Page 71 of Her Goal
21
LEAH
When I’mwith my family, it’s like my personality has two settings: the petulant, angsty little sister or the life of the party.
Tonight, I feel like mush even though I won bingo twice. The prize was a gourmet candy basket which my cousins instantly devour.
I cannot stop thinking about Hudson. It doesn’t help that he’s here, sitting across the table next to Abuela, who’s sharing her neon pink bingo dauber with him.
She’s his new favorite, I just know it.
I still haven’t caught up on sleep after the all-nighter I pulled with him at the Ice Palace and it didn’t help that my roommate Lloyd broke his anti-snoring device. Through my malaise, I wonder if another one of my default settings is sibling—and family—rivalry.
Why wouldn’t I want Abuela to like Hudson? As far as I can tell, he doesn’t have a grandmother of his own. I should want to share my family. There are plenty of us to go around.
Then it hits me like a bingo ball to the head—that happened to Chuck once. Direct to the noggin.
Could I be greedy for Hudson? I want him all to myself.
But that can’t be right.
I had the hots for the other Roboveitchek brother.
Mami nudges me with her arm. “You missed N-twelve.”
Without verifying, I dab it with her green foam marker thing.
Feeling eyes on me, Hudson catches my gaze over the table laden with the usual Smith-Torres smorgasbord, complete with chips and salsa, oatmeal raisin cookies, zesty snack mix, chocolate maple bars, herbed popcorn, and caramel apple strudel. I should announce to my neighborhood in Omaha that wherever my family is there will be plenty of food. Then again, a church sets up a truck five days a week and gives out groceries so I don’t think anyone is hungry except after midnight when some of the loiterers get the munchies.
Mami hasn’t mentioned it, but I’ve taken up a corner of one of the rooms in the finished basement. I half expect her to put out a tin of tuna like coaxing a stray to stick around.
Under the din of the announcer calling out letter and number combinations, I say, “Mami, do I remind you of a cat?”
She blinks a few times as if translating. “Like meow?”
I nod, not sure whether to elaborate.
“Well, you are very independent. Can be finicky. Reserved. And you do have claws.”
“Mami!”
She winks at me and nudges me with her shoulder. “What can I say, like mother like daughter.”
“I thought you and Valentina were the twins.”
“Mijita, I like to think I gave the best of myself to all three of you girls. Different ingredients and different portions. Papi contributed too. Don’t tell me that you think your sister is my favorite?”
I shrug.
Her arms are instantly around me and I lean into her embrace. Mom hugs are the best. “Don’t be silly, but I am sorry you thought that. Listen, Dani, Valentina, you, and I are a lotalike. We can blame Abuela if you want. She’s the queen feline. We can all be a bit selfish at times and we don’t always show our emotions.”
I laugh because that is absurd.
“I mean that we don’t always show our emotions in a healthy way. But we’re also fiercely loyal, invested, andtranquila. We also can overthink things, come off as being rude when we’re just like a cat with a ball of yarn, and we definitely play hard to get.” Her gaze flits from my father to Hudson, huddled over the bingo cards with Abuela.
“Why does he have to be so nice?”
She chuckles.
