freaking him out, okay?”
“Sorry,” Sal said sincerely. “We just heard a lot about you this last year. We were sort of hoping you’d show up someday.”
Joey eyed me up and down. “Yeah, but you’re going to have to get over this whole shy thing,” he said, apparently still sitting on the fence. “You won’t last long here.”
“Boys,” Manny called from the kitchen, “take off your coats and come wash up!” and hallelujah, I was saved. They turned around toward the bathroom—which, by the way, I had never seen—and I went to follow them, only to be stopped by Oliver.
“You okay?”
I smiled brightly. “Never better. Let’s eat.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head and followed me into the kitchen. At least I wasn’t trying to run anymore, right?
Dinner started with grace, which I was unused to, but it was nice, I guess. And then, after a brief, no-nonsense sort of prayer from Oliver’s dad, chaos erupted. Everybody was talking to everybody else, and tamales were being passed, and people were up in each other’s business.
It was terrifying.
“So, Manny, where’s Silvia tonight?” Gloria asked, and the two brothers groaned.
“No, no, no—don’t summon her, she may appear.”
Manny glared at his sons. “She flew down to San Diego to be with her family—”
“Yeah, she found out we were having dinner up here tomorrow and took off for the hills, man. Uptight, skinny bitch—”
“ Joey .”
Joey glared at his father. “Dad, you’re better than she is. Don’t let her tell you different. Mom says so too. Says she’s a money-grabbing—”
Mr. Campbell laughed. “Joey, you ever think maybe your mother’s not the most . . . I don’t know, objective person to talk about your father’s love life?”
Sal interrupted earnestly. “Naw, Mom’s totally happy with Jimmy the Lawyer. He’s cool. His house has a pool, she doesn’t have to work so much, gets to spend time with the new baby. It’s okay. She’s really trying to be a friend.”
Manny looked uncomfortable. “Yeah, well, she’s doing her best. But, well, yeah. I think Silvia and I, we’re probably not really suited for each other.”
“Yeah,” Joey muttered. “For one thing, she voted Republican. I can’t stand that shit.”
“Hey hey hey!” Mr. Campbell put his foot down. “No politics at the table. That’s the new rule that I just made up right here.”
Joey looked at his plate, embarrassed like a little kid. “Yeah, Uncle Arturo. That’s fair.”
“You dating anyone, Gloria?” Manny asked, and his son shot him a grateful look.
Gloria shrugged an elegant shoulder. “Men. They all want in your pants, but nobody wants to hold hands, you know?”
“Yeah,” Joey said, nodding. “You hold out for someone nice, Aunt Glo. You’re worth it.”
“Sal, that girl you were seeing?” Gloria said, snagging some sopas and salsa from the lazy Susan in the center of the table. “She ever come home and meet your papi ?”
Sal shook his head and looked embarrassed. “Nah, Aunt Gloria, she’s not that sort of girl.”
Manny grunted. “She’s got money, and she’s Jewish, and he’s all up in his head. Sort of like Ollie was about this one, right?”
My face heated, and I glared at Oliver, who looked apologetically back. “You’re sort of out of my league,” he muttered to me, and I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, if we’re playing football,” I said back, and Oliver laughed, holding his hand over his mouth because he wasn’t quite done swallowing a bite of tamale, and looked at me with dancing eyes. He got a hold of himself, swallowed, and shook his head.
“Well, thank God we’re not playing football, Rusty. I think we’ll do okay without it.”
And suddenly all of the attention was on me, and I wanted to be one of the dogs. They got to sleep on the couch after being unconditionally loved. I was getting looked at by this totally nice family that didn’t seem to have any problem prying into
“Sorry,” Sal said sincerely. “We just heard a lot about you this last year. We were sort of hoping you’d show up someday.”
Joey eyed me up and down. “Yeah, but you’re going to have to get over this whole shy thing,” he said, apparently still sitting on the fence. “You won’t last long here.”
“Boys,” Manny called from the kitchen, “take off your coats and come wash up!” and hallelujah, I was saved. They turned around toward the bathroom—which, by the way, I had never seen—and I went to follow them, only to be stopped by Oliver.
“You okay?”
I smiled brightly. “Never better. Let’s eat.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head and followed me into the kitchen. At least I wasn’t trying to run anymore, right?
Dinner started with grace, which I was unused to, but it was nice, I guess. And then, after a brief, no-nonsense sort of prayer from Oliver’s dad, chaos erupted. Everybody was talking to everybody else, and tamales were being passed, and people were up in each other’s business.
It was terrifying.
“So, Manny, where’s Silvia tonight?” Gloria asked, and the two brothers groaned.
“No, no, no—don’t summon her, she may appear.”
Manny glared at his sons. “She flew down to San Diego to be with her family—”
“Yeah, she found out we were having dinner up here tomorrow and took off for the hills, man. Uptight, skinny bitch—”
“ Joey .”
Joey glared at his father. “Dad, you’re better than she is. Don’t let her tell you different. Mom says so too. Says she’s a money-grabbing—”
Mr. Campbell laughed. “Joey, you ever think maybe your mother’s not the most . . . I don’t know, objective person to talk about your father’s love life?”
Sal interrupted earnestly. “Naw, Mom’s totally happy with Jimmy the Lawyer. He’s cool. His house has a pool, she doesn’t have to work so much, gets to spend time with the new baby. It’s okay. She’s really trying to be a friend.”
Manny looked uncomfortable. “Yeah, well, she’s doing her best. But, well, yeah. I think Silvia and I, we’re probably not really suited for each other.”
“Yeah,” Joey muttered. “For one thing, she voted Republican. I can’t stand that shit.”
“Hey hey hey!” Mr. Campbell put his foot down. “No politics at the table. That’s the new rule that I just made up right here.”
Joey looked at his plate, embarrassed like a little kid. “Yeah, Uncle Arturo. That’s fair.”
“You dating anyone, Gloria?” Manny asked, and his son shot him a grateful look.
Gloria shrugged an elegant shoulder. “Men. They all want in your pants, but nobody wants to hold hands, you know?”
“Yeah,” Joey said, nodding. “You hold out for someone nice, Aunt Glo. You’re worth it.”
“Sal, that girl you were seeing?” Gloria said, snagging some sopas and salsa from the lazy Susan in the center of the table. “She ever come home and meet your papi ?”
Sal shook his head and looked embarrassed. “Nah, Aunt Gloria, she’s not that sort of girl.”
Manny grunted. “She’s got money, and she’s Jewish, and he’s all up in his head. Sort of like Ollie was about this one, right?”
My face heated, and I glared at Oliver, who looked apologetically back. “You’re sort of out of my league,” he muttered to me, and I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, if we’re playing football,” I said back, and Oliver laughed, holding his hand over his mouth because he wasn’t quite done swallowing a bite of tamale, and looked at me with dancing eyes. He got a hold of himself, swallowed, and shook his head.
“Well, thank God we’re not playing football, Rusty. I think we’ll do okay without it.”
And suddenly all of the attention was on me, and I wanted to be one of the dogs. They got to sleep on the couch after being unconditionally loved. I was getting looked at by this totally nice family that didn’t seem to have any problem prying into
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