Thank you for beta'ing, MsSchneeheide!

"Diablo makes funny faces at Raiza and plays Peek-a-Boo with her. She covers her eyes and giggles; it's so cute. He lifts her up and spins her around as if she's an airplane and she loves it. He also plays…"

"¡Tengo tu naríz!" Diablo pretends to snatch Raiza's nose off her face and she laughs.

"That," Blanca continues with a smile. She and Diablo are in Debbie's therapy room with her kids. "Raiza's progress has been marvelous these past eight months."

Raiza stands there in front of Diablo as she bangs her little hands on his drum set, not creating any kind of rhythm except a silly, playful, loud one. She stops suddenly, but doesn't say anything. She seems like she wants to, but it takes a little prompting from him after he claps his hands appreciatively at her performance. From afar, Maritza watches their interaction curiously; he doesn't notice her as he talks to her little sister.

"¡Buen trabajo! What's up, kiddo?"

Good job!

"Do you like my mommy?" she asks shyly.

"Sí. Is that okay?"

Raiza nods with a smile. "You always make her giggle! I like when Mommy's happy and not crying a lot."

"Me too. I'm glad to have your approval, mariposita."

The child's beam gets even bigger. Maritza just hopes things with Blanca and Diablo won't end up in sadness and betrayal.

"Blanca and I also bend over and make a sort of circle with our arms, fingers laced together and Raiza sits on our hands as one would sit on a playground swing, and we swing her," Diablo adds.

"The three of us also make shadow puppets on the walls with our hands and flashlights, blow bubbles, take her to the playground…" Blanca trails off. "All kinds of fun things for our littlest girl. She enjoys being read bedtime stories and being tucked in. She especially loves diverse books."

"I see! That's wonderful," Debbie comments. She directs her attention to Maritza. "What do you like to do with your mom and Diablo?"

"Honestly, I get a bit jealous when Raiza can do all this little kid stuff with them, especially playing on the playground or jumping on trampolines. At least we all like to go to the museum, Astoria Park, paint and draw together, see movies, go bowling and to the library and the ice skating rink. Also concerts and cooking…and going to ice cream shops! I also sing children's songs to Raiza with them…the latest being 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes'. I never actually got to be a kid, so all this is new to me. Mami and Raiza always needed help and Papi was busy abusing her and being downright cruel in general."

"¡Nunca dijiste que querías saltar en el trampolín o jugar en el patio de recreo!" Blanca exclaims.

You never said you wanted to jump on the trampoline or play on the playground!

"You're welcome to anytime, nena," Diablo adds, giving her a friendly smile.

"I just thought I was too old for it is all," Maritza says sheepishly.

"You can always make up for lost time, and never worry about being too old for anything," Debbie assures her. "I'm sorry that you felt the need to grow up too fast."

"Yeah…but everything bad is over now, I guess. I don't need to…ya sabes. Y the other thing too. I'm just havin' fun bein' sixteen and acting it, too." Maritza has reluctantly told Debbie about her former job as a sex worker, and her therapist knows that's what she means.

you know

Debbie nods in understanding.

"When Raiza and I had first gone to school, our respective friends split their lunches with us since Mami didn't have much in the way of money last October. I used to visit her during my lunch periods sometimes," Maritza shares. "I protected her from something…normal. Kids being rude to her because of a situation she couldn't help."

"Hey, you smell weird!" a little blonde girl Maritza has babysat before, shouts at them.

Maritza gives her a dirty look. "Your mom ever tell you not to say anything if you have nothing nice to say?"

Raiza blows a raspberry at her.

"Well, you do!" another blonde girl puts in.

"Ignore them, Rai-rai." Maritza stalks past the girl and holds her nose high in the air. "Walk like you own this place, girl!"

Together, the girls strut towards Raiza's classroom, prepared to tell Karla what's going on.

"After she got bullied, she made some friends…Monica, Farah, Lindsay, Rebecca, Maya, Eva, Karima, Julio, and Benji, they all blew raspberries at these little brats who were making fun of Raiza for smelling weird on the second or third day of school. Our shower wasn't working and she couldn't wash herself for a week, so…yeah. I'm just happy we're in a better situation now," Maritza further explains.

