Sixty Days

by Zoe Glez

  I sigh as I see her play with them, a tear of joy escaping my eye. “Are you sure about this?” Mickey asks as he catches my tear.

  I nod. “As sure as I am about you. She needs us as much as we need her. I know we can have kids eventually, but until it happens, I just want to give her the family and the home she deserves, a home that we can give her. I know we’re still young and all but…God, Mickey! My heart can’t handle it if we don’t do this and later on I find out she ended up in a bad home or worst yet, no home at all. I want this and I think we’re ready, don’t you?”

  “I do,” he says pulling me toward him for a hug and kissing the top of my head. “We just have to do one thing first and we better do it now if we want to have her with us before the sixth.” I nod remembering what John, the man in charge of the adoptions, told us when we first came to him with our desire to adopt Maddie.

  It looks like it’s going to be a Christmas wedding for us after all.

  “God, Lai! I swear this bitch itches even more than it did last year,” Mickey whines as he finishes putting the costume on.

  “Suck it up, Santa. Remember, you are doing it for the kids, for Maddie,” I tell him as I accommodate his fake belly. I reach up to kiss him on the cheek before he puts on his fake white beard.

  “Your right, my heaven. It’s worth it being uncomfortable as long as they’re happy. It’s also worth seeing Maddie’s smile,” he says, hugging me.

  “It is,” I agree.

  “You’re too far from me,” he furrows his brows and pouts a little. “Don’t ever let me get this fat.”

  “Okay…” I say with a smile.

  “I’m serious, Mrs. Santa,” he states before adding, “Will you stop having sex with me if I get this fat? Would it be possible for us to have sex?”

  I giggle at this. “Mickey, my love, there is not a force in this world that could ever stop me from having sex with you. From loving you. Mama once told me, it’s the beauty inside of us that truly matters. That beauty will never die, while outer beauty can disappear at any moment.

  “With that said, you could be all burnt up and disfigured and I will still love you. It is the man that you are that I fell in love with. It wasn’t the body, that was just an added bonus.” I wink.

  “This is why I love you, my heaven. You are gorgeous in every sense of the word. It’s those words, that positivity that you seem to maintain, that has me convinced that you will be a wonderful mother to our children. You say I give you hope, but, baby, you bring hope, peace, and light. You are my everything. I don’t know what I would ever do without you. I love you, Laylah. You are and will always be my first and only love.”

  “I love you too, Miguel. And don’t ever doubt that you are as gorgeous as I am,” I say as I reach up to kiss him. A kiss that could show on its own the love I have for this man. “You should grow a beard,” I whisper close to his mouth.

  “Really?” he asks, amused. I scrunch up my nose and shake my head from side to side, telling him no. He chuckles as he puts his hat on and says, “Come on you knucklehead, the kids are waiting for the coolest Santa that has ever existed.”

  “Did you just call me stupid?” I silently hiss at him.

  “Hush, tiny one. It was a term of endearment, not an insult,” he says, kissing my temple. Then, we’re off to make some kids really happy.

  It’s been a few minutes since Mickey’s been playing Santa and, I still haven’t spotted Maddie. The line is coming to an end so I start looking for her. I finally see her at the very end of the line.

  “Hey, baby girl, ready to see Santa?” I ask and she timidly nods. I pull her up on my arms and put her on Santa Mickey’s lap.

  “Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas, Madison! Tell me, what is it you want this year? A little birdie told me you’ve been awfully good,” Mickey tells her using his fake Santa voice and winking at her. Maddie reaches up to him and whispers in his ear. When she’s done I can see a little twinkle in his eyes. Tears. He scratches his throat and says in a soft voice, “You can count on that this year, sweetheart. I promise,” and kisses her forehead. “Be good.”

  Once Maddie is gone, I ask, “What did she ask for?”

  “A family.” He sighs.

  I can feel the tears accumulating in my eyes as I say, “Well, then, it’s a good thing we plan on giving her that this year.”

