One Night

by Kamille Rose

  "Copy that, Sergeant Martinez."

  He winked at me on his way out. I shook my head, smiling, but it quickly morphed into a frown when I realized I still had to talk to him about my mom. If this didn't go well, I might never see that wink again.

  ⋅. ✯ .⋅

  I worked on table arrangements with Mindy and Mariah until it was time for the meeting to end. Sitting on the floor, I tied up the spools of silk and laid them in neat rows. As I moved to put them into a bin, I heard a door shut and then the squeaks of sneakers on the recently waxed gym floors.

  "There you are. I lost you for a whole hour,” Joseph said, walking over to me.

  "Hey. Yeah, I was running around helping," I answered as he took a seat on the floor beside me. We were sitting so close that his knee brushed up against mine. Not that I minded. His presence was always comforting.

  "That's a pretty color," Joseph commented. He dragged his fingers along the soft fabric, and I found my eyes following their every move. They were long and slender and traced blind patterns as his hand moved up and down the smooth silk. I'm not sure when I moved, but I saw my hand inching toward his. He noticed too, craning his head to look over at me.

  "Do you want to hold it?"

  My eyes widened in surprise. "No!" I blurted out, snatching my hand away from his.

  "I mean, it's not that I don't want to- I was- I don't know. I-I would enjoy holding your hand, but —”

  “Listen.” Joseph shifted so that he was facing me completely. I was so nervous my ears were ringing. “You can hold my hand, but if you want any more than that, you’ll have to wine and dine me first.”

  He held out his hand for me to take and I playfully smacked it away, the tension beginning to leave my body as laughs overtook me. “Do you even drink wine?”

  “Not at all. How about you buy me a milkshake?”

  “Deal. Only if the milkshake is vanilla with crushed Oreos on top... and I get to have a sip,” I said, picking up a spool and placing it in the bin beside me.

  “Geez. You wanna hold my hand and drink my milkshake? You’re insatiable.”

  Joseph helped me by picking up the three remaining spools. I packed the lid on and pushed the bin across the floor next to the other supplies.

  “Mmm. I want cookies now. Come with me to the vending machine?"

  He chuckled. "Sure. Let's get you some cookies."

  We exited the gym and made a left, entering what I called the 'hall of vending machines'. There were several machines for sports drinks and water, chips, and candy. My eyes roamed over all three until they landed on the blue mini bags of joy, chips ahoy.

  "Yay, they're here!" Cheering, I skipped to the machine furthest right. After slipping my dollar in and punching in the code, I claimed my sweet when it fell to the bottom.

  "The administrators have the snacks inside switched every two weeks, so this is a blessing," I told Joseph.

  "You should just buy all the cookies that are in stock right now, so you're not disappointed when a granola bar is taking its place," he said leaning against the water machine.

  "I couldn’t. Surely I can’t be the only one with a sweet tooth for chips ahoy.”

  He shook his head, smiling. I fidgeted with the package of cookies in my hand, deciding if I should act while we had a moment.

  "Joey? I mean, is it okay if I call you Joey?”

  "You can call me anything but stupid."

  My lips curled into a grin. “Well, alright Banana Head.”

  Joseph laughed and I joined him. "I was wondering... well, my mom was wondering. D-do you want to- would you like to come over for dinner?"

  It could have come out more cohesively, but it could’ve come out a lot worse.

  "You want me to meet your parents?"

  "I’m sorry to spring something like this on you. It’s my mom, she thinks everyone has bad intentions. When I told her about you, she said she wanted to meet you and your family, you know, to see what you’re like.” I sighed, palming my face. “Ugh, she’s probably gonna ask you about your ancestry and whether you got baptized or not.”

  "Are you done? I'd have said yes about fifty-seven words ago."

  I lunged forward, temporarily rendering him breathless as I squeezed him in a tight hug. He was incredibly warm. It felt like I was hugging a portable heater.

  "Really? Oh my gosh, thank you so much. This means a lot," I mumbled into his shoulder.

  A vibrating in my front pocket had me pulling back with haste.

