Who'd Have Thought

by G. Benson

  “Yeah. Mom wasn’t having a good day, so we thought it better to have a quiet house for a couple of hours.”

  Which meant Javi had been loud. He patted her hand. “Grandma got cranky, but Abuela made it all better.”

  “Grandma is your mother?” Sam asked.

  “Yeah.” Sofia nodded as she turned the wheel. “To save confusion, Grandma is for our mom and Abuela is for, well, Abuela.”

  Hayden asked Javi, “What did Abuela do to make it better?”

  “Singed.”

  “Sang.”

  “She sang.”

  Hayden throat got a little tight. “Yeah, that does always help your grandma.”

  He hummed an answer, kicking his legs as he stared out the window. “Sam!”

  Sam turned in her seat quickly, visibly startled at his sudden shout. “Yes?”

  “We’re almost home. Did you know?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’ve never been there before, so I couldn’t know.”

  “That’s okay. I can tell you the stuff you don’t know. Like the bath sometimes has monsters.”

  “Monsters?”

  “Yup.”

  “Monsters aren’t real.”

  Sam with kids was Hayden’s latest favorite thing.

  Javi threw up his hands. “Abuela says that too! But they do. I saw it.”

  “Where?”

  He pushed forward as much as his seat allowed, which wasn’t much. His voice lowered. “I told you. In the bath.”

  Sam eyed him. “The bath?”

  He nodded, dead serious. “Yup.”

  “Can you show me them?”

  “No. Only kids see them. You’re old.”

  Hayden bit her cheek to stop from laughing, but Sam said, “Fair enough.”

  Luckily, they had pulled into their driveway. Hayden swallowed as she unclipped Javi and held her door open as he clambered over the backseat to follow her out. The house was still the same. Sam stepped out of her seat and stood next to her, closing her door.

  “Nice house.”

  “Come on.” Javi grabbed Hayden’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  He dragged them around the back of the car to pull out their carry-on cases, groaning at how slow they were. Sofia held open the door to the house, and Javi led the charge with thundering steps.

  “Abuela!” he shouted. “Hayden and Sam are here.” He disappeared into the kitchen, and Sofia closed the door behind them.

  “Just leave your case here,” she told Sam. “We’ll put them in your room later.”

  She walked down the hall and left Hayden and Sam staring at each other.

  “Hayden.” Sam’s lips pursed as she seemed to think out her next words. “Are we sharing a room?”

  Hayden, her mouth open, nodded.

  “Why is it we keep not thinking of these things?” Sam asked. “We’re intelligent women. Yet these things just keep escaping us.”

  It was true. They were kind of stupid. Maybe Hayden could sleep on the floor in the room. She wasn’t too old for that.

  Wait, that would be ridiculous. She’d shared beds with people before. It didn’t have to be a big deal.

  Before Hayden could respond, Abuela was walking down the corridor toward them. “Alejandra! Por fin. You are here.”

  Even though Hayden had explained to Sam about Abuela calling her Alejandra, she still blinked in surprise at the name. Abuela had yet to even look at Sam.

  She walked straight up to Hayden, her hands cupping her cheeks. She was a foot shorter than Hayden, which was impressive, since Hayden wasn’t exactly tall in the first place. Even as Hayden grinned, her cheeks all pudge in Abuela’s hands, her heart was in her throat.

  “Why you so skinny?”

  Hayden rolled her eyes, her hands resting on Abuela’s forearms. Her skin was like paper under her fingers, yet she was warm and full of wiry muscle. An ox of a woman hidden in a tiny package. “I’ve gained weight, Abuela.”

  “No. I no believe it.”

  Well, it was true. “At least I have a few days of your cooking?”

  Those sharp, dark eyes zeroed in on her, and Hayden almost ran away, but her face was still smooshed in Abuela’s hands. Why had she gone there?

  “Yes. A few days. More like barely three days. Two and a half.” She turned her head so sharply that Hayden was left blinking down at her ear. Hayden turned too, hands still on her cheeks. Sam stood, her gaze caught on Abuela’s. “So. You are the…wife of my granddaughter?”

  “I am.”

  “And you could not make her come for more time? We are just meeting, and you don’t wish staying more with us?”

