Gina is the kind of girl that you can never get mad at. She is always sweet and positive, and brushes off any problem like it's nothing. Even her family members are all happy and positive, even if the three generations of the family all live in one old house on the outskirts of Miami.
Her grandmother was an immigrant from Cuba. She is a tough one, filled the house with tales of her youth, the aroma of her signature, delicious Fricase de Pollo and the warmth of a homeland far away. Her father is a plumber, a man of few words but many smiles - the nice uncle kind. Gina works as a cashier for a car wash called Miami's Auto Spa where every customer likes her - her generous doses of cheerfulness can make the waiting customers less grumpy. Once, an elderly man, known in the neighborhood for his gruff manner and perpetual scowl, came to the car wash. To everyone's surprise, he left with a soft smile, humbly murmuring a thank you to Gina. To summarize, Gina has mastered the art of optimism.
Gina and Shira tell each other everything since fifth grade, they had been each other's confidantes, protectors, and cheerleaders. When Shira was in middle school, for a while was drowning in a well of despair because of her father's irresponsible alcohol-fueled behavior. It was Gina whose home became her sanctuary. Gina would usher her into the living room where her grandmother's Fricase de Pollo simmered on the stove, and then binge watch Project Runway. Then they would hide in Gina's bedroom, talk and talk until all the concerns and problems seemed to have gone away.
Basically, Gina supports Shira no matter what, and Shira supports Gina no matter what.
That is with one caveat. Shira hasn't told Gina she is dating Zack.
The next day, when Gina got off work at the car wash, Shira was waiting in her car.
"Hey, are you Shira or Shira's ghost!"
Shira laughed and apologized. "Sorry, Instagram keeps me kind of busy. Plus, I'm... applying for Walmart. You know how it is."
As soon as Gina jumped into the car, she started confessing. She'd met someone on Tinder - a tall guy with a killer smile. They'd gone on two magical dates that felt ripped from the pages of a romance novel.
"I can't believe he left me in limbo like that."
"Wait, what, but he is still texting you right?" Shira asked.
"Yes." Gina said, leaving out the fact that for each text, she might have texted twice as many words as the guy replied.
Nestled into a corner booth of their favorite old diner in the mall, the world around them blurred into a mosaic of passing faces.
"We even had breakfast together the morning after our last date. That's a good sign, right?" Gina took a big bite of the cheese burger as the waiter placed their world famous sundae in front of her.
"If he's really into you, he won't leave you hanging for too long. Maybe he's just caught up with something." Shira got a salad and took a photo. She's been doing this new series called blonde salad where she shares a salad every Tuesday with the followers.
Gina nodded six times, soaking up Shira's words like it's the priest's advice. "You're right, you're always right."
"How about you? Any hot dates?" Gina asked.
Shira couldn't say that she is dating a guy who might be a little shorter than her, never brushes his hair and the only reason she is dating him is to have him take nice photos of her. Plus, a follower had inquired about where she got her baseball cap, and the urge to maintain her online persona pressed on her like a physical weight. She needed to respond quickly, to not disappoint.
"Not much." Shira shrugged. "I'm not interested in a relationship now."
Just when Gina pulls out her phone and wants to show the cute smiling guy's photo, Shira says she is not feeling great with the salad and needs to use the restroom. As soon as she got behind the restroom door, she texted the follower: "Hey, I'm so glad you liked it! Here is the link and they have multiple colors! XOXO"
She felt relieved, like someone who had a large size iced coffee and then stuck on the highway for two hours.
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