Chapter 36: One Ring to Find Them
Ricardo Carlos Manoso and his family kept a proper and respectful distance between each other. He seldom showed up at family occasions and holiday celebrations, but was mysteriously aware of whatever happened to which one of his family members. He always remembered to send greetings and gifts, and never hesitated to offer timely help and support. He was not exactly the black sheep of the family, but was definitely different from all his siblings. The Manosos still smacked each other on the head frequently, but no one, not even the fearless Grandma Rosa, smacked Carlos any more. He was no longer that silent, skinny, long-haired pretty boy who had been bullied a lot both in the neighborhood and his school. And all the gang members and troublemakers of Newark had long ago learned to steer clear out of the Manosos' way.
His father, as well as everyone in the family, was very proud of his achievement and success, but hadn't yet completely gotten over his dropping out of university and joining the Army. Like most Cuban Americans, the generous, decent and hard-working head of the Manoso family valued education highly. From time to time, his mother and Grandma Rosa would hold the newest pictures of Julie to their hearts and sigh. They still grieved the loss of the custody of the beautiful little girl who looked just like Carlos. When or would he ever find the right girl and have his own family?
Now, the three of them sat in the family room looking at the TV quietly. A tall, 60-something Asian-American Elvis was singing Love Me Tender, 6 Tinkerbells were dancing beside him, and Carlos was kissing the life out of Audrey Hepburn on the screen. The wedding DVD had been delivered to them 4 days ago shortly after a call from Carlos, and they had watched it over and over again as if possessed. He'd told his mother that he had gone to Vegas to get married, he would find a time to bring his bride over to meet the family and then ended the call.
No goodbye, as usual.