Epilogue: April Fool's
Feb. 12th, 2013 08:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonshadowsApril first. I know there's going to be pranking, I've got some of my own planned, but the question is...what is Papi going to do?
Listen. Sniff. Nothing unusual. Cautiously open my eyes, nothing out of the ordinary. Get up, check door, safe. Now prepared for anything, I venture out of my room and head into the kitchen. Coffee's already brewing, which means Papi's probably up already and ready to get the drop on me, but I step into the kitchen and-
Cake?
There's a small cake on the counter, a single purple candle stuck in the top and burning. White frosting, purple flowers. Clearly, judging by the camera that's recording my reaction, a throwback to the time I left a nearly-identical cake for Reaper on his birthday, but...
"Couldn't find your birthday," Papi says smugly from behind me, and I can almost see his arms crossed, his head tilted back just slightly in a self-satisfied challenge, "so I've decided this is your birthday now. Happy Birthday, Alessandra."
He said it like he was expecting me to be indignant, but tears are welling up in my eyes. This is my birthday now. Papi Gabriel said so. I'm his daughter, and today is my birthday. That cake, it's for me. Birthday cake just for me. Cake my Papi got just for me, because today is my birthday. I blink, and the tears escape to trail down my cheeks.
Footsteps behind me. "Hija?" he asks hesitantly.
"Thank you," I whisper, and then whirl and throw myself into his surprised arms to bury my face in my Papi's chest and cry because today is my birthday now.
He holds me tightly, stroking my hair and making soothing murmurs until I've wound down enough to be breathing "thank you" out on every shaky exhale. Still, he doesn't let go until I move to step back and when I wipe my eyes and look at his face, he's watching me with concern.
"Thank you," I tell him in a quiet but clear voice, and I know I'm beaming. "This is the best surprise ever."
He's not reassured, and he crosses his arms again. "What are you not telling me, Alé?"
My eyes drop and I play with my fingers for a minute. "Before my birthday was today...it was January first."
I'm wincing, eyes closed, and that's why Papi's crushing hug takes me by surprise.
"Fuck, Alé, no wonder I couldn't find it. No wonder...I'm so sorry. That had to be the worst...I'm sorry, hija. I'm sorry."
"It's okay." I get my arms free enough to hug him again. "It's okay, Papi. Today is my birthday now. Can I have cake for breakfast? I haven't had a birthday cake of my own since..."
He hugs me tighter. "Si, Alé. You can have cake for breakfast." He releases me enough to put his hands on my shoulders and kiss my forehead. "Go blow out your candle and make a wish."
That makes me laugh, and I'm kind of surprised that I can. "But what could I possibly wish for? That I have a birthday is already the best birthday gift."
"Well," he says, lips twitching as he tries and fails to hold back a grin, "as I understand it, a pony is sort of traditional."
"But I don't want a pony."
"And you wouldn't get one anyway, but that's not important, hija. What's important is the tradition."
"Fine," I sigh with false melodrama, and then grin at him.
Following tradition, I lean over the cake, close my eyes, think I wish for a pony, and blow. When I open them, the wick smokes slightly and Papi's pulling the candle out of the cake.
"Sit," he says. "I'll bring it to you. Birthday girl."
Laughing again, I sit. "Bring me a knife and two forks," I tell him. "I want to cut the cake."
"It's your cake, Alé," he says sternly as he sets it in front of me.
I raise an eyebrow at him. "Are you going to argue with the birthday girl? On her birthday?"
He thinks about it, then shakes his head and chuckles before bringing me a knife and two forks.
"And a plate."
He sets a small plate down next to me. Carefully, I cut about a quarter of the tiny cake into a wedge and lay it on the plate before handing it, and the fork, to him.
Still shaking his head slightly, he sits and waits for me to take a forkful of cake before he toasts me with his. "Happy Birthday, Alé."
Mouth full of marble cake and white frosting, I just bask in what's probably one of the happiest moments of my life.
=
Jesse flops down onto the couch next to me while I've got screens open, digging into Mexico's national registry.
"Hey, Alé, I thought Dad was gonna prank you."
"He did," I answer absently.
"You don't seem too upset. From the way he kept going on about it, I thought for sure I'd hear the yelling."
Papi comes out of the kitchen. "Turns out today actually is her birthday," he says. "Joke's on me."
"So whatcha doing, shadow-sis?"
Slide the altered file in, aaaand...done. I close the screens. "Returning myself to legal status. DNA, fingerprints, birthday, parents, it's all there now."
"Not worried about someone spoiling your big reveal?" Jesse asks.
"Nah. Unless someone tries to run my prints between now and the Easter Gala...and has authorization to look in the Mexican systems..." I shrug.
"You still have to wear a suit, mijo," Papi says sternly. "...but I made you a formal hat to go with it."
Jesse sits up in surprise. "You did??"
"No. April Fool's."
Despite himself, Jesse laughs.
