Stephanie's POV
I've been living in Miami now for a little more than a month, and I love it here. I love Lester's family. I think I love Carlos. I have never been accepted by anyone the way I'm accepted here. It's like I don't need to fit into a specific mold. I can be who I want to be. I can fly. Tomorrow is Carlos' birthday. I can't wait to celebrate. Lester drove me to the mall the other day, and I got Carlos a soccer Jersey with the name of his favorite player on it. I know he'll love the gift because Lester said he was looking at it for a while, but it is expensive. Abuela doesn't have the money to spend on frivolous items like that, especially since Carlos' and Lester's soccer gear is expensive. They both play year-round and go through two to three pairs of cleats a year.
We are planning on making his favorite dinner, Ropa Vieja. Abuela and Tia insist that I help them prepare the meal. I agree to help, warning them that my track record in the kitchen isn't good. They both laugh and tell me that I have nothing to worry about. I hope they are right.
At first, I didn't feel like I fit in with Carlos' and Lester's friends. Yeah, the guys accepted me right away, but the girls were petty and cold. It was only after Maria made a fool of herself that the other girls started to warm up to me. Now, I'm glad to say that I feel like I am part of their group.
I spoke to my mother yesterday, only to be told that Valerie was engaged. She was planning on getting married in May, and that my parents were going to go on a four-month trip to Europe with her fiancé's family. That meant that I would be staying with Grandma and Grandpa Mazur. Now, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, except they lived in Sayerville, which meant that I would not be near Trenton and my friends. After talking over the situation with Tia Celia, she called my parents today and asked if I could spend the year in Miami. She told my mother that Abuela Rosa, who was doing better, but still needed assistance, and that she preferred having a female help her with certain tasks, like getting dressed. Tia insisted that I was no trouble and that Abuela had more than enough room to keep me at her house. My mother reluctantly agreed after realizing that she could devote all her time to Valerie with me in Miami. When Tia told me I was staying here, I started to cry. I was so grateful for my new family. Now, if I can stay here until I turn eighteen.
Lester has started practicing with his college soccer team, and Carlos is starting practice with the high school team this week. After the varsity coach came down for one of the beach games, he convinced the girls' Varsity coach to watch me play. She was impressed and offered me a spot on the team. I told her I was returning to Jersey for school, but she said that if plans changed, to contact her because she wanted me on her team. We decided that tomorrow is soon enough to contact Coach Matos.
Tonight, the guys are heading to Dolphin's stadium to watch a soccer match. Meanwhile, I'm going to the movie with the rest of the females in the family. As much as I would love to see the match, I'm glad that Lester and Carlos are getting some bonding time with Uncle Paul. As we are getting ready to leave, Abuela announces that she doesn't want to go, saying that her knee is bothering her too much. Tia is ready to stay home, but I insist that she goes with the girls, I'll stay home with Abuela. After Abuela practically throws Tia out, we're alone for the evening. We settle in the living room, where Abuela starts to knit, her nightly ritual.
"Estefanía, are you happy here?"
"Yes, Abuela, very. I feel happy and free for the first time. I feel like I am normal, that I'm not a screw up for the first time in my life."
"I'm glad you are happy here. Are you happy with Carlos?"
I blush. I am still surprised at how observant Abuela is. "Yes. I like Carlos a lot. I can't explain it."
"Try, Querida."
I pause, thinking about what I want to say, "from the first moment I met Carlos, I felt a connection to him, not an attraction per se, but a connection. It is almost like I knew him my whole life. When I'm with him, I feel safe, like no one will ever hurt me if he's near. It's very strange. Most of my friends are guys, always have been, but I don't feel the same way around them as I do around Carlos."
"I'm not surprised. In my family, we find our soulmates, often young. My husband and I met when we were young. I was immediately drawn to him, and he to me. We knew that we were meant to be together. The same thing happened with Carlos' parents, and with Lester's. My Celia fell hard for her Nestor. They were perfect together, from the start. If he weren't taken from her so young, she'd still be happily married to him. But Celia is lucky because Paul is also her soulmate. I believe that you and Carlos are meant for each other. You are soulmates. I know it won't be easy for you both going forward, but in the end, you belong together. Don't fight what you feel, respect it, and respect each other. Don't allow him to push you away. He's troubled and often internalizes his feelings. You need to coax them out of him, or he will self-destruct. However, the one thing I ask is that you don't make me a bisabuela for at least another four years. I'm too young for that."
