Twenty-Six

ON NEW YEAR’S EVE, I GOT CALLED IN TO WORK AT THE Charcoaler. I was good with that. I didn’t have any plans and I didn’t feel like being in my head.

“You’re going in to work? ” My mom wasn’t happy.

“Social interaction, ” I said.

She shot me a look. “Everybody’s coming over.”

Yeah, the family thing. Uncles. Cousins. My mom’s menudo and more tamales. I was burnt out on tamales. Beer. Wine for my mom and my sisters. I wasn’t big on family gatherings. Too many intimate strangers. I smiled a lot, but really I never knew what to say.

I smiled at my mom. “1987. Glad that’s over.”

She shot me another look. “It was a good year, Ari.”

“Well, there was that small incident in the rain.”

She smiled. “Why is it so hard for you to give yourself some credit? ”

“Because I’m like my father.” I raised my cup of coffee toward her in a toast. “Here’s to ’88. And to Dad.”

My mother reached over and combed my hair with her fingers. She hadn’t done that in a while. “You’re looking more and more like a man, ” she said.

I raised my cup of coffee again. “Well, here’s to manhood.”

Work wasn’t so busy. The rain kept people away, so the four of us who were working took turns trying to sing our favorite songs of 1987. The Los Lobos version of “La Bamba” was my favorite, hands down. I couldn’t sing worth a damn so I sang it on purpose because I knew everyone would tell me, don’t sing don’t sing, which is exactly what they said. So I was off the hook. Alma kept singing “Faith.” Didn’t care for George Michael. Lucy kept pretending she was Madonna and even though she had a good voice, I was not into Madonna. Somewhere toward the end of the shift we all started singing U2 songs. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” Yeah, that was a good song. My theme song. But really I thought it was everybody’s theme song.

At five minutes to ten, I heard a voice at the drive-in ordering a burger and fries. Gina Navarro. I’d know that voice anywhere. I couldn’t decide if I really liked her or I was just used to her. When her order was done, I took it out to her beat-up Volkswagen Beetle, where she and Susie Byrd were parked.

“You guys going out with each other? ”

“Hardee-har, you asshole.”

“Happy New Year to you too.”

“You almost done? ”

“We gotta clean up before I get off.”

Susie Byrd smiled. I gotta say she had a sweet smile. “We came to invite you to a party.”

“Party. I don’t think so, ” I said.

“There’s beer, ” Gina said.

“And girls you might want to kiss, ” Susie said.

My own personal dating service. Just what I wanted for the new year. “Maybe, ” I said.

“No maybes, ” Gina said. “Loosen up.”

I don’t know why I said yes, but that’s just what I said. “Just give me the address and I’ll meet you there. I have to go home and tell my parents.”

I was hoping my mom and dad would say “no way.” But that’s not what happened. “You’re actually going to a party? ” my mother said.

“Surprised that I’m invited, Mom? ”

“No. Just surprised that you want to go.”

“It’s New Year’s.”

“Will there be drinking? ”

“I don’t know, Mom.”

“You’re not driving your truck there. Period.”

“Guess I can’t go.”

“Where’s the party? ”

“Corner of Silver and Elm.”

“That’s just down the street. You can walk.”

“It’s raining.”

“It stopped.”

My mom was practically throwing me out of the house. “Go. Have a good time.”

Shit. A good time.

And guess what? I did have a good time.

I kissed a girl. No, she kissed me. Ileana. She was there. Ileana. She just walked up to me and said, “It’s New Year’s. So Happy New Year.” And then she just leaned into me and kissed me.

We kissed. For a long time. And then she whispered, “You’re the best kisser in the world.”

“No, ” I said, “I’m not.”

“Don’t argue with me. I know about these things.”

“Okay, ” I said, “I won’t argue with you.” And then we kissed again.

And then she said, “I gotta go.” And then she just left.

I didn’t even have time to take the whole thing in before Gina was standing in front of me. “I saw that, ” she said.

“So fucking what? ”

“How was it? ”

I just looked at her. “Happy New Year.” And then I hugged her. “I have a New Year’s resolution for you.”

That made her laugh. “I have a whole list for you, Ari.”

We stood there laughing our asses off.

It was strange to have a good time.