Page 14 of After the Fire
“Um, it was a little unexpected, actually.” I tried to smile, but I knew it looked stiff. Lucía turned to look at me, confusion in her face. “But I’m really enjoying myself. Santiago never told me it was so charming and picturesque.”
She smiled and stopped at a double door, opening it and standing to the side to let me through. Immediately, all my senses were flooded. I could see and hear people laughing. I could smell the delicious food, probably coming from the kitchen to the left of this large family room. As soon as I stepped in the sunroom, Santiago turned, his megawatt smile hitting me right in the chest. If it weren’t for the noisy room, everyone would have heard me gasp.
“Hey,” he said, lifting one side of his mouth. “Glad you could make it. Would you like a drink?”
I could feel all eyes on me. The room suddenly went silent. The only sounds were the insects in the night outside and my heartbeat in my ears. I felt myself blush.Get a freaking grip, Victoria. What in the actual fuck.
“Hi. Yeah, thanks for having me,” I answered in a rush. “I’ll take that drink. Who are all these people?” I asked, just for him.
“Oh, um… just some cousins and whatever. Beer? Wine? I don’t remember what your drink of choice is, actually,” he said as he guided me to the kitchen, his hand on the small of my back.
“Wine is fine, thank you,” I replied. “I’m actually not that much of a drinker.”
Shut it down, immediately. Do not talk about yourself. Don’t let him touch you.
“So is this where you grew up? It’s a beautiful house,” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.
“This is my parents’ house, yep. My grandparents live right next door. My family owns the whole block, actually, so I grew up with all my cousins. It was like a permanent summer camp around here,” he said, smiling wide, his eyes crinkling at the memory.
A few people walked in the kitchen through what looked to be a butler’s pantry that led to a large dining room. The lights were dimmed in that room, but I could see a few shapes sitting around a huge table, and I could hear multiple conversations happening at the same time. The couple, who was probably in their late fifties, approached us, the woman smiling wide. The man to her side looked wildly familiar, his arm around her shoulders in a possessive yet loving grip.
“Hello. I’m Gabriela,” the woman said, taking a step towards me. “I’m Santi’s mom.”
Ifrowned.
“Mom, Dad, this is Victoria,” Santiago said at the same time as his mother kissed me in the cheek. I turned to Santiago, wide-eyed, and hegrinned, like this was the funniest joke someone ever uttered.
“Hi,” I said shyly. “You have a lovely home.”
Get it fucking together.
“Thank you so much for coming, Victoria. We are glad you were able to join us after all,” she added, her smile reaching her eyes. Her husband was moving behind her, reaching up to a tall cabinet above the refrigerator where they had a few bottles lying on their sides. “We’re just going to grab a few bottles of wine to bring over to the table and get a drink for Granny.”
As quickly as they came over, they left, taking three bottles of wine with them and heading back to where they came from.Santiago’s father didn’t say anything, just smiled at the interaction, going along with whatever his wife was doing.
I turned to face Santiago, who was busy opening a bottle of wine. I cleared my throat to call his attention, and a small smile formed on his lips.
“What the hell, Santiago! You said a few friends. Is this a family get-together?”
He had the nerve to laugh, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. “It’s my grandmother’s birthday party today. She turned eighty last week.”
Puta madre. Shit.My eyes were locked on his, and I scowled.But also, where is Clara?
“If I had said it was my grandmother’s birthday, you would have never shown up, so I regret nothing,” he added, almost like he was reading my mind, and handed me a very full glass. He turned to face me completely, smiling wide. “Vamos. Let’s go play some board games. But again, fair warning, this getswild.They are complete savages.”
* * *
Itwaswild, for sure. But most of all, it was such a welcoming atmosphere. Santiago didn’t introduce me to anyone in particular, he just said “this is Victoria” to everyone, and that was about it. He sat by me the whole time, talking directly to me at times but also engaging with others in conversation. After a very violent round ofUno, the food was served in the dining room, buffet style. We all joined the “grown-ups” for the meal, the older people eating at the long table while the cousins held their plates on their hands and ate casually standing up.
The room was spectacular. In the middle, a long table that looked like it could easily fit twenty diners, surrounded by ornate chairs with embroidered seats. It most definitely looked like a family home where multiple generations still enjoyed its comforts. The walls were painted a bright orange and decorated with elaborate paintings of fruits and vegetables and some flowers here and there.
Santiago’s grandmother sat at the head of the table, surrounded by her family. There wasn’t a moment of silence all evening. Laughter floated in the air and was conjured up without a moment’s notice.
It was so different to what I was used to, how I grew up. Our family home was remarkable, too, but our get-togethers were rigid, formal. Susana would sit at the head of the table, drink her tea, and ask pointed questions to everyone in attendance. It was almost like a panel interview, everyone silent until it was their turn, listening to what Susana had to ask and say. There was no laughter—we had learned how to tame that down early on. I had many cousins on my father’s side, but nothing like the scene I witnessed now.
There was teasing and poking, a lot of banter and joking around. All these people had easy smiles for each other. It was mesmerizing to see. Santiago’s grandmother was magnetic, exuding a calm presence while also commanding the room. She was the center of attention—it was her birthday, after all—but she also made everyone around her shine their own light. Lucía sat on the arm of her chair, her whole body leaning against the older woman’s and a soft smile on her lips. Her grandmother rubbed her hand up and down her arm while engaged in conversation with a man sitting across from her. I could see, from where I stood at the back right by the kitchen, that everyone loved her, and she loved everyone back in the same way.Is this what unconditional love looks like?
This family, this home, was everything I thought I had but nothing like it. I had a big family—my father was one of seven children—so that meant I had my fair share of cousins. But this felt different. This felt like a place where no one had to bite their tongues to protect anyone’s ego, where respect was a two-way street. No one had to choose honesty over loyalty; no one had to make decisions thinking about Susana’s reaction.
