That made Vince smile.
“What did she say?” Lorenzo asked.
“That she misses me.”
“That’s it?” Lorenzo frowned pulling off the freeway.
“And everyone is meeting up at Alex’s place.” Vince scrolled down the texts between Lorenzo and Rose. There were a lot. “You and Rose text this much?”
“Dude,” Lorenzo turned to him, “don’t read my texts. That’s some private stuff.”
Lorenzo reached for the phone, but Vince pulled it away. “Are you shitting me? This is Rose. My Rosie. What kind of private shit are you texting her?”
Vince skimmed through some of them. Mostly they talked about Vince and how much she missed him. But nothing private like what Vince took Lorenzo to mean that had him already steaming up.
“That was all pretty much this past week after we found out you were missing. She was miserable, Bro. We all were. But she was bad.” Lorenzo shook his head. “I didn’t even know what to say to her anymore.”
Vince stopped reading the texts feeling a little guilty now about jumping to conclusions. He looked out the window taking in the old neighborhood. “Yeah, well there were a few times out there I really thought I’d never see any of you guys again.”
He kept the fact to himself that Rose was the main thing that kept him going. When he got home, he felt even guiltier about that fact. If he thought Rose’s reaction to having him back had been emotional, it was nothing compared to his mothers. She was on her knees praying in front of lighted candles of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. When she saw him, she screamed, practically tackling him the process.
“Sagrado Corazon de Jesus! Me le lo trajiste! Me lo trajiste! Ay mijo, mijo querido!” She cried over and over, hugging and kissing him, and the crying was on again.
His dad had run out of the kitchen the moment she screamed and now had his arms wrapped around both him and his mother. Lorenzo joined them, and it was one giant crying family hug. If there’d ever been any doubt that his family loved him more than they resented him, it ended here.
He explained as much as he could. After his mother had calmed some came the millions of calls to family members. Her sisters, his grandma—Vince had to talk to all of them one by one. He barely understood his grandmother she cried so much. When they were finally done, they headed back to La Jolla. His mother had hoped to have her family over, but after the way everything had gone down and after everything that his uncle and Sal had done, she agreed she could do her family gathering another time.
They took both Lorenzo’s borrowed car and his dad’s because Lorenzo and Vince, if he had it his way, were both staying in La Jolla. But his mom rode with him and Lorenzo. She wanted to talk to Vince some more about his ordeal.
Halfway to La Jolla his mother huffed and out of the blue blurted out. “Lorenzo, I sincerely hope you are practicing safe sex.”
Both Vince and Lorenzo looked at each other and laughed. “Where did that come from?” Lorenzo asked laughing.
“Because since I’ve been sitting back here, I found a lip gloss, a girl’s hair thing, and a bra.”
Vince brought his hand to his mouth. What an idiot his brother was! To know his mom would be sitting in the back seat, and he didn’t even do a clean sweep of it first. Lorenzo stared straight ahead. “Yes, Mom, I practice safe sex.”
“And this is your uncle’s car. Did you forget that? Have a little respect. At least clean it out when you’re done with your business.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Lorenzo said but was pretty much quiet the rest of the way.
Vince couldn’t help laugh every now and again and shake his head at Lorenzo. Yep, it was good to be home.
Lorenzo’s phone buzzed when they were just around the corner from Alex’s. “You want me to check that?” Vince asked.
“Yeah,” Lorenzo said, “they’re probably wondering if we’re still coming.”
With all the phone calls they’d made back home, they had taken longer than expected. It was pretty late now. The text was from Sweet Rosie. “It’s Rose again.” Vince clicked on the envelope.
They’re asking for an update on your whereabouts, and I’m dying to see Vincent again. What’s taking you guys so long?
Vince smiled responding that they were around the corner and that he was dying to see her, too. Her response threw him for a moment.
Don’t tell Vincent that. He might get suspicious.
He glanced at Lorenzo who was still staring ahead, only beginning to decide if she was playing when the next one came through.
I’m kidding, Vincent. I know this is you. Get here already. You’re killing me!
Even though that made him smile, he still gave into the curiosity of reading more of her and Lorenzo’s texts. One in particular caught his eye. It was from Lorenzo to Rose.
I can see now why my brother is so in love with you.
“Holy crap,” Lorenzo said as he parked and pulled the parking brake up.
Vince looked up before he finished reading the text, but at the same time feeling a little shitty about doing so in the first place.
The La Jolla Morenos never disappointed. As late as it was, Alex’s driveway was packed, and there were a lot of cars on the street. Vince could even hear music as they drove up.
“Were you expecting anything less?” Vince smirked.
He handed Lorenzo his phone and got out. Opening the back door to the car, he helped his mother out. Once out he closed the door for her, catching from the corner of his eye, the bra his mom had been talking about. It was a sports bra like the kind Rose wore all the time and the hair thing his mom mentioned—a head band—like the ones Rose wore to all her games and practices.