Emery
Iwas still trying to navigate my feelings about Nico, Luis, and Miguel when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to see Luis standing there.
“Hey, Em. We’re going to check on everyone still in the building to see how they’re doing with their food. We may be stuck here longer than we’d like, so we wanted to make sure everyone has what they need to ride this out. It might be a while before they lift the lockdown.
“Do you really think it could take that long?” I asked as my parents joined us at the door.
“It could,” Luis replied. “We want to make sure that we’re prepared in case it does.”
“We have plenty of food,” Mami said. “You let me know if any of our neighbors need to eat. I’ll cook for anyone who needs it.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Rodrigues,” Luis replied. “I’ll let you know if that is needed, though, if I tell them you offered to cook for everyone, the neighbors might just donate their food to the cause to get to eat your cooking.”
“Such a smooth talker,” Mami chuckled.
“If you boys need help with anything, just let me know,” Papi said. “I may be old and retired, but I’m still capable of pulling my own weight if needed.”
“I’ll be sure to ask if we need an extra set of hands,” Luis replied respectfully.
When he left, Papi returned to the couch to watch the news, while Mami returned to the kitchen, probably to cook more food. With the prospect of cooking for the entire building on the line, she would want to start planning meals now.
“Sit, Piccina,” Papi ordered when I began to pace the living room again. “No one ever solved any problems by wearing a hole in the floor.”
I sat beside him, snuggling into his side, and made myself focus on the newswoman.
“All updates coming in are reporting successes throughout the city in eliminating the threat. And to tell us more about that, we have the Mayor. Mayor Cardoza, what do these reports mean for the citizens of New York City? I’m sure, like me, everyone is wondering when we will be able to return to everyday life.”
“Well, Gina, these reports are far better than we anticipated, if I’m being completely honest. We didn’t expect to see such success so quickly. The lockdown is still in place, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. New Yorkers are strong and resilient. We will survive this and come out on the other side even stronger. We just ask that the citizens bear with us for two to three more days while we ensure we’ve cleaned out all of the infected.”
“See that,” Papi said, “we just need to stay holed up for a few more days. Maybe we can play board games to pass the time. I do believe that I’m still currently in the lead in Scrabble.”
“Not for long, old man,” I teased. We’ve had a running Scrabble game for years now. It was a sad day when we passed Eddie’s score, but Papi said it was important to keep doing thethings we’ve always enjoyed. He was the reason Mami and I had kept moving forward after Eddie’s death.
“Camila, love, get out the Scrabble,” Papi said as he stood and pulled me to my feet. “It’s time for a tournament.”
“Emery, I have the lunch orders ready,” Mami said when I entered the kitchen the following afternoon. “Make sure you take an extra container of juice to the Gordons for the little ones.”
After yesterday’s tournament, Papi was still the Scrabble King, and Luis had come back to let us know that some of the neighbors hadn’t had much food before lockdown started and would need help. The Gordons were one of them. They were a sweet couple with three-year-old twin boys and a five-month-old baby girl. So now I was playing food delivery girl for the building. Not that I minded, it gave me something to do while we waited for the lockdown to end. I grabbed the food sacks Mami had packed along with the juice and headed upstairs. So far, we have been feeding only three families, excluding the guys.
I headed up to the first apartment on my route. Mr. Higgins lived across the hall. He was a cranky old man, but he’d always been kind to me growing up. I knocked on his door first.
“What?” Came the cranky reply from inside the apartment.
“Mr. Higgins, it’s Emery Rodrigues. I have your lunch.”
“Bring it in, then. It doesn’t do me any good out in the hall.” I stepped inside his dimly lit apartment, carefully weaving through the stacks of newspapers. I’d nearly knocked a stack over this morning, and he almost took my head off for it. “What did your mom make?”
“I believe she made fried bologna sandwiches with a side of fruit,” I replied as I handed him the bagged lunch.
“Beggars can’t be choosers, I suppose,” Mr. Higgins grumbled as he unwrapped his sandwich and took a big bite. The soft groan he made as he chewed said far more than his words did.
“Have a good afternoon, Mr. Higgins. I’ll see you at dinner.” I left him to his meal and habitual complaints and went upstairs. My next stop was the Gordons’ apartment, which was always my favorite stop, mainly because their twins were two little charming devils in angel bodies. As soon as I knocked, chaos erupted from behind the door as the twins started to raise a ruckus in excitement. The door swung open, and a very stressed Jennifer looked at me in relief as she bounced her daughter on her hip. Her twins were wrapped around her legs, hopping excitedly.
“Hi Emmy!” They said in unison.
“Hey, boys. Are you behaving for your Mama?” I asked as I crouched down to their level and accepted the hugs they immediately offered me.
“They don’t know the meaning of the word,” Jennifer sighed. “Please, come in.”