"I'm glad to hear it!" Debbie tells her. "So, I know she feels comfortable with everything-family, friends, her preschool…what about you?"

"Well, I got a support group if that's what you're implying…like I get along awesomely with my mom and Diablo and all my best girls. Flaca is sweet as pie, she's my one true love. I just miss our squad, but I'm happy to see 'em on weekends. Diablo treats my mom so well; it's satisfying to see that. Beyond anything I could've imagined in this life. Actually…I kind of did already…it was a fantasy in my head, over and over again, that Mami would find herself a gentleman. It's not there anymore, probably 'cause it came true."

"Maybe, yes, you don't need to think about it happening if it already is. You know it's real now, and not a daydream."

"Totally, Debbie!"

"Maritza has an amazing superpower…she thinks of future events and they come true. No one knows why, but it's cool," Blanca chimes in.

"Very!" Debbie agrees.

"It's like…wishful thinking or strong gut feelings," Diablo says.

Maritza nods jovially. "Mm-hm, I suppose so!"

"I don't get why she's choosing to do this," Charles tells Diane of Nicky's heroin addiction. "I'm not her parole officer anymore, but I still care about her. I wish she'd make better life choices. She's gonna get herself in deep shit again and it could lead to her death this time."

"Addiction is a disease. She can't help it, unfortunately," Diane informs him. "She was supposedly triggered by her dad coming up to her and introducing his new pregnant fiancée, and then she visited her junkie friends. I just feel bad for her…and Red. I'm glad Alex isn't hooked on anything."

"Yeah, me too. Nicky was also about to be Tali's sponsor, but she needs one of her own."

Pennsatucky serves the couple their drinks. "One time, I snuck into my toxic ex's cottage to surprise him, but my friends advised me against it. I stole gummy bears from him and found that he had a porn magazine called NudieJudies. I took a gun he had out of the cottage and put it into my waistband, concealing it," she says as if she's discussing the weather. They give her quizzical looks. "My point is I was attached to him, even though he hurt me. I was hoping he'd be there for some stupid reason. It took me realizing he was never gonna change to get me to leave his ass…after many years. Nicky knows what heroin does to her…she's told me at the brothel before, she's gotten clean several times now and is so disappointed with herself when she relapses. I helped her through withdrawal in the past…she was pacing like PacMan running after a ghost. She vomited into this basket I weaved over trash bags with threads from old, torn socks and dyed with pink soap or peas or other colors. It took me over three hundred hours, but anyway. She's back in rehab for three months now."

"Ohh," Diane and Charles murmur in unison. "Well, she'll miss Tricia's talent show performance, unfortunately, but Red is gonna record it, I'm sure," Diane says. "Let's see, June…ah, the pride parade at the end of the month, Alex was so looking forward to going with her girlfriend Michelle and Nicky and Shani as a double date. Nicky was excited about that too! July…Karla and Ramón's wedding!"

"How did none of that cross her mind?" Charles asks.

Pennsatucky shrugs. "She wasn't thinking straight. Luckily, though, patients who are doing well can get a day pass, as long as the team is in agreement, toward the end of their admission. Or if there's a family emergency or a death of an immediate family member like a funeral. Maybe she'll be able to go to the parade at the end of June if she's behaving herself, which I'm sure she would be!"

"Yeah…I just hope she never has to run into her deadbeat father again," Diane mutters.

"She reminds me of myself when I was her age…eleven years ago," Pennsatucky informs them as they sip their beverages.

A younger Pennsatucky cleans up an empty bar in Philadelphia. The sign 'Twisted Tea-Hard Iced Tea-Our Specialty' is written above a dartboard. There are blue neon lights and three beer bottles out. A wine glass and a deer head is on the wall. She can't wait to get home and high with her boyfriend Arlen, who is an expert at making random things sound sexy.

"I was a drug addict too, but also a terrible bigoted religious freak…both things I regret deeply. I did the steps later on and apologized to everyone I hurt. I still go to Narcotics Anonymous meetings and I'm thinking I oughta make Nicky come with me when she gets out. I didn't smoke crack…but I was a meth head. Probably 'cause my mama had me on a leash as a child and had me drink Mountain Dew so I would act disabled and get three-hundred and fourteen dollars a month, scamming the government. She taught me so much cool shit…she let me have double fudge chocolate ice cream and Mountain Dew when I had my period when I was ten…but then she told me to let guys rape me basically, like my daddy did to her, apparently. 'In and out quick, let 'em do it just like your daddy,' she said. Another reason I was fucked up!"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that!" Diane exclaims. "Boo's better for you, definitely. As weird as she is, she's also a true mama figure for you."

