Page 14 of A Curvy Girl’s Hurricane Survival Guide

“That’s my brother, Crispiano,” Cai clarifies.

“Should I go help?” I point to the group with my fork.

“No, they have too many; they’re already talking more than working. You eat and help in here with Cayetana.” Her mother explains.

There is no argument from me, and I dig into the flavorful plate before me. It melts in my mouth, with notes of saffron and the occasional pop of a sweet pea.

“What do you need us to do?” Cai asks.

“First, go get Abuela to come over. She’s stubborn como un burro, but she knows we always get through big storms together. “

Cai seems to perk up at the mention of Abuela. “Is she making Arroz con leche?”

Cai’s mom rolls her eyes. “Probably, which none of us need.” She looks pointedly at Cai as she says this. “But you can’t tell her anything. She probably has pans and pans of it.”

“Arroz means rice, right?” I asked, seeing how excited Cai is at the mention. No way could there be another rice dish better than the one I am inhaling right now.

“Yes! Con leche, with milk,” Cai says. “It’s a dessert kinda like rice pudding. It’s my favorite. Abuela’s the only one who makes it!”

“Yeah, because if any of us dared…” Tia Julia says before making a gesture as if to say, “Off with their heads.”

“You ate that fast,” Cai says to me, wiping her hands on her pants and eyeing my empty plate, which I am tempted to lick clean.

“Yeah, it was really good,” I say, and then, to Cai’s mother and aunt, I add, “Thank you!”

“Ready to go get Abuela?” Cai says.

The truth is, I could’ve easily eaten two or three more helpings of the rice and chicken her mother had served me, but I say, “Yup,” drop my plate in the sink, and let myself get caught up in Cai’s excitement. With some quick goodbyes, we are out the back door, and I experience what I imagine Cai must have felt growing up here—surrounded by love, off on a new adventure, this time chasing famed arroz con leche.

Rule #7

STOCK UP ON RATIONS AND ARROZ CON LECHE

SONNY

I know I spend too much time in virtual worlds and not enough time in the real one, so my perception may be skewed, but I am finding this whole scenario—the storm, the crazy house, the family antics—invigorating.

I follow Cai into the backyard, which is a menagerie of tropical plants and trees. The sky is clear, and except for the fast-moving clouds and the wind picking up, you might not know there’s a hurricane on the way.

The hues of the plants are so green and vibrant that if these were generated in one of my games, I would’ve told my team to tone them down to make them more realistic. There are also raised beds with more plants and large pots with small shrubs. One has leaves that remind me of the tree star leaf from The Land Before Time. Another has purple, fuzzy leaves that look like they belong on an alien planet.

“Will the plants be ok in the hurricane?” I say, gesturing to the trees. I notice one has a bunch of bananas, but they are smaller than the ones I’ve seen in the store.

Cai looks over at them. “Probably. They’re all tropical plants. They know how to survive a hurricane.”

“They seem really cared for,” I say, noticing the fresh mulching and carefully placed irrigation.

Cai nods, “Yeah, my dad’s an agricultural scientist. This is all him. If you ever get a chance to taste the mangos he grows, it’ll change your life.”

“Yeah? Like Harry Met Sally, deli scene good?” I ask.

“Yes!” Cai says excitedly.

She stops and throws her head back in ecstasy and imitates Meg Ryan’s “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

A gust blows through just then, carrying her moans away on a wave. I glance back at the house and around the yard, expecting to see her mother or other family members coming out to see about the noise, but none show up. It is just Cai standing there with a mischievous smile.

Why did I bring up that scene? I’m not sure I need to visualize Cai orgasming right before meeting her grandmother. Sweat beads on my brow, and it was only partly the humidity.