“Mamí, you look gorgeous. I like this blouse. Very Stevie Nicks.”
Complimenting her on her clothes and how great she looked was first and foremost.
She smacked my arm but the big smile on her face gave her away.
“Muchacho, Stevie Nicks is a lot older than me!”
She pulled on the hem of the shirt as we walked, as if only now noticing what she was wearing. “Besides, this old thing? Your Tía Maritza got it for me at some hippie clothes sale she goes to. You know how she is, goes overboard, buys too many things, and then I end up with half of them!”
I raised an eyebrow, because she was just as bad as Tía Maritza with the shopping.
“You two are hilarious.”
She put her hand around my waist as we walked up the sidewalk. “Tell me about the drive. Did you have any trouble?”
I was thinking how much I’d missed having my mom and sister close by, when a pinch on my arm got my attention. “Sorry, Mamí. Drive was good,” I said as we got to the door of my mom’s little house.
One thing was certain, even if things flopped with the truck, it would be nice to have family close again. My mom moved up to Ithaca eight years before. She wanted a more sedate environment for my little sister Minerva to go to school and decided to join Tía Maritza and Tío Tonin who’d been here for years. I’d been out of college and working then, so I stayed behind. I looked down at her smiling face as she ushered me into the house.
“Good. Come in, your sister should be home soon, and your tíos are on their way over. We’re all so happy you’re here, papí.” I got another squeeze.
“The guys are inside,” she said, trying her best to look grumpy, and failing completely. “They’ve only been here for fifteen minutes and Juanpa’s already eaten all my food.”
I just grinned down at her. “Don’t even act like you’re mad, Mamí. I know you love having a house full of people.”
She looked up at me with a blank look on her face, as if she wasn’t sure what my point was. “Nesto’s home!” She called while she went for another hug.
I loved seeing my mom in her home. She’d busted her ass as a single mom for so long to give us a good life. She’d kept us out of trouble and was an amazing role model, but it all came at a cost.
She never stopped. She worked hard, and always knew what was up with school, with friends, and on the block. All while going to night school, and sending money home to help the family back in the DR. If anyone deserved to slow down and smell the roses, it was Nurys Maldonado.
We stood by the door arm in arm and then my mom waved toward the kitchen. “Let me go start some coffee.” She gave me one last peck on the cheek before she hurried off.
I spotted Milo sprawled on the couch messing with his phone. “Did Milo do anything to my car?” I asked my mom, who was already in the kitchen.
Mamí smiled in Camilo’s direction while she bustled around. “Car looks fine to me, but you know Milo. As soon as he got out of the car he started moaning about getting lost three times and cursing out Juanpa and Patrice for not picking up when he called them.”
I looked over and saw my friends filling my mom’s living room. My brothers. I wouldn’t have them just a few subway stops away anymore. I tried to shake off the feeling of unease the thought brought me and focused on all the stuff we needed to get done before they went back to the city.
But before I could get to them, my uncle and aunt were barreling into the house making a fuss over me and talking over each other asking about the truck.
“Nesto! M’ijo. Look at you. You look more like your abuelo every day. Doesn’t he Nurys?” My aunt asked my mom as she engulfed me in a tight embrace.
Tía Maritza was a slightly thinner and older version of my mom. The same bronzed skin, the curly hair, tall and curvy. She didn’t look a day over forty-five, even though sixty-two was just a few months away. She and Tío Tonin had been married for almost forty years and still looked at each other like they were high school sweethearts.
“What’s good, Tío? You letting Tía Maritza feed you too much of that platano?” I asked, patting the little bulge around his waistband.
He laughed heartily as he went in for his own bear hug.
Tonin, as always, had a big smile on his face, and at sixty-five his dark brown skin was still free of any wrinkles. My uncle had always been like a father to me. He taught me by example how a man should act toward those he loved. I hoped when the time came, like him, I could be the type of man who put his people first.
“It’s good to have you home, mi muchacho. Your mother’s been putting the pressure on us all week getting everything ready for you. We’ve been talking up the truck in town, too; people are excited for the Caribbean burritos.”
“That’s good man, I need to sell a lot of them if I’m going to make rent!” I joked, clapping his back as he moved to put his arm around Tía Maritza’s shoulders.
“Tía, you’re looking younger every year.” She preened and gave me another kiss.
“We’re so happy you’re here, papí.”