"Abuela, trust me, I don't want to be a mom anytime soon. One pregnancy while still in high school is enough for me."
We spent the rest of the evening listening to the radio while she tried to teach me to knit. When Tia came home with the girls, I helped them get ready for bed. Then, once they fell asleep, Abuela went to bed herself. I told Tia Celia that she could go to sleep, that I would be fine up by myself. She nodded, then went up to bed as I settled in to watch some tv. I must have fallen asleep on the couch because the next thing I remembered was being carried to bed by Carlos. When we got into my room, Carlos helped me out of my shorts and bra, leaving me wearing his t-shirt that I put on earlier tonight. I felt him kiss me on my forehead before I fell back to sleep.
Today was Carlos' seventeenth birthday. I was excited to give him my gift. I hope that he likes it. Lester has assured me that Carlos will love it, but I'm not convinced. It is finally sinking in that I'm staying in Miami for the next year. I can't believe my luck. For the first time in a long time, I'm thankful that my sister is the perfect Burg daughter. Even though I miss Mary Lou and my other friends, I am so much happier here in Miami.
During the day, Carlos, Lester, and I hung out on the beach as we normally do. The girls have finally stopped giving me grief, and seem to accept that I'm the only girl Carlos is interested in. Maria is the only holdout, though I don't care about her anymore. She's a lot like Joyce from back home, the girl who acts like she's the bomb because she has zero self-esteem. I've tried to befriend her, but she doesn't want it. We leave the beach early to spend the night with the family. Little does Carlos know, but his parents and siblings are here in Miami. They are staying this weekend, only at a hotel because they don't fit in Abuela's house. Carlos' relationship with his parents is getting better. He finally understands why they sent him here and is starting to accept that it was a decision made from love, not anger or disappointment.
When we walk into the house, he is shocked. I watch as Carlos hugs his parents and his siblings, seeming at peace. I stand off to the side, a little awkwardly because suddenly I feel like I'm intruding. It is just when I'm about to sneak upstairs that Carlos' father greets me.
"Stephanie, it's so wonderful to see you again. I hear that you are keeping Lester and Carlos here in line."
"Hello, Mr. Manoso. It's nice to see you again as well, though I don't know if I have any control of those guys." I respond after he kisses me on the cheek. My Burg upbringing didn't fail me.
"Ricardo or Ric, please, my dear. Uncle Ric, if it makes you feel better."
"Okay, Uncle Ric."
"My dear, how are you handling everything? You didn't deserve what happened to you." Carlos' mom said to me. I guess I blushed, because she quickly added, "no need to be embarrassed. I'm glad that my sister-in-law was able to bring you here. This seems to be the best place for those teens who push against the norm."
"I am certainly not the typical Burg girl. I feel like I am normal for the first time in my life, here in Miami with Abuela."
"And that you are, my dear. It's the Burg that is backward. To tell you the truth, I'm concerned for my nieces. I wouldn't want to raise girls in Trenton."
I understand her sentiment, but Tia Celia is nothing like the other Burg women, and thankfully, Uncle Paul isn't a typical Burg man. The girls have a good chance of growing up unscathed.
After a loud and boisterous dinner, we settle in the living room, watching Carlos open his gifts. Abuela made Carlos a beautiful blanket for his bed. I can tell by his expression that the blanket means a lot to him. Lester's family gave him a gift card to the local sporting goods store in addition to the tickets to last night's game. Lester bought Carlos a new surfboard. I immediately got excited about surfing lessons. I always wanted to learn how to surf.
"Don't worry, I'll teach you," Carlos said to me. His parents gave him a G-shock watch in black. He was excited to get it. I felt a little nervous as he went to open my gift, which was the last one. When he opened the box to see an official FIFA jersey with his favorite player on it, he was truly overwhelmed.
"Steph, how did you know? I've been wanted to get this jersey for ages. Thank you." He said.
"A little birdie told me that you were eyeing this jersey, so I figured I'd get it for you."
Carlos got up and thanked everyone for his gifts. Tia Celia retrieved the cake, and we all sang Happy Birthday to Carlos. The rest of the evening went pleasantly enough until his parents and siblings left at ten for the hotel. I knew the next few days were going to be a blast.