I twisted the dough into different shapes and designs and then dropped them time and again into the sugary mixture before returning them to a cookie sheet. Once the oven had reached the proper temperature, I popped them in and began to work on the chocolate sauce. Just then, I heard Emily come down the stairs. I looked up at her but broke away my gaze practically the moment that we made eye contact. I wasn't going to say anything if she wasn't going to, but I also wouldn't let her make me feel unwanted. I had already gotten enough of that in my own home.
"What are you doing?" she asked me, the bitterness seemingly gone from her voice.
"Churros," I told her flatly. She sniffed at the air.
"Smells good," she said. "Need any help?" This was typical Emily—pretend like the fight had never happened as soon as she wanted something of me.
"No," I told her. "I'm all done." She looked over at the oven timer and then quickly back to me.
"In a couple minutes," she began. "I could help you taste test the cookies, you know, to make sure that they taste okay." I laughed at her ridiculousness and at her silly attempts to hide her greed.
"These are not cookies," I told her. "They are churros. Churros and chocolate, for that matter. And I already know how they taste. They taste perfect, like they always do when I make them. But I guess you'll have to take my word for it, since there is no way that you are going to get your hands on my churros and chocolate. You can have your own little cookies if you want."
"Okay," she said, barely suppressing a smile. "I know that you're trying to teach me a lesson or whatever because you're mad at me, but you're literally threatening to not give me any cookies. It's not a huge deal."
"Oh my God," I told her, mock exasperated. "They're not cookies, for goodness sake. They're churros. They are nothing like those things that all the American kids eat."
"So enlighten me," she teased. "Let me do a taste test so that I can actually know the difference. What, are you actually going to deprive me of these cookies, sorry, I mean are you actually going to deprive me of ever tasting these churros and chocolate, which you have described as perfection? Because I don't think that that's very fair of you." She was trying to be charming, and damn it if it wasn't working, even if only slightly.
"Fine," I told her. "I wouldn't want to deprive you of the amazingness that are my churros and chocolate. But first you have to apologize!" She looked at me incredulously for a moment before sighing.
"I'm sorry," she started off. She didn't continue until I nodded her on. I was going to need a hell of a lot more than that if she wanted to taste my delicious churros and chocolate. "I was wrong to say that you're too optimistic. It's one of your best qualities. It makes you who you are, and I guess that who you are is pretty damn awesome, especially if you have the sort of friends who are willing to literally perform miracles to make sure that you have a place to stay and are taken care of." Just then the oven timer beeped. "Now can I please have a churro with chocolate?"
I shook my head and she looked dismayed for a second until I said, "You need to wait for me to put the chocolate on first, dummy." We both laughed as I took the pan out of the oven and covered the delicate pastries in the thick and creamy chocolate glaze. She came up to me and gave me a little peck on the cheek before wrapping her arms around me. I sometimes wished that it was easier to love this girl, but in that moment in the kitchen, it was the easiest thing that I had ever done before in my life.
"I'm sorry," I told her. "I shouldn't have said all of that stuff about you being so negative all the time, I wanted you to be happy for me because I really think that this is going to work out. Or at least I really hope that it will. Anyway, Jeff's dad is coming over soon. Well, it's more like any minute now. Do you want to help me clean up the kitchen and put the churros on a plate for him?" I looked over at her hopefully.
"Sure," she told me, taking my hand in hers. "Just as soon as I get a churro." She laughed as I handed her one and then smeared a little bit of the chocolate sauce on her nose. We both laughed and tidied up around the kitchen as we munched on the delicious baked goods. She hummed to me a song that I didn't know as we worked and soon we had finished putting everything away and the dishes were all cleaned, dried, and returned to their shelves and drawers.
We went back to the couch in the living room where we planned on receiving Jeff's dad once he got there. I folded up the blanket that Emily had used the night before and stashed it out of sight. She plumped the pillows and made sure that there were no visible stains on any of the cushions. I was so grateful to her for all her help. We had just sat down on the couch, finished with our churros and chores, when I heard a light knock on the door.
"Right on time," I said to no one in particular, looking down at my watch as I made my way toward the door. I opened it to find a little man standing there. He seemed to be about middle aged and looked absolutely nothing like Jeff. Whereas Jeff was tall and thin, this man was short and pudgy, not to mention nearly bald. I reached out my hand to the man and introduced myself.
"Hi," I said, taking his big and hairy hand in my own. "My name is Lexi, but I assume that you already know that," I said, trying my very best to be courteous.
"Why would I know that?" he asked me. "I'm here distributing my cards to see if anyone in your neighborhood needs landscaping done. My crew just got finished with the Herman's lawn, right over there and around the corner a ways," he said pointing somewhere outside.
"Wait," I told him, taking my hand back and stepping a safe distance into the house and away from the man. "So, you're not Jeff's dad?" I asked him, confused.
