Chapter 53.
I felt guilty so I wrote something.
italics = Spanish.
Disclaimer: I don't own Shameless.
After five tense minutes of introductions and hasty explanations, Daniela saw a window of opportunity to slip away. While her new relations sat and looked around their living room, she grabbed her brother's arm and pulled him out into the kitchen.
"What the hell are they doing here?" She asked without missing a beat. Her face morphed from it's composed facade into something a lot more inscrutable.
"What are you talking about?" Said Jakob, raising his shoulders. "I told you that they had made contact and you said that I should respond."
"Yeah, well I wasn't expecting them to show up so soon!"
Daniela released a breath to try and calm herself.
When Jakob had initially brought up their mom's family, she had shrugged it off; too emotional to really think it through. Now, she was faced with a new grandmother and an uncle to boot.
It was the last thing she had been expecting when she woke up that morning.
"How do you think I felt?" Asked Jakob, lowering his voice. "It's a good thing I was stopping by the house - they were just standing outside."
Sighing, his sister peeked into the living room where they had left the two strangers.
She saw her uncle Eric's back as he stood beside the sofa that seated her grandmother, Teresa. The woman had been nothing but emotional after seeing Daniela. It was a little unsettling, to say the least.
Her temper dissipated slightly at the reminder of what she had said after studying her face. It seemed that both Rivera's shared the same sentiments because after she had stepped back and made eye contact with her uncle, she had seen something pass over his face; guilt, remorse.
"Anyway, what happened with you?" Asked Jakob, pulling her attention back to him. His brow furrowed as he took in her disheveled appearance. "Did you even brush your hair this morning?"
He reached out a hand to touch it when she swatted him away.
"That is not important," she said, her face much more serious. "Why are they here?"
"Gee, I don't know Dani maybe because she just found out her daughter died?" He responded sarcastically causing her eyes to narrow.
"Yeah, a year ago. After what, twenty plus years of radio silence? Mom never brought up her family, maybe there was a good reason for that," she wagered. There was no doubt that she had a bad feeling about all of this.
Jakob seemed to be thinking the complete opposite.
"Well, we won't know unless we ask," he said, trying to get her to see reason.
"I just have a bad feeling about it."
Jakob sighed and gently grasped her shoulders.
"Relax," he said. "I think they just want answers and, honestly, I want some too. You never wondered what happened or about her side of the family?"
"Of course I did but I never dared to ask," said Daniela before her eyes dropped. "Especially after she got sick."
"Yeah, me neither. But I doubt they're as bad as we're making them out to be."
Daniela wasn't so sure yet but her brother knew that he had piqued her interests just enough.
"Come on," he said, gesturing for her to follow him back into the lounge.
She did so warily, lingering ever so slightly behind.
Teresa was perched on the sofa, one ankle tucked behind the other with her hands clenched tightly in her lap. Her lips were thinned as she stared across the room at a picture of her daughter.
Jakob, seeing this, took the seat adjacent.
"That one was taken a few years back. Mom had taken us out to visit the old pier off of Lake Michigan."
"Was that before or after she was sick?"
"After. It was early days though, none of us knew what was going to happen."
Jakob and Daniela shared a look; their eyes dropping sadly.
"She seems happy," said Teresa.
"She was," nodded Jake before shrugging. "For the most part."
"And she lived here, with just the two of you."
The words were coated in something - something neither sibling could quite pick up on. They just knew it wasn't entirely positive.
"Uh, yeah. Our dad went to prison twelve or so years ago."
"I know." The words were said so simply but both of them could hear the hidden bite beneath them.
A short silence ensued where no-one knew what to say. Jakob cleared his throat as Daniela adjusted her position against the wall.
"I noticed your numberplate outside," she said, speaking up for the first time. Everyone's attention fell on her and she paused for a moment. "You came from Florida?"
"Si, Miami."
"How long have you lived there?" Asked Jakob, hoping to get some information on their mother.
"Well, we moved there when Camille was only six and Eric was four," said Teresa, gesturing to her son.
"Mom grew up in Florida?"
"Yes, all of my children did."
"That isn't an easy drive all the way here."
Teresa simply shrugged. "It was okay."
"But you must be tired. If you want, I could help you bring in your bags and get a room set up for you two."
"Ay, Jakob," the woman sighed, placing a hand over his and squeezing it. "So kind just like mi Camille."
