Happy birthday Juliette45 and thank you for beta'ing, MsSchneeheide!
"I need YooHoo and ACT fluoride rinse for my teeth," Maritza comments randomly as she and Flaca walk through the cafeteria holding hands the next day. "I'm adding those to my mental checklist." She pulls down the light blue garment around her neck slightly, only to yank it back up again when the chilly air brushes against that spot.
"Oh...I think I gave you a hickey!" Flaca exclaims. "It's a good thing it's cold and you wore a scarf..."
"I've always been mysterious. Maybe I want people to wonder who my lover is," Maritza says mischievously. "I'll hide it from my mom, though."
"I feel like such a dude!" Flaca complains.
"Trust me, honey, you're far from a dude," Maritza assures her, and Flaca's pout turns to a smile. They share a tender gaze.
"It's true that you chicks are an item, huh?" Maria smirks.
"What about it?" Flaca demands.
"Sí, what's the problem?" Maritza asks.
"Watch out for your girl...she's obsessed with her purple Nokia and might love it more than you."
"Piss off, Maria! Fuckin' skank," Flaca grumbles as they rush past her, snickering. They approach their friends at the lunch table and sit next to Elena, Ceci, and Katie, across from Daya, Taystee, Poussey, and Franziska.
"They're pushing and testing him...just to see if Leon is like Cesar in any way, they're sometimes still afraid he could be. Eva broke some star-shaped blue toy last night that he got her and she was scared to see his reaction...Ma started freaking out, but Leon was like, 'it's really not a big deal, babe, they're just kids, it was an accident and I can always get them another one!' and then, he gave Aleida a suggestion to teach the kids to be careful with their things," Daya is saying.
"He sounds like a really good, solid kinda guy! I think your sisters and brother should trust him by now," Taystee murmurs.
"Yeah," the others agree.
"Mm-hm." Daya nods.
In the afternoon, Karla invites Blanca, Gloria, Aleida, and Margarita to her place. While she's letting them in, the meowing kitten clings to Karla's shirt and tries to crawl over her shoulder. "What you crying about? No, you can't go!" Nala wriggles herself out of Karla's hands anyway and the ladies laugh together as they take their shoes off and sit on the couch. "Fine, go back to your empty tomato box and play, you're so stupid," Karla murmurs in a cute voice. She turns to the others. "Miss Nala tried to go into the corner under the oven where she got her head stuck before, and she kept meowing when I picked her up!" The Córdovas' pet looks over as if she understands Karla is talking about her and makes a tiny mewling sound. "Yes, I can hear you, how's Little Miss Meow Meow?"
"Aw, she's adorable! Since she's black and I'm a bit superstitious, if she crosses Dean's path, that'd be lovely!" Blanca comments.
The women smirk. "Oh, yeah!" they state in unison. "Hey, y'all want tea?" Karla wants to know.
"Literally or figuratively?" Margarita asks.
"First option."
"Sí, gracias for offering!" Blanca exclaims, and the others nod in agreement. She's glad that Gloria and Aleida aren't fighting this time. They're barely looking at each other, but at least they're being civil. She thinks it'll probably take Aleida a week to get over Gloria putting the moves on Leon.
"How'd Vee's girls take it, that you two are together now?" Margarita asks, pointing at Gloria. "Last thing you told me, was that Suzanne made a stink when you rode with him on the subway and Cindy and Janae were giving Taystee disapproving looks."
"That's only 'cause we were getting closer while she was pretending to be their mother figure." Gloria taps her silver painted nails on the table and then fiddles with a gold ring on her index finger. "Janae said she was getting rims from him, it sounded like he offered 'em to her, and she and Cindy would always complain to Vee about how they needed the money. The thing is, though, he doesn't sound like the type to break a promise. I don't think they interacted with Fahri, they could never do that without it being awkward, because surprise, Vee never had Fahri meet her minions. She wouldn't share whatever she got from him."
Aleida shrugs, staring down at her lap. "Even her fellow cheapskates felt uncomfortable asking rich people for things, I guess."
"Eh, they're poor kids, let 'em dream," Blanca says. "Vee was the biggest moocher of 'em all. I hope they can see that their lives are better without her lousy ass around."
"Mm-hm," the rest of them murmur.
"Me, too," Karla says as she walks back into the living room with a pink tray full of steaming tea in five separate blue mugs with white snowflake patterns. She sets each one down onto a coaster. As they wait for their drinks to cool, they chat about what they did on Valentine's Day.
