Texas
Later that Saturday afternoon…
Tanya was on her bedroom floor, trying to do her homework. She sighed as she fiddled with her pen. She just couldn't figure out what to write.
Just then Lola walked in.
"Hey Tanya,"
"Hey mom,"
"What are you doing?"
"My homework, but I can't figure out what to do. Can you help me?"
Lola got down on the floor next to Tanya and read over the assignment.
"An essay about Latino music?"
"Yeah, I don't know what to write. All I have is an introduction…then…blank,"
"Well…first off you have a few grammar mistakes. That first sentence is alright. This one the 'soy' should be 'estoy'. And over here there should be an accent on the 'e',"
Tanya made the necessary corrections.
"Ok, so now where do I go from there?"
"You could probably give an example of a certain style. There's Salsa, Bachata, Merengue…a whole bunch. Then you could go on about where it originated from or what sort of instruments they use…"
"Salsa sounds interesting,"
"In the case of Salsa, you can write about singers like Celia Cruz or Marc Anthony,"
"Ok…umm, how do you dance salsa?"
"Here, I'll show you,"
Lola got up from the floor as did Tanya.
"Ok, here's the simple step. Step forward, together, step back…" she demonstrated "be sure to move your hips and relax your arms."
Tanya imitated her mom.
"Good. Now try the same move sideways, like this,"
Lola did the moves again, while Tanya watched. She then tried the steps herself.
"Like this?"
"Yeah, that's good."
"Now try this one,"
It was a more complicated move. Lola kicked forward, brought her foot back then together again; and then turned to do the same move with her right foot. Tanya tried to do it, but kicked too far and messed up the whole rhythm.
"Close," said Lola, "let's try it with some music. It should be easier that way,"
Lola went to the radio atop the dresser. She looked for a Latino radio station that was playing salsa. When she found a good one, she came back to the center of the room with her daughter.
"Let's try again,"
Lola did the move again and Tanya tried as well.
"There you got it," she smiled
They started getting into the music. Lola was accenting her steps, as Tanya did her best to mirror her every move. They held hands as they danced around the room. Lola twirled her around and ended with a grand pose at the end.
"I never knew homework could be so much fun!" she giggled
"Ya learn something new everyday,"
"How did you learn to dance like that?"
"I learned from my aunt,"
"You mean that we have Hispanic ancestors?"
"Well…not really. She's my aunt due to marriage,"
"Oh,"
"Yay! For once were going to visit family and not move in with them!" said Katie
"Isn't it great?" said Brendan
"Yup!" chirped in Lola
The Bunny family was in the van, driving towards Texas. They were going to Uncle George's wedding. Uncle George was Larry's younger brother. The family was excited to finally see him again.
"It's been so long since we've seen him," said Gladys
"Yeah," responded Larry
"I'm so happy for him. He finally decided to settle down,"
"About time…"
The kids were in the back of the van. Katie was now fourteen years old, already starting to develop into a young woman. Brendan was eleven years old; his hair was longer and his attitude was more laid back. Lola was ten years old; she had grown taller and her hair had grown to the back of her neck.
The children were just as excited as their mother was about the wedding. However Larry was still in deep thought. He had been in deep thought the entire trip, as in some sort of trance.
After a great deal of driving, the family finally arrived at George's apartment. From out the third story window, George waved to them.
"Hey you guys!" he called, "come on up!"
The family was getting their things from the van when George met up with them.
"Hey bro!" he greeted
He gave his older brother a bear hug
"Hey George,"
"Come inside, rest yourselves,"
"My butt hurts from sitting down too long…" complained Brendan as he lugged his bag out the car
"Me too…" added Katie
"Yeah, it's a long drive from Colorado," commented George, "then you'll be glad to know that my apartment is on the third floor and there's no elevator."
"Oh brother…" complained Katie
"It'll be good to get some exercise," added Brendan, "You need it miss blubber butt."
"Shut up!" shot Katie
"You two, behave," scolded Larry
George went to the back of the van and found Lola and Gladys pulling out bags.
"Hello Gladys, Lola," said George as he approached them
"Hello George,"
"Hi Uncle George!"
"Here, let me help you,"
George grabbed two bags from the back of the van.