  "I have to go now but come with your parents tonight at 7 p.m. sharp. My mom has a thing about plaid shirts, so stay away from those. Oh! And wear a bowtie if you have one."

  "Dinner with the 'rents at 7 p.m. sharp. Anything but plaid, accompanied by a bowtie. You got it, chica."

  "See you then!"

  ⋅. ✯ .⋅

  "So, what'd he say?" Alex asked. I asked her to come over to talk about the night's big event: Joseph meeting my parents. I was more than confident that my dad would love Marlene and David and vice versa. But whether they would like my mom was a different story.

  "I was nervous, but he seemed rather enthusiastic.” I brought a blue floral netted collar dress up to my body and waited for Alex's approval. “This one?”

  "What, are you guys dating now? And hell no. Next."

  "Alex?! Of course not. My mom views this a little differently since he's well — a guy. I've never had a guy friend which really shouldn't make a difference, but you know how she is," I said, tossing the blue dress on my bed.

  I turned back to my closet and my eye caught the sleeveless maroon body-con dress that was tucked away near the back. Alex bought it for me about a year ago, but I never had a reason to wear it.

  "Yes! Yes! Yes!" she chanted excitedly while I was still debating whether to pull it off the hanger. "We've finally got a winner."

  "It's a little much for just a small dinner, no?" I protested, but she got up from my bed and snatched it from my closet, anyway.

  "It's perfect! Sexy, sweet, and sophisticated and the color compliments your skin. Isn't Joseph dressing up for this too?" she questioned while admiring the lace detailing.

  "I told him to wear a bowtie, so yes he's sort of dressing up. But I doubt he's going to go over the top for a small dinner. The occasion with your parents wasn't nearly as formal as this,” I said, waving the flashy dress in front of her face.

  "You're wearing the dress. I will staple it to your body. And correction, they're my guardians for one more year."

  "Alex, you're already 18. Did you forget?"

  "Yeah... I think I did. Anyway, that's beside the point, Sienna. The dinner was another thing they didn’t really care about,” she said, plopping back down on my bed.

  “Only thing that matters to them is cruising around going who knows where. They couldn't care less about who I surround myself with."

  I tossed aside the red dress and sat beside Alex, who looked off at nothing. "Did they —"

  "No. They didn't pick up. I don't even know why I expected an answer when I never got one before. All I ever had was Nani and even she had to leave eventually."

  Nani was Alex's live-in housemaid and babysitter. She had worked with the Johnson family since Alex was a baby. When Alex’s father, Aaron, went on more frequent business trips, Nani ended up having to work full time to take care of her.

  Later down the line, Nani's mother got sick, and she had to resign to go take care of her. Alex was already seventeen by that time and since then, Aaron rarely came home. He'd send her money every month to get by, but not a single phone call. Not a single 'I love you.'

  "But hey, that's the way life goes,” she said with a careless shrug. I knew it hurt her more than she let on though. “You, Josie, Lucas, and Joseph are my family."

  "I love you so much, Alex Marie Johnson and you and I will always be family," I said, closing the gap between us with a hug I poured all my love into.

  "I love you too, Sienna Martinez. I don’t know ho
w to pronounce your middle name."

  I pulled away, laughing. “It’s Mariciela. Mah-ree-syeh-la,”

  “Mmm. Mah-ree-see ya later.”

  “You’ll get it one day.”

  Alex and I talked up until about half an hour before Joseph was set to arrive with his parents. I needed to get myself together. After a quick shower, I pulled on the fitted dress and admired myself in the mirror. I looked pretty dang good. Then, I let my hair dry into its natural waves and put on some mascara to make my lashes a little more defined. The final touch, Burt’s Bees.

  "Sienna, come downstairs for a second!" my dad yelled up.

  "Ya voy!" (I'm coming!) I responded, making my way down the stairs with my heels in my hands. Didn't want to risk falling again.

  "Your mother wants to see you in the kitchen."

  I walked past my dad to find my mom setting the table. "You beckoned?"

  "Yes. What time will this young man and his parents be arriving?" she answered, placing a fork near the seat my father usually sits in.

