“They went out shopping. They’re making albondigas soup, your favorite.” He slaps a hand over his mouth. “Crap, I think it was supposed to be a surprise.”
“I won’t tell them,” I reassure him with a smile.
“Thank you. How was your visit with Alexander?”
Lying about why I’m here early and lying about what happened are two different things. I don’t want my parents to know how hard things are between us, but I can’t bring myself to gaslight them into believing everything’s good.
My dad senses my reluctance and, after putting my bag at the bottom of the stairs, he comes back to say, “You know, every parent’s dream is to see their children be happy. That’s all we really want. And your mother and I… we worry you’re making the wrong decisions here.”
“What do you mean?”
“We understand you love Alexander very much, and we saw how happy he made you. But he’s also put you through so much pain, it’s hard for us to ignore it.”
“What’s happening to him right now isn’t his fault, Dad.”
“But isn’t it, peanut? I remember the talk we had with Georges during the anniversary party. Alexander is Nammota, isn’t he?”
I open my mouth, ready to lie again, but something in my father’s expression tells me he wouldn’t believe me. He knows the truth, he’s pieced it together, and nothing I say can change his mind.
“When he broke your heart the first time, we let it go with your mom because that’s how young love works. You’re trying to work around each other’s quirks, things get messy, fights happen… It’s normal, even if it hurts. But now, all of this is happening, and we’ve never seen you this depressed.” After a quick beat, he corrects himself with, “Actually, we have, and it was also because of him.”
I don’t even know what to say. From an outside perspective, Lex and I are a fucking mess, aren’t we? Hell, from an inside perspective, too. It’s all ups and downs, and the highs are heaven, but the downs are actual hell. If Kate were living through a similar story, I’d urge her to leave the guy and look for someone less complicated.
That’s why I don’t get angry at my dad or condemn his words. They come from a place of care and worry, and he isn’t completely wrong.
“Dad, I know this is a mess, but trust me when I say Lex deserves every ounce of devotion I have for him. I’m not letting him go, and I’m definitely not abandoning him when he needs me the most. I have to be here for him, just like he’d be there for me.”
“So, you’re sure you’re not making a mistake?”
“I’ve been asking myself that every single day for over a month now,” I truthfully answer. “For about half a second every day, I wonder if this is what I want, if I shouldn’t move on. But I immediately remember he’s the only man I’ll ever want to build a future with. He’s my person, Dad. I have to be with him.”
He looks contrite as he asks, “What will you do if he gets convicted? If he has to spend the rest of his life in prison?”
Well, Lex will cut me off, so I won’t really have a choice, will I? I ignore the pinch of pain in my heart to say, “How about we take things as they go? Let’s get all the way to the trial, and if that happens, you can ask me again.”
He shakes his head, defeated. “You really are as stubborn as your mom and abuela.”
“You knew what to expect when you married into the Ibanez family,gringo,” I remind him with a grin.
“Yeah, yeah …”
As if on cue, the other two Ibanez women arrive, arms full of grocery bags.
“Andrea, you’re here!” Mom exclaims with surprise as we come to help them.
“I had to leave sooner than planned.”
“How have you been,pollito? ¡Por Dios, you’re skin and bone!”
“Let’s not exaggerate, Mother.”
“You are,” MC chimes in. “But your mamá and I will cook you something that’ll plump you right back up,nieta.”
As we walk to the kitchen, I hear my dad whisper to my mom, “We’ve had the talk.”
“And?”
“She’ll stay by his side, no matter what.”