  Sam’s mouth actually gaped. It was barely perceptible, but Hayden caught it and grinned again. Abuela’s hands finally fell away. Hayden kept a hand on her arm, though, wanting that physical connection. She also wanted to remind Abuela to take it easy on Sam, despite the amusement it gave her to watch the two of them together.

  “We have work,” Sam said.

  Abuela waved a hand in the air. “Work. You cannot live your life working. What about family? And friends? And my granddaughter?”

  Sam looked at Hayden with an expression that said help me, and Hayden thought about rescuing her. She did. Really. For a fleeting second.

  Apparently seeing no assistance forthcoming, Sam turned back to Abuela. “We work together?”

  “Hm.” Abuela stepped into Sam’s space, squinting up at her. She flicked the glasses on top of her head onto her face. “Well, es guapa.”

  “Thanks,” Sam said.

  Being called pretty by a glaring old lady didn’t even make Sam go red.

  “You speak Spanish?”

  Sam clearly had no idea what to do about any of this. “A little.”

  “Good. I want my other great-grandchildren to speak Spanish too.”

  What? Great-grandchildren? Something twisted in Hayden’s gut. Abuela could never know this was all a lie.

  “But yes. She’s pretty, Alejandra. You didn’t tell me she was an older woman?” Abuela glanced at Hayden and back to Sam, whose nostrils had flared. Hayden’s stomach hurt from holding in her laughter. “Very good. Means she has a good head on her shoulders. Sometimes you need someone to pull you back to earth.”

  “Hey!” Hayden glared at Abuela, who grinned wickedly at Sam, even throwing in a wink. Sam responded with a hesitant smile.

  “I am not happy with you still, Samantha. But we will see.” Abuela turned and walked down the corridor. “Come, Alejandra,” she called over her shoulder. “Your mamá is in the kitchen. She is having a bad day.”

  That made the grin that had been back on Hayden’s face slide. Meanwhile, Sam was glaring at her.

  “That was not enjoyable,” she said.

  “Oh, it was for me.”

  “Bad day?” Sam asked pointedly.

  Hayden sighed, turning to walk down the corridor and follow the amazing smell coming from the kitchen. Lunch was going to be good. Hayden walked into the kitchen and took a deep breath, trying to relax. Javi was standing on a chair at the counter, piling food on a plate. He liked to help but wasn’t good at it. Sofia was sitting at the table, and next to her, with a search-a-word in her hand, was Hayden’s mother.

  “Mamá.” It was always good to see her. Even when it was hard, it was good to see her.

  Her mother glanced up at her. No recognition flashed over her features; that rarely happened anymore. She had some lucid days, and on those days, her memory came in and out. Hayden walked to the table and sat next to her mother. “Hey.”

  Her mother gave a jolty smile. “Hello.”

  “It’s me, Mamá. Hayden.”

  “Ah, yes.” Her mother was still staring, as if desperately searching for a way to recognize the face in front of her. The search-a-word was mostly randomly circled letters. A lump swelled in Hayden’s throat so fast she had to work hard to push it back down. “Hayden. Yes.”

  “Your daughter.”

  Little reminders, no
pushing. The more you pushed, the more panicked she would become.

  “Yes.” She looked to Sofia. “But I don’t think I have a daughter?”

  Sofia patted her hand. “It’s okay.”

  “Oh. Good.” She looked down at her book. “Can I keep doing this? Then later I have to go meet my husband.”

  “Of course. But first, Mamá.” She looked up again, something of the name registering even as she said she didn’t have children. “This is Sam.” Hayden turned in her seat, and Sam walked forward, her hand on Hayden’s shoulder. They’d agreed on more touches for the weekend. It was finally not so strange, now. “Sam, this is my mom, Paola.”

  “Hello, Paola.”

  Hayden’s mom might not know she recognized Hayden. But she was always more nervous with people who were genuinely new. She looked from Sofia to Sam again, her gaze jittery. “Hello. I have to finish so I can meet my husband soon.”

  She focused on the book in front of her and started circling letters, her shoulders relaxing after a few moments.

  “She’s calm still. Most of the time. Well, less and less.”

  When Sofia spoke, that lump in Hayden’s throat still made it hard for her to swallow.

