Quince Clash

by Malín Alegría

  “No, wait!” Fabi grabbed her by the arm. “I only got one invitation. And now I’m bringing five guests.” She raised her hand for emphasis. “Three’s plenty. Besides, someone has to run the restaurant while we’re out.”

  “Don’t you worry about the restaurant,” Grandpa Frank called out from the counter. Her grandfather turned his veterans’ cap backward and shot her a wink. “C’mon, boys,” he said, gesturing to his buddies sitting along the counter. “It’ll be just like old times in the barracks.”

  Fabi smiled with pride at her grandfather and the senior brigade. The old men started to tease one another as they familiarized themselves with the kitchen. It felt good to have their support.

  “And I’ll make some of my famous chili,” Abuelita Alpha exclaimed, heading into the kitchen. It seemed like everyone wanted to help. Fabi wished she could stay and hang out with them. But the clock was ticking and she had to start getting ready for the first part of the quinceañera showdown.

  Grandma Trini, Alexis, Georgia Rae, and Fabi arrived at Melodee’s quinceañera after four. They looked more like a gang than guests. All four of them chose the same reject dama dress. Alexis thought it was a good idea. It would show their unity, but Fabi knew that it was really because it was the best one in the lot. The designer called the color “burnt fuchsia.” She swore it was up-and-coming. The dress hung off one shoulder and had a cute bubble hem skirt that ended above the knee. Fabi wasn’t crazy about the big rose on the shoulder, but there was no time to remove it. Fabi met Grace and the cameraman at the door of the McAllen Convention Center.

  The convention center was a colossal exposition space where the hottest singers and shows performed. Fabi had come once with Georgia Rae to see The Lion King. She couldn’t help but feel a little excited to be there again. The majestic building made everything feel so much more special.

  Melodee’s party was already in full swing. There was valet parking with a real red carpet, and a mariachi group was playing as the guests arrived. Fabi smiled shyly at Grace.

  Grace noticed and squeezed Fabi’s hand. “Don’t worry. Yours will be better.”

  They followed the crowd into the convention center and toward the ballroom. Georgia Rae came up behind Fabi and pinched her.

  “Hey, notice anything?”

  Fabi glanced around at the other guests. Everyone was dressed in suits and cute dresses. “No, what?” Fabi whispered back.

  “Everyone is wearing black and white.

  ” Fabi looked again and noticed that Georgia Rae was right. Georgia Rae asked to see the invitation.

  “Damn it,” Georgia Rae cursed under her breath. “Look, it says here it’s a Black-and-White Affair. That’s the theme.”

  “No way,” Fabi said under her breath. She had hoped to go unnoticed at the party.

  “Too late now.” Alexis shrugged. “I don’t care. So we stand out.”

  As they got closer to the ballroom, Fabi’s hands started to tremble. She couldn’t calm them or her heartbeat down. “Let’s just check it out and leave. I don’t want to stick around.”

  Grandma Trini, who had been unusually quiet up until now, cleared her throat loudly. “Al mal tiempo buena cara.”

  Georgia Rae looked at her blankly.

  Grandma Trini smiled brightly. “We must show a good face even if we really dislike the situation.” The girls nodded, with smiles as big as Texas. “Fabi, you will bring over this gift,” Trini said, removing a beautifully wrapped box from her purse.

  “Gift? Grandma, we didn’t get her a gift.”

  “I know,” Trini said, “I just wrapped this ceramic pink elephant your grandma Alpha gave me last Christmas.” She made a face.

  Fabi laughed, taking the package. At that moment, she had a burst of love for the crazy old lady with too much perfume.

  Grandma Trini motioned with her fingers when she talked. “Then we go over and congratulate the quinceañera and her family, eat some food, and leave. In that order.” The girls nodded. “And if we’re going to stand out,” she added, turning toward the entrance of the ballroom, “we hold our heads up high and walk with style.”

  Georgia Rae, Alexis, and Fabi laughed as they watched Grandma Trini step into the hall like she owned the place. They nodded to one another and strutted into Melodee Stanton’s quinceañera like they were Dos Rios royalty.

  Electronica pop dance music shook the walls of the ballroom. Fabi stood by the chocolate fondue fountain, her mouth open in awe. The huge open space looked elegant, with rich red carpeting on the floor and an amazing lighting system that shot designs of colors on three of the walls. On the fourth wall, overlooking the eight-foot quince party’s table, was a photo-montage of Melodee.