"Thank you," said Gladys
"No problem,"
Lola pulled on a bag from the van. She picked it up and almost toppled over from its weight. Once she found her balance, she walked towards the apartment building.
"Lola, it's too heavy put it down,"
"No mommy, I can do it,"
"It's a boy's job. Put it down and your brother will get it,"
"Aw but…"
"Put it down…"
Lola reluctantly obeyed. Gladys handed her a lighter bag and went upstairs with her into the apartment.
When they eventually brought up all their stuff to the apartment, George helped them get settled. George's apartment was quite cramped with all of them in there. There was one bedroom, a living room, a small kitchen and a bathroom. Lola liked the small coziness of the place. She walked down the hallway and saw pictures of her uncle and her dad. There was one picture that caught her eye. Her uncle was wearing a dashing white uniform and held a stern face, much like the face her dad always had. It was his portrait from the marines.
Larry, Gladys, and George were sitting in the living room, talking.
"So, when do we meet this mystery woman?" asked Larry
"You'll meet her at the party this weekend," answered George
"What's her name?"
"Carmen Coneja,"
"Conehha?" asked Gladys
"Yes, Coneja," he corrected
"That's a Hispanic name, right?"
"Yes. My Carmen is a Colombian rabbit,"
"Wow! That's wonderful,"
"How did you meet her?" asked Larry
"On assignment when I was in Colombia," he explained, "her father was one of the superiors at the American embassy. After a briefing, I walked into her in the hallway. Oh man, it was love at first sight."
"How romantic," said Gladys
Elsewhere in the apartment…
"I can't wait for the wedding!" said Katie to herself as she unpacked her things, "I love parties! Getting dressed up! The dancing, the food…the boys…"
She giggled to herself. She pulled out a dress from her suitcase and went to the mirror.
"I sure hope this new aunt of mine has some cute cousins…"
Lola and Brendan walked into the room. Katie twirled around and was caught by surprise.
"Hey! What are you doing here?"
"We're all staying in this room, remember?" said Lola
"Oh yeah…" she mumbled, "I miss my room already."
"You and me both," said Brendan, "its bad enough I have to share with you two. But Mom is gonna be in here too."
"Ugh…that's the worst part…"
Just then Gladys walked into the room. Katie shut her mouth tightly, hoping that her mother hadn't caught what she said.
"You finished unpacking?"
"No mom…" they said
Katie was slightly relieved.
"Lola come here," said Gladys
Lola went towards her mother.
"Yes mommy?"
"Look at this dress," she said excitedly
Gladys pulled out a white dress. It had bows for straps and a large bow at the back. The skirt belled out with a lace design at the bottom.
"Here's your flower girl dress, isn't it adorable? Here put it on,"
Gladys put the dress over Lola. She had a hard time fitting her arms through the straps due to her blouse and the skirt bunched up over the skirt she was already wearing. Katie and Brendan tried to hold back their laughter as Gladys tried to fix the dress.
"You look absolutely precious,"
"This skirt itches…" complained Lola
"You'll be wearing stockings,"
"You look like a Christmas present with all those bows on the dress…" commented Brendan. Katie giggled.
"Shush Brendan,"
"My dress is way prettier," said Katie as she pulled out her pink party dress.
It had short sleeves, a belt, and a v-neck. The skirt was wide, however a bit short. Gladys took one look at the dress and turned serious.
"The neck on that dress is to low," said Gladys
"No it's not," said Katie
"Yes it is. You have to wear a shirt under it,"
"Aw but mom, it'll look so awful with a shirt under,"
"No daughter of mine is going to be wearing such a revealing dress,"
"But!"
"No buts! And that's final…"
Gladys walked out the room and left Katie there pouting. Katie turned away from the door.
"Ugh…what does she know? She has no sense of fashion. She thinks your dress is the cutest thing ever,"
"It's not like I like this dress, don't take it out on me," defended Lola
"Of course it's not your fault, it's never your fault," she said angrily, "You're little miss perfect. You can never do anything bad."
"What am I? Chopped liver?" said Brendan
"You're the boy; you're a completely different category,"
"Was that supposed to be an insult?"
Lola didn't know how to respond to Katie. She just walked out the room. Katie sat on the bed and folded her arms. Brendan was still confused.
