Family Secrets

Diego and David: Choice

Diego

"So, let me get this straight," I say, eyes narrowed on Eliseo as he studies himself in the mirror. "David is going to help you date his mom?"

Juan chuckles, "Yup, that's what he said."

"David's okay with you dating his mom?"

Eliseo makes a distracted sound of assent, carefully pulling his razor up his neck.

"And she likes... facial hair?"

"According to David, his dad had a trimmed beard and her longest boyfriend before him had a monstrous mustache."

"Yeah, but didn't everybody back then?" I ask, skeptical. Eliseo's always preferred to be clean shaven.

"Might make me look older too," Eliseo says, wiping off the rest of the shaving cream. I can see the beginning of his mustache and patchy beard, the lines already meticulously drawn from this shave.

"I'm just saying, do you really think it's stuff like facial hair that draws a woman in? Are you only interested in her because of how she looks?"

Ellie narrows his eyes, annoyed, "No, of course not."

"Then—"

"But I'm in love with her, so she's always going to be beautiful to me. She's not in love with me. I'm trying to get her to look at me as somebody she could possibly love someday... and to do that, I need to get her attention."

"Pretty sure your half-assed kiss did that," Juan chuckles, waving his hand in front of his nose. "David almost gagged when he got close enough to smell her—"

Eliseo punches Juan in the arm, "Shut up, Juan. You don't go around telling people about stuff like that. It could embarrass her."

"Why? Because she got wet for—"

Juan's words promptly shut off as familiar footsteps draw closer. A moment later, Mama steps into the room, looking Eliseo up and down. She whistles, "Mijo! What's gotten you looking to nice? Or should I say who?"

"Nobody, Mama," he whispers, ducking his head, cheeks flushing.

"Nobody, eh?" she rolls her eyes, looking to Juan. "Your father was 'nobody' too once upon a time. Who is she?"

"She?" Juan repeats, eyes rounding. He grabs our mother's hands. "How do you know it's a 'she'?"

Her brows furrow, "What?"

"Would you still love me if I was gay?" Juan blurts frantically.

Mama's eyes widen in shock, then she belts out a boisterous laugh, "You, my child that used to grin and wink at random women from the shopping cart when you were all of three years old--you think you're gay?"

"Well, no, but—"

Mama sobers, looking at our stressed, expectant faces. "Ah, this is about David, isn't it?"

"You knew?" I blurt.

Mama chuckles, "Astrid talked to me years ago when she found the first book. We knew it was coming, but I'd hoped times would change before he decided to make it known. It's still not safe for him, and that breaks my heart."

"So if one of us was gay?" Juan prompts, glancing my way.

I feel myself pale. What did that look mean?

"Or even two of us?" Eliseo asks, his gaze flickering to me and away.

Mama's eyes flit from Juan to Eliseo and then finally to me. Face soft and warm, she smiles, "I would love him as I always have. I already have nine boys—what difference would there be, adding a son-in-law instead of a daughter?"