  “Ooh, look,” Fabi’s grandmother cried, and pointed to the ceiling. Dangling up above was a dazzling chandelier made out of crystals in the shape of a butterfly with its wings spread out.

  There had to be at least two hundred people there, Fabi thought, looking around the room. The tables were decorated with tall, curly willow-branch centerpieces that sparkled with little white flowers and candles. Each place setting had a personalized name card. There were two cake tables and a mountain of gifts piled up in between. Guests were talking adamantly with one another, hanging out at the bar, or mingling on the dance floor.

  Fabi really, really wanted to leave.

  There was a harsh scratching sound from the speaker and everyone stopped talking. Melodee came through a side door. Her quince party streamed in behind her. Everyone started to clap. She was wearing a strapless chiffon and satin black-and-white evening gown with a lacy beaded top. An elegant tiara was placed on top of her loose blonde curls. There was a glass of champagne in Melodee’s hand. Fabi wondered if she was drunk.

  Melodee grabbed the mic. “Is this stupid thing on?” she said to the sound guy. He gave her the thumbs-up. Melodee smiled as she stared across the dance floor. Her gaze stopped at Fabi. “Well, it’s time for the fun to begin. I see that all the guests have arrived.”

  Fabi groaned to herself. She had a terrible feeling about this. There she was, standing out like a red stoplight. Georgia Rae and Alexis reached for her hands at the same time for support. Fabi was grateful to have them there.

  “First things first,” Melodee continued in her annoying, singsong voice. “I’d love to thank my dear mother and father for paying for this fabulous party.” The guests clapped politely. “I want to thank Fabiola Garza for having the courage to come to my party and bring the TV camera. I promise you a good show,” she said to the cameraman. “I also wanted to give Fabi a small token of my appreciation, because honestly I don’t think I would have had as much fun organizing this day without a good reason.”

  One of Melodee’s damas brought a wrapped gift over to Fabi. The guests cheered again for Melodee as she blew Fabi an air-kiss. The crowd approved and clapped even louder.

  Fabi pulled off the black ribbon and opened the box. Inside, there was a brand-new electric razor — the kind you’d use to shave your head. This was horrible. Melodee smiled devilishly from across the room. A guy behind Fabi started to laugh.

  “Oh, and let me not forget one last person.” There was movement behind Melodee. Someone was moving forward. “I would like to thank my handsome, sweet, hopelessly devoted new boyfriend for being here today. You made my victory possible. Thank you, my love. Daniel Cruz.”

  Fabi’s breath caught in her throat. Did she hear right? But yes — she watched in horror as Daniel appeared at Melodee’s side. Daniel!

  Fabi’s whole world shattered. It felt like a dozen fishing hooks pierced and pulled sharply at her chest, tearing apart her heart.

  “Hey,” Georgia Rae asked, “isn’t that your chambelán?”

  It took Fabi a couple of seconds to react. Fat tears started to stream down her cheeks. This was the worst humiliation in the world. The crowd turned to look at Fabi’s reaction as if this was a big joke that everyone was in on but her.

  Onstage, Danie
l stared down at his shoes. Melodee didn’t seem to notice or care. She turned to him and gave him a long kiss on the lips.

  “Ah yes, my boyfriend,” Melodee slurred, as she put one arm around him, “who is so hopelessly devoted to me that he would do anything to make me happy. Isn’t that right?” she asked him. Daniel smiled back in confirmation.

  “You!” Fabi cried. A flood of angry words came to her mind. A woman grunted loudly in disapproval next to her, jerking Fabi back from her fury. Then she noticed the looks of disbelief and frowns aimed right at her — as if she’d done something wrong!

  Melodee smiled as she swung her head back to Fabi. “Is that camera rolling?”

  Grace nodded that it was. She had to get Grace out of there, Fabi thought, but everything was happening too quickly.

  Melodee continued without missing a beat. “Please excuse Miss Fabiola Garza. It’s not her fault she has no manners. How ’bout we have some music while the waiters bring out the food?” The guests returned to their celebratory mood, ignoring Fabi’s outburst.

