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Catalina parked in front of her parents house before getting out and opening the back door. She helped Elena out of her car seat and shut the door. The two held hands as they walked up to the front door. As Catalina rang the doorbell, Elena yanked on her other arm. "Mom, you said daddy is back home. When are we going to see him?" She asked.
"I don't know, mija. Daddy's been busy" The mother said, squatting down to her daughter's height. Ezekiel had gotten out of prison a few days ago so Catalina let her know he was back in town. "Well I want him to come with us for my first day of school!" She points out. "I'll try my best" Catalina said. Diana Álvarez opened the door with her arms wide open to her granddaughter.
"Hi, sweetheart. Why don't you go inside and play with Tessa?" Diana said. Elena waved to her mother before running off. "I'll pick her up in an hour or so. I just have to run some errands" Catalina said. "You're going to see the Reyes boy, aren't you?" Her mother asks. "He needs to know, mama. Elena needs her father" She replied.
"I know" Diana said, "I'll see you soon". With that, Catalina was on her way to Carniceria Reyes. She was making Elena's favorite, for dinner, steak tacos. It was clear that there was a good chance that EZ would be at the butcher shop so she was mentally gearing up for what was possibly to come.
Catalina pulled up to the shop just as an old lady was coming out. She took a breath, hesitating to get out of the car until she heard the roar of motorcycle engines approaching. She maneuvered the rear-view mirror so she could see out of the back window. A few dozen yards back was a single rider on a motorcycle.
She knew there were hundreds of other people in the city who rode motorcycles but something in her said it was him. Catalina hurriedly grabbed her purse and got out of the car. As she walked into the shop, she greeted the two old men who usually sit outside playing cards. Mr. Reyes looked up, a smile appearing on his face.
"Hola, Señor Reyes. Cómo estás?" Catalina smiles. "Estoy bien, Catalina. Y tu?" He replied. "Para ser honesto, nervioso" She said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Estarás bien" Mr. Reyes reassured her, "¿Qué puedo conseguirte?". Just then, EZ rolled up in front of the shop before backing in to park. He swung his leg over the bike and unhooked his helmet.
As Ez put his helmet down and turned, Catalina breathed in hoarsely. The girl refocused on what she had even came for. "Arrachera. Voy a hacer el favorito de Elena esta noche" She responded. "¿Cómo está mi princesa?" He asked about the little girl just as the door opened. "Ella es genial. La traeré mañana" Catalina smiled. "Lina?" Ezekiel spoke out.
{Translations: Para ser honesto, nervioso [to be honest, I'm nervous]; Estarás bien [you'll be fine]; ¿Qué puedo conseguirte? [what can I get you?]; Arrachera. Voy a hacer el favorito de Elena esta noche [skirt steak. I'm making Elena's favorite tonight]; ¿Cómo está mi princesa? [hiw is my princess?]; Ella es genial. La traeré mañana [she's great. I'll bring her by tomorrow] }
Catalina turned her head to the left, looking at the man she hadn't seen in eight years. But there he was standing before her, clad in his Mayans vest that read "Prospect". What she had worked so hard to stop came to reality. Him standing in front of her made it so much more real. His previously bare face was now housing a mustache and a bit of a beard. "Ezekiel!" She smiled, walking into his tight embrace.
When EZ wrapped his arms around her body and picked her up off the ground a few tenths of an inch, he didn't want to let go. All that time he spent in his cell, he thought about her childish, uplifting smile that always made him smile too. And then he would think about how bad he hurt her the last time they had seen each other in that dimly lit visitation room.
In that moment, all of these old feelings came rushing through Catalina's mind as she breathed in his scent. He still smelled exactly the same. After he had went away, she had taken his red Stanford hoodie. It was the closest thing she had to him being there. "You don't know how much I missed you" Ezekiel said, pulling back.
"Likewise. You definitely got taller while you were gone" Catalina joker while noticing that she had to basically look up at him. "I might have grown a few inches or maybe you just got shorter than you already were" He said. "Hey! 5'5" is the height of the average person" She defended.
"You cut your hair" Ezekiel said, half twisting a piece of her hair around his finger. "I got older" She shrugged, "I was tired of having long hair." The man smiled at the ground before looking back up at her. "It looks great" He responded. "Thank you" A light blush covered Catalina's cheeks. Mr. Reyes slightly coughed, making the two look over at him. He was holding out the meat, taped up in the brown paper.
"Lo siento" She said, handing him the ten dollar bill and taking the package. She then thanked him before turning back to the father of her child. "I'm making dinner tonight for my daughter. You should come by. We can catch up on things" Catalina said as another person pulled up on a motorcycle. It was Angel.
Ezekiel's hope slightly faded away at the mention of her daughter. That meant she was probably in a relationship or even married. There was no wedding ring on her finger though. "You have a daughter?" He asked. She wanted to say "we have a daughter" so bad but she would wait until tonight when he and Elena could meet.
"Yes, her name is Elena. You'll meet her later if you come by for dinner" She said. "I just have a couple of things to wrap up with the club and then I'll be there" Ezekiel smiled. "See you then" The woman spun around and walked out the door as Angel slid off his sunglasses. He gave her a look that said "Are you gonna tell him?" Catalina stared back, slightly nodding her head.
