Day 172 Cheers

Ricky's mom doesn't speak a lot of English. Over the years we've managed to communicate with broken Spanglish, animated gesturing, enthusiastic hugging, and sometimes too much smiling. 

So, while I know it's probably not the best thing to do, I set down the tequila and spiced rum on the sidewalk so that when I cut across the grass, I can hug her without a thing in my hands because I'm really not sure what else I can do for her. I warned Gio ahead of time to keep me from turning into a mess, to smack me when I look like I'm about to bawl or say something so blunt and true and entirely inappropriate that I'll upset someone. So when Ricky's mom starts to shake a little and I can't think of anything to say because 12+ years of Spanish can't formulate a single sentence of comfort in either of our languages, I haphazardly hope that Gio'll hit me so that I won't start crying on her shoulder and I wish that Nicky was there, because her Spanish is better and (despite her bitchy moments) I think she'd be better at this. 

I don't remember who broke it off first. She turns to hug Gio when he finally walks up and I take the CVS bags from Seth so he can hug her as well. I want to believe that she knows we're here as a show of support, not to be nosy (I stressed to Ricky before that we could've left them alone if they wanted). Ricky's little sister, Nettie, is really pretty, so when she comes out of the house looking slightly worse for wear, it breaks my heart a little. The CVS bags pass to Seth once more as I hug her, having to stand on my tiptoes. She turns to Gio and I take back the plastic bags again when it's Seth's turn, his freakishly tall frame crouching to her level. 


As we cross into their home, I start to think that this was a bad idea, that maybe it would be better to leave them be by themselves. But then I remember that they're coming home without their father and husband...and the nosy, persistent brat in me can't stomach the idea. So I set up in their living room, lining up the liquor and mixer bottles while Seth and Gio pull out their iPhones and start talking about pictures and pixels and things that I can't follow. After a while, Ricky joins us and I pour tequila into the three shotglasses and something more PG13 in a glass because Seth doesn't drink alcohol. We make a toast to a good man and good health.

We talk for the next few hours, Seth leaves at some point and comes back when he can't find his wallet, and I get Nettie to sit with us. She shows me pictures of admittedly hussy/skankalicious classmates and I teach her the sequence to take a tequila shot. She takes three...I think, and ultimately needs to be walked to her room at the right side of the hall and reminded to use her "indoor voice" because her mom is already asleep in Nettie's room. Ricky tells me to leave her bedroom door partially open and I try not to think of the empty Master room on the left.

I ask Ricky about his dad and he answers with a straight face, his voice not cracking once and I can't help but wonder if I'm taking the news a lot harder than him. But then I wonder if the situation was turned...and I know this hurts him more than he's letting show. Gio tells him to take it one day at a time and I hug Ricky from behind so he doesn't see my face because I'm afraid it's going to say everything that I know better than to blurt out. Eventually, Gio and I clean up; we put the pillows back on the couches and wash the alcohol off the glasses. I hug Ricky goodbye and tell him to keep me updated if he can. 

I leave the tequila in the kitchen. I hope it won't need to be opened. I know that it probably will be anyway.