Page 100 of A Bookish Story

“Go, Eddie!” Diego says, then slams his hands over his ears.

By now, the entire family knows Eddie and my mother are a “thing.” No one, apparently, thinks it’s as strange as I did, not even Sofia. Then again, some of these folks saw Eddie with my mother before she ever married my father. It wouldn’t seem as odd to them. What might have seemed odd at the time was the way Eddie stepped aside.

That’s what you do for someone you love. I ask myself whether if I loved the same man Sofia did, I’d be able to step aside. There’s no question I would. I’d like to think she’d do the same.

Tonight, she’s brought along her latest love interest, a man with so many tattoos I don’t know what to read first.

“Brett, this is my cousin, Luci. She’s a New York Times bestselling author.” Sofia winks.

“Wow! Really?” Brett’s eyes go wide. “Do you know Meryl Streep?”

“No,” I say patiently. “I don’t think she writes books?”

“Babe, would you go get me some horchata? Abuelita made a good batch.” Sofia points him in the direction of the large pitcher being guarded by Diego’s mother. Once, years ago, he’d spiked it with tequila and she has never gotten over it.

“Does Brett own stock in a tattoo shop?” I say once he’s off.

“Nah, but he works there.”

“That’s not dangerous,” I say, a bit puzzled. She has a type.

Is it possible Sofia is finally getting serious about dating?

“No, but he’s cute and nice. He was so gentle with me when I went in for my tattoo⁠—”

“You have a tattoo? Why don’t I know this?”

Sofia shushes me because her mother is nearby. If she hears Sofia has a tattoo, she will probably convene a novena so everyone can pray for Sofia’s soul.

“Only one.” Sofia holds up a finger. “Had to see what all the fuss was about.”

“Which one did you get?”

She moves closer. “The caduceus symbol, you know the two snakes coiled around a winged staff? I’ll show you later.”

Brett rejoins us not with one but with two glasses of horchata, one of which he offers to me. I have to say, it’s very considerate of him. I accept it then excuse myself to go find my abuelita. Since this whole thing with Eddie and Mami became official, I haven’t checked in with her. Given that I haven’t heard any loud arguments coming from the main house, I have to assume she’s okay with all this.

I’m sitting next to her for a whole minute before she realizes I’m even there. Then again, Eddie is still singing. I tap her on the shoulder and smile.

She removes an earplug. “Hola, mija.”

I point to Eddie, still serenading my mother, having moved to a love song that is very much out of his vocal range. Diego looks like he might throw up.

I put my arm around her. This woman lost a son, but she’s stronger than anyone I’ve ever known.

“Are you okay with this? Mami and Eddie?”

She nods. “Eddie deserves to be happy. He was always such a good son and an even better brother.”

“I had no idea how good.”

“Family is everything,” she says. “People come and go out of our lives but family remains.”

“You never stopped thinking of Mami as family.” It’s a statement of fact, because when Abuelita brings you into the fold, you’re in for life.

“She’s your mami,” she says, patting my knee, as if this explains everything. “And she has a good heart.”

I glance over at my mother now and realize I’ve never seen her this happy. Not when she was married to Seb, nor at any point after my father died. Maybe I’ve always been too tough on a woman who did the best she could.