Page 42 of The Care Package

7 MONTHS LATER

“This is so incredible, baby,” Tania whispers to me, looking around with the most proud expression on her face at my first ever art show. She’s absolutely breathtaking in a long, strapless, black dress that skims every curve, and has gold accents that bring out the bronze of her skin. Her hair is up in a complicated looking series of twists, which shows off the big gold earrings she has on. We clean up well, I’d say. I’m feeling good in my best suit for the occasion, freshly shaved, and my wavy hair is as tame as it’ll get. In spite of feeling good and having the most incredible woman in the world at my side, my nerves are shot tonight about the general public seeing and judging my sketches.

My art program at the community college submits a few selections from their students every year for this juried show, and I was lucky enough to have three of my pieces chosen by the panel of judges. It’s great exposure if I want to be more serious about making money through my art. The show is taking place in an opulent old mansion that is also often used for weddings. My canvases are displayed together against the gold accented white walls, in betweentwo of the columns that line the bright space. The floor is a plush blue, white and gold patterned carpet, while an ornate chandelier dominates the ceiling. A few servers pass around little bacon wrapped scallops, flutes of champagne, shrimp cocktail, and bruschetta. It feels so fancy.

Tania clutches my arm with a gasp as she takes in the portrait of her I drew that she posed for. We did in fact almost lose it laughing and then kept getting distracted by each other doing the “paint me like one of your French girls” scene, even though it’s just her from the shoulders up and she’s not nude. I think the fun of it made it come out better, her laughter and happiness completely leap off of the canvas. Don’t get me wrong, she has let me sketch her nude, but those are locked away at home for my eyes only. These past 7 months with her have been the happiest of my life by far. Having her be the first person I see when I wake up, and the last person I see when I go to sleep is a dream I never want to wake from. We challenge each other, have each other’s backs, and she makes me want to always be the best man I can possibly be. With my encouragement, she started therapy a few months ago, and she says she feels lighter as she learns to let go of her guilt. She jokes that it’s because of me sleeping next to her that she doesn’t have nightmares anymore, and maybe it helps, but I know the therapy is a factor too. Little does she know, I’ve picked out a ring and plan on proposing when we go back to Spain later this year.

Looking around the exhibition, I take in my other two entries next to Tania’s portrait. I fine tuned my sketch of the Alella beach sunset for class and that made it in. My rendering of my parents’ house also made it in, which made them so happy. My mom cried when she saw it, and of course I made them one too to hang up at the house. They’re right behind me and Tania, along with my sisters,Taran, Lyra, and Celeste, all of them murmuring about how much they love what I did, and remarking on the rest of the art on display as well.

I really love my classes, and I can’t wait to learn more. Every time I master a new technique or try a new medium I get the most exhilarating sense of fulfillment and accomplishment. I’ve been able to experiment with watercolor, charcoal, oil paints, and even some sculpting with modeling clay. Sketching is still my favorite, but watercolor has become a very close second, so hopefully at some point I’ll get good enough to enter some paintings into shows as well. I’m not sure I’ll ever make a living as an artist, but doing shows like this and possibly making extra money from pieces I sell is such a high.

I’m still at the FedEx hub full time, because Don got himself fired without any help from me. Too many people started to complain about his little power trips with scheduling and vacation time to Jacob, so it turns out Tania and I were just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve actually been promoted to be Jacob’s second in command now, covering for him when he isn’t working. Karma truly takes no prisoners, and it’s beautiful. I’m brought back out of my thoughts with a sweet kiss to my cheek. Tania whispers that she’ll be right back and wanders off to look at some of the other art. I feel my dad come up and clap a hand to my shoulder.

“Mijo, this is what I meant when I said I want you to find something you’re passionate about. You have so much talent, and I’m beyond proud of you,” he says, bringing me into a fierce hug. Tears threaten to sting my eyes.

“Thank you, Papi,” I whisper, and he seems to get why I’m emotional as he hugs me more tightly. The two of us have had some deep and sweaty conversations about his pride, my stubbornness, the clashes we’ve had, and thecomments we’ve made. It’s been slow and steady progress since he owned up to putting unrealistic expectations on me all of those months ago. He made several heartfelt apologies for the cutting comments about my job and life choices. I owned up to making trouble and purposely bucking every single one of his expectations out of spite instead of focusing on what I really want out of life.

