The other girl smirked at her. She was wearing a dark purple sundress that looked nice against her golden-brown skin, while managing to highlight her dark hair and darker eyes. "Your last name isn't really Reyes." The girl insisted again.
Monica was upset, but the girl was older, eight years to her six, so it was hard to stand up for herself against a bigger opponent. "Is so. Just like my mama and papa's." She insisted valiantly, while kneading the hem her own fuchsia dress. She didn't really like the color, but her mother did, so she wore it without complaint.
"Yeah, but they're not your real mother and father." Maria insisted. It wasn't an earth-shattering revelation; Senor and Senora Reyes had been talking to their daughter about her adoption since she was a toddler.
"So what?" She asked, not understanding what the girl was getting at.
"So your real last name is the same one as your real mother's, or father's if you had one." Maria added, thinking of her mother's theory on why her cousin's birth-mother had given her up.
Monica shook her head. "No. Mama said that she and Papa named me, because I went to them right after I was born. I never had another last name or first name. Never." She insisted.
Maria shook her head. "You're still not really a Reyes, though. You can't be, you're white." Monica didn't stick around to hear more, she ran home.
Senora Reyes called her sister a few minutes later, and had an angry conversation in Spanish, which little Monica understood almost all of; it was about teaching one's child to behave like a normal person, not a mean- spirited brat. She was eating an dish of ice cream slowly, still stung by her cousin's words. Even her mama's assurances that she had as much a right to her last name as anyone didn't make her feel much better. She worried that her cousin was right.
Reyes sighed, putting the ancient memory aside. The little doubt had never entirely left her, even as an adult. It made her feel disloyal to her adopted parents, who had loved her her entire life, that she wanted to know who had created her. The only solution she could come up with was to call her parents and ask their blessing before doing anything. It would be too painful for all involved if she stuck around behind their backs, and they found out later.
Senora Reyes, Maria to friends and family, was pulling a pan of cookies out of the oven when the phone rang. She turned off the heat and reached for the receiver. Her husband would just have to wait for her to cook the rest of the cookies.
" Si?" She asked politely, expecting to be greeted in Spanish.
" Mama, it's Monica." Reyes said unnecessarily. She was her parents' only child, so anything after "mama" was just habit.
" Hola, bebe." Her mother answered warmly. " What's wrong? Your voice doesn't sound right. Are you sick? Is there something wrong with las ninas?" She asked worriedly. She'd been thrilled to learn that she was going to have two grand-daughters, but she worried more about Reyes and the babies.
" No, no. I'm fine, the babies are doing well...I have something to talk to you about." She twisted the phone cord in her fingers. Doggett preferred the cordless phone, but she liked to have something to fidget with while talking. Sighing, she said, " It's something I'm afraid will upset you."
" Upset me? When's the last time you said something that I didn't forgive you for? Words might sting, even said by loved ones, but you...you're never cruel. Tell me what's on your mind." Her mother commanded.
" I..." Reyes faltered and tried again. " Since I found out that I'm having twins, I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about them. Twins. And all the books say the same things. Twins run in families. If one is schizophrenic or autistic or develops breast cancer the other has a much higher risk of developing it too... Do you see what I'm getting at, Mama?"
" I'm sorry." Her mother said gently. " I'm afraid I don't." She realized her daughter was distraught, but why she wasn't sure.
" My family history. I don't know if twins run in my family, or mental illness, or cancer-"
:" Then find out." Senora Reyes interrupted.
" What?" Reyes blinked, startled.
" If you don't know your birth family's medical history, and it bothers you, you should try to find out." Her mother explained patiently.
" That's exactly what John said." Reyes said, still dazed that her mother had the same idea as her husband.
" I knew your Juan was a smart man." Maria chuckled. " That's obvious by his choosing you to fall in love with."
" John, Mama."
" Que?"
" His name is John, not Juan."
" You Americans, so touch about names..." The older woman moaned. " What I call him is not as important as the fact that I respect him. I don't understand the big deal about names." She complained.
Reyes snorted. " Oh, 'nombres no soy importante?' You wouldn't mind me introducing you as Marie Reyes then?"
" That's different!" Her mother sputtered. " Besides, you would never introduce me by first name, you have better manners than that!"
Reyes rolled her eyes. She wanted to get the conversation back on track before it derailed completely. " Mama, you really don't mind if I look for my birth family?"
" Of course not. I'm surprised you didn't decide to look for them earlier.
" What about Papa?' Reyes asked, deciding not to share the inquires she made in her youth.
" If I tell him not to mind, he won't." Maria said firmly. Reyes knew it was true. Laid back by nature, her father tended to honor his wife's every wish. What she didn't understand was her mother's equally complacent attitude.
" Why aren't you bothered by this?" She blurted out before thinking of a more tactful way of putting it.
" Because I know they won't take you away from me when you find them." Maria said simply.
Tears pricked at the corners of Reyes' eyes. " I love you, Mama. Thank you for understanding me." She wished she could express her gratitude better, but she didn't have the words for it. But she knew her mother understood.
They talked for another couple of minutes before Reyes said goodbye and hung up, suddenly feeling much better.
No one else could upload yesterday either, right? I kept getting a "server not found" 503 error message.