"It's not that easy to say this," my mom said, sitting next to my father. "But we can't afford your party."
My heart sunk as I heard what was being said to me. I couldn't believe what was going on today. My parents could afford the quinceañeras of my sisters, but not mine? "We just don't have the money to give you one, Ellie," Mom said, again, trying not to break my heart. Mom held Dad's hand and tried not to cry. "Your mother is trying to say that the restaurant got robbed recently," Dad said. Never in a million years would La Caguasita get robbed, or as I would imagine.
After my parents broke the news about the robbery at the restaurant, I flipped my laptop on and began watching recorded videos of Lila Martín's TED talks about losing her husband Jorge Corona. Basically listening to Katie's mom talk about her weird visions of how Jorge impacted her life. The one I'm watching is how Lila described her husband's last moments alive that summer morning in 2006 in New York City. My parents don't know that I've been watching TED talks of people I know instead of doing productive activities until my sister Sophie comes into my room and annoys me about my not leaving the house.
"Get out and go somewhere," Sophie says. "I'm not the one with a driver's license, Soph," I fired back. "I'll drive you," Sophie replied. "Where? School?" I huffed. Sophie sucked her teeth and said, "It's summer! How could you be thinking that we still have school?" I rolled my eyes at her and said, "I was being sarcastic! I didn't mean anything!"
YOU ARE READING
Ellie, Puertorriqueña, and brown-eyed.
Historical Fiction14-year old Ellie García Valenzuela is about to mark her quinceañera in November. With her mother, Ana Ximena, and aunt, Katie, Ellie realizes that she has more to think about than just a party. Emilia Demissew, author of Katie Corona and Brooklyn M...