Gloria nudges Blanca while smiling hugely. "Hey, how lucky is it that we found our true soulmates after abuse?"
"Extremely!" Blanca lets out a dreamy sigh. "Diablo's so romantic...his words and everything he does to or for me, makes me swoon! I can always count on him."
"Fahri's the same way in my case," Gloria says with a grin.
"Ramón came into my world just after it came crumbling down, and without even knowing what happened to me, he healed broken parts of my soul, and I'm so grateful," Karla joins in.
"Leon did somethin' like that with me," Aleida states, her lips quirking up into a smile. "I still can't believe he took me back..."
"Once I found RJ, I forgot all about Cesar!" Margarita appears to be proud of herself.
"I just hope you didn't cheat on that motherfucker, as shitty as he was, I never wanted to stoop down to his level. I just went out with Leon when Cesar was unavailable," Aleida mutters. "I'm Leon's woman for good now, though."
"Mags got a new man, good for her. It's not being disloyal because Cesar's a piece of shit!" Karla points out.
"Yeah, and anyway, I broke things off with Cesar once I realized my feelings for RJ weren't going away anytime soon. He treats me well, but Cesar didn't, really."
Gloria eyes Aleida. "You could learn a few things from Margarita. Self-respect, for one."
Aleida scowls. "I kinda did already, so you're too late for that lesson. Maybe she could teach you not to do your girls dirty."
Margarita awkwardly glances from Aleida to Gloria and fiddles with her hot pink bracelet.
Blanca clears her throat, wanting things to simmer back down. She blows on her hot beverage and the heat is relaxing and warm on her face. She dips her tongue in and it's not too bad, but she could wait another minute. "Anyway...Diablo's son is so cute! Laronne's mother must have been a beautiful woman...but I don't see much resemblance between him and Diablo, who is a different kind of handsome, obviously! I felt weird asking him about it..."
"Oh but of course, 'cause he's not his biological dad, but he is the chico's papi in every other sense of the word! Diablo adopted Laronne after his wife died...whoever raped her, is the blood father," Margarita reports.
Blanca sips her peppermint tea, enjoying the warm liquid sliding down her throat. The others do the same. "Oh, that's right, he's like Maritza in that way, raised by someone not related to him. Flaca mentioned something about it months ago when she came to Dave and Busters with the five of us, I almost forgot." She smacks her lips and pats them with a tissue. "Lo siento."
"It's okay," Karla assures her with a gentle hand on her arm, and the rest of the women bob their heads up and down in concurrence.
"Anyway, Blanquita, is Maritza okay?" Aleida wants to know. "She was staring off into space earlier today while holding Flaca's hand...her facial expression looked lost."
The fact that Maritza has premonitions is still a bit unbelievable to Blanca, but it's also amazing. "Sí, she's fine, she just...she gets visions. Not like hallucinations, but she imagines realistic situations from the future and most of them turn out to be true."
"Your daughter is a psychic, that's pretty cool!" Gloria comments excitedly. "Or at least has a strong woman's intuition. It's like how I'm either a bruja with my Santería or I got a lotta luck. Just before Vee died, Norma and I put a banishment spell on the bitch to make her disappear. I can see her now, grinning at this. We poured oil into a cake pan, sprinkled in cinnamon, then cracked eggs. I inserted a tampon like a candle and handed Norma a book of matches. She lit the tampon string, crossed herself, and then intertwined her fingers in prayer. Later, she pet a service dog, pocketing some of its hair. She glanced at me when I beckoned at the doorway. In the kitchen, Norma ground the ingredients between two rocks. I took two pinches of the dog hair and fried it in a pan. Later, Norma blew her concoction onto Vee's back. The cunt obliviously scratched her neck, and we all know what happened after!"
"Wow, that's fantastic!" Blanca tells her. "Supongo que el haberte dado la foto mía y de mis niñas es la razón por la que Dean no nos ha encontrado."
I guess giving you the picture of me and my girls is the reason Dean hasn't found us.
"Mm-hm!"
On that same Thursday after school, several of the girls are lounging around Elena and Ceci's bedroom while their abuela is cooking dinner with loud Spanish music playing. She's not able to hear their conversation.
"I'm so impressed with your dyed hair, babe," Ceci murmurs, stroking her new girlfriend's pink highlighted dreadlocks and then resting her head on Katie's knees.
"Thank you, honey!" Katie starts giving Ceci a back massage.
"So, you two are really a thing now, huh?"
Ceci and Katie share a furtive glance and then giggle while still holding hands like they've done all day at school, then in Milagros' car. "Yeah..." they answer Elena's question.