  Sofia gave her a small smile. “The new medications have made her mellow. She’s happy enough.”

  “Good.” Hayden licked her lips. That first year had been heartbreaking. She’d watched her capable mother, aware of what was happening to her, lose herself, her memories, her personality. She had been scared and nervous all the time. Now that the disease had advanced, it was worse in so many ways, and yet better in others. She couldn’t be alone, though. She wandered, tried to cook in the middle of the night.

  The hand on her shoulder squeezed and Hayden couldn’t look at Sam, else that lump would break and her eyes might leak.

  “So!” Hayden stood up, and Sam’s hand fell away. “What’s for lunch?”

  She turned around and grabbed Sam’s hand, tugging her to the counter, opposite Javi and Abuela, who was putting various chopped vegetables in bowls. Hayden’s eyes swept over the counter.

  “Are we having pollo con tajadas?”

  Javi nodded at her. “Yup.”

  “And salad,” Abuela said, stirring the pot on the stove that smelled like heaven probably did.

  Javi made a face. “And salad.”

  “Well, we need it,” Hayden said. “Gotta stay strong.”

  “You two put your stuff in the room.” Abuela shooed them with her hand. “When you finish, lunch.”

  “Gracias, Abuela.”

  Abuela waved a hand in the air, her eyes on the pot, and Hayden led the way out and upstairs toward her old room. When she’d lived here for that year, she’d cleared all her stuff out, and now it was mostly like a guest room with a big bed. That they’d share. Or, again, Hayden could sleep on the floor? But that seemed stupid.

  Sam followed her quietly. Hayden walked up the steps that led to the second floor, taking the first door on the left. She put her suitcase down and looked around. The bed was all made up in a dark cover, the walls still the same white they had been before. She’d left a few photos around, mostly of her and her sister when they were younger. Some were of her mom and Abuela, and one or two of her school friends she mostly liked posts of on social media and not much else these days.

  The door closed behind her, and Hayden looked at Sam, who was staring at the bed with an indiscernible expression. Hayden looked back at it too.

  Well. This was going to be interesting.

  CHAPTER 14

  Abuela managed to keep her cool until dinner that night.

  They had all had lunch, and after, Javi had dragged Hayden outside to play soccer. Her mom had sat on the back step and watched them, and Sam had sat next to her. Hayden hadn’t caught what Sam spoke to her about, but whenever Hayden looked over, Sam’s lips had been moving. Hayden’s mom had calmly listened. At one point, as Hayden had pretended to fall over while trying to stop Javi from carrying the soccer ball to his ‘goal’ (a tree), her mom had stood up, her hands wrenching in front of her. Hayden had paused, ready to go to her if needed, but Sam had hesitantly put a hand on her mother’s forearm.

  “It’s done.” Hayden had heard Sam say the words as Javi took a breath between cheering his own success. She didn’t hear anything else but watched as her mother sat down, still looking stressed until, eventually, her shoulders relaxed.

  At seven, they went out to dinner, a tradition on the first night when Hayden was home.

  All day, Hayden hadn’t been able to get rid of the ball of anxiety in her stomach—Sam knowing about her mother, lying to her family.

  It all felt rotten.

  The restaurant was the same one they visited whenever Hayden came home, a small Vietnamese place with amazing service and delicious food. It had been her mom’s favorite place years and years ago. It was a pity, but Hayden’s mom couldn’t tolerate restaurants anymore. The noise and new people left her confused and agitated for days. So she had stayed at home with the assistant, and with Javi.

  “Samantha.”

  Hayden looked up from her plate. Sam had been ‘Samantha’ all day, and not once had Sam corrected Abuela, which in itself was enough for Hayden to smirk into her food.

  “Where did you meet Alejandra?”

  Hayden could feel Sam looking at her and kept her eyes firmly on the chopsticks she was using to grab some noodles. Sam had wanted Hayden’s family to know they were married? Well, welcome to the reality of that.

  Across from Hayden, Sofia fixed her gaze on Sam, her shoulder brushing Abuela’s. Their eyes were twins of each other as they gave Sam all their attention.

  “I met her at work,” Sam said finally.

