That Friday, Luisito rushed to the gym to see the list of who had made the basketball team. There was a big crowd so he couldn’t see the list. Some of the guys left quietly; others were high-fiving and congratulating each other. Luisito waited patiently for his turn to see the list.
“Hey, Lewis!” Paul called to him. “You made the team, man.”
Luisito felt a great relief.
“You too?” Luisito asked. He already knew the answer because Paul was one of the best players at the tryouts.
“Yep, can’t wait to start winning!” Paul said, very excited.
Finally, Luisito had joined a school team. He would have his first practice next week and soon, maybe, new friends. He desperately wanted to fit in.
He looked down the hall and saw Sherry coming with books in hand to check the list. Maybe she was looking for his name, Luisito hoped.
“I made it!” Luisito said as she approached.
“That’s great!” she exclaimed. “I knew you would.”
“Hey, some of us are going to the movies tomorrow. Want to come?” Luisito said.
“I’d love to!” Sherry said. “Maybe after the movie we can have sodas at that shop where everyone goes.”
“Great!” Luisito said. “I will call you for your address. Wait. Why don’t you just give it to me now?”
Sherry gave him her address. Luisito waved and walked down the hall feeling a little taller.
All during school the next day, Luisito could not stop thinking about going to the movies with Sherry.
Luisito went through dinner in a daze. He showered, ate, and dressed in a polo shirt that he borrowed from Tommy and his own blue jeans and sneakers.
When they got to Sherry’s house, Sonia stayed in the car and Luisito rang the doorbell. Sherry opened the door. She was wearing a light green dress and her hair was pulled up in a ponytail with a white ribbon. The green picked up the color of her eyes.
“For you,” Luisito said, giving her a small bouquet of flowers he had just picked up at the grocery store.
“That is so sweet!” Sherry said, smelling the flowers. “Are we ready to go?”
“I think I should speak to your mother first,” he said.
“Oh, okay,” she said turning around. “Mom,” she yelled inside.
“Yes?” Mrs. Jones stepped to the door in an apron.
“Mrs. Jones,” Luisito said. “How are you?”
“Fine, thank you,” Mrs. Jones said, a bit puzzled.
“A group of us are going to the movies and later we will have a snack. I will be bringing Sherry back at about nine.”
“Good. Although it’s not a school night, I like her to be back early,” Mrs. Jones said.
“Oh, Mom,” Sherry said, turning to hand her the flowers Luisito had given to her. “Can you put these in water? Lewis gave them to me.”
Mrs. Jones smelled the flowers and for the first time Luisito saw Mrs. Jones smile.
“How lovely,” she said and waved to Sonia in the car. “Have fun now!”
At the movies, Luisito bought a bucket of popcorn and two sodas. They decided to see a comedy that had just been released. When the movie was over, they all went to the soda shop at the corner of the plaza. Everyone sat down in a booth: Tommy, Allen, a girl named Emily, her next-door neighbor Tracy, and Sonia, who was going to drive them home. There was no room for Luisito and Sherry, so they sat at another table not too far away.
“I am so full from all the popcorn and soda,” Sherry said. “Why don’t we split a cheesecake?”
“Can we please have one cheesecake to share?” Sherry told the waiter, who nodded and hurried to the kitchen.
He returned with a slice of cheesecake and two forks.
“Mmm, this is good,” Luisito said. “I never had cheesecake in Cuba.”
Luisito told Sherry the stories his grandmother used to tell him about Cuba and how different it was before he was born.
“Tell me about your escape again,” Sherry said.
Luisito recounted his journey, the storm, the broken motor, and his long hours of rowing. He told her how glad he was to be in this country but how he missed his grandmother and the friends he left behind.
“Oh, Lewis,” she said, “you know what I like the most about you? That you don’t take anything for granted. You enjoy everything, even cheesecake!”
“You know what I like the most about you?” Luisito said. “When I see you close your eyes to pray at church. I have never seen anyone my own age pray that way.”
Sherry told Luisito how prayer had helped her cope with her parents’ divorce and how last year her parents had gotten back together.
“It was painful,” Sherry said. “Prayer didn’t make the pain go away, but it helped me to know that God was with me.”
“I understand,” Luisito said. “I am glad your parents are back together. You know if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling.