“Not Izzy,” she replied, pursing her lips.
“Izzy’s a girl.”
“So? I want to be a grandmother before I’m dead.”
There it was. The baby topic. I had known it was coming. Being around the kids all week had put her in baby mode.
How freaking lucky was I?
I swear she’d been dying since I was a kid. Every time she wanted to get her way, she’d talk about how her end was near.
“It’ll be years before I have a kid. I’m not ready. So you’ll have to hold off on dying.”
“I just look around and see how happy Sal and Mar are with their grandbabies, and it makes my womb ache.”
“Then maybe you should adopt. Think of all the fun and happiness you could have raising another child.”
Never mind the fact that she’d have someone else to pester all the time.
“You were enough to last a lifetime. You weren’t the easiest child to raise.”
“Womb isn’t aching that bad, is it?” I teased her.
“Everything okay?” Auntie Mar mouthed as she approached the table.
I nodded to her. “Hey, Auntie Mar. I just told Ma that I’m moving to Florida.”
“Oh,” she said, trying to act surprised. “Are you okay, Frannie?” Aunt Mar sat down next to her, placing her hand on Ma’s arm.
“I couldn’t be better, Maria. I’ve decided I’m going to move here too. I’ve spent too long away from you guys.” Ma laid her hand over Aunt Mar’s, both women plastered but sharing a moment.
“That makes me a happy woman. Sunday dinners at my house just got a whole lot more fun,” Aunt Mar sang, swaying in her chair.
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Ma answered for us both.
Normally it would have pissed me off, but I loved Aunt Mar’s food too much to ever miss out on a Sunday dinner, and Ma was just too damn drunk to be angry with her.
“Are you two enjoying the wedding?” Aunt Mar asked, glancing around the backyard.
“It was a beautiful ceremony, and the yard looks amazing,” Ma said as she skimmed the crowd, trying to focus.
It really did look spectacular. Tables lined the perimeter of the grass, with a dance floor in the center. Lanterns and candles illuminated the backyard, creating a warm glow for the guests. Everyone seemed to be having a great time; most people were sufficiently drunk by now anyway.
“It’s been a busy few days, but everything turned out perfectly,” Aunt Mar replied.
“Izzy has turned into quite the beauty. You have to be so proud of her,” Ma added as her eyes landed on Izzy, who was on the dance floor, dancing in her father’s arms.
“She was the hardest of my children to raise. She’s so full of piss and vinegar, and naturally the last to get married.”
“She’s like you, Mar. Headstrong and tough.”
“Well, ladies, I’m going to let you two gab a bit while I find my cousins.”
“They’re at the bar,” my aunt replied as I stood.
“Perfect,” I said. Then I leaned down and gave them each a kiss on the cheek.
As I started to walk away, Aunt Mar asked, “Does he have a girlfriend?”
