American Vacanza

we talk about families • madison

"You know, Aunt Eleanor seems like the type of woman who would watch your Spanish soap opera," she continued.

"Dont knock it til you try it!" I huffed, slowing down when a car (the only car that'd passed in a good half hour, by the way) passed us in the other lane.

I loved watching Semana Del Amor because it was so relatable; one of the couples, Camila and Alejandro, were each other's second marriages, and it was obvious that Camila was using him for his fortune (and made him get into that coma on purpose). They had a nine-year-old illegitimate daughter who knew all about what Camila was doing, so she offed her, too.

Okay, so it wasn't completely relatable -- yet- but I could definitely relate to their daughter Maria's feelings about her stepmother.

I wanted to tell Siena this, that I related hard to the show since she and her mom had burst into my life unexpectedly, but instead held my tongue for the first time since I could remember.

It was better having Siena as my ally. I hadn't realized how many hours of my day were wasted by being paranoid about what Siena might do next. My skin was clearer, my mental state was healthier; it felt like grey clouds had parted in my brain, leaving clear skies ahead; all I had to do was get out my sunscreen. 

Life might've been more fun before, with all the stomping feet and screaming matches, but this was more simple. And when you're stuck in Middle Of Nowhere, USA, easy trumps fun by a mile.

"She probably would watch Semana Del Amor." I realized Siena was still talking to me— about Aunt Eleanor, still, maybe? —and awkwardly offered up a response.

"I just said that," Siena said, creating an even more awkward silence that made us feel weirder by the minute, like when you were sitting at a family reunion with cousins you'd never met in your life.

 "Hey, did you ever meet my Aunt Cat and Uncle Roger and their kids?" I asked, breaking the silence like the iceberg did the Titanic.

"Were they the ones who got drunk and started twerking the middle of the father-daughter dance?"

"Yep. That was my uncle."

"Seem like interesting people."

"They sure are." I took a deep breath. "Once they showed up at our house — uninvited — and tried to jump into the pool from the roof. Cousin Mikey ended up in the hospital for the first time that year. He was on a four-month streak, his best ever, before that." 

"Well, I look forward to going to your family reunions," she said offhandedly. "They're... they're not invited to Capri, right?" 

"No, no. They'd step into the designer stores in Capri Town and spill a Mike's Hard on the most expensive bag there."

"Hah."

"Plus, for the last few years, my dad's been letting me use the excuse that he's got a lot of work stuff. His policy is usually family-first, but when it comes to my cousins, the lines are kind of blurred," I explained.

The tips of her mouth turned down. "Legit excuse. Your dad's a smart man."

"Exactly. And the whole extended family's so awestruck that he's rich that they basically don't care. As long as he chips in to get my grandparents a gift for their anniversary, they're more than happy with him out of the picture."

I stared ahead at the empty highway, which I realized in that moment could be so easily painted with just two green lines on the sides and a long black strip between them. It was like we were in a painting not exciting enough to belong in a museum or an extremely realistic video game that wasn't quite finished yet.

What about yours?" I queried, cracking my mint gum.

"My what?"

"You know," I replied, gasping for air in this drowning conversation, "Uh, your family. Like your grandparents, extended family."

"There's not much to tell."

"Well, tell me what there is, dummy." I hoped I hadn't come on too strong. Siena and I had never been on good terms like this before, and all of a sudden I felt self-conscious about calling Siena the mildest of insults.

Siena sighed. "Well, obviously, we don't keep in touch with my dad anymore, so we cut ties with his family, too. My mom's parents are nice. Haven't really seen them since our parents got married. Did you meet them at the wedding?"

"Short? Red hair?"

"Uh, no. I don't know who the hell you were talking to--"

"They said they were your mom's parents."

"Um, both of them have had gray hair for the last ten years. My mom's dad literally walked her down the aisle. Was it the same dude?"

"Oh wait, yeah. Definitely. I remember now."I felt heat rush to my cheeks as I slowly came to the realization that at the wedding, I had definitely NOT talked to the same guy who walked Krystal down the aisle and had most likely just struck up a thirty-minute conversation with a couple of wedding crashers. 

"Other than that, Mom's an only child, so I don't have any cousins or aunts or uncles. Nothing like your Aunt Kat and Uncle Roger, huh?"

"I don't think anyone on earth is like Aunt Kat and Uncle Roger," I snickered. "And I thought we were dysfunctional."