challenges. “I’m still a cutie pie.”
“Most of the time,” I tease.
“And what am I when I’m not?”
I take a moment to consider his words. “You’re a koala bear because you’re always napping.”
He smirks.
“You still take long naps?” Tía Yesenia asks.
“Sí,” he says.
Tía Yesenia shakes her head. “So, Ava, tell me, how did you and my nephew get together?”
“Tía, I’ve already told you this stuff,” Fernando whines.
“No. All I’ve heard from you is that you had a girlfriend. Just like your tíos, you leave out all the details.” She rolls her eyes. “Now it’s Ava’s turn to fill me in.”
My body shakes in silent laughter. Fernando mutters under his breath in Spanish.
“Your nephew and I officially got together last month, but before that, we were friends. He was a regular volunteer at my veterinary clinic. Every time we talked, I’d wish we could spend more time together. I waited for Fernando to make the first move, but he never picked up on my hints, so I asked him out on a date, and he said yes.” I cross my fingers behind my back, hoping Fernando doesn’t mind I’ve fabricated a few more details than we’d talked about.
“You know me, Tía, I’m terrible at picking up on a woman’s body language,” he adds.
Tía Yesenia laughs. “I’m glad Fernando’s picked a smart go-getter. You’ve given me hope that maybe you’ll be the one who finally gets him to settle down and start a family.”
My ears burn and I cough a little.
“Tía,” Fernando warns.
“What? I’m preparing you for what the rest of the family will say. We want to see you happy and have some babies to spoil.”
“I want to see him happy too, but we’re still in the ‘getting to know you’ stage.” I rub the back of my neck. “Marriage and kids are the last things on our minds.”
