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“Just sniff it. It’ll make me feel better. If you don’t, I’ll pour this all over you.”

God, no.I sniffed right away. “There. Happy?”

She smiled and returned the bottle back to the counter. Then she returned and continued massaging my shoulders. I knew she’d snuck some oil onto her palms to lather on my neck, but I didn’t say anything. Despite the unattractive smell, the oil and Grandma’s touch soothed me, bringing me back to a place where I could see how unstable I was. Grandma had always given me comfort, and I’d forgotten that until today. She was my second mom.

After a few more minutes, she sat down across from me.

“Thank you,” I said.

“You’re welcome. Now eat. You’ll need energy to find her.”

“She’s important to me,” I confessed.

“Okay, I’m ready to fill my tummy! The food smells so good.” Yolanda entered the dining room, sniffing the air and rubbing her hands together. “Why is the food still untouched? You’re not waiting for me, are you?”

“The guest who was supposed to show up is a missing person,” Grandma said while scooping food onto Yolanda’s plate and then her own. “She’s actually Forrest’s girlfriend.”

“You have a girlfriend? Since when? Were you going to introduce her to the family?”

“Yes. She was at Taco Haven that day you came with your friends and intruded on my dinner meeting,” I teased.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Oh, that one. She’s pretty.”

“Beautiful.” Grandma added. “And genuine. That’s the energy I got from her.” She looked at me. “I was going to play matchmaker.”

I couldn’t help but smile, knowing my grandma approved of her.

“Vó! You’ve never believed in that stuff before. You always told us to find our significant others on our own.”

Grandma smiled, lifting a shoulder. “Something about her changed me.”

We ate and discussed trivial things. Then silence filled the room. No one knew what to say, fearing the wrong words would make things worse for me. Even the plants in the dining room looked sad. The color of the food lacked vibrancy. Grandma’s shoulders stooped, looking tired.

Yolanda met my gaze, and she offered a small smile. “She’ll be okay.”

“Thanks.”

Yolanda’s phone rang, and she glanced at her screen, muttering, “I guess today is one of those days where nothing is going right.”

“What’s going on? I asked.

“Work. Just annoying. I have to get it.” She got up and went to the window.“I’ll help with it to expedite the process. I want this done right, so I’ll be there.” She hung up, looking angry.

“Everything okay?” Grandma asked.

“Yeah. I’m working on an extensive project with a giant bonus if all goes well. I don’t want to jinx it. I’ll see you two later.”

“Do you want to take some food home?” Grandma asked.

“Yes, please.”

After Yolanda left, Grandma and I finished dinner. She packed me some food to go. Talking with her helped me find my stability again. Personal matters made everything worse. I hadn’t told my friends about Kiera’s abduction either. I wanted to wait until after the banquet tomorrow.

“Did you know that Kiera’s mom helped our family the day mom died?”

“The car accident?”

I nodded. “Her mom was the nurse who came to help our family.” I also shared about Kiera’s Chococat T-shirt.