Bright Side

by Rose Fresquez

  When she parked the van in the cracked cement driveway, Daisy jumped out and sped to the front door. Bianca found her inside telling Carmen about the game.

  Bianca shuffled the keys in her purse and set the bag on the table in front of Mama.

  “Mr. Drew is coming over for dinner,” Daisy announced with enthusiasm.

  “Slow down, chiquita,” Mama said. “Tonight?”

  “In four days!” Bianca said, suddenly needing something, anything to settle her nerves from the upcoming engagement.

  She almost tripped over Mama’s crutches when she scurried to the white refrigerator. Swinging it open, she pulled out the container of sopapillas her mom had made last night—the ones she’d purposefully declined because she was trying to steer away from sweets lately.

  She ripped a piece of the paper towel from the roll on the counter and stuck one of the sopapillas in it before putting it in the microwave. The microwave numbers didn’t light up, and when she punched the numbers, they still didn't offer a sound. She sighed in frustration when she realized the microwave was still not working.

  “MAMA!” SHE CALLED AFTER her mother, who was asking Daisy all sorts of questions about Andrew.

  When Carmen turned toward her, the words rolled off Bianca’s tongue in Spanish. “Supongo que el hombre de mantenimiento no apareció para arreglar el microonda?” I take it that the handyman did not show up to fix the microwave?With several things needing to be fixed around the house, Bianca had called a handyman yesterday and he’d assured her that he would be here earlier today.

  “He came...” Mama said, waving her hand dismissively. “I sent him away.”

  Bianca threw her hands up. “Why?”

  “You should’ve seen his teeth.” Carmen’s face grew more serious when she spoke. “He had three fake teeth in the front.”

  “What does his gold or silver teeth have to do with fixing the microwave or the leaky faucet?”

  “We’re not going to fund his fake teeth.” Mama waggled her hand between them. “Nuh uh.. I can not do that to you, Mija. You work too hard, and it's not fair for you to sponsor people’s teeth.”

  Bianca let out a frustrated sigh and returned the sopapilla to the container, then settled for the grapes, which were much healthier than the sopapillas anyway.

  Next time, she would make sure to call the guy when she was home to see the job done—that's if he would agree to come after her mom sent him off.

  She crammed a couple of grapes into her mouth and joined her mom at the table. Daisy left for her room.

  “Where’s Mateo?” She pulled out the chair and plopped down.

  “He went to see his friends. They might perform in a band tonight.”

  Bianca rolled her eyes. “When is he going to realize that he needs a real job?”

  “You’re so hard on your brother. You need to give him a chance to prove that he’s responsible.”

  Yeah, right. She looked around to make sure that Daisy was not within earshot before she leaned forward. “Two years, Mama. He’s been here for two years. He has a family in Mexico, and they’re counting on him for financial support.”

  “Ellas estarán bien.” They will be fine.

  “Just like you were fine raising me by yourself, right?”

  Mom crossed her arms, her elbows resting on the table. “Lo hice bien!” I did just fine!

  She’d probably hit a nerve with that, but in Mama’s case, she’d brought that on herself, for dad to start a family with someone else. Mama wasn’t the kind to take orders from anyone, and Bianca assumed that was the main reason her parents’ marriage had never worked out.

  Mama suddenly changed the subject.“Tell me more about this fireman coming over for dinner.”

  It was unfortunate that Bianca would rather not talk about Andrew, but Mama’s smile looked intrigued as she waited for her response.

  “Andrew, yeah.” She grabbed a handful of grapes from the bowl and shoved them in her mouth, then spoke over her mouthful. “Ezra’s brother.”

  Ezra often stopped by to help whenever they called him for handy projects and Mama liked him because he put up with all her demands.

  “Glad you invited him.”

  “Daisy did,” Bianca corrected, only because she didn’t want to give Mama any ideas.

  “When is he coming again?”

  “Thursday.”

  Mama looked up and around the chipped walls, then down to the off white baseboards that were once white. She then gripped the table as she struggled to pull up. “We better start cleaning.”