"Yeah, she's got cool tattoos and she makes me wanna be a better person…Nathan, too." Pennsatucky smiles. "There was also a lot of drug use in my family, it's genetics too, probably. Nicky's birth giver Marka was an alcoholic. Maybe that's where she got it from."

"Understandable. Still, I feel bad you've been through this, too…the disease, as you call it."

"Not just me, it's a fact of life."

"Okay, good to know. I'll be more understanding."

Diane grins at her husband and pats his stubbled cheek. "Good boy. I'm glad!"

"It's just a relief Nicky never had kids or had to abort," Pennsatucky murmurs. "I would've had five and the sixth one fell out after that night in the cave. I had to get rid of 'em all. I wasn't fit to take care of myself, let alone tiny children for eighteen years! Also, I was a prostitute…I wouldn't bring my babies into that life. I knew I was screwed up, and I didn't wanna do that to my little ones."

"Well, that's unselfish of you, then!"

Pennsatucky points at Diane. "Exactly what Boo said! Nicky doesn't even want kids 'cause of her addiction."

"I just wish her the best of luck in kicking it for good," Charles says.

"Me too, so much," Diane adds.

"I did as well, and I'll pass along the message from you guys."

"Thanks!" they say together.

Blanca clears her throat. "Okay, we need to discuss this."

Maritza sighs impatiently as she looks up from her homework. "What? I'm doin' as you say, going to therapy once a week, even letting you monitor my phone and track my location…and obeying your super strict rules about going out, following curfew, not bein' alone at night and all that. Home by dark, lo sé, lo sé."

"Sí, cariño, pero…seeing as you were in the business with grown women and have become attached to some of them-"

"Ellas no son mucho mayores que yo," Maritza insists. "They're real nice, too, they don't do shady shit! They even protected me at the brothel…er, tried to. Like older sister figures. Flaca and I love group dating with Nicky and Shani, and Alex and Michelle. They think I'm eighteen and Flaca's sixteen, so it's no big deal. Don't worry about 'em."

They're not that much older than me.

"You can still do that with your girl and your friends your own age, but por favor, do not go out with them alone."

"Oye, para, you're acting like they're wanting to bring me into the prostitution again, but they're not! They were relieved when Red and her cronies killed the pimps and madam! Mami, I promise you I'm safe with them. Para empezar, Alex ni siquiera es una trabajadora sexual. She inspired Michelle to leave the nasty ass place!"

Hey, stop…Alex isn't even a sex worker to begin with.

"Nicky got hooked onto heroin again. Did she tell you girls that? How do you know she won't break out of rehab, get herself back onto the streets, and do strangers for money, like Red's told me she's done before? I'm trying to protect you!"

"Sí, lo sé, but she did good last time, it was just because of Les! You know as well as I do that he's an asshole, and seeing him with a whole new soon-to-be family stirred up feelings of anger and sadness; the fucker abandoned her! She always blames her dumbass bio parents on her heroin addiction."

"Although es verdad he's a piece of shit, she is acting unpredictable right now. I'm sorry, sweetie, but I don't trust her. Not 'til she gets her head on straight and stays off drugs!"

"'Kay, well, she's getting help. What about Shani and Michelle?"

"You can see Shani at Karla's place, and Michelle at Diane's when Michelle and Alex visit her. Plus, group dating is okay. Just remember, you were featured in the February editions of Hustler and Screw magazines which is probably how Carlos and Dean found you…then us."

Maritza rolls her eyes and covers her face. "Ugh, why the reminder? It wasn't even my fault, that scumbag Humps made me do it."

"You walked into that, no one kidnapped you and sold you for sex, Maritza, okay?!" Blanca hisses.

"Flaca said it was because of our videos on YouTube, how your abuser and his amigo found us."

"It could've been that too. I'm just sayin'…if you can help it, stay away from terrible situations."