From her spot against the wall, Daniela watched as her brother's chest inflated and a grin found its way onto his face.
"No problem," he said before looking over his shoulder. "Dani, you mind showing her upstairs while I get the stuff?"
"Sure," she nodded, pushing herself off of the wall.
As Jakob and her uncle headed towards the door, she attempted a small smile and looked at her grandmother. Even the word seemed strange in her head but there she was, slowly rising from the sofa, the grandmother she never knew she had.
"It's just up here," she said, snapping herself out of her thoughts and leading her to the stairs. Teresa nodded and followed silently. "Uh, the bathroom's just here, Jake's old room is at the end of the hall," she continued, pointing to each door.
"Do you stay here?" Asked Teresa.
Daniela paused to look at her before shaking her head.
"Not at the moment," she said. "I just started back at college so I'm staying on campus but I'm sure Jake'll be here if you need anything."
The woman nodded and glanced around at the walls of the house. Daniela opened the door to the spare room and looking in at the two single beds. They were her and Jakob's old ones before they outgrew them. Both were covered by a sheet to protect them from dust.
"We haven't really used this room much," she explained, opening up the window to let in some fresh air. "It was mainly just for storage and stuff." She picked up a few boxes to try and create some space. "I'll just put these in my room for now. And I'll get you some sheets."
"Is it okay if I freshen up a bit?" Asked Teresa. "I feel like I need one after being stuck in that car all those hours."
"Yeah, sure." Darting out quickly, Daniela returned with some towels and sheets for the bed. She handed the towels over with a smile. "Here you go."
"Gracias, Daniela."
The girl nodded and began making the beds. Teresa passed by her into the bathroom, closing the door behind her gently.
Once she was gone, Daniela released a long breath and stood straight. She wiped a hand over her face and pulled out her phone.
D: The weirdest thing just happened and I don't know how to handle it.
It didn't take long for a response to come through.
I: Yeah, Mandy already told me.
I: I'm not surprised honestly. We all knew you two would hook up eventually.
Daniela's eyes narrowed, annoyed that Mandy had spilled about her and Lip so quickly. Then again, it had already been three weeks.
D: First of all, that wasn't her business to tell and secondly, that's not what I'm talking about.
Hearing voices, she looked up to see Jakob and her uncle Eric come in with the bags. She slipped her phone back into her pocket and continued making the beds.
"Where's grandma?" Asked Jakob, the word rolling off his tongue naturally.
"Shower," she said, tucking the sheets under the mattress.
"Right." Jakob turned to Eric. "Did you need any more help with these?"
"No, that's alright thanks."
Nodding, he rubbed his hands together.
"Alright, I'm gonna head out for a bit just to get some stuff but I'll be back soon. Dani," she lifted her eyes to meet his. "You've got this handled?"
"Yeah, go on."
With Jakob gone, Daniela and her uncle remained. She kept silent as he began dressing the second bed. Her eyes glanced up every so often, taking in the family resemblance.
He bore a resemblance to Jakob and a lot to her mother. The only difference was the eyes with his being more of a light brown as opposed to their hazel.
"So, Daniela," he began, catching her off guard. "You still in school?"
She nodded and placed the blankets on the bed. "Yeah, I'm in my second year of college."
"College?" He echoed, laughing slightly. "Your mom hated college."
Daniela frowned, a small smile playing on her lips. "I didn't even know she went."
"Oh, she wasn't there very long. She dropped out mid-way through her first year." He smiled at the memory. "Mami wasn't too happy about that one but Cami was stubborn. She ended up making a deal with our dad that she'd spend the rest of the year working to pay them back."
"Why did she leave college?"
Eric shrugged and placed the pillows on the bed. "It just wasn't for her."
"Is that when she met my dad?"
There was a slight pause before he answered her.
"No, no that didn't happen for a couple more years."
He didn't ask anymore, giving her the feeling that the conversation was over. Finishing up, she glanced out the window to see Jakob's truck pull into its spot along the curb.
Dusting her hands, she turned to her uncle.
"I'm gonna go see if Jake needs any help. Did you need anything else?"
"This should be fine, thanks," he smiled.
Nodding, she headed downstairs into the kitchen. Jake was unpacking groceries when she took a seat at the table.
"How's it going up there?" He asked, pulling out a loaf of bread.
"Fine," said Daniela. "Their beds are all made."
