Chapter 9
Mandy’s house is loud—so loud. Just like her. We sit at the table with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gomez, though they insisted I call them Enrique and Ana as soon as Mandy introduced us.
Mrs. Gomez—Ana—runs from the kitchen to the table as she pilestortillasonto thetortillawarmer in the center of the table.
“Mateo!” Ana screams at the top of her lungs, and a young man’s voice bellows from down the hall in response.
“One second!”
“Sorry, Valentina,” Ana says. “This kid drives me crazy sometimes.” She offers me a sheepish smile, and I ask her to please not worry on my account.
“I’m so hungry I could eat a cow,” says Enrique.
“Mom makes the bestalbondigasoup,” Mandy says. “I thought a light broth might be good for you.” She squeezes my forearm, and my heart swells that the menu was catered to me.
“Thank you,” I say. “I haven’t had any food that tastes like home in a while.”
“Especially not at the hospital,” Mandy adds.
I shiver at the memory.
“Mateo!” Ana yells again, her frustration growing on her face each time she has to yell her son’s name. She tosses another pile oftortillasonto the heap and plops in her chair, a bit out of breath.
Ana is beautiful, and Mandy looks a lot like her. They have the same small frame with a lean muscular build, though Mandy’s tanned skin is a shade darker, more like her dad’s.
“Ama!” Mateo yells as he walks toward the dinner table. “I had to save my game.”
“We have guests,” Ana hisses.
Mateo and Ana continue to argue, and Enrique starts asking Amanda about work, ignoring the argument ensuing on the other side of the table. Each set of conversations has to raise an octave when the other conversation takes over the dining room’s sound until they are all but screaming. I resist the urge to wince because it is also a little bit funny. I see now why Mandy is so loud.
The smack over his head silences Mateo once and for all, and he scowls.
“Hi, Mateo. I’m Valentina,” I say to insert myself in the conversation.
“Hi,” he says, looking down at his dinner.
“How old are you?”
“Thirteen,” he seethes.
Mandy shakes her head at her little brother. “I’m going to have Valentina kick your ass,” she says and smiles.
Mateo laughs. “She’s a girl!” He snaps as if that disqualifies me from the job, and I press my lips together.
“She’s an MMA fighter,” Mandy says, crossing her arms.
Mateo’s head snaps up with wide eyes like he can’t believe what his sister just said. His gaze scans my arms, sizing me up, no doubt. “No way,” he says, shaking his head. “You’re too small.”
“Yes, way,” I say. “But I won’t kick your ass. I promise.”
He smiles at me, and for the rest of the dinner, he can hardly look in my direction.
“So,” Ana says, “Mandy tells me you are getting treatment at Heartland Metro,”
“That’s right—”
“Mami! I told you she doesn’t want to talk about that,” Mandy says.