  Bianca instantly rose and held her hand out to Carmen. “You’re not doing any cleaning, Mama. I need you to recover.”

  Mama sat back down and took a tired breath. “The Buchanans have money,” she said, resting her hand on her chin. “If he marries you, I think that will be good, because Daisy will have a good role model.”

  “I don’t even know the man well enough.” Except for in her fantasies when she swooned over him.

  “If he’s as nice as his brother...” Carmen continued to ponder all the points that might make Andrew a good man for her daughter to marry.

  “Mama, in order to talk about marriage, you have to date someone first.” How was she going to explain to her mother that Andrew was way out of her league? “I’m not getting married to Andrew, and he and I will never be anything.”

  Hurt washed over her at the reality that they were now sort of friends, and he was talking to her because he was Daisy’s coach. Upset entirely, she threw the last grapes in her mouth, tossed the empty bag into the trash can, then mumbled through her mouthful. “He’s only coming for Daisy.”

  “Get me the sponge.” Carmen pointed into the kitchen which was adjoined to the living room.

  “Relax, Mama. It's not a date.” She had to pretend that she was calm about it, yet deep down, Bianca needed to join her mother and start scrubbing the baseboards.

  “The man is not married, right?” Carmen’s hands flew to her face. “Just give me the sponge, Mija. First impression is very important.”

  It was useless to argue at this point, so Bianca went to the sink and rinsed the sponge, then gave it to her mother.

  Mama started wiping the table, and then the legs of the table, shoving all the papers and coupons she’d clipped out to the side, as if Andrew were going to arrive within minutes.

  “We have to cook Mexican food,” Mama said. “But what if he doesn’t like it? Did you ask what he wanted to eat?”

  “He’s fine with anything.”

  Bianca needed to get to work in less than an hour, and she had church tomorrow. She did a mental calculation of when she would have the time to clean, and realized that she would either sacrifice her sleep, take a day off, or she and Daisy would have to skip their Ice Cream Tuesday

  A deep cleaning is what their house needed. It hadn’t had much of that lately, and there was a reason for it—they rarely hosted guests. From time to time, Mama’s two friends from her church, St. Anne’s, stopped by to make tamales, but other than that, no one visited.

  CHAPTER 10

  By the time Bianca had juggled between her two jobs and running errands, it was time for Andrew’s visit.

  She’d spent the last four evenings at home scrubbing the floors, vacuuming, and detail cleaning the house. After all the hard work, she still found herself scrambling ten minutes before Andrew was due. The house still looked like she hadn't done much to it.

  She wiped the stove-top, careful not to get burned by the hot pan of ranchero sauce. The scent of chiles, onions, and garlic filled the house. She hoped the scent wouldn’t be overbearing for Andrew.

  Maybe they should have met him at a restaurant instead.

  Mama sat at the table and held out a stack of napkins to Daisy. “Put these on the counter.”

  Bianca’s heart thumped when the doorbell rang. She tossed the sponge in the sink and wiped her hands on the kitchen towel.

  Daisy flung the napkins onto the c
ounter, scattering them in her rush to answer the door.

  “Come back, Chiquita!” Carmen called Daisy, who was already halfway to the door. “You need to pick up the napkins. Let your mama answer the door.”

  Mama was still wearing a boot cast on her leg, which kept her immobile and didn’t allow her to do as much, but eighty percent of the time, she micro-managed everything from the dining table.

  “Hold on, Mija!” Mama waved Bianca over.

  “Your hair,” Mama said when Bianca approached.

  Bianca lowered her head, assuming her hair needed an adjustment, and promptly sneezed into her elbow at the powerful scent of Carmen’s perfume.

  Never one to wear perfume, Mama had purchased a bottle for the occasion, and wore a flowery dress with a belt that matched. It was one of her Sunday best outfits, for the three times of the year that she made it to church.

  “KEEP YOUR HAIR DOWN.” Carmen yanked out the hair band that Bianca had added at the last minute.

  “I don’t know, Mama.” Bianca tucked a loose strand from her forehead and straightened up. She’d already spent hours combing her hair, and debated against keeping it down, but then had decided against it, since she didn’t want it to be too obvious that she’d gone an extra mile to prepare herself for Andrew’s visit.

