Mr. Quintanilla sighs and becomes pensive. It seems he's thinking back to when he last borrowed my dad's water hose.
"It was many years ago when Benjamin was around ten," Mr. Quintanilla mumbles, still in a pensive mode.
"Yeah, Zuria was the same age."
"It was in July. You handed me the hose and told me to just put it back in your garage when you finished with it."
"You never returned it," snaps my dad.
"Yes, I did."
"No, you didn't."
"Yes, I most certainly did."
"No—"
"Here we go again!" Aunt Letty snaps. "Bartolomeo, are you sure you put the hose in my brother-in-law's garage?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Benjamin was with me, right, son?"
"Dad, was it the day we put in the roses for mom?"
"That's the day."
"Mr. Gomez," Benjamin tells my dad, "I can assure you that my dad returned the water hose. I was with him when we went into your garage and hung it on the holder on the wall where you always kept it."
My dad is flabbergasted. "Can this be true?" he mumbles to himself.
Mr. Quintanilla's face twists in anger, but Aunt Letty jumps in before he can say anything. "Fulgencio, why would Bartolomeo and Benjamin lie? If they say they put it in your garage then they did."
"How did it disappear then?" my dad demands to know.
"I wasn't the only one who would borrow your stuff, was I?!" snaps Mr. Quintanilla.
"Tony also borrows my things sometimes, but he couldn't have taken my hose without returning it," my dad mumbles.
Tony is the neighbor across the street.
"Why do you give Tony the benefit of the doubt but not me," Mr. Quintanilla fumes.
"Call Tony over right now," Mrs. Quintanilla snaps. "Let's clear the air. I won't have you calling my husband a thief."
"I'll go get him," volunteers Benjamin.
Everybody is very quiet as Benjamin rushes across the street. Dad's face is in disbelief. Mr. Quintanilla is smirking. My Aunt Letty shakes her head as if she can't believe the whole situation.
I concur with her. What a ridiculous situation! And probably over a simple misunderstanding! If dad and Mr. Quintanilla had had this conversation years ago, they'd still be good friends.
Benjamin and I wouldn't have had to suffer without each other!
I'm really FUMING! Thank goodness Benjamin and I had come to our senses because our childish parents certainly had not.
Benjamin finally makes it back with Tony. Tony has a bewildered look on his face as he stands next to Mr. Quintanilla. All these years he's maintained a friendship with both families.
"What's this about?" Tony questions, perplexed.
"Benjamin hasn't told you?" asks my dad.
Benjamin shakes his head. "I thought it'd be better if you and my dad were the ones to tell him what's happening."
"Bartolomeo says that he returned my water hose many years ago. He says someone else must've gotten it. Do you know anything about it?"
Tony's face completely crumbles. "Geez, well, I...I..."
"Spit it out," Aunt Letty demands, eyeing him sternly.
Tony drops his face. "I took it! I took it!"
Chapter 21
"What?!" burst all the parents.
Tony starts babbling. "I'm the villain here, the monster, the horrible person, the mean-spirited—"
"Save it!" snaps Aunt Letty. "Tell us what happened." Her face is very stern.
"When I saw Bartolomeo return the hose that day, I decided to water my lawn, so I grabbed it from the garage."
"Why didn't you return it?" my dad questions.
"I swear I meant to, but I forgot. When I remembered I had it, you were already furious with Bartolomeo, and I didn't want you to be angry with me, so I never told you the truth."
Dad is speechless.
Aunt Letty shakes her head with incensed indignation. "So what you're saying, Tony, is that you witnessed your friends' feud, and you did nothing to stop it even when you had the truth in your hands?"
"That's right," Tony mumbles, hanging his head in shame.
"You preferred to save you own hide instead of righting a wrong," snaps Aunt Letty.
"I'm not proud of it," Tony sighs. "In fact, the guilt was eating me up alive. I'm glad the truth finally came out. Maybe now I can get a good night's sleep."
"Go home, Tony," Aunt Letty orders. "We'll deal with you later."
He nods as if he can't wait to get out of here. "Sorry," he keeps murmuring as he leaves. All of us stare at his back and shake our heads.
Aunt Letty turns her stern eyes to my dad. "Fulgencio, is there something you want to say to Bartolomeo?"