  “Indeed it is, my heaven.”

  Santa Mickey was a complete and utter success. The kids and adults really enjoyed him. Plus, the smiles on those little faces when they first saw him and received his gift were priceless.

  As soon as were done, Mickey goes to change quickly before the kids notice he’s been gone. Once he’s done, we spot John and make a B-line towards him to tell him we have made up our minds and want to adopt Maddie. We also tell him we will be getting married as soon as possible to ensure this happens. He declares how happy he is for us and for Maddie. He assures us that while the adoption might take some time to get finalized, we will still be able to have her home with us a few days after signing the papers, so she can acclimate to the change of environment.

  I won’t lie. I am nervous. This is a huge change for us, a huge step, but I want this. We want this. And I trust that together we can do this.

  When we arrive home everyone is still awake, so we stay with them talking and just having some quality time together as a family. No one asks how things went at our dinner, which I’m more than fine with. As they all talk I can’t help but think that soon little Maddie will be here with us, as part of our family. And I can’t wait for that day to come. For Maddie to be officially our daughter and for Mickey and I to be officially husband and wife.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I

  wake up to the feel of wet kisses and what seems to be something smelling me with a cold nose. I can’t help but contain the huge surprise when I open my eyes and the first thing I see is a pair of brown eyes looking at me with his tongue sticking and a tail wagging in excitement.

  “Merry Christmas, my heaven!” Mickey whispers from his kneeling position next to the side of the bed.

  “A puppy, you got me a puppy?” I say in pure awe as I pick up the tiniest and cutest little ball of fat I’ve ever seen. The puppy is an English bulldog. He’s got brown fur with tiny patches of a softer brown scattered around, and he’s all wrinkled up in just the right places. Cutest thing ever!

  “I sure did, do you like him?”

  “I love him,” I answer him giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

  “So, what are you naming him?” he asks rubbing my cute little guy on his wrinkled head.

  “Ummm...Buddy,” I say after a few minutes.

  “Buddy? As in Buddy the elf?” he says giving me an ‘are you for real, right now’ look.

  “Yep, that’s the one,” I answer him with a nod as I look down at my little Buddy boy. “What? I like the movie, shoot me.”

  “I didn’t say anything, I’m not even going to try.” He makes a lips are sealed sign with his hands.

  “Why a puppy, though?” I ask while I play with the puppy.

  “I thought it would be a good way to practice and all. You know what they say, puppies are just like having a baby.”

  “Did you seriously just compare a puppy to a baby?”

  “They poop, they eat, and they are always calling for your attention, so…yeah, I did.” He nonchalantly shrugs with a smirk. And, since I love him so much and he looks adorable, I give him another kiss, this one lasting longer.

  After our make out session in front of our new furry son, I head to the shower. Mickey heads downstairs before the guys wake up and he is found in my bedroom. Once I’m done showering, I put on my pajamas, throw my hair up in a messy bun, and head downstairs with Buddy in my arms.

  “What is that?” Kev asks when he sees me entering the kitchen with Buddy.

  “This is Buddy. He’s a present from Mickey,” I say as I put him on the floor. He stumbles at first but then starts running as
fast as his tiny little legs allow him.

  “Why in the world would you give her a gift, especially a puppy?” Kev asks Mickey who is standing opposite of him at the breakfast bar.

  “I was her secret Santa, and why not a puppy?” he answers throwing me a wink at and making me smile.

  “Swear to God, Vega, you so much as touch my sister, you’re beyond dead,” my brother threatens “I’m on to you.”

  “Oh grow up!” I tell him, smacking him on the back of the head. He instantly plays the victim and acts offended. He doesn’t have the right to do such a thing.

