Chapter Sixteen
Muerto stared placidlyat Laura, who sat across from him knitting her brows. He’d expected much worse when he’d told her about the tent for the party. From the time they were kids, her way of punishing him was to make him feel guilty. Giving him themal de ojo—the evil eye—seemed to be a new tactic, and it was just as ineffective on him as her old tactic used to be.
After several minutes of silence, Laura sighed deeply and placed her hand over her heart. Muerto glanced at the wall clock, then back at her. “Cut the fuckin’ dramatics. I get that you’re pissed about the tent, but Raul promised me it’ll be awesome. I thought it would be great for the kids too ’cause they can run around outside and let the adults have some peace.”
“I knew I should have handled the place. I wanted a proper venue for Ma. This is a milestone—fifty years old.” She sighed again.
“It’ll be nice. You want me to get the band?”
“Are you sure? I thought having ranchera and mariachi music would be nice. We could have mariachi earlier in the evening and ranchera for dancing after dinner.”
“Sounds good. I can get both bands. I think that’s about it.” He glanced at the clock again and then, against his better judgment, said, “I’m bringing someone to the party.”
Her eyes widened. “A girl?”
“Of course.”
A big smile spread across her face. “She must be someone you really like if you’re bringing her to Ma’s party. What’s her name?”
“Raven, and I do like her.”
Laura clapped her hands. “Finally! Ma will be thrilled, and I’m so happy. It’s about time you settled down. You’re at the age where you have to think about your future.”
“Will you calm the fuck down? I asked her to the party, not to marry me. Don’t make this out to be more than it is.”
“You don’t fool me. I know you, and you’ve never brought a woman to meet Ma. She’s got you, and I love it.” She laughed loudly.
Scowling, he stood up and went into the kitchen to get another beer. Even in high school, he didn’t bring his dates home. Back then, he’d never been the type to date just one woman at a time. He’d preferred messing around with the fast girls because they’d loved the thrill of a quickie romance and weren’t looking to date exclusively.Raven’s exactly the type of woman I want Mom to meet. She fuckin’ grounds me. How the hell does she do that?
“Can you bring me a Pepsi?” Laura asked, crashing in on his thoughts.
He opened the fridge again and grabbed a can. As he walked into the family room, his niece and nephews came rushing in. “Hey, Uncle M!” they cried out in unison. They grabbed his legs and slid as he dragged them across the wooden floor on his march to the couch. When he got there, he handed Laura her cola and his beer, bent over, and then started tickling the kids until they let go, rolling away in laughter, their small hands on their bellies.
“They love it when you come by,” Laura said as she popped open her can.
“I can see that.” He winked at the kids and held his hand out to Laura. “Raven makes jewelry outta pop tabs and caps. Give me yours so I can pass it on to her.”
She placed the tab in his palm, her eyes sparkling. “You reallydolike her.” She hummed “Here Comes the Bride” as she brought the can to her lips.
“Asking for your pop tab hardly means that I’m ready to propose. Give it a break, will you?”
“Do you wanna play a game with us, Uncle M?” Carlos asked.
“I’d love to, but I gotta get to work. I’m down for it the next time I come over, so you better be ready for me. I’m a mean gamer.”
Javier and Carlos snickered. “Can we have a popsicle, Mom?” Javier asked, as Lorena nodded in agreement.
“Just one for each of you. If you take more than one, there’ll be trouble.” The last part of her sentence was drowned out by gleeful cries as the three kids raced into the kitchen. She laughed. “Remember when a popsicle was all it took to make us happy?” Placing her elbow on her bended knee, she rested her chin on her hand.
“How’s it going with you and Joe?” Muerto asked quietly.
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. Did you find anything out?”
He nodded. “He’s not cheating on you. There may be some money spent on strippers, but he’s not crossed the line.”
“I guess that’s good. Sometimes I think our marriage isn’t worth fighting for. It seems like we don’t really talk anymore or go out. It’s become so humdrum. I don’t know….”
“If you’re looking for advice, you’re asking the wrong fuckin’ person. I don’t know shit about this kind of thing, but I know you both made three wonderful kids and they’re worth fighting for. Why don’t you guys see a marriage counselor? Sometimes it takes someone from the outside to help and point out what’s the problem. And before you tell me you don’t have the money, it’s on me. I want to help you guys work this out. Enough said.” He stood up. “I better head out.”
