Chapter 131
We finally rolled to a stop in front of the familiar water fountain. I helped Jane down and squeezed her hand. “Ready?”
She took a deep breath and nodded.
And then, the door suddenly swung open. My entire family had apparently been watching from the windows, and now they spilled out, expressing their excitement in rapid–fire Spanish.
“Mijo!” My mother launched herself at me. She wrapped her arms around me in a crushing hug, and I caught the familiar scent of her perfume mixed with the herbs from her garden and that of whatever she’d been cooking all day. “Estás muy flaco! (You’re too skinny!) Don’t they feed you in America?”
Before I could respond, she turned to Jane with blue eyes so similar to mine. “Y tú debes ser Jane! ¡Qué hermosa eres! Aaron nos ha contado tanto de ti, mi amor. Bienvenida a nuestra familia… (And you must be Jane! How beautiful you are! Aaron has told us so much about you, my love. Welcome to our family…)”
“Mamá,” I interrupted with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “English, remember? Jane doesn’t speak Spanish.”
My mother immediately switched languages. “Oh, of course! Jane, welcome! You are so beautiful, just like Aaron said. Come, come inside before you freeze!”
Jane’s body stiffened for a moment as my mother pulled her into a warm hug. But once my mother’s homely spell seeped into her, she
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finally melted into the embrace.
“It’s so wonderful to meet you, Mrs….”
My mother waved her off. “Jennifer, please. Or Mamá, if you like. You are family now, sí?”
My sister Cathe suddenly appeared at my mother’s elbow. “Don’t let her overwhelm you.” She gave Jane a quick hug. “She’s been cooking for three days straight and talking about nothing but you two.
The twins, Diana and Bonnie, bounded up next, pulling Jane into a hug. And just as Bonnie pulled away, I heard her whisper into Jane’s ear, “You might want to sit next to Aaron for moral support. Let’s just say dinner is quite the event in this house.”
Everyone was so excited and animated. I was used to it. We were quite a chaotic bunch. But from the look on Jane’s face, I knew it would be an uphill battle for her to get used to all of this.
At least she had me. And I was going to be there every step of the way.
*Aaron*
After ten minutes of chaotic conversation, we finally walked into my childhood home. My father, an older version of me, stood by the door, and planted right at the center of the room, in front of the television, was Grandpa George.
I almost laughed. The man couldn’t stay away from a good telenovela.
“Aaron!” my father exclaimed, clapping my shoulder lovingly. We were a close–knit family, so there was always enough love to go around. “How was the flight over?”
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“Don’t coddle him, Bob.” Grandpa George turned his wheelchair around so he could face us. “I’m a frail old man, and I survived a long flight from Colombia. You don’t see me complaining, do you?”
“You were there for two weeks for vacation. You haven’t done a lick of work in years, Dad. My son manages a multi–national company. I’m allowed to coddle him.”
They would have launched into a proper argument if my mother hadn’t stepped in at that very moment, urging everyone to the dining room so we could settle down for dinner.
Bonnie and Diana talked our ears off as I grabbed Jane’s hand and led her to the already set dinner table. As usual, my mother had outdone herself. There were platters of roast beef, two large turkeys, mashed potatoes, and green beans I knew came from my mother’s garden.
I made sure Jane was sitting on my left side, far away from my parents, so they couldn’t grill her as much. But it still didn’t stop my father from handing out embarrassing stories about me as we filled our plates.
“So, how’s this one doing in the big city?” he asked once he was satisfied with the mountain of food on his plate.
Jane set down her fork and pretended to give the question grave thought.
“Well, he’s generally well–behaved.” Then she paused for dramatic effect. “But only when he’s asleep.”
The entire room erupted in laughter. Well, all except for Grandpa George. He was surprisingly quiet. But I thought nothing of it. I was more concerned about the story my father was now telling.
