Page 10 of Just for the Holidays
“I’m so sad you have to rush off,” Gabi said and Perla almost believed she was being sincere.
“Perla has to go to the airport,” Gael protested, and even though it really shouldn’t, it still hurt that he seemed in such a rush to get her out of his hair. And sheshouldbe heading out. She had been looking forward to spending time with Esmeralda and Rodrigo. Esme’s mother and tias had been warm and welcoming on the few occasions Perla had met them. But it wouldn’t be like it was with these people, who had always let her be herself. She repressed the sigh in her chest and looked around the table one more time. Steeling herself for the “see you soons” that were coming when she knew there would be no visits or times with Gael and his family ever again.
“But her flight isn’t until late tonight and it’s not even 3:00 p.m.,” Abuela argued. “You still have a little time,” the adorable, wily older woman said in that way that made it impossible to deny her anything. “Come down to the basement kitchen with us to help make the pasteles de yuca for a little bit andthengo,” Abuela suggested, knowing Perla had a weakness for pasteles. “I need to get some information aboutLa Venganza. These cliffhangers are killing me and I know you have the scoop!” Perla laughed at the reference of the very popular telenovela being aired on one of Sambrano’s networks.
“That’s confidential information, Abuela,” she said with a smile as she stood up, helping clear the plates.
“Mama’s right, Gael. She can come down and help us for a bit. That way we can send you with some for your sister,” Veronica cajoled, making Perla thaw a little more to the idea of sticking around. Shecouldstay a little longer.
Without looking at Gael—and encountering his most likely disapproving expression—Perla conceded. “Abuela’s pasteles are very hard to resist. Are you going to help us, babe?” she asked Gael sweetly. She knew at this point she was poking the angry bear, but hey, he had started this fiasco so he was going to suffer with her.
He pasted on a smile so fake she was tempted to ask if that was the best he could do for the millions he got per film. But when he reached for his mom, and kissed the top of her head then whispered an earnest, “Whatever makes you happy, Mami,” Perla melted into a puddle before following their lead downstairs, ready to take part in the Montez family Christmas tradition.
Six
“Pass me the filling, querida,” Gael’s mother asked Perla, and his pretend girlfriend promptly picked up the bowl of shredded pork and handed it over without missing a beat. It was like time hadn’t passed at all. Perla had been folded into his family like she’d never left.
The most irritating part of all was that he kept forgetting none of this was real.
For the past hour they’d all been making the pasteles. Every year his family made a few dozen of the Caribbean version of tamales to give to relatives and enjoy as part of their Nochebuena dinner. Even when his mom had been struggling to keep a roof over their heads, working three jobs to make ends meet, she’d somehow managed to get the stuff to make a few pasteles. In those lean years they’d eaten a rotisserie chicken instead of a pernil, and the arroz con gandules had only been enough for one serving each. But their mom would set the table like they were having a lavish meal. She made sure there were a few small gifts to open on Christmas Day.
Gael sometimes was a little numb to his career success. Once the opportunities finally started coming in, it seemed like he could barely keep up with the demands, much less enjoy what he already had. Then there were these moments. Getting to watch his mother and grandmother make pasteles in one of the two big kitchens of the mansion he’d bought. He was proud of this.
And almost as if she’d been reading his mind, Perla opened her mouth. “I’m so glad I got to see the house with all the Christmas decor up.”
His mother smiled, looking up from wrapping a pastel in banana leaves. “Gael likes to spoil the people he loves. Don’t you, mijo?”
“You deserve it,” he muttered huskily, and felt Perla’s eyes boring into his side. She’d always done that, been able to see more than anyone else. But this was not the time to dwell on the past. All of that was water under the bridge. One of the many sacrifices he’d made along the way in order to make sure his career thrived. In order to make sure his mother never went without ever again.
He just needed to keep it together a little longer and things would be back to normal. Continuing to be in the same room with Perla when everyone expected them to touch was flirting with disaster; that was a fact. But they were on the home stretch. His mother got her QT with Perla and now it was time for her to go, and if something hot and angry pulsed in his chest at the idea of her leaving, then that was to be dealt with later.
“Tell me about your new job, Perlita?” Veronica asked, and even though Gael kept his eyes on the batter he was spooning, his attention was on what Perla would say.
“I’m doing all the talent acquisitions for the studio’s bigger projects and overseeing all our casting departments.” He could hear the excitement in her voice, and despite this shit show the two of them had started, he was glad for her. “My sister, Esmeralda, and her fiancé, Rodrigo, have been at the helm for a year now and they’re both very invested in bringing back the kind of programming the studio had at the start. More shows that reflect all the faces of Latin America. Our mission is to show as much as we possibly can of the seven hundred million people who are part of the Latinx world.”
Gael’s abuela made a sound of approval at Perla’s words. “That’s good, mija. I noticed that the shows weren’t the same. I remember that Sambrano was the first network to have a Black Puerto Rican couple as protagonists in a telenovela. That made me a fan for life, but in the past few years it’s been different.”
Gael looked at Perla then, wondering what her reaction would be to his grandmother’s comment. He found her giving the older woman an apologetic smile. “You’re right, Abuela. We lost our way for a while there, but we’re determined to bring the network back to that mission. I’m proud to be part of the effort.”
Before Gael could stop himself he opened his mouth, “You’re really enjoying the work, then.”
Perla gave him a baleful look. “I do enjoy it, and I’m even good at it.” The look she gave him, like she expected him to say something dismissive, cut a bit, but he guessed he deserved it.
“I don’t doubt it. You’re brilliant,” he told her. It wasn’t like it was a lie. God, his head was a mess; too many feelings that he did not want to be cropping up were practically flooding him. The longer he was with her the worse it would get. And he knew where it would all end, badly, just like it had before. It was time to end this.
“It’s almost 4:00. You said you wanted to be on the road before it got totally dark.” He sounded like an ogre, but there was no helping it.
“Sure.” Perla nodded, looking hurt. And dammit, it was not his job to keep Perla Sambrano happy no matter how much he ached to see that frown on her face disappear. “Darn, I must’ve left my phone in my bag upstairs,” she said as she rinsed her hands. “I’m supposed to check in with the crew at the airport in case there are any issues. It was so good to visit with you all.” She moved around the basement kitchen island and put her arm around Veronica, but his mother shook her head.
“No, we’ll go up with you. We have to see you off properly. Mami’s getting some pasteles packed up for you.” Within seconds they were all walking up to the main floor of the house and that was when Gael noticed the sound of the wind. A glance out the window confirmed that the gusts were intense and snow was coming down hard. He could barely see anything, the usual view of sky and sea completely blurred out by the heavy snow.
“Oh, no,” Gabi said ominously. “Perla, you can’t drive out in that.”
“But I have my flight,” she declared as she warily looked out the window.
“You cannot go out in this, Perla.” It wasn’t a command, but just barely.
He had to shove his fists in his pockets to keep from grabbing her when she made a move for the door like she was actually planning to drive in that blizzard. Gael could see his mother furrowing her brow, too. And he knew it was only a matter of seconds before she suggested Perla stay with them until the weather improved. And yeah, that would be a major disaster, but he wasn’t going to risk her getting into an accident.