She smirks, then claps. "I knew it!"
"You did, hermanita?"
Elena nods, beaming. "Call it woman's intuition. It also helps that I saw you making out in that cozy corner of the library and being hella physically close at lunch. I noticed it from a distance." She looks over at all four of them. "Dios mío, I'm so happy for you chicas!"
"Gracias," they chorus.
"De nada. Even though I'm currently a fifth wheel, I couldn't be more ecstatic."
"I can see why!" Flaca sneaks a peek at Elena's text from Sergio. It reads, Can't stop thinking of you under those red neon lights xoxo I wanted to kiss you ever since then! ¿Cómo estás? "Oooh, girl, yes! You got the guy!"
"¡Sí, felicidades!" Maritza squeals.
Katie continuously runs her fingers through Ceci's hair and they both give Elena a thumbs up. "Gracias, pero por favor, stop snooping!" She gives Flaca a playful glare and snatches her Nokia phone. After reading the message again, she giggles hysterically and holds it close to her chest while beaming. "We're like, the perfect height for each other...that's another reason why I was so fond of him in the first place! Plus, those arms, wow...so muscular! I mean, I was fully aware of the fact that they are, but feeling them wrapped around me...oh!" Glancing up at the ceiling, Elena fans herself. "We were canoodling on a couch in the orchestra pit in the theater and we split a burrito...he got it for us while I found us a spot!"
"Nice!" the others comment in unison. "So, what about you?" Ceci asks, gesturing between Flaca and Maritza. "Did ya finally...¿ya sabes?" She winks at them and they blush.
Flaca pulls Maritza further into her lap so the smaller girl sits between her legs. "Ay, mi amiga, did coming out to your mami make you nosy?" she teases Ceci, shaking her head.
"Yeah we got laid," Maritza confesses and then bites her lip as she looks up at Flaca with innocent, wide eyes. Flaca gasps in feigned betrayal, but then laughs.
"Wow," Katie breathes out, grinning widely as Ceci reaches up to caress her cheek. "How was it?"
"Out of this world! Completely magical...like she made me have the big O like I never did before," Maritza answers truthfully.
"Amaze-balls. Sin las bolas," Flaca puts in. "Mi novia was wonderful. The best lover I ever had!"
without the balls
Everyone cackles together.
"Hey, I got an idea!" Elena hands everyone a flashlight, pulls the red curtains closed over the window, and flips a switch so the whole room is dark. She holds her flashlight under her chin, as do the rest of the girls, so there's a spooky glow on each of their faces. "Chant Linda Ferguson's name three times while looking into the mirror."
"We tryin' to summon the bitch?" Maritza wants to know.
Ceci smirks. "Yeah, then we'll curse her into the grave."
After doing this, they all crack up again.
At Diablo's apartment in front of their full-length bedroom mirror, Blanca takes her hair out of its neat bun. She jumps when he comes up behind her and whirls around in alarm as her heart beats at full speed. Right when she sees that it's just her man with his soft eyes and happy smile, she relaxes. "Oh...lo siento I had that reaction, Diablo, soy tan estúpida, por supuesto que sólo eres tú." Inhaling and exhaling shakily and clutching her heart, she lets out a weak chuckle. "I dunno what's wrong with me! I...I heard the door unlock and there were heavy footfalls, like your boots hitting the floor...I knew it wasn't Maritza...you told me you were coming home early, even!" Blanca stammers and trails off, turning away from him in embarrassment. She stares blankly at her reflection and watches him sit down on their bed with a sad expression on his face.
I'm so stupid, of course it's just you.
"Blanca, you haven't done anything you need to apologize for, it's okay. I'm the idiot. I didn't mean to scare you, darling, ¡me disculpo enormemente!"
I apologize greatly!
Her breath catches as she faces him again. He rises to his feet, looking incredibly sincere and mournful. "Lo sé, mi amor. Es solo que...Dean solía acercarse a mí...en el espejo..." She swallows hard while stepping closer to Diablo. "He did that just to spook me...and then whenever he felt like it, he'd...he'd grab me by the back of my neck and bash my face into the mirror...I know you won't do that, but...I'm so traumatized...it's like that monster flashes in my head at the most random moments..."
It's just that...Dean used to come up to me...in the mirror...
"You are never to blame for that. He's the most vile creature to ever walk the Earth! I'm so sorry for all the pain he's caused you." Diablo reaches out for her. "Come here, baby."