  Fabi turned to Georgia Rae. But she didn’t know what to say. She was numb with disbelief. Then Melodee started walking toward Fabi. She was dragging Daniel by the hand behind her. Fabi’s breath caught. What is she going to do now?

  Melodee smirked as she passed Fabi, Grandma Trini, Alexis, and Georgia Rae in their matching outfits. She finally stopped in front of Grace and the camera. Fabi’s heart was beating wildly. Daniel was standing right behind Melodee, totally ignoring Fabi three feet away. Melodee smiled at the camera and said, “I think it’s ironic that your show is called Quince Dreams. It’s ironic because that’s all it really is, for Fatty. A dream. Your quince plans … all a dream.” Melodee sighed deeply, and glanced at Fabi. “I told you not to mess with me.”

  Grace turned to look at Fabi. “What is she talking about?”

  “Ha!” cried Melodee. “That’s a good question … what am I talking about?” She reached back and grabbed Daniel’s hand. “See, my boyfriend here told me all about how you LIED to the TV producers to get on their show.”

  Grace stared at Fabi. Her eyes were begging her to tell her it wasn’t true. Fabi didn’t know what to say. What could she say?

  “Oh, yeah, Fabi’s not dying,” Melodee sneered to Grace. “No, that would be too good. No, dear old Fabi is just pathetic, a liar, and a loser. So pathetic that she had to lie about dying to get any attention. So pathetic that she believed that my boyfriend —”

  Not another word, Fabi thought, pressing her hands to her ears. She ran out of the ballroom with Melodee’s words still ringing in her head. Tears still flowed down her face. But she didn’t bother to wipe them away. This was the cruelest thing she’d ever experienced. It was the most horrible day of her life. Fabi started to run through the parking lot, but her heels made it difficult so she took them off. She thought about carrying them, but she was so mad that she flung them at the convention center as she cursed.

  Fabi hurried down the block not wanting to see anyone. Maybe she could go to Mexico. Disappear across the border. Fabi didn’t know where to go; she headed north instead, away from her family and friends, away from her life.

  The miserable heat baked Fabi’s back and made the sidewalk feel like she was walking on hot coals. But she felt numb to it all. Cars kicked dirt in her face as they passed her on the street. Her dress was too tight and itched as it stuck to her skin. Fabi was out of breath and her skin burned. Downtown McAllen was undergoing mass revitalization with big boxy chain stores lining up and down the block. The franchise area soon disappeared behind her, giving way to an open orange grove.

  It was one of the last groves left in the growing city. Farm owners found it more profitable to sell off their land to speculators than grow a crop. It was about ten degrees cooler under the trees, which provided welcome shade. Fabi stopped and picked an orange. It was bittersweet. The juices ran down her mouth, reminding her of when she was small and her dad would bring back fruit from the local harvest. Life was so simple then. She craved those times. A car honk made her look up. Grandma Trini lowered the window in her SUV that she’d parked alongside the road.

  “Ay, mija,” she said softly. “Are you okay?”

  Fabi stared blankly as her grandmother hopped out of the raised Chevy Tahoe, leaving Alexis and Georgia Rae in the backseat. It didn’t seem real. It was too painful to be real: Melodee’s party, Daniel her boyfriend, Grace’s face when she learned the truth. Fabi wanted to wake from this horrible quince dream.

  But seeing her grandmother walk toward her in her big matted hairdo, fuchsia dress, and matching chunky earrings was proof enough that it wasn’t a dream. For some crazy reason, despite all the horribly embarrassing things that had happened today, Fabi realized that her family would always be there for her. Fabi couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Thoughts of Milo and Alexis defending her against Melodee, talking to Daniel in the library, Melodee in the restroom, the TV camera, and everything else played out like a movie. What was it all for? she thought. She didn’t realize how much stress she’d been holding back until now. It felt good to laugh, like shedding off old skin.

  “We’ve made a mess of things, haven’t we?” she said to her grandma.

  “Nos cacharon. They caught us.” Her grandmother paused to grab an orange and then started to peel it with her long painted nails. She took a deep breath and looked down the row of low-hanging trees. “I met your grandfather here in a grove like this. A woman who read cards told me that I would meet an ugly man who smelled of citrus with a honey tongue.” Grandma Trini blushed. “She said that I would give him many babies. At first I thought she was cursing me, because I dated her son. But when Rafa sang to me on top of a ladder, I knew that psychic was the real deal.”