"Good, thanks for that."
"No problem. What're you doing?"
"Just putting some stuff together in case they're hungry." He glanced up from where he was buttering bread. "You want any?"
She shook her head. "No thanks. I was actually gonna head off. I have some stuff to deal with back at school."
"Okay, that's fine," nodded Jakob. "I'll let them know."
"Thanks."
She rose from the chair and grabbed her things.
"Oh, Dani." Pausing, she glanced over her shoulder. "I was thinking I'd make us dinner tomorrow night. You think you could make it?"
She hesitated for a moment but nodded.
"Sure."
"Good. See you tomorrow."
Nodding once again, Daniela waved and left.
/
"You said mom grew up in Florida," said Jakob, the following night.
True to his word, he had gone ahead and made dinner - a shocking feat for someone who barely cooked. Daniela wasn't complaining though as he was actually pretty decent at it.
The four of them were sat around the dinner table, tucking into their food. To say that things were awkward was an understatement. Luckily, once Jakob had brought out the food, everyone began to relax.
"Mom never really spoke about her childhood but we had always wondered," said Jakob, cutting into his meat. "What was she like?"
Across from Daniela, a smile graced Teresa's face as she quirked a brow.
"Spirited."
Beside her, Eric snorted.
"That's an understatement."
Daniela sipped her drink, eyeing the two over the top of it. She had yet to warm up to them but Jakob seemed as if he had known them his whole life.
"We had raised her and her brothers to chase their dreams the way we had. My husband Gabriel - God rest his soul - was a chef and when we moved to Miami, we opened up a little pop-up store which turned into a restaurant and then another after that."
"That's amazing," said Jakob.
"Yes, well it was always for them; our children."
"We didn't even know mom had siblings."
"Si, three. Eric, Manuel, and Jamie. She was the second child, after Jamie but she that didn't stop her from always being in charge." Teresa chuckled to herself. "It didn't matter what it was, she was there leading the pack."
"Her spirit was always so fiery, so open that we never tried to stop her but... that was our mistake; letting her become so independent that she decided to leave us."
Daniela frowned. "Why?"
Teresa looked at her son, a silent conversation passing between them before she sighed.
"Your father."
Daniela huffed a laugh. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Teresa tilted her head and played with a folded napkin. She turned her attention to the window but her eyes seemed to zone out as if she were reliving it all over again.
"He, like many other young men, came to Miami looking for a good time. Your mother was working a shift at the restaurant when he came in late one night. Oh, he was charming alright. By the next morning, she had already had made plans to take him around the city."
Daniela smiled absently. She had never known how her parents met. She had just assumed that they had run into each other at a bar one night.
"It didn't take long for them to become inseparable. She started sneaking out every night to see him. She started coming late to work or not showing up at all. We got worried. We didn't know what she was doing."
Teresa sighed.
"Two weeks later, he went home. Camille went back to normal, but it was obvious her head wasn't in the right place anymore. She saved up some money and bought a plane ticket to Chicago and left without telling any of us. Her brothers came looking for her and dragged her back to Miami, but by then it was too late. Her mind was already made up."
Creases formed between the woman's brow as she looked at them.
"She told us she was going to move to Chicago for good. That she had already found a job here and that she and Lawrence were in love."
Looking to her left, Daniela and Jakob shared a smile but it slipped when they heard the woman's noise of disapproval.
"She had no idea what she was getting herself into," she said, clearly emotional.
"Mami."
With a single look, she silenced her son. She shook her head and raised her chin, facing her grandchildren.
"Mi Camille was a sweet girl. A good girl. Until she got mixed up with that boy." Leaning back in her seat, Teresa pinched her brow, seemingly exhausted. "I should have tried harder to stop her. Maybe, if she had have stayed with us in Miami, she would still be here today."
"Wait a minute," said Daniela, suddenly defensive. "My dad didn't do anything wrong."
"That boy ruined her!" She snapped, slamming her hand down on the table. Jakob jumped but Eric remained calm and quiet beside her. His eyes remained on his plate, now untouched like the rest of theirs, and his jaw was clenched tightly.
Daniela had a hard time figuring out whether it was because talking about her mother upset him or because he hated her dad too.
"He brought her here and he stripped away everything good about her. You know, before she left Miami she had never touched a cigarette? Never. Until she met your father. I visited them once, a few months after they had moved here."
