Page 99 of Every Broken Promise
Huh?
I stepped off the sidewalk and into the street so I could have better access to the front of the stores where the shop signs were located. It was right there in bright neon letters. I had never let myself pay that much attention before.
“Cool name,” I mumbled.
Then, without fail, my eyes made their way down to the little board that held today’s card on display. The image on the card had two snakes intertwined with cups on either side of them.Two of Cups,the card read.On the board there wasn’t much of an explanation this time. It just said: it’s time to put your heart on the line.
“Don’t look, Luna, we do not need to put our hearts on any line,” I told her as I dragged her into her mom’s shop.
“From your mouth to God’s ears,” she mumbled.
As soon as we walked intoDelicia’s,Luna let us into the back of the store. If I was going to report on it, I might as well get the whole vibe of this place right. It was cool seeing the shop from another point of view.
I think Luna could sense I was upset. I mean, my eyes were probably puffy as fuck, there was no denying I had been crying. Luckily, other than looking at me to make sure I didn’t burst out crying while they told me their story, she pretty much left me alone.
The interview portion went by fast, and Lupe was a hoot. She was charismatic and you could tell she cared about her business.The passion as she spoke moved me and made me want to fight for things I cherished like she had.
When a customer came, Lupe went to the front, leaving me alone with Luna.
“Do you work today?” I asked before she could question me.
“Yeah, in the afternoon.”
“Do you live with your mom?”
Luna looked horrified.
“God, no.”
It must have shown on my face that I lived with my parents because she immediately explained her statement.
“I bet your parents gave you freedom once you turned eighteen, right?”
I nodded because it was more or less how it went.
“I’m Mexican. We don’t view eighteen as some magical number that represents adulthood. It doesn’t matter if I’m five, eighteen, or thirty. As long as I live at my parents’ house, I live by their rules.” Luna sighed. “It’s easier to live on my own. Not that I am doing anything crazy, but at least I don’t have to ask my mom for permission to stay past midnight.”
When she explained it that way, I could see where she was coming from.
I would go crazy if my parents expected me to ask for permission every time I went out. Look at how they acted when they found out I spent the night at Ty’s. I was old enough to make my own decisions.
“Soooo, you bring lots of guys over?” I wiggled my eyebrows at her.
This time, it was her face that was red. “No. No. Nooo. I have more than enough sleepless nights from my neighbor. I swear he doesn’t know the meaning of sleeping alone.”
That piqued my interest. It was the kind of info that would be cool for the gossip column. As if reading my mind, Luna said something along the same lines.
“You know, you should give that tip to whoever writes that gossipy column. If they expose him maybe I could sleep better.”
I scratched my head because the last thing I wanted was to reveal I was the owner of the column.
“They have an email you can send your tips to, you know.”
“I just might. I like that column. I don’t read the paper often, but it’s nice seeing shitty people get exposed.”
Her comment made me feel validated. It was the main reason I had suggested it.
“Can I ask you something, Luna?”
