The stand is closed for the night. We’re sitting under the shack awning sipping limeades, talking about the workday. Actually, Wendy’s doing the talking. I’m doing the shaking because I’m about to tell her what I’ve done and what I’m gonna do. And I’m shaking because telling her is a big step toward making this thing real.
“Teodoro, you look like you’re gonna be sick.”
“Okay, Wendy, here it is. I e-mailed my school counselor. And she did some research for me.”
I tell Wendy that Ms. Bradley came up with a plan for fall. I can take a couple classes online. Some at Hatch Valley High School. And I can take some at Doña Ana Community College in Las Cruces. And she can be my advisor for my senior service project and I can still graduate from Puget High on time. I can fly home and walk across that stage next June.
“Wendy,” I say, “I’m gonna stay down here with Manny. And Xochitl’s going on that tour.”
She stares at me for a long time. Then she says, “Wow.”
And I say, “Right?”
And she says, “Is this something you think you have to do, or something you want to do?”
Oh my God, I want everything. I want to be as close as possible to Wendy this year. I want us to have a chance to get back together. I want those kids and teachers at Puget to see me being great. I want to triumph with Caleb. And the truth is, I’m not sure I can do it without him or Bashir. I want to give myself the best chance to get into U-Dub. And I want to move back in with Mami and Papi.
But I want Xochitl to have her shot. I need her to have her shot.
And I can’t leave Manny. I need to be with him. I want to be with him.
So I tell Wendy, “I need to do this. And I want to do this.”
“I see,” she says.
Then she hands me her glass, stands up, and walks.
I think she’s going back to the house, but she just takes a lap around the shack.
And by the time she makes it back to me, she’s got a huge smile on her face.
She grabs the limeade out of my hand. Chugs it. Gives me the glass back. Then she socks me in the arm.
“Jesus, Wendy.”
She shrugs her shoulders, her eyes bright—she’s smiling that smile.
“What, Wendy?”
“Teodoro,” she says. “You surprise me.”
I ask her if that’s a good thing.
“Yup,” she says. “It is a very good thing.”
Then she asks me if I think Ms. Bradley really has it all figured out.
We scoot our chairs close. I tell Wendy Ms. Bradley wouldn’t let me do this if she thought it might not work.
“We still on for U-Dub?”
“Definitely! I just have to get accepted.”
“You’ll get accepted,” she says.
“What if I don’t?”
“You will have given it a heckuva shot, Teodoro. And there are plenty of great schools out there. You’ll get into one and you’ll work hard and show those U-Dub admissions jerks just how wrong they were. Then you’ll get into grad school somewhere and you’ll work hard there and become a great architect.”
“All right, then. I’m gonna do this, Wendy. But please don’t say anything till I figure out how to tell Xochitl. If she gets wind of this, she’ll shut it right down.”
“Why?”
“Because my sister is stubborn and she has to be in charge. I gotta be sneaky about this. Would you like to get sneaky with me, Wendy? I might just need your skills.”
“I got mad sneaky skills, Teodoro.”
We stop talking and look out at that view. Sitting so close without words.
I start thinking about where we’ve been and how far we’ve come.
And I’m thinking this feels like a moment.
But I’m not sure if it is. So I keep looking up at the sky. And I inch my hand slowly into the space between our chairs.
My hand dangles there for a while, all by itself.
Then she sees it. But she doesn’t want me to see that she sees it. So, real quick, she looks away from my hand and back up at the sky.
I keep looking up there, too. I don’t want her to know that I know she rejected my hand.
I start to retract it, real slow.
But just as I do, I feel it—her fingers touching mine. Palms. Wrists. Hands exploring hands like for the first time. And we keep on exploring till Wendy’s fingers slide between my fingers and we squeeze tight.
I turn to her. She turns to me. Our eyes meet and—oh man—there’s another same-time breath, then we both look away. I don’t know why but we do.
Then I turn back to her.
And she turns back to me.
“Hi, Wendy Martinez.”
“Hi, Teodoro Avila.”
That’s it. We sit like that till it’s real late. Just two warm hands squeezing. Just us under that ocean of starry sky.
And that’s enough.