Before Carmela had the chance to respond, the door flew open and revealed a stout pair that looked nothing like their tall, lean daughter.
“Carmela! Welcome to our home, come in!” Luis greeted before capturing Carmela in a bear hug. Sandra, her mother, embraced her with similar warmth.
Within minutes, Carmela felt more at home with the Rodriguez clan than she ever had in her own house growing up. The love they exuded was intoxicating, and she finally understood why Rhiannon was always happy to be around them.
The only member of the family unenthused by her presence was Rhiannon’s sister, Terry, who looked like she’d rather be at a root canal than dinner. While she hadn’t been outright rude, her silence was strange in the face of everyone else’s chatter. All through dinner, they’d taken turns regaling her with stories of Rhiannon as child. Everyone except Terry.
When they cleared the table and washed up together, Carmela included much to Sandra’s protestations, Terry plopped down on the couch to stare into her phone.
“Is she always like that?” Carmela whispered when her parents were out of earshot. “Or is it just because of me?”
“She’s always miserable. Just ignore her,” Rhiannon replied.
As soon as they sat in the living room, Sandra popped up out of her armchair. “I forgot about the pie!”
“What pie, Mami? We’re stu ed,” Rhiannon said, patting her belly.
“A little something sweet helps with digestion,” she replied.
Rhiannon chuckled. “Mom, just because you keep saying that doesn’t make it true.”
“Shush,” she snapped. “Luis, come help me. It’s in the garage fridge and there’s ice cream too.”
“You have an extra fridge in the garage?” Carmela asked as she leaned over to Rhiannon, who was sitting next to her on the couch.
Rhiannon giggled. “And a deep freezer too. Never know when you’ll need ten-pound bags of frozen vegetables.”
“Wow, Pup, you must feel pretty proud of yourself.
Someone finally rescued you,” Terry said without glancing up from her phone.
The sound of her voice set Carmela’s teeth on edge.
Glancing at Rhiannon out of the corner of her eye, she expected her to come back at her with the kind of smart remark she used to use on her when they first met. Instead, she seemed to wither and Carmela could not abide it.
Terry was undeterred. “Don’t you think it’s a little too on the wet nose? I mean. . . finding a woman twice your age to replace the one that didn’t love you is like textbook mommy issues, right?”
Stunned not only by the vitriol, but by Rhiannon’s silence, Carmela leapt to her feet. “Does that make you feel good about yourself?” Carmela towered over the woman who hadn’t moved from her lounging position but had glared up from her phone. “Mocking someone for something they have no control over? Laughing at her tragedy?”
“What’s going on here?” Sandra shrieked.
“This bitch has lost her mind,” Terry replied casually.
“Rhi?” Luis asked, a massive white bakery box in his hands. “What the hell happened?”
“Just leave it, Carm,” Rhiannon begged, her gray eyes dim for the first time since she’d met her.
“Under any other circumstances I would never say this.”
Carmela took a deep breath as she turned toward the most important people in Rhiannon’s life, the people she’d just met and really liked. The ones she so desperately wanted to like her back. “I actually can’t think of a better way to make a horrible first impression.”
Sandra set the ice cream down on an accent table full of family photos. Luis seemed to brace himself. After another steadying breath, Carmela repeated what Terry said while battling the overwhelming desire to throw up.
When she was finished, Luis shifted his gaze to his eldest daughter, who couldn’t be bothered to get o her phone.
“Teresita, is that true?”
“Ay, Papi, whatever. She’s exaggerating. I just made a little joke,” she responded, only halfheartedly defending herself.