Page 32 of A Dish Best Served Hot

For some reason that set Papo Vega off and he started laughing again. He laughed and laughed until it was clear he couldn’t breathe and he had tears streaming down his face.

The rest of them stood there looking at each other in confusion.

“Abuelo, are you high?” the cop twin, Cristian, suddenly asked.

Papo Vega’s eyes rounded. “What?”

“I said, ‘Are you high right now?’”

“Me? High? At my age? How dare you?” He tried for stern and offended then ruined it by giggling like a little kid.

For a moment everyone else was silent. Most likely cataloging mentally like Lola was.Red eyes, check. Munchies, check. Laughing at anything, check.

Lola’s mouth dropped open.

Both Kamilah and Leo shouted, “Oh my god, you are,” at the same time. But where her tone was incredulous, his was giddy.

At Lola’s side Saint dropped his head and shook it while pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I can’t believe you,” Kamilah said to her grandfather. “What in the world would possess you to get high?”

“My hips were hurting and I couldn’t find my pills.”

“So you got high instead?”

“It’s perfectly legal now and it’s natural.” The twin in the glasses,Eduardo, finally spoke. “Who knows what shit is in those pills.”

“You probably do, nerd,” Kamilah snipped. “And that’s not the point.”

Cristian stepped up in front of his grandpa and squatted down. “Where did you get weed, Abuelo?”

“Killian,” Papo Vega replied.

The name caused everyone in the room to pause. Lola looked around in confusion.

After a moment Kamilah spoke. “When Killian got really bad, Liam bought him gummies for the pain.” Her voice was quiet and full of suppressed misery.

Lola remembered Maria mentioning Papo Vega losing his best friend. That must have been Killian.

Leo put an arm around Kamilah and from the other side, Eduardo slipped a hand into hers and squeezed.

Lola was surprised. Until that moment, these siblings had seemed like they barely tolerated each other. Then again, what did Lola know about siblings? She had one brother who was six years older than her and who didn’t even want to see her.

“How many gummies did you eat, Abuelo?” Cristian asked.

“Liam told Killian to only take one, but that stuff never works for me, so I took two.”

“Oh my god,” Kamilah whispered. She looked like she was going to be sick.

“But shh. Don’t tell your sister,” he said, holding his finger to his lips. “Kamilah will throw a fit.”

Beside him, Kamilah threw her hands in the air. “I’m standing right here.”

Papo Vega swung his gaze to Kamilah, shocked to see her there. “Ojitos, when did you get here?” He leaned forward. “Hey, can you do me a favor? Can you make me some tostones? I’m starving.”

Leo began laughing.

Kamilah just stared at her grandfather as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.

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