“Si, mija.” She pauses. “I know.”
“I wish I knew what happened. You know, between Rosita and Mariposa that night.”
I look over at my grandmother, her eyes wandering the sky, watching the chickadees fly by from tree to tree, singing her a sweet song as they pass by. A smile slowly creases her face.
“Are you bothering Abuelita?” A stern voice comes from my right, startling me.
I see Rosita standing with her hands on her full hips, grinning. Her thick straight black hair practically takes over her entire head, complementing her round face. I can see some greys shining through.
“Tía!” I rush over to her at full speed and reach my arms around her body, squeezing as hard as possible.
“Mijita, I missed you so much! I can’t believe you’re here. Look at you!”
She pulls me away to look me up and down. She grabs my hand and makes me twirl, which only makes me giggle. I feel like I’m fifteen again, at my quince, begging to dance with my favorite aunt.
Her warmth is like a balm I didn’t realize I needed. I’d been dreading this trip, convinced I’d feel like an outsider, a fraud among family. But standing here with Rosita—feeling her genuine pride and joy—it’s almost enough to chip away at the knot of anxiety that’s been living in my chest. For a fleeting moment, I wonder if coming here might not be so bad after all.
“You look incredible, Isabella. I’ve heard so many amazing things about you. I heard the restaurant is doing well from Sofia, and you’re looking to expand. Look at your gorgeous dress! I’m so proud of you, mija.”
Her words burn a hole through my heart. My clearance-rack dress is really starting to feel like a pile of rags against my skin that everyone can tell is slowly unraveling at the hem.
“Yeah, I hope to impress Luciano enough this week to win an investment. I even brought Roberto’s book,” I say enthusiastically.
“El Libro Sagrado?” Rosita looks at me, shocked. “I thought it was locked. He always boasted about having his little secrets inside that no one could see. It would drive your mother mad. It made me laugh, but I was always curious.”
“Well, I think I have the key. Somewhere,” I say.
Currently, my only plan is to slice through the book cover to get to the pages. My father said I have the key, but I still don’t know what that means.
“Your father was always full of secrets, wasn’t he? Loved puzzles.”
“Yeah, there are many things in my life that are a puzzle to me.” I hesitate. “Like what happened at our quinceañera. Do you…”
“Ah, si. I remember.”
My eyes widen. I can feel my heart start to pick up the pace.
“I remember you all looking so beautiful that night. You in your gorgeous royal-blue dress. My little Sofia in her one-of-a-kind designer dress. Oh, I’ll never forget Miss Valentina.”
“Oh, that’s not what I meant, Tía—”
“Have you seen Valentina yet?” Rosita cuts in.
“What? Yes, I have. She picked me up when my—friend’s car broke down.”
“Oh, I see,” Rosita says, grinning. “She’s still as pretty as ever, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess?” I shrug, feeling a flicker of annoyance. I know where this is going.
“Maybe you two should finally stop bickering and…” Rosita raises her eyebrows suggestively. “You know, get together.”
“Have you been speaking to Maria today?” I quip. It’s as if they think just because we used to be close, there’s some inevitable romantic ending waiting for us. But there’s not. We’re not like that.
Rosita shrugs. “I don’t know. You two were so close growing up—a bond like that never disappears. Plus, you could use a little distraction from all that work, mija.”
“Tía! No. Absolutely not. I have better things to do this weekend than spend time with her, especially after what she did.”
“Ay, Isa. It was ten years ago. She’s changed. You’ve changed. Give her a chance. Anyways, I have to go. Check out your cabin and get settled in before dinner.”
