semi-automatic ; j.d

sixty nine ; babysitting

ha

69

BUT ALSO THAT PICTURE HAS PARALYZED ME

-

"i am so sorry," is how mia's oldest brother rafael greets her after she opens the door.

she frowns with confusion and before she can open her mouth to ask for clarity, a hyperactive flash of movement runs past the male's legs and throws itself at mia.

lola, who's dressed in a dinosaur onesie, bursts into a fit of giggles. her tiny arms raise upwards towards her aunt, signaling that she wants to be picked up.

"geez, raf, how much sugar has she had?" mia asks with a raised eyebrow while scoping up her energetic niece.

he puts his hands up innocently. "it wasn't me. estella took her over to mom's house and they made cupcakes."

"oh, so now it's my fault?" the aforementioned, mia's sister in law, retorts while her arms are occupied with the sleeping one year old baby girl,  sophia. estella and rafael's epic love story began in high school and after being married for close to eight years, they still look at each other like first love.

rafael gives his wife a playful sigh all while shaking his head slowly and looking at mia as if saying, see what i have to put up with?

"i told you not to let my mom convince you that lola could have that much sugar," he points out.

the five year old giggles. "abuela let me have six cupcakes!" she announces in a stage-whisper to her aunt, who balances her on her hip.

"did she really?" muses mia in a replying stage-whisper.

estella looks up at her husband with a guilty smile. "she did."

rafael fakes an upset look, even adding a let-down sigh to tag along with the act. "the kid's gonna be up all night."

"all night!" lola drawls out in a sing song voice, throwing her hands in the air. "sleepover at tia's!"

"your bedtime is eight thirty, little miss," says estella while poking her daughter's nose. "and you're gonna be good for your tia, aren't you?"

she nods her head fervently, a wide smile on her face. "mh-hm. super duper good, mommy."

mia bounces her gently on her hip, making the little girl squeal. "we're gonna have a blast, right lola?"

"yep!" she pops the p and gives her parents a toothy grin. don't mistake her for some naive five year old, oh no, this girl knows how to wrap everyone around her little finger just by smiling adorably. just like her dad did when he was younger and wanted to get his way. all he had to do was act like an innocent, good boy, and tatiana martinez would cave.

mia, however, was never good at that. but because she's the only girl, all her aunts spoiled her the most.

"alright, princesa, give daddy a kiss," rafael leans forward and turns his face, giving his daughter a profile view and pokes his cheek.

lola presses a pecking kiss on her dad's cheek and also delivers one to estella.

mia sets her niece down, letting her drag her little mini suitcase into the apartment, and then she takes the baby from estella.

"she's been asleep for a good half an hour, so she should be okay through the night. if she wakes up and starts getting fidgety, then--" estella begins in her 'worrisome-mom' voice, and mia cuts her off before she starts rambling off instructions.