“These are my kids, Carlos, Rosa and Elena,” Blanca said (Elena was the short one).
“I’m Jet,” I repeated, stil smiling and beginning to think this whole thing was hilarious.
“Are we having a reunion?” Eddie asked.
Carlos laughed. Rosa and Elena looked at each other and grinned. Blanca gave Eddie a death glare and spat something at him in Spanish. Then she turned back to me, al smiles again.
Yep, Eddie’s Mom was just like mine.
“I forgot the dessert so I brought you Napoleons from Pasquini’s,” Blanca told me.
She did not forget dessert. She deliberately delayed delivery of dessert so she could check out Eddie’s date. I wondered if it was me or if this happened to Eddie al the time. I couldn’t imagine Eddie would put up with this al the time so it had to be me. I didn’t know what to make of that so I pushed it aside.
I came forward and took the box from her. “That sounds lovely. Dinner was delicious, by the way. Thank you.”
“De nada,” she said, graciously inclining her head.
Everyone stood around, smiling at each other. That was, everyone but Eddie.
Final y, I broke the silence. “Did you get enough for everyone? Should I serve these?” I asked Blanca.
“No!” Eddie final y snapped and I couldn’t help myself, I turned my smile to him.
He glared at me.
His family watched us.
Eddie looked at his mother and said something in Spanish. It didn’t take an interpreter to translate she was being ousted.
“Al right, al right. We’re going,” she said and turned to me, “Eddie told me about tu madre. How is she?” I was stil smiling, too amused to be annoyed she knew about Mom.
“She’s fine.”
“She need company tonight? Maybe we could swing around…”
I couldn’t help myself, I started laughing.
Eddie didn’t think it was funny and started talking, more Spanish, this rapid-fire, beyond annoyed and vaguely threatening.
“Ay Dios mio, mi ni?o, you’re wound up tonight,” Blanca said to Eddie and Carlos burst out laughing. Blanca turned back to me, “He’s a little bit hot-blooded, just like his Papa.” No kidding. I’d already figured that out.
“I’l bear that in mind,” I told her, trying to keep a straight face She came closer to me and looked me in the eyes. Then she nodded to herself and touched my arm. I didn’t know what to make of this either and decided to think about al of it later.
Then she walked toward Eddie, reached up and touched his shoulder. He bent low to give her a kiss on the cheek and murmured something that was stil annoyed but also sounded loving. The sight and sound of it made me feel pleasantly strange again and I had to force myself to look away.
There were good-byes and more smal waves and they were gone.
Eddie stalked toward me, grabbed the box and then stalked into the kitchen.
I walked to the doorway of the kitchen and stood there.
“That was fun,” I told him.
He put the box down and started stalking again, this time his eyes were dark and his intentions were clear.
Eek!
I retreated, slammed up against a wal and he positioned his body close to mine.
I was looking up, my head tilted way back and his face was less than an inch away.
“One thing good about that, I’ve never seen you smile so much and I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh.”
“Your mother’s funny,” I told him, beginning to find it difficult to breathe.
He came even closer and difficulty breathing was no longer my main concern because the oxygen in my lungs started burning.
“My mother’s meddling and nosy and hel -bent on having dozens of grandchildren, the sooner the better.” I gave a little nod in the room I had to work with. I was trying not to think of giving Blanca grandchildren, but more, trying not to think of how I’d go about doing that.
“That sounds familiar,” I said.
His hands came up to my jaw, holding my face tilted. His eyes went liquid and he muttered something in Spanish. I caught the words cari?a and hermosa, I began to lift up on my toes when my cel started ringing.
“Ignore it,” Eddie said against my mouth.
I wanted to, I real y did, but I couldn’t.
“I can’t,” I whispered. “It might be Mom.” He immediately let me go and stepped away.
I walked to the kitchen and picked up the phone which had stopped ringing.
I looked to see who’d cal ed and it was again Indy. I thought this was weird, considering she knew I was on a date with Eddie. She couldn’t want a progress report this soon.
“Indy’s cal ed twice,” I said as Eddie put the Napoleons on plates.
He handed one to me.
“If she needs to speak to you, she’l phone back.” He grabbed the wine and walked into the living room. I fol owed him. He set the wine and his plate on the coffee table, went to get our glasses, put them on the table and sat down. He grabbed the remote and turned on a basebal game.
I stood next to the couch and stared at the TV.