Sofia drops the last of the sacks of groceries onto the floor and sighs, collecting the disinfectants and setting to work cleaning everything within reach. She smiles a little when Ricardo slips into the room and drops down across from her to help out. "Hola, mi hijo," she says quietly. Alicia had dozed off during a movie and Ricardo had gingerly carried her to bed so she could be more comfortable, so they're both as conscientious as they can be to let her sleep as long as she can, since between the pregnancy and general stress of the current reality is making it extremely difficult for her to find any solid rest.
"Hola," he hums, swiping a cloth over boxes of cereal and containers of flour, sugar, everything else Sofia had had delivered to the house. "Did all of this go smoothly then?"
"Si," she says cheerfully. "I like this new delivery method, it is interesting. I do miss regular grocery shopping, but..." She shrugs. Better safe than sorry, especially with both Alicia and Ricardo being high risk right now.
He smiles at her. "I know what you mean. I miss being able to go out and do things as well. But better safe than sorry."
"Exactly," she says, leaning over to grab another bag of items from where it'd toppled over in her attempts to get everything inside safely. "Are you going to the park again later?"
"Perhaps." He mulls it over for a minute, remembering how many people had been there the last time he went, and shrugs. "I may. Would you want to come with me?" he wonders and her eyes light up. He grins.
Later, once all of the groceries are cleaned and put away, they walk side by side in the grass of Ricardo's favorite parks, talking quietly about this and that, as Ricardo looks for somewhere with fewer people to kick his soccer ball around a bit. "Here," he says, guiding Sofia over to an abandoned net. She settles in on the blanket they brought, content to sit and watch him get some exercise while she absorbs the sun and fresh air.
He hums to himself as he kicks the ball around, looking more carefree and at ease than she's seen him since arriving, and she giggles, kicking her shoes off as she looks up into the bright blue sky. Leaving Texas so abruptly had been a shock for her, but she's beyond happy to be here, in California, helping Ricardo and Alicia out through this pandemic. She wishes it all had been under better circumstances, but she can't really complain about how things have ended up. Besides, she thinks, rolling over to let her back get some warmth as well, now I'll be here for Alicia during the rest of the pregnancy, and help out as they find their footing as new parents.
Everything happens for a reason. It's one of the few things she has to cling to, no matter how difficult things get.
"Are you awake?" She blinks her eyes open at Ricardo's voice and smiles up at him, rolling over and wiping some of the sleep out of her eyes. He chuckles warmly. "Ah, lo siento, it's just Alicia texted me, asking about supper, so I suppose we should head home." He stands up, dusting his hands off before offering her one and she takes it, gratefully pulling herself up. "Come on, let's go before she burns the house down or something."
She giggles and swats at him, shaking her head fondly. "She's a fine cook."
"Si, she is," he agrees with a small smile as they walk back to the car, Ricardo tapping his soccer ball every now and again. "We'll have to do this again some time. The fresh air is nice."
"Si, I'd like that a lot," Sofia hums, feeling content and warm as she reaches out and squeezes Ricardo's hand, eyes gentle with affection when he looks back at her and smiles.
