I'll Kiss Your Dumb Lips

Chapter 10

Although Maritza was excited to see her baby girl, she was not excited at all to see her Mother. Loud mouth, says everything that comes to mind, never minds her own business, Mother. Of course she loved her Mom but lord could she get on her nerves. Growing up, Maritza and her Mother had a strange type of relationship. Her Mother treated her as if she was her friend more than as if she was her daughter. Teaching her to tape her boobs together, and how to flirt with boys but never how to tie her shoes or braid her hair. Maritza's aunt, Amanda, stood in place as her mother. While her Mother was out and about, drinking and partying, Amanda looked over Maritza. By the time Maritza's actual mother began to turn her life around and start being a parent to her child, it was a little to late. Maritza was already old enough to make her own decisions, not necessarily smart decisions, but decisions. Her Mother always felt guilty, and a part of her felt like she was the reason why Maritza ended up where she is now. For awhile Maritza did blame her mother but over time she began to take credit for her actions.

After the guards gave out name-tags to each of the inmates family members, they were allowed out onto the yard. Pushing her way through the crowd, Maritza searched for her mother. She was hard to miss considering the fact that she was 5' 0." Her mother's shortness is a trait that Maritza inherited.

"Maritza!" She hears someone call out to her in a thick Spanish accent. "Over here!" Turning her head to the right she spots her mom gesturing her towards her. Taking a deep breath, Maritza begins the short journey over to her mother.

"Hey, Ma." Maritza greets her mother with a side hug and a peck on the cheek. With much more enthusiasm, she greets her daughter Juliana. "Hey there baby! Mommy missed you!" Taking her daughter from her mother's arms, Maritza peppers kisses all over her face. Juliana giggles, pushing her mom away and then burying her head into her neck.

"Miss you." Juliana says but it sounds more like baby-gibberish than actual words.

"Why don't we sit and talk?" Breaking their mother-daughter moment the older woman nods over to the picnic table that resigns under the wooden shading area near the basketball court.

"Play!" The two year old begs as she sees other children playing the activities that were set up for them. "Me play with mama."

Setting her daughter down, Maritza bends down so she is face to face with her. "Me and Grandma want to talk. Will play after okay, baby girl?" Intertwining her much larger hands with her daughter's much smaller hands she tries to calm her before she throws a fit.

"Me want play with mama!"

"She's as stubborn as you." Maritza's mother comments as she lets out a chuckle.

Now at the basketball court, Flaca watches the three girls through a smaller group of people. She's wearing a small smile as she holds the rope that's attached to the piñata, casually leaning against the poll of the basketball hoop in front of her as she's been staring at Maritza and the little girl for a number of minutes. Soon, Daya walks over with Maria in tow. As they reach where Flaca is standing, Maria offers a quick "I'm heading to the bathroom" as she leaves Daya behind.

"What are you looking at?" Daya frowns as she narrows her eyes at Flaca, earning a pointed "look at that" type of gesture from the dark-haired girl.

When the brunette glances in the instructed direction, a smirk grows on her face as she turns to Flaca, the girl's eyebrows raised in an amused manner.

"Look at the family reunion," Daya comments. "How long have you been staring at them? Or should I say Maritza?"

"What? I haven't been staring." Flaca snorts.