"Mami, we got into this whole mess 'cause you dated Dean and because you refused to move in with Diablo, so don't start this again. One thing just led to another. I'm doin' my best!"

"So am I! My past mistakes can't be fixed, yours can't either…but let's just try to keep ourselves as safe as possible from here on out, okay?"

Maritza squeezes Blanca's hands and nods while beaming. "That's a deal. Espera…can I visit Nicky if I go with Red?"

"Sure," Blanca allows.

"¡Gracias! She's super cool."

"De nada."

Soon after she and Blanca talk, Maritza goes to Lorenzo's with Flaca. The two are just sitting down at a table when Maritza sees an older Hispanic woman and a girl slightly younger than herself, about twelve or thirteen across the restaurant. Strangely enough, Maritza shares similar facial features with them both.

"What the fuck ya lookin' at?" the preteen asks as she stands. She has long black dreadlocks and two probably fake tattoos-a crown directly above her right eyebrow and a spider beside her ear.

"Araceli," the lady says sharply. "Temper."

"Lo siento, Mami, pero esa chica nos está mirando. ¡Mira!" Araceli points directly at Maritza, who averts her curious gaze.

I'm sorry, Mom, but that girl is staring at us. Look!

"Bueno, ya no, la asustaste."

Well, not anymore, you scared her off.

"Oooh, you busted," Flaca murmurs, quickly glancing over her shoulder. "Why you starin' at 'em?"

"Don't you look!" Maritza shrugs. "I thought I knew 'em from somewhere. Araceli resembles me a little," she whispers. "Y su mamá se parece a mi tía Juliana, la cantante."

And her mom looks like my aunt Juliana, the singer.

"Hm, that's weird," Flaca comments.

A dark-skinned girl passes Flaca and Maritza and joins Araceli and her mother. "Hola, Joyce," Araceli greets the newcomer and they hug.

"Celi! What's crack-a-lackin'?"

"Nothin' much, just glad to see you!"

"Same here!"

"Ms. Ramos, hey!"

"Joyce, call me Maria, remember?" she reminds her in a thick Spanish accent.

"Ah, yeah, sorry. Maria!"

"Nope! No puedo comer aqui," Maritza says under her breath as she gets up. She leaves the place immediately and Flaca runs after her. "That's my birth mom, for real! Maria Ramos! She got herself another daughter!"

I can't eat here

"There's tons of Marias in the world, and Ramos is also a common last name!"

"It's her, I know it! She did the same fuckin' thing Les and Marka did to Nicky. Ay dios mío…" Maritza leans against a pole and rubs her forehead in distress. "Maria didn't even recognize me…and why would she? We're strangers to each other; she last saw me sixteen years ago…as a baby. A confrontation would be so awkward…and I don't even know how she got back to the States, or why! There's nothing for her here, she gave me up." Tears of rage and confusion build up in her eyes and she wipes them away with the backs of her hands. "She didn't even try to see me when I visited my tía and prima in Bucaramanga…my cousin got her purse stolen, everyone in the town was there y alguien linchó al tipo justo en frente de nosotros…"

somebody lynched the guy right in front of us

"That's what happened in Mexico!"

"Yo, you didn't let me finish. Maria wasn't even there, like she knew I was visiting her sister and didn't wanna come. It was a fun vacation, except for that part."

"Lo siento, mi amor…maybe it was just hard for her? Or she was sick? I got no idea. Where was Blanca? Was this during Dean era?"

"Sí, she had to stay home with the asshole and I was old enough to fly on my own, but still, I met my aunt at the gate since I was only fifteen and all."

"Oh, good, 'cause many places in Colombia are scary and you never know who's in those airports smuggling drugs and kidnapping children and shit."

"Mm-hm."

"Still, it must've been hard for you. I understand why you couldn't just go to her house with your tía and blurt out 'hola, soy tu hija Maritza' or somethin' like that!"

"Gracias."

Flaca hugs Maritza around her waist and kisses her cheek. She leans into her taller girlfriend, feeling comforted. "I think you should go in there and…tell her you're her daughter. I'll come with you."

"I dunno…"

"Babe, you deserve some answers."

"I know, but…it's super weird. How could somebody just…place a baby on a stranger's porch, not knowing whether or not their kid was gonna be safe in that home? You're supposed to leave 'em at a fire station is what I've heard."