This moment between us is what I’ve been craving. My dad is proud of me for forging my own path and finding my passion, not becoming a lawyer like him. It’s pride in me for being exactly who I am, not who he wanted me to be, and it means everything to finally feel truly seen by him. More and more, I’ve felt less like the black sheep of the family as I’ve grown more content and settled, in both my work and my life in general. The rest of my family, including Lyra, Taran, and Celeste, all congratulate and hug me, as they gather around in the most supportive circle ever. Their love and my dad’s words help soothe my nerves as I see people starting to look at my sketches. I step up and introduce myself, chatting with them and informing them about the pieces. They all have insightful and wonderful things to say, which means a lot. Tania hangs back, ready to be at my side if I need her, but letting me do my thing. I motion for her to come over and pull her in close, my arm sliding around her waist.

“This incredible woman is the subject of that portrait you’re all looking at. She’s my muse, my love, and her name is Tania,” I say proudly to the art patrons standing there. They coo and applaud, telling us both how wonderful and alive the piece is. She charms them with her smile and knowledge about art. Once all of the glad-handing is over, I end up selling all 3 for a decent amount of money. One of the people who bought my beach sketch tells me I am definitely an up and coming talent, and hewill be keeping a close eye on me. Glowing with that praise, I chat with my family and friends as we enjoy the rest of the show. It’s a perfect night with my favorite people in the world.

When Tania and I get back home, we immediately get into comfy clothes and flop on the couch. She crawls into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck as she kisses my cheek.

“You freaking did that, baby. You sold all three sketches in the show.” I drop a kiss to her forehead and then tip her head up to kiss her properly.

“I couldn’t have done it without you, mi sueño. Your portrait started the buying frenzy, and your support has been everything,” I whisper onto her mouth.

The cats jump up and start crawling all over us, and I soak in the moment. Me, the woman of my dreams, our fur children, and this beautiful life we’ve built. I have my promotion at work and my art, while she is quickly becoming a sought after tattoo artist because of her talented and ingenious designs. Tania once told me that I’m like a care package who made her feel so accepted and loved. Now I think we’re both wrapped up in that beautiful package she described together, taking care of each other, supporting each other, and I never want to live my life any other way ever again.

Epilogue - Tania

7 YEARS LATER

“Mom, did you pack my green bathing suit? I want to go to the beach.” Our 9 year old daughter Jada comes stomping in from the backyard of our house in Spain, Gomez and Morticia quickly following her. Our trips here every summer have become the best family time in the world. Even the cats have become complete pros at flying over with us since we started to feel bad leaving them for 1-2 weeks every summer. Jada is a little fish, Carlo and I can barely keep her out of the water. So it’s no surprise she’s already asking to go to the beach when we’ve barely been here for an hour and are exhausted from the overnight flight.

“I knew you’d ask that. It’s at the very top of your suitcase with your cover-up, honey,” I tell her. She lets out a happy squeak, and I can’t help but smile hugely. Jada came to us when she was 5, about 4 years ago. Her mother had tragically passed giving birth to her, and her dad was a firefighter who ended up passing away in the line of duty. Nobody in the limited extended family could or wanted to take care of her, so she went into thesystem. Carlo and I quickly signed up to become her foster parents, and we officially adopted her 2 years later.

When I heard her story, it hit something deep in me that she also lost both of her parents by the time she was 5, and felt alone in the world. There was an immediate connection between her and me especially because I can understand her loneliness and her feelings of being abandoned. We’ve started to have some really deep and meaningful conversations about grief and loss, and it’s brought her out of her shell even more. Both Carlo and I fell for her right away, and the day we adopted her was one of the two best days of my life, along with mine and Carlo’s wedding. The tears were flowing freely when we showed her the paperwork and she just threw herself at us. We were a family the moment we became her foster parents, but to have it become official with the adoption, her taking our last name, meant the absolute world. Jada is whip smart and already wants to be an olympic swimmer. She’s tall for 9, all limbs, and a natural athlete. Her coach says she is born for swimming and is ecstatic to have her on the competitive team at our local pool back home.

I look after her as she bounds upstairs to her suitcase, listening to the sound of her unzipping it and the rustle of fabric as she pulls out her swimwear. She’s growing so fast, almost like a puppy. Her feet and hands are huge, she outgrows her shoes long before they’re worn out, and I think she is going to be one statuesque, gorgeous black woman when she’s fully grown into herself. We’ll be getting her braces this year, and she also started asking to stop working with her natural curls and get box braids instead. She was pissed when we researched and found out that it’s hard to maintain them when she’s constantly in chlorine. It was one of the times her wonderful Uncle Ray stepped in to talk to her all about her hair care, and recommendedthe woman who does his cornrows. She adores him and Diego, lovingly calling them her Guncles. There are many times when Jada will bring up how grateful she is for the family she got when she came to us. Between her indulgent grandparents, all of her aunties and uncles with their partners, there are a whole lot of people who adore her and make sure she knows it. As the oldest of the grandchildren, she’s become the leader of the pack with her cousins.

