siempre

the diner

Isaiah Rojas. 

Emilia may or may not have had a crush on him since the beginning of high school, but she would never tell anyone. Except for Esther. 

"Girrrl, he was lookin' fine as ever," Esther teases Emilia. 

"Maybe you should go out with him."

"Oh, no. Not really my type," Esther sighs. 

"And what is your type?"

"Ya know, boys that are avoidant and have commitment issues," she smiles. "I just love them soo much."

"Maybe you should talk to someone about that," Emilia clocks in for her shift. 

"Nah, I'd rather suffer the consequences. I love being ignored, apparently. But anyways, as I was saying, Isaiah came in and I was like 'hey, handsome, where ya been? Your girlfriend isn't here yet.'"

"Esther!" Emilia looks at her wide-eyed.

"I'm just kidding, but that alone tells me you still like him," Esther giggles and Emilia rolls her eyes. 

"Don't you have customers to serve or something?" 

"Yeah, lo que sea."

Esther had picked up some Spanish after being friends with Emilia for so long. She is a spunky mixed chick with curly hair and deep brown eyes. And she absolutely adores Emilia. She would do anything for her. They met in their freshman year of high school. All of the other students just saw yet another Mexican immigrant, but Esther saw something different. She saw a shy girl, who knew enough English to get by, but had the strength of an ahuehuete, a cyprus tree. Esther could tell Emilila did not want to be in the U.S, but she was polite enough to take it on the chin and not be miserable about it. Eventually, they would become best friends since they had plenty of classes together. 

Their friendship grew over time as they had sleepovers, went swimming, shopping, and doing everything high school girls would do. Esther had known Emilia's parents before they passed, and she was right by her side through it all. They are more than friends, they are sisters. 

The diner, Aunt May's, has been a longstanding diner since the 1950s. The inside turned back time to the days of grease, poodle skirts, and rock'n'roll. Was it Emilia's scene? No, but it paid well. She grabbed an apron and began serving customers. It was kind of a slow night so far, but she was hopeful since it was Saturday.

After taking some orders, she began bussing and cleaning tables. As she does so, her mind takes her elsewhere. She began to think about the possibility of Moises going on the camping trip. The thought of him not spending time with his friends upsets her. It isn't his fault he has epilepsy, but she couldn't bear it if something were to happen to him while he was gone. She takes the dishes to the back, still lost in thought. 

"Oyé, Emilia," Javier calls to her. He is one of the line cooks, and according to Esther, has a huge crush on Emilia. Emilia is snapped back to reality.

"Qué pasó?" She answers. 

"Do they want chicken breast or the chicken salad on the greens?"

"My bad, chicken breast," she goes back to unloading dishes.

"You good?" Javier notices she looks a little more tired than usual. 

"Yeah, took Moy out today and the sun beat me up. Estoy bien," she reassures him with a smile, but realizes that probably wasn't the best move. She seriously did not want to lead him on. 

"Okay, chica," he smiles back before turning to the line. 

Emilia goes back to what she is doing and Esther appears, as she always does at the most inopportune moment. 

"Ooo, Javier. Okay, I see you," Esther says to Emilia, placing her dishes in the sink as well. 

"Oh, shut up. I don't like him."

"But--"

"Yes, I know. He likes me."

"I'm just saying, give him a chance."

"I don't have time for a relationship. You know that," she darts her eyes at Esther.

"Okay, but hear me out," she finishes putting dishes away. "You can... make time...? Maybe? Just a thought."

Emilia rolls her eyes, trying her best not to entertain the thought. Esther turns serious and looks at her friend. 

"In all seriousness, I know you're doing your best to support you and Moy, but there's so much more to life than just work. But I get it, bills aren't gonna pay themselves."

"Ahí te va."

"Buttt, a partner can help with bills..." Esther raises an eyebrow.

"So, you want me to become a gold digger? Real great, E."

"I mean.." she gives Emilia a side eye, then laughs. "Just playin'. But for real, if the relationship is super serious, it's a possibility. I'm just letting you know. You don't always have to be on your own. But in any case, I fully support you."

Emilia knew Esther meant well, but she couldn't possibly understand the situation her and Moises were in. They hug for a moment, then return to work. 

For the time being, it was just Emilia and Moises, and that was all Emilia was concerned about.

A/N

got some big things planned for this story so stay tuned! comment, vote, do whatever you want. just want y'all to enjoy. 

translations: 

lo que sea- whatever

oyé- hey

qué pasó?- what's up?

estoy bien- I am fine

ahÍ te va- there you go