"She was probably young and stupid…but I ain't gonna make excuses for her no more. She's gotta own up to that and she better apologize."

"Nah…I wanna thank her, 'cause Blanca, my mami in my heart, is the greatest ever. I didn't have a perfect growin' up, but things are looking up now. I'll call her out for doing somethin' so risky, though."

"Okay, if you're sure?"

"I am! Let's go before I decide to back out." They link arms and walk back inside the restaurant. Maritza tries to look confident. Thankfully, Maria, Araceli, and Joyce are still there, sharing a plate of pasta.

"Disculpen, hola," Maritza starts as she and Flaca come up to them.

Excuse me, hi

"Okay, what?" Araceli crosses her arms over her chest, ignoring her mother's scolding look. "¡Espero que estés aquí para disculparte por mirarnos como una asquerosa!"

I hope you're here to apologize for staring at us like a creep!

"Ooooh, drama…" Joyce mutters to herself.

"Lo siento, pero no estaba tratando de ser espeluznante. Yo soy Maritza Ramos…tu hermana mayor." She gestures to Maria, ignoring Araceli's puzzled facial expression. "Tu hija."

Sorry, but I wasn't trying to be creepy. I'm Maritza Ramos…your older sister.

"Hola…" Maria looks surprised as she rises from her seat and shakes Maritza's hand. "Wow, eres tú... después de todo este tiempo. No puedo creer que me hayas encontrado."

It's you, after all this time. I can't believe you found me.

"Es un milagro," Maritza says. "En caso de que te lo estés preguntando, la vida me va muy bien en este momento. Simplemente no sé por qué corriste un gran riesgo... mis padres podrían haber sido asesinos con hachas."

It's a miracle. In case you were wondering, life is going great for me right now. I just don't know why you took a big risk...my parents could've been axe wielding murderers.

"Conocí a Blanca. Y su novio Dean-"

I knew Blanca. And her boyfriend Dean-

"How well, though?" Maritza interrupts. "'Cause Dean fucking abused her! Blanca's an excelente mami, totally…but Dean is a monster. We ran away from that asshole this past October; he's been stalking us and tryin' to find us ever since. We've changed our addresses so many times it ain't even funny…we were even homeless once."

"Really? Blanca was like my high school friend Karla's bestie. Karla said Blanca was super nice, and I trusted her. Dean could use some work, but I didn't know he was that bad. Ay dios mío…¡lo siento mucho!" Maria sounds guilty. She pats the opposite side of the table. "Siéntense, las dos."

Sit down, you two.

"¿Oíste hablar de ella, sabías su dirección, pero no los conocías personalmente?" Maritza asks incredulously as she and Flaca sit across from Maria and the other two girls.

So you heard of her, knew their address, but didn't know them personally?

"No todos los detalles de su vida, no. Dean said he'd take you in and that his soon-to-be wife would help him out so much with you. He had an hour long conversation with me about how he and Blanca desperately wanted children, but she couldn't conceive."

Not every detail of her life, no.

"Oh." Maritza laughs bitterly. "He would do somethin' like that. Mentir. Es un gran mentiroso. Even if you could call my little sister Raiza a miracle baby, Mami wasn't infertile. Not one bit. She was gonna have a son at fifteen years old, but he made her miscarry by empujándola por las escaleras." Maria gasps in horror. Flaca, Araceli, and Joyce share a sad look. "He had the whole fucking state of Arizona on his side and believing Mami…Blanca…was a loca evil drunk. She was sixteen…my age…when I came into her life. I dunno how it was in your time, pero hoy en día, a los dieciséis, es demasiado joven para tener un bebé."

Lie. He's a big liar. Pushing her down the stairs. Nowadays, at sixteen, that's way too young to have a baby.

"My time…it was the nineties. Yo no era mucho mayor que Blanca, but I thought it was okay to be pregnant so young…normal, even. I was just about out of high school. I didn't have money to raise you…give you everything you needed. You wouldn't have had a good life in Colombia. I wanted to protect you from gangs and drug cartels, nena."

I wasn't that much older than Blanca.

Maritza leans closer to Maria and stares right at her. "Quería darte las gracias por darme a Blanca. Unfortunately, though, it felt like a war zone with Dean."

