“Bye, Jolene.”
She says her goodbye and I kill the engine, also ending the call. I barely have the door open and Gabby is standing right in front of the car. “It took you long enough.”
“Chill, sis,” I scold. “I haven’t talked to Jolene all day.”
“I’m sure you’ve talked to plenty of other girls, though.” She says it like it’s a fact. She doesn’t know shit. I’ve barely talked to her about anyone for a long time because this is the kind of judgement, I get from her.
“You don’t know shit, Gabby.” I close my door and stomp past her. I do not need this crap from her.
I walk through the still open door and don’t bother seeing if she’s following. Mom is in the kitchen, and the smell of dinner is divine. If Gabby doesn’t change her attitude, though, I’ll walk back through the door and leave. Delicious dinner be damned. I’m not going to have her being an ass over something she has no clue about.
My mom must have heard me because she whips around from the stove. “You’re here. You really need to come visit me more.” She acts like I’m not over here once a week. “Where’s your sister?”
I shrug. “I’m sure she’ll be in soon. She told me I needed to hurry up.” I peer over Mom and see the burners on the stove still going. “You aren’t even done with dinner.”
“You and your sister need to stop fighting, mi corazon. There will be a day when you are all you have.” I hate when she talks like this. It’s something she tells us every time we get into a disagreement. But we’re siblings. That’s what we do…we bicker and then make up.
“I know, Mom.” She turns away from me and stirs the meat in the skillet. Carne Asada is one of my favorite meals, and I love when she makes it. It always gives me the peace of being home. “Do you need any help?”
“No, it’s almost done.” She looks over at the table and rolls her eyes. “You can set the table since your sister didn’t.” We hear the door close harder than necessary and she shakes her head. As soon as she hears me get the plates down from the cupboard, she throws out her next question. “When will I get to meet this girl of yours?”
“In two weeks,” I grin. It’s hard not to. She’ll be coming into my world for a bit. Meeting my family, and getting to know them. “She’ll be in Austin for a couple of days. We can grab dinner after the game, or she can come over here the day after.”
“I’ll cook,” she nods. I’m not arguing with her. Her food is amazing, and Jolene won’t be able to eat Mexican food from a restaurant again. Not after she’s had the real thing. “Get the table set, I’ll bring the food over.”
I do as I’m asked and soon Gabby is helping me. It’s a little late now since she only has to get the silverware. But I’m not going to fight with her. A peaceful dinner is what Mom wants, and it’s what I’ll give her.
* * *
Mom is in the living room watching her novellas while Gabby and I clean the kitchen. Even though I kept things peaceful, you could feel the tension rolling off of my sister. I don’t know what I did to piss her off, but I’m over it. She’s practically slamming the dishes into the dishwasher, and I worry she’s going to break something. “Dude, you need to chill. If you break one of those plates, Mom is going to freak the fuck out.” My voice is a harsh whisper because I try not to cuss when I’m around my mom.
“You can buy her a new set,” she snaps back.
“Not the point, Gabby,” I point to the dishes in question, “those are the ones she got from Abuelita. She will lose her shit.”
My sister takes a moment to think about that. Finally, something to calm her ass down. There are only a few more dishes to add to the load, and I’m done wiping everything down. This is the one time a week I really clean anything. I have a cleaning service come by my house. I’ve tried offering Mom the same thing, but she refuses and says she can clean her own house. Most days I wish she would let me take care of her and make her life easier, but others…I know exactly what she means. She needs to feel useful, and cleaning is her thing.
I ball up the rag in my hand and shoot it toward the sink. It goes in without ever touching the sides. “Do you always have to play around?”
“You mean have fun? Yes,” I nod. “I always have to have fun. I’ll be on the porch if you need anything else.” Turning my back to her, I walk down the small hallway leading to the laundry room and out the back door. Mom put a table out here years ago. It’s where she likes to drink her morning coffee.
I pull one of the chairs into the yard. Looking up, I study the sky. Wondering if Jolene is on any of the planes flying overhead. The stars are almost non-existent among the bright city lights. I wonder what it’s like to look at the night sky without any distractions.
Lost in my thoughts, I don’t realize that someone is joining me until I look over and see my sister has pulled a chair next to me. “You must really like this woman.”
Seriously, that’s how she wants to start this? “I wouldn’t be bringing her around if I didn’t. She’s different than anyone I’ve dated before.”
“You mean she doesn’t want you for your success? Like those other girls you’re photographed with?”
Honestly, I didn’t realize she knew about them. That’s beside the point. “She’s nothing like them. She’s smart, funny, and she isn’t scared to go toe-to-toe with me if she doesn’t like something I do or say.”
“You basically just described me,” my sister deadpans.
“Please don’t ever say that again,” I shudder at the thought. “Anyway. As much as I like her, I’m constantly worried she’s going to bail. Like something I say or do, is going to be the last straw for her and she’ll leave…just like Dad did.” I don’t mention that my feelings are more than just liking her. They are quickly approaching the “L” word, and I’m not sure how I feel about that either.
“I’m going to say this as lovingly as I can. Big sister to little brother.” She places her hand on my arm telling me she requires my full attention. “You have spent your entire life running from any sort of meaningful relationship. Denying yourself of any happiness because Dad left. That wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t mine or Mom’s either. He was a selfish asshole and he doesn’t deserve anymore of our thoughts or time.” I open my mouth to cut her off, but she shakes her head. “I’m not done. It’s time for you to grow up, and stop letting that hurt interfere with your relationships. If you keep living your life in fear of rejection, you’re never going to actually live.”
Huh. I’ve never had it put to me that way before. It makes sense, but it’s easier to say I’m going to do that than it is to actually do it. “It’s scary though, sis. This thing with her feels real. It feels bigger than anything I’ve felt before.”