somewhere || George Russell

forty-six

Iray smiled. "I love you both."

The three smiled and hugged each other. Sitting there, in the service stairs, they had a great, deep talk again. It's needed sometimes.

"Sorry to bother you, but you can't be here," a guy from the hotel said when he saw the three tipsy guys sitting in the stairs.

"We are your bosses, please leave us alone," Emilio said and moved his hand in the air.

The guy just left, a little confused. Seems like he doesn't know who his bosses are. Emilio, Iray and Laurel don't tend to brag about their position, but this was necessary. Once a year does not hurt.

●●●

February 29, 2020
New York City, New York

"I want a Medieval Meal," Laurel said to her mum as they were driving on the McDonald's Drive Thru.

"Okay," Sofía nodded and rolled down the car window to order. "I'll have a chicken sandwich and a Medieval Me..." she stopped short, realizing the stupidity she was about to say. "That doesn't exist, right?" she turned around to see her daughter, who laughed out loud. "Laurel, come on."

"I'm sorry, I'll have a Double Cheeseburger," he said.

"Double Cheeseburger, I'm sorry for that," Sofía said again. She finished ordering and moved in the cars line to the place where they would collect the food. "You are unbelievable," she snorted.

"Mum, it's a cultural reference, is from Shrek," Laurel amusedly said. "George loves Shrek, he told me about the Medieval Meal."

"He does?"

"Yes," Laurel nodded.

"You hated Shrek as a kid," Sofía remembered. Laurel chuckled, knowing that her and George are different in so many ways but yet they are still together. "You'd rather watch the Pink Panther or the Looney-Tunes."

"I remember that," Laurel chuckled. "I remember once dad went to Mexico City for business and visited the town center, where he found a bunch of plush toys at thirteen dollars each."

"And then he came back to Miami with one Bugs Bunny for Rafael, one Pink Panther for you, one Buttercup from the Powerpuff Girls for Iray and a Spongebob for Emilio," Sofía rolled her eyes. It was so ridiculous to see Alejandro coming out of the airport carrying plush toys with him.

"He did," Laurel cheerfully replied.

The girl from McDonald's delivered the order and Sofía paid, giving the paper bags to Laurel. She drove out of the Drive-Thru and parked the car so that they would eat together while having a chat alone. It's been so long since the last time they were together, just the two of them.

"Mum, how did you meet my dad?" Laurel asked. Surprisingly, she doesn't know their parents' story, and now that they are finally getting married, it seems pertinent to know.

"Well, I was a foreign student at college, because I am from Oaxaca and my former university is in Puebla, so I lived in a residential college," she started to explain. "I lived in the Ignacio Bernal college."

"Ignacio Bernal was a Mexican anthropologist, investigator and PhD in Archaeology," Laurel excitedly said. She remembers studying about him during college.

"Really?" Sofía surprisedly said. She never took the time to investigate that guy before, even though she lived in a building with his name. "Anyway, my roomie was a cheerleader, and your dad was part of the football team, so one day this girl took me to a match because she was drooling over your dad, but guess what?"

"My dad went to say hi to you instead of her," Laurel assumed and smiled, cheekily.

"Yes," Sofía laughed. "My roomie was so pissed, and then she never talked to me again." Laurel laughed out loud. "Your dad and I started dating right away, it was like love at first sight."

"Do you believe in that claptrap?" Laurel frowned.

"Of course," Sofía nudged her daughter. She is so skeptical. "But you know, your dad and I were on an off all the time during our four years in college." Laurel pouted and looked at her mum, expecting for the end of the story. "But then we graduated, your abuelo gave the presidency of our family company to my brother Leonardo and I was so pissed because I worked harder than Leo during college, and I deserved that place more than him. Your dad offered me to come to the US together and create our own company, and that's what I did."

"Just like that?"

"Yes," she smiled. "Because I always knew it was him."

"Like...meant to be?" Laurel made a face.

"Oh, no, not at all," Sofía shook her head. "Like you, I don't believe in fate. I chose your dad. And he chose me. Even if we broke up and made up a million times, we chose each other. When it seemed like we should give up, we chose each other. And even after a long time, we keep choosing each other, in the face of every single twist and turn life brings us."

Laurel chuckled. "And that is not fate." Laurel shook her head and Sofía imitated her, knowing that her daughter understood everything. "Is commitment."

"Exactly," Sofía smiled widely. "Meant to be is too easy, is like just hoping that things will happen eventually."

"But everything happens eventually," Laurel interrupted. "Even the stuff you think never happens, it happens."

"Yes, but is not fate," her mum frowned. "It's hard work, effort, determination, overcoming obstacles and fighting through disappointments and failures. It's like you with Broadway, you had to make such a big effort, you auditioned and waited for an answer. You were not meant to be in Broadway. It happened eventually, but because you worked for it."

Laurel nodded repeatedly and looked down. "Through disappointments, failures..." she whispered to herself.

"And even long-distance," Sofía wiggled her eyebrows. Laurel turned to see her. She really didn't want her mum to listen to it. "Is commitment."