Page 13
As I got closer to the building, my sense of pride in the place almost overwhelmed me.
Other lots had cracks and weeds with trash scattered around.
This lot was pristine. Any cracks in the pavement had been repaired, and the only vegetation on the property was the beautiful plants in the large pots at the corners of the building and beside the front doors.
I was surprised to find the door unlocked and walked in expecting to see one of my cousins inside but found two of my aunts instead. They were shocked to see me, and greeted me in their native language, one I was comfortable speaking since that was still how I communicated with my mom.
My oldest aunt rushed around the counter and embraced me. When she let me go, I said, “Mano po,” and took her right hand as I leaned forward and touched it to my forehead.
Aunt Amihan beamed and then nudged me toward Aunt Ligaya, who I greeted the same way.
In Tagalog, I asked, “What happened to the windows? Why are you closed?”
Aunt Amihan shook her head before she said, “Unpleasant behavior.”
I studied her face and saw that the area around her left eye was swollen. I frowned and asked, “Who else was injured?”
Aunt Ligaya’s eyes filled with tears, and she whispered, “Your uncle is in the hospital.”
I gasped before I asked, “Will he be okay?”
There were four siblings left in my mother’s family - my mom, Aunt Ligaya, Aunt Amihan, and Uncle Bayani.
Aunt Ligaya and her husband ran the car wash with their sons, Michael, Christopher, and Agustin, until they went off to college. All three had become doctors, gotten married, and had children of their own.
Like my mother, Aunt Amihan had also married a white man.
She and their two boys traveled with him to various bases during his time in the service.
Sammy and Ricky followed in their dad’s footsteps and enlisted in the Marines where they were still serving today.
When Uncle Leo died of cancer a few years ago, Aunt Amihan moved back to Oceanside to live with Aunt Ligaya, who was already a widow herself.
Uncle Bayani, the youngest of my mom’s siblings, owned a small chain of successful Filipino grocery stores along the coast, one of which was just up the street. Apparently, the wannabe gangsters had attacked his store along with the car wash.
“Bayani will be fine, but it may take some time.”
“Who is running the store?” I asked Aunt Amihan.
“Nathan was out of town during the attack, but he rushed home as soon as he heard,” she explained. “He’s almost finished with the repairs there, and then he’ll help us with ours.”
“Where is Jodie?”
“She came home yesterday. She’s working with Nathan now.”
Jodie was Uncle Bayani’s oldest child and the only other female in my generation of the maternal side of the family.
She’d been wild when we were young but had calmed down considerably after she was arrested and served time in prison for killing her abusive husband.
I personally thought that was something she should have been given an award for.
The judge and jury disagreed because of what they considered aggravated circumstances.
They thought her sewing him up in a bed sheet and beating him to death with his own bat was a little too extreme to be deemed self-defense.
Everyone else in my family also hailed her as a hero. We had no idea that she’d been the victim of his abuse for years, but when he raised his hand to their daughter, she put an end to his bullshit. Permanently.
“What can I do to help?” I asked.
Aunt Amihan shook her head as she looked around the pristine office. Her gaze landed on the plywood-covered window as her forehead puckered, but then she smiled and said, “We have everything taken care of here, but your cousins could use your help.”
“Has a man come by and asked for money in exchange for protection?” I asked. My aunts instantly nodded in unison. “Have you told Nathan?”
“He got a visit too.”
“How angry is he?” I asked.
Aunt Ligaya chuckled before she said, “Almost as much as Jodie.”
I could only imagine how Jodie was handling this.
After years in an abusive marriage, she had made the choice to change her entire life and was a total badass now.
As children, we’d been trained to fight by Jodie’s father who had learned a martial art called Kali in the Philippines, which utilizes weapons and defensive tactics.
After prison, Jodie immersed herself in the practice for self-protection, whereas I used the skill for physical fitness.
“I’m here permanently, so I’ll see you often,” I assured them before I hugged them goodbye. “Please call me if there’s anything I can do to help.”
When I got outside, I walked up the street toward the store, hoping my aunts had exaggerated the damage.