Lola wandered into the living room, where Gladys caught sight of her.
"Oh look at my little sweetie!"
This outburst made her feel very uneasy. Larry and George turned to see and saw how cute Lola looked. Larry gave a half smile in approval.
"You look too cute in that dress," said George, "the cutest flower girl that I ever did see."
I hate skirts
Katie overheard the entire thing. She peeked through the door to see Gladys twirling Lola around, making her model the dress. Katie gritted her teeth in jealousy.
"Little show off…"
That very weekend, the Bunny family was to meet George's betrothed and her family. The bridal shower was being held at a restaurant's open patio. One side was dominated by George's family, while the other was dominated by Carmen's family. The warm evening air was filled with sounds of laughter and Latin rhythms.
Larry and his family arrived into the restaurant. Gladys was wearing a red button down dress. Lola was wearing a frilled purple dress, with a bow on her ears. Brendan was wearing a button down shirt and slacks, just like his dad. Katie was wearing her pink dress, with a shirt under. Larry looked at the list and found their table. Gladys sat down next to him and admired the area.
"This is really beautiful," she said
"It's nice," said Lola
Gladys noticed Katie's sour expression.
"Katie, change your face,"
"I can't, it was made this way…"
"Don't get smug with me missy,"
"I just don't get why I had to wear the stupid shirt under my dress,"
"I told you, it's too revealing,"
Katie pouted and folded her arms.
George soon caught sight of them; he excused himself from the crowd and went towards them, accompanied by a young woman. Larry and Gladys stood up.
"Carmen, I'd like you to meet my brother Larry and his wife Gladys,"
She was a tan rabbit with short black hair. Her eyes were black and her body was slender. She wore a simple dress with a floral pattern.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you," she said as she shook their hands
"Hello," greeted Larry and Gladys
"George has told me so much about you,"
"I'm sure he has," said Larry
"And these are the little darlings," she said as she turned towards the children
"My son, Brendan, and my daughters Katie and Lola,"
"Hi," said Lola
"Hi," followed Brendan
"Hi," sputtered Katie
Gladys eyed Kate evilly.
"They're just as beautiful as George told me," said Carmen
"You guys must be hungry, there are some appetizers over there, feel free to go help yourselves," said George
Lola and Brendan turned towards their parents. They nodded in approval and the kids went to get refreshments. Katie got up from the table and walked away from them. The adults sat down at the table and began to talk.
"Tell us about yourself," said Gladys
"Well," began Carmen, "I was born in Delaware and when I was five years old, my father sent me to live with my grandmother in Bogotá. I lived all my life in Colombia."
"How did you learn English?"
"I learned a little when I was younger. But when I went to the university, I took some classes."
"You speak very well,"
"Thank you,"
Over at the table, Lola and Brendan were munching on some crackers when a woman approached them.
"Ay que linduras!" she said
Brendan and Lola looked at each other with confused expressions.
"Oh, you no speaky Spanish?" she said in crude English
They shook their heads.
"Oh…" she laughed. She simply patted their heads and walked away.
"Ok…" mumbled Brendan while some crumbs escaped from his mouth
Lola just shrugged.
Just then a relative of theirs grabbed some snacks from the table. He hardly noticed the two kids there.
"Why did it have to go and get engaged to a Mexican…" he muttered as he left the table
"I thought she was Colombian…" said Lola
"Me too…"
The two siblings walked back towards their parents.
"Excuse me," said Lola politely
"Yes sweetie?"
"She's from Colombia, right?" cut in Brendan
"Yes…" said George
"Then why did somebody say she was Mexican?"
Carmen was a bit hurt by that remark. George didn't like it all. However Larry cut in to answer him.
"They were just being stupid. Don't listen to what he said,"
"But why did he say that?" asked Lola
"He was just being…"
"Mean," cut in Gladys
"But why? Aren't we all family here?" asked Lola
"Yes, but some people are just mean and they don't like people who are different…"
"Oh…"
"I'm sorry about this Carmen,"
"It's alright," she responded, "I guess I should be used to this sort of thing…"
"But that's not fair. Why should he be mean just because you're from another country?" asked Lola
"I know it's not fair. They were just being ridiculous. It's best to just ignore them."
