Page 76 of Outspoken

“Sí. Mucho mejor.”

“Your love will come back to you soon. I may have cursed you to have a sickness for love, but you're not cursed to be with no spouse like me. My path was to give all my love to you and your siblings. You, I know, are meant to have a special person to share so much joy and happiness with.”

I sigh. “I appreciate your misguided optimism.”

She pinches my cheek and I flinch, laughing.

“Not misguided,” she says. “Trust your plan. I lit more candles for you. You'll see soon.”

As she strokes my hair and hums softly, I already feel better, but it’s a cavernous feeling. What will I do when she’s no longer around to light candles? Or just be here with me?

I'll be alone. Empty.

My phone vibrates against the coffee table and I glance up at her.

“See?” she says. “Go answer.”

As I sit up and grab the phone, my pulse speeds up, really hoping that one of those five candles on Mom's altar finally worked.

I frown when I check the phone screen. “It's just Maribel,” I say, answering.

Before I can say 'hola', Maribel yells through the phone, “I've had it! This devil is outtonight!”

“Woah,” I respond. “Take a breath. Who are you talking about? Daniel?”

She laughs an angry, bitter laugh. “What? I wouldn't kick out my own son.Angel. That little…He needs to leave. I don't care where he goes. I'm packing his shit and kicking him out.”

I share a glance with Mom as I ask Maribel, “What happened?”

For the next twenty minutes, Maribel goes over each of her grievances. Angel is in and out of the house at all hours of the night, slamming doors and waking everyone. He's a slob and disrespectful, cursing in front of her kids. He breaks things on purpose, like her favorite dishes. One day, he was bored and decided to throw them against the brick wall around the backyard. And the last straw was tonight when she walked in on Angel and Daniel in his room. Daniel was vaping.

“He'seight,” she screams into the phone so loudly that I move it from my ear. “Eight! And I caught him smokingpot. What if Angel has already influenced him to drink? Hecannotbe around my kids. I won't let him spread his poison to them. I know he's had a rough childhood and my heart breaks for his parents, but it's inside him now, flowing through his veins. He carries his parent's demons, and he's spreading them throughout the family like poison.”

My abs clench as I think of Daniel smoking pot—he's not usually a kid who gives in to peer pressure, but he does see Angel as his cool cousin. Daniel is young and doesn't know better, so he shouldn't emulate Angel.

I understand Maribel's rage, but I also don't think it's right to say Angel is poison. He's just a kid with a rough life who needs some direction. I think he acts out because he's hurting.

I glance at Mom, who heard every word since Maribel's voice is so loud. Mom pats my knee with a soft smile, her eyes filled with wisdom. She has compassion and empathy for everyone, no matter what, and it’s something I do my best to copy.

“I get it,” I say to Maribel. “I'm pissed too, and you have a right to be angry. I don't think Angel should be around your kids, but where can he go? We need to think of a plan first, so it’s not like he’s getting abandoned. Pretty much everyone in the family has taken him in and then kicked him out.”

“Send him down to tío Óscar in Mexico,” she bites out. “I don't care.”

I grip the phone tighter, shaking my head. “So he can get worse? Óscar wouldn't tolerate him, and he'd end up on the streets. He'd only get into hard drugs or become a dealer. He acts like he’s tough, but he wouldn’t survive the streets there. He’d up end in prison. Or worse.”

“So?”

“Maribel. You can't mean that. He'sfamily. It's not his fault how he was raised.”

“He's old enough he needs to make better choices.”

As my frustration with my sister peaks, Mom pats my arm. I lower the phone and glance at her.

“Bring him here,” she says softly.

I stare at her a moment, going over her words in my head to make sure I heard right. “What?” I finally say. “No. You're sick and he causes problems.”

Here?How would I even deal with him? I want kids but really have no experience raising them. I could handle a baby. But a teenager? That’s skipping years and years of preparation.

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