Bab 18: De Diecisiete
The good news is that I was able to get most of my homework done at the airport. The bad news is that I still had some homework to do on Sunday.
On Sunday, I don't wear my meme shirts. Instead, I wear either a plain shirt with black pants or a dress to church. I don't have many dresses but the ones I do have are my Sunday best. I opted to wear a dress. Blue with black lace at the hems.
When I arrived downstairs for breakfast, my mom was already in her Sunday best and her hair twisted into a bun. "Good morning!" she chirps. "You and Hernando must've studied hard at the library, huh?"
"Oh yeah, we just...phew! Went through most of it. I still have some leftover assignments to finish today though." That was me being convincing.
I frowned at the sunny side up eggs. "Mom, where's the scrambled eggs?"
She shook her head as she said to me, "Katrina, you can't have scrambled eggs all of the time! Sunny side up is healthier and it still has plenty of protein." I groan as I cut around the yellow yolk center and eat the egg whites part. Whenever my mom talks like this, it means a new health kick has just begun.
"Thank you for looking out for me, mama," I replied as she kissed me on the cheek.
As I picked at my egg yolk, there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" asked mom before she unlocked the door.
"Tia Talia, it's me, Hernando!"
My mom opens the door to find Hernando and his younger siblings standing behind him. I have two other cousins besides Hernando. I have Madeline and Pepito. That's right; my two younger cousins were named after the Madeline book series for children...I hope Tia Linda's intention wasn't to be cruel.
"Hola Maddy y Pepe!" exclaimed my mom as she kissed them both on the cheek.
Hernando looked outraged as he said, "Uh, I'm here too. Where's my kiss?"
"Nobody likes a tease, Nando," was my mom's reply as she started to set other plates. I glanced at the clock we have on the wall that's shaped like the Eiffel Tower.
"Mama, aren't we going to be late for Church?"
She raised her eyebrow at me as she said, "Katrina, we have company. I'm sure God will understand if I want to feed your cousins." I nodded as my cousins and I all had a healthy breakfast together.
Tia Linda wasn't always the type to forget to feed her kids. In fact, I briefly recall her as the woman with the loudest laugh and a constant twinkle in her eyes. All of that changed when Hernando's dad killed himself in prison.
She instead started to act more withdrawn. My mom and I used to visit Tia Linda's once a week. That ended when Hernando was seven years old. I remember that day very well. We arrived at Tia Linda's place to see her home in complete disarray. Apparently, she owed some people money for drugs and they turned her place over to find money.
Of course, she didn't tell Mom any of this. There were exposed needles among the disarray. Mom brought Hernando to our house first. The first thing he asked my mom when he arrived to our home was, "Food?"
Apparently, Hernando hadn't eaten a thing since mom's last visit. She was outraged and she told me to stay with Hernando. We ate cereal together while mom brought Tia Linda to the hospital.
Where they weaned her off of heroin over the course of six weeks. When she was released from the hospital, there was reason to hope. She was like her loud laughing self again and the twinkle in those eyes returned. She got a job as a waitress for one of the Mexican restaurants located on 4th Ave in South Tucson. She even found new love in the form of a man who was a Taxi driver named Rudy.
Things were looking up and her home was filled to the brim with happiness. She even gave birth to Madeline and then Pepito. Rudy is their father, but he doesn't have the right to see them. Since he was Tia Linda's abuser.
They were together for three years before at age eleven, Hernando gained the courage to tell my mom about it. My mom was in disbelief. Until Hernando showed her bruises of his own. Some fresh and others faded across his torso. According to Hernando, Tio Rudy loved beating him around the torso.
At least Tio Rudy loved Maddy and Pepe enough to spare them. Still, it didn't stop Hernando or Tia Linda's pain. Again, my mom helped Hernando and his siblings by inviting them to her house one day. When they arrived, mom told us all she was going to go shopping for groceries and to not open the door for anybody.
So we watched television for hours until we heard banging coming from the front door. When I peeked out of the window, I saw Tio Rudy.
When I told Hernando who it was he shook his head. "You heard what Tia Talia said. We won't open the door for anybody. Let's go upstairs." All of us sat on the floor in my bedroom as the banging on the front door continued. Maddy and Pepe hugged each other in fear while Hernando and I kept a United front as we tried to distract Maddy and Pepe with conversation.
The banging persisted for two long hours until it suddenly stopped. "Mijo's, come down!" chirped my mom. We all went down together as she gave us each a half smile. "I need to tell you all something." That was the day she told us all that Tio Rudy wasn't welcome in our home or Tia Linda's.
Mom told me later that she and Tia Linda went to the police station to report the abuse. It took awhile but the police were able to make a restraining order for the situation. Mom also helped Tia Linda win custody of Maddy and Pepe as well as sign up for public assistance while she got back on her feet. Tia Linda, never did.
I'm the last one to finish breakfast while my cousins scarfed down theirs. Hernando smiled as he said, "Thank you, Tia Talia." Madeline and Pepito murmured their thanks as well.
Then mom asked them what she usually does whenever she sees one or all of my cousins on Sunday. "Would you like to come to mass with Katrina and me?"
"No thank you, Tia Talia. I've got to make sure my mom is still kicking, you know. We better head back." With those words, Hernando leaves along with Madeline and Pepito. While mom looked for a moment at the recently closed door with a worried look.
"Baby, I don't know about you but I'm going to pray for them," said my mom as she placed the empty dishes in the sink. Then, we were off to church.
Everything was good. There was good music on the radio, mom's car had the AC pumped on full blast, and traffic was smooth sailing. I should've known their was a catch in the form of Demi. She was waving at mom and I the moment we got out of the car. I groaned while my mom laughed, clearly enjoying my suffering.
"Relax baby. Maybe Demi's found just the right boy for you this time around." Yeah, another awkward meeting with a boy who's usually just as uncomfortable as me...terrific. Still, it's not like I can run away from a boy at church. That'd be too obvious and I'd have a representative of God as a witness.
I remember going to a debate that Kit had last year because it was scheduled right before a basketball game I was overseeing as on site nurse assistant.
The subject argued was religion and whether social constructs of going to church was still valid or not. Kit's position was not. Something I remembered from Kit's own mouth was, "You don't have to be in church to believe in God. As long as we believe in our hearts then faith is on our side."
However, try telling that to my mom. Who's a steadfast Catholic and probably would've paid for my private catholic school education if the money was there. Thank God it's not.
"Hola Talia y Katrina," said Demi as we breezed inside of the front entrance. I believe anyplace with adequate air conditioning and as luck would have it, a table with goodies is a good place to be on a Sunday morning in Arizona.
Demi ushered us to the table of goodies as she said, "I made some cookies for this Sunday. Have one before going in. They'll be gone by the time mass ends." Mom and I happily agreed as we nibbled and I breathed a sigh of relief.
If Demi was busy baking cookies then she was too busy to introduce me to some poor unsuspecting boy. Honestly, I don't know where she find these boys from! Only that she likes to play matchmaker and I'm her favorite doll.
I should've taken mom's advice in middle school and lied to Demi that I had a boyfriend. Kindness doesn't come without it's complications.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone