Page 11 of A Dish Best Served Hot

“Sorry, but I can’t give you one. Ese pendejo, Benny, is telling Maria that if she doesn’t call the police on me, he will. He’s saying it’s attempted murder and calling her my accomplice.”

Oh right. She was here because this guy had poisoned her grandfather. “Don’t call my grandpa an asshole.”

“I meant it more like ‘idiot,’ but yeah he’s an asshole too.”

“Abuelo,” Saint said in warning.

“What? I’m agreeing with her.”

Saint gave a world-weary sigh and grabbed his grandpa’s upper arm. With one last look at her over his shoulder, he led his grandpa back into the conference room.

Lola followed and found Benny in his seat, but she could tell by the stubborn tilt of his head and the red flush over his cheeks and neck that he’d just finished ranting about something. “We’re back,” Lola announced unnecessarily.

“Great,” Maria said. “Now we can begin. The fact of the matter is that this is just the last in a series of incidents involving these two.” She motioned between the two older men. “And we need to put a stop to them, before they get any worse, so let’s all have a seat and discuss this like the rational adults we are.”

Lola knew that voice. She’d adopted it many times while dealing with hormonal fifth graders and angry teens. It was the “I can see you are one step away from meltdown, but I’m still in charge of the situation” voice.

Maria waited until everyone had been seated before taking her place at the head. Lola lifted her chair and took her previous spot next to Benny, who now sat directly in front of Papo. Lola was annoyed to find herself facing Saint. She didn’t want to have to look at him right now. Looking at him caused her thoughts to go pinging around her head like a pinball machine and she couldn’t afford that at the moment. She’d just have to ignore him. She turned her attention back to Maria and firmly directed herself to keep it there.

“I want him gone.” Lola pointed at Papo Vega.

“Miss León, I know you are upset and rightfully so,” the director started.

Lola cut her off before she could voice the “but” that was clearly about to appear next. “My grandfather is hooked up to an IV pole receiving his second bag of fluids right now.” She pointed to the offending object as if they couldn’t see it. “He’s dehydrated, which at his age and considering his health issues could be fatal. All because that man thought it would be funny to give him diarrhea as if this were some childish summer camp movie instead of an assisted living facility.”

“Yes, but—”

“There is no but,” Lola interrupted again. She crossed her arms and leaned forward. “He put my grandpa’s life in danger in the name of a cruel prank.”

“I am not going to excuse this horrendous act by Mr. Vega,” Maria assured her. “However, in the last few months there have been multiple incidents involving Mr. Vega and Mr. León and they have both played active roles in initiating them.”

“Abuelo, why didn’t you tell me about any of this?” Saint asked his grandfather, who simply stared at the table and shrugged. The brash and confident man who’d sauntered in the door was now uncommonly subdued. The Papo Vega she and the rest of the neighborhood knew was as loud and vibrant as the salsa sound he was famous for. He blazed like a shooting star. This old man was decidedly dull, like a light with the dimmer turned to its lowest setting.

Lola hardened her heart against the pathetic picture he made. “In any of these run-ins has my grandfather done anything physical to Mr. Vega?” she asked Maria.

“Well, no—”

“Then I fail to see why that’s relevant to this situation in which my grandpa was physically harmed.”

“What Mr. Vega did was really stupid and wrong,” Maria said. “However, I think we need to take into account his state of mind. It’s only been a few months since his best friend passed, which explains a lot of his recent recklessness. He’s hurting and acting out because of it.”

Lola sucked her teeth at that. “What you’re basically saying is that because he’s hurt, he gets to hurt others and we—” she motioned to herself and Benny “—are supposed to be understanding and forgiving. But by that logic my grandfather should be excused for anything he does in retaliation, because of the pain that he’s currently in, and y’all will have to be okay with that.” She chanced a look at Benny, who seemed a little too enthused by the idea of retaliation.

“That’s not what I meant,” Maria said to her.

“Isn’t it though?” Lola asked. “Otherwise, why bring it up? Either his behavior is excusable or it’s not.”

“You’re right,” Saint cut in.

Lola’s eyes shot to him in time to catch him rising from his chair.

“What Abuelo did was dangerous and cruel,” Saint continued in that deep, even voice that was just gruff enough to suggest that he didn’t use it often. “He needs to face the consequences of his actions.”

“Saint,” Papo exclaimed, shock and betrayal in his voice.

Saint turned to his grandfather. “In the last two months I have had to come down here to bail you out of trouble five times,” he told him in a stern voice. “Todo el mimando se acabó. Punto y final.”

It was clear that Saint was putting his foot down and his grandpa was going to have to fall in line.

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