  Hayden winced internally for her but happily chewed on another mouthful of noodles. Did she really think that would suffice?

  Sure enough, Abuela’s eyes narrowed and Sofia pursed her lips, her entertainment completely unhidden as she reached for one of the rolls on her plate.

  “At work. That is the story?”

  “Well, yes.”

  Hayden had never heard Sam sound as unsure as she had all day today.

  Abuela looked at Hayden, who tried to look innocent, then back to Sam, whose shoulder brushed Hayden’s.

  “That is not romantic. Where is the story?” Her eyes narrowed even more, the creases in her brow deepening. “Where is the love? Alejandra.” The smirk on Hayden’s face finally fell when those sharp eyes flicked to her. Sofia buried her amusement in her glass. “Why you marry this girl? This is not love.”

  Hayden took a deep breath. “Maybe we’re shy with the story, Abuela?”

  That gaze didn’t move from her face. “Shy? Why? I ask for the story. I expect more than we meet at work. Did you meet with…with bad situation?”

  “What? No!” Hayden sighed. Now Abuela thought she and Sam had had some kind of raging affair or something. So Hayden finally looked at Sam and let her hand fall on Sam’s knee. The posture was obvious for her sister and for Abuela, even if they couldn’t see what her hand was doing. “Honey,” she addressed Sam, “I know you’re normally reserved about these things…”

  Sam’s green eyes were only a foot from her own, filled with panic.

  “But just tell the story.”

  For a second, Hayden thought Sam was only going to stare at her. Hayden smiled, trying for reassuring and yet tightening her grip on the warm knee under her hand. In the back of her mind, it ticked over that this didn’t really feel awkward anymore. Good.

  Finally, Sam turned to Abuela. “We did meet at work. I was called to a consult, a patient who had presented to the ER with left-sided weakness and memory loss. It was a rush, but one thing I really took away from the consult, and the subsequent hurry of getting the patient to surgery, was the nurse who was looking after him. How she responded to everything efficiently and had everything I needed without asking. The last thing I saw when I followed the patient as he was wheeled to the OR was he
r gaze watching us go.”

  Hayden swallowed. Sam looked so sincere. And, actually, that was the first time they’d met, excluding Sam seeing her back when she was in premed.

  She was surprised Sam had remembered it. Hayden hadn’t been long out of school, and it was her first real brush with Sam. She’d found her rude and closed off. Maybe it was all efficiency. Maybe Hayden had always read Sam wrong. Or she hadn’t, but she hadn’t seen the full picture.

  When Hayden made herself stop gazing at Sam’s face, Abuela still looked unconvinced, but Sofia tilted her head as if really taking Sam in for the first time.

  “And then?” Abuela asked.

  Hayden squeezed Sam’s knee again; more a rub, her fingers brushing the jeans under them. She’d meant to pull away but figured it was more natural to leave them there.

  “And then we were colleagues. Kind of friends,” Hayden added. That was a stretch—well, a full-blown lie. What was the saying from that British show? In for a penny… “But something clicked,” she continued, “and we started dating. And Sam asked, and I said yes.”

  Sam, her cheeks a very faint red, recounted the story of her supposed proposal. As she spoke, Abuela’s face still didn’t really change. Sofia’s stayed intrigued. Hayden took in a breath and let it out slowly. They were lying already, and they needed to sell it. Even if just to make Hayden’s life easier over the next however many months. As Sam finished, talking about the stars and the way Hayden had looked under them, Hayden slowly moved her body closer, making sure she was smiling like she was lovestruck; pulling in deep from that well that was apparently always there. When she pressed her lips to the softness of Sam’s cheek, Sam’s speech hitched subtly before she kept speaking. Perfect. Hayden made sure to press her smile into it, the warm skin under her lips warming even further in the few seconds she lingered there, pulling away as Sam finished the story. She left an arm draped over Sam’s chair, her eyes still on her. Sam met Abuela’s eye, and Hayden turned her head, making sure her shoulders stayed relaxed.

  “And I said yes,” Hayden chimed in. “I know it was fast, and I always said I didn’t believe in marriage.”

  “Not always.” Abuela’s face was not as easy to read now, but at least she wasn’t glaring at them both like they’d denied her the epic romance of the year.