  “You should try to put some of that red stuff on your lips,” Mama said, staring at Bianca’s face.

  “I’m not wearing lipstick, Mama.” Maybe she should’ve.

  “That dress is showing your stomach a little.” Her mother’s face creased. “I should stop making those sopapillas for you, Mija. Why didn’t you wear the blue dress instead?”

  Bianca rolled her eyes, suddenly feeling self conscious. “Thanks for boosting my confidence, Mama!”

  “I like green better.” Daisy’s eyes brightened, and Bianca warmed up to the genuineness in her daughter’s voice.

  “Thanks, Munchkin.”

  The door-bell rang again, and Daisy jumped impatiently, turning toward the door, but Mama called her back.

  “Mateo.” Mama called Bianca’s brother, who was sitting on the couch a few inches away. “Fix up your collar.”

  Mateo fidgeted with the collar of his polo. Mom had insisted that Bianca take him thrift shopping. Gone was the Mexican flag t-shirt he wore on a daily basis, replaced by a tan polo, tucked into the waistband of his navy pants. He’d also combed back his dark hair with the Gorilla gel that he’d asked Bianca to pick up for him from Walmart.

  She walked toward the door. On the coffee table in front of Mateo was a diffuser that blasted lavender scented steam. Both were gifts from Leila, which was sort of a tradition—the first present she gave each of her friends and family was a diffuser and essential oils.

  Heart in her throat, she unlocked the door and swung it open.

  Daisy whizzed past her and threw her arms around Andrew. “Mr. Drew!” she said. “I’m glad you came.”

  Andrew’s eyes warmed at Daisy’s enthusiastic welcome. He crouched and wrapped her in an embrace. “Thank you for inviting me.” He then patted her dark-brown curls. “Have you been good for your mom?”

  She nodded vigorously. “Always.”

  His obvious fondness for Daisy as he spoke to her tugged at Bianca’s heart.

  When Daisy stepped back, Andrew straightened. His eyes locked on Bianca’s and she shivered at the admiration she saw in them.

  Her eyes drifted to his button down blue shirt that hugged his well-defined chest, and she breathed in the spicy scent of something that made her want to wrap her arms around him.

  “You look...I like your hair,” Andrew greeted.

  Thankfully, she’d kept it down. “Uh...I - thanks. You look nice, too.” As always, he looked handsome, but he already knew that.

  “Glad you could come.” She stepped aside and waved him in. Daisy clung to his wrist as he walked in.

  Using the edges of the wooden table to push herself up, Carmen stood. “Welcome!” She smoothed her dress before stretching her hand out to greet Andrew.

  “This is my mom, Carmen.” Bianca also introduced Mateo, who’d made his way over to stand by the dining table. “My halfbrother.” She winced at how odd her introduction sounded. Did she have to add ‘stepbrother’ to the introduction?

  “Nice to meet you,” Andrew said, shaking Mateo’s hand.

  Mama gestured for Andrew to sit at one of the four chairs around the table. Bianca had bought a mismatched chair to make it five, just for Andrew’s visit. The chairs scraped the linoleum floor as everyone sat down.

  Bianca left for the kitchen, which was close to the dining area, enough that she could hear her mother asking Andrew a series of questions, as if she had a checklist.

  Between Daisy showing off her Shopkins, and Mateo and Mama talking at once, it seemed Andrew had no problems keeping the conversation flowing. Or was he just being bombarded with questions?

  Bianca immediately got to work and brought a bowl of guacamole and sour cream to the table, then returned to the kitchen for more food.

  “Hope you like Mexican food,” Mama said, patting her hair. “My daughter made some spicy chili. She said you like the spicy.”

  “Been saving my appetite for Mexican food all week,” Andrew said. He glanced up at Bianca with a smile she assumed was meant for her alone while she set the steaming bowl of Ranchero sauce on the table.

  HER KNEES FELT WEAK at the warmth in his face, and she made her escape to the kitchen.

  “Daisy says you make the best tortillas,” Andrew said to Carmen.