Blanca nods, shuddering in his arms now as he shelters her, one hand cradling her head and the other securely against her lower back. She lets out squeaky, shaky gasps for air and closes her eyes. They stand motionless in the middle of the room, locked in their embrace. He caresses her loose curls with his thumb. She rubs his back. They hold hands and he kisses her fingers. She and Diablo press their foreheads together and look into each other's eyes. He pulls her back into their hug and presses his cheek to her hair. She stares over his shoulder. Diablo cups Blanca's face. He strokes her shoulders and she pecks the tip of his nose, then his forehead. Blanca's eyes fill with tears as she clutches onto him tightly. He kisses Blanca's forehead gently and then her cheek, letting his mouth linger on that spot for a second or two. Her lips tighten as she looks into his eyes. "I really...I-I was gonna...um...give myself to you...because you probably desired that on Valentine's Day...we had such an amazing night...and I should've had sex be the cherry on top...but I fell asleep...I felt so bad for not undressing in front of you, even..."
He continues gazing into her eyes with pure admiration. "Oye...that's all right. I didn't expect it...listen, sweetheart...you don't need to take your clothes off! If you're not ready, we won't do it. I'll be very slow with you and we'll go at your pace," Diablo assures her. He keeps holding her. "I'll protect you from all the bad things in the world and I won't pressure you into anything you don't wanna do. You're absolutely perfect to me. Can I kiss you?"
She beams. "Sí, of course, we love each other and you don't hurt me!"
They kiss passionately. A tear rolls down her cheek and she chokes back a happy sob.
Later, Maritza arrives home to find Laronne finishing off dinner. Blanca is getting out dessert while Diablo does dishes. Raiza sits patiently in her chair while making her Barbies converse with each other. "Hey, nena, how was your cena with the girls?"
"It was a lot of fun!" Maritza answers her mother.
"Mister Diablo is gonna make us all his famous ice keem sundae!" Raiza announces gleefully.
"That's cool!" Maritza looks over at Diablo. "Gracias, man."
He glances back at her and grins. "¡De nada!"
The five of them soon have warm brownies topped with mint oreo ice cream, whipped cream, gummy bears, strawberry syrup, and rainbow sprinkles. Diablo serves himself, Blanca, and their kids peppermint tea. He sets each of the mugs on coasters. "Cuidado, it's hot," he warns his son and Raiza, and they nod in understanding. Maritza leans into hers and inhales deeply, letting the sweet smell of the drink waft through her nostrils as the steam fans her face. She notices Blanca doing the same. Now feeling cozy with blankets over their laps, the family eats their delicious treats while watching an episode of Maya and Miguel and then start in on their beverages.
It's soon time for Raiza and Laronne to go to sleep, so now Maritza can watch a more grown-up show with Blanca and Diablo, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.
Diablo lets Blanca and Maritza get ready for bed first and while he's in the bathroom after them, mother and daughter talk on the couch. "Mami, I'm sorry that I didn't have the best start with Diablo. Lo siento I was hostile toward him at first."
"With the man who has his sights set on their madre, what teenager does?" Blanca asks rhetorically. "You got close anyway...you'll never believe this, but Karla y yo had a rocky beginning, too."
"What?" Maritza's eyes nearly bug out of their sockets. "Why?"
"We met when we were kids, and not at the easiest ages, either. Eleven and thirteen...Karla was a little petty back then. She got mad at me for something that was out of my control...I stole her idea and kept copying her, because I admired her...I dressed and talked like her quite often. She told me to stop, but I couldn't help it, I wanted to be cool, too!"
Maritza giggles. "I'm sure you were, without her influence!"
"Gracias...and she told me so, eventually. In our computer class, I was trying to talk to her and Karla was snapping back at me to shut up. Our whispered hissing got us both in trouble." Blanca chuckles at the memory and Maritza wags her finger playfully. "The worst thing I did, though, was turning in an example essay that she wrote in sixth grade, and then passing it off as my own. I couldn't think of what to write and I really didn't want to fail English. She called me lazy, but then helped me after we bonded over the no dads thing and being immigrants to a new country when we were in detention together. She started to understand me more, and I learned that plagiarizing can get me into serious shit, plus, it's unfair to take credit from a person who worked so hard."
"Oh, wow, that's good! I'm glad y'all got your issues resolved from then on."
"Yo también," Blanca murmurs with a smile.
"Hurry up! You're so slow!" Flaca's Tía Mariana mutters at the driver in front of her. She's taking Flaca to school this time since she's visiting and Theresa is busy with work. Flaca looks at her like she's crazy. "He's driving like a frickin' abuela! Sí, Flaquita, I vent at cars."
