“Cal?” My accent peeks through, accentuating theahsound.
He laughs as he drops on to the dock and crisscrosses his legs next to me.
“What are you doing?” I try my best to annunciate my words like how I learned from watching too much American TV after school.
“Grandpa told me you moved here from Colombia a few weeks ago.”
My chest tightens as I think about home. Mami wanted a fresh start after Papi left us, so she called a cousin who moved to the States and bought three one-way plane tickets. Anto has spent most of her days locked in her room, while I’ve hung out by the lake by myself, ignoring my mom. If I’m going to protest living here, I might as well enjoy the view.
“Yup.” Maybe if I keep my answers short, he will go away.
“Do you miss it?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any friends here?”
I release a heavy breath. “Why are you asking?”
“You looked lonely.”
Because I am.“So?”
“So, I thought we could be friends.”
“I don’t want any.” Making friends with anyone might make Mami believe I’m happy about living here. And if she thinks I like it here, then we will never move back to Colombia.
His smile widens, taking up the lower half of his face. “Okay. No friends.”
He doesn’t leave, which only annoys me more. Instead, he stares out at the lake and taps his fingers against the wood plank in a mindless patter.
I clamp my hand over his to stop the tapping sound. “Will you stop?”
“Sorry.” His cheeks turn pink. “I can’t help it sometimes.”
“Why?”
He looks away from me. “Because I’ve got issues.”
“Says who?”
“My dad.”
My lips purse. “Sounds like a pendejo.”
A small smile tugs at his lips. “What does that mean?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, but I think it’s a bad word. My mom said it to my dad when he made her cry.” My chest aches at the memory, but I do my best to push the thought away.
“Pendejo. I like it. What other bad words do you know?”
I spend the rest of the afternoon teaching Cal a bunch of bad words I have overheard, and he teaches me the English equivalent. By the time my mom is calling us in for dinner, I realize the sun has already set and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
“Are you eating with us tonight?” Cal offers me his hand.
I take it and gasp at the little tingle in my fingers. “You shocked me!”
He laughs, which makes me laugh.