The Hook-up

Chapter 190

"Hey booboo." Bruno said into the phone laying down on his grandmother's couch in Brooklyn. He hesitated a bit unsure if he should tell her who he spent the night with. No. She'll either know or not. I won't start anything. "It was so much fun. I wish that you could have been here. I wouldn't have been as nervous."

"I could tell you were nervous." she said with a smile holding onto Everlee. "You pulled you hair a lot. You do that when you're nervous."

"I do not!" he defended himself quickly pulling his hand away from his hair.

"I've known you for two and half years. You pull your hair when you're nervous." she laughed at him.

"Okay. Whatever." he said matching her smile. "How are the babies?"

"They're fine. Ev is sitting with me and Ezra is sitting with his aunt right now." Lauren answered/

"And their fevers went down? I wish I could be there." he asked.

"They're better. I think your sister was right because their fever went down by the middle of the night." she told him. "She's so happy, Bruno. She smiles at everything. I wish you could see it. And he touches her every time they get close to each other." Lauren gushed.

"Aww, Elle. I'll be home soon. Give me like three more days." he said to her sweetly.

"I can't wait for you to come home." she said winking at her sister.

"I can't either." he said stretching on the couch trying to figure out if she knew or not.

"Bruno?" she asked a bit worried slipping back into her usual worry.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired." he said coughing a little.

"Baby, are you taking anything for that? You really sang a lot yesterday. And I don't want you to hurt your voice. You just started. And you're supposed to be home for a bit and then go to Australia..." she started relaying his schedule hearing him sigh.

"I will take something." he responded.

"I wish I was there to take care of you." she said sweetly. "I'd make you some tea and some soup. And we could watch A Goofy Movie...." He caught her humor starting to laugh with a cough in between the laughs. "I'm sorry." she responded to him.

"I will be fine." he said in a manly voice making her crack up feeling her daughter's head hit her shoulder falling asleep.

"Will you call Victoria and have her check your voice? You said you wanted to have someone with you to make sure you were doing things right..." she repeated their conversation from the weeks when things were going well.

"I know. They're working on it. I want to bring them on tour with me so when I have back to backs I know where to hit my notes and everything..." he said to her.

"So are you working on it?" she asked suddenly becoming a demanding wife, not because she wanted control, but because she wanted the best for him.

"Yes, Lauren." he sighed in frustration seeing his grandmother's front door open with Damaris's brother and mother walking in. He waved at them adjusting himself pointing to the back of the house to finish the conversation.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Brunz. I just want to make sure that you're taken care of. I can't be there for you and I worry." she said standing up to put the baby down for her late morning nap.

"Oh, Elle. It's okay. I know you do. I'll be home soon and I promise I will take a break." he said to her.

"Okay. Have fun with your grandparents and your cousins." she said trying to decide if she should slip Damaris's name into her good bye.

"Kiss the babies for me, Lauren. I love you."

"I love you too." she answered. "Oh and tell Damaris I said hello." she waited for him for a second before jumping to get off the phone. "Oh, crap. Ez is up. I have to go. Bye!"

"Shit." he said throwing the phone on the floor.

"What happened, mijo?" he heard his grandmother say holding some tea for him.

"I think I have mal ojo, abuela." he told her.

"¿No usan las pulseras para Everlee and Ezra? Esto es la razon. Levanate! Tengo un huevo. Necesitas antes que todo empieza..." his small grandmother reached for his arm pulling him up.

"What is she doing?" Bruno asked seeing Maria Elena sitting at the small kitchen table.

"Sit down." his grandmother snapped. "Sit down. We have to fix it." she said to him.

"What did you say?" Maria Elena asked watching in awe of their grandmother's frantic movements.

"I told her I have ojo." he said. "I was kidding...." he whispered to his cousin.

"No. You're a cheater." Maria Elena said to her cousin standing up leaving him to fend for himself.

"Mari! No!" he screamed half joking and half scared as to what his grandmother was going to do to him.

Let me explain what just happened...Mal de ojo is basically bad luck in HIspanic culture (And I checked to make sure it wasn't just a Mexican thing, it's also Puerto Rican). It's basically evil eye and is thought to be fended off with this little red bracelet that parents put on their kids when they are born to keep them away from stronger spirits. Bruno and Lauren didn't give the babies the bracelets so his grandmother thinks that's what the evil eye is. A way to cure mal de ojo is to rub egg on you.