Page 30 of A Dish Best Served Hot

“¿Adónde vas tan apurada, niña?”

Her head snapped up. Oh great. She’d basically just tackled none other than Papo Vega. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

He stared at her for a moment, examining her face much like his grandson did. “I think I hurt something in my hip,” he said after too long a pause.

Oh god. She’d just physically maimed the beloved patriarch of the Vega family. “I am so so sorry, Señor Vega. Let me get a nurse.”

“No, no,” he said quickly. “I’ll be fine. Just walk me back to my room.”

Lola nodded manically. “Yes. Sure. Claro.” She immediately moved to put an arm around his shoulder. “Lean on me.”

He let her take a small amount of his slight weight.

Lola heard a loud crinkle and looked down.

There was a yellow chip bag peeking out of his pocket. She was about to ask him if he should be eating chips, but reminded herself it was none of her business what someone else’s grandpa ate.

Instead she started forward and they began a slow shuffle toward Papo’s apartment.

“You want to tell me what had you rushing down the hall like you were running from the devil?” he asked in Spanish.

She wanted to tell him “not really” but figured that he deserved to know considering she’d just bulldozed him. “I was upset.”

He sucked his teeth. “I could see that, but why?”

“I got into it with Benny.”

“So youwererunning from the devil.” He started laughing like he’d just made the wittiest joke in the world.

“Don’t call my grandpa the devil,” she demanded. She expected to hear something rude back, but when she looked at him Papo Vega was smiling.

He was so weird.

They finally made it to the door of his small apartment and Lola was about to let him go when he said, “Walk me in please.”

She did as requested and walked past his small kitchen and over to the tiny living room where two large recliners faced the TV, which was playing old episodes ofEl chavo del ocho. Lola helped him sit.

He flopped into the chair with a sigh of relief. “Gracias, mija.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to get a nurse?”

Papo Vega wiggled around in his seat and pulled the yellow bag out of his pocket. He wiggled some more before pulling a can of Coke out of the other one. “No. I have everything I need right here.” He placed both in his lap. Then he started laughing again.

Okay...

He opened the bag and shoved a handful of Funyuns in his mouth. “Can you get my remote to work? It’s been acting weird all day.” He handed it to her and went back to eating chips.

Lola pointed it toward the TV and hit the power button. Nothing happened. She tried a bunch of other buttons with the same result. She looked at the front and discovered a piece of black tape covering the sensor. Benny’s revenge. She had just pulled the tape off when the door to the apartment swung open.

“Abuelo, how many times do I have to tell you to stop leaving the door unlocked?” a man’s voice called.

She turned in time to see a guy in a Chicago PD sweater walk in followed by a man in glasses, a guy who looked like aGQmodel, and finally Saint.

They all paused at the sight of Lola standing there.

“Who are you?” the cop asked.

Lola tried not to bristle at his tone.

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