“Julio?”
Julio came forward and held his nephew’s shoulders, face wrinkled in worry.
“Holy sainted mother, Antonio, who did this to you?
Doctor, please.”
He stepped back so a grave-looking doctor could come into the room. Antonio was asked to sit on the edge of his bed and the doctor pulled up a chair.
While he examined and dressed Antonio’s wounds Julio tried to get Antonio to tell him what had happened.
Antonio nodded towards the doctor, saying, “I’ll tell you later, okay?”
Julio understood and sat back. Half an hour later Antonio was given painkiller and instructions to rest. Julio walked the doctor out, thanking him, and came back.
“What happened?” Julio said.
Antonio was about to begin sharing at least some of the truth when Julio’s telephone rang. He listened to the caller, then hung up. “Excuse me. I’ve got to go, but you can fill me in later. Is there anything you need now?”
Antonio thought for a minute.
“Yes, there is something.”
“What?”
“Can you please tell your fiance that I didn’t get Joan drunk? I swear it.”
“I’ll tell her, but I’m not sure it’s going to help.”
“Will you tell Joan, if you see her, that I’m sorry I left her alone at the hotel? Tell her...”
He trailed off, feeling miserable again.
Julio came over and squeezed his unbruised shoulder. “Tell you what - why don’t you tell her yourself? The whole family will be here tomorrow.”
Antonio swallowed a lump in his throat as Julio started for the door. “Julio,” he called out. “Why are you helping me?”
“Because you’re family, Antonio. Because you’re family.”
Antonio appreciated the sentiment, even if it wasn’t true. He’d never understood why Julio’s father had taken such an interest in an old Air Force buddy’s child, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
IN THE MAJESTIC HOTEL Joan and her sister waited impatiently for Julio in the restaurant. Lissa called Julio when he was over thirty minutes late. The conversation was short, and when she hung up, Lissa looked upset.
“What’s wrong? Isn’t he coming?”
“He said he was on his way, but he wouldn’t tell me where he was or why he was late.”
The waiter came and Joan said, “Look, I’m not hungry. I think I want to just go back to mom’s suite and get some sleep. Can you give Julio my best when he gets here?”
Lissa reluctantly agreed and Joan started to gather up her things, but a voice stopped her.
“There you are!”
“Mamacita? Aunt Sophia?” Lissa said, as surprised as Joan to see the two older women who had just come into the restaurant - especially since they were each pushing strollers containing her three children.
Aunt Sophia had the double stroller and she couldn’t get through the crowd of tables, but Mamacita made it to the table.
The agitated maître d’ trailed after her. “Madam, I’m so sorry but we don’t have seating for you and your – ah hem – children.”
“Silence, young man. I’m having dinner with my daughters. Make room for us, immediately, unless you want me to complain to my son, Julio Torres.”
The maître d’s eyes widened, but then he stuck out his chin defiantly. “I’m sorry Señora, but it’s not possible to have both strollers in this space.”
“Fine,” Mamicita huffed. She scooped Hunter out of his stroller and handed the diaper bag to Lissa and the baby to Joan, who’d already risen and was standing by to help.
“Hello, Hunter,” Joan said as she heaved the growing baby onto her hip.
Hunter looked up at her and smiled. Her heart skipped a beat and she breathed in his scent. He was powdered and recently bathed. Mamacita and Aunt Sophia had taken good care of them.
The maître d’ sent one of the busboys away with the empty stroller to park in the coat check room, tables were moved, and the restaurant got back to normal.
Joan decided to stay, curious why Mamacita and Aunt Sophia had come out with the three boys.
“Mamacita,” Lissa asked, after the two older ladies settled into their seats, “What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t handle the children on my own and Aunt Sophia has to leave, her best friend broke her hip. Sophia must go.’
“I’m a so a sorry,” Aunt Sophia said in her broken English.
Lissa leaned forward and took both of Aunt Sophia’s wrinkled, chubby hands in her own. “You have nothing to be sorry about. You’ve been a total angel, helping us the way you have. Go to your friend and don’t worry about missing the wedding. We’ll have tons of pictures and videos. I promise.”
