The sound of New York City and more singing woke me up the next morning. I carefully opened my eyes and let out a small yawn. Ross wasn't sleeping close to me anymore, instead he had his hoodie on again and was shivering on the side of the wall, crunched up into a ball, and sleeping with his mouth open.
My blanket was crunched into my body and I just wondered how I managed to steal most of it throughout the night. I carefully came out of the small cocoon I was in, and placed the blanket on him instead. My sleepy reflection shined back at me through my TV, making me realize it was definitely time to take my curls out of this silk bonnet. I pulled it off my head quickly and placed it in my night stand drawer.
Ross settled into the blanket and continued to sleep. I reached all around for my phone and finally found it under my pillow. The screen showed a missed call from my mother and also one from my sister. I clicked on my sister's name first, of course, and put the phone to my ear while walking over to the bathroom and closing the door behind me.
"Hello?" I whispered. "Is this important? Ross is sleeping in the other room."
There was a cracking noise and a few more fidgets from the other line. "Ross is WHAT?" My mother's voice screamed. Her voice startled me as I dropped my phone into the sink. My sister's name was still flashing on the screen.
"I'm with mom and you're on speaker," my sister informed while my heart was beginning to accelerate.
I rolled my eyes, "Geez, Liz. At least give me a heads up, even though Mami already knows."
"I know what, Marina!?" My mom continued to yell.
I couldn't help but laugh at her craziness, "Ma! You know about... Ross."
"Ayy, okay," She settled. I heard chattering between the both of them as I just pondered on what they could be discussing. My leg was propped onto the toilet and I rested my elbow on my knee, just listening.
"So Mari, Julio and I decided on getting remarried this year, but we decided to keep it low-key and just have a party to celebrate," My sister began.
I furrowed my eyebrows at myself In the mirror. "Remarried? Hispanics do that?"
Liz laughed and I heard my mother suck her teeth. "Well, we do. But we didn't tell anyone our plans and welp, it kinda backfired on us."
"What do you mean?" I questioned. "Are you guys getting a divorce?"
This time my mother laughed out loud. "No no no, we just never settled on a date and well, the only availability at Gino's this year is this Thursday night. Do you think you can make it?" My sister explained.
My mother was still laughing in the background, this time making one of my sister's babies cry. "Liz, don't you see Mari is too caught up in the boyband life. She won't make it and it's too far away. I know her," our mother replied.
I could picture her shrugging and sipping her coffee. She was right though. Gino's was in LA. How could I possibly make it over there?
I exhaled and shook my head at this old woman. "Ma, I want to be there, but how can I afford that? And- Ginos? Didn't he die? And now Gabriel-" I face palmed myself hard and put my hand down into a fist. "Gabriel owns it now doesn't he? Liz, really? You couldn't find any other venue to host this remarriage of yours? It really had to be held at my ex-boyfriend's family's venue across the damn country?"
The crying baby was getting louder on the other side of the phone. "I know, that part sucks. But we got married there the first time and we want to do it there again. Plus- Gabriel pulled a lot of strings to get us there. That was very nice of him, considering how things ended between you two," Liz said, backing herself up.
