Twenty minutes later Bridget and Ella walked in. Carmen took a mysterious package out from behind her back. She placed it in the middle of the circle the girls had formed. "Open it." She said to Holly. Holly looked around at her friend's faces and hesitantly took the package. "Ok." As she took the pants out, dust mingled with the air, and she began to cough. Lena laughed. "When was the last time you had these out Carmabelle?" "I don't know…when was Marcos born?" Carmen jokingly asked. Annabelle ran her fingers over the faded material. "Well, what's so special about them?"
Ella had known what they were looking at. All of the girls had heard the story since they were very young. And seeing as how all four mothers had gathered all four of their daughters for no reason, Ella had known what was going on. She snatched the pants out of Holly's hands. She stood up and let the pants unfold. A piece of paper flew out. Esperanza caught it. Ella walked over to the mirror that was oddly placed on the wall. "Guys…these are it…these are…" "The pants!" Esperanza squealed. "Esi and Ella are right…Holly…these are the pants." Anna told Holly. Holly hit Anna softly in the arm. "I didn't say they weren't Anna!" The rest of the girls stood up and followed their mothers to over where Ella was standing. Bridget put her hands on Ella's shoulders. "Well, try them on babe." Ella squealed as she slipped off her shorts and put on the jeans. They fell directly at her waist line. Ella hated being tall. She could never find jeans that were long enough. These fit her perfectly. They even made her look like she had curves. Ella slipped them off and put her shorts back on. "One down…three more to go…who wants to go next?"
Holly wanted to get it over with. She took the pants from Ella. Knowing the pants wouldn't fit her, she lethargically took her time slipping them on. "Come on Holls! We don't have all day!" Anna yelled. Holly looked her in the eyes and pulled the pants on all the way. She had expected to feel the material underneath her feet, but she didn't. When she looked up into the mirror, she saw something strange. She quickly unzipped the jeans and jumped out of them. "Mom…what is with these things!" Lena picked the pants back up and handed them to her daughter. "Put them on Holly. Look at them."
Holly pulled them back on and stood in front of the mirror again. "Ok…so they fit…they fit…" Anna snorted. "Holly you say that as if they don't fit you…you look stunning! It actually looks like you have a but!" "I know Anna…but I'm at least seven inches shorter than Ella…how is this possible?" Holly asked.
Anna was next. "I hope these fit…" She pulled them up, and zipped them. She opened her eyes and looked in the mirror. "Oh, la, la Annabelle!" Esperanza laughed. Anna turned her back to the mirror and looked at her thighs. "I do look good. If I may say so myself." She slipped them off and handed them lastly to Esperanza. "Esi…you are the last one…put them on!"
Esi took them and held them in her hands. Esperanza had her mother's body. She didn't need her birth certificate to prove that she was Puerto Rican….she could just turn around and show her but. It was huge. Even Carmen had to admit that her but hadn't been that big when she was younger. Esi finally took off her skirt and traded them for the pants. She had a little trouble getting them over her but, but when she looked in the mirror she was surprised. "Oh my gosh…mom…look at this…they actually fit…" Carmen laughed at her daughter's words. "And you thought they wouldn't?" Esi nodded. "Uh…Yeah!"
After they all had tried the pants on, Esperanza reached into her pocket and pulled out the paper that had fallen out. She opened it. It crinkled. It was younger than the pants…but it definitely showed age. It was yellowed at the edges, and the words were becoming smeared together. Carmen noticed the paper and got everyone's attention. "I think Esi has something she needs to show everyone." Esi turned the paper around and placed it in the middle of the circle. "The manifesto!" Anna yelled. "Oh…sorry!" She exclaimed. "The manifesto." She said more quietly.
Paul had been told by Lena to stay upstairs in his office. But the screaming was getting to be a little too much. He made his way down the stairs and made sure to knock on the wall before entering the room. "Is it safe for me to come down?" He asked everyone. Holly looked around to make sure everyone had put their clothes back on. "Yeah Dad. You can come down." Paul walked into the room and sat down on the couch. "You girls have been down here for two hours. I'm hungry…" Lena got up and walked into the kitchen. "Well if you are hungry Paul then come into the kitchen…that is where we usually keep the food."
Lena invited all three girls and their moms to stay and eat dinner, but they all had to get home. Ella had to go home and pack. Bridget was coaching at another soccer camp…coincidently Anna was attending the same camp. And like all the other summers, Bridget never read past the date she had to be there. Ella was actually the one to tell her that she was coaching Anna that summer. Ella, the non-soccer player, would be staying in Bethesda with Lena and Paul. (Her dad had left when she was about seven or eight. She only saw him on holidays. At the moment he was in the south of France with his new wife.)
Esperanza and Carmen were traveling down to North Carolina to visit Esi's dad's family. Jack had wanted to stay in Bethesda when he and Carmen had their first child, Marcos.
Annabelle would be leaving for camp on Saturday. Bridget had offered to bring her when she went. This made Tibby feel a bit better. Now Anna wouldn't have to go by herself. Tibby and Brian would be taking their youngest daughter Eve, short for Evette, on a business trip to New York City. Tibby would be working on her latest film. The shooting would take only two months. And since Tibby was able to choose the shooting time because of the small cast, she chose to do it during the first two months of summer. This was during the month that Anna would be away. She would fly from Baja to New York to meet her family when camp was finished.
SO...this is the next chapter! Review...review...review...anywho like i was saying...review! No...lol! I applied for a job last night at the movie theater...I have an interview next week. THen I went by my friend's work to see her and tell her...because where she works is right behind the movie theater...but i was talking to her and her boss was asking me these quetions. I got in my car to go to the store later last night and i had a message on my phone...her boss wanted to know i f i wanted to work there! It was funny...i'm actually still deciding.