“I called your landlord, Gabriel, and found out how much La Mariposa owes. Here’s the amount you need to get her back to the green. Then, when I get back from our honeymoon, we can get started.”
“Luc, I can’t accept this,” I say.
“Just hold on to it. Think about it. Wait until I come back, and we can talk some more. Promise me you’ll at least do that?”
He extends his arm out for a handshake. The handshake will signify that we have a deal. The one motion that could change my life. La Mariposa could stay open. Faye would keep their job. I would keep my job. I’d figure out how to change the business over to me instead of my mother. With this one handshake, I will have done everything I set out to do here. I will have saved La Mariposa, impressed Luciano, and discovered the big family secret.
“All right, I’ll think about it,” I finally agree, extending my hand.
He reaches in for a hug and lifts me off the ground as a big brother would do. I have a brother now too. I wish I could get a T-shirt in the gift shop that says, “I Went to Camp Hollow Pines for a Wedding, and All I Got Was an Entire Family.”
He sets me down and goes back to packing the car. I walk over to Sofia and give her a huge hug.
“I’m going to miss you…sis. It’s weird not saying ‘prima’ anymore, isn’t it?” I laugh.
“It is. But we’ll get used to it. I’m so happy for you, Isa. I also really can’t wait to see what you end up doing. But you better stay in New Jersey! Don’t get up and move to California or something. I just got a new sister. I can’t have you going on some ten-year-long soul-searching journey, okay?”
“I won’t,” I say with a chuckle. “I love my home.”
“Bueno, you also have Valentina now, too, huh?” She winks. “You two look so cute together! Don’t fuck this up, Isa. I’ll kill you. I’ll come back from Greece and murder you.”
“I’ll do my absolute best,” I promise.
“Good. Don’t forget to say bye to my mom before you go. If not, she’ll call me and complain about it the entire way to the airport, and I just cannot deal with that. I’m in honeymoon mode. The wedding stress is finally over! Well, ciao, my former prima. I love you!”
I wave as the car drives off, moving farther and farther away from my line of sight. I already know I will be seeing an excessive amount of photos of their vacation for the next three weeks, both on my phone and on social media. I’m excited at the thought. Finally, I get to be a part of my sister’s life. The sister I never knew I had. I don’t want to miss even a single second of it. I’m already mentally planning the trips we will be going on together to make up for the lost time. Maybe a road trip to Maine? A tropical girls’ vacation to Puerto Vallarta? A cross-country train ride to every ghost town in the US? The possibilities are endless.
I continue to walk the campground since I need to drop the key to the main hall at the front desk for Daniel, who has been working tirelessly at getting everyone checked out. Probably to make sure no one is trying to stay behind and live in one of the cabins with their new girlfriend to hunt squirrels and chop firewood. I pass by Rosita’s cabin. The door is wide open, and I can see her shuffling inside, gathering the last of her things.
“Hola, Tía!”
“Isabellita! How are you? You know I’m not technically your aunt anymore, verdad?”
“You’ll always be Tía Rosita to me,” I say, grinning. “You’re my family and always will be.”
“Ay, mija, Don’t make me cry. I cried enough yesterday watching my only daughter get married. Ahora que? Now, what do I do with my life?”
I watch as she zips up her luggage and places it on the ground. She straightens the room a bit before slowly heading out the cabin door.
“You’re not alone, Tía. You’ve got me now. And Sofia isn’t going anywhere, trust me. So it’s going to feel like nothing has changed. Except now you get an extra sort-of daughter to bother!” I laugh.
“I’m so proud of you, Isabella. You’ve grown so much, even with the loss of your father and the burden of taking over his restaurant. You persevered. You’re a lot stronger than you think you are. I can’t wait to continue seeing you grow, but this time not from the sidelines. I want to be up front and center. I want to be in your life, learning all the amazing things you know, seeing the things you create, and being a support system whenever needed. Te quiero tanto, mija. If it weren’t for you, I would have never been able to tell you any of these things. Gracias. Por todo.”
I embrace Rosita, and my eyes immediately fill with tears. I didn’t realize how much I needed this. I swore my entire life that I was okay being an only child. I was okay only living my life with my mother once my father died. I was okay going home to my cat and not having a real social life because it meant I was taking care of my mother and keeping the restaurant afloat. I never realized how badly I wanted a family. A real family. A connection with people, even if they aren’t all blood-related. It doesn’t matter. Because blood doesn’t make a family. How you treat each other, support each other, and love each other makes you a family. To me, Sofia is not my half sister. She’s just my sister. Rosita isn’t just my half sister’s mother. She’s known my entire life that we weren’t blood-related. But to me, she’s always been Tía Rosita, just like many of the other adults I grew up calling Tío or Tía. The difference is, she never made me feel like I didn’t belong. She treated me like family in every way that mattered. Maybe that’s why none of us ever questioned it—because in our hearts, she was always family, no matter what the biology said. She brought me sweets, attended every big milestone, and even tried to pay for me to come to this very campsite so I could have the same experience as Sofia. She is my family.
Once more, I watch as another family member drives away, back to their everyday lives. It feels as if they’re driving away into a different world. Or going back to our home planet. Camp Hollow Pines feels like it’s not even in the same galaxy. Stepping outside may even give me a bit of jet lag. I head over to Miss Piggy to check on Maria. She’s been sitting in the car, taking selfies and catching up with friends after a week off from social media. I walk over to the back to put my luggage in.
As I lower the door, I feel someone tap my shoulder. I turn around to see Valentina standing there, grinning, but there’s sadness in her eyes. She wouldn’t admit to anything if I asked, so I choose not to mention it.
“Hey, babe! Are you all packed up?” I ask as I reach in for a soft kiss.
“I am. It looks like you two are ready to leave?”
“Yup. Ready to go back home. How are you doing?”
“Oh, you know. I’m good. Missing you already.” She shifts between her feet.
“I know, but we’ll see each other soon—I promise.” I smile.
