“Yes, I date girls!” Javier couldn’t believe his sister just said that.
Vivian was laughing now. “Of course he does. He’s super-smart, not gay.”
“Oh, man!” Javier sighed and walked away feeling helpless to say what he was really thinking. The age gap still made a difference. Would he ever feel like an adult around them? Life had to be easier when brothers and sisters were closer in age like Pat and Feliz.
After Javier came back downstairs in a green T-shirt and khaki shorts, he avoided the loud voices in the kitchen and settled in the den to watch television. When his father found him later, he was laughing at a classic M*A*S*H episode.
“You’re watching one of my favorite shows,” his father said and sat in the chair beside him. “Nowadays there’s nothing but reality TV on every channel. There’s even an episode of Ávila Women Gone Wild going on in our home!”
“That’s why I’m hiding in here,” Javier answered, grinning at his dad.
He reached over and clapped his son on the knee. “Forget the TV. I have something to show you.” They walked back into the kitchen, and Javier was relieved it was empty. His father opened the back door, and Javier walked out to the back porch.
“Surprise!” A trio of female voices echoed around the back yard.
A small blue truck with a wide red ribbon on the hood was parked behind his mom’s car. Javier’s body ignited like a bottle rocket when he saw the gift.
His father slapped him on the back. “Happy birthday, Javier!”
Javier howled and spun in a quick circle. “Wow! This is so cool!”
He ran down the steps. The truck didn’t look brand new, but it was a sporty design with black detailed fenders and doors. He saw bucket seats through the front windows, and when he opened the driver’s door, a gold number sixteen hung from the mirror. He should have been totally annoyed by the tacky ribbon and the cardboard numeral, but they only made him laugh at his sisters’ sense of humor.
“Is this all a dream? Does this fine truck belong to me, really?” Javier slid his hand over the fenders as he walked around. He threw the bow at Vivian. “Here!”
When he reached his mom, he hugged her tightly. “I love you, Mom!” He wrapped his arms around his father and crooned, “I love you, Dad! Thank you both so much! This is the best birthday gift of my life!”
“Happy birthday, Javito! Happy birthday!” his sisters proclaimed and jumped in for a group hug of suffocating proportions. It took a while before Javier could untangle himself and stand alone by the truck, still stunned by the birthday gift he never expected.
His mom put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad you like it. We hadn’t planned to get you a vehicle, but one of your dad’s workers needed some quick cash.” She squeezed his shoulder gently. “If we take care of insurance, you can cover gas and maintenance with your money, right?”
“I can handle that,” Javier said, glancing at the tires that still looked new.
His dad spoke up. “I really wanted to buy you a horse, but your mom didn’t have enough garden space to use up all the manure.”
When Javier looked at him, his dad winked, and they laughed together. Then Javier headed toward the driver’s side of the truck. “I’m going for a ride!”
His mom asked him, “Don’t you want one of us to come with you?”
“Nivia, give the boy a break!” his dad exclaimed. “He’s sixteen now.”
Javier turned on the ignition and smiled at the way the engine sounded. He tugged off the silly numeral, flipped on the air-conditioner, and set the radio on a station he liked. He waved at his family and backed out of the driveway. The truck ride wasn’t as smooth as a car, but he enjoyed the more masculine feel of a truck as he drove around Woodlawn Lake, wishing he could honk at somebody he knew.
He drove up Cincinnati Avenue toward St. Mary’s University, where he drove around the athletic fields and gym. He saw a trio of pretty girls walking toward the gym and bravely waved at them. When they first waved back and then craned their necks to see who was in the truck, he smiled like they were old friends. He tapped the horn, then circled around the lot and headed out the rear gate. Sixteen fit him so much better than fifteen ever had. He breathed in a sigh of happiness now that he owned his personal wheels of freedom.
“You realize your dad made it hard for the three of us to go anywhere together? It’s too bad this model isn’t an extended cab with a backseat,” Andy remarked on Sunday afternoon. He sat behind the wheel of Javier’s truck. It was parked behind his parents and sisters’ cars and blocked in by four other family vehicles. “It’s still a good little truck, Javier.” His fingers did a drumroll on the steering wheel.
