Page 76 of Fixed Up Ever After
The smell of fresh cilantro and cumin wafting from the kitchen made Lola’s stomach growl, even though she had been grazing all morning. She couldn’t help it, she seemed to always be in a snacky mood these days, and with Ofelia cooking in the other room, her snack threshold all but tripled.
“Ofelia, please tell me what I can help you with.” Lola entered the kitchen slowly, knowing any sudden movement would gain her ire. As of this morning, her sister-in-law had already shooed all the men out of the kitchen. Normally she was the first to have them help cook, but since it was Father’s Day, they had all collectively decided to give them one day off.
“Sure, can you take the bottle out of the warmer and give it to Mav? I hear Violeta crying and I know it’s because she’s hungry.” Ofelia barely looked up from the pot as she added extra seasoning. Lola’s mouth watered at the thought of the menudo she was making.
“Oh, I’ll do it, tía.” Camilia smiled, hopping off the counter where she had been supervising Marisol cutting up the veggies for the salsa. When she passed Lola, she winked, giddy with the secret the two of them shared.
“Thank you, mija,” Ofelia called as Camilia skipped out of the room. Violeta was the newest member of their ever-growing family, just shy of a year old. She was an adorable little girl with the biggest brown eyes and tight curls that Ofelia had styled into tiny pigtails.
“Lola, can you make the salsa? Yours always tastes so much better than mine.” The slight whine in her sister’s voice made her laugh. Marisol was many things, but a chef, she was not. She was much more accustomed to other people cooking for her, but Lola gave her credit for trying. Honestly, she was just proud she hadn’t sliced off a thumb yet.
“Yeah, just hand me your knife and move out of the way.” She laughed and Marisol all but collapsed in relief when Lola took over.
Over the past two years, they had worked hard on mending their broken relationship. Marisol had a lot of trauma to work through along with her divorce from Archie. Some days were better than others and they still went through periods of arguing, but they were trying. It amazed Lola how much she learned about her sister over the years and she loved finding things in common.
Surprisingly enough, they were both huge fans of rage rooms, as suggested by a therapist they saw together once a month. He had thought this would be a good way for the women to get their frustrations out. There was nothing more satisfying than breaking porcelain plates or hitting an old TV with a baseball bat.
She only wished she found a similar outlet with her mother. Their relationship hadn’t progressed as much as Lola had hoped. It had taken her a year to even sit down with her mother and talk to her about the pain she’d caused her. Luciana had listened to her daughter, but they were still trying to find ways to reconnect. Right now, their meetings only consisted of large family gatherings and the occasional phone call.
The last time Lola had been on the phone with her mother, three months ago, Luciana had stated she had finally found a therapist that she liked. According to her father, said therapist cost him an arm and a leg, but he thought every penny was well worth it.
It gave Lola hope for the future.
“Technically, I don’t have to cook since I’m not married or have children,” Marisol said, leaning back against the counter.
“Yeah, but you have a father we are celebrating today,” Lola insisted.
“Oh, right.” Sometimes her sister was still so caught up in herself that she tended to forget those around her. Lola had long ago stopped being insulted by that. Her sister didn’t do it on purpose and she was actively trying to be less self-centered.
It was still a work in progress.
For the next twenty minutes, Lola listened to whatever Ofelia needed her to do to prepare the lunch for the dads. With Camilia and Arturo’s help, the three of them got the dining room table set. Ofelia was the only one to have a table that expanded big enough to accommodate the family.
“Boys! It’s time to eat,” Ofelia called, carrying the large pot of menudo out while Marisol brought out a few other dishes Ofelia had somehow been able to make. That woman was a master in the kitchen and she didn’t know how Maverick didn’t gain a million pounds with her food. Probably due to his intense baseball fitness regime.
One by one, the men of the family began to amble in. As expected, her father was the first one since he was Ofelia’s biggest fan when it came to her cooking. Her mother had come down with the flu and opted to stay home, which was fine by Lola. It gave her one less thing to worry about.
Next came Maverick with his father-in-law Ruben, discussing baseball stats she never quite understood. Maverick held Violeta in his arms, which made Lola smile. He hardly ever put that girl down.
Finally, her husband walked through the door, eyes scanning the room until they landed on her. The smile he reserved only for her spread across his features and butterflies formed in her belly. She didn’t think she would ever get used to that smile. The way he looked at her with all the love and adoration in this world.
“Where are we sitting, Mrs. Mendez?” he purred into her ear, wrapping his arms around her torso. A giggle left her lips when he started to nuzzle and kiss her neck.
Their wedding had been small and intimate. Only a few of their closest friends and some family were allowed to come. Mona had officiated their wedding in a ceremony that took place in Ofelia’s backyard. Camilia had been their flower girl and Arturo their ring bearer. It was what they both had wanted. She couldn’t believe that had only been five months ago. She felt like she lived a whole lifetime in those five months while simultaneously thinking it was going by too quickly.
“Camilia already called dibs on the middle,” Lola warned and gestured to the three seats in front of them. Camilia found her way to hers and eagerly patted the spots next to her.
The last person to sit was Ofelia. As soon as she did, she gestured for everyone to eat. No one hesitated and began to fill their bowls and bellies up.
They didn’t often get together. Everyone’s schedules clashed, which only allowed for meets ups once in a while. Lola never had a big family and she had not realized how much she wanted one until Javi’s family took her in. Two years ago, if someone would have said they would all be sitting down together, sharing a meal on Father’s Day, Lola would have laughed in their face.
Yet here they all sat talking about everything from Maverick’s games to the small, mundane family moments. Arturo would be starting kindergarten next month, going to the same school as Camilia. Camilia told everyone all about the third-grade teachers and which one she wanted, to which Lola’s father said he would write a strongly worded letter to the principal to assure that would happen.
Lola would have to make sure he didn’t.
By the time they finished eating, two hours had flown by. Camilia twisted in her seat to get Lola’s attention. “Mamá Lola, is it present time yet?”
Mamá.
