"It'll be so nice to see Mom and Dad again," Cindy said on the long drive back to their old neighborhood.
"My parents as well," Gary replied. "I know I don't say it often enough, Cyn, but it's been wonderful the way you've stood by me over the past several years. I know you made a lot of sacrifices for my sake and the sake of my family, and if I haven't told you before how much I appreciate it, I'm telling you now."
"That's all right, Gar. I did it because I love you." Cindy kissed his cheek.
"Yuck! They're doing that lovey-dovey stuff again!" Jonathan exclaimed from the back seat. Rebecca and Carmen giggled.
The family arrived at Mike and Carol's house late in the evening.
"It's wonderful to see you all again!" Carol exclaimed, hugging each family member in turn. "You're such a pretty little girl!" she told Carmen.
"Gracias", Carmen said shyly.
"So the furniture business is over with," Mike said to Gary.
"It is indeed," Gary replied. "I'm going back to the radio station as soon as we're settled, and hopefully Cindy will come with me."
"I'd love to," said Cindy. "How are all the others?" she asked her mother.
"It looks like Patty's going to be the valedictorian and Kevin the salutatorian," Carol told her.
"Wow, that's great!" Cindy exclaimed. "But what about Mickey?"
Carol sighed. "We'll all just be glad if he graduates, period."
"What about the others?"
"Jessica's pregnant." Carol grimaced. "The boy's name is Brent, and he's in jail for stealing a motorcycle."
"Oh, no!" Cindy exclaimed. "Poor Marcia!"
"She'll be happy to see you again," said Carol. "She could use your support."
"I'll bet!" Cindy exclaimed. "How about everybody else?"
"Doing well. Dylan's enjoying middle school. Peyton's into cheer leading, and Preston and Justin both play soccer. Holly just had her tonsils out. Kristen's getting ready for kindergarten. I'm sure they'll all be happy to meet their new cousin."
"I can't wait to introduce them," said Cindy. "So is Bobby still working as a counselor?"
"Oh, yes. He finds it very fulfilling."
"Who's Bobby?" asked Carmen.
"He's your youngest uncle," Cindy told her. "He used to race cars a long time ago, but he got hurt in an accident, so he's in a wheelchair now."
"But can't he ever walk again?"
"No. The doctors said the paralysis was permanent. But he has a happy life and doesn't mind being in a wheelchair. And your two cousins we were talking about, Patty and Preston? They're both adopted, too, just like you are. Patty is from Korea, and Preston is from Bolivia."
"Bien!" Carmen grinned.
Busily choosing the songs to play over the next hour, Cindy wasn't even aware of Gary's presence until he spoke.
"How about having hot dogs in the park with me today?"
Startled, Cindy almost dropped a CD. "Are you flirting with me?"
"What if I am?"
They both laughed and walked out of the radio station holding hands.
"Seems just like old times, doesn't it?" asked Gary.
"What's with these new group names these days?" asked Cindy. "Puddle Of Mud? Jimmy Eat World?"
Gary laughed. "They just get crazier and crazier all the time, don't they?"
Gary bought their hot dogs, and they found a bench in the park to sit on.
"I sure hope the kids are doing OK," said Cindy. All three children had started class at their new school that morning.
"I'm sure they're fine," Gary replied.
"Aunt Cindy and Uncle Gary!"
They turned to see Jessica and Ariel walking toward them.
"I just got back from my obstetrician appointment, and it's such a nice day that we decided to eat lunch outside," Jessica explained.
"Since we were planning on going shopping together afterwards anyway, I just came along," Ariel added.
"How far along are you?" Cindy asked Jessica.
"About six months," Jessica told her. "Brent and I are both really excited."
Cindy wasn't sure what to say.
"Grandma told you he stole a motorcycle, didn't she?"
"Well..."
"He didn't. He was framed. He was just hanging out with his friends and didn't know what they were up to. When the cops showed up, they split and left Brent to take the rap for everything."
Cindy highly doubted the truth of Jessica's story, but she didn't say anything.
"I can't believe you guys are still eating hot dogs," Ariel said to Gary and Cindy. "Don't you know what's in those things?"
"Well, no..." said Cindy.
"Meat in general isn't fit for human consumption," Ariel continued. "It drives your cholesterol way up and clogs your arteries. And just look at how those poor animals are killed! Vegan is the way to go. I haven't eaten meat in almost two years."
"Oh, really..." Jessica looked at her knowingly.
"All right, maybe an occasional BLT," Ariel conceded sheepishly. Jessica chuckled, and Ariel glared at her.
Soon it was time to return to the radio station, so Gary and Cindy said good-bye to their nieces and were on their way.
When they saw the children later, Cindy noticed that Carmen was near tears.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?" she asked her younger daughter.
"Some kid hurt her feelings," said Jonathan.
"Alexis called me a wetback!" Carmen sniffled. "What's a wetback, Mommy?"
"That's a not very nice word that some people call Mexicans," Cindy told her.
"But I'm not Mexican, Mommy! I'm Puerto Rican!"
"A lot of people who live in California and speak Spanish are Mexicans," Cindy explained. "That's why Alexis thought you were one."
"You know what, Carmen?" asked Gary. "Some children called me unkind names too when I was your age."
"What did they call you, Daddy?" Her curiosity piqued, Carmen stopped sniffling.
"There was this boy named Joey Caminiti who used to call me a kike."
"What did you do when he called you that, Daddy?"
"I ignored him," Gary replied. "Just like you should ignore Alexis if she ever calls you a wetback again. If you do that enough times, she'll see that it doesn't bother you and leave you alone."
Cindy was more quiet than usual for the rest of the evening.
"Why the long face?" Gary asked her as they were getting ready for bed that night.
Cindy sighed. "Sometimes I just almost feel guilty for being white and Christian."
"Well, you shouldn't," Gary told her. "There's no reason for you to." He smiled and pulled her close.