Ignacio sat in the passenger seat, opening up compartments on the console between the seats. “You’re so lucky. Can we trade parents?”
“Yeah, right!” Javier chuckled as he stood by the open passenger door. He was thrilled to show off the truck to his friends. “I still can’t believe it’s mine!”
Andy got out, and as he walked around the truck bed, he told Javier, “You should have driven it to the game last night, Jack. Why didn’t you go?”
“I wanted to, but I felt I should help my dad around the yard. It was the least I could do after my parents got me the truck.” Javier stepped aside so Ignacio could get out and then he closed the door. “I’ll drive it to the game next weekend.”
The three of them stood around the truck talking about the game when Javier felt anxious hands tugging on the back of his shirt.
“Uncle Javito! Uncle Javito! Can we hit the piñata now? Please! Please!”
He looked down at his nephew Trey. The boy kept tugging and pleading.
His sister Laura had dragged along the stick decorated with rings of colorful paper. “I want some candy. It’s time for the piñata.”
“No piñata yet. Not all the little cousins are here.” He reached out and grabbed the stick from Laura. “I thought Grandma hid this thing in the house.”
“We found it!” Laura planted her fists on her hips. “I want to keep it.”
Javier laid the stick inside the truck bed. “Go away! You’ll hit the piñata later.”
As the kids stomped off, Ignacio whined, “Uncle Javito, you’re so mean!”
Javier started to say something, but he forgot all about it when he saw Pat and Feliz walking up the driveway. Feliz wore a strapless white top and white mini-skirt that exposed her perfectly tanned shoulders and legs. Her brown hair was gathered in a loose braid that trailed over one shoulder. She carried the straps of a white purse in one hand and moved with a sway of her hips that was almost illegal.
Liquid heat roared up and down Javier’s legs. From behind him, Ignacio whispered, “I can die a happy man now.”
Happy birthday to me! Javier walked down the driveway to meet her. He felt confident in a striped collared shirt and new shorts instead of ordinary jeans shorts and plain T-shirts like Andy and Ignacio. Earlier, they had teased him about “dressing up” but he had wanted to make the effort just in case.
“I’m glad you came.” Javier smiled directly at the girl he wanted to impress. Were his itchy feet forecasting that today could be the day? “Feliz, you look very nice.”
She smiled like she was glad he noticed. “You look nice yourself, Javier.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me I look nice too?” Pat said with loud sarcasm. “I put on clean underwear and everything!”
The guys all cracked up, but Feliz rolled her eyes and stepped away like her brother smelled bad. Javier cleared his throat and said, “The party’s this way.”
Everyone walked back up the driveway to glimpse the activity going on in the back yard. Children ran over the grass with a soccer ball, older relatives sat at the patio tables talking over iced tea and cold beer, and a trio of uncles sat under the pecan trees strumming their guitars. Trey and several other boys were trying to jump up and touch an embarrassingly huge piñata shaped like a big blue truck that hung hig
h in one of the taller trees.
Javier paused by his real blue truck so Feliz could understand the connection to the silly piñata. “This is mine—a birthday gift from my parents. I was totally surprised.”
“A great surprise!” Pat said, slapping the rear fender. “When you said your dad wanted you in a reliable car, I pictured a tank of some kind.”
“Nice truck, Javier.” Feliz nodded in approval as she looked over the vehicle. “It looks fun to drive. Let me drive it downtown sometime.”
The Demon Driver behind the wheel of his new truck? Javier struggled to keep a look of horror off his face. Instead he said, “Umm … Feliz, you know everybody, right? This is Andy Cardona and Ignacio Gómez.”
“Sure, hi,” she said without looking at them. She walked away from the truck.
Seeing the frowns on his friends’ faces, Javier felt embarrassed. He thought maybe she was just nervous around them. He tried to appear casual and friendly as he caught up to her. He said, “Regardless of when September fifth arrives, all of my family gets together Labor Day weekend to celebrate my birthday. When I was little, I used to care about exact dates, and some years I wanted two parties, but it doesn’t matter to me anymore.”