I wanted to thank you for giving me to Blanca.

"Well, lo siento, I had no idea!"

"I know, there's nada you can do about it now, but I'm just wondering…how did you get back here? You got a green card?"

"Ray Nichols made sure everything would be okay…y sí, tenemos green cards."

"Nicky's uncle Ray? He used to date Tía Juliana…now you?"

Maria nods. "He got me a job as a lawyer here. I went to law school in my home country, and then in Miami."

"Oh, okay." Maritza inhales and exhales deeply to calm herself. "Thanks for that explanation."

"Gracias for hearing me out." Maria seems relieved.

"No problem."

"If you ever wanna chat about anything, I'm available by phone…and you can meet me for-"

Maritza gets up and so does Flaca. "I've got a mom already…I don't mean to sound rude or nothin', pero solo quería algunas respuestas. It looks like you're enjoying your life with the daughter that you actually wanted. You'd never give her to someone you barely knew. I've almost died trying to get between my mami and her ex when he was beating her black and blue. Y he oído de ella que eres terrible pagando la cuenta del teléfono."

I just wanted some answers. And I've heard from her that you're terrible at paying the phone bill.

"Yes, back when I worked as a maid, but-"

"No. Not that I don't believe you've turned yourself around, you clearly did, but…" Maritza breathes in and out shakily, willing her voice not to crack. "Visité a la tía Juliana en Bucaramanga. Nunca te arriesgaste a tratar de conocerme. Tu hermana te dijo mi nombre... y tal vez pensaste que te dolería demasiado enfrentarme. Pero...you should've pushed past that fear, because god damn it, you gave birth to me. You could've shown interest…but you didn't. I can't call her Blanca anymore, it's too weird… Mami…her amiga Gloria tried hard to get her estranged daughters close to her again, and it worked." Maritza scoffs. "¿Pero tu? You're no better than Marka fucking Nichols. You never took a chance to reach out to me until I confronted you. Hell to the no." She stomps off before her budding tears can trickle down her cheeks and takes a quick glance back over her shoulder to see Maria, Araceli, and Joyce staring at her and Flaca departing, their mouths agape in shock.

I visited Aunt Juliana in Bucaramanga. You never took the chance to try to meet me. Your sister told you my name...and maybe you thought it would hurt too much to face me.

Maritza and Flaca later end up sitting on the fire escape outside the latter's apartment to eat some cheese enchilada for dinner and drink soda and water. It's a warm May evening and Maritza enjoys gazing out at the world below them.

"I mean…should I tell Mami, or nah?"

"Yeah, I think so!"

Maritza leans back on her hands and turns to look at her girlfriend. "I can understand the circumstances were difficult…and Dean tricked Maria into letting him, and Mami, adopt me…illegally, if I may add."

"Isn't that ironic, a lawyer going against the law?" Flaca asks.

"Sí, pero fue antes de que ella fuera a la facultad de derecho por eso..." Maritza shrugs.

Yeah, but it was before she went to law school…

"You got a point there."

"I'm still so angry!" Maritza growls. "Puta…"

"Baby, you got every right to be!" Flaca puts a comforting hand on Maritza's shoulder.

"Damn right I do…" Maritza sniffles and wipes her eyes. "I…I need to see Mami. Like…ahora. I wanna give her a big hug…I miss her."

"Okay! I totally get it, maybe call Diablo to come pick you up?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do, and also surprise Mami."

"Mi amor…"

"Welcome home, dear," Blanca greets Diablo as he stands in the doorway to the entrance of their house and kisses her lips as she smiles. She's pleasantly shocked to see Maritza following him inside since it's a Saturday night. She'd just gotten Raiza to go to sleep after a bath and a few bedtime stories.

"Sorpresa, Mamí," Maritza says as she hugs Blanca and squeezes her tight around her waist.

"Hola, ¿qué pasó?" Blanca wraps her arms around her daughter. "Are you okay?"

What happened?

"Do I look it?" the teenager mumbles. She looks up at Blanca with a hurt expression.

"Did you see Dean?"

Maritza shakes her head no without a sound. She buries herself into Blanca's embrace, shuddering. Diablo appears to be as concerned as Blanca feels now. "Oh, mi bebé…something happen between you and Flaca?"