"Ok,"
The disc jockey then changed the music into something upbeat. Carmen was starting to get into the rhythm of the music.
"Want to dance?" she said as she got up
"Nah, I have two left feet," answered George in a half smile
"How about you?" she asked the kids
Brendan quickly shook his head, walked away timidly. Carmen then grabbed Lola's hand.
"Come Lola,"
"But…I don't know how…"
"It's easy, I'll show you,"
Carmen and Lola went to the dance floor to join the other dancers.
"This is salsa," explained Carmen, "and here's an easy step."
She stepped forward, together then back with her right then repeated with her left.
"Now just follow my feet,"
She held onto Lola's hands and tried the steps with her.
"You don't have to be so tense, relax…just move your hips,"
Lola was starting to get the hang of it. She swayed her hips as she followed Carmen's lead. Carmen twirled her around and continued the dance. Side to side, front to back, Lola had the beat.
"This is fun!" she said
"You have great footwork," encouraged Carmen, "now try this move"
Her feet went crazy as she kicked forward then stepped back, then turned and did it again. She did it slower so Lola could follow her steps. When Lola was starting to get it, she went faster and faster.
"Excellente!"
Carmen held to Lola's hands and they both did seem to glide across the floor.
All the while, Larry, Gladys, and George were watching the dance.
"My Lola looks so cute!" exclaimed Gladys
"She caught on quick," added Larry
George took a sip from his soda and sighed.
"I still can't believe someone from our family would say that,"
"Don't worry about it…some people aren't just as open,"
"Yes, but…"
"But nothing," interjected Larry, "You love her, and that's all that should matter to you."
"But I want her to be accepted by the family,"
"George, she's marrying you, not the family," added Gladys
"They're just being ignorant," said Larry, "they'll eventually get used to the idea."
"I guess so,"
Later that night in the apartment…
Lola was tired from all that dancing. She got up from the bed and tip toed out the room, trying not to wake up the others in the room. She was making her way to the kitchen to get a cup of water when she heard whispering coming from the living room. She crawled on the floor, trying to see who was talking. It was her dad and her uncle.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," said George, "my landlord is being a jerk. He raised the rent again…and I don't know how I'm going to pay it. With the wedding and all…I don't have any more money left."
"It'll be ok," said Larry, "you know I'll help you out in any way I can."
"But you have your own problems…I don't want to burden you."
"You're my brother, and I'll always help you. You're not a burden. A nuisance maybe, but not a burden."
"But the thing with your job…"
"We'll be fine…"
He paused for a while. Lola instinctively crawled away, not wanting to get caught eavesdropping. She went into the kitchen and got a glass of water. She walked out normally, as if nothing happened. Larry shrugged and continued talking with his brother.
During the week before the wedding, Carmen had gotten to be very close to them. She seemed like an older sister to Katie and Lola. Especially Lola; she taught her many different dances and even caught on to a little Spanish. Today, Gladys, Carmen, and the girls went to do some shopping.
"Here Katie, look at this dress," said Gladys as she took a magenta colored dress off the hanger.
"I don't like it…it's too poofy," said Katie, "I like this one."
Katie pulled out a short red dress.
"You can't wear that, it's too short," said Gladys
Katie put it back on the rack and rolled her eyes.
"How about this one?" asked Carmen
She pulled out a light pink dress. Katie took it and examined it.
"That's pretty," said Gladys
"It's nice," commented Katie
"Go try it on,"
Katie went to the fitting room. After awhile, she came back out in the dress. It fit her perfectly.
"Now this dress is more appropriate for a wedding," said Gladys
"You look lovely," said Carmen
Katie wasn't positive about the dress. She turned around and looked at herself in the mirror. She was still debating about it. However in the mirror, she caught sight of a small group of boys walking by. A few of them stopped to look at her. One of them even winked at her. That was it.
"I love this dress!" said Katie
"Wonderful," said Carmen
Katie went back inside to change back.
"Where's Lola?" wondered Gladys
"I'm right here," said Lola
Gladys looked around but couldn't see her. She looked down. Lola was sitting on the floor next to a column.
"What's wrong?" asked Carmen
"Shopping is boring…" commented Lola, "and I'm hungry."