=
It's steak for dinner. Jesse's grilled them and brings them up on a covered tray while I finish preparing the sides. He leaves the tray on the stove, which is why there's no witnesses when I rub the specially-ordered realistic squeaky steak all over them and then place it on Papi's plate. His actual steak stays covered, out of sight. 'Rienne comes in to help me by setting the table, and then she goes to fetch our brother and father - or rather, to let them know it's ready and then get out of the way. Everyone's seated in short order, and Papi breathes in the aroma of roasted flesh with a beatific look. Then he picks up his steak knife and stabs what he thinks is a slab of meat with his fork.
It squeaks.
Everyone freezes.
Gingerly, Papi removes his fork and sets his knife down. Jesse and 'Rienne both take huge bites of potato or vegetable to keep from laughing, but I'm sitting there with the biggest smile my mouth can make itself into, hands clenched in my lap, watching Gabriel Reyes pick up a squeaky plastic steak and lick steak juice off of it.
"I assume there's an actual steak somewhere for me," he says mildly.
"Si, Papi."
"I wasn't expecting this. Well done."
"April Fool's."
Then he bites into it and jerks in unmistakable delight when it squeaks. A good half a minute passes while we watch a grown man chew a squeaky rubber steak and wriggle in what would be crazy wagging if he were a dog.
"Fuck, I missed that," he says when he finally stops chewing on it and stands up. "I'm assuming my actual steak is under the cover?"
"Si," I answer, wondering if I should get him rawhide for Father's Day.
"Good, good. I'm just going to...wash this..." He gives me a one-armed hug on his way by. "Thank you, Alé. I guess we both know each other better than we think we do."
Jesse grins. "Man, and all I got was an actual April Fool's gag instead of a secretly-a-nice-thing-for-you gag."
"I actually did make you a formal cowboy hat," Papi says as he rinses his plastic steak. "April Fool's."
The cowboy sits straight up. "You did?"
"I did. I was serious about you wearing a suit to my coming-out party."
I roll my eyes while Adrienne giggles. "Not just your coming-out patry, Papi. It's my coming-out party, too. And it's an actual party, we're just special guests."
"Please, Alé, we're the best guests. If we don't make headlines, I'll be pissed."
"What if the headlines are bad?" Adrienne asks in her quiet voice.
"Doesn't matter, as long as they're still about us," Papi says as he stabs his steak and slaps it down onto his plate. "You still want to sit it out?"
She nods. "Too much like...things I remember."
Jesse and I lean over to hug her from either side.
"It's okay, quiet-sis," he says reassuringly. "We'll tell you stories when we get back."
"Best brother," she murmurs. Then she reaches out and sticks gold stars on the tips of both our noses at the same time. "Boop."
Listen. Sniff. Nothing unusual. Cautiously open my eyes, nothing out of the ordinary. Get up, check door, safe. Now prepared for anything, I venture out of my room and head into the kitchen. Coffee's already brewing, which means Papi's probably up already and ready to get the drop on me, but I step into the kitchen and-
Cake?
There's a small cake on the counter, a single purple candle stuck in the top and burning. White frosting, purple flowers. Clearly, judging by the camera that's recording my reaction, a throwback to the time I left a nearly-identical cake for Reaper on his birthday, but...
"Couldn't find your birthday," Papi says smugly from behind me, and I can almost see his arms crossed, his head tilted back just slightly in a self-satisfied challenge, "so I've decided this is your birthday now. Happy Birthday, Alessandra."
He said it like he was expecting me to be indignant, but tears are welling up in my eyes. This is my birthday now. Papi Gabriel said so. I'm his daughter, and today is my birthday. That cake, it's for me. Birthday cake just for me. Cake my Papi got just for me, because today is my birthday. I blink, and the tears escape to trail down my cheeks.
Footsteps behind me. "Hija?" he asks hesitantly.
"Thank you," I whisper, and then whirl and throw myself into his surprised arms to bury my face in my Papi's chest and cry because today is my birthday now.
He holds me tightly, stroking my hair and making soothing murmurs until I've wound down enough to be breathing "thank you" out on every shaky exhale. Still, he doesn't let go until I move to step back and when I wipe my eyes and look at his face, he's watching me with concern.
"Thank you," I tell him in a quiet but clear voice, and I know I'm beaming. "This is the best surprise ever."
He's not reassured, and he crosses his arms again. "What are you not telling me, Alé?"
My eyes drop and I play with my fingers for a minute. "Before my birthday was today...it was January first."
I'm wincing, eyes closed, and that's why Papi's crushing hug takes me by surprise.
"Fuck, Alé, no wonder I couldn't find it. No wonder...I'm so sorry. That had to be the worst...I'm sorry, hija. I'm sorry."
"It's okay." I get my arms free enough to hug him again. "It's okay, Papi. Today is my birthday now. Can I have cake for breakfast? I haven't had a birthday cake of my own since..."
He hugs me tighter. "Si, Alé. You can have cake for breakfast." He releases me enough to put his hands on my shoulders and kiss my forehead. "Go blow out your candle and make a wish."