Flaca starts giggling. "You know, it's fine to do that, but what if they heard you? They could be a drunk biker and try to hurt you!"
"I'll be fine, they can't hear me. I always make sure my windows are up," Flaca's tía reassures her. "Oh, come on!" She rolls her eyes. "I'm trying to get past you!"
"Ay dios mío...he's got headphones on," Flaca groans. "He'll never move!"
"Ugh, what an idiot pendejo!"
A horn honks behind them. "Shut up, this asshole in front of me isn't moving his damn car!" Mariana shouts.
Flaca blows out a huge breath. She's glad she's never on her aunt's bad side. Mariana looks at her apologetically. "Sorry, baby,"
"It's fine, I know you're mad. I would be annoyed too! Wait a minute...that's Ian! Hold on." Rolling her eyes, Flaca pulls out her cell and calls him. They see him talking on his phone.
"Yo, Ian here."
"Yeah. Ian? Move your car. My aunt's trying to drive past you, and you're holding up traffic," Flaca says bitterly, and Mariana muffles her laughter with her hand.
"Whatcha gonna do about it?" he asks brattily. Flaca thrusts her middle finger up at him.
"I'm gonna call the police to get your license removed," Flaca tells him innocently and smirks. "Get the hell out of our way. ¡Adiós!" Flaca hangs up and hi-fives her tía as he drives away. She's now able to get Flaca to school on time-early, in fact, since Flaca is going to do the morning announcements with Cindy, who's back at school.
"Good girl. I'm proud of you, honey."
"Thank you, Auntie," Flaca says as she hugs Mariana tightly.
"Anytime. Have fun at school with your friends!"
"I will. See you later!"
"¡Adiós!" They wave at each other.
Flaca runs into the girls' restroom and stares at herself in the mirror. She'd taken a shower last night, so her hair is now bouncy, straight, and soft, thanks to the shampoo and conditioner her tía let her borrow. It smells like strawberries, and Flaca smiles when she sniffs her hair.
She meets Cindy outside Mr. Caputo's office and they bump fists in greeting. "Heeyyy!" they chorus, grinning at each other. She wishes Maritza could do this with her, but her girlfriend is catching up on the novel that she's behind in, Lord of the Flies. "Waking up at six-forty-seven in the morning for this shit really blows, man," Flaca complains.
"Bitch, you so late I thought yo ass was pregnant!"
"Sorry, I got held up in traffic!"
"You and your excuses!" Cindy shakes her head. Flaca narrows her eyes and lets them through their principal's door.
They then exchange pleasant greetings with Mr. Caputo, Ms. Figueroa, and Taystee, who's the principal's secretary and flipping through a magazine about summer shawls. She watches as Flaca and Cindy sit across from each other at a table with microphones. "Good morning, Martin Van Buren High! Yo, comin' at you live, it's DIY Fly Flaca..." Flaca holds the microphone out to Cindy, loving the way her voice booms through the speakers.
"This is Tova, y'all!"
After they do the daily pledge of allegiance, they move on to the important announcements.
"We gonna have a second Winter Break comin' up, held from February nineteenth to the twenty-sixth." Flaca refuses to refer to it as Christmas break, because that excludes all the other religious holidays. "Then a football game on the first Friday in March."
"Yes, and we hope you had a fantastic and safe Valentine's Day!" Cindy goes on. "Some reminders, the prom is April thirteenth, so start castin' your votes for king, queen, prince, and princess real soon, like in a week!"
"The spring play will be held on May twenty-fifth and graduation is June fifteenth!" Flaca continues cheerfully.
"Oh, and lunch today is cheese, sausage, and pepperoni pizza, or bean and cheese burritos with a side of rice!" Cindy puts in.
"Personally, I'd have either one with hot sauce, but you do you, boo. Have a fabulous Friday!" Flaca adds.
"Peace out, ladies and gents!" they say in unison.
"Find a spot, find a spot, everybody find a spot, not on the ceiling, not on the door, everybody find a spot on the floor!"
At Karla's request, Raiza, Lindsay, Karima, Eva, Benji, Julio, Farah, and Monica sit closest to her. The others join their circle almost right away. The teacher smiles. "Good morning, friends! Happy Friday!"
"Morning, Miss Karla!" they chorus cheerfully.