Mr. Quintanilla crosses his hands over his chest, and looks at my dad with expectant indignation. "Yes, Fulgencio, is there anything you want to tell me?" he chortles.
My dad clears his throat. "I'm sorry," he murmurs.
"What?" asks Mr. Quintanilla.
"I'm sorry." This time my dad's voice is a decibel higher.
"What?"
"I'm sorry," my dad says louder.
"What?"
Aunt Letty rolls her eyes. "For Pete's sake, Bartolomeo, I think the whole neighborhood heard that last apology! What do you want Fulgencio to do? —stop the ice cream truck and use its sound system?"
"That would be a good start!"
"Dad, be reasonable," Benjamin blurts.
"Fulgencio has accused me of being a thief! He's been rude to me over the years! He—"
"Bartolomeo," Mrs. Quintanilla bursts impatiently, "if you boys don't make up then so be it! I miss my good friend Mirta!"
"I miss you too, Grimalda. I'm so sorry," my mom expresses.
"I can't believe we let our husbands' stupid fight get in the way of our friendship!" Mrs. Quintanilla remarks.
"Yeah, you ladies should've known better than to condone such ridiculousness," Aunt Letty snaps. "Really?!"
"Why was it ridiculous on my part?" retorts Mr. Quintanilla. "I'm not the one to jump to conclusions!"
Aunt Letty sighs deeply and shakes her head. "Why didn't you ask Fulgencio why he was being rude to you?"
Bartolomeo looks indignant. "I didn't feel it was my place."
"It wasn't your place to clear up the situation you're involved in?" Aunt Letty questions incredulously.
"Well…when you put it that way..."
"Fulgencio," Aunt Letty says, turning to him. "Is your apology sincere towards Bartolomeo?"
"Of course it is," my dad asserts quietly. "I'm very sorry for thinking you took my water hose and not returning it. I'm sorry for the rudeness and the parties I didn't invite you to, Bartolomeo."
“Do you accept that apology, Bartolomeo?” my Aunt Letty asks.
"Do you think it's going to be so easy?" he snaps.
"Bartolomeo!" chides Mrs. Quintanilla.
"Dad!" snaps Benjamin.
"He doesn't want to accept my apology," my dad mutters forlornly.
"Okay, Bartolomeo," Aunt Letty says sternly, "you have the choice of either ending this feud today and getting your good friend back or feeding your overblown ego."
"My overblown ego?" Mr. Quintanilla snaps with indignation.
Aunt Letty eyes him with a steady, chiding sight. "What else can I call it if you're bent on wading into the crap of the past when Fulgencio has sincerely apologized to you? With all the help you give people, I thought you were a very big person. I guess I was mistaken."
"Don't be so hard on Bartolomeo," my dad mutters. "He's right. Why should he forgive me when I was so ugly to him?"
Mr. Quintanilla eyes my dad with surprise. "You really think that?" he mumbles.
"Yes, I do."
Mr. Quintanilla exhales heavily. "Maybe, just maybe, I'm being a little harsh with you."
"No, Bartolomeo," dad states, "it's me who really messed up our friendship, and I have to pay for it."
&nbs
p; Mr. Quintanilla shakes his head. "It took two of us to sabotage our friendship. Letty is right like always. I can either bury the past and be your friend again, or I can carry my enormous ego around and let it trip me. I forgive you, Fulgencio."
"Thank you, Bartolomeo," my dad bursts with emotion.
"Now, let's put the feud in the past!" Mr. Quintanilla gushes.
Benjamin and I go on our first out-in-the-open date. We decide to take in a movie. It's Saturday, we're carefree, and our parents had made up. Life couldn't be better. We decide we've had enough drama for the day, so we choose a comedy. I hardly pay attention to it with Benjamin seated next to me. His soothing but electrifying presence sends tiny needle pricks of bubbling joy through me. I place my head on his solid shoulder. He kisses the top of my head. He holds my hand through the entire film. I squeeze his fingers, and he squeezes back. I can hardly believe that our parents are okay with our relationship.
After the movie, when we're in his car, he pulls my face to his and deliciously kisses me. His lips are full of warmth and tenderness. He puts his forehead to mind and exhales deeply.
"We’re really living this," he murmurs.