She shook her head, disgusted at the memory.
"I tried to drag her back to Miami with me but no. She was too stubborn for her own good. And look where it got her."
Daniela's mouth opened, ready to hit back when a hand covered hers. Looking up, she saw Jake's raised brow; a silent warning to calm down. Her eyes narrowed in disbelief as she leaned back in her seat.
"So, Daniela..." said Eric, trying to diffuse the situation and break the long and awkward silence. "You said you were a sophomore in college. You enjoying it?"
Daniela hated his blatant attempt to change the conversation but went along with it anyway to appease her brother.
"Yeah, it's okay," she said, her jaw tense. "To be honest I just wanna get it over and done with so I can actually start working."
"Right, I never did ask what you were studying."
"Dani's doing her degree in Nursing," said Jakob, beaming proudly.
"A nurse?" Echoed Teresa. "Well done. We have a few in the family; one of them works in aged-care."
"Yeah, I chose it because of mom. We spent a lot of time with her when she was in the hospital and I would help out here and there." Daniela looked down at her plate for a second. "It really got me wanting to help others in similar circumstances."
"Hm, well I'm glad to know she at least had you two there with her."
Daniela's anger spiked.
She knew it was a jab at her dad but, not wanting to cause an even bigger scene, she tried to push past it. Instead, she straightened her neck and stared right at her grandmother.
"Did you know that she was sick?" She asked, a silent challenge in her eyes.
Teresa fell silent; the glass in her hand coming to an abrupt stop. Slowly, she took a sip and placed it back down on the table. She licked her lips and folded her hands in her lap. Her shoulders were suddenly tense as she met her granddaughter's eye.
Seeing that it was difficult, Eric stepped in.
"When your mom left Miami, we kinda lost contact with her," he said, trying his hardest to be polite. "There were letters here and there for the first couple of years but they slowed down after a while."
"So, no?" Asked Daniela, one eyebrow quirked.
"If I had known," began Teresa quietly. "I would've come here straight away."
Daniela nodded, accepting the answer but still not entirely happy. She could feel how tense her brother was beside her but continued. Any sort of decorum she had once shown was now thrown to the wind.
Now she just wanted answers.
"What about us?" She asked, not letting up. "Did you know about us?"
Teresa glanced down at the table as Eric cleared his throat.
"Cami sent letters and pictures when you two were born. Some school photos too."
Daniela kept silent, just processing everything. Beside her, Jake kept out of the conversation but listened keenly, also wanting to know.
"And what, you weren't interested?" She asked, laughing slightly.
She heard her brother place his knife and fork down. He leaned back in his seat with a sigh.
"Or were you just so consumed with hatred for our dad that you didn't even bother to care," she said, her words dripping with sarcasm.
"It wasn't like that-"
"Of course we cared!" Said Teresa, her eyes blazing. She seemed offended at the very idea.
"Then why stay away, hm? Yeah, I get it, you hated our dad. But hating him to the point where you ignore the existence of your own grandchildren, well...that's just a little much."
Teresa sucked in a breath, her eyes glistening as if she'd already had this thought a thousand times.
"Daniela. There are some things you just can't understand. Your father caused a lot of problems for us."
"There you go again!" She snapped.
She huffed a laugh.
"I don't get you people. You decide t-to come here and start digging up old wounds for no reason other than to attack our dad when, from what I've seen so far, you're not exactly innocent."
She gestured to her brother.
"Now, Jake may want to ignore all of this but I won't. We might share blood but as far as I'm concerned you're no family of mine. So if you're only here to cause more drama all for the sake of trying to make up for any guilt you might have about what happened between you and my mom, then I suggest you go back to Miami."
Forcefully, she shoved her seat back and stood up. Jakob's eyes remained on his plate as Teresa sat there nearly on the verge of tears.
A small part in Daniela cursed her for being so harsh on the woman but she couldn't help it. Her uncle was silent as he rubbed his mother's back.
Daniela's eyes moved to her brother and she felt her anger dissipate.
"Thanks for dinner, but I seem to have lost my appetite," she said.
Jakob nodded sadly and watched as she gathered her things before heading for the door.
I really didn't mean for this to take so long but this chapter isn't actually tied to any of the episodes. Sorry that there's no Lip but he'll be back in the next one.
What are your thoughts on Daniela's family?
Thanks to all of you who've left comments. Sorry I kept you waiting so long.