  "I told him 7 sharp."

  "I'm just about finished setting up the table. Are we waiting on them?"

  "I just figured we'd need time to get ready. You’re still wearing your apron, Mom," I pointed to the floral-patterned cloth draped around her waist, covered in what I believed to be my dad's spicy curry sauce.

  "Smart girl. I'll go get changed now," my mom said, darting out of the kitchen.

  I followed her out and walked over to the couch. It was time to slip on my trusty black pumps; the only pair of shoes that gave my confidence a rocket boost. My look was complete and in perfect time. Just then I heard the doorbell.

  “Already?”

  The clock that hung above the kitchen door read: 6:50. He was early. Careful not to trip and injure myself, I quickly shuffled to the door. Smoothing my dress over, I took a quick breath and opened the door.

  Huh. To think I was worried about the heels knocking me off my feet. Seeing Joseph nearly did the trick. His t-shirt and ripped jeans had grown on me, but him being so dressed up- well, I certainly didn't hate it.

  The normally messy waves that fell on either side of his face were tamed in a slicked back style, exposing his forehead. He wore a crisp white button-up shirt folded to his elbows, adorned with a black bow tie. It added the right amount of cuteness to his typically sexy-rugged look. He even wore a pair of shiny black slacks.

  "Wow, uh, David and Marlene, hi! Please come in, como estan?" (How are you?) I asked, stepping to the side to allow them in.

  "Estamos bien, gracias.” (We're doing well, thank you.) Marlene answered. “It's a pleasure to meet you formally, especially since we've heard so much about you after you left. This one never stops talking," she finished, not-so-discreetly pointing toward her son.

  "Oh really? Looks like I'll have to speak to him about that loose cannon. Ah, the dining room is just beyond the door straight ahead."

  "Thank you," David said. Marlene nodded and smiled in my direction.

  Joseph took his parent's place in front of me and lifted a hand to run through his hair but stopped remembering he had styled it. He tightly clasped his hands in front of him, fingers weaving in and out of each other.

  "I know you said only to wear a bowtie, but my mom insisted on the full shebang."

  "Don't feel bad for being handsome. You’ll impress my mom for sure,” I said, taking another good look at him.

  "Have I impressed you?" he asked.

  I coyly leaned my head against the doorframe. "Yes. You have.”

  For the first time he took in my appearance. His eyes hadn’t looked at anything but my face until then. “You look stunning tonight.’

  “Thank you,” I said, ducking my head to conceal the blush creeping onto my cheeks.

  After shutting the front door, I led Joseph to the kitchen. When we entered, I saw that my mom had made her way back downstairs and cracked open the red. She and Marlene shared a few words over the food as our dad's exchanged pleasantries. A few moments later, my mom invited everyone to sit down, and that's when the fun began.

  Chapter Six

  I grabbed a dish off the counter and began serving the food with my dad alongside me.

  "Sienna tells me you recently moved back to town,” my mom said to Marlene.

  “Yes, we did. It’s good to be back home,” she replied, smiling warmly.

  “I’m glad. What about you, Joseph, how has school been treating you?" Mom asked, taking a sip of her wine.

  "Pretty well actually. My grades are mostly As and Bs,” he answered confidently.

  "That's excellent. What do you do outside of school?"

  "Well, when I'm not studying, I'm just snapping photos of the world around me or spending time with your daughter... and Alex."

  "Remind me to show you my camera," my dad chimed in.

  Joseph nodded as I cringed with a bowl of greens in my hand. I was expecting my mother's head to fly off at his statement, but it didn't. Instead, she smiled and moved along in her line of questioning.

  "You seem like a bright young man. Have you thought about college?"

  "I've thought about it. But if I'm being honest, I'm not too keen on the idea."

  I immediately recognized the look on my mom's face. It was the look that said, "You better have a reasonable explanation or I will tear you a new one."

  "Not too keen?" she asked in disbelief. "What do you plan on doing with your life?"

  At that point I could have sworn Marlene had given my mother a death glare, but I didn't want to acknowledge the growing tension in the room. Instead, I finished bringing the rest of the food to the table and then took my seat on the left side of my father.