"We're going to eat now, ok. Right after we buy that dress," said Gladys
After shopping, the ladies went to a fast food restaurant. Lola was indulging herself in a veggie burger. The others were having salads.
"What was it like when you were dating?" asked Katie
"Katie!" said Gladys
"It's alright Gladys," smiled Carmen, "I remember our first date. He took me to a fancy restaurant in the capital. He was wearing his uniform…he looked so handsome. He was such a gentleman, he opened the car door for me, he pulled out the chair for me...he gave me the first sip of the wine."
She laughed warmly.
"He was staring at me a whole lot. I asked him 'what are you looking at?' he said, 'the most beautiful señorita in all of Colombia'."
Katie sighed. Gladys was entranced by her story. Lola was wiping ketchup from her mouth and took another sloppy bite from her burger.
"I just smiled, but I could feel my face getting hot. He then held my hand, and he kissed it. I must admit I liked it very much, but I didn't want to let him know that."
"Why?" asked Katie
"Because you can never rush into love. Little things like that might tell you that you are in love, but it's probably not true love."
"True love?"
"It's hard to explain…true love is more than a physical attraction. It's somehow…spiritual. I don't know how else to say it."
"Spiritual?" Katie cocked an eyebrow
"Girls I…all I can tell you is that when you fall in love, is to make sure that they are the one."
"One day, I will find my one true love," sighed Katie
"Mom, can I go play at the jungle gym?" asked Lola, interrupting Katie's little daydream
"Lola! What happened to your face?" asked Gladys
Gladys grabbed a napkin and wiped her face that was covered in ketchup and sesame seeds.
"This is not proper for a young lady,"
"Can I go??" pleaded Lola
"Fine, but be careful. Don't play with the boys,"
Eww…boys…Lola walked off to go play in the jungle gym. She didn't want to hear that mushy conversation.
"Like she could ever get a boyfriend…" muttered Katie
"She's too young to be thinking about that. And so are you young lady," said Gladys
"What's the harm in talking with a few boys?"
"Boys are naughty; they'll just want to look up her skirt,"
"Well if you would just let her wear pants, she wouldn't have that problem,"
"But she's a girl and little girls wear skirts,"
"You're so old fashioned…"
"And you're disrespectful to your elders…"
Katie rolled her eyes and look down at her food. She didn't feel like arguing with her mom.
"You're mother's right," added Carmen, "You're not mature enough to be thinking about boys. It's best to wait a while."
"Pfft…"
The day of the wedding came. After the ceremony, the wedding party went to the reception. It was a beautiful gala event. The tables were draped in linen, the waiters were wearing black uniforms, and there was a live band playing and scrumptious food being served all around.
Lola was a very uncomfortable in her itchy dress. There were a lot of photos she had to pose for and the pinching of the cheeks she had to endure. However when it came time for the party to liven up, it was her new Aunt Carmen who took her to dance. She was glad to finally have some fun and use the new skills she learned from her aunt. Many of the other dancers were impressed with her lively energy. She danced with her aunt, she danced with others, she did a lot of dancing.
When she finally had enough, she walked away from the dance floor. She was on her way to the bathroom when she heard a woman say…
"What?"
Lola heard two familiar voices coming from the hallway. She stopped at the doorway to see who it was.
"Things are just, really bad,"
"Oh Larry, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know Gladys,"
"I'm tired of moving around like this, and so are the kids. They're not stupid Larry. They know something's wrong,"
"They're still too young to understand. And I'm tired of moving around too. I'm disgusted by this whole thing. But I promise you the next time we move, it'll be the last,"
"And where are we going this time?"
Larry looked at her dead in the eye. She instantly understood.
"But are you sure it'll be safe?"
"I'll make sure of it,"
"Is that the cake?"
"…no…that's me…"
Tanya laughed at the picture of the young Lola in her flower girl dress.
"I'm sorry…but you look so funny,"
"I know, don't rub it in,"
Lola closed the photo album, and looked at her daughter.
"Well, you better get that essay finished. Cause in an hour or two we're going to your Grandma's house,"
"Ok, but I think I would have gotten it done faster if you didn't interrupt me," she mocked
Lola pretended to be insulted. She got up from the floor and walked towards the door. Not before tossing a pillow at her.
"Get it done," she smiled
"Ok, thanks mom!"