  Our Buddy boy was a huge success. Everyone, and I mean everyone, loved him. He soon enough became the main attraction of the day. In true Gonzalez tradition, everyone is in their pajamas. Even my uncles and dad, who are outside working roasting chicken the way they used to back in the old days. Got to say, seeing grown men roasting a chicken outside with beer in their hands while wearing pajamas is truly a rare sight. I, for one, couldn’t be more comfortable in my footies.

  I was trying to help around the kitchen but I just kept sneezing so Mama shooed me out, telling me to stay in the living room until the food was ready. Knowing that there is no arguing with that woman, I quickly do as she tells me.

  “Maybe you’re allergic to him?” Mary says after I sneeze for the nth time while I play with Buddy.

  “Excuse me?” I ask, not knowing exactly what she’s talking about.

  “The dog. Maybe you’re allergic to it,” she says giving me a ‘you should know what I’m talking about face’.

  “I’m not allergic to the dog. You know I’ve had dogs before, so that’s not it,” I tell her in a bored tone.

  “Whatever,” she mutters and turns her attention back on the TV.

  I shrug at her demeanor and get back to playing with Buddy and the chew toys Mickey had bought him. Soon enough, I’m joined by the man himself.

  “Hey, mi niña!” Mama says as she enters the room. “Are you feeling better?”

  “I’m fine, it’s just allergies,” I tell her earning me a concerned look from her and a ‘really?’ look from Mickey.

  “She was talking about some bad smell earlier before running off to the bathroom to puke. Frankly, I didn’t smell anything,” Mary tattles, still looking at the TV. I glare at her even though she couldn’t see me.

  “You puked?” Mickey asks, reaching up to check my temperature with the back of his hand.

  “I’m fine, I swear, I am,” I keep insisting.

  “Just promise me that if this keeps happening you will go to the doctor,” Mama says, kissing me on top of my head.

  “I promise, Vieja,” I softly tell her.

  “I’ll make sure she does,” Mickey reassures. He knows me all too well. He knows I’d rather die than visit a doctor. The wait is annoying and the sound of sick people around you just makes you feel sicker than you really are.

  “You two have some weird thing going on,” Mary mutters as soon as Mama leaves the room. We both shrug at her comment, deciding to ignore her and keep playing with our fury son.

  We decide to open presents before we eat. First, we give each other our non-secret Santa gifts. Mom and dad got me a few items of clothing. Kev bought me a new bottle of my favorite perfume, which I’m pretty sure he had help from my mom. Mama got each and every one of us gifts also. From her, I got a new set of brushes and paints. Lola’s present for me was a sketching pad and some pencils. That one I particularly loved since I love sketching the most.

  I thank them all for their gifts and give them each the gifts from me. I got Kev the new camera lens he’s been wanting for a while now, mom a new e-reader, since she loves to read, with a few e-books that I know she’ll love already downloaded. And for my dad, a new tablet to make his life a little bit easier. I gave Lola a painting she’s been wanting ever since she saw it in the gallery where some of my paintings are, and for Mama the set of Wolfgang Puck’s cookware she’s been dying to get.

  They were all hesitant in accepting my gifts, since they were pricey, but I assure them all that I could afford them. I think that fact actually helped my dad accept my choice in career a little bit more. My paintings really are doing amazingly well, more than I let it show. It seems people do love a local artist.

  I got Luke a little something too, which I gave him yesterday. He really fought me on it, but I reminded him of our promise a few years back; he comes clean when I come clean. It’s time for both of us to be completely honest with our family. He had also given me my gift last night, a sketching program for the computer.

  There is just one gift I have left to give and I can’t wait. I’ve been itching to give Mickey his present. After everyone else was done handing out their presents, it’s now time to do Secret Santa. Mama as the head of the family goes first. Turns out, she was my dad’s secret Santa. And so the gift giving begins.

  Everyone has finished exchanging gifts, except for me.

  “Guess it’s not such a secret whose secret Santa I am,” I say with a nervous smile. “Okay, Miguel, don’t freak out,” I tell him as I give him a bunch of papers. “I may have gone behind your back for this, but I know how much you want this and how scary these next steps have been for you. So, I decided to do something about it,” I explain as he reads what’s on the paper.