  From the kitchen, Bianca watched her mother smile at the compliment. “Bianca makes tortillas better than mine.”

  She’d only made tortillas once, and it had taken her an entire evening. She didn’t plan on making them again any time soon. “I never make tortillas,” she felt the need to protest as she spooned the Chile Relleno onto a plate. She carried the plate and set it in front of Andrew.

  “Everything smells good,” Andrew said.

  “Hope you like it!” Bianca said as she returned to retrieve everyone's food plates from the kitchen.

  “You’ll love it!” Daisy said. “My mom makes the best Chiles Rellenos. But I drink a lot of water when I eat spicy food.”

  Bianca swung open the fridge and waited until Andrew looked in her direction. “What can I get you to drink?”

  Andrew bowed. “Water will be fine, thank you.” He then took a Shopkin that Daisy was shoving into his hand.

  “No...no,” Mama said. “Get him that Topo Sabores you bought him at the Azteca market.”

  Bianca had bought it for herself last week, not exactly for Andrew, but whatever mom was up to, she had no idea. “He doesn’t drink soda...”

  “Is that Mexican soda?” Andrew’s eyes widened in excitement. “I would like to try one, especially if you got it for me.”

  His compliments warmed her to the core—she might have to thank Mama later, after all.

  When Bianca set the glass bottle in front of Andrew, Daisy pointed at the Topo Sabores. “That’s Mama’s favorite soda. She only drinks it when she’s upset.”

  “Really?” Andrew gave her a simple smile.

  Thankfully, Mateo interrupted Daisy. Even though he spoke broken English, he seemed to enjoy chatting with Andrew.

  After discussing Mateo’s favorite soda, Andrew diverted the conversation to Mateo. “What do you do?”

  Mateo brightened and talked about his band proudly, as if he generated income. “You like band?”

  “I like music, yes.” Andrew nodded and leaned forward. “You will have to tell me where you play, so that I can come and listen sometime.”

  Mateo beamed as Bianca slid into the seat next to her mother. “My group have little customers. We only play one or two time each week.”

  “I keep telling him to find a real job but...” Bianca began.

  At Mama’s warning look, Bianca burned with embarrassment, and found herself retreating to the kitchen again.

>   Andrew continued to ask Mateo questions about his music. “Have you written any songs?”

  “I do...just one.”

  Bianca hadn’t known her brother could write music, but how would she know if she’d never bothered to ask?

  Andrew told Mateo about a Mexican restaurant he’d visited a couple of times where they had mariachis perform. “They play every day I think. Maybe you should apply for a job there?”

  “I..know no one,” Mateo said.

  “The owner goes to my church. I will be glad to inquire for you the next time I see him.”

  Bianca froze at Andrew’s generous offer to help a stranger.

  Mateo smiled and shook Andrew’s hand. “You do that for me?”

  Andrew shrugged, as if it was a normal thing anybody would do. “You need a job, and if they’re hiring, I think it's a win-win.”

  Bianca returned and plopped in her chair. Daisy sat next to Andrew, and Mateo sat on the extra chair on the side.

  With a soda and a plateful of Chiles Rellenos smothered in Ranchero sauce in front of each of them, everyone bowed their heads to bless the meal.

  Bianca hadn’t thought about the quality of their surroundings until now. She was suddenly self conscious about the tiny kitchen, and the big cracks in the walls which they would be staring at while they ate.

  While conversation flowed at the table, she glanced at the dented kitchen cabinets, a couple of which were dangling off the hinges.

  The Buchanan house had unique decor, and had recently been renovated by Renee. Her house, on the other hand, was built in the early 1900s, and she’d done nothing to upgrade, except for the furniture, which had all been bought from the thrift store.

  “This is so good.” Andrew’s fork clunked when he set it on the porcelain plate and dabbed a napkin on his lips.

  Mama grinned. "You like it?"

  Andrew nodded. “Best Ranchero Sauce I’ve ever had.” He lifted the bottle of soda to his lips, then set the half empty bottle back down. “Didn’t know of any Mexican food besides burritos."