  "Maybe photography, but I'm using the time I have now to figure everything out."

  "Well," my mother scoffed. "While you're figuring things out, Sienna will be at Harvard."

  I was more than confident Marlene was glaring now, but her face slightly softened at the mention of Harvard. "My sister graduated from Harvard,” she said.

  "Oh really, what does she do?" my mom asked, annoyance no longer lacing her voice.

  "She's an oncologist, but I’m more interested in Sienna. Honey, what do you see yourself doing? Anything you like?" she asked sincerely.

  I knew my mom wanted me to go to Harvard, but I never knew why I'd ever want to go there personally. What did I want to do? I love to write, so I guessed I'd start there.

  "Maybe creative writing if I had to choose right this second."

  "Well, you do need to choose. This is your last year in high school, and you have very little time before you set off into the real world,” my mom pushed.

  Neither I nor Marlene acknowledged my mom's comment. The other two men at the table just laughed, engrossed in a conversation of their own. Typical.

  Her hazel eyes lit up with interest. "Do you like to write?"

  "Oh, I love it,” I told her.

  "You and me both, Sweetheart. I run a cleaning business, but I blog in my free time. I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but I write for 'Not So Average.’"

  "Not So Average?!" my mom shouted from across the table. And that was the first time she genuinely smiled tonight.

  ⋅. ✯ .⋅

  My dad and David moved off to the counter after they finished their meal to talk about the upcoming baseball game, which may sound odd, but thrilled me. They got on so well with each other and surprisingly, I could say the same about my mom and Marlene. Three glasses of wine later that is. They were sitting at the dining room table with their heads tilted back in laughter.

  My dad soon called Joseph over to talk to him, and I used the alone time to eat. I was too nervous to do anything before. The acid in my stomach began eating away at my insides and it was not a fun feeling.

  Now that things were running smoothly, I could relax and enjoy the delicious meal my mother prepared. I took a seat on the far end of the dining room table and admired the sight before me.

  J
oseph and my dad shared a laugh or three. It wasn't long before the two were looking over my dad's camera. For a second I forgot that my dad minored in photography. Much like Joseph, he loved capturing the beauty of the moment in things around him.

  One day we were out at the park and I watched as he tried to get the perfect shot of a bird perched on a low hanging branch. I told him to just snap the photo and he looked back at me as if I were sprouting a second head. He then went on to tell me: "Mija, photography isn't as simple as clicking a button on your iPhone. It’s about skill. You must be able to carefully balance ISO, HDR, aperture and exposure. It’s also about shutters, angles and lighting."

  Which I knew nothing about. But the fact that my father and he shared photography in common made me incredibly happy. Tonight couldn't have gone any better. By the time I finished my third helping of food, Joseph was walking over to me with quite the grin on his face. I wiped my face with a napkin and greeted him.

  "Hello there.”

  "Hey. Your dad is kinda awesome."

  "Oh, I know," I said, glancing at the man himself.

  "Well, did you know he has a Nikon D850?? It's literally the best DSLR, or in layman's terms, digital single-lens reflex camera around right now,” Joseph said, placing his palms on the table. He leaned forward with excitement. “The speed and resolution is like top tier. It-it's perfect. Don't even get me started on its megapixel sensor, it —"

  This was the first time Joseph had ever gotten so in depth when talking about cameras. Hearing him speak so fluidly and excitedly about this Nikon my father owned made my heart flutter. He looked so happy with his wide eyes and expression of a small child at Christmas time. I could have listened to him talk about each intricate detail of this camera all night, even if I didn't understand a lot of it.

  "I knew he had a Nikon. But I didn't know nearly as much about it as I do now," I told him.

  "Well, I’m glad you learned a little something during Nikon 101, Miss Martinez. I'd hate to have ranted in vain," he said, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

  I chuckled, taking a sip of my water. This guy was the definition of charming. There was nothing I disliked about him; if anything, the more I got to know him the more intriguing he became. The more likable and even more of a person I wanted to be around.