“Gracias,” she said.
“So it’ll just be you, me and my mother,” Joan said to Mamacita with a crooked grin, knowing that Mamacita and her mother hadn’t exactly become friends yet.
Mamacita slid her glance to Lissa, looking uncomfortable.
“What?” Joan asked, wondering what those looks were about.
Lissa said, “Actually, Joan, I was going to tell you after Julio got here, but..”
“But, what?” Joan said, feeling her heart sink. Was Lissa going to fire her after all?
“I hired another nanny,” she began.
Joan’s face must have shown her disappointment, because Lissa immediately tried to explain. “She’s not the permanent nanny, just a back-up. A helper. And...” she leaned forward, whispering. “There’s something else, but I can’t tell you here.” Louder, she said, “I appreciate your mother wanting to help, but I know she has a filming date next week so it only seemed right to have an extra pair of capable hands around. You can see how good she is and if you like her, let me know. Perhaps she can come to work for us full time after the honeymoon, give you more time to yourself...” She winked at Joan, not wanting to let Mamacita in on her plan to move to New York before she was ready.
Joan also thought that her sister might hope she’d change her mind and decide to stay. She appreciated her sister’s thoughtfulness and understood her actions. In light of Aunt Sophia being gone for who knew how long, she was grateful that her sister already had a backup plan.
Lissa’s phone rang and she answered quickly, shushing everyone.
“What do you mean you’re not coming? I thought you wanted to talk to Joan about Antonio.”
Her face darkened.
“Fine, whatever,” she said, and hung up.
She turned to Aunt Sophia, a smile plastered on her face. “So Aunt Sophia, when will you be going to your friend?”
“Tonight. My sister is a driving me, why we brought the boys.”
“Can you stay for dinner?”
“Of course,” they both said.
Dinner was pleasant and Hunter fell asleep in Joan’s arms. The other two boys were angels, either asleep or quiet the whole night, but when it was time to go all three boys woke up at the same time and one by one began to cry – loudly.
/> Lissa and Joan did their best to try and comfort the boys, but the maître d’ came over.
“Please, ladies. Dinner is on the house, please take your family and go.”
Mamacita, Aunt Sophia, Joan and Lissa got the three crying babies out of the restaurant and stood under the covered portico of the hotel as they waited for the driver. A minivan large enough to accommodate the triplets and all their gear pulled up, and the driver hopped out.
“Ma’am,” he said, pulling open the door.
“I’m going with Aunt Sophia,” Mamacita said. “I’ll be back in the morning. You can have Javier and the minivan for the boys. Javier, did you drive my car around, like I asked you to?”
“Yes, Señorita, here is the valet slip,” he said, passing it to her.
“What about the wedding Mamacita? When will you be back?” Lissa asked.
Joan knew she was worried about the following day when they were to all show up at the country house where the wedding was to take place. There would be a rehearsal dinner, and the royal family’s entourage was to stop by and make sure his security was in place. How was Lissa going to handle all that without Mamacita?
“I’ll be back before the rehearsal dinner, I promise,” Mamacita said. Just then the valet showed up with her Taurus V8 hardtop convertible.
Aunt Sophia, reluctant to say goodbye, spent several minutes slobbering her three grandnephews with kisses. Joan found it interesting that all three of the boys had become instant angels the moment they stepped outside the restaurant.
“You be good babies, ser buenos chicos,” she told them, then wrapped Lissa in a bear hug.
“I’m-a so sorry I miss-a your wedding,” she said, “You is a perfect wife for a Julio, esposa perfecta!”
“Thank you, Aunt Sophia,” Lissa said, moved by the compliment. “I’ll take good care of your nephew, I promise.”
“And you,” Aunt Sophia, surprising Joan as she came to her, “When are a you getting married? You need a to start a your own familia.”
“Uh, I -” Joan stuttered, shocked by the dictate.
Everyone but Joan laughed.
Joan set aside the ridiculous notion that she would be getting married and starting a family anytime soon. Then, Joan realized that Aunt Sophia might be gone for weeks, that she might not see her again before she left for America. Joan squeezed the woman tight, swiping away a tear after they pulled apart.