Feliz waved her hand in front of her face. “If it doesn’t matter when you celebrate your birthday, why don’t you pick a cooler month?” Her eyebrows creased slightly. “Maybe we could go inside, huh?”
“Well, I guess so,” he said, glancing behind him as Pat, Ignacio, and Andy walked up. “You guys want to go inside and shoot some pool?”
When they agreed, Javier led the way into the house through the back door.
They dodged the aunts and cousins moving food from the stove or gathering bowls out of the refrigerator to take into the dining room. That’s where Javier’s mom and sisters were arguing about the arrangement of the many bowls and platters on the table. Javier’s mom glanced up and said, “Hi, kids! I hope you’re hungry!”
But Vivian walked around the table when she saw Javier with his friends. She looked very pretty with her layered hair pulled back with sparkled combs and wearing a yellow sundress. Javier could see why men in an airport asked for her phone number.
She took a moment to stare at her little brother. What would she say? It was the first time Javier had invited a special girl to the party.
He wiggled around his itchy toes as he attempted a casual tone. “Vivian, these are my friends, Feliz Berlanga and her brother, Pat. I told you Pat and I are in that new television broadcasting elective, remember?”
“Hello.” Vivian nodded, but her stare remained on Feliz. “You look hungry.” She cleared her throat. “Umm … the food’s ready. Javito, why don’t you and your friends serve yourselves before the rush starts?” With the back of her hand, she whacked Javier’s upper arm and gave him a wink before she walked back to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Selena had circled the table and told Feliz, “You have a great tan, girl. Where did you spend your summer vacation?”
“Well, we go to Acapulco every August.” Now it was Feliz’s turn to stare at Javier’s sister. Selena wore a shiny purple halter with a plunging neckline. Her white Capri pants were tight on her hips. Her lipstick was the color of dark wine.
Javier hated to admit that Vivian had been right about Selena’s appearance as a “hoochie-mama”. He could just imagine what Ignacio, Andy, and Pat were thinking right now. He turned to his friends and said, “Let’s eat, huh? I’m starving!” He hoped they’d think about food and not his sister’s breasts. And, it was a good reminder not to gape at Feliz either. “Mom, can we serve ourselves before the crowd comes inside?”
“Yes, go ahead.” She had been rearranging bowls so Aunt Liz could put a watermelon filled with chopped fruit on the table. “Selena, bring me two more spoons.”
Javier led the way to the plates and plastic utensils wrapped in napkins. The guys shared positive comments about what was on the table and used every available corner of their plates to put a scoop of everything. He looked over his shoulder and noticed that Feliz put a small spoon of watermelon pieces, a few sticks of raw vegetables, and one scrawny chicken wing on her plate. Even six-year-old Laura ate more than that!
“There’s more room to eat outside. Is that okay with everybody?” Javier asked, but he looked uncertainly at Feliz. “There are ceiling fans hanging from the patio cover.”
“Go for it!” Ignacio called out, and Javier decided to ignore Feliz’s pout. Besides, his mom expected everyone to eat outside where tables had been decorated with small vases of fresh flowers from her garden.
They sat together under one of the fans at a large round table. Javier was glad to sit beside Feliz, but she didn’t talk to him. She was quiet when the guys agreed how great the food tasted. Since she had so little food on her plate, she had nothing really to talk about. When Andy and Ignacio started talking about the football game, she said nothing because she and Pat didn’t go. At the last minute, they had to attend a wedding with their parents.
“I’m just glad we won the game,” Pat said, wiping his hands with a well-stained napkin. “Can you imagine Ram and Dylan doing the announcements on Tuesday looking mad at the world? Now they won’t be embarrassed to show their faces on TV.”
“I’m waiting to see what they do with Brother Calavera’s boring announcements,” Javier replied. He turned to Feliz and said, “I don’t think those guys in class realize how much Pat and I rewrote everything so that the announcements were more interesting.”