  “It’s the documents,” he whispers. “You got me the documents?” he asks, still lost in what my gift entails.

  “I sure did,” I say with a firm nod, smiling.

  “God, Laylah. I don’t know if I should kiss you or hug you!” he says with a huge grin on his face, his eyes as shiny as the sun.

  “Don’t you even dare, Vega,” Kev reprimands him.

  Mickey ignores him and gives me a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek. He keeps whispering how thankful he is for this and how much he loves me. We are eventually separated by my brother who earns himself a roll of eyes from me.

  “Dude, your sister is the best!” Mickey exclaims before he hugs me again.

  “Seriously, that’s enough,” Kev says as he separates us again and glares at Mickey.

  “Kevin, that’s enough from you.” My dad scowls at him, taking me by surprise.

  “Away, Vega,” my brother threatens.

  “Seriously, what has gotten in to you?” Dad huffs at my brother.

  “She’s, you know, Laylah, the baby, and he’s all over her,” he tries to explain but fails.

  “So? He’s just thanking her for the gift. Stop making a fool out of yourself,” Dad says to him.

  “What’d she get you?” Chino asks Mickey.

  “This wonderfully amazing girl got me the documents and permission slips I needed to finally open the shop. By the new year, Mickey’s Garage will be open for business,” Mickey says letting his excitement be known to everyone.

  Everyone expresses how great it is and give me kudos for helping me get him there. After everyone has settled down, we head to the dining room to have lunch. Aside from the roasted chicken that the men cooked, Mama also made arroz con gandules, green salad, mashed potatoes and pasta salad.

  “Thank you,” Mickey whispers as he sits down beside me.

  “My pleasure, Dimps,” I whisper back with a smile.

  “I’ve got something else for you,” he says, taking me by surprise. “What? You didn’t think the puppy was all, did ya?” he asks, amused by reaction.

  “Maybe…” I nonchalantly answer him.

  “Be ready by six and wear what’s inside the gift box in your closet. Meet me out front,” he adds quickly.

  This new development has me all curious and excited. It’s all I wonder about during the rest of the day.

  At around four thirty I head upstairs to get ready for whatever it is that Mickey has planned. Once I’m done taking a shower, I brush my hair. Luckily, since it’s naturally wavy I don’t have to do much to it. I put some make up on and, once I’m done, I head to my closet were Mickey said the gift is, all the while being chased by Buddy. He’s such
an adorable pup.

  I retrieve the box from the closet and I lay it on my bed. When I open the box, my breath catches. I’m completely and utterly amazed by what he has chosen for me to wear. Inside is the most gorgeous princess cut, knee length, white lace dress with a keyhole neck line. I’ve never seen a more beautiful dress. I decide to say the hell with it and pair it with my favorite red stilettos heels. I’m even more surprised when I finally put it on and find that it fits me like a glove, as if were made just for me.

  By the time I’m done it’s close to six so I decide to head to our meeting point. When I get outside, I don’t see Mickey anywhere, but I do notice a limousine waiting by the sidewalk. When I walk over to it, the driver asks me if I’m Laylah. I nod in response and he opens the door for me. Once inside, I notice an envelope with my name on it. I open it and quickly realize it’s a letter from Mickey.

  My Heaven,

  “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails, it never ends.”

  1 Corinthians 13

  When I proposed, I didn’t ask you to marry me, I told you. I don’t regret a damn thing about it, because I’m that sure of us. Once again,I’m not asking you to marry me on this wonderful Christmas night, I’m telling you. So we can finally get our kid home with us.

  If you’re worried about the fact that our family won’t be here tonight, don’t. I promised you a spring wedding and a spring wedding you shall have.

  But, I can’t wait any longer to make you officially my wife.I can’t wait for us to finally have our own family. You are my everything, Laylah.