Page 11 of Pride High 2: Orange

Anthony recoiled at this suggestion. “I need to consider my options. Is the cake for Ricky? I’m sure he’d appreciate it, considering everything he’s been through.”

“Dude, youknowwho the cake is for!”

Anthony grinned. “Yeah, but I love fucking with you.”

They both laughed, and before long they were rolling down the street, Omar keeping careful watch on the cake balanced on his lap. Time for some magic!

* * * * *

Silvia Diaz felt a rare sort of contentment. In the morning she had joined her family in the kitchen, where they’d all cooked together. Even her little brother Hugo had helped with the simpler tasks. The radio had been on, her mother singing while they worked, which was cute. Especially when TLC’s “Baby, Baby, Baby” began to play. Elena had sung the chorus to Hugo, who took offense at being called a baby, so she’d sung to her husband instead, Miguel pulling her close for a dance.

Everyone sat down afterwards to eat at a leisurely pace while chatting about the week, but soon even work and school were forgotten. Time seemed to stand still, their concerns distant, including her own. Even the feds took a break on Thanksgiving, she assumed. No one would be coming to tear her family apart. Her parents were safe. Everything was perfect.

Her father seemed to share this sentiment.“What a wonderful day,”he said in his native Spanish.

She helped him with the dishes afterwards while Elena took a nap on the couch not far away. The trailer didn’t offer much privacy, but it was home. Especially when they were all there together. She smiled at her father as they worked and wondered if Hugo would be like him when he grew up. They were both short and had the same pudgy belly. But of course only her father had a mustache.

“I only wish the rest of our family could be here,”Miguel murmured.“Your grandmother especially.”

“Do you miss her?”Silvia asked before shaking her head.“Of course you do! She’s your mother. When I was a kid, I never put the pieces together like that. Although I remember you crying sometimes when you got a package in the mail.”

“Only because I was so happy,”Miguel replied.

Silvia cocked an eyebrow at this.“I’m not a little girl anymore.”

He seemed to reconsider her.“No, that’s true. You’ve grown up so quickly.”He handed a wet plate to her so she could dry it.“Or you’ve always been so grown up that nothing has really changed. I’m not sure which.”Miguel bumped his shoulder against her playfully.“But yes, I do miss my mother and everyone else. Except maybe my brother. Your uncle was always a pain the ass. Especially when we were growing up.”

Silvia always liked it when her parents told stories about their lives back in Mexico. Now she recognized the emotions attached to the amusing anecdotes. Her parents hadn’t seen their families since coming here. They received letters and photographs and managed the occasional call, but that wouldn’t be enough to sustain Silvia if she was separated from her own immediate family. Especially not as the years went by.

“I wish they could meet you,”Miguel said.“I want them to know the beautiful and intelligent daughter that I have been blessed with. I’ve told them about you many times, but it isn’t the same.”He put an arm around her and squeezed.

“I love you too,”she said.“Although if we had a spare wish, I’d rather give it to you, so you can see them again.”

Miguel shook his head and started rearranging glasses in the cabinet to make more room.“My memories keep me connected to them. You’ve never met your family on either side. I’m worried that, by the time you do, they’ll feel more like strangers. But as you pointed out, you’re not a child anymore. You’re old enough to visit them on your own.”

And leave her parents behind, even for a week? She knew that was when something would go wrong. She could almost feel it in her bones.

“Maybe someday,”she said.“But not yet.”

“When your brother is older then. You can go together.”

Before she could answer, there was a knock on the door. Silvia looked to her father, mirroring the surprise on his face. Elena sat up on the couch and blinked.

“I’ll get it,” Silvia said, her slumbering anxiety beginning to stir until she heard a voice on the other side.

“It’s me!”

Mindy! Silvia exhaled in relief and opened the door. Her best friend grinned before noticing they weren’t alone.“¡Hola, señor y señora Diaz!”she said with a wave.

“Buenos días,Mindy,” Elena responded before adding in English, “Happy Thanksgiving!”

“¡Gracias! Tú también,”Mindy replied.

She had decided to take a Spanish elective back in junior high, shortly after they first met, and had stuck with it ever since. Just one of the many reasons that Silvia adored her.

“Come on in,” she offered.

Mindy shook her head before tilting it to the right. Silvia stuck her head outside the trailer and saw a station wagon parked nearby. Omar was leaning against it while scowling.