The Real American Idol

Family bonding

It was about 7:15am, and Mirabela was in bed when she felt someone's fingers rub her head. She opened her eyes to find her father by her side. "Buen día, Papi," she smiled.

"Buen día, mi vida," Pedro smiled back. "Did you have fun at your Quinceañera last night?"

"Did I ever?" Mirabela beamed. "That was the party of a lifetime." She hugged her father tightly.

"Well, since we're both up, do you want to help make breakfast before your relatives leave?" Pedro asked.

"Okay," Mirabela smiled.

Mirabela got up and changed clothes, and she went with her father to make breakfast.

Sometime later, everyone else was awake, and after breakfast, Mirabela's maternal relatives were ready to go. They were all sharing hugs and goodbyes, and they were a little disappointed at not spending much time with Pedro.

"So glad you're here, Pedro," Victor smiled. "Take care of both Sara and Mirabela, okay?"

"Take care of my sister," Luci chimed in.

"I will, and I think we'll come over for Mirabela's spring break," Pedro smiled.

Teresa and Blanca hugged Pedro tightly, and after that, Luci, Teresa, Blanca, Victor, and Carmen went on their way home.

"Man, that was a lot of fun," Mirabela smiled. "It was the party of a lifetime."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mira," Sara smiled. "So, what should we do for lunch today?"

"We can make a pizza and salad," Sofia suggested.

"Sounds good," Jesus smiled.

Meanwhile, Lily was happy that Mirabela was no longer upset with her for what she said two days ago, and she was excited to do something with her today. "Wow, that was kinda fun," she said.

"I'm glad you had a good time, honey pickle," Mr. Bishop smiled. "Well, I've got some errands to run. Do you want to go with me?"

Lily's heart sank—she didn't want to run any errands with her parents because she was sure that would be embarrassing. "Ah, sorry, Daddy," she declined. "I have something to do with Mirabela today."

"Don't you think you should let Mirabela spend some quality time with her father?" Mrs. Bishop asked.

"Yes, but she's happy that he's home forever," Lily said. "Besides, she can spend time with him any time she wants."

"Well, okay," Mr. Bishop shrugged.

"Thanks, Daddy," Lily smiled. But there was something she didn't know yet.

A little later, Lily went off to the Mendoza house in her segway. Along the way, she met up with Miley, who was on her own segway. "Hey, Miley, what's up?" she asked.

"Not much, Lily," Miley replied. "Where are you off to?"

"Mirabela's house," Lily replied. "She's not mad at me anymore, and I figured this would be the perfect time to do something with her. Do you want to go with me?"

"I'd love to, but shouldn't we let Mirabela spend time with her father now that he's back?" Miley asked.

"Come on," Lily urged. "She's happy that her daddy is home forever, and she can be with him any other time. Now that she's not mad at me anymore, that means we can do something together, you included."

"Well, okay," Miley shrugged.

Lily and Miley went off to the Mendoza house, and in no time, they made it. Lily rang the doorbell, and Sofia answered.

"Oh, hola, muchachas," Sofia smiled.

"Hi, Mrs. Mendoza," Lily smiled back. "We're here to see Mirabela."

"Ah, sorry, but she's not here, and neither are the twins," Sofia said.

Lily was confused, and she just barged into the house. "What do you mean Mirabela's not here?" she asked. "I was sure she'd be here waiting for me."

"She and the twins went out to the supermarket with Pablo and Pedro," Sofia replied.

Lily was shocked, but not Miley.

"But why?" Lily asked.

"Well, they thought this would be a good way to spend a little time together now that Pedro is staying with us to be a full-time father to her," Sara replied.

"You should've talked to Mirabela last night about this instead of just coming here without her knowing it, Lily," Miley said.

Lily was a little disappointed that she couldn't spend time with Mirabela this morning.

At the supermarket, Pedro, Pablo, and their daughters were shopping for stuff to make lunch with.

"Okay, we have the dough, the lettuce, and the pepperoni," Pedro said.

"Now let's get the ranch, croutons, and ingredients for the sauce," Pablo said.

The fathers and daughters went to find those ingredients. Dulce and Variel got the ingredients needed for the sauce, and Pablo got the ranch for the salad. Pedro turned to find Mirabela struggling to get a bag of croutons that was on the top shelf, but she was too short to reach it.

"Need a boost, mija?" Pedro offered.

"Sí, Papi," Mirabela said.

Pedro lifted Mirabela up, allowing her to get the croutons. Just as Pedro put her down, Mr. Bishop came up.

"Hey, what's up, folks?" Mr. Bishop asked.

"Hi, Mr. Bishop," Mirabela smiled.

"What's up, Mirabela?" Mr. Bishop asked. "Lily said she had something to do with you."

"I don't remember making any plans with Lily today," Mirabela said.

"Must be an excuse to avoid being seen with her daddy," Variel assumed.

"Yes, and Lily probably thinks Mirabela isn't upset with her anymore," Dulce said.

"Well, maybe this will teach Lily to think ahead of time before planning to see someone," Pedro said.

"I'm sure it will," Mr. Bishop said. "Well, I'll see you around."

"Carry on," Pedro said as Mr. Bishop went on his way.

Later, at home, Pedro and Pablo worked on the dough while Jesus worked on the salad. Mirabela was mixing up the tomato sauce, and she wondered if it needed a bit of oregano. The trouble was that the spice rack was a real mess, and it was hard finding what she was looking for.

"I've gotta remember to clean that spice rack," Mirabela huffed. "By the time I find the oregano, the sauce will be burned."

Pedro took a look at the spice rack and saw the many spices that were all over the place. "You know, maybe if you organize the spices in alphabetical order, it'd be easier to find what you're looking for," he suggested. "That's what I had to do when I was cooking for the army."

"Ah, that's a great idea, mijo," Jesus smiled.

"So, what spice do you need, Mira?" Pedro asked.

"Oregano," Mirabela replied.

Pablo and Pedro started cleaning the spice rack, and Pedro gave his daughter the oregano. Mirabela was pleased to have her father here, especially because he was a big help.