"No…" Maritza lets out an anguished sob.

Blanca strokes Maritza's hair and holds her close as she leads her oldest to the couch and sits with her. "¿Ella te lo dijo?" she asks Diablo, leaning down to peck Maritza's temple.

Did she tell you?

"Mm-mm," Diablo tells her. "Sólo me pidió que fuera a buscarla con una voz llorosa. Ella te estaba extrañando mucho."

She just asked me to come get her in a tearful voice. She was missing you badly.

"Oh…¡pobrecita!" Blanca exclaims as she helps Maritza lay down on the couch, curled up in the fetal position with her head on Blanca's lap. She rubs Maritza's back in soothing circles and hums a lullaby.

"Era mi madre biológica. María Ramos. Flaca y yo la vimos en el restaurante en el que estábamos...Lorenzo's. Ella tenía otra hija, como de doce años...La confronté, le pregunté por qué me abandonó... ni siquiera sabía que Dean era abusivo... él la convenció de que me entregara a él... estaba desesperada, se enamoró de sus mentiras, se arrepintió de haberlo hecho cuando le conté cómo era nuestra vida con ese imbécil... trató de volver a conectarse conmigo después de que me presenté y tuvimos una conversación... pero no pude; ni siquiera trató de encontrarme en Bucaramanga cuando supo que estaba visitando a mi tía Juliana, que es su hermana. Solo quiero a mi mami, mi verdadera mami. I love you…¡eres la mejor mamá del mundo!" she explains in between her sniveling and shaky gasps for air. It's a lot for Blanca to take in, but she listens to every word and she feels awful for Maritza.

It was my birth mom. Maria Ramos. Flaca and I saw her at the restaurant we were at...Lorenzo's. She had another daughter, like twelve years old...I confronted her, asked why she gave me up...she didn't even know Dean was abusive...he talked her into giving me away to him...she was desperate, fell for his lies, she regretted doing it when I told her how our life was with that asshole...she tried to reconnect with me after I introduced myself to her and had a conversation...but I couldn't; she never even tried to meet me in Bucaramanga when she knew I was visiting my aunt Juliana, that's her sister. I just want my mommy, my real mommy. I love you...you're the best mom ever!

"Lo siento mucho…"

"Gracias. I wanna give you a wonderful Mother's Day, you deserve it…I'm so grateful for you…"

"Mi nena, gracias, estoy tan agradecida por ti también. Come here." She gathers Maritza into her arms again and holds her on her lap as if she's still a baby. Diablo gazes at them sadly. "We can just sit here a while, you and me…and Diablo too."

My girl, thank you, I'm so grateful for you, too.

"Okay…"

"What's goin' on with her?" Laronne asks. "I overheard a little but couldn't understand all the Spanish…"

Diablo gives him the gist of it and the boy nods in comprehension.

"Whoa…I'm real sorry to hear that, Maritza!"

"Thanks," Maritza says in a small voice.

"I didn't know my birth mom either," Laronne sympathizes. "Sometimes I think about her…and I miss her a lot. I wish I could've gotten to know her."

"Yeah, but she had a good excuse, she died! This…excuse my swearing, but fucking bitch never even tried to find me after sixteen years!"

"I'm sorry…"

"También lo siento," Diablo adds.

"Thanks, both of you." Maritza gulps and rubs her nose. She glances between Blanca and Diablo with puffy, red eyes. "Can we just watch a telenovela like I did with Flaca and her mami after Flaca y yo hung out on her fire escape and had dinner? We saw Grey's Anatomy and then Yo Soy Betty, La Fea, they were good. Or…somethin' else that you would enjoy, too, Diablo?"

"Sure," Blanca says gently, cupping Maritza's chin. "Of course we can."

"Sí, after I get Laronne in bed." Diablo pats Maritza's back softly and then stands. "Come on, buddy, let's get a move-on. It's late!"

"Aw…"

Laronne does what his dad says anyway. When Diablo returns, he makes Maritza a brownie and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream sundae topped with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles, like he'd done for Blanca and the younger children. Afterwards, he, Blanca, and Maritza start Pecados Ajenos.

Thanks for reading and reviewing, Juliette45 and MsSchneeheide!