"What, no!" he said with a laugh. "But I gotta kid, probably around your age. Her name is Shelly, she graduated from the city science academy last year. She got into all the schools she applied to but ended up deciding to go to a Jesuit school an hour away because they gave her the most financial aid. Funny how all that works out. Anyway, where are the folks? They around now?" he asked me as I muttered an apology and closed the door. I didn't care so much in that moment about being rude. This wasn't Jeff's dad, although apparently it was Shelly's dad. And besides, he was pretty creepy looking.
"Well, then," Emily said to me once I returned to the living room. "That was anticlimactic, wouldn't you say?" I laughed.
"Maybe a tad," I responded. "Whatever, I'm sure he'll be here soon. So, what do you think he's going to ask me?" She thought for a minute or two before replying in a deep, manly voice.
"Have you ever been to prison?" she asked me in her best impersonation of a man neither one of us had ever met. I laughed, and she continued. "This is no laughing matter, young lady," she scolded, wagging her finger at me. "I can't have some thief living in my home, stealing my silverware and such just because she's friends with my son. Good day to you!" she shouted, mock outraged at me, as she stormed out of the living room. She returned after a moment saying, "So that's basically your worst-case scenario. If you can handle that then I'm sure that you'll be fine."
"Gee, thanks!" I told her, my voice practically dripping with sarcasm.
"You're welcome," she said, wrapping her arms around me and kissing me softly. I pulled away when I heard another, more authoritative knock on the door. I rushed over and opened the door to find a pleasant looking man standing there. He appeared to be about medium height and medium weight and he sported a well trimmed beard and mustache. Something about him seemed warm and inviting. Maybe it was the red argyle sweater that he wore, or the fact that he looked so much like his son, but there was definitely something there that made him seem kind hearted.
"Hi," he said, extending a strong hand to me. I took his warm hand and shook it as he introduced myself. "I'm Jeff's dad, but you can call me Chris if you like. You must be Lexi. It's so great to meet you, Jeff's been telling me all about you for years." He smiled broadly.
"Here, why don't you come in," I invited. He came in the door and wiped his feet on the welcome mat.
"Should I take these off or leave them o
n?" he asked me, motioning to his shoes. I didn't know, it wasn't my house after all. Just then, Emily appeared in the foyer where we were standing to answer the question.
"You can take them off if you would like," she offered. "Or you can keep your shoes on if that would be better for you. It really doesn't matter all that much." He opted to keep his shoes on and then introduced himself again. He held out his hand and she took hold of it.
"Hi, I'm Emily," she told him. "My mom and I are sort of friends of the family so Lex was staying with us last night, and I guess she will some more if you guys can't figure things out today."
"Well, I wouldn't worry so much about that," he said smiling at me. "We'll get something figured out, don't you worry. But in the meantime, why don't we get to know each other a little bit? First off, and this is of the utmost importance, do you bake? Because something smells delicious."
I laughed and ran into the kitchen to grab the plate of churros and the chocolate dipping sauce. I came back into the foyer with the platter in my hands, but they had already moved into the living room. When I came in they were sitting awkwardly on the couch where Emily and I had been sitting only a few moments earlier.
"I have churros and chocolate," I announced, breaking the silence. "Hope you don't mind that they're baked not fried." I walked toward the couch and placed the platter on the coffee table and then sat down in the arm chair directly across the room from the couch. They each took a churro, dipped them into the little bowl of chocolate and began nibbling I sat there watching them awkwardly. My stomach was too upset to even consider eating anything at the moment.
"So," Jeff's dad started off. "Why don't you tell me about yourself, Lexi? What do you like to do?"
"Well, I really like school," I told him after a moment of thought. "I want to be a vet, but I could also do something in child care. I have three little siblings, and I take care of them most of the time. Well, I mean I did. I don't know if my parents will want me to help out so much anymore." I looked down at my hands, upset.
"Well those are some pretty impressive goals," he told me. "What do you like in school?"
"I really like science and psychology," I answered quickly. "I have pretty good grades in most of my classes. I do really well in biology and math, which is why I started thinking about science fields, maybe becoming a vet when I'm older. That and also because I love animals so much. But then I started thinking maybe something with kids because I've had so much experience taking care of kids because of all my little siblings. And because of psychology. I took that class last year and then this year I'm taking advanced placement psychology. I'm really interested in what makes people tick."
"Cool," he says. "Jeff has told me that you get pretty good grades, so I'm not so worried about that. One of the big things that my daughter had to deal with when she was pregnant was that so many people at school were cruel about it. Really unnecessarily mean, always calling her names and making her feel bad about herself. I want you to know that this can really take a toll, so I want you to be aware of it and be prepared for it. You hear a lot about the risks associated with teen pregnancy and teenage motherhood, but most people don't mention how awful the other kids at school can be to one another."
"I know," I said, shaking my head sadly. "Believe me, I know how awful some kids can be. I'm first generation American, I look funny, I talk funny, and I'm not straight. I've never had that easy of a time in school, but I've always been able to make it work and focus on my school work. I know that it can be distracting to have so many kids bothering you, but I've always been able to figure it out. And I know that I'll always have the school nurse and the guidance counselor there rooting for me. I'm very committed to my education, believe me."