In the background, Franny's son Tommy can't stop wailing in his aunt Lorna's arms. He only seems to get louder the more she jiggles and shushes him. "It's so hard to put him down when he's bein' like this," she comments to Maureen Kukudio, the aide. "I feel like tellin' him and other kids who cry over their parents dropping them off at preschool that in ten years, they'll be beggin' their folks to leave 'em alone! A baby doesn't realize they won't always be a baby."
Maureen holds her hands out. "Give him to me, he'll be fine. Karla and I will take good care of your nephew."
Lorna considers her and then kisses Tommy's cheek before handing him to the blonde woman. "Hey, little man, I'll see you later, okay? I love you."
"No, Auntie Lorna!" he screeches, reaching for her.
"I'm sorry, buddy, I gotta work." She pouts and pokes his nose, then waves goodbye to everyone before leaving.
Eventually, much to Karla's relief, Tommy calms down after the adults distract him with toys and art projects. He begins stacking blocks with Benji, Julio, and Ouija's son Miguel in the cozy corner while Raiza, Karima, Lindsay, Monica, and Farah skip around the room, holding hands and singing silly songs. Maureen reads to several other children. Karla helps Eva use the toilet and then she flushes it for the small pigtailed girl.
"Too loud!" Eva complains, covering her ears.
"Well, the toilet has to flush, I can't help the noise it makes, that's the way it goes, kid."
"Are we going outside?"
"Pretty soon, little lady!" Karla assists Eva off the seat and onto the stool so she can wash her tiny hands. "After Mr. Diablo comes for music lessons." She'd asked him to teach the kids to make it more fun for Raiza because Blanca's youngest daughter knows and likes him a lot.
Eva claps and beams. "Yay!" She jumps down and then races out of the bathroom. Karla follows her and then two of the toddlers come up in princess costumes, smiling adorably.
"I like your nails, Miss Karla!" Rebecca gushes, examining Karla's manicure.
"Me too!" Maya chirps.
"Why, thank you, girls!" Karla grins at them pleasantly.
"You're welcome!" The small brunette and Hawaiian go back to what they were doing. Karla then spies Raiza and her friends rolling around on the floor and giggling hysterically. Eva has joined them.
The next activity is snack time and the children are eager to eat. Maureen helps Karla set out cheese, crackers, and bananas on paper towels. As they munch on their food, the kids keep staring at each other and laughing so much that the women have to remind them to concentrate on their food and that they can play afterwards.
Moments later, Karla and Maureen round the children up and have them sit in a circle again before Diablo arrives. Raiza and Benji plop themselves down on either side of Karla. They play peek-a-boo with each other, share a laugh, and then lean into her. She squeezes them gently.
Then, there's a knock on the door and Maureen lets the music teacher in. "It's Mr. Diablo!" Raiza shouts happily, pointing at him as he enters with a wide smile. "He and my mommy are like this!" She crosses her fingers on her right hand.
Diablo nods in confirmation. Bending down to her level, he ruffles her hair and gives her nose a soft poke. "¡Hola, niños y maestras!" he greets them as he stands.
"¡Hola!" everyone responds in unison.
Diablo brings his drums to the chair in front of them. He lets the kids bang on them twice, one at a time. Then, he and Karla have the children join in with "If You're Happy and You Know It", "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain When She Comes", and "The Ants Go Marching One by One". As the kids are grooving to the music that Diablo plays, Karima goes up to Julio and begins to dance with him, but Lindsay takes him instead. Raiza and Benji hi-five them. The teachers are all laughing and Karla cracks up so hard she has tears in her eyes. She'll have to tell Gloria about this for sure.
After those hilarious few minutes, the lesson is over and they say goodbye to Diablo. Karla, Raiza, Benji, and Julio each give him a hug. Then, it's time for the little tykes to play outside in their mittens and puffy coats. Lunch is at noon, and a majority of the kids including Raiza and her closest pals, eat spaghetti, but some others have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or ones consisting of ham and cheese.
No matter how long she's been a preschool instructor, Karla is amazed how she and other adults tower above her students out in the world, but they don't look as small in her classroom. It's probably because there's so many of them gathered together in a space with few grown-ups, rather than each one walking individually with their respective families. She's so proud of how much Raiza has grown from a shy little girl to an outgoing one. Back in October, she'd sit alone at a table and draw her mom, Maritza, and herself. Raiza also used to take a Ken doll and make it hit the Barbie, like she's witnessed Dean do to her mom. It breaks Karla's heart at how much she's been forced to see, but Raiza seems a bit braver now.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, MsSchneeheide and Juliette45!