  Fabi smiled. Lil Rafa, her deceased grandfather, had not been a handsome man, but he’d had a beautiful voice. Still, she didn’t quite understand why her grandmother was telling her this story. Trini walked over and pulled her into a hug.

  “I’m sorry, chiquita,” she said, pressing Fabi’s head to her big bosom. “I don’t know why I remembered that story. It was just … seeing you there … hearing you being torn apart como una cualquiera reminded me of when I was young and how the mean girls used to say cosas feas to me.”

  “Really, Grandma?”

  “Oh, yeah.” She laughed. “We were really poor back then. We didn’t have electricity or even a floor. Pura tierra.” She stomped the earth to demonstrate her point. “I didn’t even have shoes to go to school. But I always had pretty dresses. I knew how to sew,” she said proudly. “And I was good. I would go to the factories at night and grab the scraps from the Dumpsters and make the most beautiful dresses. I put esas ricas to shame.” She smiled brightly. “And of course they were jealous because I was a double D in junior high and those girls only had mosquito bites on their chests.”

  Fabi laughed.

  “But they knew how to hurt me without leaving bruises on the outside. They used their words. I still carry those wounds.” Grandma Trini raised her hand to her chest.

  “What did you do?” Fabi asked.

  “I went to a bruja, a card reader. I wanted to use words and hurt them, too. I didn’t go to school, so I didn’t know how to fight them on their level. But I was so angry. I wanted to hex them, make their hair fall out.”

  Fabi smiled, enjoying her grandmother’s story. “And what happened?”

  Grandma Trini finished off the last orange slice. “The card reader told me about your grandfather, and my life changed for the better. And when Lil Rafa became a famous singer, that became my revenge. Those women are all old and falling apart now. I see them sometimes. Their hearts became all wrinkly like a dried prune with all that hate and venom. Now when I see them I hold my head up high. I shake my big head of hair, which you know is all mine, and I show them that my life turned out grand.”

  Fabi smiled, happy for her grandmother. “Maybe I need to see that bruja,” she said, only half j
oking.

  “That’s a great idea,” her grandmother agreed, slapping her arm. It was kind of hard, but her grandmother didn’t notice; her eyes were glazed over in thought. “I haven’t seen her in a while. Not since she sold me that love potion that worked a little too well.”

  Grandma Trini glanced at her watch. “If we hurry, we can catch her before she closes. Doña Lisa always closes for her novela hour.”

  Fabi turned and looked back at the grove. She watched some bees as they buzzed from blossom to blossom down the row of fruit trees. A part of her wanted to stay here. She wanted to be left alone to wallow some more; she wasn’t sure she had strength yet to face the world. Maybe a bruja was exactly what she needed.

  They dropped Alexis and Georgia Rae at home before heading back toward downtown McAllen. It was growing dark and Fabi noticed the bright beams of searchlights shining from the convention center. She didn’t say anything, trying to focus on the road ahead, but the thought of Melodee’s party slowly crept back into her mind like a daddy longlegs. Was Daniel dancing with Melodee this very second? Were they making out on the dance floor? She couldn’t believe that he could do something like that. How could he trick her like that? She had trusted him. Fabi thought he was her friend. She’d opened up to him like she’d opened up to no one else, not even her sister. She’d cried all over his shirt. The memory stung in her chest like heartburn.

  They stopped in front of a tiny storefront sandwiched between a used tire shop and a Laundromat with a cartoon washing machine chasing bubbles on the window. The street was deserted except for a mother with three kids pushing a shopping cart full of clothes. Grandma Trini walked to the door and rang the doorbell. The place was called La India Poderosa, the Powerful Indian. Hanging above the doorway was a painting of an Indian woman with a proud dark face, high cheek-bones, and slanted eyes. She was holding a feather in one hand and a candle in the other. There was an altar set up in the window. Statues of various saints, candles, dried roses, and gold necklaces adorned the altar. The inside of the shop was hidden behind a heavy velvet curtain. La India must like her privacy, Fabi thought. Secretly, she’d always wanted to enter one of these shops, but Abuelita Alpha scared her with stories of devil-worshipping cults stealing bad little girls to mate with el diablo. A buzzing sound opened the door and then they stepped in.