That makes me laugh, and I'm kind of surprised that I can. "But what could I possibly wish for? That I have a birthday is already the best birthday gift."
"Well," he says, lips twitching as he tries and fails to hold back a grin, "as I understand it, a pony is sort of traditional."
"But I don't want a pony."
"And you wouldn't get one anyway, but that's not important, hija. What's important is the tradition."
"Fine," I sigh with false melodrama, and then grin at him.
Following tradition, I lean over the cake, close my eyes, think I wish for a pony, and blow. When I open them, the wick smokes slightly and Papi's pulling the candle out of the cake.
"Sit," he says. "I'll bring it to you. Birthday girl."
Laughing again, I sit. "Bring me a knife and two forks," I tell him. "I want to cut the cake."
"It's your cake, Alé," he says sternly as he sets it in front of me.
I raise an eyebrow at him. "Are you going to argue with the birthday girl? On her birthday?"
He thinks about it, then shakes his head and chuckles before bringing me a knife and two forks.
"And a plate."
He sets a small plate down next to me. Carefully, I cut about a quarter of the tiny cake into a wedge and lay it on the plate before handing it, and the fork, to him.
Still shaking his head slightly, he sits and waits for me to take a forkful of cake before he toasts me with his. "Happy Birthday, Alé."
Mouth full of marble cake and white frosting, I just bask in what's probably one of the happiest moments of my life.
=
Jesse flops down onto the couch next to me while I've got screens open, digging into Mexico's national registry.
"Hey, Alé, I thought Dad was gonna prank you."
"He did," I answer absently.
"You don't seem too upset. From the way he kept going on about it, I thought for sure I'd hear the yelling."
Papi comes out of the kitchen. "Turns out today actually is her birthday," he says. "Joke's on me."
"So whatcha doing, shadow-sis?"
Slide the altered file in, aaaand...done. I close the screens. "Returning myself to legal status. DNA, fingerprints, birthday, parents, it's all there now."
"Not worried about someone spoiling your big reveal?" Jesse asks.
"Nah. Unless someone tries to run my prints between now and the Easter Gala...and has authorization to look in the Mexican systems..." I shrug.
"You still have to wear a suit, mijo," Papi says sternly. "...but I made you a formal hat to go with it."
Jesse sits up in surprise. "You did??"
"No. April Fool's."
Despite himself, Jesse laughs.
=
It's steak for dinner. Jesse's grilled them and brings them up on a covered tray while I finish preparing the sides. He leaves the tray on the stove, which is why there's no witnesses when I rub the specially-ordered realistic squeaky steak all over them and then place it on Papi's plate. His actual steak stays covered, out of sight. 'Rienne comes in to help me by setting the table, and then she goes to fetch our brother and father - or rather, to let them know it's ready and then get out of the way. Everyone's seated in short order, and Papi breathes in the aroma of roasted flesh with a beatific look. Then he picks up his steak knife and stabs what he thinks is a slab of meat with his fork.
It squeaks.
Everyone freezes.
Gingerly, Papi removes his fork and sets his knife down. Jesse and 'Rienne both take huge bites of potato or vegetable to keep from laughing, but I'm sitting there with the biggest smile my mouth can make itself into, hands clenched in my lap, watching Gabriel Reyes pick up a squeaky plastic steak and lick steak juice off of it.
"I assume there's an actual steak somewhere for me," he says mildly.
"Si, Papi."
"I wasn't expecting this. Well done."
"April Fool's."
Then he bites into it and jerks in unmistakable delight when it squeaks. A good half a minute passes while we watch a grown man chew a squeaky rubber steak and wriggle in what would be crazy wagging if he were a dog.
"Fuck, I missed that," he says when he finally stops chewing on it and stands up. "I'm assuming my actual steak is under the cover?"
"Si," I answer, wondering if I should get him rawhide for Father's Day.
"Good, good. I'm just going to...wash this..." He gives me a one-armed hug on his way by. "Thank you, Alé. I guess we both know each other better than we think we do."
Jesse grins. "Man, and all I got was an actual April Fool's gag instead of a secretly-a-nice-thing-for-you gag."
"I actually did make you a formal cowboy hat," Papi says as he rinses his plastic steak. "April Fool's."
The cowboy sits straight up. "You did?"
"I did. I was serious about you wearing a suit to my coming-out party."
I roll my eyes while Adrienne giggles. "Not just your coming-out patry, Papi. It's my coming-out party, too. And it's an actual party, we're just special guests."
"Please, Alé, we're the best guests. If we don't make headlines, I'll be pissed."
"What if the headlines are bad?" Adrienne asks in her quiet voice.
"Doesn't matter, as long as they're still about us," Papi says as he stabs his steak and slaps it down onto his plate. "You still want to sit it out?"
She nods. "Too much like...things I remember."
Jesse and I lean over to hug her from either side.
"It's okay, quiet-sis," he says reassuringly. "We'll tell you stories when we get back."
"Best brother," she murmurs. Then she reaches out and sticks gold stars on the tips of both our noses at the same time. "Boop."