"We're free," I state.
When we're getting back home, I hear music all the way down the block. Someone's having one heck of a party. As we near my home I realize with shock that the music is coming from my house!
My parents are the ones having the fiesta!
Chapter 22
"What's going on?" I ask my dad as Benjamin and I step in my house.
"Party! Party!" my dad gushes with giddiness.
"I can see that, Dad, but what are we celebrating?"
"Benjamin, I'm having this party to honor your parents. It's the least I can do after the misunderstanding," he states, swinging the front door open. "I've got to get some more steaks to grill. More guests showed up than I thought." Dad steps out the house to get to his car.
I glance at Benjamin and shrug. He grins at me. "Looks like we got back in time for the party," I comment.
"Looks like it," he says, chuckling.
We find our moms in the kitchen preparing the potato salad.
"There you are, kids," my mom tells Benjamin and me. "We've tried calling you, but your phones are off."
"We were at the movies," Benjamin explains.
"Sorry," I say, "we must've forgotten to turn them back on when we got out of the movie."
"Zuria, could you make the guac?" mom asks.
"Sure."
"I'll help her," Benjamin volunteers. "By the way, Mom, where's dad?"
"He's outside taking care of the steaks on the grill."
I step to the refrigerator and pull out the avocadoes and the other necessary ingredients. My mom and Mrs. Quintanilla chatter about how great the party's going.
"How did you pull this together so fast?" I ask my mom as I cut the avocadoes in half and start spooning the insides into a large bowl.
My mom smiles at me. "Zuria, we're of Mexican descent. Gathering people and sharing friendship is in our blood."
I smile.
"True, very true," Mrs. Quintanilla murmurs.
Benjamin grins as he dices the tomatoes. As soon as he finishes, I stir them into the guacamole mixture.
My mom stops mashing the potatoes to stare at us. She places her hand to her heart. Mrs. Quintanilla follows her lead and stops peeling the eggs. Both have tears in their eyes.
"What's wrong?" asks Benjamin, concerned.
"Ask us what's right," Mrs. Quintanilla murmurs, a tear slips down her face.
"Huh?" asks Benjamin.
"After you were born, Benjamin, a month after Zuria," my mom explains, "your mother and I had this hope that one day the two of you would get together."
"Now it's happened!" Mrs. Quintanilla gushes.
"I'm just so happy that the two of you are much smarter than us," my mom states. "That you didn't let our silly feud come between you."
"It's such a beautiful love story," Mrs. Quintanilla sighs.
Benjamin smiles at me. "Yes, it is."
Dad gets back in record time and slaps some more steaks on the grill. Mr. Quintanilla is beside himself grilling next to my dad. They both wear white aprons, chef hats, and silly grins. Meanwhile more and more people are arriving at the party. The fact that it had been a spur of the moment fiesta doesn't seem to bother anybody. The funny thing about all of this is that Tony was invited to the festivities. Benjamin's parents and my own decided to forgive him.
When Aunt Letty gets here and sees Tony, she says, "Forgiveness is good for the soul."
"It is?" I ask.
"Definitely. Sometimes it's best to just let things go, so you can enjoy the moment."
Boy am I enjoying the moment! Taking Benjamin to my Grandmother Gloria and Grandfather Chemo, I announce that Benjamin is my boyfriend.
"Isn't that wonderful!" my grandmother says.
"Young man, are you deserving of my granddaughter?" my grandfather asks trying to sound stern, but his overall jolliness preventing it.
"Probably not," Benjamin states, "but I'm lucky that she keeps me around anyway."
My grandparents roar with laughter.
"Young man," my grandfather says, "how do you like piñatas?"
"Love them."
"Aren't you too old for them?" my grandfather mischievously questions.
"Can you ever be too old for piñatas?"
My grandfather slaps Benjamin on the back and chuckles. Benjamin just completely won over my grandparents.
"I stopped at the store and brought one with me," grandfather informs.
"Does it have plenty of candies?" Benjamin questions.
Grandmother Gloria nods excitedly. "It's packed with Mexican candies!"
"Then I'll have to be the first one to hit the piñata," Benjamin says, chuckling.
I smile at him. Who knew that Benjamin could be sooooo charming?