Carlo comes in from the back not long after Jada, smiling his brilliant smile when he sees me. They had been chilling on the hammock and enjoying a little daddy/daughter time out there in the sun while I got things settled in here. He immediately steps into my space to wrap me in a hug, kissing my temple. Well over 7 years together, almost 8, and he still makes my heart stutter. There are a handful more smile lines around his eyes and mouth than when I first met him, and just the hint of grey starting at his temples, but he makes 36 look so damn delectable.

“She’s already asking to get to the beach, isn’t she?” He asks with a laugh.

“Asked if I packed her favorite bathing suit right away, as if I would forget,” I say pointedly, loud enough for Jada to hear upstairs to mess with her. She scoffs, sounding like a teenager already.

“I just wanted to make sure,” she calls down.

“We can’t go to the beach for the entire day, ok? Yolanda is expecting us for dinner,” I call back up. Yolanda is still doing fantastic at 89, vibrant as ever. I hope I age like her. She, her husband, and her family have become a second family for all of us, and we spend a lot of time with them every year when we come. She doesn’t look after the property anymore though, she needs to rest and enjoy her life. We put a stop to that the sameyear we first came, hiring a management company to come clean the interior and keep the exterior nice each quarter so that when we visit, we don’t have to spend an entire day doing maintenance. There are always more stories to hear about my parents and grandparents, more pictures they find. Our life is in the states, but connecting with my roots here, and continually learning about my family has been one of the most rewarding journeys I could have ever imagined. All of the emptiness I felt, that gnawing hole in my heart that my parents and grandma left when I lost them, has been filled to almost overflowing ever since that first unforgettable trip here with Carlo.

Just like my parents hoped, we have filled this home with so many new memories, the past and future mingling to make the place incredibly special. Carlo proposed to me here on our second trip, a year after the first. He got down on one knee in the sand and pulled out a gorgeous vintage ring that was completely me. I’ll never forget his face that day as long as I live. He looked up at me with so much love in those gorgeous eyes that I burst out crying as he asked me to be his wife. Our first trip here with Jada saw her playing in the sand and loving the beach for the first time. There were so many long lasting dinners that went way past her bedtime where she got to know her family here. The hilarity that ensued when we brought the cats here for the first time is now legend, Tish and Gomez went nuts looking around the house and discovering all of the new things. They’ve taken to a harness and leash to even come to the beach with us and walk around.

We do the same now. While Jada gets changed upstairs, I get the cats into their harnesses and they make a beeline for the door, meowing their impatience to go outside. They’ve become such little adventurers, and I attribute it toworking with them a lot when they were still pretty young. Jada comes stomping down the steps.

“Ok, let’s go!” she cries. She grabs my hand, and I wrap my arm around my husband’s waist. Carlo nuzzles my hair and puts his arm around my shoulders. His free hand holds the leashes as the cats amble in front of us. We walk in the beautiful Spanish weather as a whole family to go enjoy the beach, Tish and Gomez already chattering to the sky at the gulls. I never knew my life could be like this, was too afraid to reach for what I truly wanted, because I learned how easily it could be snatched away in an instant. I’ve leaned into it now. We’ve built this life brick by brick, and it’s as solid as it could ever be. Carlo is happy running the FedEx hub now after Jacob retired last year, and his art always sells so well at shows. As he’s evolved, it’s his watercolors that have become the biggest sellers. They’re absolutely spectacular displays of color, light, and shade that reflect his immense talent. His sketches, especially his portraits, still seem to stir people the most emotionally. The way he captures micro expressions and personalities is something that will always have me in awe. He will always have me in awe with his humor, intelligence, generosity, and the way he loves so freely. I could not possibly adore him more.

I’ve become more and more in demand at Living Arts Tattoo through the years, making a name for myself with my floral and animal tattoos especially. I’ve done a few more for myself and Carlo, too. We both got matching tattoos of our wedding date and the date we adopted Jada, adding to our story through body art. Way before all of that though, he made sure I added my initials to the hibiscus I tattooed on him. We had just gotten engaged at the time, and I said I’d take his name since I wanted to feel even more a part of the Hernandez clan. So he insistedthat I tattoo TH instead of TC, even though we weren’t married yet. I have his initials near the tattoo for my parents, by my heart, where he will always be. It took me some time to learn how to fully and fearlessly love, especially considering I grew up believing it was something I would always lose. Now I look in awe at this little family Carlo and I have built, and I could not be more grateful that he and I both took that leap all those years ago. I’m going to hold onto this life with every fiber of my being and cherish each second.

The End