Anna
Monday morning, Anna decided that it was better to breathe dust and suffer an asthma attack at Kendall’s than to remain at her parents’ home for one more night. Oh, her dad was fine. But her mother, still under the influence of Abuela Castillo, was another story. Anna had assumed that things in her parents’ home would calm down and return to normal when her grandparents went to stay with another one of their lucky children. But Anna had been wrong. The more time Anna’s mother spent with Abuela, the more Mama came down on Anna. And since the grandparents were staying for another full week, Anna knew she needed to run for her life. She’d gotten up early and packed her things, but to her surprise, her mother was up even earlier. And she had cooked breakfast!
“I don’t see why you are so sensitive,” her mother said as Anna shoveled in another spoonful of huevos revueltos. “I was only asking.”
“Asking?” Anna swallowed the bite. “You and Abuela ask questions like the Spanish Inquisition.”
“Anna.” Her mother frowned at her. “Where is your respect?”
“It’s the truth. The way you treat Edmond is humiliating.”
“I only asked out of concern for the children.”
“What children?” Anna glared at her mother.
“If you were to marry Edmond, you would surely have children.”
“Who said I’m going to marry Edmond?”
Her mother smiled in relief. “Hopefully that won’t happen.”
Anna wiped her mouth with her napkin. “I don’t know, Mama. The more you try to push me away from Edmond, the more I’m drawn to him.” She took a quick sip of coffee. “I’m thinking maybe I’ll run away and elope with him tonight.” Anna pointed to her suitcase by the door.
“Anna Consuela Maria Mendez!”
“See what you drive me to do, Mama?”
“I know you’re joking with me.” Her mother made a sad expression. “But it’s not kind, Anna. It’s not like you.”
“Do you think you’re being kind when you say mean things about Edmond?”
“I only asked where your children would go to church, Anna. Why is that such a mean thing? Young people in love, they forget the practical things. And I heard Dr. Phil say that there are only a few things that destroy a marriage.” Her brows drew together as she held up one finger. “I think the first one was money. And I’m not sure about all of them, but I know that religion was in there.”
“And how about meddlesome in-laws?” asked Anna. “Was that on the list?”
“So you are thinking of marrying Edmond?”
“No.” Anna shook her head as she stood up. “I’m not thinking of marrying anyone at the moment. I’m thinking about not being late for work.”
“You think about what I’m saying to you, Anna. If you don’t ask these questions early on, you find out the answers too late.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Anna was slipping her coat on now.
“Remember your Tio Roberto. He married that Baptist girl. Everything seemed just fine until they had children. Then she wanted to take them to her church. He wanted them to go to his. It got ugly, Anna.”
“I know, Mama.” Anna reached for her suitcase. “And it didn’t help that Tio Roberto was having an affair with Vanessa either.”
Her mother looked shocked. “Who told you that?”
“Everyone in the family knew about it.”
“But you were just a child.”
“Even as a child, I had ears, Mama.” Anna leaned over and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Adiós!”
Anna sighed as she slipped behind the wheel of her little red Cooper. Ah, freedom. What had she been thinking of to go back home again? And even if she had to get a particle mask and one of those electric air-filtering machines for her bedroom, it would be worth it to escape her mother’s tirades.
Of course, Anna knew this latest paranoia over grandchildren and where they would go to church was partially Anna’s fault. She’d let the cat out of the bag last night when she told her mother that she had a wedding to attend the following weekend. And she’d only mentioned this in order to escape her cousin Eva’s baby shower. It would be the third baby shower since Christmas, and Anna couldn’t bear to sit and watch another one of her pregnant female relatives opening another pastel package containing bibs or booties or baby blankets. Enough was enough.
“Who’s wedding?” her mother had asked with suspicion.
“Edmond’s mother,” Anna had casually informed her. “It’s a small, intimate evening wedding and I feel honored to be included.”
“I didn’t know that Edmond’s mother was single. Did Edmond’s father die?”
“No. Edmond’s father is alive and well in Pasadena.”
“Oh?” Her mother’s brows had arched sharply, a warning that things could get ugly.
“Edmond’s parents divorced when he was quite young. His father remarried years ago and Edmond has a couple of half siblings.”
Her mother looked even more surprised now. But the reason Anna had disclosed this much was to paint Edmond’s mother in a better light. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be working. “Anyway, Betsy—that’s Edmond’s mother—has been single for a long time. She put all of her energy into working and raising Edmond on her own.”
Anna’s mother nodded with a slight look of compassion. “She sounds like a strong woman.”
Anna smiled. “She is. And now she has finally met the love of her life. A very nice man named Phillip Goldstein.” Okay, as soon as it was out, Anna wished she’d had the foresight to withhold a little information.
“Goldstein? Isn’t that Jewish?”
“Yes, Mama. It’s Jewish. Are you prejudiced against Jewish people now?”
“No, no, of course not.” Her mother’s brow creased deeply.
“Well, good.”
“So … is Edmond Jewish too?”
“No. Edmond is Episcopalian.”
“Oh? Edmond is Episcopalian and his stepfather is Jewish? Is his mother perhaps Greek Orthodox?”
“Actually, I don’t know. But it seems that she is Episcopalian too.”
“But she will be changing to Jewish now?”
“It’s not like that, Mama.”
“What is it like then?”
“I don’t know. But you make way too much of it.”
Her mother sighed then. “Perhaps you’re right. At least they will have no children.”
“Actually, Phillip has a son, a sweet kid named Ben, who’s eleven or twelve.”
“So is this Ben Jewish too?”
“I would assume.”
“Unless he is confused by his stepmother’s religion, and then perhaps he will convert to Episcopalian.”
“Probably not.”
“But don’t you see, mi’ja? You hurt your children when you bring two different religions into the home.” And so it had gone on. Her mother ranting and lecturing about culture and religion and values and children until even Anna’s dad could take it no more. Both he and Anna had gone to bed early to escape the endless tirade. But Anna’s poor dad was still subjected, because Anna could hear them arguing into the night—just one more reason for Anna to leave in the morning. It was bad enough to suffer her mother’s temper for her own choices, but it seemed unfair her father should suffer as well.
To be fair, Anna suspected that having Abuela Castillo around had brought out the worst in her mother. It was as if her mother was regressing. And the less Anna saw of it, the happier she would be. It was her intention to stay away for a while. Or at least until the final farewell gathering for her grandparents next Sunday. That is, if she was invited. After the rumors circulated that she was skipping Eva’s baby shower to attend her boyfriend’s mother’s Jewish wedding, well, who knew what might happen? Maybe they would excommunicate Anna from the family. But probably not.