With that one word, we all whip our heads to Sage. Her shot of tequila sits right in front of her, untouched, and Laurel takes it for herself. “Teal’s taking Carter Velasquez to the wedding.”
“You don’t know that for a fact,” I say.
“You’re not denying it.”
“I’m not confirming it, either.”
“Ha!” Sage lifts her hands. “That’s exactly what all the celebrities say when they’re in rehab for meth.”
“Is Carter that skinny boy who was in love with you?” Amá asks. “What does his income look like these days?”
Sky is watching me closely. I think she can sense something in me, even before lightning appears in the distance, through the window and over the water like a flicker of a star. I can’t help butgrit my teeth and tense my jaw. I can’t have everyone talking about me and Carter like this. What he and I had…our friendship, I mean. It waspreciousto me. And then I broke it. To let everyone dissect it here, now, feels like balancing the most fragile egg on my head and then being forced to perform one of Shakira’s viral dances for TikTok. Sky looks at me questioningly and I nod my head.
Sky clears her throat loudly. “Amá Sonya? Have you ever had your ass eaten?”
There is dead silence for several seconds. Laurel and Sage glance at each other with wide-eyed thrill. Nadia is also amused. As for Amá, I have never seen her look so legitimately shocked in my life. Her mouth opens and closes, but not even a breath comes out. “¿Qué es esto?” she finally sputters. “Are you asking me aboutass sex?”
This is when Laurel, Sage, and Nadia explode. They laugh for so hard and for so long, tears stream down their faces. As they laugh, Amá gets more and more infuriated. “What’s so funny?” she’s yelling. “Why is my nieta asking about sex of the ass so hilarious to all of you?” Then she points at me. “What is going on with you, Teal? What is with this boy Carter? Why do you all keep changing the subject about him?” She lowers her voice. “Is he on the meth?”
I go from laughing to panic so fast, thunder rumbles the moment I stand up. “Sage hasn’t had a single sip of alcohol all night.”
Everyone whips their head toward her. She can’t hold her poker face for more than a second. She begins to beam, and Nadia gasps. “Sage…” she says.
“It’s true.” Sage slides a hand over her belly. “It’s really early, but…I’ll be nine weeks along on Sunday.”
Then we’re all screaming. Shrieking, jumping, hugging.Outside, the clouds clear, and long rays of rose gold, peach-pink, and fuchsia stream along the horizon line of the blue topaz sea.
It’s the prettiest sunset I’ve ever seen.
Sage and Laurel are thefirst to leave, with Sage claiming exhaustion. I don’t doubt it. She’s growing a whole new human and all now. She tries to bat Sky away as Sky tries to give her two hugs—one for Sage, and one “for the belly.”
Sonya gives us all a dirty look as we all linger at the front door. Or, maybe, that’s just kind of how her face is. “Well?” She gestures to Nadia, and then Sage. “What is it? ¿Chico o chica?”
Sage puts her fingers in her ears. “Don’t tell me! I don’t want to know!”
“It’s a boy,” Sky says.
“Es la verdad,” Nadia confirms.
“You guys!” Sage growls, but then she holds her palms over her still-completely-flat belly. “Really? A boy?”
“Nadiaknows,” Sky explains. “And humans are animals, remember. I can already hear him!”
Sage bursts into tears. “Oh my God,” she says. “I’ve got to get home and tell Tenn.”
“Maybe you could name him Montana,” Sky says. “Or Maine! Keep up the theme, you know?”
Sage responds by crying even harder. See what I mean? Ella es la Llorona now, weeping over every dang thing. And now she’s pregnant so it can only get worse.
“Let’s get you home,” Laurel says, wrapping an arm around Sage’s shoulder. From there, it takes another fifteen minutes before they’re out the door. I just shake my head as my sisters and Laurel keep coming ’round to hug. Latine people and goodbyes.
After that, Sky says she has to check on her woodland friends, so she goes on a short walk. I’m still a little tipsy, so I start my way upstairs but stop and look back at the mess still in the living room. “Stop being selfish,” I remind myself, and I begin to pick up platas and glasses.
Nadia and Sonya are muttering in the kitchen. I assume they’re just trading farewell insults until I hear one word that stops me in my tracks.
Cora.Sonya’s hissing it at Nadia.
Cora. That’s our mother’s name.
