Page 24 of The Score

Tía shrugs in a way that's familiar to me. "Was I wrong?"

"What did you put in there?" Pen asks.

Tía straightens an invisible wrinkle on the table cloth. "That I thought you'd be married by the time you dug it out."

It's our turn to show our surprise. Tío laughs.

"You know I'm a little bruja," Tía explains. "I had a dream back then that you were married."

Tío gazes at his wife. "That scores the fourth time I know for a fact her dreams became a reality."

Pen frowns. "I know of the time Mom knew mi prima Camila was pregnant back in Chile."

"I also dreamt of your dad in a big medical machine." Laughter dissolves on Tía's face, just like in all of ours. "It's partly why he got the extra exams."

"I hope now you will let me get you checked out by specialists in Seattle," I say, serious again. "If you need to explain to people, saying your son-in-law insisted on adding you to his extended family plan has a special ring to it."

"Yes," Tío replies. "It has a special ring to it."

"Congratulations, you two." Tía holds her mug near the center of the table, making it into a more official toast this time. "You were destined to end up together. You'll be so happy."

"We're so happy for you both," Tío adds.

All four of us clink our mugs together, but I say nothing. My heart threatens to clog my throat if I try.