When my cousin Kirsten arrives with her parents, I sigh with relief. Luckily, she hadn't invited Jerry.
"Your mom told me not to bring Jerry," she tells me as she eyes Benjamin and me.
"Good," Benjamin blurts.
"You're with Benjamin now?" she asks slyly. Benjamin and I hardly separate from each other. I guess that in a weird way we're trying to make up for the time we had had to be in secret.
"Yes, she is," Benjamin answers Kirsten.
"Jerry is going to be heartbroken," she murmurs.
"Tough!" Benjamin snaps. I smile at him.
"But I'm glad you're with someone, cousin," Kirsten tells me.
"Me too," I say and Benjamin bends his neck to smack my lips with his. I know—we're disgustingly lovey dovey. As Benjamin is disengaging from my lips, my Aunt Tila answers a knock on the front door. We're in the living room.
Suzy and Lorena stand on the other side of the door with their parents and mouths wide open.
Chapter 23
"Come in to the party," Aunt Tila says. "Everyone is in the backyard."
Benjamin and I greet the new guests with a casual hello. Lorena and Suzy look at me oddly. While I'm sure they hadn't seen the actual kiss, they had seen Benjamin close to me as he disengaged from me. Benjamin eyes me with one eyebrow up.
"Hi, Lorena. Hi, Suzy," Benjamin says, greeting them by name. Their parents follow my Aunt Tila and Kirsten to the backyard.
"I'm glad you could come to this last minute party," I state, my voice somewhat shaky.
"What's this party for?" questions Suzy.
"My parents are friends with Benjamin's parents again," I inform them.
"Oh," blurts Suzy, her face with a baffled expression as her curious eyes shift from Benjamin to me.
I decide that enough is enough. It's as good of a time as any to bring everything out in the open. "Girls," I say, "let's go to my room, okay?"
Benjamin's right eyebrow shoots up.
"Yeah, let's," Suzy mutters.
"I’ll see you in a short while," I tell Benjamin.
"All right," he says, his hazel eyes reaching for mine. He seems concerned for me. I try to tell him with my expression that everything's okay.
Leading Suzy and Lorena up to my bedroom, I find myself dreading the conversation I'm about to have with them. At the same time, I'm relieved. Telling my parents was the most stressful, but it had felt so good when I had gotten over it. In all honesty, I'm really tired of hiding my relationship with Benjamin while my best friends go on and on about him and Chantilly.
"There's a strange vibe between you and Benjamin," Suzy announces as I close the door of my bedroom. Suzy and Lorena sit on my bed as I take the chair that's in front of my desk and plop down after I turn it to face them.
"There's something you oughta know," I say.
"I hope it's not what I think it is," Suzy pushes out.
"I hope not!" Lorena blurts.
I find my inner warrior great grandmother and Katniss Everdeen. "Benjamin and I are dating," I state matter-of-factly.
"What?!" Suzy snaps.
"No!" Lorena blurts.
"Why not?" I challenge.
"What about Chantilly?" Lorena questions furiously.
I jerk my arms in front of me defensively. "What about her?"
"You can't take him away from her!" Suzy retorts.
I exhale with frustration. "I'm not taking him away from her! He already broke up with her some time ago! You two know that!"
"Still, Zuria," Suzy states, "it's so not cool to invade another girl's territory."
"Benjamin is not Chantilly's territory!" I snap. "He doesn't want to be with her."
"You honestly think her prefers you over Chantilly," snarls Suzy. "He's probably just using you."
"Yeah, using you," Lorena agrees.
This is way too much! I'm getting insulted by my best friends in my own home! Who needs enemies?! "Why would he be using me?" I hurl fire.
"To teach Chantilly a lesson," Suzy sneers matter-of-factly.
My furious eyes bore into her smug face. "What are you talking about?!"
"Chantilly cheated on Benjamin during the summer."
"What?!" This is completely news to me.
"It turns out that poor Chantilly was so lonely with Benjamin being gone for the summer that the poor thing turned to Gustavo Morales."
Lorena nods. "Yeah, poor Chantilly."
"What?!" I explode. "She cheated on Benjamin, and you're taking her side?!"
"She was loaded with loneliness," explains Suzy.
Lorena nods vehemently. "Yes, loneliness."
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