"All right, well that's good to hear," he said. "So, I know that this is very personal, especially since we only just met, but I'm wondering about the circumstances surrounding your pregnancy." He waited earnestly for my response and I could feel a blush starting in my neck and going upward toward my warming cheeks.
"Well, it started because I was very upset," I told him. Emily reached out her hand and placed it on my knee reassuringly. "Emily and I had broken up and I wasn't taking it very well. One of my friends who was in college had invited me to a party. I don't normally go to parties and I never drink or anything, but I was so upset that I went with it. I had some beer and I don't even know if I was drunk because I had never been drunk before, but I felt like I didn't care anymore. Some boy—I don't know who he was—some boy asked me if he could have sex with me and I said fine and he brought me to a different room in the house and he had sex with me and I never knew his name and I never asked it. After that I left the party. I asked my friend to drive me home and she did, and I thought that I would go on with my life and forget about this whole thing.
"After about two months I hadn't gotten my period yet and I was getting kind of nervous. I felt sort of like I had the flu for a couple of weeks. I was throwing up and I felt achy and my head and my whole body hurt. I thought back to that night, to the party, and I realized that I could be pregnant, so I took a test and it came back positive. The nurse at school gave me a second one yesterday, and it also came back positive. My mom found the pregnancy test because some of my siblings were playing in my room and I guess they found it. My mom was so mad at me. She literally threw me out of the house. She pushed me down the stairs and then threw me outside and slammed the door shut and locked it."
"Wow," he told me after a minute. "That must have been so hard. I'm so incredibly sorry, no child should have to go through that, ever. I can't believe a mother would actually do that. Have you spoken to her since then?" he asked me.
"No, it was yesterday," I told him. "But I know that she isn't going to change her mind. She barely got over the fact that I'm bisexual, she'll never forgive this. I know my mother."
"Okay, well, again I'm sorry that that had to happen. I remember when my daughter first told us that she was pregnant. Some of our friends asked us, me and my wife that is, why we didn't make her get an abortion or put her child up for adoption, or shun her. It makes me sick when people can do that, forget about their own children, or their own grandchildren like that. We're Christians, for goodness' sake. You can't say you're pro-life but not support young women to help them keep their babies."
"I was wondering," I began. "Why are you willing to do this for me? I mean, until today you had never met me. You might have heard about me from Jeff, but we have no connection. I mean, you have no obligation to take care of me. So, I guess what I'm asking you is why are you willing to take care of me like this? Why are you so nice?"
"Hmm," he said, thinking. "Well, I guess it's because I care about all of my kids' friends. I can't help but see you as my own child because my daughter was in the same situation a couple of years ago. And when someone doesn't have their own parents to take care of them, then I feel like it's my responsibility to take care of them.
"I don't take everything in the Bible literally. I would be a fool to nowadays, with everything that's changed. I understand that people are gay, and God doesn't hate them for it. I understand that people lie sometimes because they need to, and that it doesn't make practical sense to keep all the commandments. But I take away one very important thing from the New Testament, which is to love everyone and not to judge. This is my way to do that, to give back to those who don't have as much.
"I've been very lucky in my life. I started a flower shop when I was in my early twenties and it went well and now I have a chain of flower shops all over the state, so I'm able to afford to help people who have less than I do, or who need help, like you do. I do take some lines from the Bible story, like to take in the widow, the orphan, the strange child, at least I think that's one of them. But anyway, I try very hard to help as much as I can. I'd be happy to help you.
"You seem like a good kid. My son is a big fan of you—always has been—and I'd like to help you out. I know that my son mentioned to you that you would
be working in my store, but I don't want you to worry about that. I want you to worry about yourself and your baby, then about school, and then we can fill in a little bit of your extra time with work. So, I guess all I need to know is, would you like to come live with me and my family?"
"To be honest," I said laughing. "I feel a little bit like little orphan Annie right now. I would love to come live with you and your family. Thank you so much, you're so kind. It's a miracle that I'm friends with Jeff, and a miracle that you're so wonderful. Thank you."
"I'm so happy to be able to help you. And I can't believe I haven't met you over all these years," he said as he got up from the couch. He shook my hand as if we had reached a business agreement. I walked him back over to the door and watched him leave, promising that he would be back tonight to pick me up once he had set up a room for me.
I came back into the house, grinning from ear to ear. "Looks like I got me a new home," I told Emily. She laughed at the goofy way I was talking.
"Yes, you did, little doof," she said, patting me on the head. "I'm very sad that you're leaving so now I'm going to go eat all of the extra churros and chocolate." She pinched up her face to pretend like she was upset.
"Fine," I said. "Go eat your pretend sadness in the form of my superior baking skills. Maybe I'll take a little bit of pity on you and continue to make these and give them to you even when I'm at Jeff's house." She smiled at me sweetly, not breaking eye contact as she reached down and stole the platter of churros from the table. She burst out laughing, as if she had pulled some elaborate joke on me. I shook my head. This girl was such a goofball, and I loved her with all my heart.
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