The Driving Force to Love (MXM) ✔

Chapter 19

Antonio Angel Hernandez Sanchez

I pulled up in front of my brother's house and sent him a text that I was there to pick him up. I rolled down the windows and turned off the car while I waited. Jose walked out his front door with his golf bag hanging from his shoulder. He wasn't the only one. Felipe followed him with his own golf clubs. I popped the trunk so they could put their clubs in the back. Jose closed the trunk when they were through and sat in the front passenger seat. Felipe sat in the back.

"Not that I mind," I said to my brother, "but I thought you wanted this to be a brother thing."

"No. It can be a guy thing. You need to go pick up padre too," Jose said.

I sighed. It was easier than explaining how he should speak to me before changing or adding to our plans. He had always been like that. In high school, I had been forced to take him with me whenever I went out with friends. He was only a year younger than me so my friends didn't mind too much. I minded though because he would always convince the others to change their plans. If we planned to go to an arcade he would suddenly change it to bowling. If we wanted to go skating, he would change it to going to the mall. And he'd always inevitably invite some of his friends to tag along with us.

"I'm coming too," Silvia called out as she ran to the car from the front door.

"No you're not," Jose replied as she arrived at the car.

My niece didn't listen to him and instead opened the back door and sat in the back. "Let's go," she said.

"This is supposed to be a guy's day out, Silv," Jose said. "You can't come."

"Why are girls excluded?" she asked. "That's sexist."

Jose sighed. "I'm not sexist," he said.

"Yes you are," Felipe said easily. "You wouldn't buy me flowers for Valentine's Day."

"Yeah," Silvia said, "what's up with that?"

"Boys don't need flowers," Jose said.

"Sexist," both Felipe and Silvia said at the same time.

"Look," Jose said. He turned slightly in the seat so he could look at his children in the back seat. "Sorry, Silvia, but you can't come with us because we're going to pick up abuelo and there won't be room for him."

"Sure there is," Silvia said. She slid to the very middle of the backseat.

Jose opened his mouth and I knew he was going to protest so before he could I said, "Just let her come."

"She doesn't have golf clubs," Jose stubbornly said.

"I can share mine," I said. "It's not a big deal."

"Fine," Jose said. He settled in his seat, but crossed his arms. Jose and I didn't speak as we drove to my parent's house, but Felipe and Silvia talked nonstop in the back about music and t.v. shows. The two of them didn't get to hang out together much since Felipe now worked and had a girlfriend and Silvia was still in high school. I liked seeing the siblings get along.

I pulled up in front of my parent's house. Before I could call, Silvia said, "I'll get him," and was out of the car before the rest of us could say anything.

"She's excited," I pointed out. Silvia rang the doorbell and waited.

My dad opened the door. He had a special reserved smile just for grandchildren. It was a smile to this day he had never given me or Jose. That smile lit up his face when he saw Silvia. She kissed his cheek, grabbed his bag of golf clubs and bounced back to the car. I popped the trunk so she could put the bag in the back.