Page 13 of Fixed Up Ever After
By the time everyone was finally in the car, buckled up, and in a sour mood, he was ready to throw in the towel and call it quits. Except that would put a damper on their family day and everyone had been excited when he brought it up. Who knew cookies and a picture book would provide so much joy?
His sister was the last in after putting Arturo back into his car seat with his tablet. “Sorry, sorry! Okay, we are all ready to go,” she assured, looking frazzled with her messy bun and rumpled shirt.
Javi bit back the sarcastic retort on the tip of his tongue, knowing that would only serve to cause bickering between the two. He loved his family more than anything, but getting them all out of the house in a timely manner was near impossible. He needed to breathe and trust they would make it through.
Though they were in his sister’s van, Javi offered to drive since he knew Maverick, his sister’s husband, did most of the driving. Today Mav started spring training for baseball and according to Ofelia, he was adjusting nicely to his new team.
Maverick accepted a job with his San Francisco team nearly a year ago. It had been a huge change for his sister who had lived in Texas for the last five years, but she had been eager to move closer to family. She wanted to raise her children alongside their cousins and be near him and their father when Mav had to travel for baseball.
Javi enjoyed having his sister close again. He hadn’t realized how much he missed her until she moved back. It was nice having her close so Camilia would have a woman she loved and confided in if she were ever unable to come to him for some reason or another. Especially during puberty, but luckily they were still pretty far off from that.
Not even five minutes later, Javi heard snoring from the back seat. He snuck a glance in his rearview mirror to see his father in the back, mouth slightly ajar and eyes closed. Arturo was slumped forward in his car seat, tablet nowhere to be found as he too slept. Camilia was the only one awake, looking out the window as they drove.
“Well, next time we need to get them ready for nap time, all we need to do is load them up and drive around the neighborhood.” Ofelia laughed, snapping a picture of the sleeping duo in the backseat, no doubt sending the picture to Maverick. “I just hate to wake them up,” she said as she put her phone away.
“They are like cats. They sleep all the time.” Anytime he walked into the house and Arturo was there with his father, the two were usually curled up on the recliner sleeping. If they weren’t sleeping, they were eating something they probably shouldn’t be eating. He loved the relationship his father had with his grandchildren. It was special to see him give both Arturo and Camilia his full attention and intently listen to them, even when he had no idea what they were saying. It was a far cry from what he and Ofelia got from him growing up, but he was glad his daughter got this side of his father.
The drive to the bakery only lasted fifteen minutes, but parking would be hell. The bakery was located in the middle of town, one of the busier streets located a few blocks from the university. The only available parking was on the street and so far, he had not come upon a space large enough to fit the van.
After a few times circling the block, a black sedan finally pulled out of a spot and Javi took the opportunity to pull in. The bakery was only a short walk away. He could already smell the delicious sugar wafting from the shop. Camilia apparently could too because she said, “Papá, can I have a cookie?”
“You’ll be making your own cookie soon,” he answered, which was greeted by a happy cheer.
Getting out of the car did not take as long as getting in, which he was thankful for. His father allowed Javi to help him out without complaint. His sister unbuckled Arturo and placed him down next to Camilia. The two locked hands and Ofelia placed her hand over her heart in awe. “Don’t they make you want another one?”
A sad smile touched his lips. There had been a time when Javi wanted more kids, three to be exact, but those dreams died when Estella did. Ofelia clearly noticed his lack of response and shot him an apologetic look. He wanted to tell her he did not need her sympathy; far too many people looked at him with those same sad eyes and it pissed him off.
But his sister meant well. She was in a good place with her husband and their first child. How could she not want more of the ideal family society said they should have. His sister deserved it and he did not resent her happiness, but he sometimes wished things would have ended differently for him.
Not only for him but for Camilia as well. She never knew life with a mother and that, more than anything, pulled at his heartstrings. He wanted to give his baby girl everything, but he would never be able to provide her with the feeling of a mother’s love. She deserved that and so much more.
“Papá, let's go!” His daughter’s sweet voice made his heart ache.
Despite his changing thoughts, Javi mustered up excitement, which admittedly wasn’t that hard when Camilia was a bouncing ball of joy. He reached for her hand and she gladly clasped her tiny hand with his. He wondered how much longer he’d be able to hold his little girl’s hand in public.
He really couldn’t go down that road of thinking today unless he wanted to bring down the mood of the entire party.
The delicious aroma of sugar and cinnamon greeted them once Javi opened the door for his family. They all trailed in, his father second to last, and Javi took up the caboose. The vibrant pink-and-white styled bakery was packed with so many bodies that made maneuvering from one spot to another an Olympic sport in balancing.
“There’s a table over here!” Ofelia called from up front, guiding Arturo and Camilia to the vacant table. Javi took his father’s arm out of fear his father would wind up with another family and they’d never see him again. He followed the bob of his sister’s messy bun until he made it to the table.
It was a small round table with only three seats, which went to the kids and his father. He did not mind standing and knew his sister wouldn’t either, but his father needed the support, or his legs would ache.
“I’m not a child in need of their mother’s attention, mijo.” His father chastised when Javi insisted he take the seat, but luckily didn’t push the matter.
“Javi! You made it!” A feminine voice said from behind them. Javi turned to see Mattea with a giant grin on her face. She carried two plates of plain sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles off to the side. She placed the plates down in front of Arturo and Camilia and pointed to his daughter. “Is this one yours?”
There was no hiding the pride on his face as he nodded. “She is. That’s Camilia and my nephew Arturo.”
“Well, they are stinking precious. I’m so glad you were able to make it. My wife is somewhere around here and you made it just in time for our story.” Mattea’s infectious attitude was impossible to ignore and Javi found that he liked the woman. He didn’t have many friends, but he could imagine how easy it would be to have Mattea as one.
How the hell did adults even make friends these days? When he was a child, all he had to do was find a particularly nice rock and hand it to the nearest kid and he had a friend for life…or at least for that school year.
A clanging bell sounded, quieting the chatter of the room. Everyone turned to find the origin of the sound and a tall black woman stood atop a chair. He heard Mattea suck in a deep breath and mutter, “She better get her ass down from there. She knows she's uncoordinated.” And he wondered if this was her wife, Monique. He had only ever spoken with her over the phone, but all in-person contact had been with Mattea.
“Thank you all for joining us here for cookies and storytime.” The woman said loud enough to be heard over the small whines of impatient children and the scooting of chairs. “I’m Monique, co-owner of this bakery. I’m so excited to announce my best friend and the new owner of Phoenix Books—” A few hushed whispers went around the room, wondering when the old bookstore would reopen. He imagined it needed a lot of work before it could open its doors to customers again.
“—Ms. Lola!” Monique finished and a round of applause greeted her last words. She jumped down from the chair to hug the woman who just walked in, carrying a vibrant children’s book in her hand.
