“Ya güey!” Mari gripes, pushing our rambler of a friend on.
“Yes. Right. So, the night of your quinceañera, my cousinBerto went into the men’s bathroom and fucking Manny was in there. I guess he looked super nervous and told Berto he was going to ask you to be his girlfriend.”
“What?” I gasp
“Serio. Cross my heart and hope to die, bitch. I honestly forgot about it until you told us about the whole gym thing. I told Maricela to keep it—Oops, there’s my order,” Viv says before getting up and taking off back to the kitchen.
“That can’t be true,” I say out loud to myself and Maricela, who’s watching me intently with her big brown eyes.
“I’m not surprised,” she says through a mouthful of pancakes.
“You’re not?”
“Anyone with half a brain cell knows Manny Chavez has been crushing on you since the moment your moms were pregnant sitting side by side in the fucking bautizo classes at the church.”
“Oh my god. Not you too.” I groan.
“Viv says he comes in here a lot before work to pick up coffee for his workers. There’s been a few times he’s asked how you were doing.”
“We’ve been friends for our entire lives, that’s natural.”
But is it? I think back on the night of my quinceañera, but I don’t remember much. Then I remember something Doña Candy said, and now, I can’t help wondering what she meant by Manny’s huge crush. I hadn’t seen it then. Am I not seeing it now?
Quince practices were being held every Tuesday and Friday at Hillcrest Park after the kids were released from school. Practices ran anywhere from two to three hours, but on Tuesday it was damn near four hours. Manny had to work at the shop that night, so I was left alone to handle Dolly’s mental breakdownafter she found her chambelan kissing her cousin behind the trees.
I was confused, considering I thought she was dating Peso Pulga, but turns out she had dumped him last week. He'd shown up just to beg her to talk to him. Emotions were high, and honestly, I wish I had been too because teenagers are dramatic as hell.
Tonight, however, everyone seems to be in a much better mood. All of them wide-eyed and ready to take on the weekend. No drama but still very unfocused.
“Okay, listen up. If you guys can get the first vals down and perform it perfectly, I’ll let you go home early.” I offer.
“And the second dance?” a boy asks.
“We can work on it Tuesday.”
“Okay, bet.” Peso Pulga says, and I look to Manny, who has become my teen translator.
By the nod of his head and the other kids cheering, it appears they’re “down”, as my generation would say. It takes them less than an hour to perfect the entire entrance dance. Cheers erupt, and a few of the kids break out in their own celebratory dances.
“Hey, we should all go to the movies!” Dolly says, and more cheers break out.
“Ask your parents first, Isa and I are responsible for you.” Manny lectures.
“I can go right, Nino?” Junior asks, his hands closed in prayer.
“If your mom says it’s cool, I’m fine with it.”
“Mom, can I go with my friends?” Junior asks me.
I agree but make him wait until all the kids have contacted a parent. The sky has yet to darken when I watch him leave with one of the adults. Manny stays behind and helps me pick up the plastic roses we used as props. We start walking to the car when Manny stops in front of me.
“Hey. You want to go get something to eat?” he asks.
My stomach rumbles at the thought. I hadn’t eaten much all day since I forgot to pack something, and the hospital food options didn’t seem anywhere near edible.
“Ya. I’m down.”
8