She fanned herself with a napkin. “School announcements are never interesting.”
“I think you’re wrong,” Ignacio stated. It was the first time he had talked directly to Feliz. “You should see how much fun it is watching Javier and Pat do announcements.”
Feliz shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t go to your school, do I?”
When Ignacio’s eyes started to narrow, Javier spoke up quickly. “Hey, Andy, you never told me about the half-time performance. Did the freshmen mess up or anything?”
As Andy began telling funny stories about mess-ups and cover-ups by the band during the game and at the half-time show, Ignacio relaxed. There was laughter and good-natured teasing among them, except for Feliz, whose passive expression didn’t change.
As they finished eating, Javier’s big brothers came up to wish Javier a happy birthday. He politely introduced Feliz and Pat, but she didn’t extend her hand or say hello. Pat was quick to shake hands and smile.
Eric told Pat, “You’re the guy on TV with Javier, right? He told me you can ad-lib with the best of them. Javier seems to be having fun in the class. That’s great!”
Leo told them, “I always figured Javier would be on TV someday when he gets a scholarship to Harvard. I never thought he could be the guy with the microphone doing the interview. I’d tell everyone to watch my brother on TV. How cool is that!”
It was so rare to hear his brothers offer positive words about an activity that wasn’t a sport. Javier sat up straighter, feeling happy for doing something that didn’t require a high GPA. He smiled in Feliz’s direction. She still looked bored and hot, and it was starting to get on his nerves. Why can’t she join in and try to have some fun?
Javier couldn’t dwell on the answer because his mom appeared and encouraged them all to get second helpings. Pat, Ignacio, and Andy all stood up quickly and headed back into the house. He took the chance to speak to Feliz without an audience, and unfortunately he said the first thing that popped into his head. “Did you get enough to eat? There’s plenty of food.” As he glanced down at the one-bite leftovers on her plate, he felt stupid. “Uh, would you like something else to drink?”
Feliz sighed as she looked around the patio and out into the yard. He followed her gaze. Javier saw his parents walking among tables to catch up and share news, his old tíos looking content under the trees in their circle of chairs, and his sisters serving margaritas to the ladies. Eric was lining up the children under the paper truck pi
ñata. This was his familia, and he felt honored to share them with her.
Javier looked back at Feliz, his lips trembling into an uncertain smile. “I’m glad you decided to come to the party.”
“Well, Javier, I was thinking I would leave now.” She looked back at him, and her eyes narrowed like she had a headache. “It’s been a nice party and all, but my head hurts. Well, thanks for inviting me.” She slid out of her chair and stood up.
“Don’t go.” Javier popped up right beside her, so close he could almost touch her rigid shoulders. “I can get you an aspirin. Would that help?”
She rubbed her forehead. “Not really.” She walked around the table completely opposite from where Javier stood. “I’ll find Pat and tell him we’re leaving.”
He followed her inside the house where they found Pat at the kitchen sink, wiping a wet dish towel down his light blue T-shirt. A long stripe of barbecue sauce ran from his chest to his stomach.
“What happened?” Javier asked, ready to start laughing.
“The brisket fork slipped out of my grip and did a number on my shirt,” Pat said, chuckling at his own clumsiness. “I almost jabbed Andy too. You should—”
“Pat, I want to go home now.”
“What?” Pat turned and looked down at his sister. “You want to leave? It’s a great party. What’s wrong with you?”
“It’s just Javier’s family.” Feliz spoke like it was a bad thing. Her voice lowered to a whisper. “I thought more older guys from school would be here.”
Pat twisted the dish towel between his large hands. “Feliz, don’t start!”
“Start what? I just want to leave, that’s all. Let’s go, Pat.”
No warning itch, just a flame of anger made Javier’s feet clench against his sandals. “Pat, I can take you home later,” he said, but he wasn’t sure Pat heard him.
“I don’t want to waste my time here.” Feliz whined just like Laura who couldn’t hit the piñata when she wanted to. “If we leave now, I can catch up with Brittany and the other girls going to Sea World tonight for the concert.”
The F Factor Page 13