However, I knew they hadn’t as soon as I caught sight of the boards on the windows - and not just two, but all of them.
Worse than that, I saw stains on the concrete near the front door that looked like blood.
“Shit,” I whispered as I tried the door. When it didn’t open, I leaned forward and cupped my hands around my eyes so I could see through the glass and saw that the store was empty. I rapped my knuckles on the door and was glad to see my cousin, Nathan, hurrying my way.
He unlocked the door and pushed it open. The second I was close enough, he wrapped his arms around me and picked me up to spin me around as he’d done a million times over the years. I was happy that it didn’t hurt at all, which wouldn’t have been the case even a few weeks ago.
“Cousin!” Nathan said cheerfully as he set me on my feet. He yelled for his sister over his shoulder, and Jodie appeared seconds later. She pulled me into her arms for a less exuberant hug and asked, “When did you get home?”
“I’ve only been here a few days.”
“Where are you staying?” she asked.
“I planned on getting an Airbnb, but Corrie and her family just left for vacation and offered to let me stay at their place.”
“And why didn’t you call us?” Jodie asked. Her forwardness had always irritated the elders in our family, but I appreciated it. However, I appreciated it a little more when it wasn’t aimed at me. Before I could answer her, she hummed and said, “Because we don’t have a condo on the beach.”
“Whatever, hag. Maybe I didn’t call because I knew you’d be busting my balls every chance you got.”
“I would say that women don’t have balls, but I know both of you, and I think they’re hiding in there somewhere.”
Without missing a beat, Jodie slowly turned her head and gave her brother a menacing stare before she said, “The last pair I got is still in my purse.”
“I keep mine displayed in jars on a shelf in my basement,” I lied.
Nathan swallowed hard before he said, “Great to see you, Dali.” He looked around anxiously before he added, “I’ve got to . . . do something in the back.”
We managed to hold it together until we heard the office door shut before we burst out laughing. Jodie threw her arms around me before she said, “I’ve missed you, cousin.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
“Are you going to stay in Oceanside, or will you move upstate to be closer to your parents?”
“I’m planning to stay here.”
“Good. I need all the backup I can get. The aunts are trying to marry me off, and it will finally take some of the heat off of me with you here.”
“Didn’t you tell them you were a lesbian?” I asked.
“I did, but then Aunt Amihan showed up one morning to bring over some lumpia they’d made and found me in bed with a man.”
“Oops.”
“Word of advice - don’t give them a spare key.”
“I’ll keep that in mind once I find a place of my own.”
“Did they tell you about Dad?” When I nodded, Jodie narrowed her eyes and said, “I want so badly to go on a killing spree, but I know I’m outnumbered and outgunned. Besides, the last thing Dad needs right now is to have to worry about me.”
“Did that asshole pay you guys a visit earlier?”
“The smarmy one throwing out veiled threats? Yeah, he did.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ll burn this bitch down and roll around in the insurance money before I pay for protection from some thug.”
“That’s what I figured.”
“I don’t know what we’re going to do. He said that he couldn’t guarantee bad things wouldn’t happen if we went to the cops. Nathan and I were talking about it when you got here, and we’re at a loss.”
“Navy . . . Anthony has a plan. I’ll talk to him and see if he could possibly help our family.”
“Navy? That’s his hot biker name, isn’t it?”
“How did you know?” I asked.
“I’ve seen the pictures of him and his friends hanging on the wall at Three Sheets.” Jodie fanned her face before she said, “Knowing there are men like that out there makes me really glad I’m not a lesbian.”
“He asked me out.”
“He did not !” When I nodded, Jodie pushed at my shoulder and hissed, “Bitch!”
“God, I’ve missed you!” I said before I threw my arms around her for another hug.
“I’m glad you’re back, but I hate that you showed up just in time for this shit show.”
“I’m happy to help in any way I can.”
“If that’s the case, then let’s start restocking the shelves. Those bastards ruined almost all of our stock, and we promised Dad that we’d open up as soon as possible, so we’ve gotta get to work.”
“Tell me what you want me to do.”