Page 53 of Check Mate

My father stands from his seat and walks around his desk to give me a big hug. “Good to have you back, Bella.” He says before placing a kiss on top of my head.

My mother offers no such greeting. She keeps a serious expression on her face. “Glad you made it home,” she says, emphasizing the word home. “Although it would’ve been nice for you to stop in last night and see if we needed any extra help.”

I keep a smile firmly on my face, refusing to let her ruin my day. “Sorry, I had things to catch up on and then I had plans in the evening.”

She closes her eyes shut and sighs irritably. “The only thing you need to catch up on is helping your family.”

“My dear,” Papa starts, trying to ease the tension. “Can't we talk about this later?”

“No, we’ve already waited a week!” Mama stands to her feet, her jaw set in a hard line. “This traveling stops now. Your father and I aren’t getting any younger, and you need to be training to manage this place when we retire.”

I scoff. “You guys aren’t even fifty yet.”

“It takes time to learn how to manage a restaurant. Years. From now on, you’ll get two weeks off each year. That’s it.” She lifts her chin as if daring me to defy her.

Stand up for yourself. This is your life and no one can tell you how to live it. I straighten my posture and look Mama directly in the eyes. “And what if I don’t agree to your terms?”

“Then I guess we’ll know you chose yourself over this family,” she states without emotion and then walks out of the room.

Papa groans and runs a hand down his face in frustration. “Why can’t you two just get along?”

My nostrils flare with anger and I too leave the office before I say something I’ll regret. I walk back to the breakroom to clock in and grab my apron, taking a few deep breaths before heading to the kitchen to help Marco. Chopping vegetables and scrubbing dishes will help me work off some of this pent-up anger.

I storm through the kitchen door, my face heated in anger. Marco spins to see who entered his domain and arches an eyebrow when he sees my angry expression.

“Your mother?”

I nod and he hands me a large knife and points to a giant pile of onions that need diced. Perfect, now I can release hot, angry tears and no one will know it’s not caused by the onions.

Marco is a few feet away from me, seasoning steak and chicken. He glances at me sympathetically and gives me a little smile. I smile back, not wanting to take my frustration out on him, then concentrate on the onions.

With every slice I question my place in this family, and wonder why Abuela’s has to be part of it. Why can’t I choose for myself what I do to make a living like everyone else does? Mama acts like I’m the crowned princess preparing to rule a small country. At the end of the day, this is just a restaurant, just a job. My love for my family has absolutely nothing to do with this place.

Why can’t Mama see that? She’s so wrapped up in her love of this restaurant that it’s trickled over into every aspect of her life. Like everything is connected to Abuela’s, but it’s not. Not to me. My parents could sell the restaurant tomorrow to someone who wanted to turn it into a Chuck E. Cheese, and I’d love them just the same.

Not only that, but Rosa has excellent management skills, and she loves working here. She even implemented the iPad system that has streamlined our business. If my parents weren’t so focused on tradition, they’d see she’s the best fit for taking over this place. If that’s what she wants, which I’m pretty sure it is.

Ten onions in and I have a steady stream of tears streaming down my cheeks. Partly because of the onions, partly because of my mother.

I use my free arm to wipe at my face before I continue dicing each onion. It takes me at least an hour to finish them. My face is ruddy and my eyes burn. I dump them into a large container and secure the lid then walk over to the sink, wash my hands and arms well, then splash water on my face. I’m patting my face dry with a dish towel when my sisters burst into the kitchen.

They’re both grinning and rush toward me. “Bella!” Lily squeals and wraps her arms around me.

Rosa wraps her arms around us both and I close my eyes, enjoying this moment with my sisters. If I end up traveling full time, I will miss this so much.

We pull away from each other, all of us giddy and smiling.

“How was your trip? I read the article on your website, of course, but I want to hear anything you left out.” Lily says, clapping her hands together.

“Have you read my travel articles?” I ask her, my eyes widening in surprise. I never had the impression my sisters were against my website, but I had no idea they kept up with it.

Lily crosses her arms, looking perturbed at my question. “You thought we didn’t read your articles?”

Rosa interjects, “We’re your sisters. We’ll support whatever you're passionate about! Just like you would for us.”

My eyes blur with tears and Lily puts her arm around me. “You’ve done a great job with your website. And you’re a really talented writer.”

Rosa nods. “The way you write about your travels always makes me want to go visit whatever place you’re writing about!”